THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Tuesday, October 11, 1994              TAG: 9410110006
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A12  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   46 lines

BECOMING AN `INSIDER' WITH `OUTSIDE' SUPPORT

I cannot, in good conscience, support Oliver North in his Senate campaign.

Mr. North, when he took his oath to serve in the Marine Corps, swore to ``support and defend,'' and to ``bear faith and allegiance to'' the Constitution and to the United States. He then proceeded to sell arms and munitions to a sworn enemy of America. And when the law requiring that Congress be consulted got in his way, he chose to ignore the very document he had promised to support and defend. Those are not the acts of a hero; those are the acts of a traitor.

Mr. North is a disgrace to the uniform of our country and an embarrassment to the memory of those who gave their lives to defend the way of life Mr. North sought to subvert. In his defense, Mr. North and his supporters would have us believe that he was only following orders. That lame excuse has been used too often in the past to defend some of the most abhorrent crimes and atrocities in history. Besides, members of the armed forces are taught that they are not to obey orders which are illegal. A true hero would have disobeyed those orders, not followed them blindly.

I am concerned that so much of Mr. North's campaign treasury has come from outside Virginia. Campaign contributions usually come with a price tag in the form of a promise to support the desires of the donor. What will happen when the desires of his outof-state donors come into conflict with the best interests of Virginia? Can we be assured, given his past record of shifting allegiances, that Mr. North will always put Virginia first?

Mr. North states that he is not a Washington ``insider.'' Is this the same Oliver North who bragged about having one-on-one meetings with the president? Further, he has promised Sen. Bob Dole, the epitome of the Washington ``insider,'' that he can be counted on to toe the line when it comes to supporting the Republican Party. It would seem that, in fact, he will become an instant ``insider'' if, God forbid, he is elected to the Senate.

On Election Day, I will not be voting as an expression of support for any candidate. I will be voting against Oliver North.

RUSSELL R. CERRO

Norfolk, Oct. 5, 1994 by CNB