Va. Sen. Devolites Davis stands on her record

Re: “Both Davis’ need a break,” From Readers, Nov. 1

Virginia state Senator Jeannemarie Devolites Davis continues to focus on issues that matter to Fairfax voters, as she has ably done for years.

Meanwhile her opponent, Chap Petersen, is unsuccessfully trying to use complaints about campaign tactics to distract voters’ attention from his flawed record.

Sen. Devolites Davis played a key role in crafting a viable compromise on transportation. Mr. Petersen scorns this achievement and advocates much higher gas taxes for everyone, regardless of the cost.

Sen. Devolites Davis stands up for residents concerned about the impact of Fairfax County’s rampant overdevelopment.

In contrast, Mr. Petersen abandoned his state responsibilities regarding schools, roads and the environment when he stayed silent on a vast project being planned in his district at the Vienna Metro. Voters recall that Sen. Devolites Davis joined with officials of both parties and local residents who sought a compromise.

She delivers, he ducks.

Steve Pastorkovich
Fairfax

Contempt for immigration law has dire consequences

Re: “Giving amnesty to illegal youth makes sense,” From Readers, Nov. 1

Every time someone speaks out against illegal immigration, pro-amnesty supporters are quick to call them racists and accuse them of promoting the so-called “atmosphere of hate.”

I came to the U.S. as a legal immigrant and then became a U.S. citizen, but 20 million people took it upon themselves to skip the immigration process while millions of law-abiding citizens of countries around the world followed the rules and waited in line to get their resident cards.

If you broke the law, knowing full well the consequences of getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar, you do not have the right to cry foul or demand rights that belong to law-abiding citizens and legal residents.

Societies that ignore the rule of law breed corruption, and after living 28 years in a Third World country, I know firsthand the dire consequences of such behavior.

Miguel Callistus
Silver Spring

New library, coffee shop and park would be perfect

As a Tenleytown resident, I am glad to see the city exploring options for a new library. I have walked by the abandoned Tenley-Friendship Branch Library for years, looking forward to the day it would reopen.

Libraries are important community landmarks. I try to make a point to visit them when traveling because they reveal so much about the community. Like the Forum in the center of Rome, a library is a meeting place for discourse and educational pursuits.

The city’s [Request for Proposal] for a public-private partnership is a great idea. A mixed-use development in addition to a new library would be great for a neighborhood “center” at Wisconsin and Albemarle. I applaud these efforts and hope city officials will also consider adding a coffee shop and a small outdoor park to the plans.

Ellen Myer
Washington

Is Edwards a double agent for the Republican Party?

Well, the Democrats all ganged up on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton during their debate last week, with John Edwards leading the attacks.

Edwards’ harangues were more telling than anything the GOP could devise, and the Republicans will surely feature them during the 2008 campaign. I therefore nominate Edwards (is he a double agent?) as the GOP Person of the Year.

Nathan Dodell
Rockville

Ex-Beatle McCartney now reaping what he sowed

Re: “Mills McCartney lashes out again,” Nov. 1

Regardless of any actual guilt in the McCartney-Mills saga, I find it odd that people would support ex-Beatle Sir Paul in such vigorous fashion.

Back in the swinging ’60s, the Beatles proclaimed that “all you need is love.” But the love they offered in both song and example was the superficial kind that indiscriminately ridiculed authority and sanctioned everything from drugs to promiscuous sex.

Now, 40 years after the “Summer of Love,” it seems Sir Paul himself is “paying the price” for a cultural revolution that has given birth to a culture of death.

Rather than continue chasing women half his age, Sir Paul might want to consider becoming a major player in the “culture of life” movement that supports the true meaning of love.

Paul Kokoski
Hamilton, Ontario
Canada