Letters to the editor

I know many feel the revulsion I do when they drive by the big blue sign on U.S. 29 north at Faulconerville that screams out “JOIN OUR FIGHT-SAVE THE SECOND AMENDMENT, Amherst County Republicans.”

As a boy growing up in Amherst, I spent many happy hours hunting squirrels, rabbits and birds. I still own those guns (kept secure in a gun cabinet) and I don’t fear for one minute that those small caliber guns are going to be taken away from me. What I do fear are Republicans nationwide refusing to support common sense gun reform.

A leading cause of death for our children in America is due to guns. America leads all western nations in our homicide rate.

Some Republican congressmen have such a fetish for the AR15 that they wear a replica of one on their coat lapel when they come to work in the morning. The Tennessee congressman who represents Nashville even posed proudly with his wife and children each holding an AR15 for their Christmas card.

No less a figure than the deceased Chief Justice Warren Burger said the second amendment and its well-regulated militia clause has been grossly misinterpreted.

Amherst County Republicans, reword your sign to “Join our fight — save lives with common sense gun control.”

So Bob Good wants to reduce government spending as a pre-condition for raising the debt limit. Where was this desire during the Trump era when the debt limit was raised three times? Where was reducing spending when fat cats received massive tax cuts, thus expanding debt? Utter hypocrisy! I pay my bills. Where does Bob Good stand?

This is a letter of appreciation for an unusual hometown experience.

On May 13, the Amherst County NAACP Branch 7045 held their Third Annual Mother’s Day Plant and Bake Sale in the Randolph Memorial Church parking lot.

One can only admire and respect energy and vitality of this group. It was readily apparent they were a knowledgeable hardworking group of gardeners and plant collectors who love, propagate, and share plants.

The vegetable plants were all grown from seed. The perennials and trees were all divisions of the group members own gardens. Thus, all were uniquely acclimated to the Amherst County weather patterns and tough soils.

Honorable mention: The table of brownies, cakes, pies, banana pudding, etc., were all homemade.

The fellowship at this event was extraordinary. Diverse folks would drive-up, meet neighbors, cousins, classmates, and discover connections. There were conversations about the old times, grandparents, farming, cooking, canning, and just county living in general. It was truly a sharing of experiences and common interests.

All proceeds from this sale will go towards scholarships for Amherst County students and other good works. The college scholarships are open to all Amherst County students and applicable to two-year, four-year college, and trade school programs.

This group also participates in Amherst Cares, who prepare back-packs of foods for kids to take home and supplement their nutrition on weekends. These are the kids that mostly get what they eat at the Amherst County schools.

Notable: Amherst Cares also supplies toiletries, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, sanitary products, and various sundry items to the junior high and high school.

After Trump’s return to national television last evening I have a suggestion for the Republican Party. Nominate George Santos for the 2024 VP spot on the ticket. Then we can at least be entertained by trying to decide who is lying the most. Trump demonstrated he is still a great danger to the country as he has no knowledge of or respect for our history, international reputation, or democratic goals.

He is still just a thug trying to acquire power in any way possible and support for this empty vessel shows the utter vacuum that is the present Republican Party. They have no constructive plans or platform to better the world, country, or even their respective communities.

Locally, that was made obvious in 5th District Congressman Bob Good’s email letter last week. He starts his letter by admitting he has no concept that the “climate” is global. What we do here affects others and what happens elsewhere affects us. The climate knows no border and the quicker everyone recognizes that we are all in this together the better off we will be. The 5th district has no Atlantic shoreline but parts of Virginia do and those parts are already feeling the ravages of sea level rise caused by a warming world. Our fossil fuel addiction is driving that warming.

The congressman then incorrectly blames the Biden Administration for high fuel prices. Like the rest of the lying Republican Party he neglects to mention that the higher fuel prices came from fossil fuel corporations, not from the government. They set the prices at the pump and made record profits. Those record fossil fuel profits were the primary driving force behind the recent inflation. Blaming the present administration is just Republican dishonesty.

Incidentally, nowhere in his letter does he mention what he is doing to address the impending catastrophe of a US default on our debt. Good mouthed “fiscal responsibility” but didn’t mention where Social Security funds will come from if the country defaults. Every person receiving SS payments should be demanding that the Republican House members, including Good, stop the games and pass the debt ceiling increase to pay past debts before making budget demands for future spending.

Finally, Joe Biden was the winner of CNN’s Trump debacle last night when he tweeted, “It’s simple folks. Do you want four more years of that?”

Let’s do better. Joe Biden in 2024.