Left of the Dial

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel killed in Afghanistan and Iraq or who died at a military hospital of their injuries:

Anthony K. Bento, 23, of San Diego; corporal, Army. Bento was killed Monday when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire in Baiji, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Matthew D. Blaskowski, 27, of Levering, Mich.; sergeant first class, Army. Blaskowski was killed Sept. 23 when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire in Asadabad, Afghanistan, near the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy.

Kevin R. Brown, 38, of Harrah, Okla.; staff sergeant, Army. Brown was killed Tuesday when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Muqdadiya, Iraq, northeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Jonathan M. Lankford, 42, of Scottsboro, Ala.; command sergeant major, Army. Lankford died of an apparent heart attack Sept. 22 while working out with his unit in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 79th Ordnance Battalion at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas.

Charles Luke Milam, 26, of Littleton, Colo.; petty officer second class, Navy. Milam was killed in combat Tuesday in Afghanistan's Helmand province, southwest of Kabul. He was a hospital corpsman assigned to the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Christopher F. Pfeifer, 21, of Spalding, Neb.; private first class, Army. Pfeifer died Tuesday at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio of injuries suffered Aug. 17 when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire near Kamu in eastern Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Joshua H. Reeves, 26, of Watkinsville, Ga.; specialist, Army. Reeves was killed Sept. 22 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, Kan.

Mathew D. Taylor, 21, of Cameron Park, Calif.; private first class, Army. Taylor died Wednesday at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio of injuries suffered July 23 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Afghanistan's Sarobi district, east of Kabul. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy.

Zachary B. Tomczak, 24, of Huron, S.D.; staff sergeant, Army. Tomczak was killed Tuesday when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

David L. Watson, 29, of Newport, Ark.; specialist, Army. Watson died of noncombat-related injuries Sept. 22 in Baqubah, Iraq, northeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Dave Grohl and Heresy

So, my pal Marc wrote this here piece in praise of Dave Grohl. And since few have more love for Dave Grohl than I, I was all kinds o' down with the piece.

Until this bit:

I think Grohl's a better songwriter than Cobain was.

And even for me, that is just a bridge too far, well laid out as Marc's argument (not surprisingly) is.

I mean, wow.

Wow.

I love Dave Grohl.

I love Dave Grohl.

First, he's one of the two greatest drummers of the past twenty years—in fact, he's just plain the greatest—able to stand alongside Ringo and Charlie and Moonie and Bonzo as one of the true all-time titans of rock.

He’s also a charming actor/comedian, an excellent guitarist, an able singer and a songwriter of distinction.

What's more, from everything I've heard (and I'd rather not be disabused of this notion have you any evidence to the contrary), he's apparently one of the nicest guys in entertainment.

Oh, and he played a vital role in the recording of just about the last five-star album to be added to the rock and roll canon, a masterpiece which stands alongside such creations as Revolver, Abbey Road, Blonde on Blonde, Electric Ladyland, Exile on Main Street, What's Going On, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, Who's Next, Astral Weeks, Blood on the Tracks, Born to Run, London Calling, Tim, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Automatic for the People and Achtung Baby, amongst others. Which, all by itself, is one hell of an accomplishment, enough to make any artist feel pretty good about their life's work.

(Of course, just recording one of the greatest albums of all time generally isn't enough for most great artists, which is one of the things which make great artists great.)

All of which makes me feel extremely warm and fuzzy towards Dave, even if his joining a certain band in high school meant a good friend of mine was displaced from said band. (But, no, I’ve said too much already.) I have nothing but the utmost respect and fondest feelings towards the man.

Dave Grohl is, in short, awesome. All kinds o’ awesome. And not to mention? Cute as a button.

Now, Marc is an outstanding writer, a learned and erudite man and just plain a great guy, so I hesitate to get in a war of words with him since there isn't even the slightest chance I could possibly hold my own, much less actually win. Furthermore, I must issue this full caveat: I have not heard the Foo Fighters’ latest album, although I do have it on reserve at the liberry, which means my personal opinion carries even less weight than usual, which is astonishing, since that actually manages to somehow push it into the negative zone.

I have, however, heard every previous Foo Fighters release. And enjoyed them all, to varying degrees.

But if you really think Dave Grohl is a better songwriter than Kurt Cobain, you’ve got to cut down on the crack. Or at least switch to much higher grade material.

In the first eleven years of their existence, Dave and the Foos produced fewer songs destined to stand the test of time than his previous band did with just their second album, never mind their first or third album, or any of the odds and sods they produced elsewhere. And this isn’t even considering that fact that, fine singer as he is, Dave Grohl cannot begin to measure up to Kurt Cobain as a vocalist—a singer who has entered into truly hallowed company amongst the rock and roll immortals.

Sure do love Dave’s vidyos, though.

In fact, I’m just plain glad the world has him around—it's a better place for his presence.

Oh, but it occurs to me: while Dave may be—nay, is—an outstanding role model for all them drummers toiling at the back of the band, I'd submit that being "just" the drummer ain't exactly the end of the world; as J.D. Considine once pointed out, there has never been a truly great band without a truly great drummer.

And that in terms of being a role model, there's another drummer guy out there who carved out a pretty swell career for himself, and maybe, just maybe Dave knew about this not-exactly-obscure guy and what happened to him after his singer left.

Phil Collins.

Okay When It's Your Side

A pair of links this more for intrepid Left of the Dialians.

This first one is going to amaze you. I kid you not.

You have heard a lot about voter fraud in the past few weeks, as various organizations are pushing various remedies. The problem is that virtually none of them address the true problem, which is large-scale voter disenfranchisement, not enabling very, very large numbers of people to cast a vote at all. Instead, they focus on the notion that there are folks out there who are either casting more than one ballot, or are simply not eligible to vote but voting anyway. And yet study after study have shown that this is an infinitesimal problem, at least in part because the sentence for such an act is severe. But making sure a district which favors the other party has only one third as many voting machines as they need? That’s easily done and no one’s ever gone to jail for that. Oh so much more bang for the buck!

So. With that in mind, checking out this video of lawmakers openly voting for others.

Here’s another one. I’ve never been one of them what complains about celebrities speaking out for their favorite cause, at least, not since I was about fifteen years old and therefore understood the basic notion of personal responsibility and each person doing his or her part to help others. So Bono annoys you when he talks about debt relief? The Dixie Chicks should just shut up and sing? You know, I don’t recall people whiny when Charlton Heston started speaking out in favor of gun rights, and it’s not just because he’s always holding a gun. Basically, people tend to be fine with celebrities speaking out when they agree when them and don’t like it otherwise. Except when they’re talking about starving children. No one likes that because, come on, seriously. It’s depressing.

So. With that in mind, check out this video of Angelina Jolie. I wish even one quarter of our elected officials sounded half this intelligent. And I wish each and every one of them experienced what she’s talking about in this video.

Folks do what they can. So a doctor I know drives into incredibly rural, mountainous areas about once every other week to treat the sick who are too poor to be able to afford to come to his practice. A carpenter I know goes to Africa twice a year to build churches in tiny villages, all on his own dime. A businessman I know goes into an inner-city grade school once a month to read to the kids there. These folks do what they can. And celebrities do what they can, which is to use the attention they always get to draw attention to problems in the world. That’s a hell of a lot better than drawing attention for ripping off a collectibles dealer or driving drunk or even another Lara Croft flick.

Is Bill Kristol respectable?

No.

Well, that was easy.

Thanks to Tom for pointing me towards this great piece from the great state of Colorado.

Is Bill Kristol respectable?

Until I recently moved, my next-door neighbor was an extremely successful pornographer. He's made a fortune by transmitting pay-per-view satellite broadcasts of hard-core sex films to many of America's best-known hotel chains. (One of the curiosities of the age is that while it is a crime for a man to pay a woman for sex, it's perfectly legal for a man to pay an 18-year-old girl a few hundred dollars to have sex simultaneously with a half-dozen strangers, and then sell a film of the event to millions).

The Porn King built himself an impressive mansion here in beautiful Boulder (this is just one of his several residences I'm given to understand), and it towered above my modest home. Like Nick, the narrator of The Great Gatsby, I was both bemused by the splendor of my neighbor's abode, and somewhat puzzled by just what sort of relations I ought to have with a man who, although exceedingly rich, could not be considered respectable.

All of New York knew that Jay Gatsby was a gangster; all of Boulder knows the Porn King is essentially a glorified pimp. Yet just as much of fashionable society came to Gatsby's splendid parties, many an eminently respectable Boulderite enjoyed the generous hospitality of the Porn King's table.

I myself was more than once invited to partake of his food and drink, but politely declined. Still, I occasionally found myself engaged in a friendly stop-and-chat with my amiable neighbor. I always came away from these trivial moments of social intercourse with a slightly confused feeling. Was it, after all, a bit cowardly on my part to treat him as if I didn't know or care who he was?

All this came to mind last week when I glimpsed Bill Kristol's smooth and amiable face on the television, where it appears so often. Kristol - editor of The Weekly Standard, Fox News contributor, co-founder of the key neo-conservative group the Project For the New American Century, and current visiting professor at Harvard - is the very definition of a well-respected man about town, doing the best things so conservatively.

But how respectable is Kristol, really? Anyone who pays the least attention to him soon discovers that the ruling passion of Kristol's life is to involve the United States in as many wars as possible, with as many enemies as he can find or create.

In short, Kristol thinks about war in much the same way the narrator of Lolita thought about 12-year-old girls: with a constant, obsessive, perverse longing.

I choose this analogy with some care. An overwhelming lust for violence seems to be the common vice that links together Kristol, the various Kaplans (Lawrence, Fred, Robert), and other leaders of the contemporary neo-conservative movement.

All these men appear to genuinely love the idea of war for its own sake. The thought of their countrymen - not they themselves of course, as not one of them has ever come within a thousand miles of a live bullet - inflicting the horrific violence of modern warfare on various hapless foreigners is something that clearly excites these gentlemen quite a bit.

And that, when you think about it, is rather disturbing.

When he says goodbye to Gatsby for what turns out to be the last time, Nick suddenly realizes that, although Gatsby is a criminal, he isn't, at bottom, nearly as great a scoundrel as many of the pillars of polite society who circulated on his perfectly clipped lawn on those starry summer nights.

" 'They're a rotten crowd,' I shouted across the lawn. 'You're worth the whole damn bunch put together.' "

For my part, I'd rather give the Porn King the Presidential Medal of Freedom than shake Bill Kristol's hand.

Paul Campos is a professor of law at the University of Colorado. He can be reached at [email protected].

And this doesn't even go into the fact that Kristol and the Kaplans has simply been flat out wrong about everything.

Why the hell do these guys ever get listened to anymore? Ever?

I know, I know. We all know why. But it doesn’t make it any less revolting.

The Character of a Nation

It has been bizarre and disheartening to see the reaction to a visit to the United States by the president of Iran and all the folks whining and wetting themselves over it. Over. A. Visit. My God, what a bunch of little pansies.

You know, a couple decades ago, America faced a real threat, the Soviet Union, which could destroy us completely in the space of half an hour. And no one sat around pissing and moaning about, well, democracy. Free speech sure is a scary thing. If you're a tyrant. Or just aspire to be.

That's right, I'm talkin' to you, Duncan Hunter. Suck it up, you spineless little sissy. You ain't got the stones to be a real tyrant, no matter how much you fantasize about it.

So: what is the American character? Hard to say, of course. But I daresay we know it when we see it. Let me put before you an illustrative example: one week in September of 1959, when, much like one week in September of 2007, American soil supported a visit by what many, if not most Americans agreed was the most evil and dangerous man on the planet.

Nikita Khrushchev disembarked from his plane at Andrews Air Force Base to a 21-gun salute and a receiving line of 63 officials and bureaucrats, ending with President Eisenhower. He rode 13 miles with Ike in an open limousine to his guest quarters across from the White House. Then he met for two hours with Ike and his foreign policy team. Then came a white-tie state dinner. (The Soviets then put one on at the embassy for Ike.) He joshed with the CIA chief about pooling their intelligence data, since it probably all came from the same people—then was ushered upstairs to the East Wing for a leisurely gander at the Eisenhowers' family quarters. Visited the Agriculture Department's 12,000 acre research station ("If you didn't give a turkey a passport you couldn't tell the difference between a Communist and capitalist turkey"), spoke to the National Press Club, toured Manhattan, San Francisco (where he debated Walter Reuther on Stalin's crimes before a retinue of AFL-CIO leaders, or in K's words, "capitalist lackeys"), and Los Angeles (there he supped at the 20th Century Fox commissary, visited the set of the Frank Sinatra picture Can Can but to his great disappointment did not get to visit Disneyland), and sat down one more with the president, at Camp David.

Mrs. K did the ladies-who-lunch circuit, with Pat Nixon as guide. Eleanor Roosevelt toured them through Hyde Park. It's not like it was all hearts and flowers. He bellowed that America, as Time magazine reported, "must close down its worldwide deterrent bases and disarm." Reporters asked him what he'd been doing during Stalin's blood purges, and the 1956 invasion of Hungary. A banquet of 27 industrialists tried to impress upon him the merits of capitalism. Nelson Rockefeller rapped with him about the Bible.

Had America suddenly succumbed to a fever of weak-kneed appeasement? Had the general running the country—the man who had faced down Hitler!—proven himself what the John Birch Society claimed he was: a conscious agent of the Communist conspiracy?

No. Nikita Khrushchev simply visited a nation that had character. That was mature, well-adjusted. A nation confident we were great.

Where have you gone, Dwight D. Eisenhower? A nation turns its saddened eyes towards you.

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel killed in Iraq:

Terrence P. Allen, 21, of Pennsauken, N.J.; corporal, Marine Corps. Allen died of noncombat-related injuries Sept. 15 in Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Matthew J. Emerson, 20, of Grandview, Wash.; specialist, Army. Emerson died of noncombat-related injuries Tuesday in Nineveh province, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Bliss, Texas.

Roselle M. Hoffmaster, 32, of Cleveland; captain, Army. Hoffmaster died of noncombat-related injuries Thursday in Kirkuk, north of Baghdad. She was assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Edmund J. Jeffers, 23, of Daleville, Ala.; sergeant, Army. Jeffers died of noncombat-related injuries Wednesday in Taqaddum, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

Joseph N. Landry III, 23, of Pensacola, Fla.; specialist, Army. Landry was among three soldiers killed Tuesday when an improvised explosive device detonated near them in Muqdadiya, northeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Luigi Marciante Jr. , 25, of Elizabeth, N.J.; private first class, Army. Marciante was killed Thursday when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Muqdadiya, northeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Christopher M. McCloud, 24, of Malakoff, Texas; private, Army. McCloud was among four soldiers killed Sept. 14 when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Graham M. McMahon, 22, of Corvallis, Ore.; corporal, Army. McMahon died of a noncombat-related illness Wednesday in Balad, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

John Mele, 25, of Bunnell, Fla.; sergeant, Army. Mele was killed Sept. 14 when a roadside bomb exploded near him in Arab Jabour, southeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Stewart, Ga.

Todd A. Motley, 23, of Clare, Mich.; specialist, Army. Motley was among four soldiers killed Sept. 14 when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Christian M. Neff, 19, of Lima, Ohio; private first class, Army. Neff was killed Wednesday when an improvised explosive device detonated near him in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Stewart, Ga.

Nicholas P. Olson, 22, of Novato, Calif.; specialist, Army. Olson was among three soldiers killed Tuesday when an improvised explosive device detonated near them in Muqdadiya, northeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Jonathan Rivadeneira, 22, of Jackson Heights, N.Y.; specialist, Army. Rivadeneira was among four soldiers killed Sept. 14 when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Brandon T. Thorsen, 22, of Trenton, Fla.; specialist, Army. Thorsen died Sept. 15 of injuries suffered in a noncombat-related incident a day earlier in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Bliss, Texas.

Michael L. Townes, 29, of Las Vegas; staff sergeant, Army. Townes died from a noncombat-related illness Sept. 16 in Balad, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Donald E. Valentine III, 21, of Orange Park, Fla.; specialist, Army. Valentine was among three soldiers killed Tuesday when an improvised explosive device detonated near them in Muqdadiya, northeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Terry D. Wagoner, 28, of Piedmont, S.C.; staff sergeant, Army. Wagoner was among four soldiers killed Sept. 14 when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Aaron J. Walker, 23, of Harker Heights, Texas; specialist, Army. Walker was killed Tuesday when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division in Vilseck, Germany.

John J. Young, 24, of Savannah, Ga.; specialist, Army. Young died of noncombat-related injuries Friday at Camp Stryker, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Asterisk

This makes me happy. Well, less unhappy.

Go. Vote early, vote often. And not to try to sway you or influence you in any way or nothin', but vote for B.

Kids v War

War wins!

"While he reportedly plans to call for up to $200 billion to continue a war that his top general can't even say is making the country safer, George Bush is rejecting the idea that we would spend less than one third of that amount for the health of America's children.

"That says all that needs to be said about this President's priorities."
—Senator Chris Dodd

I had no idea until just a week ago that Chris Dodd’s father was a prosecutor at Nuremberg. Wow, pretty stark contrast to the current president’s grandfather, who made a fortune by trading with the Nazis during WWII and who was involved with a plot to overthrow President Roosevelt and install a military dictatorship. So apparently a love of fascism ain’t nothin’ new—can such a thing actually be genetic?

(Have y’all heard about that one? It’s one of them rare conspiracy theories that is actually indisputable—congressional inquiries found it to be true—and yet you’ve pretty much never heard about this attempted coup, have you? Thank Allah for the integrity of our military. As compared to the historical immorality of the richest of the rich in this country.)

An Open Letter to John Stossel

I've never taken John Stossel seriously. I mean, the guy is such a transparent hack and blatant shill that it never even occurred to me someone might actually think he has something worthwhile to say. Which was stupid of me: the guy's been on a major television "news" show for years and years, so clearly someone thinks the guy has something to add, or at least the suits think someone thinks that. And, no, his hideously cheesy 70s pornstache has nothing to do with my low esteem of his bandwidth.

Well, okay. Not much.

So I didn't read the hit job he did on this poor woman, and I assume it's behind the Wall Street Journal's firewall. But it certainly is in keeping with his previously-observed standards.

Has he no decency? Has he no shame? Clearly not. Which is not a surprise. But is still disappointing.

Dear John,

My name is Julie Pierce. My husband was Tracy Pierce. I am featured in Michael Moore's documentary 'SiCKO.' In the movie, I share my deceased husband's story — his unsuccessful battle with our insurance company to receive what could have been life-saving treatments for kidney cancer.

I just read your Wall Street Journal article written on Sept. 13, 2007, titled "Sick Sob Stories." You begin by talking about Tracy's role in 'SiCKO,' and claim the bone marrow transplant denied by our insurer would not have saved him. You also accuse me of "sneering" over our situation.

In your 'reporting' of this story, you did not contact me, and you did not contact my husband's doctors. I cannot believe that a publication like the Wall Street Journal would print such an accusation without talking to anyone involved — especially in such a personal matter, which resulted in the death of my 37-year-old husband and the father of my child.

If you had contacted me, I would have told you that bone marrow transplants became a last option, only after our insurer denied many other treatments again and again and again.

I would have shown you a letter from our doctors at the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at the University of Kansas Hospital, in which they argued strongly for the bone marrow transplant, citing "strong evidence" supporting the past success of that treatment — they wrote that it could "give him a chance to achieve complete remission." In fact, they called the bone marrow transplant "his only chance of survival."

Instead of calling me up and doing real reporting, all you can do is throw around studies from 1999 about the supposed inefficiency of bone marrow transplants for breast cancer patients — even though Tracy didn't have breasts. He had kidney cancer! I understand that you want to try to prove that private insurance in this country really isn't that bad. And I can see that you won't let the facts get in the way.

You go on to claim that Tracy wouldn't have received his transplant in a country with socialized medicine, either. Where is the evidence? Not only are more bone marrow transplants performed every year in Canada, but they invented the technology! So much for your ridiculous claim that "profit is what has created the amazing scientific innovations that the U.S. offers to the world. If government takes over, innovation slows, health care is rationed."

You are simply carrying water for the for-profit insurance industry that killed my husband. And then you have the nerve to accuse me of "sneering" about it. My husband has only been dead since January 18th, 2006. It is still fresh to me and my family, and comments like this are inhumane.

I have since tried to contact you via email, but you have not responded. I don't expect an answer. People like you just write with an agenda, without coming to the source or getting any facts, because your main goal is to try to discredit Michael Moore and universal health care. I understand it's a game — you did it without thinking about how you would hurt a family who have suffered — and are still suffering — such a tragic loss.

My family is not a "Sick Sob Story." We are a normal, American family that has had a significant member die from a horrible cancer that ravaged his body due to repeated denials from a health insurance company. We will never know for sure what would have worked because Tracy was never given a fighting chance. Over 18,000 Americans die each year because they don't have health insurance. I suppose theirs are "sob stories," too.

I don't want a hit-piece. I want answers. Why does our wonderful profit-driven system of medicine kill 18,000 Americans each year? Why do we pay far more for our health system than any other country, but have some of the lowest life expectancies and highest infant mortality rates in the Western world? Would you discredit the work of your late colleague Peter Jennings who, while suffering with lung cancer, did an excellent report titled "Breakdown: America's Health Insurance Crisis"?

I hope you have answers, but I am not optimistic. I pray that you will never have to go through what we went through — if you did, you wouldn't be so quick to cheerlead the system we were victimized by.

Julie Pierce

Mission, Kansas

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel killed in Afghanistan and Iraq or who died at a military hospital of their injuries:

Ari D. Brown-Weeks, 23, of Abingdon, Md.; specialist, Army. Brown-Weeks was among seven paratroopers killed Monday when their truck veered off an overpass and plunged about 30 feet to the road below in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Lance M. Clark, 21, of Cookeville, Tenn.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Clark died of non-combat-related injuries Sept. 7 in Iraq's Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

Steven R. Elrod, 20, of Hope Mills, N.C.; specialist, Army. Elrod was among seven paratroopers killed Monday when their truck veered off an overpass and plunged about 30 feet to the road below in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Alexander U. Gagalac, 28, of Wahiawa, Hawaii; sergeant, Army. Gagalac was killed Sept. 9 when his Humvee was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Hawija, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Carlos E. Gilorozco, 23, of San Jose; corporal, Marine Corps. Gilorozco was one of two Marines killed in combat Monday in Iraq's Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Yance T. Gray, 26, of Ismay, Mont.; staff sergeant, Army. Gray was among seven paratroopers killed Monday when their truck veered off an overpass and plunged about 30 feet to the road below in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Michael C. Hardegree, 21, of Villa Rica, Ga.; sergeant, Army. Hardegree was among seven paratroopers killed Monday when their truck veered off an overpass and plunged about 30 feet to the road below in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Marisol Heredia, 19, of El Monte; specialist, Army. Heredia died Sept. 7 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio of injuries suffered in a non-combat-related incident July 18 in Baghdad. She was assigned to the 15th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Jon T. Hicks Jr. , 20, of Atco, N.J.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Hicks was one of two Marines killed in combat Monday in Iraq's Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Courtney Hollinsworth, 26, of Yonkers, N.Y.; staff sergeant, Army. Hollinsworth was killed Sept. 9 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, Kan.

Drew N. Jensen, 27, of Clackamas, Ore.; captain, Army. Jensen died Sept. 7 at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Seattle, where he was being treated for injuries suffered May 7 in Baqubah, Iraq, northeast of Baghdad. He was paralyzed from the neck down and required a ventilator to breathe after he was shot in the neck by a sniper. Jensen died after life support was removed at his family's request. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Omar L. Mora, 28, of Texas City, Texas; sergeant, Army. Mora was among seven paratroopers killed Monday when their truck veered off an overpass and plunged about 30 feet to the road below in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Javier G. Paredes, 24, of San Antonio; corporal, Army. Paredes was killed Sept. 5 when his Humvee was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Nicholas J. Patterson, 24, of Rochester, Ind.; sergeant, Army. Patterson was among seven paratroopers killed Monday when their truck veered off an overpass and plunged about 30 feet to the road below in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Sammie E. Phillips, 19, of Cecilia, Ky.; private first class, Army National Guard. Phillips was killed Monday when his vehicle overturned in Rustamiya, Iraq, southeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery in Carlisle, Ky.

Christopher L. Poole Jr. , 22, of Mount Dora, Fla.; corporal, Marine Corps. Poole was among four Marines killed Sept. 6 by a suicide bomber who drove a vehicle into a security checkpoint in Iraq's Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

Gregory Rivera-Santiago, 26, of St. Croix, Virgin Islands; staff sergeant, Army. Rivera-Santiago was among seven paratroopers killed Monday when their truck veered off an overpass and plunged about 30 feet to the road below in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Bryan J. Scripsick, 22, of Wayne, Okla.; corporal, Marine Corps. Scripsick was among four Marines killed Sept. 6 by a suicide bomber who drove a vehicle into a security checkpoint in Iraq's Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

John C. Stock, 26, of Longview, Texas; staff sergeant, Marine Corps. Stock was among four Marines killed Sept. 6 by a suicide bomber who drove a vehicle into a security checkpoint in Iraq's Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

Travis M. Woods, 21, of Redding, Calif.; corporal, Marine Corps. Woods was killed in combat Sept. 9 in Afghanistan's Helmand province, southwest of Kabul. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

Ryan A. Woodward, 22, of Fort Wayne, Ind.; corporal, Army. Woodward died Sept. 8 in Balad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire near Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Michael J. Yarbrough, 24, of Malvern, Ark.; sergeant, Marine Corps. Yarbrough was among four Marines killed Sept. 6 by a suicide bomber who drove a vehicle into a security checkpoint in Iraq's Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

Really Can't Touch This

This is almost exactly what the first dance looked like at our wedding.

Head, shoulders, knees and toes.
Knees and toes.

Break it down.

Safer?

So. Here’s the money quote from yesterday.

Sen. John Warner (R-VA) questions Gen. David Petraeus:

WARNER: I hope in the recesses of your heart that you know that strategy will continue the casualties, stress on our forces, stress on military families, stress on all Americans. Are you able to say at this time, if we continue what you have laid before the Congress, this strategy, that if you continue, you are making America safer?
PETRAEUS: Sir, I believe that this is indeed the best course of action to achieve our objections in Iraq.
WARNER: Does that make America safer?
PETRAEUS: Sir, I don't know actually. I have not sat down and sorted out in my own mind.

If even the guy in charge cannot say that us being there, that over 3700 of our troops dying there, is making us safer here, then maybe we shouldn’t be there.

My Hero

I'm not sure how old I was. I'm guessing I was about nine or so, maybe fourth grade. I was on the next street over, hanging with some neighborhood kids I knew but not well—they went to public school and we went to Catholic school, so we'd play on sports teams or afterschool sometimes, but not all that often.

One of them was a bit older, maybe eighth grade, maybe even high school; in fact, looking back on it, it's possible he was actually older than any of my brothers. I don't think he was really hanging with us, I think he was just walking by on his way to his house, and probably said "hey" to us or something like that. I don't remember his first name, so let's call him Derek.

What did I say to Derek? Who knows. But I vaguely recall wondering later why I had said whatever it was I did, since he was being nice enough. But I must have said something snotty, probably in a failed attempt to be funny, the continuing story of my life, already being written from an early age.

He tried to get me to take it back, which even though he was older and probably twice my size and I was in the wrong just wasn't gonna happen. He gave me another chance and I dug in my heels, responding with some further verbal jousting which upped everything a notch or two.

"Oh, a wiseguy, huh?" he said. At least, I think he said that, although it could have been "wiseass," and I'm just hearing The Three Stooges in my faulty memory, because I very clearly remember responding, "No, the Wises live right there," and pointing to an adjacent house which, indeed, was where the Wise family, friends of ours, lived. Even in the middle of a rapidly deteriorating situation I recall thinking that the absolute height of wit.

Did he twist my arm? Push me down? Whatever it was, he physically dominated me in some way, although it wasn't severe; he was trying to get me to say "uncle," metaphorically, not to punish me. He didn't want to hurt me, he just wanted to teach me a lesson, just to save face, to show the others that some little punk wasn't going to talk smack to him and get away with it. He was a good kid, but still a kid, and I'd pushed him too far.

So it went on like that for a while, him trying to convince me and me not giving an inch. Finally he gave up and issued a mild threat. And that was that. I got up and walked home, only realizing halfway there that I'd forgotten my bike, but definitely not going back for it.

When I got home all three of my big brothers were in the driveway playing basketball. One of them asked casually, "Hey, where's your bike?" And then one of them must have gotten a look at my face, because someone asked what had happened.

I hadn't cried at any point through the entire thing with Derek; I remember that very clearly. But now I had trouble speaking and my chest started to hitch. I got out something about Derek and my oldest brother, Jay, suddenly got a look on his face, a look we were all pretty familiar with and that none of us liked to see.

But now he walked past me without saying a word. One of the others said, "come on" and started after him, probably because, if nothing else, Jay was always interesting, and this looked like it was going to be very much no exception. I followed, miserable.

When we got to where the kids were still hanging, I remember seeing Derek look up and the expression that came over his face and him saying, "Oh, hey, Jay, hold on, wait a minute." And Jay saying, "No."

Derek put both his hands up, palms out, in the universal sign of "I really don't want to fight," and said, "Listen, he started it, I didn't hurt him and all I wanted was for him to say he was sorry."

Jay was nose to nose with Derek now and said, "I don't care. You don't ever touch one of my brothers again. If you have a problem with something one of them did or said, you come to me. But you. Don't. Ever. Touch. One. Of. Them. Again. Got it?"

Derek nodded. "Sure, man. I got it."

And then Jay told Derek to apologize to me.

And Derek apologized to me.

And we all turned and headed home. But not before Jay reminded me to get my bike.

As we walked home, my other brothers looked at each other and smiled.

Afterwards, I was always sure to be nice to Derek. Because it wasn't his fault; I may not remember what I said, but I'm quite sure I was being a little punk and that I was in the wrong. And it turns out that having a guardian angel that everyone in the neighborhood knows can and will kick anyone's ass for you? It doesn't make you cocky or a bully. It means there's no pressure, so you can actually be nicer, 'cuz you don't have anything to prove. It was like having an ass-kicking security blanket around you wherever you went.

Derek always gave me a funny smile whenever he saw me after that, maybe because I was so much nicer from that point on. But I think his smile was because he was thinking, "Man, it must be nice to have a big brother like that." And not in a "you little jerk" kinda way, but as though he were genuinely good-naturedly envious.

And it was.
And it is.

So happy birthday to my big brother, the finest man I've ever known, who's still watching out for me, all these years later. Thanks, pal. And many, many, many happy returns of the day.

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel who were killed in Afghanistan and Iraq or who died at a military hospital of their injuries:

Dane R. Balcon, 19, of Colorado Springs, Colo.; private first class, Army. Balcon was one of two soldiers killed Wednesday when an improvised explosive device detonated near them in Balad, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

David A. Cooper Jr. , 36, of State College, Pa.; sergeant first class, Army. Cooper died of noncombat-related injuries Wednesday in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Kevin A. Gilbertson, 24, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; sergeant, Army. Gilbertson died Aug. 31 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany of injuries suffered two days earlier when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire while on foot patrol in Ramadi, Iraq, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Jason J. Hernandez, 21, of Streetsboro, Ohio; specialist, Army. Hernandez died Friday of injuries suffered a day earlier when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Mosul, Iraq, north of Baghdad. Another soldier was killed in the blast, and a third also died of his injuries Friday. Hernandez was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Regiment at Ft. Bliss, Texas.

Thomas L. Hilbert, 20, of Venus, Texas; specialist, Army. Hilbert died Friday of injuries suffered a day earlier when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Mosul, Iraq, north of Baghdad. Another soldier was killed in the blast, and a third also died of his injuries Friday. Hilbert was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Regiment at Ft. Bliss, Texas.

Rodney J. Johnson, 20, of Houston; specialist, Army. Johnson was killed Tuesday when his unit came under a grenade attack while on foot patrol in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, Kan.

David J. Lane, 20, of Emporia, Kan.; specialist, Army. Lane was among three soldiers killed Tuesday when an improvised explosive device detonated near them in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, Kan.

Patrick D. Magnani, 38, of Martinez, Calif.; master sergeant, Air Force. Magnani died of noncombat-related injuries Tuesday near Bagram, Afghanistan, north of Kabul. He was assigned to the 31st Medical Support Squadron at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

Mykel F. Miller, 19, of Phoenix; private first class, Army National Guard. Miller was killed in combat Thursday in southern Afghanistan's Zabol province, south of Kabul. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment in Phoenix.

Joel L. Murray, 26, of Kansas City, Kan.; sergeant, Army. Murray was among three soldiers killed Tuesday when an improvised explosive device detonated near them in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, Kan.

Keith A. Nurnberg, 26, of McHenry, Ill.; specialist, Army. Nurnberg was killed Wednesday when his vehicle was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Christopher G. Patton, 21, of Lawrenceville, Ga.; specialist, Army. Patton died of noncombat- related injuries Sept. 1 in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Justin T. Sanders, 22, of Watson, La.; private, Army. Sanders died of noncombat-related injuries Aug. 29 in Taji, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Randol S. Shelton, 22, of Schiller, Park, Ill.; private, Army. Shelton was among three soldiers killed Tuesday when an improvised explosive device detonated near them in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, Kan.

Travis M. Virgadamo, 19, of Las Vegas; specialist, Army. Virgadamo died of noncombat-related injuries Aug. 30 in Taji, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Stewart, Ga.

William T. Warford III, 24, of Temple, Texas; corporal, Army. Warford was one of two soldiers killed Wednesday when an improvised explosive device detonated near them in Balad, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 215th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Delmar White, 37, of Wallins, Ky.; staff sergeant, Army National Guard. White was killed Sept. 2 when a roadside bomb exploded near his convoy vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery in Carrollton, Ky.

Lee C. Wilson, 30, of Chapel Hill, N.C.; sergeant, Army. Wilson was killed Thursday when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Mosul, Iraq, north of Baghdad. Two other soldiers died a day later of injuries suffered in the blast. Wilson was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Regiment at Ft. Bliss, Texas.

***

War casualties
Total U.S. deaths:

In and around Iraq: 3,748

In and around Afghanistan: 373

Other locations: 62

2007 NFL Predictions

Pal DT and I were discussing the upcoming season. Suddenly, the following appeared in my inbox:

PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2007 FOOTBALL SEASON

The Patriots will win their 4th Super Bowl, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 27-20 in a rematch of three years ago. Tom Brady will appear to be even more of a stud than people thought possible, particularly after he outplays Peyton Manning in the AFC Championship Game.

Randy Moss will be a model citizen this year and play spectacularly, endearing himself to Pats fans everywhere. One week after the Super Bowl victory, he will be arrested for setting fire to a crowded school bus.

Rodney Harrison will arrive fresh from his 5-game suspension for using HGH ready to play, looking like Jimmie Walker.

In San Diego, Norv Turner will actually devise a play in which the Chargers score in the wrong endzone.

Shawn Merriman will do his sack dance with the Chargers trailing 37-14 and will be felled by snipers.

In an attempt to boost dormant fan interest, the Houston Texans will introduce Cousin Oliver.

In Cincinnati, Carson Palmer will actually throw a first down pass without having the ball leave his hand. He'll simply reach 10 yards down field and hand the ball to Chad Johnson.

Chad Johnson will later be whistled for delay of game following his newest touchdown celebration, “The Eucharist,” in which he pantomimes administering the Sacrament to 65,000 fans, one at a time.

Later in the season, the Bengals playoff chances will be dealt a serious blow when the entire team is convicted of killing Phil Spector’s girlfriend.

Rather than be forced to play a schedule, the Cleveland Browns will be voted off the island after Week 3.

In New York, Chad Pennington's arm will remain attached to the last pass he throws in week 4, his cold fingers still clutching the ball as Laverneus Coles takes it in for a TD.

Pennington will later be listed as “day to day.” He will also be listed as a “lefty.”

The Oakland Raiders will replace longtime motto “Just win, baby!” with, “Just kidding, baby!”

In the NFC, Reggie Bush will actually take flight during a game against the Rams, gracefully soaring above the befuddled defense for 75 yards before landing safely in the end zone. The touchdown will count, but the NFL will then fine Bush $1,000 for a “gravitational violation.”

Terrell Owens will blast the city of Dallas for failing to land a professional football team, and then his leggy publicist will issue a clarification stating that TO meant to aim his anger at the city of Indianapolis.

Also in Dallas, Wade Phillips will decline at least 2 Cowboy touchdowns. Offensive tackle Flozell Adams will eat running back Julius Jones by week 9.

Detroit Lions Coach Rod Marinelli, often criticized for highly questionable coaching maneuvers, will assure fans he has a new can’t miss “secret weapon” on offense. The plan will fail when the Acme Super Catapult malfunctions, sending quarterback Jon Kitna careening into the side of a mountain. General Manager Matt Millen will respond by giving Marinelli a 5-year contract extension and drafting a wide receiver.

In New York Giants news, Jeremy Shockey will angrily claim he was misquoted...by Jeremy Shockey.

Also in New York, Eli Manning will actually poo himself in the 4th quarter of a big game, and Tiki Barber will blast Tom Coughlin for playing him at running back and for the disarming of the Iraqi military.

Trying to rebuild the Atlanta Falcons’ image following the Michael Vick embarrassment, team owner Arthur Blank will raise eyebrows when he solves his team’s quarterback controversy by ordering starter hopefuls Joey Harrington and Chris Redman to “fight to the death.”

The Arizona Cardinals, following a 5-11 season, will consider trying a new sport.

In Green Bay, Brett Favre will break a hip attempting the "Lambeau Leap."

But the Washington Redskins? They'll still suck. Which is really all that matters.

Cousin Oliver. Heh. That's teh funny.

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel killed in Afghanistan and Iraq:

Jan M. Argonish, 26, of Peckville, Pa.; sergeant, Army National Guard. Argonish was among three soldiers who died Monday at Forward Operating Base Naray, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when their convoy was ambushed by suspected Taliban militants in Jalalabad, east of Kabul. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 55th Brigade Forward in Scranton, Pa.

Scott R. Ball, 38, of Mount Holly Springs, Pa.; master sergeant, Army National Guard. Ball was among three soldiers who died Monday at Forward Operating Base Naray, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when their convoy was ambushed by suspected Taliban militants in Jalalabad, east of Kabul. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 55th Brigade Forward in Scranton, Pa.

Edward L. Brooks, 25, of Dayton, Ohio; specialist, Army. Brooks was killed Wednesday when an improvised explosive detonated near him in Ramadi, Iraq, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Jason M. Butkus, 34, of West Milford, N.J.; staff sergeant, Army. Butkus was killed Thursday when his Humvee was attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, Kan.

Nicholas R. Carnes, 25, of Ludlow, Ky.; staff sergeant, Army National Guard. Carnes died Aug. 26 in Orgun, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered during a firefight with insurgents in Lewanne Bazaar, near the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery Regiment in Carrollton, Ky.

Cory L. Clark, 25, of Plant City, Fla.; sergeant, Army. Clark was among three soldiers killed by a suicide bomber Tuesday as they were helping to build a bridge in Jaji, Afghanistan, near the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 585th Engineer Pipeline Company, 864th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

James S. Collins Jr. , 35, of Rochester Hills, Mich.; sergeant, Army Reserve. Collins was killed in combat Tuesday in Kirkuk, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 303rd Military Police Company (Combat Support) in Jackson, Mich.

Erick M. Foster, 29, of Wexford, Pa.; captain, Army. Foster died Wednesday in Balad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire in Muqdadiya, northeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Rocky H. Herrera, 43, of Salt Lake City; sergeant first class, Army. Herrera was among three soldiers killed by a suicide bomber Tuesday as they were helping to build a bridge in Jaji, Afghanistan, near the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 585th Engineer Pipeline Company, 864th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Bryce D. Howard, 24, of Vancouver, Wash.; sergeant, Army. Howard was among three soldiers killed by a suicide bomber Tuesday as they were helping to build a bridge in Jaji, Afghanistan, near the Pakistani border. He was assigned to Headquarters Support Company, 864th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Matthew S. Medlicott, 21, of Houston; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Medlicott was killed in combat Aug. 25 in Iraq's Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

Joshua L. Morley, 22, of Boise, Idaho; sergeant, Army. Morley was one of two soldiers killed Aug. 26 in a firefight in Samarra, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Andrew P. Nelson, 22, of Moorhead, Minn.; staff sergeant, Army. Nelson was killed in combat Wednesday when his unit was attacked by insurgents in Muqdadiya, Iraq, northeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Henry S. Ofeciar, 37, of Agana, Guam; major, Army. Ofeciar was among three soldiers who died Monday at Forward Operating Base Naray, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when their convoy was ambushed by suspected Taliban militants in Jalalabad, east of Kabul. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, Kan.

Rogelio A. Ramirez, 21, of Pasadena; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Ramirez was killed in combat Aug. 26 in Iraq's Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

Daniel E. Scheibner, 40, of Muskegon, Mich.; sergeant first class, Army. Scheibner was killed Thursday when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Noor, Iraq, northwest of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Striker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

John C. Tanner, 21, of Columbus, Ga.; corporal, Marine Corps. Tanner was killed Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded near him in Iraq's Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

Tracy C. Willis, 21, of Marshall, Texas; specialist, Army. Willis was one of two soldiers killed Aug. 26 in a firefight in Samarra, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Thomas R. Wilson, 21, of Maurertown, Va.; private first class, Army. Wilson was killed in combat Monday in Paktika, Afghanistan, near the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy.

Papers Please

Here is an amazing—but, unfortunately, all too believeable story—about a guy buying a game at Circuit City…and winding up in jail. For nothing more than obeying the law.