A Correction. But Does It Matter?

I got an e-mail from one of my right-wing "fans" regarding my piece 1,900 Dead – And The Truth We Dare Not Speak.

Dear Yellow Doggy;

Once again you have it wrong. The soldier killed over the weekend was number 1,899 not 1,900. So much for your little story of the "milestone" we have hit.

Ha!

LibsSuckEggs

To which I respond:

Dear [whatever you like to call yourself];

In what branch of the military did you serve? I just automatically ask that of people like you because, if you're a Republican, the answer 99 percent of the time will be "none."

But that's not the point, is it? And neither is whether or not I was right about exactly which death brought Bush's sad toll to 1,900. The Defense Department reports now do appear to slightly contradict themselves – understandable and not at all uncommon with breaking news in a time of war – and it is indeed unclear whether the soldier who died over the weekend pushed us to that horrible milestone.

Sadly, we know your president will take us way beyond that. Indeed, it was reported just hours ago that we have lost more people in Iraq in the last two days and the death toll is now at 1,904.

And, by the way, the soldier killed over the weekend wasn't "number 1,899" as you put it. He was a living, breathing human being. A son, a friend and maybe a husband and/or father.

What says far more about you than about me is that you find this so amusing. I do not.

Bob Geiger
Yellow Dog Democrat
U.S. Navy 1976-1979