Operation Something Something.

For the statistically inclined, this report has lots of data about casualties in Iraq vs. other conflicts vs. no conflicts. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison; you'll have to do some futzing with the numbers to get real data (Is 58,000 dead in the Vietnam era over nine years, with eight million in the military, comparable to 7,000 dead in the duration of the Iraq war, with 1.4 million in the military? Hard to say), but it's interesting to have a starting point for discussion, especially as little cwabs get to the age where the risk of one of those numbers including one of them increases dramatically. Not to mention a couple of folks who read this.

I'd better gorge myself while I can, right?

I had lunch in Mississippi today--catfish, green beans, purple hull peas, and corn. Because of my diet, it was the largest meal I'd had in a while. It was delicious, and I'm gonna pretend it was healthy. It may not be long before I'll have to get my catfish on this side of the state line.

Apparently some old-school lawmaker in Mississippi has decided that it would be a bad idea to feed fatties in restaurants, and written a law to prohibit the practice, although I wonder if he just to a 1963 law, crossed out the word "black" and substituted "obese." Of course, it's not as if Mississippi has a history of discrimination or anything.

If passed, this law would basically shut down the riverboat casino buffets, and naturally a system of back-alley fried chicken, barbecue, and catfish joints will spring up, where the obese can get their deliciousness fix.

Smoking in restaurants is still acceptable in Mississippi, incidentally, but not in Tennessee. So you'll have to pick either the vice of gluttony or nicotine addiction; to have both means you can't eat anywhere.