Editor:

I wish to take this opportunity to commend and thank all those citizens who came out to the Green Ridge presentation at the Cumberland Elementary School Thursday night, June 7.

Representatives of the company, County Waste (of Virginia), made an excellent attempt to present information about the project and to answer questions from the audience.

The audience was made up of two obviously and definitely different groups.

The first apparently came to learn and ask questions about the project. They were respectful of the presenters, asked questions in an orderly and respectful manner and attempted to listen to the answers. They raised their hands and waited for the microphone and their turn to talk. They were respectful and did not interrupt and try to shout down other speakers. The great problem with this group was that they were in a huge minority.

The second group apparently came to the meeting with no desire to listen or learn, but solely to voice their opposition to any landfill. They showed no interest in waiting to be recognized to speak or get their microphone. Their goal seemed to be to shout down anyone that tried to disagree with them.

This group shouted down and heckled the presenters when they were giving information about the proposed landfill. When people in the audience asked questions, the presenters were often not allowed to answer due to interruptions and the shouts from the opposition.

When anything regarding the landfill project was said with which they disagreed, this group regularly interrupted the speakers and other questioners with no respect for any point of view other than their own.

Their behavior was so typical of the demonstrators and county demonstrators today — freedom of speech — but only if you agree with me.

Those in the second group had no desire to listen to or hear any point of view than their own. In my opinion they make poor representatives of or for democracy.

I, as a resident and citizen of Cumberland County, was disturbed, disappointed, embarrassed and ashamed by the attitude and behavior of so many of these people.

I know most of them know better, and normally do better. Perhaps the only consolation is that a large number of them were from Powhatan.

David Meinhard

District 4, Cumberland County