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We Must Make The Wise Choice For Our Grandchildren

 We in Staunton have a choice to make.  It is up to us.  Shall we choose solar energy ? Twenty one years ago, I was adopted into the Shenandoah family, Wolf Clan, Oneida Nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (People of the Long House).   White people call them Iroquois. We are taught to listen to our elders, learn to respect and act responsibly. Oren Lyons, 93, Wolf Clan, is an Onondaga Chief, and world leader of peace who teaches —  The Earth is our Mother.  She gives everything we need for life.  Imagine a living pine tree clinging to a cliff; getting all it needs for life from the earth.  We are like that pine tree.  Our Mother Earth provides, but time is running out.  We have little time to make changes in order to survive.  The economy of nations will be broken by natural disasters.  We see more disasters every year:  hurricanes, snow melt, coastlines washing into the seas, wild fires, drought, flooding, on and on.  The haze today brings this reality to Staunton, VA. We must fol
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Speak, Candidates for Public Office !

A critical element of a properly functioning democracy is an informed citizenry.  You can’t vote for somebody unless you know what they stand for.  Otherwise, you could just be shooting yourself in the foot.

An article in Friday’s Washington Post claims that, in certain locales around the country, Republican politicians are avoiding the public eye.  They’re not holding public events, they’re avoiding interviews by the media, and they’re taking a low profile on important issues—all because they are concerned about having certain of their views brought under public scrutiny.

Case in point: our congressional representative Ben Cline reportedly has refused for some months to debate Jennifer Lewis, his Democratic opponent.

While incumbents like Mr. Cline may assert that their positions are a matter of public record, they should be held to account to address the issues of the day in public, in an appropriate forum.

Whether Democrat or Republican, they have a solemn duty to stand before us, with all their baggage--so we can know what they stand for today, not only in the past. Debates between Mr. Cline and Ms. Lewis would be most informative.

DJ Murphy
Fishersville, VA

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