This great nation of ours once consisted of “We the people.” We owned this great land, and we sent people to Washington to represent “we the people.”

Now we are a nation that is governed by 435 members of Congress, 100 members of the Senate, nine members of the Supreme Court and a president that marches to his own drummer assisted by a series of czars who answer to him alone.

Your endorsement of Republican Bob McDonnell for governor is historic for our community newspaper, “Endorsed: McDonnell for governor,” (Nov. 1, page A10).

This is the first time a candidate has been endorsed by the Danville Register & Bee without having to go through the roughly hour-long editorial board meeting required of all other candidates in many years.

Well here goes, my wife and I voted last Tuesday for all the Republican candidates. Thank goodness we have a good group of people who actually know the reasons for America’s success, and what it will take to continue that success and to be the world leader in innovation and freedom

Stupid is as stupid does — and Danville City Council did a whole lot of stupid.

Who in their right minds in the green times that we are living in would pass a law requiring dog mess to be placed in plastic bags? This stuff is natually biodegradable and goes right back in to Mother Earth. Where are all the tree huggers now? Think of the land fills that will be filled up with dog mess and plastic bags?

When he announced his candidacy to oppose Danny Marshall, our distinguished representative in Richmond, my initial reaction was, wow, we are going to have our own Joe Biden to vote for in Virginia.

When I heard that President Barack Obama had won the Noble Peace Prize, I was very surprised — as were many other people. Obama has done a lot of good things since becoming president of our great country, but I don’t think he has been in office long enough to receive such a great honor as the Nobel Peace Prize.

Virginia Uranium Inc. assures the people of Southside Virginia it will mine uranium safely, and perhaps it will mine in the safest manner possible. But the end result will still be contamination of the air, water and land, leading to millions of dollars being spent on post-mining reclamation activities and the maintenance of a Superfund site around Coles Hill — and other sites, if more uranium mines open.

How loud do I have to yell to get your attention? How many concerned Americans have to join my Tea Party chorus to get your attention? In the last Tea Party, we filled the Capitol grounds, Pennsylvania Avenue and the National Mall as far west as the Washington Monument. In the next one, we should fill all of these areas and overflow into the White House and its grounds to get our message across!

Well boys and girls, fall is here again, and the leaves are falling from the trees, along with so many political nuts. The silly season is in full swing for the negative campaign ads, and we are filling the airwaves and littering the landscape like road apples after a circus parade. The only difference is that the circus has folks following the elephants and donkeys to clean up all the mess. When the elections are over, so is all the glad-handing, and “we the people” get left holding the mess.

Danny Marshall’s campaign has seen fit to question my father’s integrity. A disagreement about tools to recruit badly needed new employers to Southside is not grounds to assert that a man who has served his community in a variety of ways for many years is not telling the truth. It is also cowardly to hide behind a campaign mailer and the written musings of another legislator from outside of Danville.

I attended the sheriff debate Tuesday night at the American Legion Post 325 with an open mind, and what I found out is that T.L. Childress is the man for the job. All three men seem worthy, but Childress’s clean and clear answers on the issues still prove that logic is required for the position. He has 21 years of experience, he has lived in Danville for 38 years and he is aware of what’s going on inside as well as outside the department.

I am a retired captain with the Danville Sheriff’s Office. I worked with Sheriff Jim Dooley and Lt. Col. Ronnie Ball, as well as Lt. T.L. Childress and Deputy J. Wayne Booth. They are all very good men, and I consider all of them good friends.

A friend recently told me that she “could not vote for anyone that is running.” What a sad statement and yet, many do not vote. Former Rep. Virgil Goode talks about sending a message, but clearly he does not understand what message voters have been sending.

The long and short of it — we need to keep Danny Marshall in the House of Delegates.

I know that Lt. Childress is instrumental in the everyday operations and the reason the sheriffs department received its certification. He knows the Danville Sheriffs Office inside and out but he can not make changes until he is in charge! Give him a chance Election Day. He really is the most qualified and cares very much for the future of this department.

I know that Mike Mondul has the leadership and qualifications to make the Danville Sheriff’s Office work in a more efficient manner, as well as take care of the citizens of Danville. He is a family man, active member of his community, someone children look up to, is a respected member of society — and he is someone that is determined to change Danville for the better.

I am writing on behalf of J. Wayne Booth. I have known Wayne for more than 30 years and worked in the retail sector with him as well as the Danville Sheriff’s Office.

My choice for Danville Sheriff is Mike Mondul. I have known Mike for over a decade, professionally and through other community/charitable events. Mike is truly down-to-Earth and has been that way since the first time I met him at work. He is a person of great character that has a positive, driving force to meet his goals.

On Nov. 3, I will be voting for Jim Martin for Danville’s Commonwealth’s Attorney, and I urge others to do so as well. Experience is extremely important and that is why I believe Jim is the best person for the job. Jim has 18 years of experience in the commonwealth’s attorney office and has more experience than the other two candidates.

Jim Martin has a vision for Danville, and I urge the voters to elect him to the office of commonwealth’s attorney.

I am writing to show my support for Mike Mondul for Danville City Sheriff. Mike Mondul and I are co-workers. Mike Mondul is not a typical co-worker; he really is more than that with many people.

During this election, we will be voting for a person we want representing the city of Danville and commonwealth of Virginia in the courtroom. Do we want to elect someone who thinks they are ready for this position or an individual who has proven he is ready to represent us?

On Nov. 3, you will have a chance to elect someone who can truly make a difference in our city and area. When looking at the candidates for Danville Sheriff, all three are good public servants and are good men.

You know, it makes me curious. Everyone says that Mike Mondul has so much support from the Danville Police Department for his candidacy for sheriff and that he is such an asset to the department and the force.

Danville is in need of an individual to lead the commonwealth’s attorney office into the future in an increasingly difficult environment. In my opinion, James C. “Jim” Martin is the most qualified for this position. He will bring to this position solid education and 18 years previous experience in the office, reaching the rank of senior assistant commonwealth’s attorney. He was actively involved in courtroom prosecution, brief writings and has handled more than 500 cases on appeal during his tenure.

I continue to read and hear comments stressing Danville Sheriff’s Office candidates Mike Mondul and Thelbert Childress are more qualified than J. Wayne Booth because they have college degrees. I suppose we are to ignore all of those throughout the history of our country who did not have a college degree: our first president, George Washington, our 33rd, Harry S. Truman, and seven other presidents in between.

For the past 10 years, I have been the deputy commonwealth’s attorney for Pittsylvania County. I know all three candidates for Danville Commonwealth’s Attorney. They are all good people, and I have nothing negative to say against any of them. But I am writing this letter to express my support for Michael Newman.

I am a retired major with the Danville Sheriff’s Office. I worked with Sheriff Jim Dooley and Lt. Col. Ronnie Ball. As a team, we accomplished many goals and were ranked among the best sheriff’s offices in the state. I have the utmost respect for Sheriff Dooley and Lt. Col. Ball. The Danville Sheriff’s Office and the citizens of Danville will certainly miss a leader like Sheriff Dooley. Through the years, I also worked closely with Lt. Thelbert Childress and Deputy Wayne Booth. They are very good employees, and I consider both good friends.

I have known Mike Mondul professionally and personally for more than 15 years. Mike is a dedicated public servant. He demonstrates his personal integrity by conducting himself as a polite, courteous and truthful professional.

This letter is written in support of Thelbert Childress, candidate for Danville Sheriff. I am the chief deputy of the Danville Sheriff’s Office, and I’ve worked closely with Lt. Childress on a daily basis in managing the office’s operations.