Americans

Off with whose head? To the editor: Americans believe the U.S.A. is the greatest country in the world. Americans also know the U.S.A. has problems. However, problems don't "just happen" they are "caused. " So why don't Americans root out the causes, and chop off their heads? In 1796, George Washington wrote a Farewell Address. The purpose was to pass along to his fellow Americans helpful information he acquired during the 45 years he served his country. Washington wanted to help assure the U.S.A.

BEIJING (AP) -- The U.S. women's basketball team passed its first test of the Olympics, beating Russia in its closest contest in Beijing. Now it's on to a fourth straight gold medal game. Diana Taurasi scored 21 points and Tina Thompson added 15 to help the U.S. pull away from Russia 67-52 on Thursday night in the semifinals. The Americans will face either Australia or China in the gold medal game Saturday. The U.S. will be looking to win its fourth straight Olympic gold medal.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Mavis Stapleford grew up in Canada. She knew Americans by reputation, by what she had heard and read about them. She wrote, in a recent letter to the editor that her impression of Americans early in her life, "wasn't very flattering. The United States gets a lot of bad press overseas. Even in Canada, she said, they like Americans but with reservations. " Stapleford, 71, lives with her husband of 45 years, Edmund, 76, a retired physician, on Country Club Road.

There were more than a few oohs and aahs heard during the fourth annual Roundball Classic, a daylong marathon of basketball at Hagerstown Community College on Sunday. The Roundball Classic is a regional showcase of basketball talent. Players from the East Coast came to play one last high school game while hoping to catch the eye of one of the many college coaches in attendance. There were plenty of rim-rattling dunks and 3-pointers falling in the Boys Premier game, the final contest of the five-game extravaganza.

ANNAPOLIS - There were no parades, celebrations or other displays of public appreciation for Antonio J. "Tony" Mendez after he led a covert mission to spirit six Americans from Tehran in the early days of the Iran hostage crisis in 1980. Mendez, a Knoxville resident, didn't mind. Being a CIA agent, he knew the veil of secrecy, above all else, had to be guarded. So the spy remained silent, even as the nation gave credit to others for the escape. "Humility is part of the game," said Mendez, 57, who retired from the agency seven years ago after 25 years of service.

Before I give you my take on what to do about Pete Rose's attempt to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame, let me tell you a true story. In the early fall of 1777 the British had a strategic plan to isolate the several New England colonies from the rest of the country. The plan was for a British army under Gen John Burgoyne to march south from Canada and a British fleet under Sir Henry Clinton to sail up the Hudson to join up near Albany. This would cut off the New England colonies from the rest of the country and deal a death blow to the American Revolution.