What’s happening in WV these days? Is there still the notion of living in ‘Almost Heaven?’ When I moved here almost 25 years ago, I absolutely loved the warm hospitality and neighborliness, the attitude of hard work as needed and recreation as an essential way of life.

Now I sense fear of foreigners, disparagement of the democratic system and acceptance of a backward view of life. If religion embraces science as a helpful partner for making wholesome and healthy choices, both become suspect.

Those who want to protect our beautiful state so rich in water and other natural resources are classified as enemies of coal. Certainly it doesn’t take a Ph.D to recognize that flooding occurs with extensive destruction of our forests and our mountains, unbridled exploitation by fossil fuel companies and their widespread misinformation Higher education is not needed to know that the amount of water required along with salt and chemicals to break down the shale for extracting becomes a disposal problem threatening the fresh water that humans need to survive. Seeing the EPA as a threat to our lives is just plain misleading.

West Virginia could be leading in tourism, development of new energy sources and achieve a real economic boon, if only we set that West Virginia determination back in motion.

I feel sad to see us drowning in anger, self pity, and political chicanery. West Virginia is better than this.

Virginia Lynch Graf,

D. Min

Charles Town