Editor, The Smithfield Times:

Last Friday, when I went to dump my trash at the closest county convenience center, I noticed that the yard sign that I had placed for a congressional candidate the previous Monday was missing.

When I investigated the situation further, not only the sign I installed was down, but my candidate’s opponent sign was down as well. My candidate’s sign had been beaten down and pummeled, and the other candidate’s sign had been knocked down and sliced in two.

In the fall of 2021, I had the same thing happen to the candidate yard sign I posted close to my home. I have lived in Isle of Wight County for nearly 67 years and remember several campaigns where feelings about the candidates ran extremely high as well as feelings about the political issues. Something seems to be very different now. The best word to explain it for me is that scary word “rage.”

Now, people seem to be unable to separate political beliefs from the essential humanity of the person who holds them. The essence of the human becomes their political beliefs. This becomes a huge problem as humanity and basic human decency seems to be lost in the confusion.

What is the answer?

 

Garry S. Cofield

Orbit