Don’t you just love it when cities to our east print advisory editorials in their newspapers regarding what they consider our plight? Now they are telling us, in The Pilot – not the Suffolk Sun – how our city fathers must deal with the &uot;gasping&uot; Bennett’s Creek Rescue volunteer operation. As though we are not at all capable of dealing with it ourselves. Their quote, &uot;But if improvements aren’t made, pull the plug.&uot; Golly, how wise of that editor, offering his advice to us. Gee whiz, thanks, we wouldn’t have known what to do. We hope Don Highley Jr., the new Bennett’s Creek chief, is even more motivated by the editorial, now realizing he is under the magnifying glass and the gun of entire Tidewater. The sad truth is that Bennett’s Creek is no longer Bennett’s Creek; it’s part of North Suffolk. That part of the city is being inundated with &uot;strangers&uot; who have not yet had time to become acclimated and a real part of the community. Give them time and Chief Highley Jr. If the new citizens don’t come around it won’t be necessary to pull the plug, it will die a natural death with tombstone honors going to those who had really tried.

The airport commission voted five to one not to rename the city airport, &uot;Suffolk Executive Airport,&uot; declaring it was not up to executive standards. So the city went ahead and named it Suffolk Executive Airport anyway, which tells you something. The words that come to mind are &uot;hopeful hype.&uot; But the airport is ready to bust at the seams. It now contains the &uot;Throttle Back&uot; restaurant as well a very fine aircraft museum(s). Not only that, they have direct access to a 30-inch sewer and a 14-inch water main. I know they were able to handle a B-17 on the field it, I took a spin in it; they are ready for Lear jets and the like. The terminal, however, is not quite yet adaptable for regularly scheduled international flights. And if I were in their position I’d hold out until the Norfolk airport can’t find space to grow. There is a lot of room down Carolina Road. Who’s to say it can’t one day become the area’s only International Airport?

The rumor is that they are going to close the village of Whaleyville, or is it just the only bank they have? Another bank might move out there if the village could gain a little prestige and they could if they would (rightfully) rename our airport &uot;Whaleyville Executive Airport&uot; and the Whaleyville council member should be demanding such status. That’s a big problem with banks nowadays, they insist upon being efficient which means profitable. Apparently the one bank they have isn’t, so accounts will be moved to a branch on Holland Road. However – and this is almost funny – they say it may be a 12-mile inconvenience but the other bank has much more to offer. And see if your mind can follow this bank move: a BB&T branch on West Washington Street in downtown Suffolk will close in October, and accounts will shift to a nearby First Virginia branch, also on West Washington Street, which will be converted to a BB&T. ‘Who’s on first?’

It is also rumored the Whaleyville post office might close. They better fill the churches and pray it isn’t moved to our post office puzzle maze on Main in beautiful downtown Suffolk. I begged Mr. Damiani for a copy of his letter to the city back in 1998 in which he reported that many citizens were dismayed at the condition of our beloved Main Street Postal zoo. Among his good suggestions was this one: &uot;Add one or two additional counter postal employees.&uot; He suggested then, and I repeat now, put people in the current four window slots during rush times and most of the problems we face now will be eliminated. Even some grocery stores have finally figured this out.

They are picking on us senior citizens again, and I offer these for you, those over 65, to use in defense. &uot;Remember, it was not us who took the melody out of music, the pride out of appearance, the courtesy out of driving, the learning out of education, the refinement out of language, the prudence out of spending, and the ambition out of achievement.&uot; Of course the liberals can always blame President George Bush.

Waiting for Steve Herbert to find Hilton Inn financing is like waiting for President Bush to find weapons of mass destruction. Both are sure it will come but don’t know when.

Robert Pocklington is a resident of Suffolk and a regular News-Herald columnist.