Bad news today my fellow Americans, confirmed 10 American Marines death and an untold number wounded. Tis a dark, dark day, and my heart is heavy. Even though I am no longer in the service, I still feel a deep kinship—that I find hard to explain to my wife—for the men and women in uniform; when they take casualties I morn as well, as I sure millions of veterans across the nation are. And it appears as though the Iraqis are violating the Geneva Convention on Armed Conflict. Parading dead American soldiers on television, possibly executing soldiers who have surrendered…

I knew in my gut that it was a mistake to simply by-pass those cities in our race to Baghdad. I have a feeling that the Bush Administration is playing politics, just as his father did before him, trying limit civilian fatalities, which is laudable, but it is not worth putting those charged with directly prosecuting this WAR, in harms way unnecessarily just because they wear a uniform. They too have families; they too have loved ones; they too have those who will miss them when they are gone; they too have a right to life and the American dream!

And now comes word that the Iraqis at An Nasiriya send women and children out into the street under Marine artillery fire. No doubt they had in their minds to stop the shells. If true, this is a shameful and reprehensible practice. What sort of men under arms sends innocent, defenseless, women and children out to protect them? Certainly, they are not men I would be obligated to respect, or greet as a man! Where is their honor? Have the Iraqi men none to wear? Appears not!

And the battle rolls on…