ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, April 25, 1997                 TAG: 9704250007
SECTION: EDITORIAL                PAGE: 2    EDITION: METRO 
                                             TYPE: LETTERS 

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Look for more class-action lawsuits

I DO NOT support the tobacco industry, and I hope it gets nailed for its advertising tactics to get our youth to become nicotine fiends. But I see a lot of hypocrisy in the attention given to one tobacco company's recent admission of its products' addictive nature.

Media hype about L&M's admission seems to be creating a convenient scapegoat for our own selfish indulgences. Smoking's health hazards have been cited by practically every medical institution not financed by the tobacco industry. We need to take responsibility for our own actions and not expect a class-action suit or government bailout to correct our mistakes for us.

If we continue this bailout trend, let me suggest a couple of future headline items:

Hearing loss. You know the type: those people who want everyone within a three-block radius to know what music they listen to. Deaf people can recognize them as the ones driving cars with the back tires rhythmically bouncing off the asphalt. I expect a class-action suit against amp and speaker manufacturers for not warning consumers that 150 decibels are bad for you.

Fatal phones. Cellular-phone manufacturers can expect a similar suit for not warning consumers that it may be dangerous to gab and drive. Extra compensation may be earned if there's a fax on board.

The political winds currently blow against the smoke. If we're to be consistent, shouldn't alcohol and other ``vices'' be treated equally?

BEN POE

WOLF CREEK

Unnecessary risks are not officers' duty

I VIEWED with disbelief the photo series in your April 3 newspaper of Officer M.W. Chandler struggling with the suspected murderer of Sharon Casey and her mother. What kind of environment have the bleeding-heart liberals imposed that those in our "thin blue line" feel obligated to risk their lives so carelessly in the line of duty?

For all his bravery, which I much admire, I hope Chandler's chain of command has assured him that such risks aren't necessary in the discharge of his duty. He is a very lucky man to be alive today, and Roanoke is very lucky to still have his services!

As a suspected murderer, Miguel Ortiz should have been shot in his tracks for refusing to disarm himself.

KEN FARROW

ROANOKE

Cartoon insulted a former president

THE CARTOON of President George Bush and Barbara Bush on your April 8 Opinion page was a disgrace. Allowance can be made to a degree for unflattering cartoons of prominent people, but not a slur on character. Granted, Barbara Bush favors a three-strand pearl necklace, but she isn't grotesquely out of shape as portrayed. George Bush's chin appeared ridiculously prominent, and he was shown to be bald.

Especially revolting was the implication that Bush would ever say he wanted to get a tattoo and a nose ring, and to compete in a "tight bun contest'' - seeking that kind of publicity!

I am aware of your strong pro-Democratic stance, but I can't help wondering why you would thus denigrate someone who attained our country's highest honor - president of the United States.

MILDRED SADLER

SALEM

Use the existing laws more effectively

I HAVE A few suggestions for the supporters of the gun ban in recreation centers (April 2 news article, ``Legislators get crack at Allen vetoes''):

Draft legislation banning murder.

Make ``assault with a deadly weapon'' against the law.

Ban ``brandishing a firearm.''

Make it a punishable offense to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

What? We have already done this?

This newspaper, in support of the ban, has mentioned twice an angry basketball player with a bulge under his shirt. How much jail time did he get? None, I suspect. That makes me angry. Why not prosecute him with the laws we already have?

People who engage in this type of activity wouldn't think twice about breaking another gun law. The ban would have only served to disarm law-abiding citizens.

Thank you, Gov. Allen, for being the voice of reason.

W. DAVID SHINAULT

CATAWBA

LENGTH: Medium:   87 lines