Deadliest Month

(AP) Dec 31, 4:15 AM EST
...The military reported the deaths of six more American troops, making December the deadliest month this year for U.S. forces in Iraq. At least 2,998 members of the U.S. military have been killed since the Iraq war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. ...

But as James Wolcott wrote yesterday: "... It's as if we're trying to soothe ourselves into believing that we're still the country we used to be, that's there's a higher seamlessness to American life undisturbed by the staccato rhythms of bad news. What happens in Iraq stays in Iraq. A flag-draped coffin is acceptable viewing only if a dead president is inside."


C-span is covering every moment of Fords funeral extravaganza, but news photographers aren't allowed anywhere near the coffins of Troops kill in Iraq or Afghanistan. Aren't those Troops, who made the ultimate sacrifice, just as entitled to be publicly honored?

Ford lived to the ripe old age of 93, thanks to the best healthcare taxpayers money could buy. What kind of care will the Troops, who come home alive, get?