... do I bump into a post by Technicalities putting USA Today's rambling and meandering "Despite rule, U.S. women on front line in Iraq war" opinion column by Rick Jervis into perspective with some sharp and much needed criticism.

My own, quick take? "Front line", "not frontline", "shifting frontlines". Make up your damned mind, Mr. Jervis.

Oh and by the way, Rick, I'm curious about this:

The sound of the blast boomed through the city, says Ahmed al-Badrani, 30, an engineer there. U.S. forces answered that night by raining mortars on targets in the city and conducting door-to-door raids, he says. The next morning, al-Badrani saw huge black traces from the blast and mangled remains of the U.S. truck.

Has this "Ahmed al-Badrani, 30, and engineer there" ever worked for Reuters? You know, the Ahmed al-Badrani from this summary of journalists *targeted* by the US military (pdf). Relevant portion of the pdf:

Ahmed al-Badrani, Reuters,
Shot at and detained by US forces along with two other Reuters journalists. Held for three days and “brutalized and intimidated” while detained: subjected to sleep deprivation, held with a bag over his head, ordered to strip, threatened with rape and forced to put a shoe in his mouth. (Jan 2, 2004, source: Guardian)

If so, we appreciate the transparency of your opinion column. [Oh heck, maybe Ahmed didn't have his "citizen of the world" suit on at the time.]