THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Wednesday, October 2, 1996            TAG: 9610020005
SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A14  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                            LENGTH:   24 lines

CAVING IN ON THE DEBATE

My brother, a Virginia Beach resident, just told me you are supporting the decision to exclude Ross Perot from the presidential debates. I suggest you are, like the two major parties and their ``committee,'' more concerned the public might be exposed to genuine and substantive airing of real issues than whether the candidates are ``viable.''

The two major parties and their controllers don't want anyone but themselves defining what we should consider important. Look what happened during the past four years. Both majors had to act as if they wanted to balance the budget, God forbid. Campaign reform, lobbying reform, fiscal responsibility and, ha-ha, congressional ethics? Get real.

Fortunately, the spokesman for those people out there is short enough and speaks ``quaintly'' enough to be an easy target for ridicule. When one's arguments and reasoning aren't credible, count on good old reliable ridicule.

Must I be ashamed to have delivered your paper half a century ago?

ROBERT S. TERRY

Bedford, Sept. 27, 1996 by CNB