Identity of ‘Respect Rappahannock’ sign author shouldn’t come as surprise

Ishould have guessed it!

I did not know who the author was of the witty and creative sign — “Respect Rappahannock.” Now that Ben Jones has come forth with the answer, it should not have been a surprise. I have never met Ben, but whenever I see a column from him, I make sure to read it carefully and in its entirety for its well-cra ed logic and humor. A er seeing labels such as “Nazi” and “Racist” thrown around, it must have been upsetting for some to know that the author of the sign is a congressional veteran and a Democrat.

What is most disturbing for me is that we seem to want to demonize anyone we think is not in full agreement with our opinions. Perhaps it is partly due to the pandemic where civility to one another is lacking. Perhaps we want to feel better about ourselves since we certainly would not want to be labeled as Nazis or racists. Those who throw around the epitaph of “Nazi” should look up the origin of the term and see that it was the negative label for the National Socialistic German Worker’s Party, with an emphasis on the Socialistic part.

A er reading Ben’s column, it would be hard for us to label Ben as a racist. Of all the existential threats we face and worry about, humorous signs should not be one of them. Isn’t it time for us all to calm down, take a deep breath and deal with issues in a rational manner? We should expect nothing less from our friends, neighbors and hopefully, even our nation.