After reading Ted Oglesby's "Time for tough talk on Iraq (Tuesday)," I was reminded of the adage that while you are entitled to your own opinion, you are not entitled to your own reality.

In this column, Mr. Oglesby appears to create his own reality by conveniently ignoring inconvenient facts. He ignores the fact that by invading a sovereign nation that poised no threat to us, we have lost the moral high ground in the Middle East and thus are viewed as infidel occupiers, not freedom-loving liberators.

He ignores the fact that al-Qaida was not in Iraq before we invaded. The only reason al-Qaida is currently in Iraq is because we are there. Our presence in Iraq serves as an al-Qaida recruiting tool that encourages terrorists worldwide to converge on Iraq to kill American troops.

The fact is that al-Qaida's real stronghold is in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the Iraq occupation diverts our resources and attention from the primary threat. Worst of all, Mr. Oglesby contends that the American people's objection to this debacle is because we are under the influence of a global propaganda machine and are just to stupid to realize it.

Worst still, he degenerates the ultimate sacrifice of over 4000 service men and women by equating their deaths as minor when compared to "alcohol-related traffic fatalities."

I am sure the loved ones of these soldiers appreciate Mr. Oglesby putting their sacrifice into the proper context. He admits that "tactical mistakes have been made" and that some "strategic initiatives haven't worked."

I guess some facts are hard to ignore.

The reality of the situation is that stay the course is not working and is not going to work. A majority of the American people have come to accept this as reality. Mr. Oglesby's "tough talk" is just a regurgitation of same old empty rhetoric that got us into and keeps us bogged down in this botched occupation.

William Saye
Gainesville

County still stalling over tax assessor issue
I read the letter by Karen Carswell in the April 12 issue of The Times ("Commissioners should take tax assessors' issue seriously"). In it, she said Commissioner Steve Gailey stated that we should get out of the "individuality aspect of it."

DUH! Mr. Gailey, this is about an individual!

In an article April 9, Commission Chairman Tom Oliver suggested that the three tax assessors were needed until the 2008 digest to the state office could be completed. If only two assessors are needed to conduct business at their regular meetings, then why are three needed for this? The tax assessors, as I understand it, need only to sign off on the digest, which only takes about 15-30 minutes.

In this same article, Oliver added that the State Department of Revenue, not the Hall County Board of Commissioners, oversees the county board of tax assessors. This, to the average taxpayer, implies the commissioners have little hand in this matter.

However, I spoke to Ellen Mills on April 14 at the revenue department and she said that the department only has to do with training, certifying, reviewing appraisals and recommending the assessors meet once monthly. The revenue department does not audit their pay, nor do they get involved with internal county matters regarding tax assessors.

Are you and I, as taxpayers of this county, going to put up with this good old boy nonsense of protecting friends that should have gone out with the Edsel? Or are we going to subscribe to the policy of Commissioner Bobby Banks and stand up for what is right and show it at the upcoming elections in November?

Paul S. Barnes
Flowery Branch

Artist and his wife leave warm memories
The Times' Get Out magazine of April 3 is a great treasure for me to keep and hand down through later generations of my family. I knew most of these people on the front-page story. Jim Chapman's grandparents were some of the best neighbors my parents ever had. I grew up with his Aunt Evelyn and claimed her as a sister of my own. I drank the wonderful water from his grandmother's well on her "back porch." It was the best water, I ever swallowed.

I have kept all of Jim's articles from The Times and was given his book for a treasured Christmas present. His signing and getting to talk to him made the present complete. That was one of my best Christmases to remember.

I kept The Times that spoke about the two wonderful school teachers who passed away in recent years. Marta Chapman was one of them. I grieved with many other people when I read the caring piece in The Times about that.

Your paper is a wonderful paper. I know you appreciated Jim and Marta as much as the multitude of people who loved them.

Phoebe Vickers
Flowery Branch

Young people need activities, involvement
I would like to commend Camille Barrett for her insightful letter about the importance of self discipline, physical activity and making friends who share similar interests.

As a middle school teacher in Baltimore, I see children every day who spend their free time playing video games all alone instead of playing outdoors with other kids. They rush to class, trying to finish homework that should have been completed the night before. All too often, they are lured astray by "friends" who do not have their best interests at heart.

Whether it's participating in an after-school art program, a youth soccer league, a book club or a karate program, all young people should strive to achieve the important life lessons that Miss Barrett seems to have a grasp upon at her tender age. Sadly, many adults should do the same.

Ginger Edwards Cain
Baltimore, Md.