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Re: the Nov. 16 article "A debt beyond money."

The feature story of Taha, his wife, Sura, and their son touched me deeply. Here is a family that put their own safety on the line for our troops in Iraq, paying the price of their good health and having to flee their homeland for safety.

May God bless them abundantly for helping our troops.

Why hasn't Taha been snapped up for his translation skills in disseminating vital chatter on the international terrorist grid as an advisor/translator in the Pentagon?

It cannot be that we have a plethora of expert translators available in this country.

Taha has firsthand experience and understanding of Iraqi tribal issues, the worldwide tribalism vs. globalism, and he has more than proven his honor in serving our country.

It's not like he's a security risk, as he's proven his loyalty.

Re: the Nov. 19 letter "Paranoia can be a lethal weapon."

The anti-gun liberal asks, "Who do you plan to kill with this weapon? The community worker who knocks on your door? The kid who climbs your fence to fetch a ball? The gas meter reader who (sic) you mistake to be a terrorist?"

All the while he or she ignores the elephant in the room.

And what is that elephant that the anti-gun liberal writer pretends to not know of?

The elephant is that most obvious of answers. We want a gun to protect ourselves against those who might want to kill us, such as a home invader.

So our highways and bridges are in terminal condition, unemployment is high and going higher, homes are being foreclosed, homelessness and hunger are on the rise, our schools need help, health care needs to be universal, help is needed with social security, federal debt is at record levels and going higher, the U.S. and the world's economies are in the toilet.

And the United States just launched a rocket to the space station to do some remodeling, and we are planning to visit the Moon and Mars for a cost of many dollars which we do not have. Are our priorities misdirected?

Re: the Nov. 11 article "Ticket-sellers try to cash in on Obama-inaugural events."

So that's funny. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is all up in arms about inauguration tickets showing up on eBay.

She stated that the tickets to this solemn event "should not be bought and sold like tickets to a football game."

In other words, the tickets, which are provided to Congress members to hand out for free, should not have an opportunity to end up in the hands of common folk.

They are intended to be passed out as a reward to the big-money donors, not be circulated among the great unwashed masses.

Re: the Nov. 16 article "Grant Rd. may limit left turns."

I am disappointed that the Star's article about making "Michigan left" U-turns on Grant Road did not include mention of an even better traffic-flow solution, the modern roundabout, as described and promoted by the Arizona Department of Transportation at its Web site.

The ADOT information shows that modern roundabouts can eliminate red-light running as well as increase the flow of traffic through major intersections without adding lanes, and do it while reducing vehicle conflict (accident) points from 32 to 8 as compared with a traditional intersection with traffic lights.

It puzzles me why the Tucson Department of Transportation does not follow the forward-looking lead of the ADOT by proposing serious plans using modern roundabouts for the Grant Road project and other intersections.

Re: the Nov. 16 article "When you owe more than home is worth."

Reporters continue to quote real-estate brokers, who invariably say that the market has hit bottom. I would no more ask a Realtor, whose livelihood is based on sales, if I should buy a house than I would ask a used-car salesman if I should buy a car on his lot.

I was encouraged to see the reporter also quote Marshall Vest, an economist at the University of Arizona about the market. But there was no follow-up.

I take exception to the statement by Rosey Koberlein of Long Realty that "Society needs her to be a homeowner." The real-estate industry's glorification of homeownership as the pathway to wealth is one of the reasons we are in this mess. Not everyone needs to own or should own a home.

What society really needs is for people to live within their means, and for lenders and borrowers to lend and borrow responsibly.

Re: the Nov. 16 article "Incidents of racism dampen Obama's victory glow."

I was greatly saddened to read of the racial incidents following Barack Obama's victory in the presidential race.

Writing as a person considered white, I am appalled to think of the low-mentality comments and verbal slurs against a very charismatic, obviously intelligent, educated person who worked very diligently to become our next president.

I believe racial slurs and racial prejudice stem from people's insecurity about themselves.

We are all human beings on this Earth, some more gifted, some more educated, and some more willing to work to improve the problems of our ever-increasing population.

Shame on those who don't recognize the gifts, talent and dedication of a fine, young educated man who worked so hard to become possibly one of our finest presidents.

The Arizona Daily Star welcomes original letters and guest opinions with ideas, viewpoints, criticism and news analysis that encourage discussion on issues that have an impact on the community.

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