Editor, The Smithfield Times:

On a recent Friday night, “demonstrators” showed up at the covered and fenced off Confederate memorial in Newport News. The City Council had already voted overwhelmingly to remove it. So what was the point of the “mob” this time? Who knows. They probably did not even know themselves.

So what is the point? The answer is that the “mob” will never be satisfied. Every attempt at appeasement only encourages more so-called “peaceful protests.” For example, our county has now scheduled a huge special public hearing to determine the fate of our own Confederate memorial, Two of these marches right here in our county demanded what? They displayed culture-cancelling “BLM” signs and one of the speakers in The Smithfield Times Square said, “The revolution is coming.” So what does the “mob” want?

A vegan “mob” protested a few days ago in the town’s flagship eatery and PETA folks demonstrated recently at Smithfield Foods headquarters. I think, seeing our county’s appeasement of those two BLM marches, they now “smell blood in the water.” And all will remember, of course, that we had to give up celebrating “Olden Days” in Smithfield a few years ago because those particular “days” offended some of us.

So what’s next? The town of Smithfield is named for slaveholder Arthur Smith. Should we now change it to “Hamtown” as it is lightheartedly emblazoned on the town’s fire engines? But wait, PETA and the vegans won’t stand for that. Maybe just a generic “Townfield” would work? No, slaves were “field” hands, so that will never do. I give up.

So, please, let’s all be very cautious about all this demolishing and name-changing stuff. Remember the old adage about feeding the alligator, only in the hope that he (she?) will eat you last!

 

Albert P. Burckard Jr.

Carrollton