Since moving to the Fredericksburg area 10 years ago,
As a 24-year military veteran, I am very sensitive to the courage and sacrifice that were required during those horrific times.
However, I am not about to shed tears for those who now choose to use this Civil War heritage to bash Walmart.
Rather than join the big-box-bashing brigade, take a short trip to the Wilderness, and see the hypocrisy that permeates this issue.
Unfortunately, the current effort to preserve a piece of Civil War history is too late. Where were the preservationists 10 years ago when Joe Gibbs was extolling the virtues of Fawn Lake on TV every week?
Obviously, historical relevance has a huge impact on property values, and the real estate developers and sales cronies salivate when the market is booming.
According to one of the Wilderness Web sites, only 14 percent of the battlefield is protected from future development. In fact, much of the "sacred land" is already in the hands of a wealthy few who are trying very hard to indulge themselves while keeping all the rest of us country bumpkins at bay.
Their argument--that locating Walmart on a relatively tiny commercial site nearby will somehow taint historical relevance--is absurd, as thousands of actual battlefield acres are already locked behind security gates with access only to "residents and their guests."
Yes, isn't it ironic that soil where so much blood was shed by so many is now occupied by luxurious mansions, private deep-water man-made lakes, and a magnificent Arnold Palmer golf course--all for the exclusive use of a few mere mortals?
Even the less affluent Wilderness subdivisions post "welcome" signs that warn "Private: Residents & Guests Only."
Dick Meck
Lake Anna