Opinions

Is your organization offering a summer camp this year?

April 12, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: It is Republican policy to keep weapons of war on our streets. There are three reasons for this: their donors desire this, their base demands it, and they see it a key method to their obtaining and retaining power outside the ballot box.

April 12, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: Our local paper contained a letter to the editor recently basically laying blame for the ills of society on Republicans. She is rightfully upset by the Nashville shootings and others. We all are. Of course, the reasons of what to do about it are where divergence begins. Her arguments are the same starting with “common sense” and ending with “assault.”

April 17, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: My wife Sunny and I attended the Ukrainian dinner last Saturday, April 15, at Grace Episcopal Church. It was an inspiring moment – made you proud to be a citizen of Lexington.

April 14, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: Word is out. Clearly some folks enjoy what we call progress (which can also become sprawl), for that is good for business.

April 17, 2023 Editor: The News-Gazette As you travel westbound on U.S. 60, Midland Trail, nearing Lexington, just past the Goodwill store, there is an incredible eyesore of an abandoned house close to the roadway on the right side. The roof is crumbling, as well as the porch and walls, and the “yard” around the house is covered in litter and trash.

Redistricting has twice disrupted Emmett Hanger’s 37-year tenure in the General Assembly. He had served nine years as a Republican member of the House of Delegates when, in 1991, redistricting removed him from a strongly Republican district and placed him in a district more friendly to Democrats. That November, Hanger lost to Democratic challenger Creigh Deeds.

Recently I was confronted with one of my pet peeves – the inability, or at least, the difficulty of repairing something. I’m a tinkerer by nature, and also cheap, and I hate to toss something that I think could be fixed, if parts or some sort of repair manual were available. But the ever-accelerating “throw-away economy” makes fixing anything a real chore. Add to that the fact that so many things made today are of poor quality, and are designed for a relatively short useful life, so you’re forced to buy one again.

The Community Table of Rockbridge was founded on the simple premise that everyone deserves a nourishing meal, regardless of socioeconomic status, and that bringing together folks representing diverse backgrounds to enjoy such a meal has benefits for everyone in our community. Known as the “restaurant without a cash register,” CTR offers its meals free of charge, though donations are accepted from those who can afford it and choose to do so.

When first lady Jill Biden was asked in a CNN interview this week what she thinks of Nikki Haley’s call for “mandatory mental competency tests” for candidates older than 75, she didn’t hesitate. “That’s ridiculous,” she snapped. Would her husband, inquired the interviewer, consider taking such a test? “We would never even discuss something like that,” said Biden.

March 30, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: Kudos to the entire cast and crew of “Chicago,” performed last weekend to crowds at Rockbridge County High School.

April 3, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: Glen Rose’s column uses Wikipedia as a source for defining Woke. By only using the arguments of the definition that support his biased commentary, he fails to allow us to consider the numerous different interpretations of Woke that Wikipedia defines. “While the term Woke initially pertained to issues of racial prejudice and discrimination impacting African-Americans, it was appropriated by other activist groups with different causes.” There is no single agreed upon definition. Proverbs 18:17 reminds us that “The first to state his case seems right until another comes to cross-examine him.”

April 3, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: I wrote about hate in a prior letter. Time for a reminder.

April 3, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: We are concerned about how the tax rates being considered by the Board of Supervisors will impact the already strained budgets of county residents. A lot of residents are senior citizens, including ourselves, and are on fixed incomes. Our property assessment increased dramatically and we definitely appreciate the proposed rate reduction in the real estate tax rate. Even with this reduction, we are still facing an increase in what we will have to pay.