The Shadow
Editor’s Note: Letters regarding the upcoming election will be accepted through Friday, Oct. 24. Letters pertaining to the election that are received after that date will not be published.
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Dear Editor,
We are entering a dangerous time, with the COVID-19 infection rate in Southwest Virginia growing faster than anywhere else in the state.
Lots of people in our country are still not wearing masks. I’m worried. And angry. So, another letter.
First, let me review these familiar facts. There is no miracle cure for the virus, and there is no vaccine. All we can do to prevent the spread of the virus is to keep our distance from each other and wear a mask.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure nobody wants to die from a COVID infection, and nobody wants their family or friends to die from a COVID infection.
So as the infection and death rates go up, many people will be more reluctant to visit a business where they might be infected, and many parents, students and teachers will be more worried about infections spreading in the schools, and stay home.
This is not a difficult concept. More infections mean that more people will die, our economy will continue to suffer, and the education for our children, from pre-school to college, will suffer.
So, to the group of people who still choose not to wear a mask, hear this. If you choose not to wear a mask, you are choosing to infect and kill people.
If you choose not to wear a mask, you are choosing to close businesses and cause people to lose their jobs. If you choose not to wear a mask, you are choosing to keep our teachers and students out of school, and some of them may never make up for what is lost.
I can’t understand why anyone who loves our country would choose to do this. Maybe you can explain it to me.
Very truly yours,
David E. Crandall
McCormick Blvd., Clifton Forge
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Dear Editor,
I thought long and hard about writing this letter because so many of my friends are in favor of Donald Trump in the coming election, and it pains me to butt heads with them over this issue.
Having said that, however, if I said nothing, it would pain me more to think that something I might have said might have swayed someone who was on the fence. I cannot take that chance.
I was in the Virginia House of Delegates for 16 years (1974-1989). During that time I met some really great people, and a few “scoundrels.” I can honestly say that I never knew a bigger “scoundrel” than Donald Trump. He is the opposite of everything I was taught by my parents, in church, in school and in the Boy Scouts.
I have seen many Letters to the Editor about his “shenanigans,” but most of you have already seen those. If his long list of foul deeds has not convinced you to this point that he is not qualified to be President of the United States, I doubt rubbing the facts into your convictions would do much more than make you dig in deeper.
For those of you who are still open minded about the coming election, or who are on the fence, I simply ask you to pull out your old newspapers and other news reports, and look at the facts.
Do you really want a man to be your president who reportedly has told 20,000 lies; who abuses and disrespects women; who clearly sided with Russia to get elected in 2016; who has done more damage to our environment than any president in history; who has a list of “appointees” who have ended up in jail; and who has so grossly mishandled the pandemic crisis as to be almost criminal.
No, I do not think Joe Biden is the most qualified person to be president of the United States, but he is your only choice if you reject Trump. You may not agree completely with Biden’s politics, but he appears to me to be a decent, Christian man, who has a reputation for honesty and who has deep, worldwide experience.
I am sure you have noticed that a number of prominent Republicans have come out for Mr. Biden. That doesn’t happen every day. I saw recently where Senator John McCain’s widow came out for Biden. You remember, I am sure, that Donald Trump called John McCain a coward because he ended up in a concentration camp during the war and that he called soldiers “losers” for being in the military. And this from a man who refused to serve in the military because he had – guess what? – “bone spurs!!”
Do we really want our children and grandchildren to grow up to be like Donald Trump? I think not.
Just recently, I heard that Trump paid only $750 in taxes in the years 2016 and 2017. Who does he think pays for our roads, schools and other services? Certainly not Donald Trump. According to the New York Times, Trump has paid no taxes in 10 of the last 15 years.
This may be the most important election in our history. Think about it. If Trump wins, Russia wins! Please vote and vote in person if you can.
Sincerely,
William T. Wilson
Maple Avenue, Covington
