Seemingly out of nowhere Russia, the spearhead of the former Soviet Union, invades Georgia, one of its former territories, and it makes little more than a blip on our collective consciousness. 

Note from Scott: Here’s the winner of the Write Scott Hollifield’s Column While He is On Vacation or Performing His Court-Ordered Community Service Contest as chosen by a panel of semi-experts. View and comment on all the columns by going to http://www.mcdowellnews.com and clicking on the Write Scott’s Column Button. 

Oh, come on Larry Remener, get real. Talk about ignoring the facts.  I claim your letter as “wacky” and “freaked out” because it WAS — it was another in a long line of hateful, vindictive letters over almost eight years, claiming things that just are not true. 

John McCain talks a lot about how many years he has worked in Washington as a Congressman and Senator, but when all is said and done, what really matters? 

I recently read a piece in the Washington Post by Chris L. Jenkins entitled, “Va. Reviewing Overhaul of Mental Health System.” This comes in light of the high profile mentally ill Seung-Hui Cho who killed 32 students at Virginia Tech.

These are some of the online reader comments about an Aug. 7 article about the higher than anticipated costs of housing illegal immigrants in the Prince William-Manassas regional jail.
County jail officials asked the Prince William Board of County Supervisors to OK the use of federal funds to meet costs. 

I like to watch the markets a bit. Maybe part of a fantasy I have. As if I had millions of dollars to invest, where would I put it.  Two institutions are kinda scary — a year ago Fannie Mae was trading at $70.57 per share, and Freddie Mac was trading at $67.20.

How refreshing it was to read the “objective” cover story on Corey Stewart in a recent DC Examiner. 

I’m writing about Jeff Frederick’s reckless and irresponsible claim that voter registration fraud is occurring across the commonwealth. He said “there appears to be a coordinated and widespread effort in Virginia to commit voter fraud” (Washington Post, July 29).

I was very happy to see in the county roundup that Animal Control employees were honored as Employee of the Month. 

Kudos to our Assistant Attorney, Sandra Sylvester for nominating our Animal Control Crew. Congratulations to our Animal Control Employees. They are a fine crew of workers who dedicate their lives daily for God’s little creatures. 

The Virginia State government is unbelievable. It comes up with all sorts of high-minded programs and then mandates them so that localities have to implement them. 

I suppose when they say it’s not advisable to watch either sausage or laws being made because neither is very pretty,

Barack Obama has recently been asking voters whether they are better off than they were “four years ago or eight years ago.” But the real question is whether you are better off than you were two years ago.

Mr. Ord O. Ely should be commended for conducting research before writing his opinion letter to the newspaper (“President Bush’s decision was justified,” Aug. 11). 

With regard to Robert Moeller’s letter to the editor of Aug. 6, please let it be known that I have no position whatsoever on “No Fault Divorce” as he so ridiculously — but again, I repeat myself — posits in his letter. 

Dumfries police work out of a basement in the Dumfries Town Hall? That sounds like a situation in need of a serious change. 

Regarding a Manassas letter of Aug. 1, I couldn’t pass on a reaction. When you used the Post opinion for reference on to how to govern or rate your reputation, you begin with a bad limp.

Don Scott’s letter of July 26 was ostensibly a response to my criticism of George W. Bush and John McCain for showing disdain for our troops by opposing Sen. Jim Webb’s G.I. bill, and then hypocritically claiming credit for its passage. 

In his letter to the editor on Aug. 7, Mr. Earl Dixon expressed his concerns regarding graffiti in his neighborhood. 

I want to thank everyone who supported me on my 20 mile swim on Aug. 1.

The image of the sign posted outside the Sherwood Forest Shores swimming pool where other kids and I spent most of our summer vacation remains etched in my mind. 

For the life of me I can’t comprehend why it is so hard for some people to allow others to merge into traffic. 

Word of John Edwards’ affair and “love child” have been percolating on the back burner of the national media for quite a while now. 

Few will deny that a person’s home has a special place in our society. Federal, state and local laws have been written to ensure that individuals and members of their families can feel safe in the houses or apartments they occupy. Even the U. S. Constitution (Amendments III and IV) says that homes are entitled to special protection.

At the 2008 National Migration Conference, the Catholic bishop of Guatemala asked the Director of ICE:  “Are you conscious of the consequences of deportation on families and on the economies of their home countries?”

In response to the recent cartoon satirizing Senator Obama’s comment about properly inflated tires. Let him speak for himself.

The county “crime rate” has been declining since 2001. 

A splash of fireworks illumined the night in Beijing but could not penetrate the darkness. The Olympics opened Friday, signaling the ostensible successes of decades of efforts to nudge China away from totalitarianism but also showcasing their failures. 

On Wednesday of last week the Olympic torch passed through Tiananmen Square. Can you remember the last time a torch was in that same location?