But things will be vastly different: no more happy facade of pacification and reconstruction; no more corrupt protectionism of commercial contractors; no more costly police or military training of volatile, faithless local recruits; no more intrusive neighborhood patrols with our soldiers blown to smithereens by cheap booby traps. It will be real war, heavily applied by air force, with maximum damage inflicted at minimal cost to our troops.

This paragraph shows Paglia has no concept of what's going on in Iraq, and has no credibility. The "costly" police training is what might save Iraq; many of the "faithless" local recruits are the Iraqi patriots willing to stand up for their country. Who would the "maximum damage" in Paglia's "real war" be inflicted on? The populace? The police? Who? Didn't we already have the "real war?"

It's hard to respect Paglia as anything but a moderate Republican who calls herself a "Democrat" so she can be paid by Salon for a column that wouldn't be published if she was honest about her real identity. But, her complete misunderstanding of reality in Iraq is something that can't be ignored.

I am a freelance writer and just returned from a monthlong embed with the 82nd Airborne...that's a drop in the bucket compared to what our soldiers spend there, but in that short time I can promise you I am well aware that Paglia has no idea what she's talking about, and in the words of an 82nd NCO, she and other living room patriots should "keep their crazy ideas to themselves."

In the few moments of research I did, I can find no record of an "Able Company" in the 509th Parachute Infantry...The Army typically uses Alpha Company, and I think he went with the World War II version, probably because he never though to check...

He is an embedded reporter, though, and has his ass on the line, so he does get some leeway, but if you want to go after him, the facts he got wrong would be a good place to start. I could be wrong, too, but I don't think I am. On account of I was in the Army once, and am writing this from Baghdad.

As a circumcised male of Protestant background, I can say with 100 percent certainty that I am completely grateful my parents decided to play Jew for a day and trim away. I'm sure I cried and wailed at the time, and maybe they felt bad, but believe me, I got over it. The end result is cleaner, neater and actually looks normal. You want trauma? I remember being eight or so and seeing the elephant trunk that was my father's manhood and wondering what in sweet Jesus' name THAT thing was supposed to be.

As far as Neal's situation goes, he should have been a husband before a son, and taken his wife's side against his parents...but he also should have been a father before a husband, and - as a man - said in no uncertain terms that circumcision was an absolute requirement for his son - if he believed that, and the opposite is equally true. The bottom line is this a manhood issue, and the mother needs to keep out of it, and let the father decide. I don't get involved with tampons, ear piercings or abortion, because it's not a man's business...and women shouldn't meddle with jockstraps, their silly son's badly hidden porn and circumcision. Some choices, decisions and conversations are a man's and a father's burden alone.

Not to be too critical of an otherwise very accurate and perceptive review, but Randy didn't mention the murder "in passing," but had been telling the vice-principal about more low rent offenses all along. It was when he faced serious trouble for being involved in the rape accusation that he actively volunteered the information about the murder. From the first time he 'snitched' on someone, the audience knew it wasn't going to end well.

Second, the vice-principal didn't "lecture" Prez about helping Duquie, as much as she laid out the reality of the situation to him. Once Duquie left, another kid just like him was going to be coming up behind him, and Prez was going to have to devote those same efforts to him/her. If anything, the vice-principal was entirely sympathetic with what Prez was going through.

The points are only important because to misinterpret them is to miss what I think Simon was going for. Otherwise, very insightful review.