Dear Editor,
I was dismayed a few weeks ago to discover that my yard sign supporting Greg Habeeb as the Republican candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates had been removed. The same thing happened to a neighbor who lives a few blocks away. The wind could not have removed them, because the signs are made in the shape of a short, wide pillow case, and they slide down tightly over a metal frame. A yard sign is an extension of a homeowner’s free speech, which is guaranteed to all Americans by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, a document that has recently been on the minds of many persons.
A few days or a week later I read side by side letters in two different weekly newspapers. In both cases one was in support of Mr. Habeeb, and the other was in support of his Democrat opponent, Ginger Mumpower. In both instances, the letters for Mr. Habeeb extolled his character, experience, accomplishments and honors. The letters supporting Ms. Mumpower’s candidacy had few sentences about her, and many about Mr. Habeeb. Those latter sentences were not complimentary.
I do not believe that Ms. Mumpower had anything to do with the sign heists or the nasty letters. But I surely hope that these are not indications that dirty politics have reared their ugly head in this portion of Virginia that my husband and I have chosen to call home these past 47 years, where our children have grown up and received excellent educations, and where we have been impressed with the honesty and integrity of the people.
– Virginia Hardin, Retired Teacher for Habeeb, Southwest Roanoke County
