Letters to the Editor for Saturday, March 22, 2008

Columnist chided for Falwell remark
How sad that conservative columnist Michael Gerson chose Holy Week to take an unmerited and uncharacteristically brainless swipe at the late Rev. Jerry Falwell by mentioning him as someone who “spouted hate” in his recent syndicated column, printed in The News & Advance on March 19.
Please don’t automatically associate this newspaper with Falwell disparagement because the editors chose to print Gerson’s column. But hold Gerson accountable. Why he felt the need to make that comment, I cannot say.
Robert Knight, director of the Culture and Media Institute and a fellow Christian, has called for Gerson to apologize to the Falwell family, Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University. Of course, the Falwells and sensible Christians will forgive him, as they should. Knight’s excellent column can be found at Townhall.com.
As a columnist myself, I fully understand the occasional slip of the tongue or ill-thought-out comment. I have inadvertently or intentionally offended where I had no right to. There is a difference between godly offense and human offense. I make no apology for the one, but should always seek to avoid the other. So, I forgive Gerson. I’d just like to see him take the high road and make that apology.
DEBBIE THURMAN
Madison Heights

Deadly puffing
This year, 400,000 people will die of tobacco-related illness. More U.S. citizens die each day from smoking than in a year in Iraq. In fact, nearly 40,000 people will die this year from disease due to second-hand smoke. It’s not quite as dramatic as being killed in a bomb explosion, but it is death all the same. During the time from 2000-2003, 755 people were diagnosed with lung cancer at Centra Health. Of those, 665 are now dead.
These deaths are not the result of some radical terrorist group. They are the result of the tobacco industry. And the majority of the victims get caught as young adults. Ninety percent of smokers start using tobacco regularly at or before the age of 18. In my eight-year career as a physician here in Lynchburg, I have already seen enough tragedy related to smoking to last a lifetime. The things I have seen have made me want to get the facts to the public, and in particular to children. The key to battling this problem is convincing them not to start in the first place.
April 2 is a nationally recognized anti-smoking day known as Kick Butts Day. Students and volunteers from a variety of groups will be taking part in various activities to help distribute the facts of tobacco-related illness. If you happen to drive by E.C. Glass High School, you may see a display with 1,200 pairs of shoes.
That represents one pair of shoes for every person who dies every day in the U.S. as a result of smoking. If this seems like a lot of work to make a point, it is. But if the program convinces a single child not to smoke, it is one less patient I will see dying of tobacco-related disease. And that makes it worth the effort.
JOHN M. SALMON IV
Lynchburg

An honorable peace
I would like to add some balance to a recent Letter to the Editor, “Making Peace.”
I am a Vietnam veteran who served two tours of duty in that country between 1970-1971. I will tell you that Americans sitting at home watching the TV and reading the newspapers did not get the whole story. Most of the other military people around me never thought that our cause was not justified or that the methods of fighting were wrong. We just did our duty, and we weren’t mindless morons who couldn’t discern right and wrong when we see it.
I still have family in the military, and in talking with them and others, I can’t find any who say the first negative thing about being in Iraq. In fact the obverse is true; they believe in what the United States is doing there and, as in Vietnam, the people of that country want us there. Currently evidence strongly suggests that we are accomplishing much in restoring national security, self-esteem, playing with the kids and generally being the best ambassadors we could have there.
Finally, if we want to truly honor the troops, especially the ones who have paid the ultimate price, we should complete our task there.
To leave would surely be dishonoring all the brave men and women serving in our armed forces.
BRIAN JOHNSON
Forest