Iraqi Hostages

How sad to see young Japanese aid workers, trying to help rebuild a modern civilization for the people of Iraq, blindfolded and held at knifepoint by radical Muslim thugs in Iraq. The specter of the Japanese, who, after the horror of two nuclear bombs, became an essentially passivist nation, being held hostage and threatened with being "burned alive" is chillling indeed. To their credit, the Japanese are refusing to give in to this thuggery.

The middle east is truly a hornet's nest, filled with very bad people shrouding their barbarianism in religion. This will be a long battle.