Let’s cut no slack for Beverly Hall
I read “Hall remembered in church ceremony” (News, March 18) on Beverly Hall’s funeral with great interest. A verdict of “not guilty” by a jury of Hall’s peers is both naive and disingenuous. Ask the teachers, principals and staff no longer able to get jobs in education about that. Ask this same group about the climate of fear and intimidation that existed in Dr. Hall’s administration. I worked for APS from 1971 to 2004, in administrative positions except for five years under Dr. Hall’s tenure.
Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young’s contention that Dr. Hall was “a victim of others’ scheming” is laughable. Beverly Hall was Machiavellian. Her approach was, “You are either with me or against me.” Young asked, “What are we going to do to continue the legacy of Dr. Hall?” My answer is, “Absolutely nothing!”
CHUCK FULLER, FAYETTEVILLE
Our Iraq mistake: pulling out too soon
Jay Bookman repeats the liberal mantra of “our ill-fated invasion” of Iraq (“Senators’ letter to Iran a marker on road to war,” Opinion, March 18). The truth is that our invasion of Iraq was very successful in military terms. As Gen. Colin Powell once said, “If you break it, you own it.” It has always been necessary for a victorious party to a war to “win the peace” by staying long enough to ensure a lasting change in socio-economic and political behavior.
At the end of World War I, the Allies failed to do this, and another war ensued. World War II’s long occupations produced a lasting peace. President Obama removed us from Iraq long before any peace was secured. Great sacrifice of U.S. blood and treasure was wasted. An unstable Middle East looms for decades to come, and the ultimate cost of rectifying this error will probably be great. “Our ill-fated withdrawal” from Iraq will be what historians note.
GRANT ESSEX, WOODSTOCK
Netanyahu’s re-election ensures misery
Congratulations, John Boehner and the 47 Republican senators who sent the letter to the Iranian leadership, for successfully interfering in the Israeli national elections and facilitating Netanyahu’s victory. You helped re-elect an Israeli prime minister who had to declare “no two-state solution” to the Palestinian problem to get the support of extreme right-wing groups in Israel. This almost guarantees further years of misery for both peoples, with the likelihood neighboring Arab states will now get involved, as there is now no statehood solution on the table for the Palestinians.
The U.S. should show some moral courage and warn Israel that its vast financial and armament aid will be reduced or even cut off if they don’t make efforts towards a peaceful solution for the Palestinian state question.
IAN SHAW, CUMMING
