A few things to write about

Front page of the Spokesman-Review; how the U.S. Armed Forces are destroying "insurgents" by sniper fire. Seems they "bait" Iraqis by putting various bomb making components on the ground and then killing the people who pick them up. Well now, isn't that a truly sound way to win hearts and minds in Iraq. Invite them to pick up bomb making components and kill them for doing so. A few problems with that picture.

• What are we to make of the U.S. Military's claim that Iran ships in weapons for Iraqis to kill each other and American soldiers and Marines if our military openly gloats of planting weapons themselves?
• What if the person killed in sniper fire doesn't know a claymore from an IED. But the watching insurgent knows not to pick up the bait once he sees what happens to his fellow Iraqi.
• Iraqis can't be that dumb to pick up bomb making components lying out in the open if they are insurgents to begin with and hide the weapons they have on hand?
• Instead of "the bad guys" being killed like that, wouldn't it be more realistic to say that the U.S. Military has found a new justification for killing possibly innocent civilians?

Glenn McCoy part two. McCoy gave Senator Kerry some truly nasty treatment following a rambunctious student in Florida giving the Senator a series of rude questions. Seems McCoy would portray the Senator as a wife abuser along with his standing silently by as the student was tasered. CNN, days later, finally admitted there was more to this story, by way of IReport. The journalism student happened to be liberal, calling on the impeachment of GW, etc. before his "disruptiveness" brought in the local cops. CNN was highly dismissive. Now here's the question, where is the republished (to the Spokesman-Review) Ramirez cartoon questioning why a journalism student could get roughed up like that and why the folks at CNN thought it was amusing? Cut to Gene Policinski who is Vice President and executive director for the First Amendment Center who writes (and it is republished in the Spokesman-Review) about the general ignorance of the U.S. populace about first amendment rights. Apparently, that ignorance exists in our news organizations as well.

Finally, a Huckleberries on-line comment about a local guy who taking a relative to the hospital, is offered a ride back to his home by one of the paramedics. Gets an over 500 dollar bill for accepting the ride. Nor does the insurance company accept the claim for something non medical. Looks like a job for what amounts to what's left of investigative reporting on CNN--Lou Dobbs Tonight to get into. What ratchets up hospital costs so much? I highly doubt that frivolous law suits are to blame.