Letters 09/29/10

Not the norm

    Around the 20th of August I rode through the cemetery. I’ve lived in Bedford all my life and never had I seen the cemetery look as overgrown. However, the month of August we had a lot of rain and sun. The people of Bedford keep neat well cared for lawns, but much of August they were like the cemetery, they did not look good. Grass went from very brown to extremely green and grew fast. (Very fast.) It was almost wet all day, everyday.
    The two ladies who had letters in last week’s paper were from out of town. They were right in saying the cemetery looked bad. They need to know this is not the norm. The city of Bedford does a very good keeping the cemetery looking great. I’m sorry these ladies saw it at its worst. They were correct. I think they will see it looking fine now and in the future.

Tommy Crawford
Bedford

The controversy

    Let’s revisit the controversy over Stalin and the D-Day Memorial.
    It is beyond dispute that this is the only memorial to D-Day in this country. It is beyond dispute that Bedford suffered the highest percentage of casualties during D-Day. It is beyond dispute that Stalin was, for awhile, the ally of the people who killed them. It is beyond dispute that Stalin refused to join the planning and execution of D-Day.
    This is the D-Day memorial. This is  not a tribute to all the great leaders of World War Two. It is not a tribute to other battles at other times that arguably could have some connection to some circumstances that may have affected D-Day. It is not a tribute to the other fallen heros from 1936 forward. It is not about historical assessments. It is about honoring those brave Bedford Boys, and the battles they won at such terrible costs.
    There is no place in America for a memorial to Stalin, particularly on the hallowed grounds of the D-Day memorial.

Hugh Key
Moneta

A catastrophe
 
    The Obama administration is proving to be a catastrophe beyond belief.  While campaigning, Barack H. Obama promised “change...change...change” while refusing to define the meaning of that all-important term.  Now, 19 months since his inauguration, he certainly has produced lots of “change” ~~ and all of it for the worse, with failed policy after failed policy, and with the annual federal budget deficit soaring to a staggering $1.3 trillion.
    The annual interest (repeat, interest) on this almost unbelievable sum is now estimated at $375 billion. Yes, Virginia, that’s $375,000,000,000 annually in interest alone.  Our national debt is currently approaching $13.5 trillion.  Can your mind even begin to grasp the enormity of these figures?
    What about President Obama’s personal background?  For years rumors have swirled back and forth about who he really is, and where he comes from.  He and his backers erected a virtually impenetrable wall of secrecy around him, sealing off public access to his birth certificate, college records and his true religious affiliations, etc.  Why?
    There is much ‘food-for-thought’ about our sitting President.  Consider just a few things:  As President of the United States, on a visit to Saudi Arabia, he bowed to the King.  This action is indicative of a man following a strict Muslim creed, and a signal to the Muslim world acknowledging his religion.  (The reader may remember that, in an interview with George Stephanopoulus, Obama referred to - “my Muslim faith”).
    Actions speak louder than words.  Why did Obama insist that the U.S. Attorney General hold the trial of the 9/11 Muslim terrorists accused of attacking the U.S. in civilian courts as common criminals instead of as terrorists?  If they were tried in Military Tribunals, and convicted and sentenced to death; by law Obama would be required to sign their death warrants.  He would not be required to sign if they were sentenced to death in a civilian court.  Obama has stated that Muslims ‘could not and should not kill fellow Muslims.
    Could it be that Obama is forbidden by his religion to authorize the execution of Muslims?  Open your eyes, ears and mind to who the President is, how he behaves and what he is doing.
 
George Kelly
Bedford

Real peace

    Secretary Hillary Clinton keeps saying peace in the Middle East is a must for the National Security of America. Yet she defies God who always speaks of punishment and rewards in all religions. She obviously believes in the Holy Quran that tells Muslims you have no chance unless you split the Christians away from the Jews. It seems like she believes in the holy war the terrorists’ are declaring and she wants to be part of it. She does not believe that the truth will always come out. The innocent will always ask how come you never told the truth.
    The longer we wait in solving the Middle East crises the more ammunition we are providing the man of God to steal the show and make peace in the Middle East. This man will not be a Christian or a Jew according to the Bible.
    Mrs. Clinton no matter what she and others do, will do what God wants her to do. The Muslims will never have real peace with Israel as long as it has atomic bombs and America will never have peace unless it tells the truth about how it happened beginning with the administration of John F. Kennedy 1960.

Ralph Rasoul
Blue Ridge

Part of the plan

    Last year, parents were outraged that the school board was thinking of shutting down two of the elementary schools. That battle was won but the war is just beginning.
    Dr. Schuch was hired to save money and if it can’t be done openly, it will be done behind the scenes so that parents become so sick of the school, they will welcome its closing. I don’t know all the details behind the Body Camp principal being reassigned but I can guarantee it’s all part of Dr. Schuch’s plan. ...
    My son’s 6th grade class (at Thaxton) is stuffed into one room and shares two teachers with the 5th grade class. The third graders sometimes change classes as much as nine times in a day. If his plan was to make us want the demise of the school, he almost got me until I realized that he thinks that us “Thaxton folks” are a bunch of idiots who won’t realize what he is doing until it is too late.
    Well if Dr. Schuch wants a fight, he has one. These are our children, not dollar signs. Look for cuts within the school board office and you’ll be surprised how much you can save.

Amy Burns
Bedford

Lending a
helping hand

    I am sure that many of you may know someone who has been a victim of domestic violence, but you may not know that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In short, domestic violence is “an intentional pattern of abusive behavior used by one individual to exert power and control over another individual.”
    Bedford Domestic Violence Services provides help and education to the victims, as well as their families. They go to great measures to provide shelter, counseling, court accompaniment, a 24-hour hotline and referral to area services all free of charge. Because all of the services are administered free to the victim, funds and donations are always needed in order to continue providing assistance. Any donation, small or large, makes a difference, so why not lend a helping hand? There is a constant need of food, trash bags, toiletry items, household cleaners, detergents, paper towels, wash cloths, as well as monetary donations and other items. You can also donate your time and talents to Bedford Domestic Violence Services by volunteering at one or many of their activities, especially during the month of October.
    Come out and show your support at the events being held throughout the month of October. On Sunday, Oct. 3 there will be a Bikers Against Domestic Violence (BAD-V) Motorcycle Ride beginning at The Kirk in Forest, VA. On Thursday, Oct. 7 there will be a Candlelight Vigil/Walk in memory of all victims, beginning at 5:30 in Centertown Bedford. Finally, on Oct. 22 there will be a charity auction at the Elks National Home from 7-9 p.m.
    For more information about domestic violence, volunteering, or to view the BDVS wish list, please visit the website: www.co.bedford.va.us/Res/Social/Domestic/index/asp or call BDVS Hotline at 540.587.0970

Alesia Smith, intern
Bedford Domestic Violence Services

A clear choice

    Once again the voters in the fifth district have a clear choice this November.
    The Republican candidate is dedicated to the discredited dogma of trickle down economics. We recently finished an eight-year experiment in which this doctrine was mercilessly applied to our economy. It brought us the most devastating recession in nearly a century.
        Giving people on the very highest rung of our economic ladder all of the advantages has broken the middle class. It left us with banks, insurance companies and corporations that pay their CEOs millions of dollars each year while shipping our jobs to Mexico, India and China. Workers lucky enough to keep their jobs faced stagnant wages and declining benefits. All of this happened in Virginia while Mr. Hurt was serving as a State Senator.
        Two years ago we started to restore government for all the people. During that time Tom Periello has pragmatically served the working people of this district. He voted to lend a hand to those of us who were put out of work by unbridled corporate greed. He voted against the insurance companies in favor of workers who could not get health insurance because they have high blood pressure. He voted to put people to work building an infrastructure that will support the needs of entrepreneurs for the first half of this century.
        He voted to preserve jobs of teachers, police officers and firefighters. Most recently he voted to extend a hand to small businesses who want to create jobs here and restore our economy to the vibrancy it had only a little more than a decade ago. I am confident that Mr. Periello will continue to work tirelessly for all of us in a second term as our Representative. Please join me in voting for him when November arrives.

Dennis Goff
Bedford

Casting their votes

    Independents and moderate Republicans better think long and hard before they cast their vote this November. Take a look at Utah, Alaska, Nevada, and Delaware. In each State a competent and respected Republican lost their primary to a candidate that a year ago would have been considered unqualified to hold office. Even former moderates are being pushed to the far right by the Tea Party. The people that are winning primaries not only want to shrink the government they want to dismantle it.
    Rep. Tom Perriello is the principled, hard-working representative we all say we would like to see in Congress. Instead of only speaking to “friendly” crowds and offering no solutions, he is doing something to bring jobs to our people. He has championed our district as the potential new energy capital of the country.
    To achieve this goal he has co-sponsored a bill called Rural Star which will finance energy efficiency upgrades in rural homes, creating an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 jobs a year. He has supported alternative energy production by securing a grant for VanDerHyde Dairy to construct a digester that will turn manure into enough electricity to power the Town of Chatham. In order to attract new businesses to our district Tom has been instrumental in garnering a $200,000 grant for the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research’s new “Gearing-up for Renewable Energy Jobs” program to engage teachers and students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to prepare them for these new jobs. Finally, Rep. Perriello has been an early and vocal supporter of the Edison 2 “Very light car” which recently received a $10 million dollar X Prize Award. This vehicle was developed in Lynchburg and will bring many manufacturing jobs here. Oliver Kuttner, the Team Leader said,  “The fact that Congressman Perriello visited us many times has been a voice of inspiration and has had a lot to do with our success.”
    In difficult times it may feel good to figuratively go to the window and scream “I am mad as hell and I won’t take it anymore,” but governing is serious business.  We need intelligent, thoughtful people willing to work hard for our district. Currently the Republican Party does not seem to be able to stand up to the radicals in its midst. If you want to see our district move forward don’t “Hurt” the 5th. Vote for Tom!

Pat Carr
Moneta

A study
in contrasts

    This election season voters see stark contrasts between Democrats and Republicans on major issues: the economy, taxes, health care and jobs.
    Since President Obama’s election, Democrats have worked to rebuild the economy, set up basic financial reforms and empower and protect consumers by signing into law far-ranging legislation.  The Economic Recovery Act saved and created millions of jobs and cut taxes for 98 percent of Americans.  Opposed by 100 percent of House Republicans.  Wall Street Reform reined in reckless practices on Wall Street and ended taxpayer-funded bailouts and “too-big-to-fail” institutions.  Opposed by a majority of House Republicans.  The Credit-card Holders Bill of Rights bans the worst practices by credit card companies and provides tough new consumer protections.  Opposed by House Republican leaders.
    Health Care Insurance Reform makes health care a right, not a privilege and puts a stop to the worst abuses by insurance companies, including unjustifiable rate hikes, caps on benefits and discrimination against people with pre-existing medical conditions.  Opposed by 100 percent of House Republicans.
    The Hire Act provides tax incentives for businesses to hire more Americans (4.5 million have already been hired) and unleashes billions of dollars to rebuild highways and other infrastructure and crack down on offshore havens.
    The Jobs for Main Street Act to create and save jobs through investments to hire more teachers, police officers, firefighters and to rebuild highways and mass transit systems and boost small businesses is opposed by 100 percent of House Republicans.  The Small Business Jobs and Credit Act which establishes a lending fund to help community banks provide loans to small businesses is opposed by a majority of House Republicans, as is the America Competes Act that aims to create millions of American jobs in science and innovation, reasserting America’s economic and technological leadership internationally.  The American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act closes loopholes that reward corporations for shipping American jobs overseas. Opposed by a majority of House Republicans
    Democrats have amassed a solid legislative record of making progress for Americans.  What do Republicans offer?  The Boehner-Ryan Plan would privatize Social Security and dismantle Medicare, forcing seniors to buy coverage from private insurance companies and cutting Medicare by 76 percent.  It would also privatize Medicaid. In 2009, Boehner led 137 House Republicans who voted for a ban “that would eventually end the Medicare program as it is presently known.”  Boehner and Republicans oppose legislation to end tax breaks for companies who ship American jobs overseas and also oppose small business relief paid for by closing outsourcing tax breaks.  On "Meet the Press,” National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Pete Sessions and National Republican Senatorial Committee head John Cornyn defended Bush policies and promised to return to them if Republicans won the House.  Sessions said, “We need to go back to the exact same agenda that is empowering the free enterprise system rather than diminishing it.”
    Under Bush, the private sector lost 663,000 jobs.  Government spending and deficits skyrocketed:  Tax cuts, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the worst economic slump since the Great Depression have caused huge deficits today.  Middle class workers earned less at the end of the Bush administration than they had earned at the start.  Median household income declined from $50,566 in 2000 to $50,233 in 2007.   Sessions and Cornyn want to go back to this?
    Republicans have promised to repeal health insurance reform and roll back new consumer protections.  They support tax cuts for the very richest Americans. GOP nominees include right-wing ideologues vowing to shut down the Department of Education, remove America from the UN, and end Social Security. Republican Congressman Steve King and Republican Senate candidate Joe Miller have both alluded to shutting the government down if they have their way. GOP Senate nominee from Nevada, Sharron Angle, threatens “Second Amendment solutions,” from disgruntled Americans. Rand Paul, Republican, senatorial candidate from Kentucky, believes civil rights should be up for debate because businesses have the right to discriminate based on race, gender, disability, or any other factor.
    Voters have a clear choice:  Vote Democratic and continue to move America forward both nationally and internationally, or vote Republican and “go back to the exact same agenda” that precipitated the economic mess we are in today.  Do we want to go back to health care insurance skewed to for-profit big business, rather than fair coverage for all Americans?  Are we ready for a backward slide toward isolationism, ignorance, and racism?  Shall we settle our political disagreements with shoot-outs? The choice is ours. 

Ned Coryell
Huddleston