Yes, I have! Are you suggesting that they ought not to report it?

Of course not. But it would be nice to hear some of the positive things happening as well, but I guess that's just the nature of news people in general, all politics aside.

If we lived in an eye-for-an-eye type of world, in which you receive what you dish, Mr. Rumsfeld's house and all his belongings would become untidy in precisely the same way, so he could better appreciate the difference between poor housekeeping and violence. The man needs a silencer on that .38 caliber mouth.

Rumsfeld is right, even if his understatement may be irritating. This behavior is typical of these situations, and will subside.

Nobody is getting killed in the looting. One reason for this is that Marines aren't shooting looters, a technique that has proved highly effective in many venues, and one which would no doubt provide the eager media with many more pictures of the all the awful things we are doing to the Iraqis. Marines also aren't shooting looters because they are a bit busy shooting people who are shooting at them.

When they do crack down, look for long, weepy articles on poor Iraqi civilians who were hurt or killed for the crime of simply carrying a TV set down the road.