Smfd. Ham will remain

Editor, Smithfield Times
Thank you to our consumers for the outpouring of love for our Genuine Smithfield Ham!
Contrary to recent media reports, we are not discontinuing our Genuine Smithfield Ham. In fact, we have always been committed to continued production of this beloved product in Smithfield, the town we’ve called home for more than 80 years.
While we have closed the original smokehouse that produced these hams due to its age, we have plenty of these hams in inventory. This affords us the opportunity to assess alternatives for the production of our Genuine Smithfield Ham in Smithfield, while continuing to supply this product to our loyal customers.
We are incredibly proud to be a part of your family tradition and look forward to being at your table for many years to come.
Ken M. Sullivan
President
Smithfield Foods

Time to get fired up

Editor, Smithfield Times
Since when did saving the American electoral system from the grasps of another country’s control become a partisan issue? According to our investigations and judicial system, Russia hacked into voter registration software and Democratic email servers, disseminated false information, conspired to launder money and stole identities of U.S. citizens. This is an objective fact, and somehow we have allowed the separate fact that Donald Trump is embroiled in the investigation to cloud the underlying problem: that another country has, without provocation, reprimand, consequence or contrition, meddled with the selection of the executive leader of our country.

Some Republicans are calling for the end of this investigation because they see it as a witch hunt against Trump, including prominent Congress member, Trey Gowdy. This is a bit ironic coming from the chairman of the House’s Benghazi Committee, which was the sixth congressional committee looking into that issue, dragged on for over two years, and resulted in no guilty pleas, convictions, or indictments. Therein lies the issue with disbanding the Mueller probe, as it has brought 191 criminal charges against 32 individuals and three companies within its first year alone.
Our country’s liberty is in danger. Stop looking at it like we’re going after Trump. Start looking at it as we’re uncovering the methods used by a foreign nation to find out our personal information, spread lies through social media, and whisper in the ears of those higher up.
Get angry. Get scared. Get fired up about this, because it affects you. People that stand in Putin’s way have a tendency to be jailed, silenced or bribed, and now it appears that America is in his path of manipulation. As we fight amongst ourselves over whether we should even investigate the encroaching tendrils of his control, they grow ever more wrapped around our political and societal system.
We call ourselves the land of the free and the home of the brave, yet sit still while another nation threatens our sovereignty, and cannot muster up the courage to formally condemn the man responsible. I don’t care what your political views are. Saving our country’s liberty and our ability to hold free and fair elections is not a Democratic or Republican issue. It is an American issue.
Elizabeth Churchill

Smithfield