I grew up playing ball - played through college. I remember hot midwestern afternoons playing until dinner. I remember all of my buddies and our brothers playing together. That recipe made for some really talented ballplayers.

Well now I'm out of college and done with ball - for the most part. And it makes me so damn angry that one of those boys I played ball with as a boy is now one of those 4000 in a box in the ground. My friends little brother passed away recently from an IED explosion 6 weeks into his tour.

I was at a wedding a couple months ago that George H.W. Bush attended. It was a Catholic ceremony. There was a point when we had to pray that our President would make the right decision. I wonder what was going through HW's mind.

let us edit our letters.

decisions (pl) in my last post - not decision.

The only starred letter is from gezelligtexas. gezelligtexas can't see any benefits of a marrige.... Salon loves that.

I have one. It's good for the children. I argue that it is healthier for a child if her parents are married.

Salon is backwards.

Question.

How would you suggest Americans go about stopping FGM? Should we send American forces to stop it? Offer financial incentives to tribes if they can prove their women haven't undergone these ghastly procedures? (US tax dollars, obviously). Should we drop leaflets?

If every year 2 million girls worldwide are unable to avoid genital mutilation we should take action more effective than screen printing.

Because I respect your opinions, I would like to know your solution. I would at least like to know something more than 'this image is creepy.'

Does imposing our cultural sensibilities abroad jibe with feminism? Liberalism?

The floor is yours.

Thanks, Europe! We owe you one.

Huh, I thought we were even now. Y'know. That whole WWII thing. Marshall Plan and whatnot. Maybe you forgot.

I embrace feminism for selfless reasons. I want what is best for humans - and women make up most of that category. It's a no-brainer for me. If it happens to benefit men - I'll call it collateral gains.

As for wrasltin' grizzlies and doing groutwork.... I prefer playing baseball, fixing things and throwing steel (I've heard women call it lifting weights)... but to each their own.

Keep bringing the good stuff tcf. You seem like Ghandi (or his female equivalent) compared to those jezebel 'women' Hepola wrote about.

At least their old job was benefitial to their community. Their new job - one could argue the opposite.

Some necessary jobs aren't overly dignified. That's how the world works. Disagreeing will highlight your ignorance.

In other words - now there's marginally more poo floating around India and a few women walking 200 steps in Bryant Park. I'm not sure if this is a victory for humankind.

Great night for him.

I was lucky, got a ticket, bx605 rowD seat7. Quite a view for a derby.

That stadium was all about Josh Hamilton. I don't know how it played on TV but Papi was booed to the heavens. It was easily the loudest the stadium got all night.

After the first round - if you weren't Josh Hamilton, we didn't really care what you did.

Josh is a special player and it was a special night. King, let's let his performance mean different things to different people.

These rules are there for a reason. How would you like to have guys stealing on your team when you're down by 10? There is a grace in winning. Jim Tressel doesn't beat other teams into oblivion when he surely could. He respects his opponents too much.

Ever see those golf matches where guys conceed putts which aren't exactly gimmies? It's professional. It's dignified.

As a fan - I don't want to watch unsportsmanlike conduct in the name of playing hard.

Kudos on your stats King. This situation seems like overkill, but I stand by the institution of unwritten rules in baseball.

By the way - there is an unwritten rule you might not know about. I believe it says if you're a manager and you call off the dogs during a game - and proceed to lose that game - you get fired.

It's like sprinters slowing down and coasting toward a victory. You better damn well win it.

When I want to complain about a meal - I think about how tough it had to be to eat, saaay, 1200 years ago.

When I want to complain about no AC - I think that that's how it was for the previous 100,000 years of human existence. (don't nitpick on that number, just realize that AC hasn't been around very long - but people have).

When I want to complain about my apartment - I think about living in a cave.

When I want to complain about the other people having fun - I think I should probably call a psychiatrist.

When I want to complain about the summer camps of my childhood - I remember I was never lucky enough to go to one.

I live in Manhattan and I'm a big boy. I sweat and I feel alive. When I smell the garbage on the streets when it's 95 degrees, I think about the third world, and I'm thankful to be an American.

When I feel like I'm trapped in my dingy, poorly ventilated apartment, unable to move, I move.

When I want to move to a different city and live the life I was promised by the sitcoms of my childhood, I realize no one promised me anything. Other than death and taxes.

Our society has no backbone. It's sad. Have a nice summer.

Go volunteer somewhere near the equator.

Advertising. Kicking butt. Overspending. Overeating. Watching too much television. Overworking. Underproducing. Racing to the bottom as fast as we can.

Just give me some Liu Xiang. That'll be fun to watch. And Bob Costas. Because I like that midget.