I am writing in reference to your Sept. 30 editorial (“A control problem”).

Letters to the Editor

Things to ponder or wonder about:

n President Barack Obama is the best campaign person ever. I’ll bet he could get a dog elected as dog catcher or Paris Hilton as spokeswoman for abstinence.

n The more The News Virginian columnist Nelson Graves yells he’s not a racist, the more his own words scream that he is.

I am writing to urge voters in Amherst to re-elect Ben Cline to the House of Delegates this fall. On issues important to us, Ben has delivered for Amherst time and time again. He listens to his constituents and takes our concerns to Richmond.

As citizens of this great state and country, we have this November a tremendous opportunity.

The Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, our third president, was the author of the Declaration of Independence. The Virginian, James Madison, our fourth president, is referred to as the “Father of the Constitution” for his extensive contributions to that document. Many other Virginians were essential contributors to this great nation. They risked their lives as well as their possessions in the process.

Regarding the Aug. 29 “Three Up, Three Down” editorial and “Say it ain’t so, Joe.”

Our Bible tells us: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

I’m writing to you in reference to angels unaware, sent everyday in God’s creation.

Last week, in a job-related meeting at Little Debbie’s, it was so hard to find a place to park – I parked where I could be seen, along the grass and beside the road. And as I waited, along came a car, beeping. Folks thought my car had broken down. I thanked them. Blessings.

Listen up, President Obama. Your platitudinous puffery laced with errors and constant change does nothing to allay the concerns of what Obamacare portends, other than disaster. Your vague promises have no future legal standing. Remember the Social Security program “trust-me” promises?

Recently, I went to the SPCA to see how the adoptions were going with the dogs that had been removed from the kennel in Stuarts Draft (“Kennel under investigation,” Aug. 22). It was the most heart-warming sight to see all the employees, including the director and the business manager and so many volunteers putting their care and love into this mass adoption process.

On my recent visit to Virginia, I read the editorial page of your Aug. 7 edition and was surprised to see the headline, “Muslim principal persecutes Christians.” I had learned the disturbing details of Fordson High School’s introduction to Islamic values under the leadership of its Muslim principal via the Internet but I was pleased to see this story actually reported in print within a community newspaper.

In this financial whirl which our nation is experiencing, it’s proper to ask, “Do not ask what you can do for your country but ask what your country/Congress can do to you”? Assuming that published press reports are accurate, I submit the following:

After reading the article regarding athletic facilities at Waynesboro High School (“In search of pride,” Aug. 28), I am appalled.

Citizens were concerned that they could not get tax funds for the Wayne Theatre. Yet, obviously, there was little or no concern about the facilities being tolerated by their young people.

Again, the Virginia Tech massacre is in the news. Will it ever end?

The most relevant question hasn’t even been asked let alone answered: Why didn’t someone do something during the shooting?

A lot has been said about President Barack Obama’s health care program by people on both sides of the argument, who either have never read the bill or are purposefully lying to advance their positions.

Patricia Hunt’s Aug. 22 column (“For sake of humanity, future ... think”) presents us with a great illustration of irony.

Nelson Graves’ new smiling profile still can’t hide the disgruntled whiner inside.

On Aug. 7 and 8, the 2009 Stuff the Bus event was held to secure school supplies for children in Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County. The event was a huge success.

My mom suffers from Alzheimer’s and dementia. She is in Crossroads Extended Care in Fishersville. She will be moving to another nursing home soon.

The nurses take such good care of their patients. When they want a drink, food, etc., they will go and get them something. They fix the patients’ hair. We are blessed to have nurses as good and caring as they are.

I am concerned about the state of our nation.

Gone are the days of neighbors. We have become a street of houses where we live and don’t know our neighbors, don’t respect their property and let our kids and pets run amuck without any guidance. We don’t visit with each other and talk over a cup of coffee, we don’t borrow sugar, we don’t know one another’s names.

I am a physician, a pediatrician, who has run a small private practice for 32 years.

When I think about the proposed health care reform, I recall that, years ago, Republican candidates for office would argue for the repeal of Social Security.

In the spring, consultant Frank Luntz admonished the Republican Party to defeat President Barack Obama’s health care reform initiative, including national health insurance (also called universal health care or a single-payer system), according to Politico. If that’s true, Republicans are putting party politics before the needs of the country, and they may be winning the debate. 

I don’t think there’s any doubt anymore that President Barack Obama is a socialist.

The man is trying to completely transform America. Just about everything he says about the way our country used to be is bad.

How could we have become the greatest country in the world and been so terrible?

I am writing to thank you, The News Virginian, Bob Stuart and the people of Waynesboro and vicinity for the tremendous response we have received in the request for shoes for the ladies in Kenya (“In their shoes,” June 29).

A few (Godly) men risked their lives to set America on a course as the greatest Christian and free nation since the beginning of mankind.

Congratulations are in order for the way The Mo Hippa Band of Waynesboro represented the city at the fourth annual Blue Ridge Blues Society for Best Blues recently in Roanoke.

To paraphrase a great writer, methinks you doth protest too much (“Hear this: I am no racist,” July 16). Your feeble attempt at defending your racist attitude is at best laughable. You mention Thomas Jefferson’s racist tendencies. If we are to believe the writer of the historical novel “Roots,” then we – and you – should accept the very real possibility that slavery was given birth through the selling of Africans by Africans.

I see that tourism is doing quite well in Staunton. I commend them for all of the hard work, creative thinking, good leadership and vision and especially the drive to carry out their vision. I see tourists in Waynesboro also – but mainly to ask directions to Staunton.

I must protest your publication July 27 of “The Race Card” political cartoon in The News Virginian.

In just a few months, President Barack Obama has already met all of the expectations I had for him during the campaign. That’s a very unfortunate thing.