Seven years ago on Sept. 11, I remember exactly where I was, what I was doing and what I was thinking. That is pretty remarkable for a 74-year-old man, but I am sure the rest of this country has gone through the same memories. I am overcome with emotion today, as I am sure the rest of this country is.

I would like to thank God, President Bush, our intelligence and national security, and most of all our brave and dedicated soldiers, who have succeeded in keeping this country safe. All attempts since 9/11 to attack the United States have been detected and stopped. We need to take a moment to think about what hasn't happened in our country since 2001.

Right after 9/11, when everybody was yelling, "Nuke 'em, bomb 'em and payback!" I recall President Bush saying that this was not going to be an overnight thing, that it would be a long and difficult process. These same people that were demanding that Bush do something have now picked up protest signs, camped out, marched and even interrupted the Republican Convention. Did they actually think that terrorists could be stopped with peace signs, flower pedals and a "please don't do that again?"

Freedom and liberty do not come easy. They come with a price. I am very grateful for the men and women that have served and that have given their lives in an effort to defend this country, its honor and the honor of every life that was lost on 9/11, and ensure that there is not and has not been a repeat of the attack on our great country.

My grandson, Steven Hollibush, served as a medic in Iraq for a year. He was licensed to drive ambulances, Humvees and tanks. He was in convoys that hit exploding IEDs. He patched up, fixed up, raised up and, unfortunately, zipped up results and effects of this war.

While he was over there, my daughter asked him what his and his comrades' opinion of war protester Cindy Sheehan was. His response was, "if anything happens to me, please don't do that. Please don't dishonor and discredit what we are trying to do over here."

I am pretty much a plain and simple man. When I listen to the news media and some of the politicians and protesters, I thank God that He blessed me with common sense rather than intellectual intelligence. Some of this talk I've been hearing will cause us to lose everything we have, lose everything we've fought for and possibly get us all killed in the process.

To pull out now would be opening ourselves up to another attack. We don't count our losses and come home; we don't quit while we're ahead. We quit when we've won and accomplished what we set out to do.

I shudder to think where we would be had 9/11 happened during the previous administration. We certainly wouldn't have had to load up and go over there because the war would have been on our front porch. A little slap on the wrist is not going to make the "bad boys" go away.

We didn't "take it" with Pearl Harbor and we don't need to "take it" with the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. We need to finish what they started.

Of course, I realize this may not be a very intelligent opinion; it's just "common sense" talking.

Charlie Truelove
Gainesville

Deal's office quickly solved problem
A few weeks ago, we ran into a problem dealing with a federal agency regarding to our niece, who had moved from Maryland to live with us. After several unsuccessful attempts to resolve the issue, we contacted Rep. Nathan Deal's office, where staff assistant/caseworker Lisa Simmons came to our assistance. She listened carefully and respectfully, then satisfactorily resolved the issue within a week.

When my wife, my niece and I tried to take Ms. Simmons to lunch, she had to decline, since accepting might violate federal ethics rules. Boy, is something wrong when a grateful citizen cannot buy a meal for an overworked congressional staff member!

By the way, over the years I have disagreed with Rep. Deal on several occasions. I have gotten mad about one or two things. But I have always believed in his integrity.

Maybe it is time we quit voting for people we always agree with and started voting for people we can always believe in.

The Rev. David Gravitt
Dawsonville