Digital RSS feed from the Roanoke Times The Roanoke Times en_us Sat, 18 May 2013 17:29:20 http://www.roanoke.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.rss.XMLServer.cls ellen.mosely@roanoke.com The Roanoke Times RSS syndication feeds Bags are ruining crops and harming livestock Bags are ruining crops and harming livestock It’s bad enough that plastic bags scattered across a farm field ruin the bucolic view of Virginia’s farmland. But what farmers strongly object to is that they pose a threat to their animals and machinery. ... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1914851-6/bags-are-ruining-crops-and-harming-livestock.html pointcounterpoint 31499395@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Should flimsy plastic bags be banned or taxed? Better to recycle plastic bags than to ban them To the untrained eye, it might look like a growing coalition of environmental groups are pushing bans on plastic bags. Only a small number of communities in the United States have even considered a bag ... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1912497-6/should-flimsy-plastic-bags-be-banned-or-taxed.html pointcounterpoint 31491495@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Transparency and accountability are hallmarks of current system Transparency and accountability  are hallmarks of current system My friend and colleague Creigh Deeds argued correctly in his column that the General Assembly should base its decisions about creating and filling judgeships on objective criteria such ... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1898792-6/transparency-and-accountability-are-hallmarks-of-current-system.html pointcounterpoint 31447039@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Judicial selection should rise above politics; it doesn’t Judicial selection should rise above politics; it doesn’t The election of judges is one of the most important tasks assigned to the General Assembly by Virginia’s Constitution. It is neither an elite idea nor a liberal idea that the best qualified pe... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1898779-6/judicial-selection-should-rise-above-politics-it-doesnt.html pointcounterpoint 31446981@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Should Virginia move to a merit-based system of electing judges? Current process is preferable to all others The Virginia Constitution provides that “the judges of all courts of record shall be chosen by the vote of a majority of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly.” The responsibility to app... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1878935-6/should-virginia-move-to-a-merit-based-system-of.html pointcounterpoint 31385309@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Reform would select best qualified judges, not best connected Reform would select best qualified judges, not best connected Virginia, home of the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere and the mother of presidents, has a flawed process for selecting judges. Virginia is one of two states where electio... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1877385-6/reform-would-select-best-qualified-judges-not-best.html pointcounterpoint 31380377@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Should college groups be allowed to restrict membership if they receive public funds? The bill authorizes discrimination I appreciate Matt Simmons’ response in both his historical research and his personal experience. I, too, understand the benefit of being around like-minded individuals and of the potential connections that can be ma... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1860804-6/should-college-groups-be-allowed-to-restrict-membership.html pointcounterpoint 31328029@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Law lifts concern clubs could not offer haven to like-minded students Law lifts concern clubs could not offer haven to like-minded students Students on our publicly funded campuses, if they’re like me, have a lot to worry about. Class schedules, exams, papers, the future of the job market, student loans and roommate is... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1859058-6/law-lifts-concern-clubs-could-not-offer-haven.html pointcounterpoint 31322145@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Those affected by the bill were kept in the dark Those affected  by the bill were  kept in the dark I would be lying if I said I did not have qualms about Sen. Mark Oben­shain’s recent Campus Clubs Bill. First of all, what specific issues or recent historical examples pre-empted the creation of thi... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1842369-6/those-affected-by-the-bill-were-kept-in.html pointcounterpoint 31269451@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Sex crimes are among the most heinous Sex crimes are among  the most heinous Mary Devoy would have us believe that the sex offender registry doesn’t work because the list of offenders consists of primarily 18-year-olds who had consensual relations with their 16-year-old girlfriends; this ... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1839123-6/sex-crimes-are-among-the-most-heinous.html pointcounterpoint 31207571@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Don’t believe every scary statistic Don’t believe every scary statistic Inflammatory propaganda — like repeatedly using the word “predator” along with skewed statistics, usually by those seeking re-election, higher office, organizational donations and grants or securing criminal justice... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1839122-6/dont-believe-every-scary-statistic.html pointcounterpoint 31206038@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Point: Raising fear, to no effect Raising fear,  to no effect Most Virginians would say there are more rapists and molesters today than 15 years ago. They would be wrong. Approximately 15 years ago, victims’ rights groups and lawmakers began lowering the threshold of what is defined ... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1813285-6/point-raising-fear-to-no-effect.html pointcounterpoint 31153294@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Counterpoint: Why sex offender registries work Why sex offender registries work Sex offender registries are relatively new legal instruments used by states, including Virginia, in the war against sexual predators. Nationwide, the number of registered sex offenders has increased at an alarming rat... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1813281-6/counterpoint-why-sex-offender-registries-work.html pointcounterpoint 31153133@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Free now to associate with like-minded people College students want to associate with like-minded people I grew up in the church and regularly attended a weekly Bible study for years with my youth group before coming to Virginia Tech and getting involved with Campus Crusade for Christ. Campus Cr... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1798126-6/free-now-to-associate-with-like-minded-people.html pointcounterpoint 31133558@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Counterpoint: Cats aren’t the only culprit killing wildlife Cats aren’t the only  culprit killing wildlife Trap-neuter-release deals with cats that have been abandoned by irresponsible owners and has nothing to do with owned cats that are allowed to roam outside. Barn Cat Buddies supports TNR because it is an... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1794894-6/counterpoint-cats-arent-the-only-culprit-killing-wildlife.html pointcounterpoint 31102035@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Point: No cat should run wild No cat should run wild The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the worst environmental disaster in the history of the United States, resulted in the deaths of more than 7,000 birds. By comparison, America’s cats kill between 1.4 billion and 3.7 billion b... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1794892-6/point-no-cat-should-run-wild.html pointcounterpoint 31102002@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Are trap-neuter-return programs an effective and humane way to deal with stray and feral cats? Feral cat populations can be controlled through neutering The small farm my husband and I own in Bedford County is home to five semi-feral cats. We feed them twice a day, and in exchange, they hunt the moles, voles and other garden-damaging pests tha... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1775276-6/are-trap-neuter-return-programs-an-effective-and-humane-way.html pointcounterpoint 31045439@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Show respect for animals by keeping cats indoors Show respect for animals by keeping cats indoors No question, the human-animal bond is a force to be respected. But what’s the best way to show respect for the animals we love? Not through trap-neuter-return programs, but by keeping cats indoors. Cat... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1775259-6/show-respect-for-animals-by-keeping-cats-indoors.html pointcounterpoint 31034291@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Corp teachers receive top-notch training and support Corp teachers receive  top-notch training and support Teach for America trains more teachers for low-income communities than any other organization or institution in the nation. It is also among the most studied teacher preparation programs. North Ca... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1676983-6/corp-teachers-receive-top-notch-training-and-support.html pointcounterpoint 30741371@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Is Virginia right to welcome Teach for America into public schools? Let’s invest in real solutions I applaud Morgan Saxby’s commitment to students and his chosen profession; public education needs to recruit and retain many more such talented individuals. However, evidence suggests that, among graduates of Teach for ... http://www.roanoke.com//opinion/pointcounterpoint/1676984-6/is-virginia-right-to-welcome-teach-for-america.html pointcounterpoint 30741027@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17