Violence not the answer, but ICE remains a problem
On Wednesday morning, an ICE facility in Dallas was attacked by a lone shooter. We know already that there are casualties. I completely abhor violence of any kind, and it cannot be supported or celebrated. As a 30-year veteran of combat from Vietnam to Mogadishu I have seen my share. Trump has proclaimed that our borders are 100% secure and no one is currently getting into our country illegally. So, I do not understand why ICE is in our cities rounding up so many people who have been in the country for years to include college students, businessowners and farm and factory workers and sending them to detention facilities and to countries where they are not, nor have ever been, citizens. It is not hard to understand why everyday citizens are angry and resisting, some violently. I fear this will be getting more organized and frequent until the government does something about legal and illegal immigration that benefits the country in an intelligent, productive and humane way. Masked individuals roaming the streets of America in full battle dress with assault weapons is just plain dumb, and dangerous.
Mike Dallas, Williamsburg
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Join the effort to fight hunger in Virginia this month
AARP Virginia is proud of our longstanding partnership with the Federation of Virginia Food Banks in addressing food insecurity across the commonwealth. As we find ourselves in Hunger Action Month this month, we invite you — our neighbors and fellow Virginians — to take part in this important effort to ensure no one in our communities goes hungry. It is not too late. Hunger knows no season.
Food insecurity is a challenge faced in every corner of our state, and food banks — whether regional, local, publicly funded or supported by churches, libraries or community groups — are working hard every day to meet this need. But they can’t do it alone.
This year, we encourage you to take action by organizing a food drive through the groups you’re part of — whether it’s your neighborhood association, book club, alumni group, AARP chapter, house of worship, civic organization or even your HOA. Every effort counts, no matter the size.
If you’re a small business owner or manage a local shop or café, consider placing a donation box in a visible area to collect non-perishable food items such as peanut butter, canned tuna or chicken, soup, crackers, cereal and more. Add a sign to let your customers know how they can help.
You get to choose the food bank you wish to support — one that’s serving needs you know well in your own community. Even a single box of food can make a difference, and the collective impact of many small actions can be tremendous.
Let’s come together to make Hunger Action Month a time of real change. Organize. Participate. Donate. Together, we can help ensure that every Virginian has access to the food they need.
Joyce E. Williams, AARP Virginia volunteer state president
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All political violence is wrong
The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press editorial “Charlie Kirk’s killing demands self-introspection and action” (Sept. 13) pledges reflection but delivers vacuity, sabotaging its call for progress. By dodging facts and embracing divisive language, it misses saying the only thing it needed to say: All political violence is wrong.
It begins by calling Kirk’s “shooting death” a “tragedy,” then swiftly pivots to name-calling, labeling him “incendiary,” “far-right,” with “abhorrent views” and “rabid.” Frankly, these labels are irrelevant. Kirk was exercising free speech politely, passionately and open to debate in real time, against all comers in a university — where ideas are examined and tested — only to be murdered for it.
The editorial premise is rooted in two attacks on Democratic lawmakers and Jan. 6 while omitting violence against conservatives such as the attempted assassination of Trump at Butler, the Annunciation Catholic Church attack that killed two children at Mass, the Covenant School shooting or over 130 attacks on Catholic churches in two years. It ignores left-wing violence against Tesla infrastructure and attacks on courthouses, ICE facilities, small businesses and police stations since 2020. It skips the lazy, dishonest tactic of smearing conservatives as Nazis.
Introspection demands all the facts; selectivity prevents it. That the editorial could only muster vague calls for accountability and gun control exposes its reflective failure. By not condemning all violence, it leaves out the single truth that makes progress possible.
Steve Mains, James City County
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https://www.dailypress.com/2025/09/27/letters-to-the-gazette-80/
