There is currently national mourning for the death of Bob Hope, a career comedian, that far outweighs the reaction to the passing of his contemproraries, like George Burns, Katherine Hepburn, and Milton Berle. Bob Hope performed a noble service in entertaining American servicemen from World War II to Gulf War I. He should accordingly be honored. However, Dan Smoot's service to his country was one of total dedication, from the time he enlisted in the FBI through several decades of full time conservative activism. It was not an avocation, as was Hope's entertaining the troops.
The memory of Dan Smoot deserves the greater honor, not that of Bob Hope (however much I liked the entertainer and appreciated his services to our soldiers). Yet even the paleo-conservative E-zines and the Birch Society related Web sites make no mention of Smoot's passing. It is a shame.