THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 12, 1995 TAG: 9511100147
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 124 lines
Disinterested citizens
Once again, I find myself in the aftermath of an election bewildered. It is not the results of the election that have me in this state, but the vote counts themselves.
I remember the first time I was eligible to vote and the pride that I felt as I cast my ballot. I still feel a special power today as I vote. I was disappointed in the knowledge that I would be out of town on election day this year. However, I made sure that my absentee ballot was in the registrar's hand in ample time. It amazes me that not only do the majority of the citizens of Chesapeake not feel empowered by the democratic process but apparently don't care.
The official count of individuals in the city is more than 183,000. By the estimate provided in The Virginian-Pilot, 126,575 are eligible to register. Only 27 percent of the eligible voters in the city chose to participate in this election. We have a new councilman in office who was elected by roughly 10 percent of the citizens. Our clerk of court was returned to another term by the voice of 13 percent of our citizens. My General Assembly representative was returned to Richmond with the blessing of 8 percent of the citizens.
I respect each of those who ran for office because they all desire to make our city a better place to live. Although I do not agree with all of their opinions, I would have no problem discussing those differing opinions with these citizens. I know that my vote was counted, and I am proud of that fact. I know that I read and listened to the candidates so that I could cast my vote in good conscience. It just amazes me that 75 percent of the city's citizens trust me with deciding who should be in office making decisions that affect their everyday lives. I appreciate the confidence and assure you that it is well founded, but I implore you to stand up and be counted in the next election.
David W. Stockmeier
Fairways Lookout
Save historic site
This information is in response to the letter by Beverly Pillars (The Clipper, Nov. 3) pleading for the preservation of the historic site at the corner of Battlefield Boulevard and Cedar Road.
All citizens can participate in this exciting endeavor by becoming a partner with the city in the purchase of this property.
Please send checks made out to the Norfolk County Historical Society. Donations are tax deductible. Send in care of Robert Parker at Great Bridge Cyclery, 1429 Fentress Road, Chesapeake, Va. 23322, or phone 482-5149.
Time is short, and we must act now to preserve the site connected to the Battle of Great Bridge, which was the first battle of the American Revolution fought on Virginia soil.
Diane Mahoney
Warhawks Road
Connection to past
The impending demolition of Deep Creek Intermediate School, a part of the School Board's present capital improvement plan, should arouse the concern of all Chesapeake residents.
In my opinion, Deep Creek Intermediate School and its Great Bridge counterpart (currently Great Bridge Middle School North) represent a vital connection to Chesapeake's past. As a former Intermediate School student whose parents and grandparents attended school in the same building, I have a special attachment to that pair of buildings on George Washington Highway. When I consider Norfolk's spectacular renovation of its aging Maury High School, I cannot understand why our city is unwilling to make a similar investment to renovate the school for the use of future generations.
The destruction of the intermediate school strikes particularly close to home for me, but I believe that it is merely one symptom of a larger illness plaguing our community. The move to eliminate the intermediate school and other landmarks throughout Deep Creek and the rest of the city is a sign that the growth that has enveloped Chesapeake has come too fast and at too high a price.
I wholeheartedly support the continued improvement of our schools, and I believe that we can create an infrastructure for our children's educational needs without sacrificing a valuable part of history. I hope that our school system will not play a role in destroying what is left of the heritage of our community.
Eric L. Musselwhite
Hopewell Drive
Two kinds of welfare
When congressmen and senators talk about cutting welfare, what do they mean?
We have two welfare systems in this country - corporate welfare and individual welfare. One gives special interest money to politicians and the other gives money to people who need it to survive.
Guess which one gets cut and by whom?
William H. West
Dock Landing Road
Violence to animals
Each day it seems we hear of increasing violent crimes committed by very troubled individuals. Their childhoods reveal violent parents, inappropriate discipline, neglect, emotional repression and animal abuse.
An abusive individual who chooses a child as a victim almost invariably begins that violent behavior with animals. As difficult and unpleasant as it may be to explore this relationship, acknowledging it could mean salvation for countless victims in this despicable cycle.
We speak of pets as members of the family, a notion generally referred to in the warm, fuzzy sense. But there can be a dark side to a pet's role as family member. When a family is infected by violence, the animals in that household are just as likely to be victims as the human members.
The first victims are often animals. While animals may remain a favored target, the violence expands to include humans, usually the abuser's own child. This child, while suffering the perpetrator's brutality, may watch the abuser hurt or even kill a family pet. Or the child may turn on the pet himself.
Taken to the extreme, this can lead to the creation of a societal monster. Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer are only two of the notorious serial killers who began their careers with animals.
The late anthropologist Margaret Mead once wrote, ``One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and get away with it.''
So the next time you see a child or a group of children torturing an animal, don't turn your back. If you are uncomfortable confronting the children, go make a phone call to someone who will. You might not just be saving that animal's life, but someone else's in the future.
Wanda J. Morris
President
Chesapeake Humane Society by CNB