Voting GOP all the way

Editor, Smithfield Times First, a big “thank you” to the many, many folks that took the initiative in June to ensure that a true Republican, Emily Brewer, was nominated to be our candidate for the 64th District Delegate race this November. Emily and her supporters worked tirelessly to get her message out to the public in a mostly one on one effort. Emily got the nomination the old fashioned way: get out to the people and share your thoughts and ideas while, at the same time, listening to the public and taking that input in consideration as you go forward.

Good candidates are always open and willing to listen and learn from the citizens. Even when folks don’t fully agree with a particular position, they do appreciate an honest, open explanation from the candidate and a willingness to listen to their thoughts and concerns.

I believe that Emily Brewer will represent our district to the best of her ability and provide the people of the 64th District with excellent representation and an open pathway to get the concerns of the people of her district to the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates in a forthright and honest manner.

Emily Brewer has been a Republican for many years and worked to get other Republicans, including President Trump, elected long before she became a candidate. I believe the best hope for righting the lately wayward shape of politics in Virginia is to elect all the Republican candidates on the ballot this November; Ed Gillespie as Governor, Jill Vogel as Lt. Governor, John Adams as Attorney General, and definitely Emily Brewer, a true Republican, to represent us in the 64th District.

Please join me in honoring Emily and the rest of the Republican candidates with our votes not just for them but for our great state of Virginia on Nov. 7.

Al Casteen
Smithfield

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Cargo cults?

Editor, Smithfield Times Concerning prophets, first there’s supposed to be an infinitely powerful God that made the universe in six days. But if he’s infinitely powerful, then he could have made it instantly and he wouldn’t have gotten tired and had to rest.

But still, doing a job like that in six days isn’t bad. So if he’s powerful enough to do that, then if he wanted to tell us something, he could just tell us. We would all heed a voice in our heads and we would know that it was God talking to us.

But instead, he whispers in one guy’s ear, “Go tell everybody I said …” That’s a system that’s not just designed but guaranteed to produce doubt. So, if there is a God who wanted to tell us something, why wouldn’t he just tell us?

You may have noticed that for whatever reason, E.T. doesn’t land in Times Square, but reportedly lands and talks to one guy. Then this contactee tells the rest of us what E.T. had to say. Sound familiar?

Then consider the cargo cults of World War II. The Americans landed on some islands and built runways and control towers. Then, cargo planes came in delivering food and other cargo. The natives thought that was miraculous, so when the Americans left, they made towers and mock airplanes out of wood to attract the gods.

But they weren’t gods, just a more advanced culture. And yet, religions formed around those cargo planes.

So, I’m mostly convinced that the gods were E.T.’s, the prophets were contactees and that religions today are similar to the cargo cults.

Those natives are on those islands today, probably still praying to cargo planes, but in a sophisticated country like America, we don’t pray to cargo planes. We pray to the pilots.

Jim P. McAdaragh
Ivor