THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 1, 1996 TAG: 9608300692
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J6 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: 64 lines
Dear Fellow Virginians:
I have had the pleasure of knowing U.S. Sen. John Warner for nearly 20 years. In that time, I have come to appreciate and value his honesty, his integrity, his sincere commitment to protecting our nation and the interests of all Virginians, and his experience. John Warner is uniquely qualified to continue representing Virginia in the United States Senate.
There are few individuals whom I know, or that our nation has known, who have the honesty and integrity of John Warner. When other politicians would take the easy way out, by making the easy choice, or no choice at all, John Warner makes the tough decisions and stands by them. Whether its been specific legislation like the Voting Rights Act, the recommendation of persons to serve on Federal Courts, or even the direction of his own political party, when the going gets tough, John Warner is there.
In his campaign literature, John Warner uses the phrase, ``fighting to protect the economic, personal and national security interests of all Virginians.'' This is not sloganeering. This is a statement in fact - doing everything possible to ensure that hard working Virginians and their employers are able to work and do business without the burden of unnecessary regulation and government interference. He has supported and voted for tax relief for working Virginians, doing everything possible to ensure that they are able to keep more of the income they have labored so hard to obtain. And standing shoulder to shoulder with Virginia's governors, John Warner has fought to create an environment conducive to bringing companies and their jobs to the Commonwealth.
One of the earliest impressions John Warner frequently mentions is the one made on him as a child by a policeman who talked to him about his responsibilities as a grade school crossing guard. That impression is reflected in the seriousness with which John Warner served as an assistant U.S. attorney, and in the concern with which he has sought legal reforms, helped the law enforcement community gain the resources and support it needs to effectively do his job, and in how he fights to ensure that criminals are taken off and kept off the street.
In the arena of national security, there are few in the history of our nation that can boast the record of John Warner. Twice he interrupted his education to serve our nation in time of war - as an enlisted sailor in World War II and as a Marine captain during the Korean War. As the secretary of the Navy, he led the Navy through one of its toughest periods, and he guided the successful negotiations of the Incidents at Sea Treaty, the first naval treaty between the U.S.S.R. and the United States governing safe navigation in waters occupied by both U.S. and Soviet war ships. In the Senate, John Warner has been a leader in setting the course which has brought the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Empire and the redress of threats that face the world today and in the future.
There is no doubt about why John Warner is best qualified to continue representing Virginia in the United States Senate. In every respect he is not a politician seeking re-election. He is a statesman for whom Virginia is grateful. MEMO: Ron Adkins is a Roanoke-area resident who has known Sen. Warner
for more than 20 years. He has worked for and supported John Warner in
each of his bids for public office since the senator announced his
intention to seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1977.
Adkins is a small businessman and owner of Rockingham Mutual insurance
agency in Salem.
KEYWORDS: U.S. SENATE RACE VIRGINIA JOHN W. WARNER
CANDIDATES PUBLIC JOURNALISM by CNB