A sizeable number of readers have been clamoring for my take on the county Board of Commissioners' wasting taxpayer money on the ill-advised no-notice firing of county administrator, finance director and attorney, really in the works long before taking office. I've told them The Times editorial covered my views pretty well. I suspect they think The Times wasn't harsh enough for them because they keep saying such as "what do you really think."

OK. It was an awful public relations mistake. They should have waited until taking office. If they had problems with those fired discussed the problems with them. If that didn't produce desired results, they would have had grounds for dismissal.

Rehiring Bill Blalock as attorney demonstrates at least in his case that problem could have been resolved. Not bothering to discuss problems with the administrator and finance director, they can't convince me they couldn't have resolved them just as I can't claim they could have.

Indisputable is as tight as the budget is and cuts having to be made, they wasted hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on severance pay and far overpriced (compared with what was being paid) out-of town services. If they wanted independent opinions, they could have engaged the same people they hired or contracted with other equally qualified, perhaps less expensive consultants.

We should remember that commissioners are elected from different areas won't agree on every issue. Divided votes are inevitable. This incident alone doesn't warrant a recall. The time to express dissatisfaction is at the regular election cycle.

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I feel for editor Mitch Clarke. His column was right, and he and The Times are doing the right thing in reporting his DUI arrest. He falls into the public figure category. I recognize I also do. It should reassure and comfort readers to know their newspaper insists upon integrity.

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Give credit where due. President Barack Obama handled the Osama bin Laden elimination in a masterful, gutsy manner. To be sure, detractors already say they really don't have proof it was indeed bin Laden. Some contend it was staged as a campaign ploy.
It's too bad kooks like Cindy Sheehan found it tailor made for her to resurface. I mistakenly thought she had been ridiculed to deserved oblivion.

Obama's right in not releasing the photos. It would give terrorists a powerful propaganda tool leading to more American deaths. He's also right in the burial at sea in accordance with Islamic protocol. A ground burial would have produced a shrine for terrorist sympathizer rallies.

What does puzzle me is in correcting some of the earliest reports, officials mentioned the SEALS took a second body with them. That was quickly hushed and hasn't at this writing been mentioned again. Who was it? Why was it taken? What is the significance?
Don't think for a moment bin Laden's elimination immobilized al-Qaida's terrorism. In fact, look for a quick response as surviving leaders move to show they are alive and well and to extract revenge. When or where it will come, who knows? I'm not predicting it, but it wouldn't surprise me to see simultaneous strikes in a number of U.S. and overseas states. They may strike quickly or wait for such days as our July 4 or Sept. 11.

Some coverage has indicated the event must have awakened a number of Americans to realize terrorism indeed is real and will threaten us until eliminated. Some of these awakened will want to know more about how it works, etc. so they will know how to be more vigilant.

That information is taught in the terrorism classes I have taught a number of times for the Brenau University Leisure and Learning Institute. If you are among those who are interested, let me and/or BULLI know you are interested.

Ted Oglesby is retired associate and opinion editor of The Times. His column appears biweekly on Tuesdays. You can reach him at P.O. Box 663, Gainesville, GA 30503.