Read it and retch--"You are part of the finest military establishment the world has ever known, and I am completely confident that the war to end the tyrannical regime of Saddam Hussein, to destroy his weapons of mass destruction, and most importantly, to liberate the long-suffering people of Iraq, will be successful, and that you will soon be reunited with your families.

"Once hostilities have ended, however, significant challenges will remain. America must take the lead in rebuilding Iraq, and here, too, you will play a vital role. You will also be engaged in fighting the war on terror, at home and abroad." Senator Dianne Feinstein, veteran liberal Democrat from California, in an e-mail letter to GIs in Iraq shortly before the fall of Baghdad.

Yes, indeed--A shopper in a suburban Albany, New York, area was busted for refusing to take off a propeace t-shirt at a mall coffee table. Later, about one hundred people protested this. The local chief of police explained the arrest: "We don’t care what they have on their shirts, but they were asked to leave the property, and it’s private property."

Nothing but the best--Members of the Puerto Rican island legislature are lobbying for a new veterans hospital, explaining the present one is unable to handle an influx of Iraqi vets. According to a media report, they said the old hospital is too small, has numerous infrastructure problems, and a leaky roof.

The real chickens go to the front?--"LONDON--A food fraud worth millions involving chicken padded out with water, pork, or beef and sold in takeaways, restaurants, pubs...have been uncovered by the Food Standards Agency."--The Times, London.

What price imperialism--At least 60 percent of once relatively prosperous Argentinians now live in poverty, and 19 children have died of malnutrition in recent months. The International Monetary Fund, however, declared the government "was not imposing sufficient austerity" and cut off its credit line.

Not if your feets’ too big--At first glance it struck us as an ordinary deal. Close to San Diego, a top income community, many bedrooms with fireplace, walk-in shower, fridge, etc. The master bedroom, (named after Imelda Marcos?), features a closet that is said to stock 300 pairs of shoes. Asking price: $24 million.

Pst--One might think it an embarrassing moment, but the Vatican has published a new, 1,000-page lexicon of sexual terms, baring some seemingly innocuous, but really "anti-Catholic" terms such as "gender" and "reproductive rights." It does thump homosexuality as abnormal, and advises that countries that permit same-sex marriages have people with "disordered minds." No mention, apparently, of the products of imposed celibacy--straight or gay.  
 
 
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