Letters are posted as we receive them during the week, and before they are printed in the paper, so check back frequently to see new letters. If you'd like to send a letter to the editor, use this postmarks submission form, or email your letter directly to [email protected]. Thanks for your patience.

Dear Editor,
   USDA defines fried potatoes as fresh vegetables. Good news, homemakers! You know that forgotten container of fuzzy stuff in the back of the refrigerator? If you're sure that it's the green beans left over from the last time you had company for dinner, then, under USDA guidelines, I think it's still a fresh vegetable. Or if I'm wrong, that's still OK. You could apply to the USDA for designation as a Historic Fresh Vegetable. And we're all waiting to see if they will also authorize the issue of commemorative refrigerator magnet plaques.

Dear Editor,
   Well, seems Michael Moore is registered to vote in New York and Michigan. That's voter fraud. Cool.

Dear Editor,
   I didn't read the Chronicle's review of Fahrenheit 9/11 before I saw the movie. I wanted to see the movie first and decide for myself whether it was all hype or whether it actually deserved all this attention.
   And it does. I just read Marc Savlov's review of the movie, and reading the review made me relive everything I experienced while watching the movie. Outrage, shame, and finally, always, grief and sorrow. Outrage at the unseemly financial gains Bush's family and buddies have made from this war. Shame at seeing what my country is doing halfway around the world to our own citizens and to Iraqi citizens. Grief and sorrow after seeing one mother's grief over her dead soldier son. Grief and sorrow because she's just one mother of nearly 900 mothers with children who were killed in action while serving in American forces. Grief and sorrow because she's not even one of the mothers of 10,000 civilians who have been killed because of this war.
   And why? It's not that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. It's not that Saddam had threatened to attack the U.S. or its interests. So is it because 9/11 was a convenient excuse for Bush and his buddies to finally go after Iraq's oil resources? Because Bush's dad and longtime family friends would make big bucks through their investments in defense companies?
   Whatever the reason, it's not good enough. That woman's son shouldn't have died in Iraq fighting a bogus war. And that's just one mother, one son.
   This July Fourth weekend, honor the men and women in our armed forces by seeing this movie and seeing for yourself what we're making them do.

Dear Editor,
   Wow. Michael Moore sure is making millions of dollars off a war he hates and a president he hates even more. Isn't that called profiteering, deliberately making money off a war? Michael Moore should fall to his knees and thank George Bush for making him a millionaire 20 times over. Wonder how much of those scores of millions Moore's spending on issues like ... firearm buy-backs, or counseling for troubled high school kids. Or job training centers for out of work union members in Michigan. Or, like, I don't know. Perhaps helping the people of Iraq achieve a stable political situation? Or, what the heck, he could buy himself a jet and a $2.5 million upper east side condo in New York for the working people. Rock on Michael. Get rich. Make hundreds of millions of dollars, dude.

Dear Editor,
   Mr. Gerig states that I should be embarrassed for showing concern for innocent citizens killed in Iraq ["Postmarks Online," June 24]. This after he builds an "ethical context" that requires omniscience, since it presupposes a post-Saddam Iraq that is better for everyday Iraqis than that under Saddam. While I certainly hope that will be the case now that the dice have been thrown, I am a mere mortal not privy to the all-knowing musings of Mr. Gerig.
   Here's something I think all can agree to be most embarrassing and shameful: to hawk the war as necessary to protect us from Iraq-induced Armageddon on U.S. soil, only to see all the rationale disproved as most international experts predicted. Then to have the unmitigated gall to try and post-sell it as some kind of humanitarian effort. The arrogance of that attempted morphing, and the expectation that anyone would be stupid enough to buy it, is embarrassing beyond the pale.
   I want to see Mr. Gerig's list of countries that are next in line for his omniscient nation-building by force. There are many that meet the criteria given by the all-knowing crowd, and they all come with a dollar, flesh, and bone price tag at least as high as the one we are seeing in Iraq.

Dear editor,
   Since Cleveland's Lakefront Stadium is no more, the moniker "Mistake on the Lake" is up for grabs. I suggest it be awarded to a pair of bad ideas on Austin's Town Lake that are each other's solution. One is "Plan B" for working around the tens of millions of dollars in funding shortfall for the Long Center redevelopment that will result in the permanent removal of the familiar and architecturally significant dome, leaving a wide flat ring (like the brim of a broken hat) hovering over a disjointed collection of odd-sized boxes; and with only two of the three originally planned acoustically perfect performance halls being built (www.artscenterstage.org/longcenter). The other is the apparent tens of millions of dollars someone perceives as available to convert the former Seaholm power plant into a studio for two dozen Austin City Limits tapings per year, with the noise of trains (freight and/or commuter) rumbling past during the performances, when that venue is an obvious site for a technology and transportation museum (and working train station).
   Hmmm, threatened historic downtown architectural treasure/musical performance venue needing money, and, just across the river, money seeking to turn a historic downtown architectural treasure into an inappropriate musical performance venue. If only different music and performance styles could co-exist under the same (rounded) roof! If only KMFA listeners and KLRU viewers weren't mortal enemies! If only Chardonnay and Shiner could be served at the same lobby bar! If only these radically disparate camps could – oh, never mind; it's just too weird, even for Austin.

Austin Chronicle editors,
   I hope that you will get on board supporting the call for a resolution to get our state legislature to require recorded votes.
   You can find out more about the push and see all the newspapers and organizations already on board at www.dallasmorningnews.com/opinion then click on the "Let the Sun Shine" editorial.
   A sample resolution is here www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/121703dnedirecordedresolution.afdbf11c.html.
   I know you support more open government, so lets keep them from hiding their votes in secret.

Dear sirs,
   I completely agree with Anita Quintanilla's letter concerning the truth about the Reagan years ["Postmarks," June 25]. I remember him killing the imported oil embargo that Carter had instituted to help out his poor oil buddies. Never in our history has one president put so many people out of work in the U.S. so fast. Virtually most everyone working locally in the oil business and related businesses got pink slips overnight. Hundreds of thousands of people. So here we are 24 years later with foreign oil still holding this ridiculous control over us. Thanks Ron. He ran on the platform of smaller government and tax breaks. Government grew at an incredible rate (along with the deficit) and for those measly tax breaks that us working-class folks got, the big boys got huge ones. We also started paying taxes on things that we had never had to pay on before. His boys called them "revenue enhancers." They always had these cute painless phrases for ways to screw us. All I know is that myself and many Americans took home less money after taxes and yet were getting so-called "tax breaks." Mostly what I remember from those days were most of us working too cheap, benefits decreasing, the S&L debacle, Iran-Contra, farmers losing their farms, etc. One amusing thing that both he and the guy (Bush) that followed him used to say was "I don't see the need for government-sponsored health care such as Canada and most of Europe has." If you noticed, though, every time that they had a runny nose, they trotted on over to Bethesda Naval hospital (paid for by taxpayers) and these guys had the money to go to any private doctor. Would someone explain to me the difference between the health care that they used and "socialized health care"?

Dear Mr. Monsarrat,
   I have to disagree with your description that "followers of Islam hate Bush because he represents and defends the American free lifestyle" ["Postmarks," June 25]. Many in the Islamic world hate Bush because he represents a misguided foreign policy toward the Middle East that has been perpetuated by both Republican and Democratic administrations.
    Our foreign policy is based on what is in our best strategic and financial interests – not what's in the best interests of other countries, and, for that, we will always be viewed with mistrust, and rightly so, not just by Middle Eastern countries, but the world in general. Still, we continue to spin this war in Iraq as though it were for the liberation of its people and then we have the nerve to say that the Iraqis should be grateful for this.
    There is no doubt whatsoever that Saddam is an evil person, but our history with him only goes to show that we don't have the Iraqis' best interests at heart. We turned a blind eye on this madman when he gassed his own people because he was our "ally" during his war with Iran. How do you think it looks to the Middle East when we support (past and present) leaders who commit atrocities against their own people? How do you think it looks when we are willing to "liberate" Kuwait in the early Nineties from Iraqi occupation, yet we are unwilling to even criticize the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel? Oh, that's right – Israel is our ally.
    I speak out against American foreign policy not because I hate America, but because I love this country. Bush says he is fighting terrorism, but I believe that his policies are only fanning the flames for future terrorism. You can't fight terrorism with hypocrisy, and you should never make important foreign policy decisions toward a country without having a deep understanding of its history and its culture. The current administration, as well as past ones, have yet to get a clue, and the price of that ignorance will continue to rear its ugly head in the form of terrorism.

Dear Editor,
    "Cars Better Than Buses" ["Postmarks," June 25] omits from discussion the cheapest and cleanest means of transportation: walking. The fuel burned is solar, but it comes in such delicious forms (enchiladas, beans, pecan pie) that people consume it even when they're not going anywhere.
    It's true that modern agribusiness and grocery transport consume large quantities of petroleum. But food can be produced locally without petroleum, given the space to grow it. Austin would have plenty of food-growing space if we could depave some of the vaster parking lots.
    Our society's heavy use of giant machines, such as cars, is expensive. Fuel is by no means the only money sink. Motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. cause over 3 million injuries each year, with a government-estimated cost of $800 per person. Motor vehicles that weigh over two tons and can go 50 miles per hour or faster are very expensive, in terms of fuel costs, injury costs, road building and maintenance costs, pollution costs, and much, much more. Until human-scale transportation becomes planners' first priority, we will not see any practical transportation plans.
    It is inaccurate to say that Austin needs maximum person-miles for minimum cost. What everyone really wants is optimum quality of life for minimum cost. It may not be necessary to travel 30 miles or more per day to be happy.
    The car-based model of transportation planning cheerfully throws away the freedom of people under 16 or over 85. This view of travel emphasizes the powerlessness of the individual in the face of the machine. Is this a reasonable way to live? It's time to plan transportation and live life on a scale at which each person matters. This means valuing people more than cars. Let's start walking, and possibly cycling, toward life on a human scale.

Dear Editor,
   I am profoundly disappointed in the results of the Austin Critics Awards for 2003. Having looked over the nominees, I was surprised to see Broadway Texas listed among our other local productions. I felt sorry for the other nominees, for they were severely out-classed. Directors Scott Thompson and Richard Byron have put on Broadway-quality shows right here in Austin for years, and their expertly delivered Wizard of Oz was listed in many categories. Certainly, they put on the best musical, and their consistently inspired choreography could not help but be recognized. Even the finely crafted musical direction of Fred Barton was up for an award. And the sad part is: Broadway Texas has closed its doors forever. An extreme shame, considering the high quality of the shows they produced. If they had fault, it was in not trimming back, in trying to deliver the best possible show for their audiences. At least, I thought to myself, here would be a final nod from Austin, an acknowledgement of all the hard work that Scott and Richard have done. They were up for two awards themselves, The Wizard of Oz had a chance at six total awards. How many did they win? Tied for one. How could this be? Perhaps the critics, like too many other Austinites, didn't even see The Wizard of Oz. Maybe it is true – two of the best directors in Austin have left us, and no one took notice. If that is true, how can we ever expect talent to come back and fill the void? Or perhaps we'll just be content with whatever is left. I, for one, will not. Thanks, Austin. Thanks a lot.

   [Robert Faires replies: All members of the Critics Table who voted on the categories in which The Wizard of Oz was nominated did indeed see the production as well as those of the other nominated musicals. The decisions on the award winners were reached by consensus of the voting members, based on discussions involving numerous factors, and in no way reflect a lack of respect for the talents involved in Broadway Texas. In fact, many of the sentiments you express about the quality of Broadway Texas/Austin Musical Theatre and its loss to the community are shared by the critics and were stated in this paper on repeated occasions, including a feature story published the week that The Wizard of Oz opened ("Down the Yellow Brick Interstate," Oct. 24, 2003, Theatre). The 33 awards and dozens of nominations bestowed on this company during its seven-year existence further testify to the high regard in which the Critics Table held this company and its founders.]

Dear Editor,
   What happened to your reporting on the South Lamar Walgreens? Mr. Drenner's offer to rescue Taco X-Press from its enviable lease is not more important than the underlying zoning issues. The tug-of-war here is between innovative, urban, high-density, mixed-use, transit-oriented development and obsolete, suburban, low-density, stand-alone, car-only development. The city council is being asked to take an opportunity for a model infill project, adjacent to existing transit service, and turn it into a suburban parking lot with a drive-thru window. The neighborhood associations have countered with a plea for enlightened urban planning.
   In your June 25 "Austin Stories" [News], the Walgreens item is followed by an item on Schlotzsky's. If you saw Council Member McCracken's slide show on commercial design standards, you'll remember that the Schlotzsky's location at Toomey and South Lamar was lauded as the sort of project we should encourage to replace our old suburban boxes surrounded by pavement. I used to shop at that old supermarket on Toomey, and when I look at the Walgreens proposal for Bluebonnet and South Lamar, I can't see any difference between the drugstore's basic dimensions and that old suburban box. Worse still, the latest rezoning request is for footprint zoning, which means that when the prescription-drug bubble bursts and Walgreens abruptly disappears, another business will have a much harder time building outside that obsolete box the way Schlotzsky's did on Toomey.
   The real story is that neighborhood planning for South Lamar begins in about six months. If council denies the current zoning request, Taco X-Press, the land owner, the neighborhood, and the city's tax base will all have plenty of time to negotiate a much better future than Mr. Drenner is offering.

Dear Mr. Black,
   I attended the premiere of Before Sunset at the Paramount Saturday evening prepared to absorb every word and nuance of the film. When the film began, I moved over to the empty seat to my right so the balcony overhang wouldn't obstruct my view. I'm adaptable, or so I thought.
   The man sitting to my right chatted with the woman to his right and five other friends farther down the row, pointing to the screen and fascinating them with his "knowledge" of something or another, throughout the film. He fortunately left for about 15 minutes but returned with more cocktails. He was there to impress or be seen, not to enjoy the film.
   As a member of the Austin Film Society and frequent moviegoer, what is your advice on silencing such people? The shhhs from people around him didn't help. I really don't think a rational, calm request would've worked in this instance. And consider that this was a large, tipsy guy who shamelessly asked the most personal, offensive question of the evening to Julie Delpy during the Q&A.
   I've been in this situation before but never to such an extreme. How do we silence the obnoxious so we can enjoy the movie?

Dear Editor,
   Did you catch the Austin Community Television annual awards on Saturday, June 26, on cable Channel 16 from noon till 2pm?
   It is a joke.
   Producers who have weekly series enter the same categories as those who do not have weekly series or any series for that matter.
   For example, a producer can enter a show in the community affairs division who doesn't produce much of anything except one good show for the contest that year.
   Then, there are other producers who risk their lives getting behind-the-scene news for their weekly series who are not recognized ... nada ... nothing ... zip.
   Patriot producers like Alex Jones and Mike Hansen whose lives are threatened for exposing corruption get nothing but death threats.
   We risk our lives to report the edge news to you, while some bozo who has a technically correct five-minute entry from a one-time show wins the ACTV award.
   It is a joke.
   But it is not funny.
   The judges don't know what we produce weekly. The ACTV awards process needs serious revision.

Dear Editor,
   "Fuck you," "Fuck you," "Fuck you," "Fuck you," "Fuck you," "Fuck you"! Oh, and for good measure, "Fuck you"! In the storied history of our great Senate, that was the "colorful exchange of ideas" that took place between Cheney and Democratic Sen. Leahy on the Senate floor this week. Cheney was upset since here was another fucking Democrat who had criticized the vice-president's connections or rather past connections to his old employer Halliburton. I guess you tend to get a little defensive after having to defend your actions or inactions. It's no walk in the park to be scrutinized every day of your life. Hey, sometimes a good "Fuck you" to someone who pisses you off can feel great. But on the Senate floor? Bush promised to change the partisan climate in Washington, but alas for every promise that was made there was a "Fuck you" to go along with it. Hey, there can be no better role model now to all the impressionable kids in this country than our vice-president. After all, if the second most powerful man, ahem, I mean the first most powerful man in the free world can say it, why can't we all? So on that note, Fuck you, Cheney!

Mr. Cunningham,
   I understand the idea of attacking me personally instead of actually debating the issue of why so many Muslims hate America and George W. Bush ["Postmarks," June 25]. Nevertheless I am very grateful for your son's service to our country. You also asked if I had any insight into the Arab culture, other than the obvious advantage of living in Johnson City. My father was an officer (colonel) in the U.S. Army. For two years he was the liaison officer between the king of Saudi Arabia and all U.S. forces in that country. My father could speak, read, and write Arabic and was very familiar with the politics in Saudi Arabia and with the people in control. I am not an expert, but I have some experience. By the way, if you think I like the message I'm sending, you're wrong. It fills me with dread, because I realize that it's not about oil or the president. If it were about those things, we could change those things. It's about the American lifestyle and moral values vs. the Islamic religious beliefs and moral values, which govern their lives. They will never accept our views as being anything but blasphemous and a slap in the face of all they hold sacred. They will never accept the Jews on much the same basis. I think the fact that men, women, and children are willing to kill themselves in order to kill a few non-Muslims is a pretty good barometer of their sentiments. I, too, Mr. Cunningham, live the American lifestyle. I value it. I too, would probably not survive in an Islamic state if I ever opened my mouth. I'm not saying this president didn't lie or doesn't have an agenda. You can say that about every president. I'm saying it goes much deeper than that, and you better wake up to that fact. Also, dear editor, I never said Bush "favored abortion" ["Postmarks," June 25]. He doesn't. I said he is willing to fight to protect your right to have one.

   [Ed.'s response: Sweeping generalizations are often as much part of the problem as any steps toward a solution. You argue that Bush is willing to fight for a woman's right to choose when it comes to abortion. Bush has consistently done the opposite whenever given the chance. He is leader of a nation where abortion is legal. He defends that nation. But specifically when it comes to a women's right to choice he has done all he can to destroy that right, not defend it. Since I addressed that, let me go on: Your overall straw man is that most of us believe this is about Bush and not about the West. Certainly this is about fundamentalist traditionalists opposed to the modern world. Most opponents of the war understand that; very few think it is only about Bush as you clearly argue. Certainly, however, Bush has gone to unimaginable lengths to make the situation worse.]

To the editor,
   I don't know whether to be disgusted or amused at the incredible "title" you stuck onto my letter: "I Get to Decide the Rules of National Sovereignty and I know the Personal History of Most Iraqi Casualties" ["Postmarks Online," June 24].
   Hey, The Austin Chronicle belongs to its owners and they can print what they want, but I will ask you to either replace that ... diatribe ... with a simple, generic title as on any other letter, or remove the letter altogether.
   If you don't like what I have to say, you can either refrain from printing it or write your own rebuttal – but you do not have the right to stick your words into my mouth.
   The monarchical arrogance of you left-wing journalists always ceases to amaze me. Guess I must've struck a nerve.
   If my assertion of the patently obvious, that most Iraqis killed in the conflict there means that "I Know the Personal History of Most Iraqi Casualties," then by the same token so does Mr. Hallmark's assertion that all of them were noble, starry-eyed innocents ["Postmarks," June 25].
   As for "I Get to Decide the Rules of National Sovereignty":
   If a documented history of atrocities ranging from the wholesale use of nerve gas against entire ethnic groups (forgot all about that one) to hacking off body parts to feeding people into meat grinders are not grounds for establishing the status of "tyrant" and a forfeiture of the right of sovereignty (interesting concept, aka contradiction: an imputation of sovereignty "rights" to someone for whom a systematic denial of rights is the core of his regime), then by the same logic Hitler was unjustly persecuted, along with Pol Pot, Ceausescu, Milosevic, etc.

   [Ed.'s response: Your "assertion" that "Most Iraqi casualties have in fact been enemy combatants ..." was stated as a "fact." Where does your number come from? Does it include Iraqi victims of sucide and car bombings?]

Dear Editor:
   My eye cue, one three two. Pleased to communicate that I did not catch a single episode of The Apprentice. Rad Tollett's point ["Postmarks," June 25] is that Michael Moore's ilk brought us reality TV's Temptation Islands, and/or that while documentaries used to be fare for the discerning elite, now, if Fahrenheit 9/11 is any indication, they're fodder for the feckless, clueless masses. His lead sentence, concerning the unprecedented $10 million promotion of same, intimates a vast left-wing conspiracy.
   Bless W.'s oil-grabbin' li'l heart. Here he is, a fine upstanding Christian and indomitable patriot, leading America against the envious thugs and disgruntled insurgents, unwillingly torturing their corroborators, and Moore has the unmitigated audacity to point out the Bush family has been in bed with "the billionaire bin Ladens" for decades? The bin Ladens, whose No. 1 most wanted son has miraculously evaded detection for three years? The same Osama that a "rogue" CIA agent broadcasted is putting in place an inevitable catastrophic terrorist incident on U.S. soil?
   For shame. Does Mr. Moore actually misconstrue that practice of the First Amendment is permissible during wartime, under the PATRIOT Act?
   "Take a look at the world/think about how it [may] end/there'd be no wars in the world/if everybody joined [a music] band.
   "Think about the light in your eyes/think about what you should know/there'd be no wars in the world/if [everyone performed] in the show." – Yusef Islam

Dear Editor,
   Please note that the author of the memorandum claiming that the U.S. is not subject to the anti-torture provisions of the Geneva Convention, even though we ratified that treaty, is Jay Bybee. Then Assistant U.S. Attorney General Bybee has since been appointed by President Bush to the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals.

Louis,
   I was at the new Work Source Job Center yesterday looking for work. I parked my car some distance away taking advantage of passive exercise. When I returned, the three bumper stickers on my car had been defaced. My "Keep Abortion Legal" was scratched over, my "Any One but Bush in 2004" had been scratched out and rewritten to read "Everybody for Bush in 2004," and my "Republican't" had the "t" marked through after attempting to cut then tear the letter off.
   Now I am all for free expression and a difference of opinion, but to take the time obviously needed to damage and alter the message of these bumper stickers took real effort. The work force parking lot is used by out of work Austinites. My take is that some Republican is pissed off about the poor economy and directed his anger in the Democratic direction.
   The only thing I regret, I did not have my Human Rights Campaign sticker or a sticker indicating that I am Jewish on the car, or perhaps a rainbow flag showing gay pride. Had it been defaced, I would have filed a hate crime report with APD.

Dear Editor,
   A funny thing has happened indeed and I would like to share it with The Austin Chronicle readers. I'm an unemployed high tech executive with nothing but time these days to get as much data as possible, from liberal to conservative media sources, on this incredible war in Iraq. Having recently picked up reading the Chronicle (bear with me since I consider myself a Republican, God-fearing man and the Chronicle was known for it's liberal, left-wing bent so I pretty much bypassed it), I noticed an article by Jim Hightower on Halliburton employees getting paid six figures for driving trucks in Iraq and soldiers, in combat no less, making nowhere near that amount ["The Hightower Report," June 11]. It seemed incredulous at the time, but one day, as I was preparing for my daily training ride (alas, I've become a full-time cyclist/racer), a colleague from the high tech world dropped by to show me his new $50,0000 Mercedes bought with his $100,000 salary working as a buyer for KBR in Iraq. Now here's a guy who was unemployed for several years, cars repo-ed, and other nasty things that happen when you lose your job for several years, living la vida loca. Sure it's dangerous over there, but as Hightower pointed out, isn't KBR/Halliburton taking advantage of their connections and overcharging our government (i.e. taxpayers). I'm a glutton for information and the more I look into it, the more I get disgusted with the current state of politics and this unnecessary war in Iraq. Adding fuel to the fire, Robert Bryce's new book, Cronies, saddens me in that this whole Iraqi mess was nothing more than a ruse to fatten the wallets of Texas energy interests. Having grown up in the late Sixties and Seventies, my question-authority views have resurfaced and I for one will be educating other right-wingers on the wrongs of this administration.

Dear Editor,
   Phil Hallmark sees my comments on the Chronicle's Riddick review as an ad hominem attack on "us" ["Postmarks," June 25] – i.e., residual left-wing ideologues. I never used the word "stupid" once, but now that he mentions it ...
   In the early decades of the 20th century, an enthusiastic advocacy of collectivist philosophy could have been excused as merely erroneous. But this is the year 2004. One hundred years, dozens of wrecked economies, and an estimated 100 million corpses later, and there remain people who believe that collectivism is "a pretty neato idea"? You can call such people many things, but I agree, "smart" is not one of them.
   As for the "Iraqis that we have killed and maimed since 2003": A tyrant (or regime) who grossly violates all essential human rights thereby forfeits any claim to national sovereignty, in effect becoming commandant of a country-sized concentration camp begging liberation by any nation with the inclination and ability to do so. Such a tyrant by that same fact bears all culpability for any bystanders killed in the process of removing him. The question "how many [of them] were rampaging religious nihilists bent on our destruction?" though irrelevant in that ethical context, ought to be embarrassing. Most Iraqi casualties have in fact been enemy combatants.
   For obvious reasons, Mr. Hallmark sidesteps any attempt at refuting my criticism of Savlov's Riddick review. Hallmark also is curiously silent about Hussein's quaint practices, which by default he endorses, of lowering human beings into plastic shredders, hacking off random body parts, pushing bound and gagged people off 50-foot rooftops, systematic rape and torture, etc.
   If the facts make the "stupid" shoe a comfortable fit, is pointing it out still ad hominem?