
DATE: Monday, April 21, 1997                TAG: 9704180017

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B6   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Letter 

                                            LENGTH:  114 lines

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR -THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

VIRGINIA BEACH

Forget Rudee Inlet. No one cares about boaters

I appreciate your timely article on Rudee Inlet - or soon-to-be former Rudee Inlet. Isn't it amazing how the City Council can spend money on Will Sessoms' precious golf courses, fund a sea wall and replenish sand at Sandbridge on private beaches but cannot find the money to keep the dredge in operation in order to keep Rudee Inlet open? The city has apparently chosen to ignore its obligations, again.

I wonder if council is aware of, or even cares about, the commercial boating concerns that are losing tens of thousands of dollars in revenue because they cannot operate their head boats. Commercial charter fishing, diving, whale watching and sightseeing all are affected. These boat skippers will tell you they don't make any money tied up to the pier.

But, hey, they aren't part of the Hotel/ Motel Owners Association, nor connected to fancy overpaid lawyers, nor represent the Professional Golf Association, right? So who cares? The boaters don't have anyone sitting on council to represent them, like Linwood Branch does for the hoteliers. So I guess they're just out of luck.

We'll let the inlet close up and become an inland lake. And the commercial boaters? Guess they will have to take up golf.

P. C. Barnhill

Virginia Beach, April 12, 1997

VIRGINIA BEACH

Ban horses? Nay . . .

Regarding ``Potential unpleasant horse smell triggers rezoning objection'' (news, April 2):

A woman doesn't want ``her 6-year-old daughter watching horses doing these things''! In an age when her young daughter can watch TV and see humans ``doing'' just about anything, including killing each other, what is the problem? I have a daughter who had the opportunity to enjoy caring for, loving and learning valuable lessons from a horse. She never seemed damaged by seeing it defecating or urinating. These are, after all, natural processes.

I would love to live near these beautiful animals. Unless they are overcrowded, they don't smell (yes, pigs do), and the flies are attracted to the horses, not to their human neighbors. Maybe I'm just an old country girl, but I think these city folk could learn something from nature if they're not too busy paving it over.

Nancy S. Pyle

Franklin, April 9, 1997

ANIMAL RIGHTS

Same old rhetoric

is unfair to hunters

Kathryn Thompson's April 8 letter comparing sportsmen's mind-set to that of slaveowners and Nazis is absurd (``Same old rhetoric at counter-rally'').

As a professional who chooses to hunt and who has never attended a monster-truck rally - although I don't look down my nose at those who do. I respect the viewpoint of those who don't eat meat or use animal products. After all, diversity is what makes America great.

But when groups like PETA and its more radical friends become obsessed with imposing their narrow views on the rest of society, they seem much closer to Nazis than sportsmen will ever be. While they are off trying to ``save the planet,'' pulling stunts like throwing fake blood on people, sportsmen are helping thousands of hungry Virginians by programs like Hunters for the Hungry.

Ron Messina

Norfolk, April 9, 1997

MILITARY

Combine the 5 services

Watching the news and reading about the billions of dollars the Air Force needs to built a new plane for the future, I wonder why we need to spend all of our taxes on five different services that, for the most part, perform the same service - defense of the country.

We call the services the Armed Forces of the United States, one inclusive name. Why can they not be combined into one service and eliminate the need for at least three secretaries in the president's Cabinet? Combine the services under the Department of Defense run by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Stop all of the individual equipment requirements and develop equipment that can be used by all of the services.

As long as we let the admirals and generals dictate what they need to project phantom enemies and preserve their jobs, we will never balance the budget. Set a realistic goal of service consolidation and watch how much money will be saved. Then we won't need to cut funds from the Social Security/Medicare budgets and some of the other entitlements.

Raymond L. Fields

Norfolk, April 12, 1997

CRIME FIGHT

Support anti-drug

boot camp

I am concerned about the federally funded, state-managed program for 16-to-18-year-olds called Commonwealth Challenge. This boot camp for drug-free Virginia residents is effective in reducing crime and the rate of high school dropouts, and is in immediate danger of being cut off financially.

Despite the fact that to fund a single student at Commonwealth Challenge costs just under $10,000 a year, and programs like Boys Town costs $35,000 more, the budget has been decreased by $1 million dollars in just three years. Surely we all agree that cuts in the budget can be made elsewhere. The federal government need not underestimate such a valuable educational experience.

Natalie Keyser

Virginia Beach, April 16, 1997

REGIONALISM

All roads lead

to Hampton Roads

If the people from a distance don't know where Hampton Roads is, then they should be educated to know.

The dictionary says a road can mean ``a protected place near the shore where ships can ride at anchor.'' So this identifies a region.

As the world gets larger, let us not keep our heads in the sand by staying provincial. Let the world know our region.

Ken Lenhart

April 15, 1997