[WOSG]

Thanks for a great read; yes, we need folks like you running the country! :-) You ought to get this published more widely too.

A few Questions/comments:
A big deal is made of the casualties "since May 1, when major military operations were declared over" ... Can you speak of the overall casualty rate in 1945-1946 due to sabotage etc. and how it compares?

Second, you indicate that maybe we should be treating the fedayeen-type attackers as POWs, or are they just to be lined up and shot? The thing that is unclear to me is whether CENTCOM is (stupidly) releasing people "detained"; I guess not, since brave soliders were just killed guarding a prison. So, how they they treating these militants?

IMHO, what Iraq really needs is to see some of these terrorists caught, tried publicly, then jailed or executed. Treat them as the criminals that they are.

[Congressman Billybob]

Thank you for your comments. As for "running the country," please click over to my campaign website, sign up, and do what you can.

Regarding casualties during the occupation of Germany, I tracked down, bought and read Dr. Ziemke's book because I was certain it would provide that information. In his welter of statistics, however, he NEVER discussed casualties. I have, however, read the detailed history of VII Corps (General Patton's group that was disbanded in October, 1945). That did discuss casualties, incident by incident.

From the admittedly partial VII Corps information, I know that American casualties in the occupation of Germany were similar to, but less than, what we are currently experiencing in Iraq. So that's what I said in the article.

There is an interim position between jailing the attackers and shooting them on the spot. The interim is giving them a "military" trial under the law of war, and executing them if found guilty of being "illegal combatants." That has been done in the United States (Quirin case) and in Germany. I suggest that it should be done in Iraq as well.

John / Billybob