Like a market in Indiana!

The Daily Show actually sent one of their correspondents (Rob Riggle) to Iraq! Riggle is a major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, and served in Liberia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Last night he did an awesome bit taking off from douchebag Indiana congressman Mike Pence (R) who said Iraq is "like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime." So Hoosier soldiers were on the Daily Show in abundance, explaining just how like a normal outdoor market in Indiana Iraq is NOT. And, there was a quick clip of Indiana icon, Bobby Night (threatening one of his players, natch). Ah, Bobby, you know we love ya! Check out the Daily Show this week! Here's the clip if you missed it:



Hoosier deaths in Iraq

Total Army Recruits by state (as of 2004)

The War as We Saw It, a brave op ed piece in the NYT by 7 soldiers on the ground (one of whom was shot in the head before the piece went to press). They wrote:

Given the situation, it is important not to assess security from an American-centered perspective. The ability of, say, American observers to safely walk down the streets of formerly violent towns is not a resounding indicator of security. What matters is the experience of the local citizenry and the future of our counterinsurgency. When we take this view, we see that a vast majority of Iraqis feel increasingly insecure and view us as an occupation force that has failed to produce normalcy after four years and is increasingly unlikely to do so as we continue to arm each warring side.