In recent letters to the editor in The Tidewater News, writers have chosen to play the “patriotism card” concerning those opposed to the OLF issue. The problem is not of patriotism, but rather of politics and greed.

Consider the uproar by the citizens of Virginia Beach during the recent BRAC hearings on the relocation of the base at Oceana.

They did not want to lose the revenue produced by the personnel employed there, nor did the city councils of the Beach and Chesapeake want to lose the tax revenue which is generated by the continued encroachment of real estate upon the location.

Feathering one’s nest is not necessarily a bad thing, but there are consequences — in this case jet noise.

From a political standpoint, the governor finds himself in the untenable position of, on the one hand, having to placate the Navy, and, on the other hand, having to deal with the most populous city in Virginia which is raising Kaine (pun intended) about jet noise.

The political solution for the governor seems to be to offer Southampton County as the sacrificial goat.

You may question my politics, and, yes, even my greed, but let’s leave my patriotism out of this.

Paul Simmons

Courtland