Burkah worse than bite
Now that we are into the New Year and I have had the opportunity to peruse your editions of December 26 and January 2, I submit the following comment on your attempted castigation of Congressman Virgil Goode for his remarks regarding the newly elected Muslim to Congress [“Goode makes complete ass of self,” Government News, December 19].
Your Mailbag prints letters from Wyoming, Alabama and Indiana. Below is my transmittal to Goode on December 21, 2006. How about printing one from Virginia?
P.S. I look forward to seeing you in a BURKHA!
Dear Virgil and Lucy,
Merry Christmas and best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!
This is also to express our total support of your comment regarding the use of the Koran in swearing in the newly elected Muslim congressman. This is totally unacceptable as this is not a Muslim nation, at least not yet, thank God, but there are many idiots here who would allow urestricted immigration and have the nation taken over by Muslims. We only have to look at France and Great Britain to see the results of such a policy.
When I stated that we have idiots here, I was specifically referring to that rocket scientist from New Jersey, Rep. Pascrell. He should be awarded “Moron of the Year.”
Keep up the good work, we’re with you!
Frederick W. Kahler
Earlysville
Goode keeps giving
While we are in this extended discussion of Representative Virgil Goode’s remarks, perhaps there is time for the staff of the C-VILLE Weekly to do some research concerning all governments in the world that are controlled by Muslims. This research could focus on the freedoms enjoyed by the citizens in these countries. Specifically, your staff could determine the extent citizens enjoy the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and their ability to petition the government. You might report on the criminal justice system, the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury, the right to not receive unusual punishment, and their protection from unreasonable searches and seizures. Finally, if there is sufficient time, you might also research the freedoms, respect and opportunities provided women and homosexuals, and the rights of citizens to have sexual relationships outside marriage. When you report back your findings, we should continue discussion of Representative Goode’s concerns.
Richard Smith
Keswick
Rural in name only
In your recent Development Forecast 2007 (“How dense can we get?” January 9), you had a commentary on Joe Jones, farmer and president of the Albemarle County Farm Bureau wherein you called him a ruralist. Mr. Jones may be a ruralist by virtue of the fact that he lives in the rural area. However, Mr. Jones and the Farm Bureau have shown that they are not interested in protecting the rural areas and promoting the continuing health of agriculture and forestry in this community. If they were they would have supported the phasing, clustering and mountain-top protection measures, all of which are vital to protecting our rural areas and their critical natural resources for the well-being of the entire community.
Instead, professing their devotion to the protection of private property rights, the Farm Bureau opposed all these measures. Really what they want to protect is their right to sell out to the highest bidding developer at some point. A. C. Shackelford, former president of
the Bureau, confirmed this in a conversation with Supervisor David Slutsky (C-VILLE Weekly, December 12) wherein he stated that protecting the rural areas was secondary to his main goal of protecting his wealth.
I offer these comments as someone who grew up on a farm in Albemarle County, which my husband and I continue to operate.
Wren Dawson Olivier
Schuyler
Two ways to visit the library
Thank you for your article “Public library: Where’s the love?” [Government News, December 26] encouraging new residents of our area to use the wonderful free (tax supported) resources of Jefferson-Madison Regional library. While the library’s books, CDs, and DVDs receive a lot of use—per capita library use here is 20 percent above the national average—the biggest change over the past year was in online use. More citizens are using the library’s website, jmrl.org, than ever before. In November 2005 the library’s website received 204,956 hits, while in November 2006 it received 277,705 hits: an increase of 35 percent. Through the library’s website the community has access to many valuable online databases, providing thousands of magazine and newspaper articles, available 24/7. So, even if readers can’t make it to the library, we invite them to visit online.
John Halliday
Library Director
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