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Religion belongs in politics
Stephen Williams

Williams lives in Roanoke and will attend Patrick Henry College this fall.

Benjamin Franklin once endorsed the importance of religion in culture and politics when he wrote, "If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his [God's] notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?" Read more here.

Payday loans: a necessary product
Kevin Doyle

Doyle, of Darlington, S.C., is Virginia regional manager for Quik Cash.

Pretend for a moment that -- like most Virginians -- you make enough to make ends meet, but haven't accumulated much in the way of savings or assets. Read here.

Read Sunday's letters here.

This little porker comes to market
Sure the money would come in handy, but we've lost our appetite for pork.
It was awfully thoughtful of Rep. Bob Goodlatte to earmark $250,000 in federal funds for Roanoke's historic downtown market. Bet the people in Kalamazoo, Mich., think so, too. Or not.

If we don't like pork going elsewhere we shouldn't salivate when it's served here. Sure Downtown Roanoke Inc. could find some good uses for the money, such as much-needed sidewalk improvements, but that doesn't mean the pork won't leave a bitter aftertaste. Read more here.

Don't muddy the issue in big-box appeals
Blacksburg's zoning board must stick with the law.
For many residents of Blacksburg and the surrounding area, the proposed South Main Street development is about only one thing: Wal-Mart. Town officials, however, do not enjoy the luxury of such narrow focus.

As zoning appeals wind their way through the system, everyone must remember that even developers who wish to bring a big-box store to town have rights. Read more here.

Call upon the passion
The push to overhaul military medical care must be strong. The president must see to it.
President Bush's initial response to recommendations last week from a commission that examined the care given U.S. service members was absent the passion so needed in this time of war.

"They've come up with some very interesting and important suggestions," he said following a briefing with commission co-chairs Donna Shalala, former Health and Human Services secretary, and former Sen. Robert Dole. Read more here.

Keep the battle flag out of the Capitol
By Christian Trejbal

A quiet discussion is under way at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. Its outcome will reveal much about the character of the commonwealth in 2007.

"We do find it very distressing that the Confederate flag has not been restored to the chamber where it has historically resided," Brandon Dorsey of the Virginia Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans wrote to Bruce Jamerson, clerk of the House of Delegates.

No, Mr. Dorsey, it hasn't, and it shouldn't.

Read more.

Care, where care is needed
If the value of nonprofits needs proving, the region should look no further than the Rescue Mission's health clinic.
The Roanoke Rescue Mission recognizes that the destitute need more than three hots and a cot, and that caring for the body is as important as caring for the soul. For five years, the mission has operated a health clinic staffed by medical volunteers who know that care wrapped in sheer benevolence rather than premiums and co-pays is critical for a valley that is the urban mecca for people in need in Southwest Virginia.
Read more.

Welcome back, Bishop
Rita Bishop returns next week to Roanoke to take on the challenge of leading the city school system. Bishop's success in restoring morale, raising student achievement and keeping kids in school will be greatly influenced by the support the community lends her.
Read more.

Welcome home schoolers into the fold
Roger Weddle
Weddle, of Roanoke, works for Carilion, helps his wife in home educating their three children and is a University of Virginia graduate student.
Your July 6 editorial "Home schoolers as members of the club" came to a practical and well-thought-out conclusion. The idea that home-educated children should be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities offered by public schools has resonated with some home school families for years, although it is not certain that most home- education families will be interested in public school extracurriculars.
Read more.

Saturday's letters can be read here.

For Saturday: Rita Bishop returns to Roanoke's school as the new superintendent and will face substantial challenges.

For a Monday editorial, we're writing about the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, which voted last week to start opening its meetings with prayers. It's a bad policy made worse by a terribly flawed ordinance.

Read the ordinance starting on page 5 of this document.

Saturday, we applaud the Roanoke Rescue Mission for recognizing that the destitute need more than three hots and a cot. They need health care; the Mission provides that at a clinic staffed by medical volunteers.

Editorial: Shunning the 'L' word
Who among the Democrats will stand up for liberals? Not Sen. Hillary Clinton, apparently.
"Liberal" died on Monday at the hands of Sen. Hillary Clinton and in full view of the gazillion other Democratic presidential candidates, none of whom came to its rescue. Oh, the senator gave it a fine eulogy -- before she offed the word.
Read more.

Editorial: Clinging to discord
Quibbling over who sweeps the sidewalks only stalls progress on City Market plans.
Roanoke taxpayers envisioned Frank Dukes swooping in like a caped crusader, ready to slay the evil discord that has blocked Roanoke City Market improvements. He would emerge from a series of meetings with arms raised in victory, a blueprint clutched in one hand.
Read more.

Correction
An editorial in Thursday's edition, "Gun shy in Norfolk," incorrectly said Virginia bans guns in state parks. The ban on concealed weapons was lifted in 2002 when then-Gov. Mark Warner agreed with a legal opinion issued by then-Attorney General Jerry Kilgore that the Conservation and Recreation Department lacked statutory authority to prohibit guns in state parks. Regulations still prohibit openly carrying weapons, except in areas designated for hunting.

Calling in an airstrike on competition
Barbra Lisa Downey Hood
Hood, of Chesapeake, is an engineer and community leader in Southeastern Virginia.
Scorched earth: The words generally bring to mind villages and crops burnt, wells poisoned and bridges destroyed to slow or stop enemy forces on the field of battle. However, in today's information age, it might be your friendly phone company that is scorching the earth -- make that your pocketbook -- killing off broadband competition by denying competitors access to the public phone network through murky regulatory proceedings and even outright destruction of the network itself. And when the dust clears, consumers are likely to suffer.
Read more.

Friday's letters can be read here.