LETTERS
To the Editor:

An Iraq ruled by Saddam Hussein would be paradise compared to what we have now.

We were not liberators; we came in like bulldozers and opened the "gates of hell." There were no terrorists or insurgents when we invaded Iraq.

We created them because these people are teady todie and kill their own rather than let us tell them how to run their country.

This war can not be won. It will drag on draining our patience and economy. President Bush assured us that we are "winning" but every day we have dead Americans to show our "Winnings," 2647 and 18 this last week. This is another catastrophic success of this administration.

A new government has been installed, there will be a full blown "civil war" and it will be followed by some dictator similar to Hussein who will commit heinous crimes to subjugate the Iraqi people. We can not impose democracy on them, this is not their way of life.

To the Editor:

Magda Haller

Your readers may want to know that there are at least two ways to fill the coverage gap some Georgians will face in Medicare's prescription drug program.

First, Medicare eliminates the gap for lower-income seniors (maximum $14,700 annual income for individuals) who qualify for the drug benefit's Low-Income Subsidy [apply at a local Social Security office or by calling 1-800-772-1213, or call 1-800MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)]. More than 87,000 people in Georgia are eligible for the subsidy but have yet to apply, according to estimates by the Department of Health & Human Services.

Second, every Medicare beneficiary has the option of choosing a plan that fills in the gap either fully or partially. Beneficiaries can switch plans for 2007 during the next enrollment period (Nov. 15 - Dec. 31).

According to Dr. Mark McClellan, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator, CMS is expanding the support it provides to help people choose a drug plan and other aspects of their coverage. Those efforts include future improvements to the PlanFinder on Medicare's Website (www.medicare.gov).

Sincerely,

Joe Binns

To the Editor:

September 17th is Constitution Day - the 219th anniversary of the day in 1787 when delegates from 12 states approved the final draft of the US Constitution at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. This relatively new holiday has a mildly interesting history. In 1952 President Harry Truman signed a bill to designate a day to recognize everyone who had become a US Citizen the year before. The date designated was September 17th, and the day was named "Citizenship Day." Fast forward to 2004 when a bill was passed renaming the holiday "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day," and mandating that all publicly funded educational institutions provide educational programming on the history of the US Constitution on that date (or the nearest school day to that date) .

Inasmuch as this is a government project to be conducted in government funded schools, I doubt if the matter of Constitutional violations by government officials will be given much attention. To insure "fair & balanced" coverage, parents, grandparents, etc., might want to supplement what the kids get in school by addressing the matter at home. For instance, you might want to remind the kids that the Constitution grants to Congress (not the President) the power to declare war, and the last time they did that was for WWII. Nevertheless, since WWII, the USA has committed many acts of war without Congressional declarations of war. For a quiz, you might ask the kids this question. In which of the following places has the USA committed acts of war without first obtaining a Congressional declaration of war? Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. If they answer anything less than "all," you might want to talk to their teachers.

Cordially,

Chuck Esposito

Suches, Ga.

To the Editor:

Today I noticed that the price of gas has gone down ten cents- Why?

They are lowering prices before the primary election. Again the administration is trying to fool the American people.

As long as we have a President and Vice President who are former "oil men" and a Secretary of State who has an Exxon Tanker named after her "Condoleeza Rice." We the American people are on the loosing side, they will always protect their friends the "Oil Companies," allowing them to have outrageous profits as every one can see. This is just one more "Election Tactic"

Magda Haller