There has been some nonsense circulated about a recent meeting of the Tyrone Town Council and three Fayette County commissioners, including myself.

What makes a nation great? Is it power? Power just makes a bully. Is it accomplishment? The world is filled with accomplishments that go nowhere. I believe what makes a nation great is the same thing that makes a person great: character and ideals.

It’s time that Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia realize that when the choice is available, people choose the insurance company that includes the doctors and hospitals of their choice. They do not choose the insurance company and then choose a doctor or hospital.

In response to Ed Outlaw’s recent letter expounding that the Fair Tax bills HR25 and S25 are not fair, I believe he may have distorted the facts.

After writing a letter to the editor about the Fair Tax two weeks ago, I have received a lot of “feedback” from my Fair-Tax-supporting friends (at least I hope they are still my friends). One even showed up at my door with the Fair Tax book as a gift (thanks, Dave).

To Ms. Ronda Rich, concerning your recent column about mastering the art of conversation and how so many people fail at this, I wanted to respond.

I wish to publicly thank Captain Steve MacFall and the numerous other Fayette County firefighters that responded to a fire at my home on June 25.

What a great parade and the fireworks were something to see on the 4th of July. Thank you, Peachtree City and the Public Works Department (PWD), for a fun day.

Since the days of high school in North Carolina circa 1980, I have considered myself a conservative Democrat, a military man from a family of military men.

I am a Ronald Reagan Republican. I subscribe to his 11th commandment, “Thou shall not speak ill of fellow Republicans”.

On Thursday, June 29, the Metro Fayette Kiwanis Club sponsored a forum for the candidates for Fayette County commissioner. I think anyone who attended this forum will agree that the clear choices are Linda Wells and Greg Dunn.

Despite the political rhetoric of the upcoming county election, it is absolutely not “time for a change” in the make-up of the Fayette County Commission.

I understand that Saturday morning, Georgia Secretary of State candidate Karen Handel’s husband, speaking in her stead, addressed the Fayette County Republican Party Breakfast in Fayetteville. According to one person in attendance I know personally, an online account of one Fayette County Commission candidate (Eric Maxwell), and a surreal online account by one current Fayette County commissioner (Peter Pfeifer), her husband jumped head first into the long-running political dispute that has absolutely no connection to or parallel with the on-going Fulton County Sheriff’s Office saga.

I strongly recommend to all Fayette County citizens the re-election of Greg Dunn for county commissioner. I have three reasons for being so convinced that Greg has been and is the best man.

I am writing this letter in support of Greg Dunn. From my perspective and from my parents who elected to move here after visiting the county numerous times, Greg has done an exceptional job of maintaining the quality of life we all expect in Fayette County.

I have known Greg Dunn for 14 years and know him well. In my opinion he has governed and represented Fayette County in a truly outstanding manner.

Over the past 16 years, I have known Greg Dunn as a fellow soldier, a member of the Fayette County Commission, and a friend. In serving the citizens of Fayette County, Greg has applied the leadership skills he learned during a long and decorated career on active duty with the U.S. Army, from which he retired as a full colonel.

Another letter from Peter Pfeifer, private citizen who is a county commissioner, not from Peter Pfeifer, county commissioner.

Everybody knows about the Declaration of Independence; at least they know that there was one, which is a start. The Declaration of Independence was for the most part written by Thomas Jefferson in the early summer of 1776 at the behest of the Continental Congress. Its purpose was to unequivocally declare to Great Britain, the mother country, and to the world, that the people of America were free to govern themselves.

Words cannot express how much we appreciate Tyrone and Fayette County residents for helping with the improvements recently made to Shamrock Park in Tyrone.

July 15, 2006, marks the 27th anniversary of a speech, which over the years has been much maligned by political pundits. This fateful speech, they smugly concluded, had come to symbolize an administration and a government most Americans considered incapable of meeting the challenges of the future.

It started off as a desire for our children to have outdoor physical education, and a green grassy field to play on for recess and field day. I had that growing up and I wanted my children to have the same experience, if not better.

Back in 2001, during his inaugural speech, President Bush made the statement “Promises made ... will be promises kept” to our military warriors. On June 6, 2006, while on a surprise visit to Iraq the President again made a remarkably similar statement when he said to the new Prime Minister of Iraq, “I’ve come to not only look you in the eye. I’ve come to tell you that when America gives its word, it keeps its word ....”

Dear Editor:

HERE WE GO AGAIN!! The recent uproar over the obnoxious odor being emitted by Philip Services on Ga. Highway 92 near Whitewater Creek is just the latest in a long history of detrimental contamination of the air breathed by South Fulton and North Fayette citizens. This facility has contaminated our air many times in the past, in fact, in 1992 Fife Community Association was formed specifically to fight the awful odor being emitted into our midst. Back then, the smell was of a very bad open sewer. It permeated every part of our lives getting into locked cars, our homes, even the clothes in our closets. Fife Community Association retained a law firm to assist in our fight for clean air. During this time an official of Philip Co. stood before our community association and told us they didn't know they had so many neighbors. At this comment, I thought to myself "an idiot could look at the aerial photo and easily see 150 homes within a mile radius of this plant". People along Milam Rd. at Whitewater Creek and those on Hwy. 92 near the plant had to leave their homes and seek refuge in hotels because the odor invaded absolutely everything. Some of these peoples lives were ruined; they couldn't sell houses, property values plummeted. Some just gave up and moved away. The sad part is that Fulton County officials designed this facility’s existence nearly 35 years ago. But then, they thought this area would someday all be industrial. They just forgot to consult the people who live here.

When I was younger, a group of friends in Peachtree City created the Endowment Committee for Cultural Arts in Fayette County and started the first Valentine Ball.

The candidate Sam Chapman has told many that he is really a Democrat but is running as a Republican, just as his friend Robert Horgan did, just to get elected.

I attended the meet and greet of the candidates recently. I was appalled at the manner of Sam Chapman. He is a loose cannon. It scares me to think he could get elected. He doesn’t have a clue and will not listen to anyone.

I happened to attend the “debate/forum” hosted by the Kiwanis Club and I was sadly disappointed. With all of the vitriol that one reads in the newspaper, you would think that some of the candidates would have taken their gloves off and let it all “hang out.”

The future of Fayette County literally hangs in the balance with the primary election to be held on July 18, 2006. We the voters must choose between making a complete U-turn and return to the out-of-control growth days of the 1990s when developers and other special interests dictated policy for Fayette County. Especially like we experienced during the time Robert Sprayberry and Scott Burrell were in charge.

I am concerned about the pair of candidates running for the County Commission. In so many places there are Chapman and Maxwell signs it makes me wonder if they share the same platform.