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September 7, 2005 Wednesday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 017

LENGTH: 381 words

HEADLINE: OUR MAN IN VENICE; 
 `Sopranos' Tony goes for a little Romance

BYLINE: By STEPHEN SCHAEFER

BODY:
VENICE - TV mob boss James Gandolfini took a break from filming his hit HBO series, ``The Sopranos,'' yesterday to flog his raunchy musical, ``Romance & Cigarettes,'' here at the 52nd Annual Venice Film Festival.
Also making the red carpet scene at yesterday's world premiere of John Turturro's latest flick - about a long-married couple thrown into crisis by the hubby's affair with a British tart - was the director himself along with co-stars Susan Sarandon and Aida Turturro. The tart, Kate Winslet, was MIA from the premiere. 
For Gandolfini, playing a construction worker who bursts into song wasn't planned as a way to escape Tony Soprano's sizable shadow on his career.
``When I read the script it was so original and so different and it made me laugh so much, I didn't think of changing or going away from Tony Soprano,'' he said. ``I don't look at things like that. I thought it was wonderful so I wanted to do it.''
But don't be looking for Gandolfini to be hoofing in ``The Producers'' on Broadway anytime soon!
``You can ask Tricia Brouk, the choreographer, about my future in dance,'' he laughed. ``It's absolutely zero. I found a new respect for dancers in every way. I had no idea how difficult it was and how strong you have to be.''
In ``Romance,'' Susan Sarandon gives her cheating spouse the old heave-ho. What about in real life?
``I'm glad Tim isn't here to hear this answer,'' she said of long-time love Tim Robbins. ``My feelings about that have changed as I've gotten older and made more mistakes myself.
``Where I used to pack my bags and leave at 4 a.m. has changed,'' she said. ``I don't know if people are meant to stay together for years and years without making a mistake. I think it's very difficult to be married and difficult to be monogamous but everyone has to figure it out. It has to do with what you find personally compromising.''
Asked if protesting against the Iraq war had hurt her career in Hollywood, Sarandon drew laughs saying, ``The only thing you can do in Hollywood to end your career is get old and fat. That's the extent of Hollywood's politics.''
The film festival's finale is Saturday. Presently, George Clooney's ``Good Night, And Good Luck,'' his Edward R. Murrow-Joe McCarthy flick, is the odds-on fave to win the Gold Lion as Best Picture.

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LENGTH: 527 words

HEADLINE: Op-Ed; 
 Assessing the aftermath

BYLINE: By RALPH PETERS

BODY:
Mother Nature showed once again that she's the ultimate terrorist. And Hurricane Katrina has been trailed by a blizzard of excuses, accusations and lies.
Despite expert warnings, nobody in either party was prepared for devastation of this magnitude. There was no way to fix things instantly when disaster struck. 
That said, there were infuriating weaknesses in our response. The worst were local. But there were delays and errors at the federal level.
Dishonest or naive voices insist - wrongly - that everything would have been fine if the National Guard hadn't been in Iraq. Just not true. Yet, there were some similarities between our arrival in Baghdad and Katrina's arrival in New Orleans.
Our troops were sent into Iraq without an occupation plan and now we find that, four years after 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security, which swallowed the Federal Emergency Management Agency, appears to have done no serious planning for a national disaster.
Which brings me to another problem the Bushies routinely have: The unwillingness to promptly take on criminals. We failed to do it in Baghdad and the results plague us. By letting a minority of the people to terrorize the storm's victims, we betrayed our fellow Americans.
The War on Terror, too, begins at home.
While the federal response was not quite as tardy as the media would have you believe, we could have done much better. Here's what the military can do in a disaster:
** Establish an immediate presence that fosters order.
** Provide command, control and communications for relief officials.
** Raise civilian morale simply by showing up.
** Coordinate initial logistics efforts.
** Search and rescue. Our military, including the splendid Coast Guard, did move fast on this front.
What's striking is that the administration and Homeland Security didn't seem to grasp all the resources available to them or even what their responsibilities were. The clumsy initial response to Katrina must have Islamist terrorists stroking their beards, smiling and thinking ahead.
As for the nonsense that the National Guard should never have been sent to Iraq, the Guard's primary mission is to help fight our nation's wars.
The real problem is that we had plenty of resources, but failed to use them promptly. The Department of Homeland Security is in way over its head and needs help.
The Pentagon needs to be tasked to be prepared. Existing plans are inadequate.
And this doesn't mean a ``military takeover.'' It just means putting grownups in charge of saving Americans.
Yet, relief efforts have grown more impressive by the day. We're Americans. We roll up our sleeves and fix things.
As for our ``friends'' in Europe, they've been gloating over our tragedy.
Well we may find that a few thousand Americans died in a natural catastrophe. But in 2003, during a heat wave, 25,000 elderly Europeans died unnecessarily in France, Italy and Germany while their leaders went on vacation - and stayed on vacation. Katrina wasn't preventable, but those elderly deaths were.
I'll take America. On our worst day.
Ralph Peters' latest book is ``New Glory, Expanding America's Global Supremacy.'' This column first ran in the New York Post.

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September 6, 2005 Tuesday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 010

LENGTH: 301 words

HEADLINE: Fallujah political scene keeps Marine engaged

BYLINE: By THOMAS CAYWOOD

BODY:
When Iraqis go to the polls next month to vote on a draft constitution, Marine Corps Lt. Col. Jim Haldeman will be sitting on the edge of his seat at home in West Kingstown, R.I., anxiously rooting for a big turnout.
``It's going to be a nail-biter for me. I'm going to watch that election more than I did the Bush-Gore campaign,'' Haldeman said by telephone from a bullet-riddled compound in Fallujah, Iraq. 
The 50-year-old American Airlines pilot is technically retired from the Marine Corps, but he volunteered to put the uniform back on to help rebuild Fallujah.
As the director of civil military operations, Haldeman's job for the past six months has been to help the people of Fallujah assemble a local government and prepare for the constitutional referendum.
Haldeman spends most of his time talking with the city's community leaders and officials of the fledgling local government.
``We have weekly meetings with the tribal sheiks and the religious imams,'' Haldeman said.
The hearts-and-minds mission is a big change for a Marine officer who spent his career as an artilleryman and then a fighter pilot.
Haldeman said the city remains ``beaten up bad,'' but he sees encouraging signs of rebirth.
``Markets are open. Streets are clean. The electricity is being turned on in areas that never had electricity to begin with,'' he said.
Even so, Marines in Fallujah continue to take deadly fire from insurgents. Relaxing checkpoints to allow goods into the city also allows insurgents to slip back in, Haldeman said.
But he hopes the people of Fallujah will reject violence by choosing to vote in large numbers.
Only about 7,000 of Fallujah's 150,000 voting-age residents voted in the last election, Haldeman said. He hopes to see that number increase more than fivefold to about 40,000 in the Oct. 5 referendum.

GRAPHIC: OPTIMISTIC: Marine Lt. Col. Jim Haldeman, right, of West Kingstown, R.I., meets with Gen. Salah Sheik Khali, center, and an unidentified serviceman in Fallujah, Iraq, ahead of next month's constitutional referendum.

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September 6, 2005 Tuesday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 026

LENGTH: 689 words

HEADLINE: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

BODY:
Votes won't solve issue
If columnist Virginia Buckingham wants to have a statewide vote on same-sex marriage, would she also be in favor of a nationwide vote on withdrawing from Iraq (``Let the voters be heard,'' Sept. 1)?
If she is so appalled by the happiness of gay couples in our state and so angry that the voters had no say in it, how does she think the anti-war crowd feels about what is being done overseas in their name? If we put every major decision up to a vote in this country, we could very well still be fighting the Civil War.
It's been nearly two years since same-sex marriage has been legal in this state, and the right wing is still fixated on stopping it. Thousands of gay couples are minding their own business, happily married, and no buildings have crumbled because of it. 
- Joseph Rich, Dedham
More cops, not buildings
I don't know what the big fuss is over building a new police station in Charlestown when the question should be how it will be staffed (``Policing Charlestown,'' Aug. 30)?
It seems the graduating classes at the police academy are getting smaller every year. Is there any correlation to the upswing in crime and the shortage of police officers? Instead of spending millions on new buildings, why not put more officers on the streets?
- Maureen DeCoste, Hyde Park
Joe K can't be blamed
So let me get this straight. If a person is injured in an accident, and the other party is wealthy, the wealthy party must take care of that person for the rest of her life? Giving $50,000 after she received $600,000 is not enough? That's what Herald columnist Howie Carr is asking Joe Kennedy to do for Pam Kelley (``If she can't move this Kennedy, then no one can,'' Aug. 31).
I feel nothing but sorrow for her injury, but people in this country are maimed in accidents every day. Maybe the Herald should investigate where Kelley invested her money. Not every deed the Kennedys have done is bad.
- Matthew Tierney, Weymouth
Working class pays price
I would have rephrased the question to Gov. Mitt Romney, and President Bush, as follows: If this war were so noble, would you encourage your children to enlist for this noble cause (``Mitt backs war but HIS boys are safe at home,'' Aug. 27)?
I already know the answer. The children of affluence do not go to war and the working class and minorities have always fought America's wars. Recruiters are preying on kids in the inner-city knowing that they lack the options for jobs and education that affluent people have. How many of our current leaders served in the military?
War was always a last resort before this administration struck preemptively. This administration has failed to initiate a draft because it will include the once-excluded affluent, privileged sons and daughters of our leaders.
- John L. Murray, Somerville, Veterans For Peace
Credit due Wilcox
I would like to give Herald photojournalist John Wilcox a lot of credit (``Photographer can't just focus on beauty,'' Sept. 1). Reading his experiences over the last few days has been very moving.
Some of us who lose our loved ones never really know what happened at the time of their death. Wilcox gave that family the closure any family who had lost someone could ask for.
Some people responded negatively to the coverage on John Gagliardi's death. They need to take into consideration all parties involved. I am sure it has not been easy for Wilcox these last few days.
I truly do wish Wilcox and the Gagliardis well.
- Beverly Martin, South Boston
Abuse at the pumps
If President Bush were really for the majority of the people, he would put a price ceiling on gasoline and oil, or even nationalize the oil, but that is only a pipe dream (``Gas panic,'' Sept. 2). Price gouging at the pump will continue because there is no one to stop it.
- Bob Shurdut, Newton
No time to blame
Many thanks for exposing Robert Kennedy Jr. (``Critics fiddle as Gulf Coast drowns,'' Sept. 1).
His politicizing of the terrible tragedy in the South by blaming Republicans is unconscionable and unforgivable. Just another Kennedy showing the true family colors. The Globe and The New York Times are just as bad.
- Dennis Brennan, Foxboro 

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September 6, 2005 Tuesday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 027

LENGTH: 602 words

HEADLINE: OP-ED; 
 Mitt, you must stand the heat

BYLINE: By Virginia Buckingham

BODY:
``Wanted: A conservative Republican presidential candidate with crossover appeal in blue states. Tall, dark, handsome, a plus. Thick skin a must.''
Before you answer that ad, Gov. Mitt Romney, you'd better work on the last attribute - the one that's far more important than the others. If Romney thinks Boston politics and the local media are tough, he ain't seen nothin' yet. 
The governor got hot under the collar when Herald reporter Maggie Mulvihill asked him whether he'd encourage his five sons to serve in the military. After all, the day before, he'd come out strongly in favor of President Bush's position of staying the course in Iraq. (In fairness, Romney was asked the Iraq question by a reporter; he didn't seek to jump into foreign affairs.) Nonetheless, his view was news, and with Cindy Sheehan at the time camped out in Crawford, and the raw emotions of other military family members on display on the nightly news, it would have been strange if the governor wasn't asked such an obvious question.
``No, I have not urged my own children to enlist. I don't know the status of my children's potentially enlisting in the Guard and Reserve.'' Romney said, his voice tinged with anger, reported Mulvihill.
I don't know anything about the Romney family's personal lives, other than what's been in the papers, but his wife's health, his sons' business affairs, his missionary work in France and every other part of his family and faith will be fairly - and unfairly - scrutinized if he makes the leap to the national stage.
And the focus on Romney's leadership in the Mormon church won't be the exceedingly sophisticated stuff seeped into the political consciousness by Sen. Ted Kennedy in 1994 (and recently in a flattering Atlantic Monthly profile of Romney, where Kennedy coyly exclaimed to the reporter at the end of the interview, ``The one question you didn't ask,'' he said, ``was about Mormonism, whether it would hurt him in a national campaign'' - thus ensuring the reporter would do just that.
Think of the power of a conservative Christian group forming a Swift Boat-like 527 committee called ``Not under the banner of our heaven,'' playing on a recent bestseller critical of Mormonism, and spending millions raising such questions.
It could get ugly. And chances are, it will.
But what voters care most about is how Romney handles the pressure.
The stress of a campaign is a microcosm (with far lower stakes) of the stress of being president. So a candidate who blows his top over a media question, or critical media coverage, raises doubts how he'll handle himself when, say, Russian President Vladimir Putin double deals with the United States on some treaty.
A friend once gave me a jar of hand cream covered with a fake label that claimed the stuff was actually ``skin-thickening cream.'' Nice thought, that, but there's no such magic elixir on the market. So how to grow one?
* Surround yourself with ``no'' men, not yes-men.
It's always better to hear the worst criticism in friendly surroundings. If Romney didn't get a sarcastic, ``Well hello, Gov. Landslide'' from someone on his staff after his ill-considered prediction on national television that he would win by one if he ran for re-election, he's not being served well.
* Take a tough hit in the newspaper? Don't ignore it, but don't whine about it, either.
* Have a sense of humor. Romney has shown a self-deprecating streak in the past. It's disarming and illustrates self-confidence.
* Most important of all: Never let 'em see you sweat, gov. Thick skin doesn't have pores.
- Talk back to Virginia Buckingham at vbuckingham@bostonherald.com.

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September 6, 2005 Tuesday  
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LENGTH: 288 words

HEADLINE: Katrina Boon to Builders

BYLINE: By SCOTT VAN VOORHIS

BODY:
Politically-connected builder Halliburton Co. and other big contractors saw their stock prices shoot up in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as investors bet they will clean up with massive reconstruction projects.
While the stock price surge had tapered off by Friday, Bush adminstration favorite Halliburton saw its stock price end the week just below its 52-week high of $63.44. 
But Vice President Dick Cheney's corporate alma mater was hardly the only builder to benefit from a surge of investor interest after the storm.
Bay State builder Perini Corp. also saw an initial stock price surge, with its share price soaring 12 percent on Wednesday, before settling back at week's end to $18.85.
Bob Band, the company's president, has already contacted the Federal Emergency Management Ageny to offer his firm's services.
In particular, Perini has extensive experience building temporary housing during Iraq and Afghanistan over the last few years that could be put to work in New Orleans, he said.
``We would welcome any kind of assignment,'' Band said. ``It would be an honor to assist in the recovery.''
But Halliburton may already be in position to grab a share of the New Orleans work. The behemoth contractor is the U.S. Navy's go-to contractor for big disasters - a deal that already has Halliburton helping assess and repair damage to Navy bases in the Gulf Coast, according to a company spokeswoman.
Homebuilder Lennar Corp.'s shares rose more than $2 last Wednesday, when the full extent of Katrina's devastation began to settle in.
The stock finished the week at $61 - up $2.61 from where it stood just before the storm hit.
Toll Brothers, another major homebuilder, was up $2.50 from where it stood before the storm to $47.60 Friday.

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September 5, 2005 Monday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 004

LENGTH: 715 words

HEADLINE: KATRINA'S WRATH; 
 BAY STATE PREPARES TO WELCOME SURVIVORS; 
 Cape's Camp Edwards to house 2,500 refugees

BYLINE: By THOMAS CAYWOOD

BODY:
The feverish transformation of a Cape Cod army base into a makeshift refugee city - complete with its own school and police - will shift into high gear today with the first flights of displaced and destitute Hurricane Katrina survivors expected as early as tomorrow.
``This is going to take a major effort by state agencies and volunteers,'' Gov. Mitt Romney said. A section of Camp Edwards that includes unused military barracks, townhouses, mess halls, chapels, gymnasiums and other facilities is being readied to welcome roughly 2,500 Louisiana refugees who lost everything in the storm and subsequent flooding of New Orleans. 
Meanwhile, a major contingent of 535 Massachusetts National Guardsmen activated to help restore order in New Orleans will begin flying out of Otis Air National Guard Base today.
The incoming refugees, who most likely will be airlifted from Texas where they've been sleeping on cots in the Astrodome, can be housed reasonably comfortably on the base for a month or two, Romney said. But, with nothing left for many of them to return to, the governor called on cities and towns to help the displaced establish new lives here. ``We're going to need to find, in many cases, permanent housing for these individuals. Jobs, housing, transportation and the like,'' Romney said.
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said the Hub waits with open arms. ``My administration is ready to help you restore your lives and make sure you get back to your normal family structure,'' Menino pledged.
The mayor had floated a plan to fly the refugees into Logan International Airport and house them in the Boston Convention Center, but state officials instead tapped Camp Edwards. Romney said the convention center arrangement ``just wouldn't be tenable on more than an emergency basis.''
Plans call for the refugees to be processed at an airplane hangar on arrival to determine immediate medical needs. The sick will be taken to Boston hospitals for treatment, while the others are settled into military quarters.
``We're going to need teachers. If we have children coming, we're going to be setting up a school down there at Camp Edwards,'' Romney said. ``They're going to come here with the clothing on their backs.'' Because it isn't clear yet what kind of people are coming - young or old, sick or well - he asked people to hold off on donating anything other than money.
``Cost is not one of our considerations. Compassion is coming first,'' said Romney, who added that the federal government was expected to pick up much of the tab.
The security force of Massachusetts National Guardsmen headed to New Orleans will be composed of military police, infantry and artillery units that have been trained to handle security missions in Iraq. ``Right now all we know is that they're going down to provide assistance with the security mission. That's as much as we know,'' said Brig. Gen. Oliver Mason, the state's top general.
GRAPHIC: Caring for the victims
Some 2,500 refugees from Louisiana will be airlifted beginning tomorrow from emergency shelters in Texas to Camp Edwards on Cape Cod, where they will be housed for up to two months while they try to put their lives back together. Here's how the state proposes to help them:
1. First few hours: Arrival and processing in an airplane hangar at Otis Air National Guard Base, overseen by Massport and state Executive Office of Public Safety.
- Evaluated for immediate medical needs
- Case file created
- Issued ID card or bracelet
- Paid a small sum of cash to buy sundries
2. First few days: Assessment by social workers, educators and counselors, overseen by state Executive Office of Health and Human Services
- Kids put in school
- Counseling begins
- Job placement assistance begins
- Federal disaster benefits applied for
- Attempts made to find missing loved ones
3. One to two months: The refugees will eat, sleep, worship, shop, go to school and begin the process of getting on with their lives at their temporary home on Camp Edwards, overseen by the Massachusetts National Guard with help from Red Cross and Salvation Army
- Social workers and employment specialists will help refugees find homes in Massachusetts by matching them with cities and towns and private residents willing to help them build new lives here.
Source: Governor's press briefing

GRAPHIC: MASS. APPEAL: Gov. Mitt Romney speaks about hurricane relief at a press conference yesterday as Secretary of Public Safety Edward Flynn looks on. Below, a section of Camp Edwards that includes unused military barracks, townhouses, mess halls, chapels, gymnasiums and other facilities is being readied to welcome roughly 2,500 Louisiana refugees who lost everything in the storm and subsequent flooding of New Orleans. STAFF PHOTOS BY MARK GARFINKEL, ABOVE, AND ANGELA ROWLINGS

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September 5, 2005 Monday  
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SECTION: THE EDGE; Pg. 024

LENGTH: 578 words

HEADLINE: MUSIC: Born to talk; 
 DVD shows Bruce Springsteen's a master `Storyteller'

BYLINE: By LARRY KATZ

BODY:
Almost every Bossaholic watched Bruce Springsteen's ``VH1 Storytellers'' special back when it first aired in April. So why get excited about tomorrow's DVD release of the show?
Simple. It's much better now, re-edited and expanded to more than double its original 44-minute length. 
Springsteen, performing alone except for ``Brilliant Disguise'' with wife Patti Scialfa adding harmony, only plays eight songs, but they include ones cut from the original broadcast (``Nebraska,'' ``Waitin' on a Sunny Day''). And the stories he tells about his songs - which is the point of ``Storytellers,'' after all - are much longer and thus more gratifying.
Take, for example, his detailed explanation of ``Thunder Road.'' You can't help being charmed when he gets to, ``Got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk,'' and laughs as he calls it ``probably the hokiest line that I've ever written.''
``VH1 Storytellers'' was recorded on April 4 on Springsteen's home turf, the Two River Theater in Red Bank, N.J. He starts off sounding strangely nervous.
``It's an iffy proposition,'' he says of the show's song-talk format. ``Talking about music is like talking about sex. Can you describe it? Are you supposed to?''
His first song is ``Devils & Dust,'' the title track of his most recent album, and the name of his current solo tour, which comes to Worcester's DCU Center Oct. 20, to the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence Oct. 21 and to the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston Oct. 28. When he finishes playing it, Springsteen offers a line-by-line examination of the song and how it relates to the situation faced by young American soldiers fighting in Iraq. Shuffling through notes he says he pored over the night before in his kitchen, he seems uncomfortable and in a rush to get through an unfamiliar situation.
Don't believe it. Though it may look like Springsteen has never done this chat-heavy type of performance before, he has. In fact, it's very much like the solo benefit performance he gave in February 2003 at the Somerville Theatre for the now-defunct Double Take magazine. As in his arena concerts with the E Street Band, Springsteen is a master at feigning spontaneity. This is not to say that he followed a prepared script for ``VH1 Storytellers,'' only that he is a skilled showman who knows exactly what he is doing and where he is going.
Soon enough, Springsteen visibly relaxes in front of the ``Storytellers'' audience and turns more humorous.
``So what was that about?'' he askes rhetorically during his exegesis of ``Blinded By the Light.'' ``I always say that's the song that explains why I never did any drugs. I don't think I could've stood it. My mind was already reeling.''
Speaking in his introduction to ``Brilliant Disguise'' of the different faces we all wear at different times, Springsteen makes an almost shocking confession, the saintly singer/songwriter admitting to a fondness for visiting scruffy strip joints.
The DVD's sole extra is a 15-minute question-and-answer session with the audience (which was also a part of his Somerville Theatre show). One questioner says, ``I feel like I know you. Do I?'' Springsteen quickly shoots back, ``No,'' and laughs. ``It's part of the job, that whole `feelin' like I know you' thing.''
Yes, the star remains ultimately unknowable. But after watching this DVD - and savoring priceless moments such as his impression of Smokey Robinson singing ``Waitin' On A Sunny Day'' - fans will feel closer to Bruce than ever. 

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September 4, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: FINANCE; Pg. 012

LENGTH: 382 words

HEADLINE: Relatives on edge for reserves' return

BYLINE: By Thomas Caywood

BODY:
After enduring the deadliest month of the war for Guard and Reserve troops, the families of local citizen-soldiers say they're coping and counting the days until their loved ones come home.
``Every single day, you wake up and thank the Lord that nothing happened to your loved one. Every day is scary. You can't go to bed and not have it on your mind,'' said Tony Procida of Portland, Maine. 
His daughter, 1st Lt. Kristen Procida of South Boston, is serving as a platoon leader in Tikrit, Iraq, with the Massachusetts National Guard's 42nd Military Police Company.
National Guard and Reserve units from around the country now make up roughly half of U.S. combat forces in Iraq. At least 42 part-time soldiers were killed in action in August, far exceeding the previous highest total of 27 in May.
``We have not had any casualties this month, and we're grateful for that,'' said Lt. Col. Greg Smith, a spokesman for the Massachusetts National Guard. ``But all guardsmen are concerned for the health and welfare of our comrades in Iraq, especially guardsmen from other states. Whenever we hear of casualties, it affects us.''
Roughly 1,100 Bay State guardsmen are in Iraq or Afghanistan or are in the process of deploying. Insurgent mortar fire killed Massachusetts National Guard Sgt. Michael Kelley, 26, of Scituate in June. He was stationed in Afghanistan and killed near the Pakistani border.
Last week, Vermont National Guard Master Sgt. Chris Chapin, 39, of Proctor, Vt., was killed in a firefight during a combat patrol in Ar Ramadi, Iraq.
``I don't dwell on the facts, but I'm aware of things,'' said Andrea Heckman-Young of Orange, whose guardsman husband, Master Sgt. Joe Young, is on his second deployment to Iraq.
Heckman-Young said she keeps the fear at bay mainly through brute willpower.
``I know friends that are on the edge every day worrying about their spouse or child. I said, `You can't do it. Trust me. I've already gone through this once,''' Heckman-Young said.
Procida said he questions why U.S. troops are still in Iraq. It's a question that occurred to many others last week amid the botched hurricane rescue operations. Almost one-third of the men and women of the Louisiana National Guard, and an even higher percentage of the Mississippi National Guard, are deployed in Iraq.

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September 4, 2005 Sunday  
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LENGTH: 368 words

HEADLINE: Bay State kin anxious for citizen-soldiers' return

BYLINE: By Thomas Caywood

BODY:
After enduring the deadliest month of the war for Guard and Reserve troops, the families of local citizen-soldiers say they're coping and counting the days until their loved ones come home.
``Every single day, you wake up and thank the Lord that nothing happened to your loved one. Every day is scary,'' said Tony Procida of Portland, Maine. 
His daughter, 1st Lt. Kristen Procida of South Boston, is serving as a platoon leader in Tikrit, Iraq, with the Massachusetts National Guard's 42nd Military Police Company.
National Guard and Reserve units from around the country make up roughly half of U.S. combat forces in Iraq. At least 42 part-time soldiers were killed in action in August, far exceeding the previous highest total of 27 in May.
``We have not had any casualties this month, and we're grateful for that,'' said Lt. Col. Greg Smith, a spokesman for the Massachusetts National Guard. ``But all guardsmen are concerned for the health and welfare of our comrades in Iraq, especially guardsmen from other states. Whenever we hear of casualties, it affects us.''
Roughly 1,100 Bay State guardsmen are in Iraq or Afghanistan or are deploying. Insurgent mortar fire killed Massachusetts National Guard Sgt. Michael Kelley, 26, of Scituate in June. He was stationed in Afghanistan and killed near the Pakistani border.
Last week, Vermont National Guard Master Sgt. Chris Chapin, 39, of Proctor, Vt., was killed in a firefight during a combat patrol in Ar Ramadi, Iraq.
``I don't dwell on the facts, but I'm aware of things,'' said Andrea Heckman-Young of Orange, whose guardsman husband, Master Sgt. Joe Young, is on his second deployment to Iraq.
Heckman-Young said she keeps the fear at bay mainly through brute willpower. ``I know friends that are on the edge every day worrying about their spouse or child. I said, `You can't do it. Trust me. I've already gone through this once,' '' she said.
Procida said he questions why U.S. troops are still in Iraq. It's a question that occurred to many others last week amid the botched hurricane rescue operations. Almost one-third of the men and women of the Louisiana National Guard, and an even higher percentage of the Mississippi National Guard, are deployed in Iraq.

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September 4, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 024

LENGTH: 370 words

HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Constitutions are a difficult thing

BODY:
The failure of Sunni leaders to support the new draft constitution for Iraq is not the end of the world. But events soon will give these leaders the chance to show whether they're statesmen or wreckers.
The distribution of oil revenues, which seemed the key stumbling block, proved soluble. The fact that the oil-rich Kurd and Shiite areas were willing in the end to share revenues on a per-capita basis with oil-deprived Sunnis ought to prove to Sunnis that the Kurds and Shiites truly wanted a deal. 
The deal-breaker seems to have been the last-minute engineering by Shiite leaders of a right for any group of provinces to form itself into an autonomous region along the lines of what the Kurds are promised.
What's not known is how important such a possibility will seem to Sunni voters. Shiites have not said they actually want such a region.
In contrast to the January elections, which the Sunnis boycotted, Sunnis now are being urged to vote in the Oct. 15 referendum on the constitution - to vote it down. If the Kurd and Shiite leaders are smart, they will make every effort to convince the mass of Sunnis to vote ``for.''
Failure to ratify means new elections and another try to write a constitution that all will support. A disappointment, but not a bar to eventual success.
A rejection by two-thirds of the voters in any three provinces means the constitution is defeated - even if it attracts an overall majority. Such a rejection is not guaranteed. The Sunnis, who are probably less than 20 percent of the population, are dominant in only two provinces even though they might be a majority in two more.
Approval would mean amendments can't be attempted for eight years. Statesmen would accept that and work toward that day. Wreckers would sit back and hope the insurgency makes the country ungovernable - or even go over to the insurgents.
If approval comes, Iraq's Sunnis will need their own Patrick Henry, who opposed the American Constitution (the country's second, following the Articles of Confederation). Outside his house his supporters gathered after the Virginia ratification on June 25, 1788, seeking some way to continue. ``As true and faithful republicans,'' Henry told them, ``you had all better go home.''

LOAD-DATE: September 4, 2005

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September 3, 2005 Saturday  
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LENGTH: 986 words

HEADLINE: TROOPS TRYING HARD TO RESTORE LAW, ORDER; 
 Efforts shift from rescue to recovery

BYLINE: By CASEY ROSS

BODY:
U.S. military trucks streamed into hurricane-ravaged New Orleans yesterday as outraged refugees questioned why it took four days for an iron-fisted response to lawlessness and disorder threatening to obliterate a city already laid low.
``Other than the helicopters, there didn't seem to be anyone on the ground helping anyone,'' said Stephen DeFerrari, a Dedham native who escaped from his New Orleans home brandishing a shotgun. ``Nights were the worst. There was no electricity, and you could hear gunshots and the sound of breaking glass.'' 
Federal emergency officials continued to bus thousands of exhausted refugees out of the sunken city yesterday, bypassing packed outposts such as the Houston Astrodome for far-flung destinations including Dallas and San Antonio.
Meanhwhile, President Bush toured destruction along the Gulf Coast from Alabama to Louisiana and promised a $10.5 billion disaster package passed by Congress was only the beginning of relief efforts.
Local officials in the worst-hit areas said immediate help is desperately needed. Firefighters in Gulfport, Miss., struggled to continue rescue operations amid looting and occasional outbreaks of violence between rioters and heartbroken residents.
``We were walking down a street after helping a lady move a pile and we heard four gunshots and saw this guy go running by,'' Battalion Fire Chief Dean Morrow said. ``He was trying to get into a house and the homeowner shot at him.''
Other flattened neighborhoods were marked by tokens of tragic despair.
``We're starting to see suicides,'' Morrow said. ``We had one this morning. A guy went out and hung himself in his front yard. I hate to say it, but I'm sure there's going to be more.''
Ninety minutes away, in frenzied and flooded New Orleans, officials began to openly criticize the federal response to the hurricane. ``They don't have a clue what's going on down here,'' Mayor Ray Nagin told a radio station amid more reports of theft and rape.
Army Lt. General Russel Honore, who is leading the military response, said the National Guard is being deployed as quickly as possible from communities across the nation.
``It's not a matter of us having enough (troops),'' Honore told CNN when asked if the Iraq war was hindering the disaster response. ``It's a matter of time and space. All the National Guard troops have other jobs. They were formed up quickly and they are here.''
Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency said efforts to rescue trapped survivors and shuttle supplies to the Louisiana Superdome have been hindered by flooding, roiling violence and blocked roads across the city.
``The roads are underwater. You can't just drive a truck up there,'' said Earl Armstrong, a FEMA official stationed in Baton Rouge.
More than 7,000 hurricane survivors were rescued in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana during the first five days of the relief effort - almost two-thirds of them by the U.S. Coast Guard. Many are now staying in shelters spread across the South, from Florida and Arkansas to Texas.
Meanwhile, officials say the first hopeful days of rescue are now giving way to the depressing task of recovery.
``We're getting to the point at four and five days where we're at the end of finding trapped victims,'' Fire Chief Morrow said. ``They just can't sustain, especially in this heat.''
BOX: KATRINA DEVELOPMENTS:
Major developments in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:
* To cries of ``Thank you Jesus!'' and catcalls of ``What took you so long?,'' a National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled through axle-deep floodwaters into what remained of New Orleans, along with dozens of air-conditioned buses to take refugees out.
* An explosion at a warehouse along the Mississippi River about 15 blocks from the French Quarter sent a pillar of acrid gray smoke over a city the mayor has said could be awash with thousands of corpses. Other large fires erupted downtown.
* At the broken levee along Lake Pontchartrain that swamped nearly 80 percent of New Orleans, helicopters dropped 3,000-pound sandbags into the breach and pilings were being pounded into place to seal off the waters.
* Some of New Orleans' hospitals, facing dwindling supplies of food, water and medicine, resumed evacuations. Rescuers finally made it into Charity Hospital, the city's largest public hospital, where gunfire had earlier thwarted efforts to evacuate more than 250 patients. * * Texas opened two more giant centers for victims of Hurricane Katrina after refugees filled Houston's Astrodome to capacity.
* The official number of deaths in Mississippi rose to 147 - a figure expected to increase drastically in the coming weeks. ``If you see the devastation, you wonder why it didn't kill a million people,'' Gov. Haley Barbour said.
* Scorched by criticism about sluggish federal help, President Bush acknowledged the government's failure to stop lawlessness and help desperate people in New Orleans. ``The results are not acceptable,'' Bush said on a daylong tour of the hurricane-ravaged states.
* In an accelerating drive, more than 50 countries have pledged money or other assistance to help Americans recover from Hurricane Katrina. Cuba and Venezuela have offered to help despite differences with Washington. Oil giant Saudi Arabia and small countries like Sri Lanka and Dominica are among the nations making pledges.
* * Lawmakers demanded investigation into price gouging on gasoline prices after thousands of consumer complaints.
How you can help out:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists these organizations you can contact to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Bilox, Miss., and other affected areas.
* American Red Cross: 800-HELP-NOW or
800-435-7669* Operation Blessing: 800-436-6348* Catholic Charities, USA: 703-549-1390* America's Second Harvest: 800-344-8070*Salvation Army 800-SAL-ARMY 800-725-2769
- Marie Szaniszlo contributed to this report.

GRAPHIC: SOME RELIEF: Terri Dorsey, 10, and Imari Clark, 1, watch as a family member is treated for heat exhaustion at the New Orleans convention center yesterday. AP PHOTO
At left, Army National Guard soldiers distribute food and water at the convention center. GETTY IMAGES
WAITING TO LEAVE: Stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina wait for help from the Army National Guard near the Superdome in New Orleans. Thousands of troops poured into the stricken city to enforce order and distribute aid. GETTY IMAGES
HELP AT LAST: Air Force Lt. Gen. Russell Honore, (above left), barks orders to his troops as a convoy of relief supplies arrives in New Orleans yesterday. AP PHOTO
HELP AT LAST: (At right), a relief worker carries a young patient of Charity Hospital evacuated by airboat. AP PHOTO

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HEADLINE: News in Brief; 
 Marine vet makes bail in shooting

BODY:
LAWRENCE - Iraq veteran Marine Sgt. Daniel Cotnoir, who allegedly fired a shotgun into a noisy late-night crowed in Lawrence last month, injuring two people, was released yesterday on $5,000 cash bail. 
The 33-year-old married father of two will not be allowed to live in the apartment over the funeral home he and his father operate.
- Compiled from Herald wire and staff reports.

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HEADLINE: Movie Review; 
 `State of Mind' not so foreign

BYLINE: By STEPHEN SCHAEFER

BODY:
``A State of Mind.''
Not rated. In Korean with subtitles. At Coolidge Corner Theatre.
Two stars (out of four)
North Korea may be the perfect villain for a Bond movie, and its president, Kim Jong-il, the perfect stooge for ``South Park'' satirists Matt Stone and Trey Parker. But as the British documentary ``A State of Mind'' makes clear, for the citizens of North Korea, Jong-il is revered as The General. 
Documentary director Daniel Gordon (``The Game of Their Lives'') was given unprecedented access - no strings attached, no interference - to follow a pair of photogenic schoolgirls, Pak Hyon Sun, 13, and Kim Song Yun, 11, who are competing as gymnasts in the nation's Mass Games, an awesome honor since these are given in the presence of Jong-il himself.
Gordon and his crew get their close-ups - the visits to the park where families go boating, the modern school where Pak Hyon Sun has her English class (``A foreign language is a weapon,'' a sign proclaims) and where a teacher says frankly that she is not a terrific student because she works so hard at her gymnastics. Her father, a scientist, is honest as he considers having three daughters and no sons. Her mother is equally honest as she admits lying to her husband to keep him from being upset with some of the things his teenage daughter does.
In other words, North Koreans here are like everybody else - even if they worship a dictator instead of a spiritual being, even if the United States is fearfully referred to as the ``imperialist aggressor'' that might wage war on them the way it has in Iraq.
``State of Mind,'' which is mostly subtitled in English, demonstrates the bonds we share more than the ideals or values that separate us.
(``A State of Mind'' has no objectionable material.)

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HEADLINE: MUSIC; 
 Stones deliver `Bang'-up job

BYLINE: By LARRY KATZ

BODY:
Perhaps you can picture Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts getting together to engage in a lively discussion about Einstein, quantum physics and the creation of the cosmos.
If so, then maybe you'll buy the explanation of the title of their new CD, ``A Bigger Bang,'' found in a recent Rolling Stones press release:
``While in the studio recording the album last year, the band came up with the title ``A Bigger Bang'' reflecting their fascination with the scientific theory about the origin of the universe.''
Give me a break. I figure the lads had something else in mind. After the relatively indifferent reception to every album they've made since ``Undercover'' in 1983 - that would include their last studio work, 1997's ``Bridges to Babylon'' - the Stones and surely their record label simply want to entice reluctant buyers looking for ``A Bigger Bang'' for their buck. Implicit in the title is the promise of a bigger and better musical bang than the not-yet-doddering Stones have mustered since the days of vinyl LPs. 
Though Mick and Keith deny they have anything left to prove, let's face it: They do. Maybe not to themselves, but to a vast horde of under-40 rock fans and over-40 critics who regard the Stones' post-1972 ``Exile on Main Street'' output as weak gruel, save for the occasional ``Beast of Burden'' or ``Miss You.'' It had to burn socialite Mick to find his band slagged last month on the party page of New York magazine, where Thurston Moore of hipster-adored Sonic Youth ridiculed the Stones.
``Is there a band that should stop?'' Moore asked out loud. ``Yeah, they're called the Rolling Stones. They've been sucking longer than they've been ruling, which is a kind of remarkable achievement.''
And not the kind of remarkable achievement Mick and Keith want to be remembered for. If ``A Bigger Bang,'' which hits stores Tuesday, two weeks after the Rolling Stones' second Fenway Park concert, is not 62-year-old Mick and 61-year-old Keith rallying to create a redeeming late-period work, it certainly sounds like it.
The 16-song, 64-minute ``Bang'' kicks off with the first single, ``Rough Justice.'' Musically it's a standard Stones rocker lacking the kind of indelible hook needed to turn it into a radio hit. But Jagger, who sings every song here with a sense of involvement even his solo CDs have lacked, has such fun with the barnyard lyrics that it's contagious. ``I was your little rooster,'' he snaps, ``but now I'm just one of your cocks.'' You can practically hear him smirking.
He continues to play the wounded lover, and the humility of the role suits Sir Mick. Whether asking to be jilted gently (``Let Me Down Slow'') or losing the love of a lifetime (``It Won't Take Long''), his pleas are bolstered by a trimmed down Stones sound. No horns. No strings. No background choirs. Even keyboards are kept to a minimum. The Stones are a rock band again. The arrangements don't get any more baroque than on the ballad ``Streets of Love,'' which nearly captures the exquisitely tender vibe of ``As Tears Go By'' and ``Play With Fire.''
``A Bigger Bang'' becomes even more stripped as it continues. Guitarist Ronnie Wood doesn't even play on seven tracks and Mick, Keith and Charlie work as a trio (OK, with overdubs) on three of them.
Most surprising, Jagger emerges as an instrumentalist. The Stones' longtime resident harmoni-cat - and he blows standout harp on several tracks here - Jagger also steps up to play guitar, keyboards, vibraphone, percussion and, for the first time, bass. He also makes his debut playing crucial slide guitar on ``Back of My Hand,'' the Stones' best nod to the delta blues in a couple of decades.
Jagger also plunges the Stones into contemporary politics. ``Sweet Neo Con,'' a scarcely disguised savaging of President Bush's oil-stained war in Iraq, quickly angered right-wing commentators. Overlooked so far is ``Dangerous Beauty,'' in which Jagger playfully imagines a Abu Ghraib torturer as a femme fatale ``favorite with the Chiefs of Staff.'' You want relevance, you got it.
Throw in a couple of obligatory soul turns from Keef and you've got everything you could want in a Rolling Stones album at this late stage in their career.
Everything, that is, except what fans and, I bet, even Moore really want: a killer classic to stand alongside the likes of ``Satisfaction'' and ``Jumpin' Jack Flash.'' Too much to hope for? But of course. Which is why ``A Bigger Bang'' will give any reasonable Stones fan satisfaction enough.

GRAPHIC: TRIPLE PLAY: Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Keith Richards, from left, perform at Fenway Park. STAFF FILE PHOTO BY MATT STONE

LOAD-DATE: September 2, 2005

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HEADLINE: MUSIC; 
 Wise guys; 
 Green Day look smart playing `American Idiot'

BYLINE: By BRETT MILANO

BODY:
When was the last time anyone stirred up controversy with a music video?
Prince invoking 9/11 in ``Cinnamon Girl''? Didn't work; the single flopped. The girls from T.A.T.U. making out? Caused barely a ripple. Eminem dissing Michael Jackson in ``Just Lose It''? Nobody but Jackson really minded that one. 
Green Day, which arrives at Gillette Stadium tomorrow fresh from emerging as the big winner at the MTV Video Music Awards, has got people talking with its new Iraq War-themed video for the song ``Wake Me Up When September Ends.''
It's a dead-serious video dealing with a young man's decision to enlist over his girlfriend's protests - so serious that it commits the cardinal sin of interrupting the song midway through for more dialogue. Other than a vague support-the-troops message at the close, the video hedges its bets politically; saying nothing explicitly for or against the war.
But it's not the politics that have a lot of fans upset: They just think that Green Day has gone sappy.
They may have a point. With its over-the-top sentiment, the video is as far from punk as you can get. The pretty young couple looks like a reject from the ``My So-Called Life'' era, and there's a truly cheesy scene where explosions in Iraq are intercut with fireworks going off behind the band. The most daring thing in the video is the amount of eyeshadow that singer Billie Joe Armstrong dares to wear in public.
Still worse, the video loses the true meaning of the song: It only takes a quick listen to know that Armstrong wrote ``Wake Me Up When September Ends'' about his father's death, not about the war.
Still, the video can't be dismissed that easily. It may look like a soap opera, but the question of whether or not to enlist is a real one for many of Green Day's college-age fans. And it's not one they've seen addressed in any other video.
Two years into a controversial war, few rockers or rappers have dared to risk a statement, pro or con. The war footage in ``Wake Me Up When September Ends'' is more intense than anything you'd see on sanitized network news. And that just might be the point: instead of editorializing, maybe Green Day just wanted to show what that kid would be up against.
Finally, there's the bottom line: A great song can excuse a lot of imperfections in a video. Green Day proved as much last week, when their ``Boulevard of Broken Dreams'' swept the MTV Music Video Awards, picking up a half-dozen trophies. The brooding, artsy video for that song was hardly a landmark; but the song remains terrific. Like ``Wake Me Up When September Ends,'' it has a melodic depth that was unthinkable 10 years ago, when Green Day was best-known for throwing mud around at Woodstock.
As the Dixie Chicks can vouch, being a political band isn't easy nowadays. But somehow Green Day managed to avoid right-wing attacks, even though the title track from ``American Idiot'' is a stronger protest song than anything the Chicks ever recorded.
Still, Armstrong and his bandmates seem a little ambivalent about taking a spokesman's role. They released two strongly political songs as singles, ``American Idiot'' and ``Holiday,'' but followed those with ``Boulevard,'' a song more universal in its self-pity.
Nor has the band left its party-punk roots behind. In fact, Green Day makes a return visit to Gillette on Thursday as stars of the ``NFL Opening Kickoff 2005'' show. That's as all-American as an American Idiot can get. And tomorrow's concert shouldn't be far in spirit from the Woodstock show, give or take the mud. For a time Green Day was playing the ``American Idiot'' album straight through, but has since opted for a more straightforward, greatest-hits format. Instead of deep thoughts, you're likely to see a crowd-pleasing bit where they hand their instruments over to members of the audience. It's business as usual for Green Day, who've somehow managed to be both the dumbest and the smartest band in rock.
Green Day, with Jimmy Eat World and Against Me!, tomorrow at 7 p.m., Gillette Stadium, Foxboro. Tickets are $39.50. Call 617-228-6000 or go to www.ticketmaster.com

LOAD-DATE: September 2, 2005

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LENGTH: 380 words

HEADLINE: KATRINA'S WRATH; 
 STORM in Brief; 
 Local schools open to those hit by 'cane

BODY:
Bay State schools are opening their doors to students enrolled at colleges left ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
The University of Massachusetts will offer emergency admission to qualified students displaced from the hurricane-battered region. Regis College has offered space for up to 25 students, and Tufts University is freeing up space for a ``significant number'' of Tulane University undergrads, officials said. Boston College is inviting students, especially those from Jesuit and Catholic schools, to apply to its Woods College of Advancing Studies. 
Other schools, including Boston and Harvard universities, are considering similar policies.
As many as 350 students from Massachusetts are registered in colleges in New Orleans and Mississippi, said Richard Doherty, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts.
** DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - There will be no large-scale shifting of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan to help with disaster relief in Louisiana and Mississippi, a U.S. Central Command spokesman said yesterday.
Lt. Col. Trey Cate said top military officials are exploring ways to bring individual troops home to take care of families in need without altering the balance of forces in the war zones. But top commanders are unsure if homecoming service members can yet visit areas stricken by Hurricane Katrina due to flooding and evacuations.
In Baghdad, some 3,700 soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard's 256th Enhanced Separate Brigade are preparing to return to their base in Lafayette, La., after spending nearly a year in combat in Iraq. They could be available to help with the relief effort within weeks.
** BATON ROUGE, La. - The Times-Picayune of New Orleans resumed printing the newspaper yesterday, three days after the hurricane forced it to publish online only.
The newspaper said it hoped to print 50,000 copies last night, using the printing facility of The Houma Courier, a newspaper 60 miles southwest of New Orleans.
Since the hurricane struck Monday, the paper has published three electronic-only editions on its Web site, www.nola.com. A missing persons forum on the site, started Wednesday morning, had more than 4,000 posts by the end of the day, the newspaper said.
Herald staff and wire reports.

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HEADLINE: Trouble-beset Iraq war vet finally gets reason to smile

BYLINE: By BRIAN FALLA (DAILY NEWS TRANSCRIPT)

BODY:
Wounded in Iraq twice and told his father has cancer, Marine Lance Cpl. Michael Levinson has been struggling to keep his family together. 
Now he can cut loose.
Yesterday, fortune smiled upon Levinson, 21, of Norwood, who won a free vacation for four to Riviera Maya, Mexico, from a contest he didn't even know he entered.
His girlfriend, Laurie Thomas, from Uxbridge, submitted Levinson's name in a Celebration Vacation Contest by Brigham's Ice Cream and iParty.
The contest asked New Englanders to submit their stories on why they deserve a vacation.
Thomas decided to send in Levinson's tale.
``He would give his life for his family and he is so worried and unbelievably stressed about his father's health, and keeping a roof over his family's head,'' said Thomas. ``He hasn't had any time to enjoy himself.''
Levinson's story made the judge's work easy.
``As soon as they read the story, that was it, he won,'' said contest spokeswoman Susan Butler, who said judges considered more than 1,000 entries.

GRAPHIC: SMILING: Norwood Marine Michael Levinson and his girlfriend Laurie Thomas of Uxbridge, won a free trip to Mexico. DAILY NEWS TRANSCRIPT PHOTO BY JAMIE LYN GIAMBRONE

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SECTION: FINANCE; Pg. 044

LENGTH: 415 words

HEADLINE: One blogger cuts through fog of war

BYLINE: By Jay Fitzgerald

BODY:
A former Special Forces soldier is becoming an online media sensation with his vivid and sometimes brutal blog accounts and photos of the daily battles, patrols and raids conducted by U.S. troops fighting terrorists in Iraq.
Michael Yon, 41, a Florida native who now calls Massachusetts his ``home base,'' set off for Iraq earlier this year - paying his own way - in an effort to find out and convey exactly what's going on in the war-torn country.
``Naturally, I had an interest in what was happening in Iraq - I had friends in harm's way,'' Yon said from Iraq in an e-mail interview with the Herald. 
``But what spurred me to drop what I was doing, get on a plane and travel here was a growing sense that what I was seeing reported on television - as well as in newspapers and magazines - was inconsistent with the reality my friends (in Iraq) were describing,'' he said. ``I wanted to see first hand.''
What Yon has seen - and reported - is shocking and mesmerizing to many readers of his blog (michaelyon.blogspot.com).
Yon has covered GIs in firefights with terrorists, U.S. vehicles hit by roadside bombs, and civilians killed and maimed by enemy attacks.
He not only sends regular written dispatches via his blog, but also carries a camera as an ``embedded blogger'' with the 1-24th Infantry Regiment in Mosul, Iraq.
One of Yon's photos - of a U.S. officer cradling a young girl horribly wounded in a terrorist bomb attack - was flashed across wire services last spring. The picture appeared in numerous U.S. newspapers, including the New York Post's front page.
Yon's blog now attracts about 100,000 daily visitors with combat-intense dispatches like ``The Devil's Foyer'' and ``Angels Among Us.''
His most recent dispatch - ``Gates of Fire'' - starkly describes a mission in which a unit commander, Erik Kurilla, was badly wounded but managed to fend off a terrorist shooting at him at almost point-blank range.
Yon snapped vivid photos of the alleyway firefight before grabbing a weapon and firing off rounds to save his friend - and probably himself.
The Seattle Times has run excerpts of Yon's dispatches, and the blogger has also been interviewed on a number of radio shows, including WRKO's ``Pundit Review.''
Yon's verdict on the war: While it's a savage conflict at times, U.S. and Coalition forces are making slow but steady progress - on and off the battlefield.
Yon, who accepts donations on his site, says comments from readers are ``what has kept me going for the past seven months.''

GRAPHIC: COMBAT COVERAGE: Ex-Special Forces soldier Michael Yon has been covering the Iraq war for his blog, michaelyon.blogspot.com. Photo courtesy of Michael Yon

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August 31, 2005 Wednesday  
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HEADLINE: Clinton rep to take legal smarts to Baghdad

BYLINE: By PATRICK BRODRICK (TIMES & COURIER)

BODY:
Harold Naughton Jr., a state representative from Clinton, is taking his expertise in the law to the war zone.
Naughton is heading to Iraq next month with his Army Reserve legal services unit out of Boston to advise commanders on the laws of war, war crime trials and human rights.
``I haven't really had time to think about it,'' the father of four said yesterday. ``I wouldn't say I'm scared. I would say I'm anxious. I'm more concerned about my wife and kids.'' 
The Democrat who fought for funds for the widow of a fallen Clinton firefighter, said he's now shipping out at the end of September to Baghdad.
He said he will be working primarily in the U.S.-controlled Green Zone in a legal advisory role with the Army's 3rd Infantry.
Naughton enlisted in the Army Reserves shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, and said the possibility of being called to serve in Iraq was always in the back of his mind.
``After Sept. 11 happened, I wanted to serve my country,'' Naughton said. ``I have a wife and four children and a country, a state and a town that have been very good to me and I wanted to make sure I protected that for them.''
Naughton admitted he is somewhat ``concerned'' about what he's walking into in Baghdad.
``Like everybody else, I read about what is going on over there in the papers and on the Internet and I see it on the news and I'm concerned,'' he said. ``But at the same time, I'm proud that I have been asked to go and serve my country. I also have been able to talk with people who have served over there and they tell me about all the good things that are happening like the building of schools, roads and hospitals.''

LOAD-DATE: August 31, 2005

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August 31, 2005 Wednesday  
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LENGTH: 291 words

HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 U.N. rights one wrong

BODY:
Yesterday officials of the United Nations took a baby step toward righting one of the many wrongs committed as part of what we have come to call the Oil-for-Food scandal. Maybe, just maybe, someone at the U.N. gets it. 
The world body has asked nine of its own agencies to turn over $40 million in reserves from the Oil-for-Food program to a fund controlled by the new government of Iraq.
Of course, the commission headed by former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volker, which has been investigating the program for the past nine months, is expected to make its final report next week. It wouldn't be a reach to think that U.N. officials, particularly Secretary-General Kofi Annan, see the wisdom of anticipating recommendations from the Volker Commission.
The Oil-for-Food program was set up during the U.N.-imposed economic sanctions imposed on Saddam Hussein's regime to assure that proceeds from the country's oil production were used to provide humantarian aid directly to Iraq's people. Sadly, however, the program ``fed'' a number of corrupt U.N. bureaucrats and the private sector contractors they did business with. Some are already being prosecuted.
But prosecutions don't fill hospital supply closets or build roads and bridges.
The Associated Press reported yesterday that the Volker Commission found that between $33 million and $45 million in Oil-for-Food proceeds had been allocated to nine U.N. agencies working in Iraq, but never been spent by them in Iraq nor had the money ever been accounted for. That is the pool of money which now has been ordered turned over to the Development Fund for Iraq.
The U.N. can never make up for the deprivation caused to the people of Iraq by its own corruption. This, at least, is a down payment.

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HEADLINE: Letters to the Editor

BODY:
Addicts on their own
John Gagliardi's death is a heartache for his family and reflects the uphill battle in the face of addiction (Aug. 27). For many, this disease's grip is stronger than the fear of jail or even death. But not every story has to end in an overdose. 
The Herald rightly noted the dearth of detox centers. It also must be noted that treatment for addiction doesn't end with detox. After four days in detox, few, let alone those with decades-long addictions, are ready to face their fears, their guilt, even their love and success. Recovery programs give people the skills and support to deal with their monsters.
Yet, statewide, only 8 percent of those exiting detox can access next-step programs. Insurance firms (even Medicaid) do not consider addiction treatment medically necessary, leaving those who don't have a few thousand dollars to spare to face this uphill battle alone.
- Sana Fadel, Public Policy Coordinator, Rosie's Place, Boston
Small can be safe
I'm compelled to inform columnist Jay Ambrose that small cars did not kill 40,000 people last year (``By saving gasoline, we're wasting lives,'' Aug. 29). I have a Volkswagen Golf and last time I got into it I was not killed upon sitting in the driver's seat. Speeding motorists, uneducated drivers, unmaintained vehicles, weather conditions etc. kill drivers, but the cars themselves do not.
Let's stop looking for an excuse to guzzle gas and take the T, ride a bike or walk.
- Melissa Brinkerhoff, South Boston
Mr. Six due apology
Seldom have I read a more ill-conceived hatchet job than the one committed by Cosmo Macero Jr. on Mr. Six, the marketing character for Six Flags (``Red flags go up over fun parks' strange marketing mistakes,'' Aug. 29).
Macero was apparently trying to indicate that Six Flags' marketing decisions were less than intelligent, given the lack of business generated. Perhaps that conclusion is correct, although there may be many reasons why attendance is down, including the cost of travel and living, the safety of the rides, decisions to do other things and limits on discretionary funds, as well as some people not liking Mr. Six.
What is totally out of line is to intimate the man is a ``dancing fool, freak, Pee Wee Herman-like, and would entice kids into a van.'' These are vicious conclusions of perversion about a man unknown to Macero, who should examine his own mind, which certainly seems to run in a vein I would not want around my children, before he starts accusing another who is simply playing the part he was hired to perform.
- Richard Maranville, Raynham
Gov's sons not issue
It was harsh to condemn Gov. Mitt Romney for his sons not being in the military (``Mitt backs war but HISboys are safe at home,'' Aug. 27). His sons are grown men. It's their choice to be or not to be in the military. And, honestly, even if someone does support the war, do you really think any parent would want to urge his or her child to go to war? I don't think so.
Those of us who join the military do it at our own bidding - not because mom and dad said so.
- Rachelle Rocca, Burlington
Think twice, Cal Thomas
I don't disagree with Cal Thomas (``In retreat, no shelter from the storm,'' Aug. 26). Pulling back now would be irresponsible because, like it or not, enough of us bought into the war that our country has effectively absorbed a 51st state.
That said, Thomas appears to be too blind in his worship of George W. Bush to see one of the roots of the president's problems. Thomas concludes by saying, ``The president has repeatedly stated his objective in Iraq.''
To which objective was Thomas referring? Protecting us from the imminent danger of weapons of mass destruction? Removing the evil dictator? Freeing Iraqis? Kicking off the domino effect of spreading democracy across the Arab world? Getting terrorists where they live?
In his zeal to attack Iraq, President Bush resorted to tactics best left to evil dictators trying to squash small minorities. In his rush to attack anti-war activists, Cal Thomas ends up blowing in the wind by holding aging hippies to a higher standard than he holds the leader of the free world.
- Andy Gatchell, Stoneham
Reilly's off base
The federal government, not the state, owns the Air National Guard planes (``Reilly files suit to save jobs at Cape Cod base,'' Aug. 28). Even if the courts and pols like Attorney General Tom Reilly prevail - a highly dubious proposition - the federal government could simply move the planes elsewhere. What good is a base without planes?
- John Krogstad, Burlington ÿ1A

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August 30, 2005 Tuesday  
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SECTION: FINANCE; Pg. 027

LENGTH: 265 words

HEADLINE: The Ticker

BODY:
* Hewlett-Packard Co. said customers of its Snapfish online photo service can pick up prints in one hour beginning today at Walgreen Co. stores in Boston, New York and San Francisco.
* Apple Computer Inc.'s plan to issue $50 vouchers to settle a lawsuit filed by consumers who complained about the battery life of older versions of the iPod music player was approved by a California judge. 
* Merck & Co.'s request to delay the second trial over the painkiller Vioxx was rejected by a New Jersey judge, who said publicity from a Texas verdict won't prevent a fair hearing for the drugmaker.
* Bunny Greenhouse, a former top Army procurement official who raised concerns about Halliburton Co.'s contracts in Iraq, plans to sue the Army after being demoted.
* Microsoft Corp., whose Windows software runs almost 95 percent of the world's personal computers, released a test version of the delayed WinFS system for storing, retrieving and naming files.
* Teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co. said president and chief operating officer Robert Singer will leave the company Aug. 31 as a result of differences over the company's pace of international expansion.
* Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan will buy Doane Pet Care Co., the largest U.S. maker of private-label pet food, for $840 million.
* Corrections: Due to production errors, several facts in two columns were reported inaccurately in yesterday's print edition of the Herald. Six Flags currently has more than $2 billion in debt. And the company's profit last quarter was $11 million. The correct price for the Samsung SCH-i730 smart phone is $599.

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August 29, 2005 Monday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 028

LENGTH: 749 words

HEADLINE: Letters to the editor

BODY:
Weakness unveiled
I was surprised to see the self-considered ultra patriotic Boston Herald's front page (Aug. 25). It would seem that public announcements of flaws in America's homeland security would fall into the same shadow of ``aiding and abetting the enemy'' that your paper accuses anti-war protesters and Bush administration critics of. What next, a full-page color Sunday supplement of vulnerable civilian targets in Boston? 
- Kevin Anderton, Malden
Lord help us all
Wacky religious leaders, Let's get ready to rumble!
First Pat Robertson sort of apologizes for wishing U.S-sponsored assassination upon Hugo Chavez.
Then we read that during a visit to Grove Hall to drum up support for his next march, Louis Farrakhan - that perennial standby of devout daffiness - reveals that the government is improving highways in order for U.S. tanks and troops to more easily invade and ``slaughter'' inner-city blacks (``Farrakhan in Hub to rally support for Millions More march,'' Aug. 25).
Lord have mercy.
- Charles Winokoor, Fall River
Dems' double standard
I found Democratic spokeswoman Jane Lane's comments about Mitt Romney and Kerry Healey being millionaires who only try to buy elections totally laughable (``Dems blast Healey for GOP election buy-try,'' Aug. 24). For years our state has been led by Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, both of whom are also millionaires (certainly not self-made) and who also have used their own monies to build up their war chests.
This is nothing new in the political arena, but in other states I would have more faith in people to vote for someone with good ideas instead of a fat wallet. Here, having a ``D'' next to your name is enough.
- Thomas C. Wahlberg, Dedham
Novak, restrain thyself
How ironic to read Robert Novak, a leader of the GOP press pack of attack dogs, criticizing Sen. Ted Kennedy's aide, James Flug, for his expected role in ``Kennedy's attack machine'' in the confirmation hearings regarding Judge John Roberts (``Kennedy aide Flug to flog Roberts,'' Aug. 25).
In typical Novak fashion he smears the purported messenger as ``Teddy Kennedy's gunslinger.'' Novak also portrays the opposition as enemy combatants but avoids discussing the message which will be sent by this appointment.
Would Roberts have voted with the majority in Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education, Griswald vs. Connecticut and Roe vs. Wade? Would he have supported women's suffrage in the 1920s? Don't hold your breath waiting for Novak to discuss the message implicit in the answers to those questions.
- Eugene Lucarelli, Arlington
No faith in Walsh
The ubiquitous Sen. Marian Walsh is either devious or ignorant, as she keeps misstating details of fact regarding her proposed church filing requirements with the attorney general's office (``State role in church regs intrusive,'' Aug. 15). She states the law is mindful of churches with small budgets, and only those with receipts over $500,000 would be affected.
First, all churches would be required to prepare financially detailed Federal Form 990s, which the federal government does not even require. Second, churches with more than $100,000 of receipts would need a Review Report prepared by a CPA. Finally, churches with more than $250,000 of receipts (not $500,000) would be required to have audited financial statements, prepared by a CPA. The additional administrative cost will be significant for all churches.
- John Maxwell, Marshfield
Bad news in Baghdad
Assuming that the Herald really does want to measure progress in Iraq, I propose the standard should be the Saddam Hussein administration compared to the current reality (``Media, G.I. clash on the `real' Iraq picture,'' Aug. 17).
Before the invasion, schools, hospitals, economy, oil production and infrastructure were functioning reasonably well. Saddam was a secular tyrant. He was ruthlessly, but effectively, suppressing Islamic jihadists. Women were reasonably independent compared to Saudia Arabia and Iran, and compared to my reading of the early drafts of the new constitution. There were no weapons of mass destruction.
Over 25,000 Iraqi civilians were alive, as well as almost 2,000 U.S. troops. Thousand of families, on both sides, did not have to deal with war's physical and mental costs. The United Nations was on site effectively monitoring Saddam at a cost far below the billions of dollars we are squandering on Iraq.
Reality in Iraq is what is - not what the Associated Press, the Brookings Institute or the Herald think it should be.
- Tom Larkin, Bedford

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August 29, 2005 Monday  
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SECTION: THE EDGE; Pg. 042

LENGTH: 366 words

HEADLINE: MUSIC REVIEW; 
 Keith lets it rip in name of partying, patriotism

BYLINE: By Sarah Rodman

BODY:
Toby Keith, with Lee Ann Womack and Shooter Jennings, at the Tweeter Center, Mansfield, Saturday night.
The big dog was let off his leash Saturday night and a capacity crowd at the Tweeter Center was more than happy to hear him bark.
On The Big Throwdown II tour, Toby Keith let loose with his raucous brand of beer-drinking, flag-waving, boot-stomping outlaw country in an hour-and-45-minute set that would've prompted even the most die-hard blue-stater to let loose with at least one yee-haw. 
Hard-charging songs such as the Mr. Right Now number ``I'm Just Talking About Tonight,'' the swaggering ``Country Comes to Town'' and vigilante jamboree ``Beer For My Horses,'' featuring duet partner Willie Nelson on video, went down like they knew the way and spotlighted Keith's gift for anthemic melodies and catchy slogans.
The brawny Oklahoman owned his big stage - a multitiered replica of a spaceship with a pickup truck busting through that tied into his sponsor's obnoxiously loud preshow commercial - and graciously spotlighted his big band.
That band included an indispensable horn trio and female backup singer who not only added bright flavors to songs such as ``I Wanna Talk About Me'' and ``You Ain't Much Fun,'' but also jazzed things up with simple but spirited dance steps. And ``Should've Been a Cowboy'' featured some of Keith's best vocals of the night.
It was disappointing that Keith ignored the many fine ballads in his catalog that help offset his rowdy redneck image.
Though the singing was solid, the band tight and the production values high, the party-hearty vibe could've used a few breaks for emotional substance.
But for some in the crowd, that void was likely filled by the aggressively patriotic tunes he dedicated to our armed forces, including the closers ``American Soldier'' and the fire-starting ``Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).'' On the latter he played footage of him putting his money where his mouth is: meeting and playing for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Luckily, Lee Ann Womack took care of emotional business with her shimmering middle set. She classed up the joint with ``I May Hate Myself in the Morning'' and ``I Hope You Dance.''

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August 29, 2005 Monday 
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 029

LENGTH: 553 words

HEADLINE: OP-ED; 
 Sunny attitude means endless summer

BYLINE: By Rosabeth Moss Kanter

BODY:
The end of summer sits on the cusp between little things and big things. In August, we can still enjoy the small joys of summer, before September reminds us of the hard work of the world.
In summer, we focus on little things. Grains of sand. Cotton candy and carousels at county fairs. 
Summer is when many families gather across generations to delight in playing with their children. Even the hardest-driving professionals remember what it's like to be a child again.
In summer, cities empty out and Americans return to the land. Small towns are in their element, their remoteness linking us to wilderness.
Summer is the ultimate off-road experience. World events seem far away not just in miles but in time.
In summer, commercial interests and consumer interests are least aligned. Merchants pray for rainy days to force people into stores while everyone else craves sun. In the stretch between June weddings and back-to-school shopping, credit cards can take a rest. Summer has none of those Hallmark holidays (who sends Fourth of July cards?). Instead, many summer pursuits cost little to nothing. You can live off the land and waters, catching dinner and surrounding it with backyard-garden salad.
Summer is also the great leveler. The ubiquitous uniform of T-shirts, jeans and flip-flops makes ethnicity, occupation and age disappear. Americans didn't invent the picnic, but surely we've democratized the art. Parks are open for grilling, ready to receive families of vastly different incomes, who are united in their burgers and corn.
Lakeside cottages, campgrounds and cabins in the woods are still within reach of working-class families. The rich can't monopolize the simple pleasures of summer. And the trust that exists on public beaches always amazes me - that people spread their blankets near strangers, yet have no fear of leaving their belongings when they go for a swim.
Soon (too soon), it will be sober September. That's when the big things command attention again. Algebra. Iraq. Partisan squabbling in Congress. The pricing and marketing of prescription drugs. Global warming. Global poverty.
As we segue from the little things back to the big things, I hope that we don't lose the sensibilities of summer. Let's try to keep summer in our hearts and minds as a guide for dealing with the big issues of the rest of the year.
Summer sensibilities can improve national health. Nutrition and exercise are alternatives to high-cost prescription drugs. If you like your leaner look from summer activities, keep walking. Then think about children. Lobby for universal childhood immunization, more nutritious school lunches and enhanced exercise programs. Tell businesses that their workers are much more productive and healthier after quality time with their families.
Summer experiences can increase environmental awareness. Surely the extreme weather of recent summers should raise interest in getting Washington to deal with global warming. Surely the beauty of beaches and mountains should make more people want to protect our natural treasures.
And perhaps summer memories can help us feel more generous toward strangers, whether in Africa, Iraq or American inner cities, as we address problems that threaten the social fabric of America and the world.
Rosabeth Moss Kanter is a Harvard Business School professor.

CORRECTION-DATE: September 8, 2005

CORRECTION:
Columns by Rosabeth Moss Kanter that ran on this page July 4, Aug. 17 and Aug. 29 should have indicated they were copyrighted by the Miami Herald, where they first ran. The Herald regrets the omission.

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August 28, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: THE EDGE; Pg. 053

LENGTH: 554 words

HEADLINE: TELEVISION; 
 watch this!

BYLINE: By AMY AMATANGELO

BODY:
Fox is first out of the gate with the new drama ``Prison Break,'' premiering tomorrow at 8 p.m. on WFXT (Ch. 25). I'm going to let you in on a little secret: Star Wentworth Miller is so the next big thing, and you can be the first among your friends to announce this.
Today Aug. 28
** The artist formerly know as Puff Daddy - I mean the artist formerly known as P. Diddy - OK, Diddy hosts ``2005 MTV Video Music Awards'' at 8 p.m. 
** What has sex, bad language, disloyalty, adultery and an Italian man desperately trying to hold on to his empire? No, it's not ``The Sopranos.'' HBO bides its time before Tony's final season with its 12-episode series ``Rome'' (with Polly Walker) premiering at 9 p.m.
Tomorrow Aug. 29
** Cameron Bancroft guest stars as Lynn's new boyfriend, Joe, on ``Beautiful People'' at 9 p.m. on ABC Family. Joe better watch out because Daphne Zuniga's former ``Melrose Place'' neighbor, Grant Show, soon will be showing up as Lynn's ex-husband.
** Robert is acting like a cold-hearted snake, so Paula Abdul guest stars as her tearful, gushing self on UPN's ``All of Us,'' at 8:30 p.m. on WSBK (Ch. 38).
Tuesday Aug. 30
** Catch Monica Potter and Rhona Mitra while you can on ABC's ``Boston Legal'' at 10 p.m. on WCVB (Ch. 5). Those ladies are out and Julie Bowen (Carol on ``Ed'') is in when the David E. Kelley legal drama returns for its second season on Sept. 27. Because Kelley's ``The Law Firm'' was banished to Bravo, he needs our support right now.
** Vivica A. Fox and David Carradine are in Shelly's kung fu class on UPN's ``Eve,'' at 8:30 p.m. on WSBK.
Wednesday Aug. 31
** ABC is adding three cast members to ``Lost'' next season. If I were one of the original castaways, I'd be a little nervous. It's the beginning of the end for Boone when he and Locke go in search of a way to open that blasted hatch at 10 p.m. on WCVB.
** Smoke (Kirk ``Sticky'' Jones) is in trouble in FX's ``Over There'' at 10 p.m. But it's really FX that is in trouble with the ratings of this Steven Bochco drama. Some say the series about the war in Iraq is too current. Others say it's too confusing. FX is probably just happy that the new season of ``Nip/Tuck'' starts soon.
Thursday Sept. 1
** Did you miss ``Prison Break''? Fox repeats the two-hour pilot at 8 p.m. on WFXT.
** Carmen Electra does her best Carmen Electra when she guest stars as Joey's new co-star on NBC's ``Joey'' at 8 p.m. on WHDH (Ch. 7).
Friday Sept. 2
** Everybody knows that Kelly and Dylan belonged together. Die-hard ``90210'' fans finally get their day when Luke Perry guest stars on WB's ``What I Like About You,'' at 8 p.m. on WLVI (Ch. 56). An inebriated Val (Jennie Garth) accidentally marries old high school fling Todd (Perry). Because Perry stars in NBC's midseason replacement ``Windfall,'' don't look for this union to last long.
** Justin Kirk (``Angels in America'') is fantastic as Nancy's no-good but well-intentioned brother-in-law on ``Weeds'' Friday at 10 p.m. on Showtime.
Saturday Sept. 3 
** Nicole Sullivan returns to her old stomping ground as a guest on this repeat of ``MadTV'' at 11 p.m. on WFXT.
** Every season, the seven strangers say it, but this year it actually seems true: This is the most dramatic season yet of ``The Real World.'' Catch up on ``The Real World: Austin,'' when MTV repeats two episodes beginning at 5:30 p.m.

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August 28, 2005 Sunday  
THIRD EDITION

SECTION: THE EDGE; Pg. 039

LENGTH: 428 words

HEADLINE: MUSIC REVIEW; 
 Keith lets it rip in the name of patriotism, partying

BYLINE: By SARAH RODMAN

BODY:
TOBY KEITH, WITH LEE ANN WOMACK AND SHOOTER JENNINGS, last night at the Tweeter Center, Mansfield.
The big dog was let off his leash last night and a sold-out crowd at the Tweeter Center was more than happy to hear him bark.
On The Big Throwdown II tour Toby Keith let loose with his raucous brand of beer-drinking, flag-waving, boot-stomping outlaw country in an hour-and-45-minute set that would've prompted even the most diehard blue-stater to let loose with at least one yee-haw. 
Hard-charging songs such as the Mr. Right Now number ``I'm Just Talking About Tonight,'' the swaggering ``Country Comes to Town'' and vigilante jamboree ``Beer For My Horses,'' featuring duet partner Willie Nelson on video, went down like they knew the way and spotlighted Keith's gift for anthemic melodies and catchy slogans.
The brawny Oklahoman owned his big stage - a multitiered replica of a spaceship with a pickup truck busting through that tied into his sponsor's obnoxiously loud preshow commercial - and graciously spotlighted his big band.
That band included an indispensable horn trio and female backup singer who not only added bright flavors to songs like ``I Wanna Talk About Me'' and ``You Ain't Much Fun,'' but also jazzed things up with simple but spirited dance steps.
The trumpet player also took center stage to do a little toasting during a surprisingly effective reggae version of ``Should've Been a Cowboy'' that featured some of Keith's best vocals of the night.
Keith also brought out songwriting partner Scotty Emerick for a short acoustic set that included the comic tale of smoking ``Weed With Willie.''
It was disappointing that Keith ignored the many fine ballads in his catalog that help offset his rowdy redneck image.
While the singing was solid, the band tight and the production values high, the party-hearty vibe could've used a few breaks for emotional substance.
But for some in the crowd that void was likely filled by the aggressively patriotic tunes he dedicated to our armed forces, including the closers ``American Soldier'' and the fire-starting ``Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).'' On the latter he played a guitar tricked out like Old Glory and played footage of him putting his money where his mouth is: meeting and playing for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Luckily, LeAnn Womack took care of emotional business with her shimmering middle set. She classed up the joint with her powerful soprano on ``I May Hate Myself in the Morning,'' a showtopping cover of the classic weeper ``Little Things'' and ``I Hope You Dance.''

GRAPHIC: ROWDY HOWDY: Toby Keith sings in Mansfield. HERALD PHOTO BY MARSHALL WOLF

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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 008

LENGTH: 337 words

HEADLINE: MITT'S RIVALS SCOFF AT `LANDSLIDE' PREDICTION

BYLINE: By LAURA CRIMALDI

BODY:
No war stories, no problem. But if Gov. Mitt Romney wants to run for the White House in 2008, he'd better put a lid on his ``landslide'' victory predictions for the governor's office next year, political observers and rivals said yesterday. 
On Friday, Romney told the Herald he has not urged his five sons to enlist in the military. Nor does the governor, who backs President Bush's Iraqi war policy, have military experience himself.
The same day, during a nationally televised interview on the MSNBC political talk show ``Hardball,'' Romney predicted a ``landslide'' Massachusetts re-election if he runs for governor next year.
``The president had limited military experience and the vice president never served and yet we have Sen. Kerry as a Democratic nominee, who is a genuine American hero, and that certainly wasn't determinative in the last election,'' said U.S. Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Quincy), a Coast Guard veteran.
Michael Goldman, a former longtime Democratic political consultant and co-host of ``Simply Put'' on Bloomberg Radio New York, said, ``One has to be a believer in both Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny'' to think Romney hasn't decided to run for president. And that means he needs to brace for the military question.
``It just seems that someone who supports this war ought to be able to get someone in their family to join the children of Americans already there,'' Goldman said.
Attorney General Tom Reilly and Deval Patrick, both Democratic candidates for governor in 2006, declined to comment on whether Romney's support for the Iraq war appears discordant given that none of his own children is at risk. But they happily slammed their rival's ``Hardball'' comments regarding a gubernatorial run.
``I was struck by the word that he uses, `if,' '' Reilly said during his press conference on the Otis Air National Guard Base. ``There's no `if' with me. I made my decision.''
Patrick said, ``If he really thinks that this is a slam dunk then I hope he stays in the race so I can show him just how off he is.''

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August 27, 2005 Saturday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 003

LENGTH: 482 words

HEADLINE: MITT BACKS WAR, BUT HIS BOYS ARE SAFE AT HOME

BYLINE: By MAGGIE MULVIHILL

BODY:
Gov. Mitt Romney, who has comforted the grieving loved ones of soldiers killed in Iraq and promoted National Guard recruitment, yesterday said he has not urged his own sons to enlist - and isn't sure whether they would.
The Herald posed the question as Romney - a potential 2008 White House contender and backer of President Bush's Iraq policy - was honored by the Massachusetts National Guard after he signed a bill extending pay for state workers on active duty. 
``No, I have not urged my own children to enlist. I don't know the status of my childrens' potentially enlisting in the Guard and Reserve,`` Romney said, his voice tinged with anger.
Massachusetts residents can enlist in the National Guard up to age 39. Romney's five sons range in age from 24 to 35. Neither the Romney children nor the governor have served in the military, Romney spokeswoman Julie Teer said.
More than 1,100 guardsmen and women from Massachusetts are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, a guard spokeswoman said. According to federal statistics, 28 Massachusetts soldiers have been killed so far.
``I don't think you should be so `rah-rah' for a war that you aren't willing to send your own family members to,'' said Rose Gonzalez, 30, of Somerville, whose mother, a state employee, was deployed to Iraq in January. ``If he thinks the war is so just and so important and we shouldn't pull out, then he should encourage his own sons to go.``
Nancy Lessin, a spokeswoman for Military Families Speak Out, said if Romney aspires to be president he should consider the sacrifice made by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the father of four sons all of whom enlisted in World War II. 
``This is just one more politician who is willing to risk the lives of our loved ones and celebrate sending them off into a war that we never should have in,'' Lessin said.
But Barbara O'Neill of Haverhill, whose only son, Army Pvt. Evan O'Neill, was killed in a 2003 firefight in Afghanistan praised the governor for his warmth and attention to her family after her son was killed.
``He was sitting right behind me at my son's funeral,'' O'Neill said. ``He went out of his way to make an appearance not for political reasons but because he felt really bad about it.''
Alma Hart of Bedford, whose only son, Army Private First Class John D. Hart was killed in Iraq in 2003, said Romney is a ``decent, sincere man'' who truly cares about the Massachusetts troops.
``The governor shouldn't be so pro-war if his own boys haven't decided to go,'' she said. ``. . . but you can't really say since his sons haven't enlisted he can't talk about the war, because he didn't start this war. This isn't his headache.''
A growing number of Republicans have begun to voice concern over the mounting American deaths, but Romney has been a stalwart backer of Bush's position, which is to remain in Iraq until a stable democracy is in place - even if it takes years.

GRAPHIC: SERVING DINNER, NOT THEIR COUNTRY: Gov. Mitt Romney shares dinner duties with sons Ben, Craig, Tagg and his wife, Ann. The governor is a big supporter of the National Guard, but none of his sons has served in the military. Staff file photo by Ted Fitzgerald

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LENGTH: 577 words

HEADLINE: `Peace Mom' discrediting son's ultimate sacrifice

BYLINE: By Joe Fitzgerald

BODY:
Cindy Sheehan, the current darling of the anti-Bush crowd, insists she only wants to know, ``What did my son die for?''
Her son, Casey, was a soldier in Iraq.
Make no mistake, it's well understood here that her grief is as real and mean as life can get. Anyone saying time heals all wounds has never buried a child. That's well understood here, too. 
But her rancor and venom, so predictably exploited by Pavlovian critics of the president, have turned her grieving into grandstanding, making her less of a sympathetic figure and more of a pain in the neck.
If she truly wants an answer to her question she'd be well-advised to step away from the cameras, forfeiting that newfound fame, spending time instead with other families who, even though their pain and loss were just as great, have found a peace in knowing that their loved ones didn't die in vain.
She might, for instance, want to know more about Alex Arredondo.
Like Casey, Alex was a terrific young man, a source of family pride, a 20-year-old Marine who gave his last full measure of devotion while serving in Iraq.
Perhaps more than any parent of any American soldier, Alex's father, Carlos, personified the anguish of being told, ``We regret to inform you . . .''
It was his 44th birthday and Carlos was carrying a cell phone, anxiously anticipating a congratulatory call from Alex, when a delegation of Marines pulled up to tell him his son was dead. In the wrenching moments that followed, Carlos set himself ablaze, incurring wounds from which he's yet to fully recover.
He was about to become the biggest story of the day, bigger even than Cindy Sheehan, until he had an opportunity to clarify his feelings and it became obvious he neither blamed the Marines nor hated the government, at which point the media lost interest in him.
One of Carlos' proudest possessions is a letter Alex sent en route to his first tour in Iraq, part of which read: ``It seems like my whole life changed in an instant. Yesterday I was in a classroom, learning about trigonometry and history. Now I'm being sent across the world to fight. Soon I will be in full combat gear, ready to carry out my mission. I am proud to be fighting for my country.''
Carlos was in an especially reflective mood at his Roslindale home Thursday night because it was his 45th birthday and the first anniversary of Alex's death.
He was holding yet another letter he treasured.
``Alex had a younger brother born to my first wife,'' he explained. ``His name is Nathaniel and he's 5. His father, who lived in Iraq under Saddam Hussein, came to this country as a political refugee after the Gulf War, seeking political asylum.
``This world can be very small and strange sometimes. Nathaniel is half Iraqi, half American, and Alex was his big brother. What's the message in that? I think I know.
``We have this picture of Alex sitting on top of a truck over there with about 15 other Marines,. Listen to what he wrote: `When I see kids smiling and shaking our hands, it makes it all worth it. I want them to live free, like NathanialNathaniel.' I get chills just talking about it now.''
Cindy Sheehan hurts no more than Carlos Arredondo does.
But she's become a bigger story because she's furious at the president and contemptuous of the war.
That's why liberals lionize her.
But Carlos has a story to tell, too.
``I cry whenever I read my son's letters,'' he admits. ``But I am also very proud. He died for those kids over there. How could I not be proud of that?''

GRAPHIC: ARREDONDO: Dad believes his Marine son didn't die in vain.

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August 26, 2005 Friday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 026

LENGTH: 320 words

HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Good news stats on re-enlistments

BODY:
One of the most significant stories of the summer is getting almost no notice among the media elite. The Army is meeting its recruiting and retention goals for active-duty soldiers. Remarkably, units under the most pressure in Iraq are heavily oversubscribed for re-enlistment. 
Though newspapers around the country carried wire service stories of the Pentagon's Aug. 10 announcement, there wasn't a peep from The New York Times, The Washington Post or the Los Angeles Times on the subject.
Recruits in July totaled 109 percent of the Army's goal, the second straight month above target. In aggregate, the four services were 4 percent over (the Navy fell 1 percent short).
The Pentagon says the Army will still fall short for the fiscal year, and reserve components are still not signing up enough new members (though re-upping targets are being met by the National Guard units of the Army and Air Force). Still, the enlistments ought to prove that America's young men and women still believe in their country and its difficult mission in Iraq, despite all that Cindy Sheehan and her band of like-minded demonstrators can do.
The New York Post dug a little deeper than the bare-bones announcement. Every one of the Army's 10 combat divisions has exceeded its re-enlistment goal for the fiscal year so far. The 1st Cavalry Division was at 136 percent; the 3rd Infantry Division at 117 percent. As author Ralph Peters noted, ``This is unprecedented in wartime.''
The troops are not doing this for the bonuses - only 60 percent get re-enlistment money, and the great bulk of those are $12,400 a year or less. They are not doing it for loot and booty, to impress the old crowd back home, or to learn a trade.
They are risking life and limb because they care passionately about the job. We wonder what we have done to deserve soldiers of such devotion. They deserve all the best we can give them, in equipment, sound policy and honor.

LOAD-DATE: August 26, 2005

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HEADLINE: MUSIC; 
 System's fiery songs `Mezmerize' metal fans

BYLINE: By DAVE WEDGE

BODY:
Tony Danza and Frankie Avalon may seem worlds away from fiercely political rock, but for System of a Down's Daron Malakian, they were perfect fodder.
The pair became an odd muse for the guitarist/songwriter after he fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing baseball at Los Angeles' Dodgers Stadium in a pseudo-celebrity game.
``I was just so weirded out. It was just a surreal situation,'' Malakian said, recalling his inspiration for the song ``Old School Hollywood.'' ``When I went home, no more than half-hour, I just shot out that song.'' 
Like most tracks on the band's latest platinum smash, ``Mezmerize,'' the song is an uncompromising mix of Frank Zappa-esque lyrics and punk-metal fury. And while many of their peers are whining about lost love and broken homes, somehow System - which performs tomorrow at the DCU Center in Worcester with fellow art-metallers the Mars Volta - manages to morph '50s teen singer Avalon's name into a catchy chorus. ``I don't put any walls in front of me when it comes to things that inspire me,'' Malakian said by phone before a show at Miami Arena. ``I write about my life.''
Though all four members of System are of Armenian descent, they claim the Armenian connection is coincidence. Malakian grew up in Hollywood, a disgusted spectator of the superficiality of the City of Angels, an experience responsible for one of the album's most intense tracks, ``Lost in Hollywood.''
``The L.A. persona is a bunch of people who never grew up in L.A., who think they have to act a certain way. They aren't usually from L.A.,'' he explained. ``And that's what `Lost in Hollywood' is about - me growing up watching it all. I'm really proud of that song.''
On ``Mezmerize'' and its forthcoming counterpart ``Hypnotize,'' due out in November, Malakian takes over a large chunk of the vocal duties from frontman Serj Tankian. But, Malakian explained, it's really not much of a change. When the band formed a decade ago, Tankian was a keyboardist and Malakian was the frontman. Their vocal chops, coupled with the band's fiery, off-kilter style, puts them in a category of their own.
``I think we play honest music. That's a rarity these days in pop culture or radio culture or mainstream,'' Malakian said. ``You don't have many bands playing honest music - music that is not produced and cookie cut in the regular, corporate fashion just so it will be marketed out like Pepsi.''
Their latest single, ``B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bombs),'' is clearly anti-war, but it's abrasiveness is softened by a disco-fied chorus, played with a sarcasm casual listeners may miss. Its references to the Iraq war are pointed, but Malakian said ``it's more of a social statement, a class statement'' than a political song.
``We're just a band that looks at music as art,'' he said. ``We don't just look at it as `Let's just play our guitars.' We're a heavy band, but we've got emotional and light sides to our songs, funny and sad. We don't limit ourselves.''
And thanks to rabid grassroots support and relentless touring,-- Malakian said, ``We've seen some success without having to change our ways.
``We've kind of stuck to our guns,'' he said. ``We've pretty much done things our way and things fell in the right place at the right time. With a little bit of luck here and a little bit of hard work there.''
- System of a Down plays tomorrow at the DCU Center in Worcester with the Mars Volta and Bad Acid Trip. Tickets are $37.50-$45. Call 617-228-6000 orgo to www.ticketmaster.com

LOAD-DATE: August 26, 2005

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HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Facing terror, facing up to loss

BODY:
The anti-war drumbeat has grown stronger during these dog days of August, these days of Cindy Sheehan's Crawford encampment, these days when even Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel is comparing Iraq to Vietnam.
Yesterday President Bush took on the fight, attempting to remind a nation with the world's shortest attention span why our troops are in Iraq and most of all why they must stay until the job is done. 
``We will not allow terrorists to establish new bases in failed states from which they can attack our citizens,'' Bush said in Idaho. He noted that after Sept. 11, ``we had a clear choice'' to either ``hunker down'' or ``bring the war to the terrorists, striking them before they could kill more of our people.
``I made a decision. America will not wait to be attacked again.''
He drew the line straight to Iraq and the haven it has always provided for terror.
An immediate withdrawal from Iraq would only ``embolden the terrorists,'' he said. ``As long as I am president, we will stay, we will fight and we will win the war on terror.''
Bush paid special tribute to the sacrifices of the National Guard (Idaho has some 1,700 guardsmen currently serving in Iraq, the highest percentage of any state in the nation) and military families. And even as Cindy Sheehan was winging her way back to Texas, Bush was paying tribute to Tammy Pruett, who has four sons currently serving in Iraq. A fifth son and her husband recently returned from duty in Mosul.
After his speech, Bush met with other military families, including the widow and the daughter of Staff Sgt. Virgil R. Case, who died in Iraq in June.
``My dad chose to go over there and that's something he was proud of, and our family was proud of him,'' Stevie Bitah, 18, told the Associated Press.
No, Cindy Sheehan does not speak for all who have lost loved ones in Iraq, but during these waning days of summer you'd never know that.

LOAD-DATE: August 25, 2005

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LENGTH: 291 words

HEADLINE: Few Hub employees join mag on D.C. move

BYLINE: By JAY FITZGERALD

BODY:
David Bradley may be taking The Atlantic magazine out of Boston.
But he's not taking the Bostonians with him.
Bradley, owner of the famous Hub-based magazine that is moving its editorial operations to Washington, D.C., has acknowledged that, so far, only four of The Atlantic's 39 editorial employees have agreed to relocate to the nation's capital. 
The result is that Bradley may now have to build an editorial staff nearly from scratch - searching for copy editors, reporters, assistant editors, a managing editor and a top editor.
By the end of the year, managing editor Cullen Murphy - who's been running The Atlantic since star editor Michael Kelly left in late 2002, also plans to step down. Kelly was later killed in Iraq.
Bradley has been interviewing candidates for the top job.
``I knew that most people were rooted in Boston and couldn't come down (to Washington),'' Bradley recently told the New York Observer. ``Only four people that I know of are coming, so four out of 39.''
Julia Rothwax, a spokesman for Bradley's Atlantic Media Co., said the number of people moving to D.C. is ``evolving and in flux'' and could end up being slightly higher than the unnamed four who have already committed, she said.
Editorial employees have been offered a job in Washington or a severance package, she said.
``The process now is to hire more people,'' she said, adding there's no specific target date for ultimately shutting the longtime Boston offices.
The Atlantic, which is close to celebrating its 150th anniversary, has been a perennial money loser for Bradley and his predecessor, real estate and media mogul Mort Zuckerman. But after Bradley bought the magazine and hired Kelly, The Atlantic experienced a journalistic and circulation renaissance.

LOAD-DATE: August 25, 2005

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August 24, 2005 Wednesday  
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HEADLINE: GI hero finds himself jobless

BODY:
With a resume like his, Jeans Cruz thought he'd be an easy hire. After all, how many applicants can boast of not only computer training and military experience but of having captured Saddam Hussein, too? 
Cruz was one of the two U.S. Army soldiers who hauled the deposed Iraqi dictator out of the spiderhole where he was found hiding in December 2003. He has the pictures to prove it.
``He smelled like one of the homeless men on the street. He said he was Saddam Hussein, but to be honest, I didn't believe him,'' Cruz told the New York Post.
His reconnaissance unit - part of the 10th Cavalry's G Troop within the 4th Infantry Division - left Iraq in April 2004. He was hailed as a hero at home in New York and was asked to be a grand marshal in Brooklyn's Puerto Rican Day Parade. But since the 24-year-old Bronx dad of a 2-year-old boy was discharged last month, he hasn't had a nibble in his job hunt. He's posted his resume on the Department of Labor and employment Web sites.
``I'm trying to get a job. I have a lot of things to put on my resume,'' he told the Post. ``I thought it would be pretty easy, with my background, but it hasn't.''
Complicating matters for Cruz, who was working as a security guard at the World Trade Center on 9/11, is his nursing assistant's certificate expired while he was in Iraq. But he doesn't regret serving in the Army. ``That was something I always wanted to do, and I accomplished something,'' he said.
- HERALD STAFF

GRAPHIC: GOT HIM: American soldier Jeans Cruz holds a picture of him posing with captured Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. SPLASHNEWS PHOTO

LOAD-DATE: August 24, 2005

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HEADLINE: Mass. guardsmen honored for valor

BYLINE: By THOMAS CAYWOOD

BODY:
A pair of Massachusetts National Guardsmen who braved incoming rockets, mortar rounds and machine-gun fire to help repel an insurgent attack outside Baghdad in April were awarded Bronze Star medals for valor Sunday.
Master Sgt. Joe Young, 52, of Orange and Sgt. Philip Rand Jr., 32, of Plymouth received the nation's fourth-highest award for combat heroism for their role in fighting off an insurgent force estimated to be at least 60 strong. 
``The first thing I thought was I had stepped into hell,'' said Young, who is still in Iraq, in remarks released by the Guard. ``There were small-arms rounds, mortars and rockets going off all around us.''
The outer perimeter of the base at Abu Ghraib was in danger of being overrun when Young and Rand, of the Quincy-based 1/102nd Field Artillery, exposed themselves to heavy enemy fire to replace a jammed heavy machine gun critical to the base's defense. A total of 36 coalition solders were wounded in the attack. But Young, a father of three grown daughters now on his second tour in Iraq, didn't mention the two-hour battle to his wife until she read about it on the Internet days later.
``He was doing a very good job protecting me,'' said Andrea Heckman-Young, adding that she's ``extremely proud'' of her husband. ``Joe has done his duty, and he's done his country proud and his family proud.''
Rand is a Bridgewater cop and former Marine reservist who returned to the military to serve his country during wartime, his mother, Jane Rand, said.
``He's the first to jump in. He's always been like that,'' she said. ``Every day you just have to worry about a knock on the door at night, but he chose to do this. He wants to make a difference.''
Three other members of the Quincy unit were awarded Army Commendation Medals with the ``V'' device for valor for their roles in repelling the April 2 attack: Staff Sgt. Christopher Yarger, 38, of North Attleboro; Sgt. William Gates, 28, of Belmont; and Sgt. Jimmy Lok, 28, of Randolph.

GRAPHIC: SHINING STARS: Master Sgt. Joe Young of Orange, left, and Sgt. Philip Rand Jr. of Plymouth received Bronze Stars. PHOTO COURTESY OF MASSACHUSETTS NATIONAL GUARD

LOAD-DATE: August 24, 2005

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HEADLINE: Soldier chases down ribbon-stealing `rugrats'

BYLINE: By BERNIE SMITH (NEWTON TAB)

BODY:
A gung-ho Newton soldier home from Iraq and nursing his wounds took off after two ``rugrats'' ripping off ribbons supporting the troops.
Army Spc.  
Richard Busa hobbled down the street in a cast, catching one of the teens.
``I caught these two little rugrats pulling (the yellow `Support the Troops') ribbons off cars,'' Busa said. ``You can be against the war, but you have to make it clear that you support the troops. If you don't, keep your mouth shut. There are men and women over there that are being shot at and dying.''
Busa said he and his fiancee saw two 17-year-old Newton neighbors pulling the magnetic ribbons off several cars.
Busa, who returned from Iraq after injuring his ankle and overextending a ligament, was able to catch the ``turds,'' as he calls them.
One of the two boys, the one who was actually stealing the ribbons, fled immediately. But the other boy froze.
``I told him, `Don't you dare go anywhere. Call your buddy back,' '' Busa said, who alerted the cops to report the petty larceny.
It was a police item from last week, but a story this soldier feels needs to be told.

GRAPHIC: ARMY SPC. RICHARD BUSA

LOAD-DATE: August 24, 2005

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LENGTH: 570 words

HEADLINE: Hat act; 
 Country singer Toby Keith is ready for his close-up

BYLINE: By SARAH RODMAN

BODY:
Toby Keith has a lot to talk about but he can't say much.
Strike that. The voluble country superstar can say plenty - he can't release certain choice details just yet.
For instance, the strapping Oklahoma native, who plays the Tweeter Center in Mansfield Saturday night, is starting a new record label. 
What's it called, you ask?
``I can't even tell you,'' he says.
The singer-songwriter, who's sold 25 million records the past 12 years, is also ready to throw his cowboy hat into the acting ring, following in the boot steps of Dwight Yoakam and Tim McGraw. But of his two potential films - one a romantic dramedy, the other based on a screenplay he wrote - Keith says, ``I don't know how much they'll let me talk about it.''
He's excited about the film work - having read roughly 300 scripts during the past four years - and is ready to doff his Stetson and get into character, not just transfer his big dog presence to the silver screen.
``I feel pretty comfortable,'' he says from a San Jose, Calif., tour stop, addressing the potential of leaving his rough and tumble persona behind. ``We're going to wade out, not dive right in the deep end,'' he says. ``I'm not going to be in a position where I've got to be Jack Nicholson quality.''
When not contemplating moguldom or movie stardom - and he also just opened Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill in Las Vegas - the 44-year-old former semi-pro footballer is enjoying his day job, touring for his most recent No. 1 album, ``Honkytonk University.'' The solid CD is a mix of bereft ballads - including a melancholy, hard country duet with Merle Haggard - and more uptempo stuff for fans of ``Who's Your Daddy'' and ``Beer for My Horses.''
``Pretty much the whole night from top to bottom is just rocking,'' says Keith of his set list, which he cherry-picks from his 21 No. 1 singles. ``It's more like a rock atmosphere with a country vibe,'' he says of his pyro-fueled stage production and 10-piece big band, including horn section.
There are some quieter moments with songs like ``American Soldier,'' which Keith says he sings for the scores of soldiers' families who come to his shows.
Keith also includes his aggressively patriotic, post-9/11 reaction song ``Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)'' - the hit that helped fuel that dust-up with the Dixie Chicks a few years back. He takes pains to point out the song reflected his support for invading Afghanistan to search for Osama bin Laden, not for the Iraq war.
``I never supported the Iraq war,'' says Keith, who describes himself as lifelong Democrat who has been unfairly portrayed as a warmonger.
He may be unsure about the war, but Keith puts his money where his mouth is when it comes to supporting the troops.
``I go over(seas) every spring and stay for 16 days,'' says Keith of the USO tours that have taken him everywhere from Iraq to Afghanistan to U.S. military bases throughout Europe.
It's those trips that make it easy for him to shrug off the image some people have of him as an angry redneck.
``I get painted with a lot of different kind of brushes that are usually wrong,'' says Keith.
So if some people want to paint him red, white and blue, that's just fine by him. He's just not going to say too much about it.
- Toby Keith plays the Tweeter Center, Mansfield, Saturday night with LeAnn Womack and Shooter Jennings. Tickets are $28.50-$64.75. Call 617-931-2000 or go to www.ticketmaster.com

LOAD-DATE: August 24, 2005

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August 23, 2005 Tuesday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 026

LENGTH: 756 words

HEADLINE: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

BODY:
Moms misbehave too
I read with great interest the Herald's coverage of deadbeat dads (Aug. 12). But, where are the stories about deadbeat mothers?
I have a friend in his late 20s who attends college and works full-time while raising three children under 7 years of age. He has never received a dime from the children's mother. Does he not exist? 
- Chris Ryan, East Bridgewater
Romney team justified
I am writing to correct a significant distortion of fact in the story about Gov. Romney's advance team (``Advancing Mitt's image; Romney team twice size of Weld's, Cellucci's,'' Aug. 19).
I have had the honor of serving five governors: Michael Dukakis, William Weld, Paul Cellucci, Jane Swift and Mitt Romney. While Martin Polera is technically correct in saying that at the beginning of the Weld administration almost 15 years ago he was the sole advance person on the governor's staff, the need to regularly borrow staff from other agencies for logistical assistance led to a gradual increase in advance staff. By 1993, the staff had grown to three, with an occasional increase to four, where it remains today. It is simply not true that the current advance team is twice the size of Weld's or Cellucci's.
To my mind, the most significant point omitted in this article is that the cost of running the governor's office has decreased almost 10 percent since Romney took office.
- Theresa Dolan, Director of Administration, Office of the Governor
Cartoon clears air
Thanks to Jerry Holbert for his breastfeeding cartoon (Aug. 11). It definitely put the controversy into perspective.
- R.J. Carroll, Woburn
Murphys play positive
In reading Michele McPhee's article, I was deeply touched by the efforts of the Dropkick Murphys to honor Andrew Farrar, a soldier and a hero who died earlier this year while fighting in Iraq (```Murphys' always faithful to Marine,'' Aug. 18).
In a time where celebrities, athletes and musicians are deified by the media for selfishness and greed, the Dropkick Murphys constantly go out of their way to use their celebrity influence for good. Kudos to the Murphys. People may not agree about the war, but all of us should do our part to support our fallen heroes.
- Matthew Tierney, Weymouth
Leave Cuba alone
Columnist Kathleen Parker raised intriguing questions with her rant concerning the birthday of Fidel Castro (``For totalitarianism, he takes the cake,'' Aug. 17).
Interestingly, the religious organization IFCO/Pastors for Peace recently wrote about increasing U.S. efforts to subvert the Cuban government. The Cuban government, like the U.S. government, forbids foreign seditious activities to proliferate under the umbrella of ``civil liberties'' with attempts to overthrow their government.
Also, the United States, like Cuba, has laws against hijacking, sedition and treason, and enforces them, regrettably also with capital punishment.
Despite restricted political activity in Cuba, polls show that most Cubans support the government's economic endeavors since most participate in decision making, unlike the United States. Their strategy is to provide an antidote to the grinding poverty and misery of other unpopular Latin American governments that are shamefully supported by Washington.
- Bruce T. Boccardy, Allston
Disclosure defended
Churches are public charities indistinct from educational, civil rights and social welfare organizations and should file an Annual Financial Report like other tax-exempt organizations. The Rev. Diane Kessler concedes that Senate Bill 1074 does not expand the attorney general's power (``State role in church regs intrusive,'' Aug. 15). So how does this bill affect the ``authority and oversight of financial matters''?
This bill is not an attack on any church, nor is it being pursued with ``blinding anger'' in response to a Roman Catholic problem as portrayed by the Rev. Kessler. Undoubtedly, many donors will applaud their religious organization when they review the annual report.
Also, charitable law is already mindful of congregations that run on shoestring budgets. It is unlikely small congregations will have to file the CPA-audited statement only required of charities with donations of $500,000 or more annually. The form is not cumbersome. Many of the 30,000 charities that now file are quite small and answer ``not applicable'' to questions.
Ultimately, we hope that all religious charities will support this bill and will eagerly file this report for the benefit of the taxpayers, the membership and the charity itself.
- Sen. Marian Walsh, Suffolk and Norfolk District 

LOAD-DATE: August 23, 2005

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August 21, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: THE EDGE; Pg. 043

LENGTH: 580 words

HEADLINE: Music; 
 Stones raise voices against war

BYLINE: By LARRY KATZ

BODY:
``George Bush doesn't listen to us,'' Keith Richards said.
But that's not the only reason the Rolling Stones, who open their world tour at Fenway Park today, won't be getting an invitation to the White House anytime soon.
The Brit rockers' new CD, ``A Bigger Bang,'' comes out Sept. 6, but Matt Drudge and other right-wing media types are already foaming at the mouth after discovering the lyrics to one of its songs, ``Sweet Neo Con,'' a scarcely disguised savaging of the commander in chief.
``You call yourself a Christian 
I think that you're a hypocrite
You say you are a patriot
I think that you're a crock of (expletive)
. . . How come you're so wrong?
My sweet neo con.''
Mick Jagger, who wrote the lyrics, goes on to criticize the war in Iraq as well as Bush's motives for starting it.
``It's liberty for all
Democracy's our style
Unless you are against us
Then it's prison without trial
But one thing that is certain
Life is good at Haliburton . . .''
``I've got strong opinions,'' Jagger said in a phone interview last week. ``I'm obviously very interested in the way that we conduct foreign policy in the West. It's one of my interests, if not passions. So obviously I have opinions about it.''
But never in the 42-year history of the Rolling Stones has he expressed such partisan opinion. You can count previous Stones political songs on one hand: the wishy-washy ``Street Fighting Man''; ``Sweet Black Angel,'' widely construed as an ode to black activist Angela Davis; and ``Undercover of the Night,'' a denunciation of South and Central American dictators and death squads. There's not much more to add to the list.
``There's been other social comment before from the Rolling Stones,'' Jagger said. ``This one's a bit more direct. Perhaps it's the times we're living in. I was being more direct than metaphorical.
``I think right-wing commentators get fed up with pop singers getting involved with anything but pop singing. But artists have responsibilities too. Everyone has responsibilities. As long as you don't bang on about it every day - because people get pretty bored with that - I think comments from artists, whether they are painters or any kind of creative people, is part of what you do.''
Richards supports his partner Jagger's song, but he worries that fans will think it's a calculated publicity ploy - or simply boring.
``I spoke to Mick about it,'' Richards said in a separate phone conversation. ``Personally, I find politicians a very pallid subject. I said to Mick, `Are you sure these guys are worth a Rolling Stones song?'
``But he felt strongly about it and he writes the songs as well as myself. I said, `If you feel like that about it and you feel it needs to be said, then I'm backing you up, pal.' That's the way it is. But my fear is that one little track like that would be a storm in a tea cup and distract from the rest of the record. But that was my only reservation. Otherwise, hey, it's free speech, right?''
And just wait. Those with their knickers in a twist over ``Sweet Neo Con'' have yet to discover that there's another pointed anti-Iraq War jab on ``A Bigger Bang.'' In ``Dangerous Beauty,'' Jagger addresses the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal with some very dark humor.
``Who you got there in that hood
You look so fancy in those photographs
With your rubber gloves on
But you're a favorite of the Chiefs of Staff . . .''
``You're almost the first person to bring that (song) up,'' Jagger said. ``I never hustled that one. But, yes, it's pretty strong.''

LOAD-DATE: August 21, 2005

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August 21, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 008

LENGTH: 139 words

HEADLINE: Jon Keller's SPIN-O-METER

BODY:
CBS4 Political Analyst
(Spinometer needle halfway between spin and truth)
----------------
``She's really just trying to get the same answers to questions we've been asking for three years: Why are we there?'' 
- A supporter of anti-Iraq War protestor Cindy Sheehan at a Concord vigil last week
Poor Mrs. Sheehan, who lost a son in Iraq, looked like she might be the symbolic spark to ignite mainstream anti-war backlash - until she started spouting sympathy-smothering hate speech about Israel and America. She isn't looking for ``answers,'' just a forum to vent. That's the spin part.
But the ``why are we there'' question exposes a troubling truth about the Michael Moore left: They really don't believe the 9/11 attacks were wrong and justified an American military response. And that's the key reason their protests remain marginalized.

LOAD-DATE: August 21, 2005

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August 21, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 024

LENGTH: 318 words

HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Iran's threat merits hard line

BODY:
Iran's cocky new hard-line government has raised the stakes in the dispute over its nuclear program with a threat to close the Strait of Hormuz. The Bush administration must make clear that such an action would mean a war to keep open the oil lifeline of the world.
During the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, the U.S. Navy patrolled the Arabian Gulf (to which the strait leads) to keep the oil flowing and even sank a few small Iranian vessels. A warning to Iran - which could be delivered quietly at first - might well combine a reminder of those days and a caution that the next time hostilities would not be confined to small boats at sea but would include all of Iran's air force and naval assets. 
Through the straits pass tankers from Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq, carrying about one barrel in every four produced on the planet. If Iran means to include its own shipments in the threat, that would make the flow about 30 percent of the world total. Interrupting this for any length of time would amount to ``actual strangulation'' of the world economy, as Henry Kissinger noted more than 30 years ago.
Perhaps emboldened by high oil prices, Mohammad Saeedi, spokesman for Iran's Center for Nuclear Energy, was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying, ``We have told the Europeans very clearly that if any country wants to deal with Iran in an illogical and arrogant way we will block the Strait of Hormuz.''
Iran has been negotiating with Britain, France and Germany, who with the United States want Iran to give up plans to manufacture nuclear fuel to remove all possibility that the country, which has lied for almost 20 years about its nuclear activities, could some day build a bomb.
Britain, France and Germany should make clear that the oil threat will not deter them in the least from seeking sanctions in the United Nations Security Council if need be.

LOAD-DATE: August 21, 2005

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August 20, 2005 Saturday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 014

LENGTH: 357 words

HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 A constitution for Iraq

BODY:
Call us hopeless optimists, but we think there's still a good chance Iraq's politicians will produce a draft constitution to submit to the voters by Monday's deadline.
Even if they fail, it's not the end of the world. Another week is probably available before the scheduled October vote on approval would have to be postponed. A breakdown would mean new elections will be held and the resulting National Assembly will try again. 
But there are at least two reasons for optimism: First, nobody walked away from the table when the first deadline passed last Monday, and second, the Sunni participants are most probably not dreamers. They can surely see the consequences of the worst-case scenario, a three-way split of the country among Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds and the departure of American troops from all three areas. There is reason to believe the Sunnis will accept at the last minute the best offers they can get.
The United States is working as hard as it can to avoid a split along religious and ethnic lines. That would surely lead to yet another round of cleansing in a nation that has already seen far too much of that under Saddam. An independent Kurdistan in what is northern Iraq would be seen by Turkey, a NATO ally, as a magnet for its own Kurdish population and, therefore, a threat to Turkey's territorial integrity. A Shiite state in southern Iraq would be far more vulnerable to malign Iranian influence than the area is now, even if the Iraqi Shiites wanted to stay independent.
But those two states would control substantial oil production and revenue. An independent Sunni state would have no such revenues to speak of, and would be hard-pressed to defend itself from its neighbors, or from a new Taliban-type regime dominated by the underground jihadists who plague the area now.
The division of oil revenue has been a major stumbling block to a draft constitution, though not the only one by any means. An oil agreement allotting at least some of the revenue benefits to Sunni areas could open the way to others on the role of Islam, women's rights and much else. If we had to bet, we'd bet that the Iraqis will come up with one.

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BYLINE: By BRIAN BALLOU

BODY:
Decorated Marine Daniel Cotnoir should be in a doctor's care, said the mother of a teen injured by a bullet Cotnoir allegedly shot into a crowd of youths early Saturday in Lawrence.
But Naida Cumba of Lowell wouldn't say whether she thinks Cotnoir, who was recently named Marine Corps Times' 2005 Marine of the Year, should be able to skip jail or any other sort of punishment entirely.
``I believe that he needs treatment right now, but I'm not going to say anything about whether he needs to go to jail or not,'' said Cumba, whose daughter, Lisette, 15, was hit by a bullet fragment as she stood in the parking lot of the Longhorn Gas Station on Broadway. 
Cumba, 39, added: ``I don't think he would have shot at people if he got help before he came back from Iraq.''
Cotnoir, who served in a mortuary unit collecting slain Marines' remains, sought counseling after he returned from Iraq in November.
Yesterday, a Fort Devens-based unit was preparing to deploy to Iraq to help troops in the field deal with the stress of combat.
``(Post-traumatic stress disorder) is one of the largest threats to our armed forces today and the 883rd Combat Stress Control Company is well trained to help our soldiers deal with the psychological effects of the battlefield,'' said U.S. Rep. Martin Meehan during a farewell ceremony for the 83-member unit.
The 883rd, comprised of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses and other health-related reservists, will first undergo a month's training at Fort Dix, N.J. In a previous deployment to Iraq, six members of the unit counseled soldiers ambushed in the convoy that included Pvt. Jessica Lynch.
Sgt. Philip Burke, a middle school counselor with a master's degree in social work, said one of the troop's main responsibilities is counseling soldiers who have just experienced ``critical events.''
``We will do debriefings with the soldiers that are similar to what police or other emergency services receive here after a homicide or some sort of crisis event,'' Burke said.

GRAPHIC: POIGNANT: Spc. Franny Vitiello is embraced by his mom, Linda McGahan, and daughter, Jillian, at yesterday's deployment ceremony. STAFF PHOTO BY TED FITZGERALD

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HEADLINE: LETTERS; 
 No shame in nursing

BODY:
I was stunned to read Joe Fitzgerald's column about public breastfeeding at sporting events (``Another view of public breast-feeding: It's just plain wrong,'' Aug. 10).
Fitzgerald is upset because breasts have no place at football games unless, of course, they're fake and attached to a cheerleader who's shaking them for the fans.
The only thing worse than the column are the knucklehead poll respondents who suggest that mothers nurse in the restrooms at Fenway. If we're going to make mothers nurse there, then the city should gather supplies for a cholera outbreak. I'd rather have my child nursed in a TB ward. 
Babies have to eat. If a 300-pound shirtless guy at Gillette can eat a pound of nachos and wash them down with a half-gallon of beer without shame, then a mother ought to be able to breast-feed her baby without any.
- Tim McIntire, Medford
Editorial distorts law
The editorial ``Keep and improve Voting Rights Act,'' (Aug. 14) distorted the Voting Rights Act by claiming that it requires states to draw majority-minority legislative districts whenever possible. In fact, the act requires such districts only as a remedy for proven discrimination.
The very provision you criticized allowed Boston voters to expose and correct the gerrymandering after the 2000 Census, when legislators tried to pack black and Latino voters into 90 percent minority districts in order to minimize minority voting strength.
The editorial also claims that the preclearance provisions of the law, which apply in the parts of the country with the worst history of discrimination, are no longer needed. Tell that to the black citizens of Kilmichael, Miss., where the all-white town council tried to cancel municipal elections in 2001 when it looked like blacks might gain a majority on the council. The Justice Department kept the polls open by using its authority under Section 5, one of the provisions up for renewal in 2007. 
Finally, Latinos and Asian-Americans in Boston have repeatedly complained that Boston polling officials have coerced or ignored the ballot choices of voters with limited English. The Justice Department's recent lawsuit is a response to such complaints.
- Brenda Wright, Boston, Managing Attorney, National Voting Rights Institute
Group clarifies mission
As a member of QueerToday and participant in the demonstration, I am pleased to see media coverage (``Anti-gay conference draws fire,'' Aug. 16). However, the Herald's interpretation of the event, and QueerToday, is inaccurate.
QueerToday is an organization founded to advocate for the equality of all LGBT people, specifically queer youth, an often overlooked segment. Instead of speaking with our organization, the Herald quoted a director of the Freedom to Marry Coalition, who has nothing to do with our group and was not even at our demonstration. Nor were there any Herald reporters present.
Focus on the Family's ``Love Won Out'' is a direct attack on queer youth, designed to suppress their voices and rights.
- Andrea Garvey, Boston
Bush breaks commitment
One might think Cindy Sheehan is acting unreasonably, but she should get her meeting (``Vigils pick up steam as war support falters,'' Aug. 18). The president claimed that consideration for our fallen soldiers is one reason we should stay in Iraq and that the soldiers and their families should be valued. Sheehan says staying in Iraq would tarnish her son's memory. She wants to use her right to be highly valued, but the president does not want to accept that commitment.
- Mark Gorman, Malden
Marine defended
What is a 15-year-old girl doing out at 2:30 a.m? Where were her parents? This is their responsibility more than the Marine's (``Neighbors say, `We've had enough,''' Aug. 16).
- Bob Shurdut, West Newton
Just learn English
Why do Hispanics have rights not afforded to other immigrants (``Lack of English a lesson not yet learned,'' Aug. 17)? If they came here legally and adopted the United State as their country, they must learn the language. After a recent minor traffic accident, I asked the other driver, who did not speak English, for his license. He gave me the middle finger and sped off. I took the license plate and found it not registered or insured, but the driver had obtained a valid inspection sticker. How? Illegally?
I'm a foreigner who earned my citizenship and learned English. I'm proud of it.
- Claudia Perault, Wilmington

LOAD-DATE: August 19, 2005

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HEADLINE: Op-Ed; 
 Discharged vets also under the gun

BYLINE: By WAYNE WOODLIEF

BODY:
The shotgun blast fired by ``Marine of the Year'' Daniel Cotnoir into a crowd of late-night partiers in Lawrence marks a far more profound warning shot for American government and society.
Bad enough that two young people were wounded, one in the neck. They, or others, could have been killed. And they now may share their own version of post-traumatic stress disorder - the anguishing aftermath of violence that Cotnoir's lawyer has said he suffered from his experiences as a combat mortician in Iraq. 
``The Iraq war has come to Lawrence,'' a friend of Cotnoir's told the Herald. But it just as easily could come to Boston or Salem or Weymouth - anywhere our servicemen and women have returned home after their horrific experiences in a war that seems to have no end.
As U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Lowell), who is doggedly seeking more resources to help such veterans, told me, ``This is going to get much worse as more of our troops come home. The impossibility of telling Iraq friend from Iraq foe, the knowledge that every road you travel could have an explosive device; all this is enough to make a person haywire.''
Cotnoir will undergo mental evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital to determine if he is fit for trial. But what of other vets who might have similar flashpoints?
Meehan has been raising just such questions. And he is justly infuriated that few in official Washington are listening.
``Eight-six percent of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have been exposed to combat and one in five has suffered from major depression or post-traumatic stress syndrome,'' he said. ``It's morally reprehensible to send our brave young men and women into Iraq and then not try to make them whole - mentally as well as physically - when they come home.''
Meehan has tried for two years to get a major bill for increased screening and treatment of such wounds - just as real as those that tear the flesh - through Congress. He has scored a partial success: winning funding for a public awareness campaign aimed at destigmatizing mental health treatment.
``It's a first step,'' Meehan said. ``We need this kind of outreach to take the stigma off treatment. Our military is trained to be tough.''
But to some, tough means sucking up your emotions. Seeing a counselor would, therefore, be weakness.
``Senior officers must be encouraged to talk openly about their own (stress) experiences so that our troops can feel comfortable about seeking treatment without fear of repercussion.''
Massachusetts officials also are wise to begin exploring mandatory mental health screening for National Guardsmen returning from Iraq. And Meehan wants a national system of thorough mental and physical screening before troops are sent home - plus much better treatment for their problems.
``It's unconscionable,'' he said, that the armed services merely administer a questionnaire about post-traumatic stress disorder, not a real exam.
``Many of them just want to get home. They fill out the questionaires in a rush.''
Meehan's bill calls for exhaustive exams by experts on stress syndrome. And - appalled by federal oversight findings that Veterans Administration facilities ``have steadily eroded'' - he estimates ``we need a doubling of the $2.5 billion to $3 billion being spent now for all VA mental health services.''
He has allies. The American Psychological Association in February urged Washington to accelerate identification and treatment of stress disorders both during the deployment overseas and for returning military - disorders that ``often emerge years after the deployment ends.''
Years. You can almost hear those clocks ticking.
Wayne Woodlief writes weekly for the Boston Herald.

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HEADLINE: `Murphys' always faithful to marine; 
 Fallen hero was fan of Hub band

BYLINE: BY MICHELE MCPHEE

BODY:
Andrew Farrar's Marine platoon had made a vow that none of them would write ``what if'' letters home from Iraq, convinced that just talking about dying in combat would be a kind of curse.
So his letters home were full of promise instead of dread, with one gushing about a Christmas gift of a CD of his favorite band, Boston's own Dropkick Murphys.
``Thanks Ma. I got your package today. I love (Dropkick Murphy's) `The Fields of Athenry.' I swear I want them to play that song on the pipes at my funeral when I die,'' Farrar wrote in his last letter home to Weymouth. 
``When Andrew wrote that he meant he wanted bagpipers to play it when he died of old age,'' said his brother, Nate Farrar, 25.
The older brother was just weeks away from coming home when he wrote that letter. He planned to renew his wedding vows to his wife Melissa as their little boys, Tyler, 7, and Liam, 3, watched.
But the next letter from Iraq was from the Marines.
``We regret to inform you that on January 28 Sgt. Andrew Farrar died while serving his country in the Al-Anbar province of Iraq. Words cannot convey our sorrow.''
Nate Farrar wrote an email to Dropkick Murphys Web site to talk about his brother's love for the band. Within minutes he got a response from bassist Ken Casey: ``Call me.''
Nate Farrar did. And on the cold day Farrar's body was carried up the steps into St. Frances Xavier Church in Weymouth, Dropkick Murphys was outside.
And ``The Fields of Athenry'' skirled in the harsh winter wind.
Dropkick Murphys spent the night before the funeral in the studio, recording a version of the ballad especially for Andrew Farrar. There were only three CDs cut.
Casey tucked one under the slain Marine's arm before he was buried. Another was handed to his wife, and the third to his parents, Andrew Sr. and Claire.
``This is Andrew's song. We did it for him,'' Casey told them, promising it would not be released. The band had already written a song about letters from soldiers in Iraq to their families. But now that song, ``Last Letter Home,'' is about Andrew Farrar, the lyrics his own words.
``Hey Melissa. Don't be afraid. I'm in good hands. I'm going to be home soon. It's time to watch the children grow up.''
The family has since given the band permission to break their promise and release Andrew's song to raise money for a memorial fund in his honor.
The band is creating 2,500 CDs that will contain just two songs, Andrew Farrar's version of the ``Fields of Athenry,'' along with the tribute song, ``Last Letter Home.'' The $10 CD is available strictly through the website, www.dropkickmurphys.com.
Donations can be made at the Southshore Savinds Bank, 1530 Main Street, Weymouth, MA, 02190.

GRAPHIC: Tribute: Nate Farrar, left, his father Andrew, and Dropkick Murphys bassist Ken Casey hold a portrait of fallen Marine Andrew Farrar Jr., a huge fan of the Boston band. The Murphy's have released a CD to raise money for a memorial fund in Andrew Jr.'s honor. Staff photo by Matt Stone

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HEADLINE: Vigils pick up steam as war support falters

BYLINE: By Margery Eagan

BODY:
Edward Loechler, host of Brookline PeaceWorks vigil last night for Gold Star mother Cindy Sheehan, prefers the word ``progressive'' to ``left wing nut,'' which is what many would call both Sheehan, Ed Loechler and his fellow vigilers.
He also understands that ``people find us annoying.''
True.
Three Cindy vigils in Brookline. Two in Jamaica Plain. Six in Cambridge, of course, all organized by Moveon.org. 
So there we were last night at the corner of Harvard and Beacon Street, Coolidge Corner, Brookline; three Starbucks within a half a mile, two-bedroom condos selling for $500,000. Maybe 40 or 50 mostly older, white vigilers holding candles, singing ``Kumbaya'' and ``Where Have All the Flowers Gone'' like a big '60s reprise as CVS workers ruined the mood by passing between them unloading big boxes of Tide and Bounty and Charmin toilet paper from a delivery truck.
At one point a mentally challenged supermarket bagger charged through the crowd making obscene gestures and shouting, ``You Michael Moore-loving fascists!'' Of at least three dozen vigilers asked, not one knew anybody in the military, probably because Brookline High has never been a feeder school for Camp Lejeune.
Yet just up Beacon Street in Washington Square was a much bigger, quieter, more dignified and mixed group of vigilers, including several children and a couple holding a huge sign, ``Like Cindy, We Want the Truth, Mr. President.'' And as they stood with their candles the mood was somber, solemn.
You had time to reflect about the reason these people even bothered to come out at all. And it was not just for Cindy Sheehan, several said, but because of their dread about this war and what it means for our future; because of ``all the young people dead,'' said a woman in her twenties, fearing for her younger siblings in a draft; and because of a loss of faith in the president who took us into Iraq. And now his refusal to meet with Cindy Sheehan out there in Crawford with her rows and rows of white crosses? No matter how wacky she is, no matter what she's said in her rage, it makes Bush seem so much less of a man, nevermind a leader.
Maybe last night's vigilers were just ahead of their time. Look at any recent poll: yesterday's most reliable Rasmussen poll, for example. It said much of America has lost its faith as well. And more than a third of us, Democrats and Republicans, now believe the terrorists, not us, are winning.
Ed Loechler, a Boston University molecular biologist, says if you just spent enough time with his fellow PeaceWorkers, you may or may not agree, but you'd understand ``that our hearts are in the right place.'' For after he gives you the usual anti-Bush spiel about neo-cons lying us into Baghdad, he has an answer when asked: what now? Bring the troops home, now, he and the PeaceWorkers say, even if Iraq devolves into civil war. ``There is no perfect solution,'' he says. ``There are going to be problems if we pull the troops out. But the question is how to minimize the mess.''
Then he makes an analogy between a pullout now and our pullout from Vietnam.
But there's a big, scary difference. When we fled Vietnam 30 years ago, the Vietnamese bore the brunt of our abandonment. Nobody came after us, the Americans.
We pull out now, the smart money says, Iraq becomes even more of a festering, simmering, terror hotel. And then they do come after us. Big time.
- Margery Eagan's radio show airs at noon weekdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays on 96.9 FM-Talk.

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HEADLINE: Letters to the Editor

BODY:
Taiwan owed U.N. place
Columnist Peter Brookes further illustrates the dire need for 23 million Taiwanese to be granted recognition by the United Nations (``Sino-Russian sabres rattling,'' Aug. 16). China's desire to host the exercises closer to Taiwan is another action designed to bully Taiwan into forced submission.
The Taiwanese people enjoy a thriving democracy. They, not China, will determine their own course. It is fitting that China's quest to stymie democracy in Taiwan has found a willing ally in Russia. Only through allowing Taiwan greater representation in the world community can we cease this senseless onslaught on freedoms that are universal rights of all human beings. 
- Mark Mesiti, Somerville
O'Reilly schooled
Fortunately, right-wing boor Bill O'Reilly is a former teacher. In his skewed logic, any tax on the well-to-do means the poor folk can have more government entitlements (``Ted K fails most basic lesson,'' Aug. 15).
Pretty sad stuff from someone who plays the Republican Everyman when he's really a member of the media elite.
O'Reilly eschews the facts when he says, ``The federal government is spending record amounts of money on public education.'' Since the Bush administration's gutting of virtually every education aid program, 250,000 qualified American students each year have been unable to attend college because they simply can't afford it.
- Gene McCarthy, Arlington
Needle shock overrated
Why are Heather Mudd and Michael Mandell ``seeking legal advice'' because an IV catheter was inadvertently left in their infant daughter's arm (``Parents stung by needle left in baby's arm,'' Aug. 17). The hospital was correct to call this a ``minor oversight,'' one that neither harmed nor endangered the patient.
We all pay the price for frivolous legal actions - taxes go up to pay for more courts; legitimate cases are delayed by frivolous ones; medical bills and insurance premiums go up because of rising malpractice insurance rates; and doctors are forced to give less attention to each patient so they can see enough patients to afford to stay in practice.
Yes, the hospital should have apologized. However, since an ambulance-chasing attorney can warp ``We're sorry'' into ``We're at fault,'' the danger of frivolous litigation prevents hospitals from apologizing for minor oversights.
The nurses who left the catheter in are surely sorry, even if hospital policy prohibits them from saying so.
- Jonathan Kamens, Brighton
War based on weapons
World War II veteran Paul Brailsford asks of President Bush: ``Why did you make this war?'' (``Hub protestors stand with dead vet's mom,'' Aug. 14). Paul, thank you for your service to our country.
When informed by many sources, including Russian and British, that Iraq possessed WMDs and, therefore, was a threat to the United States in light of 9/11, President Bush had no choice but to go into Iraq. That's why President Bush made this war.
When it became clear that WMDs were not to be found and Iraq was no longer a threat to the United States, it was time for Presdient Bush to leave Iraq.
- Dino Livolsi, Arlington
Meth a menace
With our first crystal meth overdose, it is time for the Southie politicians to realize that the hope and recovery mission, aside from a few cases, isn't working (``First meth OD prompts lawmakers to push bill,'' Aug. 14).
For too long, good people in the neighborhood have been victimized by junkies. The majority of residents hear nothing about punishment for the offenders. They only hear how more money is needed for drug treatment and rehab beds. Lawmakers need to stop treating this problem as a medical condition and start treating it as crime. It's time to pass a bill requiring harsh mandatory sentences for first-time offenders.
- Thomas P. Flaherty Jr., South Boston
Efficient emergency
Instead of wasting taxpayers' money by supplying every small and insignificant town, why not supply the metropolitan cities with a full array of equipment and training (Aug. 3)? Other strategically located cities with larger populations could also be supplied with equipment that nearby small towns could use for training and emergencies.
Presently, the only people who are making a killing are the manufacturers of this emergency equipment.
- Peter Pihun, Woonsocket, R.I.

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HEADLINE: Lawrence eyes steps to curb late partying

BYLINE: By BRIAN BALLOU

BODY:
LAWRENCE - In the wake of last weekend's shooting outside a late-night club, the city's police chief and mayor are taking aim at controversial city laws allowing late drinking and after-hours clubs.
``This is a formula for disaster,'' said police Chief John Romero, referring to an ordinance that allows people under 21 to enter late-night restaurants that hold liquor licenses. He is drafting a change that would bar minors. 
Romero and Mayor Michael Sullivan are also exploring the possibility of having club hours scaled back. This year, closing time went to 2 a.m. Closing time was 1 a.m. until a year ago.
Romero and Sullivan are now reacting to anger at the late-night clubs after the alleged shooting by Daniel Cotnoir, a decorated Marine and Iraq war veteran, into a raucous crowd near his apartment, after someone tossed a bottle into his window. Bullet fragments hit two people, including a 15-year-old girl who had just come out of a restaurant at 2:30 a.m.
In March, Hector Paniagua, a local high school basketball star, was paralyzed after being shot outside another late-night club.
Romero said, ``We have 54 alcohol-restaurant locations in the city that allows owners to bring in people under 21. The club where Hector was shot had an alcohol-restaurant license, but didn't even have the capacity to serve food. This is a blatant way of drawing kids in under 21.'' Romero's proposal would require minors to leave restaurants that serve alcohol by 11 p.m., require the restaurants to actually be able to serve food, and separate bars from dining area.
Boston does not allow late-night restaurants to hold liquor licenses. ``The city has never gone for that because it is very difficult to enforce and there is the potential for easy violation,'' said Trish Malone, the director of the Mayor's office of consumer affairs and licensing.
Some youth in Lawrence said the city needs to do something to keep teens from having easy access to alcohol in clubs because it leads to violence when the crowds leave.
``I'm paranoid about going out at night because it is crazy,'' said Kenny Guerrero, 15.
Angelo Paulino, 17, said ``Those crowds are violent when they come out. And it's because a lot of the kids are drinking when they're inside.''
Romero said he will give the ordinance to the city attorney for review and hopes to make a presentation to the City Council soon.
Cotnoir, an Iraq veteran who has sought counseling at a veterans' hospital and allegedly told police PTSD played a role in the shooting, was part of a mortuary unit in Iraq. He helped collect and prepare the remains of up to 100 Marines killed in action, often horribly mangled by bombs.
He was named Marine Corps Times 2005 Marine of the Year for his work. Contrary to widespread news reports, however, he told the Boston Herald last month he did not personally remove mutilated contractor bodies from the bridge in Fallujah, although the task was handled by his larger unit.

GRAPHIC: DANGEROUS AT NIGHT: Kenny Guerrero, at left in top photo, and Rigo Sotomayor, right, both 15, talk about the late-night scene in Lawrence. Angelo Paulino, 17, above, says the crowds are violent because they've been drinking. STAFF PHOTOS BY ANGELA ROWLINGS

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HEADLINE: Loaded weapon, PTSD a bad mix

BYLINE: By PETER GELZINIS

BODY:
Few of us could begin to imagine the kind of horror Marine reservist Daniel Cotnoir encountered during his time in Iraq.
And those who could least imagine it would be that rowdy crew of knuckleheads who huddled outside a Lawrence nightclub at 2:30 Saturday morning and proceeded to hurl a bottle through Cotnoir's bedroom window.
Still, the question remains: Does a soldier's anxiety, coupled with - or in this case, aggravated by - the loutish antics of a bunch of neighborhood jerks equal a shotgun blast out the window?
``I think you can psychopathologize almost anything these days,'' Dr. John Green explained, ``but I have to say that I think the PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) defense could be a bit of a stretch here. From what I've read so far, it seems more likely that he was just fed up at all that had been going on and exercised bad judgment.'' 
Long before Green became a clinical psychologist who has worked with the staff of Boston's VA hospital, he manned a .50-caliber machine gun on a Marine helicopter in Vietnam.
It is not that Green is unsympathetic to a fellow Marine's predicament. Quite the contrary - it's that he's spent so much of his professional life examining what post-traumatic stress disorder is . . . as well as what it is not.
``You can't really get away from the obvious here,'' Green said. ``What's (Cotnoir) doing with a loaded gun? PTSD is an anxiety-related disorder. The basic response to dealing with it is to eliminate anything that can help feed into that anxiety. Access to a loaded weapon is never a good thing, especially not when you're trying to get the hell away from anxiety.''
Cotnoir was not yet born when Green returned from Vietnam. Yet, as Marines, they are bound across a generation by the same training, the same code.
Given the degree of training Cotnoir completed, Green knows that he certainly could've wreaked far more havoc upon those rowdy teens. ``It's clear he wasn't looking to kill anyone,'' he said. ``I'm sure he's stunned he even hit anyone with a shotgun from 30 or 40 yards away.''
Green also doesn't agree with a ``warning shot'' scenario. ``What the Marines drum into your head from day one,'' he said, ``is that you can never have a casual attitude about a weapon. There are far more rules about NOTusing a weapon than the other way around. And then, only as a last resort.''
To underscore the point, Green recalled standing guard duty with a South Vietnamese soldier and Korean marine half a lifetime ago. ``I was there to check the Americans going in and out of the base,'' Green said. ``The last thing my captain said to me was, `Don't shoot anybody.'
``So, along comes this Vietnamese guy on a motor scooter. The Vietnamese soldier asked him to stop. The Korean marine just blew him right off the bike. Killed him right there. If I had done it, I'd still be in Leavenworth.''
Along with the ghastly but noble work Cotnoir was asked to do as a mortician - gathering the remains of his dead comrades in Iraq - there is the infuriating struggle he's had here at home, with shots fired at his Lawrence home and legions of raucous clubgoers who've been partying across the street for several years.
To this incendiary mix, add what Cotnoir told the police Saturday morning about the disagreement he'd had with his wife and the beer he'd consumed. Hopefully, the totality of stress in Cotnoir's life will be addressed by a system that balances justice with compassion.
If nothing else, it would be nice to think the city of Lawrence has learned something as well. With his single act of bad judgment, a proud Marine may have provided his city with a chance to prevent a larger tragedy from happening.

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HEADLINE: Local activists join vigils to support anti-war mom

BYLINE: By PETER REUELL (METROWEST DAILY NEWS)

BODY:
Cindy Sheehan's determination will burn brightly at 1,000 candlelight vigils nationwide tonight.
The lobbying group MoveOn.org is organizing the show of solidarity with the grieving mom turned anti-war icon, and local anti-war groups are joining in on the streets of Brookline, Somerville, Newton, Wellesley, Framingham, Natick and Sherborn. 
``I am a mother, and I think as a parent, you . . . start to examine the reason that our country is at war, and it leaves a lot of questions,'' said Judith Rich, a Natick mother organizing that town's vigil.
Sheehan lost her son Casey in Iraq about a year ago. She started a sit-in outside the president's Crawford, Texas, ranch Aug. 6 and has demanded an audience with the commander in chief. President Bush has said he sympathizes with Sheehan but has given no indication he will meet with her. The president's Texas neighbors complained yesterday, saying the California mother's protest is becoming a nuisance.
Participants in tonight's vigils are expected to pause for 30 minutes, organizers said.
``I guess I'd say I'm glad Cindy Sheehan has brought attention to the war,'' said Nancy Stoodt, organizer of Framingham's vigil. ``I think we need some answers as to why we're there. We need a clear strategy that will help us be able to leave Iraq, and not be there for years.''
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Nations must treat all wounds of war

BODY:
Once Sgt. Daniel Cotnoir's superiors learned of his work at the family funeral home back in Lawrence, he was assigned one of the most gruesome duties of war.
Cotnoir spent his days and nights in Iraq LITERALLY scraping body parts off the ground and piecing them back together. 
Among other appalling tasks, he retrieved the remains of four civilian contractors who were strung up on a Fallujah bridge.
All this as bullets flew, and roadside bombs blew up, creating what must have seemed like endless work for Cotnoir's team.
It will be up to a court to decide whether the Marine reservist was mentally competent when he inexplicably fired a shotgun from his bedroom window into a crowd of noisy revelers early Saturday morning, injuring two people.
But clearly this one-time Marine of the Year was troubled. He told interviewers before the shooting that he was having difficulty adjusting to life at home. He apparently sought help for what he thought might be post-traumatic stress disorder.
Like Cotnoir, thousands of veterans are returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan in a fragile mental state, and they need ready access to psychological evaluation and treatment.
A July 2004 study by the New England Journal of Medicine found 17 percent of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from major depression or PTSD.
New Hampshire had the right idea when it began mandatory mental health screenings for returning National Guardsmen and reservists. Massachusetts is wisely considering the same move.
Currently, most service members are asked to fill out a questionnaire aimed at detecting signs of depression or PTSD before they are sent home. That isn't enough.
U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Lowell) has introduced a bill that requires more rigorous psychological evaluations for members of all military branches, pre- and post-deployment. He has already won support for a national awareness campaign to erase the stigma some soldiers associate with asking for help.
``Society has changed in terms of the stigma, but I don't think the military has as much as we need it to,'' he said.
Better screening is not a cure-all, because you can't force people to get treatment and for many people, the symptoms don't show up for months.
But we learned many lessons from Vietnam, one of them a better grasp of the toll war takes on a soldier's mind. The military must do whatever it can to identify those who need help, and make sure they get it.

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HEADLINE: LETTERS to the editor

BODY:
Cotnoir still hero
Lissette Cumba was hit by a few shotgun fragments as part of a bottle-throwing crowd outside a Lawrence club (Aug. 15). The shooter in question, Sgt. Daniel Cotnoir, will be dealt with fairly, within our system of justice, which he defended as a Marine. That is more than the victims' friends and family offered Cotnoir outside his own home. The 15-year-old girl was out after 2:45 a.m., and her youth, ignorance and disrespect is evident in her saying that a decorated Marine who served as a military mortician in Iraq doesn't deserve any of his military awards because he shot into the hostile crowd. 
What has one thing to do with the other? Lissette's and her family's feigned attempts at victimhood are lost on me.
- Donald Everett, Somerville
Insult to her son
The editorial ``No meeting in the middle'' (Aug. 12) was actually too easy on Cindy Sheehan. This woman should be challenged to apologize to President Bush for calling him ``Fuhrer.'' Many of her letters and assorted babblings are there for all to see on various Websites. Why has she not been confronted regarding this particular insult?
- Ritchie C. Tiemann, Dorchester
Cash and closings
Your coverage about whether money from a church closing belongs to the church itself or the archdiocese cleared up some difficulties for me (``Vatican: Put down the cash,'' Aug. 11).
Our parish, St. Timothy's Church in Norwood, spent $400,000 to tear down the choir loft, install a new bathroom and renovate the reconciliation room.
Some of us were appalled because our pastor did this at a time when your newspaper, for one, published stories saying that our archbishop had declared the archdiocese bankrupt and had stated that he would not allow any renovations, only needed repairs. It was obvious that tearing down the choir loft was not a ``needed repair.'' Now that I have read your story that says the Vatican has announced that the money belongs to the parish and not to the archdiocese, I am not as appalled as I was before.
Still I wonder why our pastor's timing was so bad. The choir loft was not in poor condition and was still being used when the newspapers were full of stories about how lawsuits were being brought against our archdiocese.
- Elizabeth Breton, Walpole
A hypocritical wind
Thank you for that wonderful headline (``Group tilts to windmills north of Hub,'' Aug. 10). I was delighted to see the names of the two loudest NIMBY group locations included. The residents of both these islands have been the biggest opponents of any form of exploration or development of energy in the whole country. Now let them pay.
I suggest they put their yacht sails or even a windmill on their SUVS. After all, the wind is free and will not cost as much as their own hot air.
- Frank Rogers, Quincy
It's the fan's choice
If I pay for game tickets and my 6 1/2-month-old daughter is hungry, I do not expect my wife to leave her seat (``Breast defense,'' Aug. 10). If you expect my daughter to have dinner in the restroom, then I expect everyone to take their $5 hot dog and $7 beer and leave your $75 seat and head over to the restrooms to eat.
Personally I think a sporting event is no place for a child that young. However, if someone decides it is appropriate to attend an event with their child, they should have every right to breastfeed. Maybe they should have a private breastfeeding area right next to the half-dressed cheerleaders.
- Chad Leclair, New Bedford
Mortgage exploitation
Similar to credit card companies, mortgage companies have been making substantial profits from fees and penalties. If a mortgage is paid even a few days late, there is a penalty fee (``Foreclosed out on the street,'' Aug. 4). Many borrowers routinely pay high costs to wire or pay by check over the phone to avoid even higher fees for paying a single day after the deadline. Mortgages also are often obtained from reputable banks and then sold to aggressive subprime lenders, less lenient and willing to cooperate with borrowers.
Elected representatives for communities experiencing substantial foreclosure activity should publicly offer support and suggestions, similar to the attention given to affordable housing for renters. The elderly individuals, profiled in the Herald, facing foreclosure are assets to the community, stably employed and a provider of rental housing.
Devender Coleman, Boston

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HEADLINE: Op-Ed; 
 Media, G.I. clash on the `real' Iraq picture

BYLINE: By RACHELLE COHEN

BODY:
The huge jug stuffed with change and dollar bills had become fixture on the counter at Ray's sub shop, just down from the Herald.
It started out as a small effort to provide a neighborhood guy and a few of his buddies serving in Iraq with some snacks and goodies they couldn't get in the mess hall. The packs of Oreos and peanut butter crackers became such a hit that soon the proceeds from the jar were providing snacks to much of a unit from the Third Infantry Division. They in turn sent a ``team'' photo and Staff Sgt. Jose R. Marichal Jr. wrote a thank you note. But it was far more than that. It was a brief glimpse into the hearts of those serving in Iraq and into their world. 
``Every day young American soldiers place their lives on the line of fire for many different reasons,'' he wrote. ``Some soldiers were prepared to transition back to the civilian world but decided to stay because of the man next to him. Some fight for the 3,000 lives lost on Sept. 11, for the brothers they lost in battle, and some for something we all take for granted, `freedom.' ''
He writes of working side-by-side with other military branches and with ``the growing Iraqi Army.''
``On daily patrols, we see men working to rebuild their country, women teaching and living more peaceful lives. Then there's the next generation, the children who every day are spoiled by American troops with candy, toys and, most of the time, a smile.''
It would be tempting to send a reporter's notebook with that next shipment of Oreos, because heaven knows, not much of that part of the Iraq story is being told.
That fact was duly noted at last month's meeting of editors from the member newspapers of The Associated Press and reported in Monday's New York Times.
People like Rosemary Goudreau, editorial page editor of the Tampa Tribune, complained, ``The bottom-line question was people wanted to know if we're making progress in Iraq.''
The smaller the paper, the more dependent on A.P.
Put on the defensive, Mike Silverman, managing editor of the A.P., vowed that Robert H. Reid, A.P. correspondent in Iraq, would write an overview piece every 10 days.
This is part of what he filed Tuesday: ``With no end to the insurgency in sight and more than 1,850 American service members dead, a new constitution would prove that Iraq is on its way to a democratic future. More than two years after the U.S.-led invasion, Baghdad remains too dangerous for Westerners to walk the streets freely. Bombs and bullets kill dozens across the country every day.
``And while some progress has been made in renovating schools and other infrastructure projects, the electricity system is still a mess and the oil fields are not producing to capacity.''
This, however, is what the Brookings Institution Iraq Index (updated every Monday and Thursday) had to say:
The pre-war average megawatt hours of electricity generated was some 95,000. Today the electricity system that's such a ``mess'' is generating 102,375 megawatt hours of power. The oil fields aren't back to their pre-war capacity of some 2.5 million barrels a day, but from a post-war low of 300,000 barrels a day in May 2003, production is back up to 2.22 million barrels a day.
Brookings also tracks other ``quality of life'' stats, such as the 351 judges newly trained and the 3.95 million telephone subscribers (up from a pre-war level of 833,000).
Maybe it's time Reid dropped the B-matter boilerplate and spent some time with guys like Sgt. Marichal.
Rachelle Cohen is editor of the editorial pages.

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HEADLINE: HOTLINE; 
 Babs is back, and Amazon.com has her

BODY:
Amazon.com launched the world premiere yesterday of a new Barbra Streisand music video, ``Stranger in a Strange Land,'' that, yes, references the war in Iraq. The new Streisand video, which also features harmonizing vocals from Barry Gibb, is available exclusively online at Amazon for the next week.
Babs and Gibb's forthcoming DualDisc, ``Guilty Pleasures,'' will be released Sept. 20. - SEAN L. McCARTHY 
`Race' is on for Aiellos
Among the clans participating on CBS' ``The Amazing Race: Family Edition,'' premiering Sept. 27, is the Aiello family of Mansfield, consisting of father Tony, 57, and his three sons-in-law, Kevin, Matt and David. Ten families will compete for the $1 million prize.
Ben on the small screen
Ben Affleck is taking another shot at television, closing in on a deal with ABC for a drama pilot about a fractured America. Affleck will write and executive produce a pilot called ``Resistance,'' about a near-future United States that has splintered into separate nations following devastating terrorist attacks.
Top 10 national prime-time TV shows
The ranking of the nation's top 10 prime-time network shows for Aug. 8-14 is based on their ratings. A ratings point equals 1 percent of the nation's estimated 109.6 million TV homes.
1. ``CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (CBS).......9.3
2. ``Without a Trace'' (CBS)......................8.0
3. ``CSI: Miami'' (CBS)...........................7.9
4. ``60 Minutes'' (CBS)...........................7.6
5. ``Two and a Half Men'' special (CBS)...........7.0
6. ``Two and a Half Men'' (CBS)...................6.9
7. ``Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'' (ABC).......6.8
8. ``NCIS'' (CBS).................................6.5
9. ``AFC-NFC Hall of Fame Game'' (ABC)............6.2
10. ``Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' (NBC)........6.0
Clarification
Stella owners Evan and Candice Deluty (Dining column, Aug. 5) also own Torch restaurant on Beacon Hill, which remains open for business.
Compiled by Sandra Kent from staff and wire reports.

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HEADLINE: Neighbors say, `We've had enough'

BYLINE: By BRIAN BALLOU

BODY:
Marine of the Year Daniel Cotnoir remains a hero in the eyes of some Lawrence residents, despite being charged with attempted murder for shooting into a crowd early Saturday.
``Somebody had to step up to the plate,'' said Bruce Reynolds, owner of the Longhorn Gas Station on Broadway Avenue, who, like other residents is exasperated by late-night carousing and violence in Lawrence.
Cotnoir, whose lives next to the station, is accused of firing out of his second-floor window about 2:30 a.m. into a large crowd of raucous youths in front of Reynolds' station. The bullet hit a concrete island and shattered, sending shrapnel into the neck and leg of a 15-year-old girl and the leg of a 20-year-old man. Witnesses say someone in the crowd had thrown something at Cotnoir's house, and then threw a bottle through his window. 
``In no way do I condone what he did, but I can understand his frustration with the city because we have been trying to get them to do something about those crowds for a long time,'' Reynolds said. ``I hold the city somewhat responsible for what took place. This all didn't just happen at a snap of the finger.''
Several residents living in the area said the city has been unresponsive in addressing the large after-hours crowds that spill out of area nightclubs on weekends.
``I don't want to point any fingers, but if the city and the mayor would have done something about all the complaints before, this probably would have never happened,'' said a 34-year-old woman who refused to give her name. ``Sure, it's stupid to shoot at people, but you have to understand what this man has been through.''
Cotnoir, a reservist, served in a mortuary unit in Iraq that was responsible for gathering dead Marines and preparing their bodies for the trip home. His family runs the Edgar J. Racicot Funeral Home, next to the gas station. Last month, Cotnoir was named the Marine Corps Times' 2005 Marine of the Year.
Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan said he is aware of the problem residents face with the pre-dawn crowds and plans to meet with Police Chief John Romero in the next few days to respond to the issue.
In talking about this latest incident, Sullivan referred to the shooting in March that left high school basketball star Hector Paniagua, 18, paralyzed.
``These two events took place near two after-hour clubs and involved teens,'' Sullivan said.

GRAPHIC: SICK OF IT: Bruce Reynolds, owner of Longhorn Gas Station on Broadway in Lawrence, says the city has been unresponsive to the problem of late-night crowds. STAFF PHOTO BY ANGELA ROWLINGS

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HEADLINE: Vet eyed for post traumatic stress

BYLINE: By BRIAN BALLOU

BODY:
A Lawrence District Court judge ordered decorated Marine Sgt. Daniel Cotnoir to undergo at Bridgewater State Hospital to determine if he is competent to stand trial for allegedly shooting into a crowd Saturday. 
While Cotnoir's lawyer, Robert Kelley, said it is too early to tell if his client suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, court records say Cotnoir claimed PTSD may have played a role.
U.S. Rep. Martin Meehan said concerns about war-related post-traumatic stress underscore the need to strengthen the military's screening of returning soldiers. Meehan has several proposals before the Armed Services Committee to boost screening and treament.
Kelley said his client is ``very remorseful, emotionally upset, contrite about how this has affected his family. I don't think that lives or the safety of the general public are threatened by this man.''
But a state motion in Cotnoir's court file states, ``D discharged a shotgun into a crowd of people. Bullet fragments struck two people. D had been drinking. D is a highly trained Marine. D is claiming/has claimed that PTSD may have been a factor.''
On one occasion, authorities familiar with Cotnoir's service in Iraq say, he had to run into a burning vehicle that had been hit with a roadside bomb and retrieve bodies under enemy fire.
Meehan, who gave Cotnoir his Marine of the Year award earlier this year in Washington, is pushing legislation to improve diagnosis and treatment of PTSD and decrease the stigma attached to it. ``PTSD is something we've been working on a lot and it is one of Marty's personal crusades,'' said spokesman Matt Vogel.

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HEADLINE: Vet eyed for post traumatic stress

BYLINE: By BRIAN BALLOU

BODY:
A Lawrence District Court judge ordered decorated Marine Sgt. Daniel Cotnoir to undergo an evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital to determine if he is competent to stand trial for allegedly shooting into a crowd Saturday. 
While Cotnoir's lawyer, Robert Kelley, said it is too early to tell if his client suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, court records say Cotnoir claimed PTSD may have played a role.
U.S. Rep. Martin Meehan said concerns about war-related post-traumatic stress underscore the need to strengthen the military's screening of returning soldiers. Meehan has several proposals before the Armed Services Committee to boost screening and treament.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts National Guard Lt. Col. Paul G. Smith said guardsmen now receive the same post-deployment screening all military personnel receive. But because PTSD often doesn't manifest itself until well after a soldier's return, he said Guard officials are discussing the possibility of follow-up screening, but no formal proposal is under consideration.
Kelley said Cotnoir is ``very remorseful, emotionally upset, contrite about how this has affected his family. I don't think that lives or the safety of the general public are threatened by this man.''
But a state motion to hold Cotnoir without bail due to dangerousness states, ``D discharged a shotgun into a crowd of people. Bullet fragments struck two people. D had been drinking. D is a highly trained Marine. D is claiming/has claimed that PTSD may have been a factor.''
On one occasion, authorities familiar with Cotnoir's service in Iraq say, he had to run into a burning vehicle that had been hit with a roadside bomb and retrieve bodies under enemy fire.

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HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 The non-war stories in Iraq

BODY:
There was apparently a fair amount of grumbling at last month's meeting of member newspapers of the Associated Press (and that's most of the nation's newspapers including this one) about the wire service's Iraq coverage.
The A.P. does a fine job of covering the breaking news - the roadside bombings, the death tolls, the daily mayhem.  
But, according to an account in The New York Times, editors are grousing that there is little or no coverage of success stories in Iraq - of schools built or rebuilt, of infrastructure repairs, of the kind of normalcy that columnist Ralph Peters wrote of on these pages Thursday.
A.P. officials pointed to the obvious dangers of reporting from Iraq. But the kind of coverage being demanded requires not necessarily more risk but a shift in priorities, and the kind of balanced reporting A.P. was known for.

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HEADLINE: OP-ED; 
 Bold Bush needed beyond the Beltway

BYLINE: By Virginia Buckingham

BODY:
Go to Ohio, Mr. President. And on your way to the airport in Waco, stop and talk to Cindy Sheehan. Sure, it'll be a media circus, but a little unscripted media attention is exactly what you need right now. 
The Bush administration is enamored with the fireside chat model of communication with the public. Prime-time addresses from the White House have been the venue of choice for the president to update the American people about the Iraq war and other major policies.
And when the president has ventured outside the Beltway to address the issue of Iraq, it's usually been in a well-crafted speech delivered before a friendly pro-military audience. The strategy was simple and effective to go over the heads of the naysaying mainstream media (MSM) and talk directly to the people.
But it's a strategy that has outlived its usefulness.
It's time to feed the MSM beast.
The president's 42 percent job approval rating is evidence enough that his message isn't getting through. The Associated Press compared that rating to former Presidents Reagan and Clinton at the same point in their second terms and the numbers were sobering. Reagan's approval rating was 57 and Clinton's a sky-high 61.
But there weren't mothers of dead soldiers on either of these presidents' doorsteps, either. And there wasn't a single town in Ohio featured on the evening news and front pages which lost 20 of its Marines in two days.
President Bush doesn't care much about his personal popularity. He prides himself on doing what he thinks is right, regardless of the political consequences.
But he should care that the same AP/Ipsos poll showed only 38 percent of Americans approve of his management of the Iraq war. A recent Pew Research poll found 64 percent of Americans think Bush has failed to articulate a ``clear plan'' for Iraq and the latest CNN/USAToday/Gallup poll found that 57 percent of Americans think the war has made us less safe.
Sen. John Kerry made this point repeatedly during the presidential campaign: It's not leadership if no one is following. (Hey, even a broken clock can be right twice a day.)
In Saturday's weekly radio address, Bush had the right message but for all who heard him not just listened but really heard him he may as well have been talking to himself in the mirror while shaving.
``The terrorists will fail,'' Bush said. ``Because we are fighting a murderous ideology with a clear strategy, we're staying on the offensive in Iraq, Afghanistan and other fronts in the war on terror, fighting terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. When terrorists spend their days and nights struggling to avoid death or capture, they're less capable of arming and training and plotting new attacks on America.
``The terrorists cannot defeat us on the battlefield. The only way they can win is if we lose our nerve.''
Take those same words, though, and say them to Cindy Sheehan and I guarantee they will break through.
Go to Brook Park, Ohio, and meet with the families and the regular townspeople who just buried 20 Marines and look them in the eye and tell them it's worth it.
``Tell them we can't lose our nerve'' and it will be the top story of every newscast.
- Talk back to Virginia Buckingham at vbuckingham@bostonherald.com. Her column appears Tuesday and Thursday. ÿ1A

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HEADLINE: `Marine of Year' charged in shooting

BYLINE: By O'Ryan Johnson and Marie Szaniszlo

BODY:
Marine reservist Daniel Cotnoir, accused of firing into a raucous crowd and injuring two youths early Saturday, was a changed man when he came back from Iraq last year, a friend told the Herald.
``The Iraq war has come to Lawrence,'' said the friend, who asked not to be identified. ``He's been very, very stressed out since he came back. This is a result of him serving overseas . . . It really isn't that surprising. He needs some help.'' 
Cotnoir, 33, a married Lawrence mortician with two children, and 2005 Marine Corps Times ``Marine of the Year,'' is charged with two counts of attempted murder after he allegedly fired his shotgun from his apartment window. Witnesses said someone in the unruly crowd leaving a nearby nightclub had thrown a bottle through his window, and may have thrown something before that.
Cotnoir has complained about the nightclub before and had already called police when he allegedly opened fire. A bullet fragments hit Lissette Cumba, 15, of Lowell in the neck, narrowly missing an artery. Kelvin Castro, 20, also of Lowell, was hit in the leg.
A friend of Cumba who has seen Cotnoir at a local gun range and Cotnoir's friend say he is a good shot who likely didn't mean to hit anyone. Cotnoir's friend said, ``This kid has two young children in that house. I think he was probably firing a warning shot. He's a trained marksman. If he wanted to shoot someone, he could have shot them.''
But as Cumba recovered at home yesterday, her cousin said, ``He should be tried like everyone else. If he was going to get any special treatment, it should have been before now, after he came home from Iraq. That's a problem the government has to face. They are sending people away and they come back disturbed.''
The Marine Corps put Cotnoir on mortuary duty after learning he is a mortician, the Marine Corps Times reported. The paper named him 2005 Marine of the Year for his work gathering the remains of slain Marines.
``Because I do it in the civilian world, everyone says it's easy,'' Cotnoir told the Times. ``It's not. It's hard ... No one gets to die peacefully in their sleep over there.''
Cotnoir sought counseling after he returned. Experts are predicting high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder among Iraq vets, the vast majority of whom report experiencing contributing factors such as being shot at, killing the enemy, or seeing friends or civilians killed. Reactions can include tension, anxiety, substance abuse, and fear of attack in civilian settings.

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HEADLINE: `Marine of the Year' charged in shooting

BYLINE: By O'Ryan Johnson and Marie Szaniszlo

BODY:
Marine reservist Daniel Cotnoir, accused of firing into a raucous crowd and injuring two youths early Saturday, was a changed man when he came back from Iraq last year, a friend told the Herald.
``The Iraq war has come to Lawrence,'' said the friend, who asked not to be identified. ``He's been very, very stressed out since he came back. This is a result of him serving overseas . . . It really isn't that surprising. He needs some help.'' 
Cotnoir, 33, a married Lawrence mortician with two children and the 2005 Marine Corps Times ``Marine of the Year,'' is charged with two counts of attempted murder after he allegedly fired his shotgun from his apartment window. Witnesses said someone in the unruly crowd leaving a nearby nightclub had thrown a bottle through his window, and may have thrown something before that.
Cotnoir has a history of complaints about the nightclub and had already called police when he allegedly opened fire. Bullet fragments wounded Lissette Cumba, 15, and Kelvin Castro, 20, both of Lowell.
One fragment hit Cumba in the neck, narrowly missing an artery. Castro was hit in the leg. Both were released from the hospital yesterday.
Cumba's cousin said the man in the apartment window had been staring down at them for as long as 20 minutes. Someone threw something against the house. Then Castro's mother saw the man had a gun. The youth who threw the first object came back a few minutes later and threw the bottle through the window.
``That's when he put in the bullets and pointed the gun out the window,'' said Cumba. ``I was trying to get inside the car. I was scared. I didn't have time to think.''
Then several shots sounded, Cumba and others said. She felt something warm on her neck and reached up to feel blood.
As Cumba recovered at home yesterday, another cousin talked about Cotnoir's status as a traumatized Iraq vet, ``He should be tried like everyone else. If he was going to get any special treatment, it should have been before now, after he came home from Iraq. That's a problem the government has to face. They are sending people away and they come back disturbed. And they are hurting not only themselves but other innocent people.''
Cotnoir was a Marine Corps ordnance man who was pulled from that duty and put into mortuary affairs after his superiors learned he works in his family's funeral home, according to the Marine Corps Times. The paper named him 2005 Marine of the Year for his work gathering and preparing the remains of slain Marines, in some cases hunting for body parts after bombings.
``Because I do it in the civilian world, everyone says it's easy,'' Cotnoir had told the Times. ``It's not. It's hard. The stories I've gained from my deployment aren't the kind of stories you share. No one gets to die peacefully in their sleep over there.''

GRAPHIC: PROUD TO SERVE: Sgt. Daniel Cotnoir of Lawrence, right, greets Sgt. Major John L. Estrada during the top enlisted leader's visit to the 1st Force Service Support Groups Mortuary Affairs unit at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, on Aug. 19, 2004. Zuma Press

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HEADLINE: Horrors of war take mental toll

BYLINE: By Brian Ballou

BODY:
The images from Iraq of the charred and mutilated remains of security contractors dangling from a bridge in Falluja stunned America last year. Daniel Cotnoir - now accused of opening fire on a crowd outside his apartment - was the man who had to cut down those corpses. 
As a Marine reservist in a Mortuary Affairs unit, Cotnoir collected the body parts of fellow Marines after bombings, prepared as many as 100 bodies for burial and, he told the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, handled the Falluja bodies.
Cotnoir was tapped for the mortuary unit after his superiors learned he is a mortician in his family's funeral home in Lawrence. In addition to the stresses of dealing with war-damaged bodies, Iraq itself weighed on him. After his return, he saw a counselor at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Bedford.
``It's such a mindset over there. You don't know who the good guys are. When you're over there, you're on the edge all the time. It's a roller coaster ride,'' he told the newspaper. Those comments were included in a recent study on post traumatic stress disorder among returning Iraq vets, as many as one in six of whom may suffer from it.
The study was discussed at a conference in February organized by Norfolk District Attorney William Keating.

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HEADLINE: Teen victim `lucky' to survive

BYLINE: By Marie Szaniszlo

BODY:
Perhaps Daniel B. Cotnoir caught more than a glimpse of hell in Iraq.
But to Lissette Cumba's family, as the 15-year-old lay in bed last night with bullets lodged in her neck and leg, that doesn't excuse his decision to open fire on a crowded lot early Saturday, injuring the Lowell High School junior and another bystander. 
``She was just lucky,'' said her cousin, who asked not to be identified because he works for a government agency. ``If the bullet had hit an artery, we could have been the ones handling a corpse.''
Cumba and a group of relatives and friends, including fellow shooting victim Kelvin Castro, had just left Melinda's Restaurant on Broadway in Lawrence about 2:30 a.m. when they noticed a figure in the window above the Edgar J. Racicot Funeral Home.
As Cotnoir waited for police to respond to his noise complaint, someone in the crowd threw something at the building.
``The second time Kelvin's mother looked, she was like, `Oh my God, he has a gun.''
The person who threw the object against the building returned and lobbed a bottle at the house, shattering the window.
``That's when he put the bullets in and pointed the gun out the window,'' Cumba said.
Cotnoir opened fire, she said, and as she scrambled into the back seat of the car she felt something warm as the blood ran down on her neck, and she realized she had been shot.

GRAPHIC: FRIGHTENING: Shooting victim Lissette Cumba recovers in her Lowell home yesterday. Staff photo by Tim Correira

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LENGTH: 237 words

HEADLINE: Hub protesters stand with dead vet's mom

BYLINE: By O'Ryan Johnson

BODY:
We're here for Cindy.
That was the message yesterday as about 150 protesters gathered on the Boston Common in a show of solidarity with Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a dead Marine.  
Sheehan is camped outside of President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, waiting for the commander-in-chief to explain to her in person why her son was killed.
``Mr. Bush can't hide forever,'' said Rose Gonzalez, whose own mother is serving with a National Guard unit north of Baghdad.
Protesters wore stickers that featured a picture of Sheehan over the words, ``I support Cindy.''
``Why did you make this war?'' asked Paul Brailsford, 89, of Ipswich, a World War II veteran of the Merchant Marines. ``Did you make it for oil? Let's get one big cheer for Cindy.''
Former Navy officer Bruce Macdonald, 58, of Billerica, a member of Veterans for Peace, just returned from Texas where he joined Sheehan.
Sheehan, 48, of Vacaville, Calif., set up camp last weekend on the dusty road a few miles from Bush's ranch, and the group with her has now grown to more than 100.
Macdonald described her as ``one courageous mother, one committed woman.''
The sign he held called on the Massachusetts congressional delegation to also meet with Sheehan.
``I think if she is entitled to get answers from President Bush, she is entitled to get answers from the legislators as to why they voted in favor of a war that sent her son off to Iraq to be killed,'' Macdonald said.

GRAPHIC: HEAR US: Paul Brailsford, founding member of the Veterans for Peace, speaks during a rally at Park Street Station. The group supports Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a dead Marine who has camped outside President Bush's ranch in Texas. Staff photo by Douglas McFadd

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HEADLINE: Change might not be good for Iraqi women

BYLINE: By Marie Szaniszlo

BODY:
In a chilling irony, women may actually have fewer rights under Iraq's new, ``democratic'' constitution than they did under Saddam Hussein.
``The United States government has poured millions of dollars into democracy training for Iraqi women, and more than 1,800 Americans have died for Iraqi freedom. But it may turn out to be for Iraqi male freedom,'' said Katheryn Coughlin, program administrator for the American Islamic Congress, a nonprofit doing democracy training in Iraq. 
``That's a sad return on such an enormous investment.''
On the eve of the deadline for the final draft of Iraq's new constitution, Hub Iraqis blasted attempts to replace the country's secular civil code with Islamic Shariah law, which restricts women's rights to an education, to careers and marriage partners of their choice, to divorce and to inheritance.
``It appears Islam will be a major source in the constitution,'' said Ahmed Al-Rahim of Boston, whose parents were born in Iraq and who served as adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority.
``And under Islamic law, it appears women won't necessarily be equal.''
Iraq has been governed by civil law since 1959. And that law guaranteed women most of the same freedoms their Western counterparts enjoy.
But during the past year, Shiites have applied mounting pressure to replace the civil code with Shariah, under which questions of education, work and marriage are decided by male guardians, said Coughlin.
Although many Iraqi women's groups had lobbied for a female quota of at least 40 percent of Parliamentary seats, by the time Al-Rahim left Iraq, where he worked with the constitutional committee, there was some debate whether the quota would even be 25 percent.
``The majority of women in the Assembly are just silent,'' he said. ``They really haven't spoken up.''
Their silence is troubling. Under some interpretations of Islamic law, Al-Rahim said, girls can be married off when they are as young as 9, men who divorce automatically receive custody of their children and a woman whose father dies inherits only half the amount her brothers do.
``Under many interpretations of Shariah, women have no legal identity,'' Coughlin said. ``The question is: Are they going to be treated as property or as equals?''

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August 13, 2005 Saturday  
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HEADLINE: Lynch: No end in sight for U.S. troops in Iraq

BYLINE: By MAGGIE MULVIHILL

BODY:
American troops in Iraq face an insurgency whose limitless supply of weapons is forcing an unremitting bloodbath with no end in sight, U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch warned yesterday as he wrapped up a five-day visit to Iraq.
``Saddam (Hussein) has spent the last forty years stockpiling weapons here,'' Lynch (D-South Boston) said in a phone interview from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. ``The volume of Muslim fighters who are being urged to wage war against American troops that are on the ground in Iraq is basically inexhaustible.'' 
Because Iraq's borders cannot be secured, any resolution to the conflict has to be a ``political, not military'' solution, said Lynch, who will meet with reporters to discuss his trip at his South Boston home tonight.
Lynch met with more than 30 Massachusetts residents serving in Iraq, visited wounded soldiers, met with military commanders in Baghdad and visited two U.S. Marine bases - at Al Qiam along the Syrian border and Balad in northern Iraq.
Asked what he would tell the parents of Massachusetts soldiers waiting anxiously at home, Lynch said: ``I would tell the parents of those young men and women that, in my opinion, they are the very best Americans and how tremendously proud I am of their willingness to stand up for their country and to try to liberate that country.''
A wounded soldier from Fall River, thrown from his vehicle and wounded after riding over a double-stacked anti-tank mine, was just one of many soldiers who were anxious to get back to fighting, Lynch said.
``The morale here, I think, ranged from between very, very good to excellent,'' Lynch said. ``I found one of our Marines who had part of his left foot amputated who requested we assist him in getting back to his unit.''
Lynch, who serves on the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, International Relations and Emerging Threats, also said he would push Congress to expedite two new forms of technology that could help save soldiers' lives - high powered jammers that can prevent Iraqi insurgents' triggering devices for roadside bombs and a device that can detect when a mortar is shot.``It gives a warning signal to our troops inside the base, and they will have anywhere from 13 to 26 seconds to take cover,'' Lynch said.
Lynch was joined on the trip - his third to the region - by U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and Tim Holden (D-Pa.).

GRAPHIC: AT THE FRONT: U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch stands with Marines at an American military base in Iraq during his recent visit to the war-torn country.

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HEADLINE: Bush pressed to meet protester mom

BYLINE: By DAVE WEDGE

BODY:
Pressure continued to mount for President Bush to meet with the distraught mom of a soldier killed in Iraq as both Bay State senators backed the woman and scores of families joined her outside Bush's Texas home, including two from Massachusetts.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and Sen. John F. Kerry yesterday each threw their support behind Cindy Sheehan, who has been camped outside Bush's Crawford, Texas, home since Saturday, vowing not to leave until the president meets with her about the war. Sheehan's 24-year-old Marine son, Casey, was killed five days after he arrived in Iraq. 
``The president has not leveled with our troops and the American people,'' Kennedy said. ``I admire Cindy Sheehan for her courage and determination to make the president answer to her.''
Kerry spokeswoman April Boyd said: ``Senator Kerry understands the demands on Bush's schedule but hopes he will take time to meet with Mrs. Sheehan.''
Speaking with reporters at his ranch yesterday, Bush expressed sympathy but made no concessions. White House aides met with Sheehan, which she described as ``pointless.''
``She feels strongly about her position. And she has every right in the world to say what she believes,'' Bush said. But, he said, pulling out of Iraq now would be a ``mistake.''
``One way to honor the fallen is to lay the foundation for peace,'' he said.
Sheehan was joined by soldiers' families who oppose the war, including a Hyannis mom whose son is being deployed next week and the wife and daughters of a Massachusetts National Guard sergeant from Billerica who is in Iraq.
Rose Gonzalez, whose mother is serving north of Baghdad with the National Guard, called Sheehan ``inspiring.''
``It's not too much to ask a president sending all these people into harm's way, to ask for time to speak with him,'' said Gonzalez, who will speak at a vigil on Boston Common tomorrow night to honor Sheehan. ``She lost a 24-year-old son. He was just a baby.''
Boston Mobilization organized the vigil to raise awareness and help military families who want to join Sheehan. Spokeswoman Eve Lyman said Bush should give her the courtesy of a meeting.
``I can't believe Bush has been so stupid to not come out and talk to her yet and diffuse the whole thing,'' Lyman said.

GRAPHIC: CROSS TO BEAR: Cindy Sheehan looks at a cross bearing her dead son's name at her campsite in Crawford, Texas. AP PHOTO

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HEADLINE: Hub cop brings hockey to the desert

BYLINE: BY MICHELE MCPHEE

BODY:
At an army base in Tikrit, there is a spot that makes Boston cop Andrew Fay feel like he's behind the Bruins bench at the old Garden, rather than the deadly Sunni Triangle.
At the end of a dangerous day, soldiers at Fay's base are given a reprieve from the sweltering heat and blinding sandstorms at a makeshift street hockey rink created in the base's gym.
Players slap the ball into camouflage netting tied to posts. Dueling goalies duct-tape cardboard and strips of old mattresses to their knees for pads. Hockey sticks are fashioned from odd pieces of wood and metal. 
Guys with Massachusetts accents thick as concrete are pitted against soldiers from New York and Philadelphia: Army compatriots but rink rivals. During each sweaty pick-up game, the soldiers' weapons are strewn on the sidelines, easily retrieved in case they are called into combat or come under fire.
``It didn't matter how bad the equipment was. It was a taste of home,'' said Fay, a National Guard staff sergeant. He was home on a brief leave to visit his wife, Elizabeth, and four children in West Roxbury.
Fay has spent nine months serving in Iraq, and is leaving Tuesday morning for another four months before his time there is up. He is one of eight Boston cops serving overseas.
But when Fay arrives back in Tikrit, the gym in the middle of the Sunni Triangle will look like the Boston Garden in its heyday. Yesterday, Bruins Vice President Charlie Jacobs outfitted Fay's team with brand-new gear at the TD BankNorth Garden as his four kids, Matthew, 19; Taylor, 13; Ryley, 6; and William, 5 looked on.
``This is utterly fantastic,'' Fay said. But as glad as he is to be bringing the gear to the guys overseas, it will be difficult to say goodbye to his kids.
``There is a job to do, a mission to complete,'' he said, his face serious. As Ryley clutched his finger and smiled at her daddy, he added, ``And hockey to play.''

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HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 No meeting in the middle

BODY:
Cindy Sheehan has achieved what she set out to achieve when she dragged her sleeping bag to President Bush's Texas ranch this summer: drawing national media attention to her crusade against the Iraq war, which claimed the life of her 24-year-old son, Casey.
And let's be honest, isn't that what Sheehan's well-publicized campout is really all about?
More than a meeting with the president, which she is demanding, Sheehan went to Crawford in search of a broad platform from which to protest the administration's policy in Iraq. She found it. 
She arrived on a bus emblazoned with the words, ``Impeachment Tour.''
She was escorted by a Greek chorus of 50 protesters chanting ``W Killed Her Son.''
Her story has appeared in all of the major newspapers and on the television networks.
But Sheehan says she won't leave Crawford until Bush meets with her again. Their first meeting came last year, when the president visited a group of families whose loved ones died in the war.
It must be tempting for Bush's staff to have him stroll down the dirt path to meet with this grieving mother.
But really - will the president be able to offer Cindy Sheehan any words that would ease her troubled mind?
He has already tried. After their first meeting, Sheehan told the Vacaville (Calif.) Reporter, that she knew Bush was sorry, that he is a man of faith who felt some of her family's pain and is sincere in wanting freedom for the Iraqis.
Today, she has changed her mind - and her story.
It's not surprising her anger over the war that claimed her son's life has deepened. But in a truly incredible revision of history, Sheehan now accuses the president of approaching their meeting last year ``like it was a party.''
Rather than offering her comfort, Sheehan says it made her more angry. In other words, it was a bust.
It's doubtful she would approach a second meeting with the commander in chief, a man she so obviously hates, in any other way.

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LENGTH: 326 words

HEADLINE: Soldier aid bills languish

BYLINE: By DAVE WEDGE

BODY:
State officials wasted no time symbolically dedicating a $15 million bridge in Westfield to the Massachusetts National Guard, but at least 30 bills to give Iraq vets improved benefits continue to collect dust on Beacon Hill.
Bills to give soldiers scholarships, tax breaks, better health care and pensions remain stuck in legislative committees.
``I think (the bills) need to be fast-tracked,'' said state Sen. Jack Hart (D-S. Boston), whose soldier brother-in-law heads to Iraq next week. ``We need to capitalize upon this sentiment, especially in light of the fact that we don't do a great job with veterans in this country.'' 
Several lawmakers yesterday acknowledged that the bills are stalled but said they expect swift action in the fall. State Rep. Scott Brown (R-Wrentham) blamed delays on a glut of bills to help returning G.I.s, as well as changes in legislative committees.
``Something that's a no-brainer is kind of being kicked around,'' Brown said. ``Hopefully come September and October these will start to move faster.''
While the legislative logjam on actual benefits persists, a symbolic nod went ahead Saturday, when Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and Westfield representatives dedicated a refurbished Route 20 bridge to the Guard.
Becky Blais, a Framingham paramedic whose police officer husband is based in Tikrit, had to fight to continue her husband's municipal health benefits after he was deployed. A bill barring towns from denying benefits to municipal workers called to active duty is among the stalled legislation.
``These people obviously don't have anybody in their immediate circle affected by the war because if they did they would think a little differently,'' Blais said.
State Sen. Stephen Brewer (D-Barre), who is co-chairman of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Veterans Affairs, said the federal government is ``doing a lousy job'' with veterans funding but hopes lawmakers will pass a comprehensive soldiers' benefit package this fall.

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HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Peace of mind in time of war

BODY:
The last thing any soldier dodging bullets in Iraq should have to worry about is whether his wife has enough money to pay the mortgage back home.
But thousands of National Guard families, faced with a loss of income over a long deployment, have money troubles on their minds. 
A bill moving through the Legislature would help, by creating a special fund to benefit military families in need - at no mandatory expense to taxpayers.
The state Senate has passed the bill, and the House should do the same when it resumes formal sessions in a few weeks.
The Military Families Relief Fund would be financed through a voluntary check-off on state income tax returns as well as through private donations. Families of Guard and Reserve members called to active duty since Sept. 11, 2001, would qualify for grants for rent, child care - even grocery bills.
The fund would be administered by a nonprofit set up in 2003 to support the families of recent call-ups.
At least 10 states have created similar funds, signed into law by Republicans and Democrats alike. In Illinois, more than $3 million has been distributed to 6,100 military families.
Some companies, along with state and municipal governments, continue to pay deployed soldiers their civilian or government salaries. But many don't, and those families encounter unexpected financial hardships during deployment.
The generosity of the American public is legendary, seen in the outpouring of millions after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Now, in a time of war, people WANT to help, but too often they don't know who to give to. The fund would offer an easy option.
With thousands of volunteer soldiers sacrificing their family's financial security to protect the security of our nation, there is no more deserving group.

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HEADLINE: Letters to the editor

BODY:
Wal-Mart rap unfair
I'm not a fan of Wal-Mart, and I am completely sympathetic to the Lynches' dilemma. However, the Herald's one-sided, poorly researched article unfairly casts Wal-Mart as the bad guy (Aug. 4).
While town variances are essentially geared to the repair of failed systems (which this one could be), it is still possible for a variance to be granted for compassionate reasons. If the Avon Board of Health refused the variance request, the Lynches can appeal directly to the Department of Environmental Protection. 
As for connecting to a sewer line by tying into Wal-Mart piping, that in itself is not just something you can do on a whim. That's a private line. Both the DEP and the town would have to approve. How would connection and usage fees be calculated? Who would pay? How about Wal-Mart's liability?
- George Emond, Lunenburg
Unions not to blame
While the Herald is right about health care costs devouring budgets, it's not just municipalities that we should be worried about (``Cities and towns hungry for reform,'' July 28).
Does the Herald actually think taking health care out of collective bargaining will help people? Members of negotiating teams try to do what is best. Both parties sit down in good faith to write a contract with give and take on each side.
The government should be looking at good affordable health care for everyone in the commonwealth, not just themselves. Maybe Senate President Robert Travaglini, Gov. Mitt Romney and other state lawmakers should show by example and start paying their fair share of the health care they have.
- Michael Goodson, North Adams
Vice President, IAFF Local 1781
`Terror' term too much
I am appalled at the Herald's spate of references to drunken drivers as terrorists (Editorial cartoon, Aug. 1). Has it simply become the fashionable term for anyone considered a bad guy?
A terrorist deliberately plans and carries out an action to cause mayhem, chaos and death. Terrorists are radicals motivated by particular agendas.
Drunken drivers might be meatheads, bozos, hazards to society and criminals, but please let's not get carried away with this near McCarthy-like trend of labeling any social undesirable a terrorist.
Who's next? Smokers?
- Iskander Koval, Dorchester
Church will outlast woes
Regarding Bonnie Erbe's column, this self-proclaimed non-Catholic but avid follower of church history should find solace and answers in the words of the renowned historian Will Durant: Everything was in flux but the church (``Peter's rock could be Catholism's big tent,'' Aug. 4).
Amid the revolutions, she faced resolutely the vital question that confronted her: Adjust her doctrine to the new ideas or stand un-moved and wait for the pendulum to bring men back, in humility and hunger, to her consolations and her authority? History illuminates her steadfast resolve. The Catholic church will always remain strong because of it.
- Joe Kent, Canton
Novak plays dumb
Whether CIA agent Valerie Plame authorized or suggested that her husband investigate the Iraq-Niger uranium connection is irrelevant to the main issue of why Robert Novak named her (``It's the CIA that won't get the facts straight,'' Aug. 2).
Novak admits ignoring the admonition not to name her because no one in the CIA ``told me that Valerie Plame Wilson's disclosure would endanger herself or anybody,'' and that a little digging in public records would reveal it anyway. Why didn't Novak's often cited (by him) 48 years of experience prompt him to realize that Plame was irrelevant to whether her husband's now undisputed conclusion that there was no Iraq-Niger uranium link was accurate and that outing her as a CIA agent was potentially dangerous? My answer: Either Novak's extreme partisanship led him from caring, or worse.
- Eugene Lucarelli, Arlington
Coldplay is no U2
I enjoy Sarah Rodman's columns but think she has been swept up in media hype (``Is Coldplay the next U2?'' Aug. 5).
It is all a plot to push CD and ticket sales. Coldplay is one of the few who stand out among a dearth of talented rock acts today. U2 is in a league of their own. Their B-sides are better than Coldplay's singles.
Bring back the '70s and the '80s, when rock really meant something.
- Peter Robb, Holliston 

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August 7, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. B06

LENGTH: 3277 words

HEADLINE: COVERING ALL BASES; 
 Foundation built on strong young arms

BYLINE: By Tony Massarotti

BODY:
Amid the never-ending saga of the Manny Ramirez Chronicles, one of the most important developments of the 2005 Red Sox season took place last Sunday. With the team leading the American League East roughly three weeks after the All-Star break, the first two Red Sox pitchers in the game were Jon Papelbon and Manny Delcarmen, who, combined, are only five years older than David Wells.
So as the July 31 trading deadline came and went, the real story in Boston was not that Ramirez stayed. The real story was that the Papelbon, Delcarmen, Anibal Sanchez and Jon Lester all remained in the Red Sox organization, as did Hanley Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia and even Kelly Shoppach. And for the first time in a very long time, there is anticipation in Boston about legitimate, bona fide prospects who could be here for years to come.
That is what winning a World Series can do for you. 
It can take the emphasis off the past and allow you to once again plan for the future.
``We're extremely excited about it,'' Sox general manager Theo Epstein said recently. ``Our long-term plan revolves around incorporating young talent from our farm system onto our big league roster every year. Now that we're starting to see it, it's exciting. It's a great feeling to have major league-ready players on the verge of helping the big league squad.''
Epstein believes that winning the World Series had no bearing on his decision-making as the recent trading deadline passed, but that is highly debatable. Had the Red Sox found themselves in first place amid an 87-year drought, the pressure to make a deal at the deadline would have been substantial. Epstein and his entire baseball operations staff have shown tremendous poise during their tenure in Boston, but Red Sox fans (pre-championship) were not nearly as rational as many of them are now.
So even if the Sox might not state it directly, here is the general truth: With relatively little available at the deadline, the Sox decided that their young pitchers, in particular, could have as much of an impact on their season as any potential trade acquisition. In the process, the Sox can allow Delcarmen and Papelbon, among others, to get acclimated to the major leagues. And assuming Sox manager Terry Francona employs discretion when using the youngsters - and Francona will - all of that can only help when the Sox show up for Spring Training 2006.
Understand?
The Sox sacrifice nothing now. They stand to have big gains in the future. And they can do it all while fighting for a playoff spot on the heels of a World Series championship, a luxury that Dan Duquette never had.
Said Epstein when asked about the opportunity to develop young players: ``There's no replacement for drafting, signing and developing your own players.''
So really, how did the Red Sox get so off course? When Duquette took over the franchise in January 1994, he made the same promises that John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino did in December 2001. In Duquette's early years, the Red Sox drafted and developed Nomar Garciaparra and Carl Pavano, putting in place the two pieces (Pavano essentially became Pedro Martinez) that made the Red Sox what they are now. Duquette also traded for Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe, two fundamental contributors to last year's world title.
Then, somewhere along the way, the Sox stopped. As the Sox moved closer and closer to a championship, Duquette traded away more and more young talent in hopes of winning an elusive world title. It never happened. And by the time the 2001 Sox disintegrated beneath the hand of Joe Kerrigan, the Sox were that worst of all things:
Old, overpaid and hopeless.
Lest anyone forget, the Red Sox were once an organization celebrated for developing players, from Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Carlton Fisk, Dwight Evans, Roger Clemens, Bruce Hurst, John Tudor, Mike Greenwell, Mo Vaughn, John Valentin and Ellis Burks to Garciaparra. But since the days of Pavano and Brian Rose, the Sox really have not had a crop of major pitching prospects available until now.
Does that mean the current crop of young Boston pitchers will turn into the Atlanta Braves of the early 1990s? No. Epstein, for one, recognizes that injuries and the law of averages will likely weed out a certain number of prospects, as is the case with any team. But all of that only makes depth all the more important, and for the first time in a very long time, the Red Sox have a collection of prospects, particularly on their pitching staffs.
Said Epstein of his young guns: ``Those guys could potentially form the foundation of our pitching staff for a very long time.''
It seems like a lifetime since the Red Sox have been able to say that.
A total collapse
It was probably a matter of time before the Baltimore Orioles parted ways with Lee Mazzilli, especially after speculation last year that Mazzilli would be replaced at the end of the season. That is never a good sign following the first year of a new manager's tenure, so only a surprising summer in Baltimore might have been able to save the manager.
That said, the Orioles' recent tumble in the American League East standings was a bit of a surprise. The possessors of a 42-28 record on June 21, the Orioles went a miserable 9-28 over the 37-game nosedive that ended with Mazzilli's dismissal. That kind of dip is not easy to do in a league defined by parity, particularly when neither the Red Sox nor the Yankees have shown an ability to pull away from the pack in the division.
Instead, the Orioles are the ones who pulled out, having dropped so far that they were actually closer to Tampa Bay than Boston as this weekend's series began.
Of course, all of that has only been the tip of the iceberg in Baltimore, where the last two weeks have produced an array of spectacular failures. First, the orioles believed they were on the verge of a a deal for A.J. Burnett only to have that deal blown apart when Sidney Ponson refused to go to Tampa Bay. Once Ponson agreed to a separate deal that would have sent him to San Diego, Baltimore was thwarted by Phil Nevin, who ended up in Texas. And then, amid it all, it was disclosed that first baseman Rafael Palmeiro had tested positive for steroids, the kind of distraction that an unraveling team did not need.
``It's certainly been interesting,'' said Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts. ``It's not a week you want to have very often, for sure.''
Said GM Jim Beattie, speaking specifically of the decision on Mazzilli: ``It's not something that's been brewing for a long time, but obviously there's always a process where you're being evaluated when you're in (managerial) positions. The decision was really made (recently). This is not something where we're assigning blame necessarily. Everybody associated with the big league club - all of us in that room - we're all responsible in some way for where we are right now.''
And where they are is in an utter state of disarray.
Problems in the 'pen
The Red Sox keep saying that they expect Curt Schilling to return to the starting rotation this season, but they are not discounting the possibility that Schilling will remain in his current role. Much of that depends of the improvement of Keith Foulke, who will begin throwing from a mound this week.
Still, in the wake of the Schilling experiment, it is interesting to note that the Chicago Cubs have made a similar decision with Kerry Wood, who will remain in the bullpen until the end of the season. Cubs manager Dusty Baker said he is not certain as to how he will use Wood, but it is likely that Wood will get opportunities to close.
``Whenever they call me, I'll be ready,'' Wood said. ``I just like being out there, whether it's throwing six innings, eight innings or coming in and getting two guys out.''
Said Baker when asked where Wood will fit in his pitching order: ``It could be any time. Preferably from sixth inning on, but you don't know. It could be a couple innings.''
Sound familiar?
Given ther bullpen problems of teams like the Sox and Cubs, the decision is understandable. While the Cubs have obvious depth in their starting rotation, the Red Sox' strategy down the stretch run may be similar to the one employed by the 2002 Ananheim Angels, who won the World Series despite a thin starting rotation. So what manager Mike Scioscia did was get five innings out of starters like Kevin Appier, then rely on a deep bullpen to mix-and-match his way through the final four innings.
Depending on how things progress for Foulke and Schilling the rest of the way, do not be surprised if the Red Sox employ a similar approach. With the scheduled days off during the postseason, Francona could have a group of Schilling, Foulke, Chad Bradford, Mike Myers and Mike Timlin available, as well as Papelbon and Delcarmen. That is a lot of options for a manager to consider, creating all types of match-up possibilities that would give Francona an edge in close games. . . .
The Red Sox formally announced the departure of Mike Port several days ago, which should hardly come as a surprise given how little the Sox asked of him since Epstein was named general manager following the 2002 season. Port will now work directly with Joe Garagiola Jr. at the headquarters of Major League Baseball, pairing two of the nicer and truer gentelmen the game has known. . . .
Finally, albeit a week late, a sincere congratulations to colleague Peter Gammons of ESPN and formerly of the Boston Globe, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown last weekend. Gammons' credentials speak for themselves. And he will always be the standard against which all baseball reporters are measured.
Tony Massarotti can be reached at tmassarotti@bostonherald.com.
Fastballs and curves
Not long after leaving the Red Sox for the San Diego Padres, former pitcher Bruce Hurst acknowledged that San Diego lacked the passion of the East Coast. Now, apparently, the Padres don't want the passion, either.
During a game at Petco Park last weekend, spectator Jose Enriquez was ejected by stadium security for being ``too loud,'' though it was WHAT Enriquez was saying more than HOW he was saying it.
``I wasn't cussing,'' Enriquez told the San Diego Union-Tribune while admitting that he was leading a chant against general manager Kevin Towers. ``I said `Towers sucks.' Now I'm being disrespectful because I'm saying the truth?''
Said another fan nearby: ``We're fighting for freedom in Iraq and he can't stand up and say what he wants? I once saw a whole busload of kids scream `Dodgers suck' and they weren't ejected.''
(Aside: You always know things have degenerated when people start making war analogies.)
For what it's worth, Padres director of event operations Ken Kawachi told the newspaper that fans ``shouldn't do anything to disrupt the enjoyment of other fans,'' a clear indication that Kawachi has never been to a game involving the Red Sox and the Yankees.
I mean, if stadium security kicked out fans in Boston and New York for transgressions like that, would there be anybody left to watch the game?
- Robert Saunoke, who serves as as attorney for Jose Canseco, already is hyping Canseco's next book, due out next spring.
``There will be more names, there will be managers, team doctors,'' Saunooke said from his office in Florida. ``There is a component of baseball that people just don't get and this (next book) will show what really goes on inside baseball.''
Does anyone else get the feeling that Canseco's writing efforts will become to the book world what the ``Police Academy'' movies were to film-making?
That just can 't be good.
- David Wells on Jon Paplebon, whom Wells repeatedly met at the top step of the dugout during the youngster's major league debut last weekend: ``I do it all with all my teammates. First game. Rookie. Everybody should be up on that step. You're looking at a future star.''
- So who do you think is calling the shots on whether he plays this year, Barry Bonds or the San Francisco Giants?
My money is on Bonds.
- According to West Coast historian and statistician Bill Arnold, there is a man from St. Paul, Minn. - 63-year-old Seth Hawkins - who has made it a point to be in attendance when the last 18 members of the 3,000-hit club have reached the magical plateau.
This begs the question:
Doesn't this guy have a, you know, LIFE?
- Taking a page out of the Roger Clemens playbook, Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Yhency Brazoban and his wife, Yoneidi, have named their two children Yelaini and Yalana.
Clemens?
His four sons are named Koby, Kody, Kory and Kacy in honor of the strikeout, which, of course, is scored using the letter K.
Oh, and please note that the last two letters of the latter are CY.
- Greg Maddux is just 1-9 against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his career, in part because he has allowed 10 career home runs to outfielder Luis Gonzalez, who has homered three times against Maddux this year alone.
``I just hope he mentions me in his Hall of Fame speech,'' Gonzalez said.
- Purely for informational purposes, Byung-Hyun Kim has a 4.33 ERA in 12 starts since being moved into the Colorado Rockies rotation.
``I was never hurt, I just had to fix my mechanics,'' Kim said. ``My balance generates my power. I am getting back to that, taking baby steps.''
- Entering today's scheduled game against the Kansas City Royals, the Oakland A's have won 13 straight games started by Danny haren.
``I haven't thrown particularly well the last five or six starts,'' Haren said. ``I've left several games we were losing. The offense has really picked me up the last month.''
- Jason Giambi is a great story, but given his past, it is only human nature to wonder if he is relying on more than Nantucket Nectars.
``It's a result of playing hard and working hard,'' Giambi said. ``If somebody wants to shortchange it, that's their problem, not mine.''
- Got this letter recently:
``To Mr. No It All: Have you ever been tired from working to hard? Well I think Manny has been working to hard for his team hitting all of those home runs. The guy needs a rest once in a while! I believe he should be a D.H. So start writing some cool things about him you (expletive). Wake up and work as hard as Manny Ramirez does for his team.''
Trying, man.
I'm trying.
Stanley enjoys kid stuff
Mike Stanley and Dante Bichette have 29 years of major league experience between them, but there is something about baseball that can still make you feel like a kid again.
Both retired, Stanley and Bichette are now assistant coaches on the Florida state champion Maitland Little League team competing in this weekend's national regional tournament. If things go well, both could be at the Little League World Series later this month.
Talk about coming full circle.
``It has been a blast to coach these kids. The drama of these last few games has been every bit as intense as being in a playoff game,'' Stanley said recently via e-mail. ``When we won the state title, you should have seen the excitement between Dante and me as he picked me up and (nearly) drove me through a fence.
``There have been many times since I left that I wished Theo (Epstein) would give me a call and offer me something in Boston,'' Stanley continued. ``But I'd be kicking myself if I had missed out on this summer.''
And it isn't over yet.
MANNY'S WORLD
While it remains debatable as to just how close the Red Sox came to trading Manny Ramirez last week, there is little doubt that the club was serious about disposing of both the player and his sizable contract. In the end, the Sox failed to pull the trigger, a decision based largely on one simple fact.
When it comes to run production, there are so few players like him.
Entering this weekend's series between the Red Sox and Minnesota Twins, Ramirez led all major league players with exactly 100 RBI. While that total was impressive unto itself, Ramirez had amassed that number in only 99 games, the kind of ratio that would place him in the class of Maurice ``Rocket'' Richard were Ramirez a member of the NHL.
Now the owner of eight consecutive seasons with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBI, Ramirez is the major league leader in RBI since that streak began in 1998. As the following shows, however, Ramirez has done so while playing in 101 fewer games than his next closest pursuer:
G Avg AB R H HR RBI
Ramirez, Cle-Bos 1082 .318 3992 803 1270 311 998
Alex Rodriguez, Sea-Tex-NYY 1184 .304 4605 939 1398 347 953
Sammy Sosa, Chi-Balt 1137 .292 4327 825 1263 381 928
Carlos Delgado, Tor-Fla 1148 .292 4139 775 1208 290 917
Rafael Plameiro, Balt-Tex 1204 .282 4349 699 1226 298 876
On location ... and of site; Is it something in the water?
After completing this weekend's series against the Twins in Minnesota, the Red Sox will return to Fenway Park tomorrow for the opener of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers. And when the Sox do, they will encounter a Rangers team that leads the major leagues in home runs.
With roughly one-third of the 2205 season remaining, the 2005 Rangers are on pace for 271 home runs, a total that would break the major league record of 264 currently held by the 1997 Seattle Mariners. Texas players Mark Teixeira (28 home runs), Alfonso Soriano (26) and Hank Blalock (21) had combined for 75 home runs, one fewer than the entire Washington Nationals team.
The catch? Like many home run hitters, Teixeira, Soriano and Blalock were benefitting greatly from playing at the hitter-friendly Ameriquest Field. Here were each player's home and road totals entering a weekend series against the Baltimore Orioles:
HOME
Avg AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO OBP SLG
Blalock .320 222 44 71 9 0 17 51 22 50 .381 .590
Soriano .327 243 43 71 20 2 18 54 10 35 .354 .687
Teixeira .302 215 48 65 12 0 19 54 27 30 .380 .623
AWAY
Avg AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO OBP SLG
Blalock .236 216 19 51 14 0 4 18 17 46 .292 .356
Soriano .238 206 33 49 10 0 8 21 10 51 .272 .403
Teixeira .244 221 30 54 11 1 9 32 18 53 .301 .425
Baseball by the numbers
9-28 - Won-lost record of the Baltimore Orioles in their final 37 games under manager Lee Mazzilli, who was fired on Thursday. Formerly a coach with the New York Yankees, Mazzilli was a surprising hire when the Orioles fired Mike Hargrove following the 2003 campaign. During Mazzilli's two years in Baltimore, the Orioles went 129-140, a winning percentage of .480. Baltimore also lost 16 of its final 18 games before Mazzilli's dismissal.
16 - Entering this weekend's series between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets, intentional walks drawn by Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee, who led the major leagues in that category. Lee's total is worth noting given the extended absence of San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds, who drew a preposterous 120 intentional walks last season. Second to Bonds in all of baseball was Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Jim Thome, who had 26.
8 - Combined walks drawn by Red Sox designated David Ortiz over the last three games in which Manny Ramirez was absent from the starting lineup. Tied for the league lead in walks entering this weekend's series with the Minnesota Twins, Ortiz walked four times on July 29 and three more times on Aug. 4, the bookend games on the Sox' recently-completed six-game homestand. He walked once on July 31, after which pinch-hitter Ramirez delievered a game-winning single.
.316 - Entering a weekend series with the Cleveland Indians, batting average of Detroit Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco this season with two strikes in the count. Recently signed by the Tigers to a four-year contract extension, Polanco was batting .366 overall with the Tigers since being acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in a mid-season trade. During the offseason, the Red Sox expressed interest in signing Polanco as a free agent. 

LOAD-DATE: August 7, 2005

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August 5, 2005 Friday  
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HEADLINE: Meehan calling on Mideast to help fight terror

BYLINE: By DAVE WEDGE

BODY:
A month after backing a controversial plan to pull troops out of Iraq, Bay State Congressman Martin Meehan is heading back to key Middle East nations to solicit help in the War on Terror.
Meehan (D-Lowell), who traveled to Iraq earlier this year, was among six lawmakers last month who proposed removing most U.S. forces from the war-torn country by the end of the year and having just 30,000 peace-keeping soldiers there by mid-2006. 
In three weeks, Meehan and six other members of the House sub-committee on terrorism will travel to Libya, Morocco, Lebanon, Egypt and Israel ``to determine what those countries are doing to assist in the war on terror and what may be happening in those countries that assists terrorists.''
``What is Egypt doing to help us?'' Meehan said. ``Obviously, the number of terrorists around the world is growing and we need to put pressure on those countries that assist and we need to get a better handle on it.''
The nations were chosen because their governments have been cooperative with President Bush, yet terrorists often hide within their borders.
``I think it's an opportunity to try to communicate with the leaders in a part of the world where terrorists seem to be . . . multiplying,'' Meehan said. ``I think we've gotten a lot of cooperation. We've seen progress in Egypt and Lebanon. I think we're making progress but . . . we need better cooperation from other countries.''

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July 31, 2005 Sunday  
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LENGTH: 408 words

HEADLINE: Free speech by the yard; 
 Hell, fire and political ire just par of the landscape

BYLINE: By Laura Crimaldi

BODY:
Who needs the Internet? If you really have something to say, blog it on your front lawn.
``I guess the signs are a bit of fire and brimstone, but he didn't come across that way,'' said Anita Miranda of the Somerville triple-decker her late father, Hugh Gillen, wrapped in prayers.
From Somerville to Lynn to Groton, homeowners with a message exercise their First Amendment rights by turning their front lawns into political and religious pulpits. 
Gillen, a devout Catholic and former seminarian who died in April of Alzheimer's disease at age 84, started erecting black signs with white lettering on his 50 Cherry St. home when Miranda was a teen. One sign - which reads (a tad ungrammatically) `The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, adultery, abortion, condom, gay God Hate' - drew ire from gay rights groups.
Several of them staged a peaceful protest outside the home eight years ago. Vandals have thrown bricks through the front windows and someone even poured battery acid on the front seat of Gillen's car, seriously burning him, Miranda said.
But for drunks, homeless and destitutes, the house was a last resort and Gillen's family often took those troubled people from their doorstep to the detox.
``I believe in God. I like it,'' said Marianna Pernice, a Catholic who lives next door to Gillen.
In Groton, Tom Callahan has put his beliefs on his lawn with a picture of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney that reads ``LIARS!'' next to a March 18, 2003, quote from Bush about lethal weapons in Iraq. Underneath,the words ``Quagmire Accomplished'' are scrawled in magic marker.
Though Groton police said they haven't heard a peep about the sign, that's not the case in Lynn, where the Anti-Defamation League has gotten involved in an uproar over a sign hanging on the home of a well-known lawyer.
The controversial sign, which reads ``Land-grabbing Israel is bleeding America,'' is affixed to Martin J. McNulty's home, located in the historic Diamond District.
``He apparently (told a re porter) that he's not an anti-Semite and if he's not an anti-Semite, he should take into account that his sign is offending the Jewish community in Lynn and take the sign down,'' said Robert Trestan, civil rights council for ADL-New England.
Though McNulty did not return repeated calls from the Herald, one neighbor defended his right to express himself. ``This is the United States of America. Freedom of speech,'' said neighbor Jeff Blydell.

GRAPHIC: SIGN OF THE TIMES:Presiden Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are the stars of this `Quagmire Accomplished' sign, which adorns the front lawn of Tom Callahan 's home on Townsend Road in Groton. Staff photo by Mark Garfinkel
`NOT AN ANTI-SEMITE': In Lynn, Martin J.McNulty shows his apparent feelings on America's support of Israel with a sign that eads, `Land-grabbing Israel is bleeding America.' Staff photo by Mark Garfinkel

LOAD-DATE: July 31, 2005

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July 26, 2005 Tuesday  
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LENGTH: 651 words

HEADLINE: Op-Ed; 
 On national defense, Harvard's boss AWOL

BYLINE: By Virginia BUCKINGHAM

BODY:
It's time for Harvard University President Larry Summers to pick a fight. And this one will make the contretemps over whether women have a head for science a tea party by comparison.
Army officials testified before Congress last week that their active duty service, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard will miss annual recruiting quotas for the first time since 1999.
Through June, according to The New York Times, the active duty Army had enlisted 47,121, far short of its 80,000 goal. In response to the recruiting drought, the Pentagon has asked Congress to raise the maximum age for active duty recruits across all branches from 35 to 42. And cash incentives for recruits could go as high as $104,400. 
Still, ``this is not about money and benefits; this is about message,'' as Gen. Peter Pace, the incoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledges.
And what message is sent to the best and brightest of America's young people if their fellow students who want to commit to military service have to take a bus from Harvard Yard to MIT in order to drill? Nor is Harvard alone in its exiling of ROTC cadets. Yale sends its cadets to the University of Connecticut. Columbia sends its military-minded students over to Fordham. Just four Ivy League schools - Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn and Princeton - allow the ROTC to drill on their own hallowed grounds.
Summers is the one Ivy League president with the guts to lead the charge to return the Reserve Officer Training Corp. to every campus.
1st Lt. Seth Moulton, Harvard '01, decided to join the Marines before Sept. 11 - and before the war in Iraq became a political football. He wasn't in ROTC and of the campus controversy says, ``On the one hand it's cut and dry, Harvard has an anti-discrimination policy. But the military is not just a law firm; there are consequences to barring ROTC.''
Moulton has not been shy about asking his contemporaries to mull the consequences of their actions - or inactions. ``What will be our call to greatness, our summons to nobility?'' he asked his fellow grads as one of three student commencement speakers in 2001. ``In this season of endless prosperity and self-interestedness, is there anything that will require the best of what we have to offer? Is there any cause great or good enough to provoke goodness and greatness in us?''
Moulton, a Marblehead native, is in Iraq for the final stretch of a second voluntary extension of duty. ``I want to continue my work there,'' Moulton said last week when asked why he didn't come home in February.
His work now involves training Iraqi security forces under Lt. Gen. David Patraeus. As an infantry officer, Moulton led his platoon in the first wave of the invasion of Baghdad. They then were assigned to secure and rebuild Hillah.
``I felt an obligation to do my part,'' Moulton said, of his decision to eschew a career in the corporate world. ``It's an important part of being a citizen.'' He believes one reason those who attend elite prep schools and the Ivy League don't choose military service is because of a ``lack of exposure'' and a culture in which ``service isn't valued as highly today as it used to be.''
In a speech to Phillips Academy, another alma mater, Moulton said, ``If it sounds romantic or glorious, you've got it all wrong. Life is never the same after you learn to discern the difference in smell between burning trash and burning bodies.''
But, ``You can make a difference, and you don't have to wait for wealth or fame to do so. . . Often it's not a lot more complicated than simply stepping up to the plate.''
Moulton is due back home for good in September. But someday, he says, he wants to take his family to Iraq. ``It's a beautiful country.''
This young officer is unique. Or is he? Maybe we'll find out if Summers steps up to the plate, too.
Virginia Buckingham's column runs Tuesday and Thursday. Talk back at vbuckingham@bostonherald.com.

LOAD-DATE: July 26, 2005

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July 25, 2005 Monday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 011

LENGTH: 212 words

HEADLINE: Slain actress' fiance vows to finish film

BYLINE: By Jessica Fargen

BODY:
The grief-stricken fiance of an Emerson College student gunned down during a mugging in New York City has pledged to finish his once-betrothed's filmmaking dream.
Nicole duFresne, a 28-year-old actress and playwright who graduated from the Boston school, was slain Jan. 27 by a teenager who tried to mug her friends on a Lower East Side street. 
Now, duFresne's fiance, Jeffrey Sparks, said he will complete ``Widowed'' - a documentary about people who lose spouses or mates to war or violence, -a film duFresne never had a chance to start, he told the New York Post.
``I'm living my life for Nicole - it's our project,'' he said.
Sparks, 35, is driving a motorcycle and his camera and microphones to Fort Hood, Texas, to interview spouses who have lost soldiers in the war in Iraq. He wants to move to Germany and travel to Iraq to interview Iraqi widows and widowers who've lost loved ones in the war.
He hopes to sell the film to HBO in about two years, when it is done.
DuFresne, Sparks and another couple had just left the bar Max Fish around 3:15 a.m. when four teens approached them. One tried to steal her friend's purse and ultimately shot duFresne. The muggers made off with a cell phone and a handful of credit cards.
Rudy Fleming, 19, is charged with duFresne's murder.

GRAPHIC: DUFRESNE

LOAD-DATE: July 25, 2005

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July 25, 2005 Monday  
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LENGTH: 434 words

HEADLINE: TELEVISION; 
 `Over' the top'; 
 Bochco cable series dramatizes Iraq war but lacks context

BYLINE: By MARK A. PERIGARD MUG

BODY:
``Over There.'' Series premiere tomorrow at 10 p.m. on FX. ** (out of four)
The Army won't be using ``Over There'' in any recruiting drive.
The new drama from Steven Bochco (``NYPD Blue'') follows a group of young soldiers as they ship out to Iraq and get their first taste of war. 
Their idealism offers no protection from enemy gunfire, incompetent commanders and betrayal from back home.
In the harrowing opener (tomorrow at 10 p.m. on FX) co-written by Bochco and Chris Gerolmo and directed by Gerolmo, the fresh meat, ranging from a Cornell graduate to a new mother, are pinned in a trench, under fire from insurgents hiding out in a mosque. The soldiers can't advance; they're not even supposed to return fire. Enduring the hellish standoff makes for tense television. When one soldier breaks off from the group to relieve herself, all hell breaks loose.
The carnage is shared sparingly, but it arrives with a detail never seen before on the small screen. A man running toward the soldiers is practically vaporized in a bloody explosion. His feet kick out from under him and then fall to the ground.
These soldiers are so innocent, so in over their heads, you know something bad is coming, and Bochco and Gerolmo do not disappoint. A beer run goes wrong, and the most naive among them pays a terrible price.
It is a stark, unrelenting premiere - ruined almost completely by the second episode, scheduled to air Aug. 3.
``Over There'' twists into soap opera as one soldier is reunited with the father who abandoned him. Seems Dad went out for a pack of smokes six years ago and never came back. (Hey, the same thing happened to Nelson Muntz on ``The Simpsons.'') One stateside wife comforts herself with booze and promiscuity. And in a nod to balance, an Arab-American soldier (Omid Abtahi) joins the unit and proves to be so heroic he lacks only a Spider-Man costume.
The only familiar face among the cast is the one that doesn't belong. Erik Palladino - an actor fired from ``ER,'' where the standards are so low you need to check for a pulse - stars as Sgt. ``Scream'' Silas. Judging from the results, Palladino's idea of acting seems to involve sucking down six Red Bulls before every scene.
For a current events drama, ``Over There'' omits one element that might be considered crucial-: any discussion about the politics behind the war. The Arabs here seem to think the Americans are invading for oil; at least one American just wants to kick some ass. But in robbing context to ``Over There,'' the show is neutered of the very relevance it seeks. Instead of being timely, ``Over There'' seems out of place.

LOAD-DATE: July 26, 2005

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July 24, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 002

LENGTH: 564 words

HEADLINE: NEWS ANALYSIS; 
 Peaceful Muslims: We'll do our part

BYLINE: By Marie Szaniszlo

BODY:
Moments after the interfaith service eulogizing the dozens of victims of the London bombings had ended, the woman confronted the imam in the vestibule of Trinity Church in Copley Square.
Talal Eid, the religious director of the Islamic Center of New England, listened politely as she demanded to know what he was doing to help stop Islamic extremism, before a church member stepped in and ushered the woman out.
``I think this is the government's job to stop terrorism, not my job,'' Eid said later. ``My job is to cooperate if I see something suspicious.'' 
If his tone is somewhat defensive, that is, one could argue, understandable. As terrorists around the globe continue their carnage in the name of Islam, pressure is mounting on Muslims to not only condemn the attacks, as Eid and others have done repeatedly, but to also fight for the soul of a religion that increasingly is being hijacked by extremists.
``The war on terror has to be more than a military fight,'' said Kamal Nawash, president of the Free Muslims Coalition in Washington, D.C. ``At its heart, Muslim terrorism is an ideological war. And ultimately, only Muslims can stop it.''
In May, the coalition sponsored an anti-terrorism rally that attracted thousands of Muslims to the capital. And it is developing a curriculum for Islamic schools, using the Koran to discredit what Nawash calls the ``sick ideology'' terrorists use to justify mass murder. One group can only do so much, he concedes. And he does not mince words in his assessment of the overall Muslim response to terrorism.
``The Muslim leadership has not done its fair share, and what they have done has been useless,'' he said. ``What good is it to take out ads in newspapers non-Muslims read and make speeches non-Muslims hear? It's a public-relations ploy to prevent backlash.''
Nawash attributes the failure of some Muslim leaders to take more aggressive action to a combination of incompetence and a preoccupation with the victimization of Muslims, from the time of the prophet Mohammad to the Arab-Israeli conflict and the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
``The truth is many Muslims share this ideology; they just think they're going about it the wrong way,'' he said.
One of the ironies those people overlook, Nawash said, is that the majority of the victims of Islamic terrorism are Muslims. But logistically, getting any message out in the Muslim community can be difficult because it lacks the structure of hierarchical religions such as Catholicism, said Rabia Harris, coordinator of the Muslim Peace Fellowship in Nyack, N.Y.
``There have been endless numbers of condemnations'' of the attacks, Harris said. ``But Islam is probably the most disorganized of the major religions. It's not uncommon for one congregation to have virtually no contact with another only a few miles away. So coordinating anything on a local level, much less a national or global one, is a challenge.''
The Islamic Society of North America is pushing for more coordination and openness among mosques. Although that would not end extremism, it would be a beginning, Eid said, because one of terrorism's prerequisites is secrecy, and the veil cannot be lifted by strangers.
``People who say there are legitimate reasons (for terror) can say that from now until the day they die, and they will still be wrong,'' he said. ``They are doing it in the name of my religion. They have no right.''

GRAPHIC: OUTSPOKEN: Imam Talal Eid, religious director of the Islamic Center of New England, condemns extremists' attacks but says it is the government's job to stop terrorism. Staff photo by Angela Rowlings

LOAD-DATE: July 24, 2005

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July 24, 2005 Sunday  
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LENGTH: 634 words

HEADLINE: watch this!

BYLINE: By Amy Amatangelo

BODY:
Must Watch: Who does FX think it is? HBO? The basic cable network continues its buzz-worthy drama streak with the premiere of Steven Bochco's ``Over There'' on Wednesday at 10 p.m. The series is a blistering look at a group of young men and women on their first tour of duty in Iraq.
Today, July 24 
- Sing it with me now. Come on, come on. Take it. Take another little ``Pizza My Heart'' now baby. Michael Badalucco, Shiri Appleby and Dan Hedeya star in this ABC Family movie about star-crossed pizza makers at 7 p.m. 
- Kelly Ripa adds another line to her resume when she guest stars on husband Mark Consuelos' show. Ripa plays the girlfriend of a wealthy businessman in ``Missing'' at 10 p.m. on Lifetime.
Tomorrow, July 25
- Michelle Trachtenberg, best known as Dawn on ``Buffy the Vampire Slayer,'' stars in ``The Dive From Clausen's Pier'' at 9 p.m. on Lifetime. Will Estes and Sean Maher also star in this adaptation of Ann Packer's moving novel.
- We can't believe the kids on ``Laguna Beach'' are for real either. Because I know I didn't look this good in high school. The show returns for a second season at 10 p.m. on MTV.
Tuesday, July 26
- Let's have a moment of collective honesty. Sean Hayes is and always has been the best thing about ``Will & Grace.'' Now Hayes and his producing partner Todd Milliner premiere their new reality series, ``Situation: Comedy,'' at 8 p.m. on Bravo. The series gives amateur writers the chance to create their own sitcom.
- The limited series ``Empire'' comes to an end at 10 p.m. on WCVB (Ch. 5). But fret not, hunky Jonathan Cake, who starred as Tyrannus, will be back on TV this fall in NBC's new drama ``Inconceivable.'' Alas, next time he won't be in a toga.
Wednesday, July 27
- The recent phenomenon of replacing deceased music stars via a reality show competition is unsettling, don't you think? In ``R U the Girl With T-Boz & Chili,'' premiering at 8 p.m. on WSBK (Ch. 38), the surviving members of TLC search for a singer to replace Lisa ``Left-Eye'' Lopes.
- Carmen Electra is Six on ``Tripping the Rift'' at 10 p.m. on the Sci Fi Channel. She plays, and this is a direct quote, a ``sexy, brilliant, cyborg love slave.'' Alas, boys, the show is a cartoon, so it's just Carmen's voice you'll be treated to. So sorry about that.
Thursday, July 28
- David E. Kelly has long been a reality show opponent. But you know that old adage, if you can't beat 'em, learn how to make money off of 'em. In Kelley's ``The Law Firm,'' premiering at 9 p.m. on WHDH (Ch. 7), 12 lawyers compete for a $250,000 prize. But we know what happens on Kelley's legal dramas. Our advice: Stay away from elevator shafts, co-ed bathrooms and skinny girls in embarrassingly short miniskirts.
- How will ``That '70s Show'' survive without Topher Grace? We have no idea. Grace begins his exit from the series in this episode (8 p.m. on WFXT, Ch. 25), which finds Eric contemplating taking a teaching job in Africa.
Friday, July 29
- Did you miss the funniest half-hour of the season? Check out the ``Good Grief'' episode of ``Arrested Development'' at 9:30 p.m. on WFXT. George Sr. is allegedly dead, causing GOB to lose his pants (you have to watch to understand). Bonus points if you can spot the ``Charlie Brown'' visual shout-out.
- Ed O'Neill reunites with Katey Sagal in ``8 Simple Rules'' at 8 p.m. on WCVB. O'Neill guests as Cate's old college boyfriend.
Saturday, July 30
- Not many reality shows bear repeating, especially because viewers already know the outcome. But the amazing ``The Amazing Race'' is the exception. Catch a repeat of the Emmy-winning reality show on the Game Show Network at 9 p.m.
- Really there's no excuse for not watching ``Veronica Mars.'' If you missed it on Wednesday, check out television's most underrated series at 10 p.m. on WSBK. Come on! Everyone is doing it.

LOAD-DATE: July 24, 2005

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July 24, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: THE EDGE; Pg. 043

LENGTH: 687 words

HEADLINE: War cry; 
 Palladino gives a shout out to our heroes `Over There' in Iraq

BYLINE: By Bart Mills

BODY:
Over the din of battle, through the fog of confusion, one voice is heard loud and clear in FX's new Iraq war drama, ``Over There'': that of ``Sgt. Scream,'' the unit's surrogate parent, mentor and all-round yenta.
Erik Palladino, 37, who plays the leather-lunged noncom, said, ``This isn't a cocky, ego-driven character like I played on `E.R.' Sgt. Scream is driven by a huge, overwhelming sense of responsibility for the individuals in his squad. 
``He yells at them a lot because he wants them to respect him. Maybe then they'll listen to him when their lives are threatened. `Like' doesn't factor into it.''
``Over There,'' premiering Wednesday at 10 p.m., is an effort to depict the minute-to-minute terror and heroism of the men and women fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The hit-and-run nature of the conflict generally restricts TV news to buildups and aftermaths of action, so FX uses drama to bring the blood and guts into our living rooms. Each episode has its own special moment of sickening carnage.
What is the show's point of view?
``Some of the characters have a right-wing point of view, others come from the left,'' Palladino said. ``That's life, and that's America.
`` `Over There' depicts specific men and women in combat. What people who watch get out of it will mainly be what they put into it. I mean, they'll selectively perceive what happens, because the show doesn't come to conclusions. At the end of the day, it's ambiguous.''
Producer Steven Bochco, the show's co-creator (with Chris Gerolmo), pioneered TV's realistic, even-handed treatment of cops' lives with ``Hill Street Blues.''
``When FX came to me,'' Bochco said, ``My first response was, `I'm not your guy.' ''
Eventually he signed on, aiming ``to create compelling characters and watch them in extreme situations. We worked very hard to avoid staking out any political position.''
Palladino's character falls squarely into the gruff-grunt Hollywood tradition of inspired leaders whose love for those they lead is manifested by apparent hatred.
``Sgt. Scream can never let his guard down,'' the Yonkers, N.Y.-born actor said. ``He's been in Iraq for a year. He knows what to watch out for. He's dead-on in his assessment of the dangers. There's a big weight on his shoulders.
``I spoke to a sergeant who spent six months in Iraq. He took a break out of country for a week. His first night away, he started sobbing. He realized that for the first time in months he didn't have to be on guard every second. For the first time, he understood the pressure he'd been under.''
``Over There'' is another in a series of big breaks in Palladino's career, which he traces back to the children's acting classes he started when he was a preteen.
He had a major role in the 2000 submarine drama ``U-571'' as ``a character who questions authority, not always from a place that's correct. I spent five months in Malta and Rome, and two weeks after I got home, I go `E.R.'
``I didn't come from money. My father is a heating contractor, my mother taught school. We weren't poor, but we didn't spend big either. When I first started getting money from acting (after graduating from Marymount Manhattan College), I put it in the bank instead of buying a new car like everybody else.
``Then when I left `E.R.,' where I played this cocky, obnoxious guy, I couldn't get a job because everybody thought I must be a cocky, obnoxious guy myself. Eventually work began to come in again, like `Joan of Arcadia,' a film I've got coming out called `Dead & Breakfast' and now `Over There.' ''
But can ``Over There'' run and run? ``M*A*S*H'' lasted 11 years while the Korean War ran only three.
``Obviously, I'd love this war to reach some successful conclusion tomorrow,'' Bochco said. ``Even if it ended tomorrow, though, it wouldn't impact our ability to continue, if the audience still wanted to watch.''
Palladino added, ``I hope people get attached to this squad. As for how the real war would affect the show, we hope our men and women can leave Iraq. I think everybody hopes that. If and when that happens and we're still on the air, maybe the unit could go somewhere else.''

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July 23, 2005 Saturday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 002

LENGTH: 163 words

HEADLINE: State issues `Gold Star' plates

BYLINE: By DAWN WITLIN

BODY:
Leo and Sue Boule of Dracut were presented with the first ``Gold Star'' state license plate yesterday in honor of their son, Matthew, who was the first Bay State soldier to be killed in action in Iraq.
``I was driving down the road one day and I saw all these Boston Red Sox plates, I thought, `If they and Save the Whales could have one, why not make a plate for those who gave everything?' '' Sue Boule said, recalling the moment she was inspired to begin pushing the state to mint the plates. 
Along with state Rep. Colleen Gary (D-Dracut) and Registry of Motor Vehicles spokesperson Amy O'Hern, Boule lobbied for two years for the creation of the plates.
``People need to know that we are out there,'' Boule said. ``It keeps our memories alive.''
The new ``Gold Star'' plates are free and available to all Massachusetts residents who have lost a family member during combat.
``Our next project will be to urge the United States Post Office to reissue a `Gold Star' stamp,'' Boule said.

GRAPHIC: PROUD PARENTS: Leo Boule attaches the first `Gold Star' license plate issued in Massachusetts to his car as his wife, Sue, looks on. STAFF PHOTO BY PATRICK WHITTEMORE
BOULE: First Bay State resident killed in Iraq.

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July 20, 2005 Wednesday  
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LENGTH: 200 words

HEADLINE: Army pilots armed to combat heat

BYLINE: By ROB HANEISEN (METROWEST DAILY NEWS)

BODY:
NATICK - Flying over the Iraqi desert, Army helicopter pilots know about heat that makes this week's baking temperatures in Massachusetts look balmy.
But the scientists at the U.S. Army Soldiers Systems Center in Natick have given them a secret weapon. 
Liquid-cooled vests, part of the Air Warrior Microclimate Cooling System, have been used by helicopter pilots in Iraq for the past year and this summer will be part of a test program to keep roasting soldiers cool in armored Humvees.
``We flew 5.5 hours in 120 degrees, and it worked awesome,'' an Army helicopter pilot wrote in an e-mail to Natick Labs.
Air crews wear the vest against their skin and under body armor and their flight suits. The tubing in the vest connects to a hose, which plugs into the cooling and pumping unit that sends 65 degrees of relief around the crew's torsoes.
Natick Labs is now developing a cooling system for ground pounders. A prototype is roughly half the size of a canteen, battery-powered, weighs less than 3 pounds and connects to the liquid-cooled vest - perfect for infantry.
Natick Labs also is testing a version of the helicopter system on soldiers in Humvees, where the armor pushes temperatures up to 160 degrees.

LOAD-DATE: July 20, 2005

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July 19, 2005 Tuesday  
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LENGTH: 329 words

HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 The case against Saddam

BODY:
It would be easy to lose sight of the fact that the pathetic old man now sitting in an Iraqi prison and washing his own socks is, in fact, a world class monster.
But soon the world will be reminded of the many crimes of Saddam Hussein as he stands trial in the first of a series of cases being prepared against him for his crimes against his people.
The first such trial to be brought before the Iraqi Special Tribunal and announced over the weekend, is - as Saddam's crimes go - a relatively small, self-contained horror. It involved the murders of some 150 men and boys in the town of Dujail, about 35 miles north of Baghdad. The massacre followed an assassination attempt against Saddam in 1982. Iraqi prosecutors said they decided to make this the first case because it involved a ``discrete event'' and one backed up with official documents and eyewitnesses. 
The case, likely to come to trial in September, is also expected to document the roundup of some 1,500 other town residents, mostly women, children and the elderly, who were imprisoned in the desert while Saddam's soldiers laid waste to their land.
The destruction of Dujail was merely a warm-up for Saddam of crimes to come - the murders of tens of thousands of Kurds later that decade and the mass murder of some 150,000 Shiites in 1991. Trials for those crimes - of Saddam and his murderous cohorts - will follow.
There are still those who would have preferred that Saddam be tried by an international tribunal, much like the Hague proceedings still going on against former Yugoslav strongman Sloboban Milosevic. But there is something very right about the Iraqi people having this happen in their midst and before their own eyes.
None of this is easy. Even today witnesses are being threatened by the remnants of Saddam's loyalists.
Their courage is to be applauded. So too is the bravery of America's own sons and daughters who by helping to topple one of the world's worst dictators have made this day possible.

LOAD-DATE: July 19, 2005

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July 19, 2005 Tuesday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 022

LENGTH: 734 words

HEADLINE: Letters to the editor

BODY:
Hear this, Krauthammer
Charles Krauthammer would seem to have very selective hearing, because Sept. 11 was pretty loud in pointing up dissatisfaction in the Muslim world with U.S. foreign policy (``It's time for Muslim world to speak out,'' July 15).
This administration speaks of freedom and democracy, yet Israel is treated better than any of our red states. We even back up Israel in treating the Palestinians like dirt. Such actions get noticed. 
Now, the Israeli/Palestinian rivalry seems small potatoes, compared to Iraq, yet there will be no peace in that part of the world until the United States starts promoting freedom for all peoples and stops being so two-faced.
Larry Schafer, Newton
Carr not `brilliant'
After reading Howie Carr's column on Mayor Thomas Menino's speaking ability, it struck me that the mayor and Carr are living proof that a brilliant man isn't necessarily articulate and an articulate man isn't necessarily brilliant (``Menino mayor or may not speak right, so listen up,'' July 15).
Martin Lord, Medford
Patients at risk
wonder if the editorial writer would feel the same if it were his or her mother lying in a hospital bed waiting for pain medicine while her nurse was busy attending to an elderly patient who'd accidentally pulled out an IV and was bleeding profusely because he was receiving blood-thinning agents for a heart condition (``Nursing mandates no fix,'' July 14). This is reality today with no safe staffing guidelines in place.
The comment that we are tying the hands of hospital caregivers by fining hospitals that fail to meet the requirement is ludicrous. Better working conditions mean more RNs will be willing to work more hours. Nurses who have left the field will be willing to come back. Perhaps we should suggest that people driving recklessly, endangering public safety, not be given a fine because it would hurt them financially and if they couldn't afford to drive to work, it would hurt the economy.
In reply to retaining staff with signing bonuses and higher pay, it is a well-documented fact that good working conditions create not only good morale, but also a higher rate of staff retention. As an RN who loves her profession, I want to improve working conditions to retain good nurses and improve the safety of patients.
Asserting that staffing levels in Nantucket Cottage Hospital should be different than in Mass. General is a dangerous assumption. Consider that Mass. General is a teaching hospital and already has more staff on hand. Safe staffing ratios would bring the quality of care in both hospitals to acceptable levels. Are we to assume that patients in Nantucket are any less important or sick than patients at Mass. General
Dominique Muldoon, Winchendon
Wide margin for error
Massachusetts requires pharmacies to fill prescriptions with generic drugs unless the name brand is specified by the doctors (``RX for OT,'' July 15). Doctors don't use generic names when talking to patients. The general public usually can't pronounce the generic names, let alone identify them. Drug interaction problems caused by confusion with the names has probably left patients in unnecessary pain or even death. It's dangerous when sick people are taking six, 10 or 15 pills a day. We pay for and swallow the drugs. The choice of generic or brand-name prescriptions should be ours to make.
Josephine Severino, Scituate
A truce broken
One has to admire Dr. Laura Galaburda and her fellow gays for their gall. That's about all they've got (``Gay vets challenge Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in court,'' July 9).
The ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy (which, until the Supreme Court says otherwise, is constitutional) was, and is, the compromise whereby an unwilling military agreed to accept gays. Galaburda and others violated the agreement by coming out of the closet. They have no right to demand that someone fulfill the terms of an agreement that they violated themselves.
B.J. Figueredo, Gonic, N.H.
Fallout is patronage
It was with great interest that I read Peter Gelzinis' column about the state trooper who was removed from bomb detection duty at Logan Airport because he was promoted (``Veteran statie promoted - then booted from Logan,'' July 13).
This would be like promoting a surgeon so he could dump bed pans. It will take at least a year to replace him. Who wants to bet his replacement is a politician's niece, brother-in-law or friend.
Francis Doherty, Waltham

LOAD-DATE: July 19, 2005

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July 19, 2005 Tuesday  
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LENGTH: 461 words

HEADLINE: MOVIES; 
 Roll with the punches; 
 Wheelchair rugby star Mark Zupan tackles life in `Mudrerball'

BYLINE: By Stephen Schaefer

BODY:
He's been hailed as summer's most unlikely action hero and, for once, that's not hype.
After all, blond, tattooed Mark Zupan, the ferocious star player of the U.S. Paralympics rugby team - who is front and center in the new film ``Murderball'' - is confined to a wheelchair.
But this amazing documentary makes it clear that Zupan, his teammates and their opponents, can be as ferocious and as dazzling as a Mad Max on the court in their souped-up, specially constructed chairs. Or off. 
`` `Murderball' shatters many misconceptions,'' Zupan said in a recent interview, ``including the one that a wheelchair precludes having a sex life. We're normal guys and we have good-looking girlfriends.''
Doesnt the movie show how the team will use the sympathy card to pick up girls in a bar?
Zupan couldnt help smiling. You gotta use your assets. If that works well, (expeletive) use it.
Now 30 and engineer in Texas, Zupan recalled the accident in 1993 that changed his life. He got drunk while celebrating a college soccer victory, then passed out in the back of a pickup owned by his friend Chris Igoe. Later Igoe took the wheel, not knowing Zupan was in the back. ``He got lost as he drove, I'd say 15 miles, and spun out,'' Zupan said. ``I was thrown out of the back of the pickup truck, over a fence and into a canal where I spent 14 1/2 hours hanging onto a branch until somebody found me.''
Zupan soon learned he'd broken his neck and was paralyzed. ``I was angry at the world,'' he said. ``You're 18 years old and (paralysis) has taken away your freedom. You're in a body that you used to be comfortable with and now it's foreign. But what's good about wheelchair rugby is that it gives you that competitive edge. . . . Wheelchair rugby has changed my life. I've done more in a chair than out of a chair and I wouldn't change it.''
Touted as the summer's break-out documentary, ``Murderball'' explores Zupan's relationship with Igoe, whose life was also catastrophically changed by the accident. ``It wasn't Chris' fault - he didn't know I was back there. I forgave him right away,'' Zupan said. ``But he had to come to grips with it. Every time he saw me he thinks, `I did this to him.' But you reassure him; I tell him, `Look, this is the best thing that ever happened.' He can understand that. We've had a tumultuous relationship, but the movie has definitely brought us closer.''
Zupan hopes ``Murderball'' will be not only an eye-opener but an inspiration. In one of its most emotional moments, he and his teammates visit a military hospital to encourage permanently disabled veterans. ``The guys who come back from Iraq, if we can give them an avenue to do something like this, well, it's great,'' he said. ``It's great to see people's eyes light up.''
And that's not hype.

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July 18, 2005 Monday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 005

LENGTH: 138 words

HEADLINE: Bless those bikes

BODY:
Bobby Maguire, 3, of Revere has his bike blessed along with all the big boys' bikes at the Sixth Annual Motorcycle and Classic Car Blessing Fund-raiser at Revere Beach yesterday.
The event was held to benefit veterans and their families who have been adversely affected by the war on terrorism, by raisng money for the ``Helping Hands for Heroes'' fund of the Weber Foundation of Helping Hands, Inc. 
``Today's event was a tremendous success. Next year we are planning to expand the event to three days in an effort to raise more money for this important cause. We can only hope that the war on Iraq will be over by then, but in the meantime, the needs of veterans and their families must be met,'' said Gayle Wintus, a member of the executive board of Helping Hands for Heroes Fund of the Weber Foundation. Staff photo by Nancy Lane

LOAD-DATE: July 18, 2005

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July 18, 2005 Monday  
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LENGTH: 304 words

HEADLINE: Mass. Guard fights pension KO law

BYLINE: By Dave Wedge

BODY:
While lawmakers and veterans groups scramble to improve soldiers' benefits, a little-known Massachusetts law can block state pensions for National Guard members who serve in out-of-state units - even if they've dodged bullets overseas.
Under the law, government employees can have their Guard time credited toward their pensions, unless they served with a non-Massachusetts National Guard unit.  
The rule is often overlooked by local retirement boards but was used to deny a pension for Martin Novia, a former New Bedford cop who served overseas with the Rhode Island National Guard's Special Forces unit.
``The law is in place as a recognition that they are serving their country and we choose to give them this pension benefit. (Soldiers) should not be penalized for serving out-of-state, especially given the work the Guard has been doing of late in Afghanistan and Iraq,'' said state Rep. Robert Koczera (D-New Bedford).
Koczera is filing a bill this week to allowany state's National Guard service to be credited toward Massachusetts pensions. A similar proposal by Gov. Mitt Romney never made it through the Legislature.
Novia, who fought crime for 16 years on New Bedford's gritty streets and is now a member of the Vermont National Guard, is currently appealing the New Bedford Retirement Board's decision.
``I think they took my retirement application and looked for every way they could to not give it to me,'' Novia said.
National Guard Lt. Col. Paul G. Smith praised Koczera's bill, noting that many Bay State soldiers join specialized units stationed out-of-state.
``It makes sense to recognize someone's service in another state,'' Smith said. ``If somebody is providing for national security by serving in New Hampshire or Rhode Island, that is certainly as valid as someone performing that function in Massachusetts.''

LOAD-DATE: July 18, 2005

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July 17, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 008

LENGTH: 712 words

HEADLINE: POLS & POLITICS

BODY:
Albertson: Clerk with connections
When the sister of theCity Council president and daughter of a sitting judge is nominated to be clerk of South Boston District Court, you can be sure that tongues will start wagging.
But Margaret (Flaherty) Albertson will be one clerk who really is qualified, said the former prosecutor's boss and ex-Suffolk DA Ralph Martin.
``She defies whatever the stereotype is coming from a family that has the political lineage that her family has,'' Martin said. ``She is a consummate professional.'' 
After all, she can't help being related to City Council President Mike Flaherty Jr., who declined comment, or Boston Municipal Court Judge Michael F. Flaherty.
But one wag keeping score couldn't help commenting, ``That's pretty good, they have a judge and a clerk. Most families don't get either.''
Albertson's Governor's Council interview is scheduled July 27.
State House blasts:
- Eyebrows were raised at the State House last week when one of Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi's pet projects - tax breaks for filmmakers - met some unusual opposition. Who was one of the four representatives voting no on the bill touted by DiMasi? DiMasi's longtime friend and colleague, Rep. Angelo Scaccia (D-Hyde Park.) File under: That's a wrap.
- The governor's communications director is showcasing his press-spinning skills around the State House. Last week, Eric Fehrnstrom, a former Herald reporter, was center stage at a media training session for House lawmakers and their aides on how to deal with reporters.
Remember, Rep., smile when you say no comment!
Courting bets
Can Irish bookies accurately predict a U.S. Supreme Court nominee?
Chief Justice William Rehnquist's announcement that he will stay on, leaving President Bush to fill only the vacancy created by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement, has online bettors on a Dublin Web site reshuffling the odds.
At $20 bid and $22.50 asked, Judge Emilio Garza of Texas, who sits on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in New Orleans, is the odds-on favorite. He is followed by Judge Michael Luttig, a Texan by birth who sits on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Va. Luttig comes in at $5.20 bid and $7.40 asked. But a surprise late entry and closing fast is yet another Texan: Judge Edith Hollan Jones of the 5th Circuit Court, at $5 bid and $14.80 asked.
`Vlog' velocity
Pundits beware. The latest Internet craze of ``vlogs'' is threatening to do for TV Sunday-morning punditry what blogs did for newspaper columnists. The term comes from ``blogs'' and ``video,'' says Wired News. Conservatives are trying to catch this wave early, and there are already pro-Iraq-war and pro-fast-food vlogs floating around.
Kevin Rothstein, Maggie Mulvihill and the Scripps Howard News Service contributed.
WHO'S HOT
John McCain
Conservatives gasped when they learned the Arizona senator appeared in an R-rated (and R doesn't stand for Republican) movie, ``Wedding Crashers,'' which has risque language and ahem, adult content. But you've got to love his reasoning for going Hollywood: ``It impresses my kids.''
WHO'S NOT
Arnold Schwarzenneger
The California gov was forced to sever his multimillion-dollar relationship with bodybuilding magazines, which rely on fitness supplement ads. Ahhhhnold vetoed proposed government regulations for such supplements. And no, Hollywood special effects won't save him on this one.
CBS4 POLITICAL ANALYST JON KELLER'S SPINOMETER
``If you have a world view that . . . affirms alternative views of sexuality, that can lead to a lot of people taking it the wrong way.'' - Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) ``explaining'' why Boston-area liberalism fueled the Catholic clergy sex scandal
Earth to Rick - it's hard to imagine a much more conservative environment than the Boston archdiocese during the heyday of the clergy child abuse. It was led by two arch-conservative prelates, Cardinals Medeiros and Law. And wasn't Bernie Law a close confidante of George H.W. Bush, that well-known libertine? Even if we give you Paul Shanley, whose hepcat street-preacher scam was somewhat enabled by gullible liberals, you're still shockingly short on actual facts. And if you have a world view that affirms unsubstantiated slander, maybe political power and you aren't a good match.

LOAD-DATE: July 17, 2005

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July 16, 2005 Saturday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 010

LENGTH: 236 words

HEADLINE: 2 Bay State men capture top annual military honors

BODY:
Two Bay State men this week were awarded top honors by two branches of the U.S. military.
Sgt. Daniel Cotnoir, 33, of Lawrence was named 2005 Marine of the Year and Gregory Gibbons, 26, of Chelmsford was recognized as 2005 Coast Guardsman of the Year by The Military Times at a ceremony in Washington on Wednesday. 
Cotnoir was originally deployed to Iraq as a Reserve small-arms repairman. But shortly after being mobilized, he was assigned as a mortuary affairs specialist, owing to his civilian occupation as the director of the Racicot Funeral Home in Lawrence.
The assignment involved the difficult task of collecting and identifying the remains of fellow Marines killed in action.
``The assignment wasn't exactly what I wanted,'' Cotnoir said. ``But I realized that it would be the best thing for me. It gave me a chance to help the Marines overall.''
Gibbons,an aviation maintenance technician third-class, was honored for saving six people during a frigid storm off the coast of Alaska. The rescue came after a Coast Guard helicopter was swept into the sea while rescuing survivors from a grounded Malayasian freighter.
Gibbons, who is now stationed in San Fransisco, said he was honored and humbled to receive the award but wanted to recognize those overseas in Iraq and those Coast Guardsmen entrusted with homeland security.
``They're my heroes,'' Gibbons said. ``I want to give some of the recognition back to them.''

LOAD-DATE: July 16, 2005

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July 15, 2005 Friday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 024

LENGTH: 744 words

HEADLINE: LETTERS

BODY:
Condolences offered
The members of the Islamic Center of Boston join their fellow Americans and all people of conscience in the world in unequivocally condemning the senseless acts of violence that were committed in London on July 7 (July 8).
No cause or excuse can be used to justify the taking of innocent lives and causing of wanton destruction and injury. The Holy Koran teaches us that the killing of one innocent human being is as if one has killed the whole of humanity. As followers of the Islamic faith, all of us repudiate this barbarism in the strongest possible terms and ask that every thing possible be done to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice. 
- Malik M.A. Khan, President, Islamic Center of Boston
Profits, pills in poor mix
Congratulations to reporter Jessica Heslam for her timely article on the prescription error that caused injury to 4-year-old Cyira Gillard (``Tot hospitalized after CVS pharmacist flubs prescription,'' July 12). Herald readers should know that these avoidable errors are usually caused by pharmacists who are required by their corporate employers to work 12-hour shifts filling hundreds of prescriptions per day. One could conclude that multimillion-dollar conglomerates value profits more than the safety of the families that they purport to serve.
As a pharmacist, I filled more than 200,000 prescriptions before deciding to change professions.
- Michael T. Lennon, Boston
Buchanan lacks logic
Columnist Pat Buchanan's claim that ``the 9/11 terrorists were over here because we were over there'' is patently absurd (``Occupying foreign land often goads terrorists,'' July 13). The terrorists responsible for 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia and Egypt, neither of which were occupied by the United States. Buchanan should not make excuses for murderers.
As for author Robert Pape, who asserts that Iraq never had a suicide bombing before American intervention, I suggest he review the staggering cases of murder and torture under Saddam Hussein., that may not have been suicide bombings, but were none-the-less the cause of thousands of deaths.
- Ellis Wingett, Norwood
Hazards snuff hookah fun
Reporter Tenley Woodman's story celebrates a tradition of one of the world's most unhealthy habits: smoking (``Pipe dreams: Hookahs are igniting night life in Boston,'' July 11). Hookahs, or water pipes, may be unusual and trendy, but people should know the health risks.
Smoke from hookah pipes contains carbon dioxide, tar and heavy metals, often in higher levels than those found in cigarettes. Lung and bladder cancer rates are higher among water-pipe smokers than among nonsmokers, and they are also at risk for pulmonary disease and other malignancies.
The tobacco industry has a history of using culture to market its deadly products as positive. Africans, Asian-Pacific islanders and Native-Americans are constantly targeted. From hip-hop to hookahs, Mideast or Northeast, tobacco companies want us to keep smoking.
- James White, Coalition Coordinator, Boston Area Tobacco Control Coalition
Karl Rove reviled
I'm baffled by the Herald's editorial (``Dems in a frenzy over Rove leaks,'' July 15).
You say Karl Rove didn't reveal Valerie Plame's name, but that's quibbling on par with ``It depends on what your definition of `is' is.'' Rove revealed her identity, and that's what counts. If, as the Herald claims, Plame was a desk jockey and the disclosure did no harm to national security, why did the CIA file a criminal referral?
I know we're in a period of bitter partisanship, but political leanings aside, I would think we can all agree that blowing a covert CIA agent's cover for political purposes is unacceptable, deplorable, and if not criminal, it should be.
- Rochelle Sivan, Framingham
No life for death penalty
Gov. Mitt Romney proposes to reinstate the death penalty (``Unjust cause lives on,'' July 13). He claims to have a foolproof bill resting on a gold standard of modern forensic science. But human error, racial disparity, insufficient scientific evidence, emotional trauma and the inaccuracies of eyewitnesses will always deface the perfect death penalty. Even if the courts are correct most of the time, it is impossible to guarantee that an innocent person won't be executed. There is no proof that the death penalty deters crime and it is an absurdly expensive process. Why reinstate it? More killing is not the answer.
- Toby Fisher, Executive Director, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Mass.

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LENGTH: 487 words

HEADLINE: Jazz/World; 
 Don't hate the French, start dancing!

BYLINE: By BOB YOUNG

BODY:
You're not going to see wine poured down the sewers, and you can bet your last franc that French fries, not freedom fries, will be on the menu at the 30th annual Bastille Day party tonight on Marlborough Street in Boston.
That's because once again it's the French Library and Cultural Center that will host one of the largest outdoor street dances of the year.
As many as 3,000 people are expected to pack the Back Bay block in front of the library to hear Congolese Afropop star Papa Wemba, Mauritania's Daby Toure and Haitian singer Emeline Michel. 
Concertgoers will find a lengthy fenced-in area on Marlborough Street between Berkeley and Clarendon streets, with admission at the Clarendon Street end.
Sarah Brelsfoard, the library's director of marketing and public relations, said she didn't expect a whole lot of anti-French sentiment at the event.
``Come and see us,'' she said with a laugh. ``We're all friendly.''
Not everyone has been friendly to France in recent years, of course, a reaction to the decision by that nation's government not to support the U.S. war in Iraq.
The library actually didn't hold a Bastille Day outdoor street party in 2003 because several corporate sponsors backed away, but Brelsfoard said such hard feelings and uncertainty didn't linger long.
``The (negative) reaction to us was pretty minimal and it was generally from people who did not realize that while we promote France and its culture and language, we are not subsidized by France,'' she said.
``We are a completely independent nonprofit American organization. Our members continue to support us. Our classes are as strong as ever. And our activities continue to grow.''
The French Library, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, is making an extra effort to expand its scope this year with a top-drawer concert lineup programmed by World Music.
Papa Wemba, a superstar in Europe and Africa, combines bouncy soukous rhythms with driving Afro-Cuban rumba and sophisticated contemporary pop influences.
The socially conscious Michel is known as ``the queen of Haitian song'' and keeps the dance floor full with a mixture of traditional and modern Haitian sounds.
Toure, who made an impressive debut last year with a CD on Peter Gabriel's Real World label, is an exceptional singer who mixes traditional African rhythms with modern Western pop.
All this music is geared especially to Boston residents with roots in countries where French is the primary language. But not exclusively.
``This was an opportunity for us to broaden the culture a bit,'' said Brelsfoard. ``We try to share the Francophone culture with the rest of the city whenever possible. And we consider this a big party for Boston.''
Papa Wemba, Emeline Michel and Daby Toure perform at the Bastille Day Street Dance tonight starting at 6 on Marlborough Street between Berkeley and Clarendon streets. Tickets at the door are $30. Call 617-912-0400 or go to www.frenchlib.org

LOAD-DATE: July 15, 2005

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July 14, 2005 Thursday  
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LENGTH: 713 words

HEADLINE: Letters

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Border policy key
The attacks on London were frighteningly reminiscent of 9/11 (July 11).
I am sympathetic for those who lost family and friends; however, Britain has a fairly lax border policy similar to the United States. We need to clamp down on potential terrorists who either enter legally or sneak across our borders in Mexico and Canada. 
We are at war in Iraq, rightfully so, but we should not forget to fight this war with proactive measures at our borders.
Christine Powers, Waltham
No parole for pedophiles
Dylan Groene from Idaho may become another statistic and yesterday's news (``Remains ID'd as missing 9-year-old boy,'' July 11). He fell to the hands of a madman who had a lengthy history of sexual crimes. These pedophiles are constantly released from prison only to re-offend. Studies say there is no cure for pedophilia. The sentences for these vermin should be no less than life without parole.
Jeffrey R. Demmons, Nashua, N.H.
Kudos for cops
Finally two police chiefs muster the courage to enforce our immigration laws (``Illegal immigrant challenges criminal trespass law,'' July 12). Long overdue! I applaud these chiefs for doing what the Immigration and Naturalization Service, President Bush, and the Senate and Congress haven't had the guts to do. Americans are not against immigrants, but rather want the process to be respected.
Paul E. Dennehy Jr., Sharon
Eagan on call
A brief comment on Margery Eagan's column: It is utter hubris to imply that a reduction in the scope of cellular phone networks will thwart terrorist attacks (``T hangs up on common-sense security,'' July 12). Mobile phones do not work on most of the London Underground, certainly not at the site of the King's Cross blast.
It is abundantly obvious that terrorist attacks in Europe and the United States (and no doubt elsewhere) are carefully planned; whatever the most reliable triggering mechanism is will be used, be that a timer, pager, cell phone or person. Removing the option of cell phone triggers will make no difference to the risk of attack. It is arguable that the situation would actually be worsened as the removal of the cellular option also removes a method controlling one of the many possible triggering mechanisms.
I speak as someone who has lived in London under terrorism for 33 years (my father was very nearly killed by the IRA's Harrods bomb), and I do not take prevention lightly. Also, there are no trash containers on the London Underground, nor at London mainline stations; attendants patrol the network and the stations with mobile garbage collection trolleys to control litter. The most blastproof trash container is one that is not available for the blast. Prevention of terrorism measures must have tangible effects; otherwise they serve no purpose other than to provide a false sense of security, or worse, no security but a restriction on our social and economic freedoms - one of the principle aims of terrorism.
Barnaby Prendergast, Charlestown
Hillary gone mad
Sen. Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party are still up to their same old tricks - name calling (``Hillary on prez: Hello Neuman!,'' July 12). Love or hate him, George Bush is the president of our country and demands a certain level of respect. Hillary should be ashamed. She is using the same strategy as Sen. John Kerry as she offers criticism without solutions. If she is the best the Democratic Party can muster, they better get used to four more years.
Ed Perelli, Malden
No place for extremes
I was puzzled by the intent behind the hateful and misogynist cartoon of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg (July 7). I thought it bordered on anti-Semitic, to say the least. Then I heard a news report that the strategy of the extreme right was to define Ginsberg as an extremist liberal who was confirmed without Republican opposition. Therefore, Democrats are now obliged to allow another extreme conservative onto the highest court.
But Ginsburg was put forth for the Supreme Court by conservative Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch. How far from mainstream can she be?
Extremism, from either the left or right, has no business controlling our most sacred institutions. Our brave soldiers are fighting abroad against extremists. We owe it to them not to allow extremism at home. Leroy Johnson, Jamaica Plain

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July 12, 2005 Tuesday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 016

LENGTH: 245 words

HEADLINE: War calling fewer part-time troops

BYLINE: By THOMAS CAYWOOD

BODY:
As the Pentagon's reliance on part-time soldiers to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan has ebbed over the past two years, the numbers of Bay State reservists and guardsmen on active duty has dropped more than threefold.
As of last week, roughly 1,350 part-time soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen from Massachusetts reserve and Guard units were serving on active duty in the United States or abroad, according to a Herald review of Pentagon records. 
The number of deployed Bay Staters is down sharply from more than 4,600 during the buildup to the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
``It has turned into a more steady flow of activations as opposed to the sudden high peak we saw in the beginning,'' said Lt. Col. Paul Smith, a spokesman for the Massachusetts National Guard.
``It's getting to be a much more orderly process.''
Even so, the Massachusetts Guard still has several units in harm's way in Iraq at any one time.
Michelle Hanzel of Chicopee, whose husband, Staff Sgt. Steffen Hanzel, is there with the Massachusetts National Guard's 42nd Military Police Company, said she just wants her husband home as soon as possible to see their baby grow and develop.
``It doesn't matter what I hope and what I think. They do what they want. I'm used to that. It's the needs of the military,'' she said.
``I'm a little anxious,'' Hanzel added, as her baby boy cooed in the background. ``I just wish they would send them home soon. This little guy is so grown up, and he's so fabulous.''

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July 12, 2005 Tuesday  
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LENGTH: 618 words

HEADLINE: LONDON ATTACKED; 
 T hangs up on common-sense security

BYLINE: By MARGERY EAGAN

BODY:
In the wake of last week's London terror bombings, New York's Port Authority, ``as a safety precaution,'' disconnected cell phone service in the Holland and Lincoln tunnels.
But here in Boston, we're doing the exact opposite, installing cell phone service in tunnels and T stations where we don't yet have it. Terror, schmerror.
The beleagured Massachusetts Turnpike have-leak-will-travel Authority is going ahead with plans for cell phone service in the Interstate 93 tunnel and Pike extension under Fort Point Channel - the only Big Dig tunnels now without it. 
The MBTA is going wireless downtown - Park Street, Downtown Crossing, Government Center and State Street - and the tunnels connecting those stations. They'll get $4 million over 15 years from the company installing the wireless. Meanwhile, the FCC and FAA may soon lift the cell phone ban on airplanes.AIRPLANES!
What is wrong with this picture?
Is New York the only terror magnet with a bureaucratic brain?
``Service will remain off until further notice,'' Port Authority spokesman Tony Ciavolella said yesterday. ``Bottom line . . . safety.''
True, investigators in London now believe the subway bombs were probably detonated with timers, not cell phones. Also true, the way things are going with the I-93 tunnels, we're more likely to drown there than be blown up.
But the Madrid train blast that killed 191 in 2004? Detonated by cell phone. The Bali blast that killed 202 in 2002? Cell phones. Fourteen dead and 150 wounded in 2003 at the Jakarta Marriott? Cell phones.
So why not limit, intead of expand, terror options at Park Street? Given the choice of winding up a smithereen or wrapping up my oh-so-important cell call, I'd sacrifice the cell call every single time.
In these perilous times, is this really too much a sacrifice to ask?
``On the T, I think it's a risk-benefit analysis,'' said one local wag. ``How many (riders) are we gonna lose to get our $4 million?'' And if it's just a few conventioneers from, say, Arkansas, ``maybe that's a risk we're willing to take.''
Jon Carlisle, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, surely holds precious any and all conventioneers. However, we can't ``dismiss out of hand'' the $4 million benefit because the T's in ``dire financial straights.'' He also said ``convenience'' and ``security'' (using cell phones to report odd behavior or unattended packages, etc.) outweigh the threat of cell phones as terror tool.
The MBTA's Joe Pesaturo said, ``We often hear from customers who travel alone and feel more comfortable knowing they could use their cell phone on the subway.'' He and Carlisle both said picture cell phones can help investigators. Yet comparing the London cell phone shots with shots from underground cameras makes that argument the weakest of their other weak points, including this: The T system being installed can be turned off in an instant should catastrophe warrant.
But by then it'll be too late, won't it?
Here's the thing: The papers this weekend were a hit parade of all the government's not done to make even modest progress in homeland security since 9/11. One dismal statistic from ``Meet the Press'': We've spent $500 million total on transit security in four years. We spend that every three days in Iraq.
Nothing's foolproof, we know. Yet here's a common-sense choice: to install, or not, cell phone service in places where it will surely annoy thousands and possibly be used to murder hundreds. And here are state officials rushing in, absolutely wrong.
The Turnpike's Doug Hanchett reminded me that despite last week's torrential rain, ``as we button things up, we didn't have a single problem'' in the I-93 cheesecloth tunnnel. That's something, I guess.

GRAPHIC: CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? A woman talks on her cell phone yesterday near MBTA tracks. Despite terror concerns, the T is going wireless downtown. STAFF PHOTO BY MIKE ADASKAVEG

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July 12, 2005 Tuesday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 024

LENGTH: 568 words

HEADLINE: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

BODY:
Capuano being coy
Rep. Mike Capuano just does not get it (``London attacked; Analysts see boost for Bush,'' July 8). He says there is no connection between the al-Qaeda that we are fighting in Iraq - the al-Qaeda that admits it killed the Egyptian ambassador to Iraq - and the al-Qaeda that murdered dozens in London. 
I think that he does see the connection, but just to make political points for his party, he refuses to admit it.
- Tom McLaughlin, East Bridgewater
Patrick teaches well
Candidate for governor Deval Patrick got it right when he questioned whether the MCAS alone is the appropriate measure for adequately educating the whole child. (``Gov, AG on MCAS common ground,'' July 8). And, unfortunately, Attorney General Tom Reilly is shortsighted in agreeing with Gov. Mitt Romney that adding a science MCAS requirement will automatically improve science education.
The Democratic Party platform has stated that MCAS alone is not a fair and equitable way to measure student progress. Patrick displays a deeper understanding of how children learn - they must be engaged by science, not taught to a test. I urge Patrick to continue to demonstrate the political courage to speak out.
- Ruth Kaplan, Brookline
The writer is on the Brookline School Committee.
No one's above law
Kathleen Parker is a wonderful columnist (``Miller is sacrificing her freedom for ours,'' July 10). However, I cannot agree with her viewpoint that all reporters, and Judith Miller in particular, are heroes for protecting unnamed sources.
What I find most offensive are reports that place innocent people in danger, put our troops in danger, encourage more Muslim atrocities and attempt to control public opinion or elections - and are attributed to ``unnamed sources.''
When there are no sources cited, the information becomes gossip at best and dangerous at worst.
- Richard Maranville, Raynham
Throw book at Novak
Robert Novak identified Joseph Wilson's wife Valerie Plame as a CIA agent (``Prosecutor's net snares reporter,'' July 7). He was the one who committed the crime but the special prosecutor went after Judith Miller and Matthew Cooper, and actually put Miller in jail. Meanwhile Teflon Robert Novak conducts his business as usual and goes around keeping his head high. Where is the outrage?
- Bijan Afshartous, Lexington
Manly draws dissent
I'm not sure how accurate it is to characterize then-Chief Justice Earl Warren's opinion in 1954's as ``judicial activism,'' as columnist Howard Manly does (``Judicial activism is simple justice,'' July 8). There was nothing activist about Brown; the ruling was a constitutionally sound corrective to the earlier judicial activism of 1896's Plessy vs. Ferguson, in which constitutional principles were distorted by those who wanted to give a judicial imprimatur to white supremacy.
A reasonable parallel can be drawn between Plessy and 1973's Roe vs. Wade;just as Plessy endorsed the notion that a black person had no rights that a white person was obligated to respect, so too did endorse the notion that an unborn child had no rights its parents were obligated to respect.
African-Americans rejoiced when the court finally determined that Plessy was a perversion of constitutional principles, and advocates for the unborn will similarly rejoice if and when the court decides that Roe was actually an affront to constitutional tenets, and not an affirmation thereof.
- D.R. Tucker, Boston

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July 11, 2005 Monday  
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LENGTH: 708 words

HEADLINE: Letters to the Editor

BODY:
The scoop on meters
A Herald phone call to the Boston Transportation Department would have provided the following facts (July 7).
At least 92 percent of meter outages are due to vandalism. Outages are only discovered in person. Even with 7,000 meters, BTD inspected over 493,000 last year and made 144,000 repairs. BTD tested multi-space meters (included in next year's budget) and found they could alleviate our problem through a one-time cost. The cost to hire four more employees in our meter repair division would be over $130,000. 
We are buying 25 multi-space parking meters, not eight, with wireless transmission that will alert us to repairs. There are 153 missing meters, not 550 as Finance Commission Executive Director Jeffrey Conley claims. We have procured 500 new single head-meters as replacement and backup.
- Thomas J. Tinlin, Acting Commissioner, BTD
A roar against zoo
According to the Herald, a veterinarian at the Franklin Park Zoo is still looking into possible causes for Cliff the lion's failing health (``Franklin Park Zoo lion victim of mystery illness,'' July 4). I suggest zoochosis as a likely contributor.
A worldwide study of zoos conducted by the Born Free Foundation revealed that zoochosis is rampant in confined animals. The affliction has elements of boredom, lack of privacy, minimal opportunity for mental stimulation or physical exercise. Especially for animals like lions that travel considerable distances, the lack of space and the challenge of the hunt is a distinct but obvious hardship.
Cliff is one of many animals exhibited for exploitation - not for conservation, nor for education. Lions are not endangered. Zoo visitors do not learn about the rich, active lives and behaviors of lions in the wild by gawking at Cliff in his relatively sterile setting.
- Harriet E. Baker, Quincy
-Mother offers thanks
I write to show my appreciation for those who directly or indirectly contributed to the rescue of my son, Justin Muomah, from the train tracks (``Autistic boy, 6, rescued from T tracks,'' July 2). I especially thank the unidentified gentleman who went out of his way save Justin, and I pray that God rewards him abundantly.
- Nnenna Muomah, Jamaica Plain
Real terror unabated
Columnist Clifford May ridicules the CIA for claiming that the suicide bombers in Iraq are becoming more skilled (``Secret is basic brutality confounds CIA,'' July 5).
He points out that suicide bombers only survive for one mission. Fortunately, most Herald readers are not morons and won't fall for his childish logic. The suicide bombers in Iraq do not act alone. They are merely the front line soldiers of the insurgency. The bomb makers and planners are undoubtedly improving their techniques as they gain experience.
May also tells us that terrorists trained at the Ansar al-Islam camp in northeastern Iraq. That may well be true, but the camp was in a part of Iraq that was not under Saddam Hussein's control. With the likes of George Tenet distorting CIA intelligence, giving President Bush cover to start his war in Iraq and then receiving the Medal of Freedom for his efforts, it's no wonder frustrated CIA agents are allowing a bit of truth to leak.
The war on terror has always taken a back seat to Bush's war on Iraq.
- William Blanchard, Cambridge
Life in Henley's lane
I am extremely disappointed in the Inside Track article about Don Henley. Everything Don Henley's spokesman said about me was a lie (July 5).
As a Christian woman, I would never push, shove, scream or move people out of my way. I have 10 people who can confirm that I was never ``removed'' from that area. Henley was just an old jerk who thought he was better than us handicapped people.
- Gail Collinson, Milton
LNG has positive energy
With the ever-rising price of gas and other forms of energy, we must seek alternative forms of energy and expand existing production facilities if we are to maintain our way of life and keep our economy growing.
LNG is an excellent source that could reduce dependence on foreign sources of oil as an energy-substitute for home heating, generation of electricity, and fuel for motor vehicles, significantly reducing pollution (``LNG prime example of pols' pandering,'' July 5). It would also create new jobs.
- Michael Pravica, Acton

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July 10, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 003

LENGTH: 346 words

HEADLINE: LONDON ATTACKED; 
 Anti-terror warriors armed by Mass. firms

BYLINE: By JAY FITZGERALD

BODY:
Beware, terrorists!
Bay State high-tech companies have their 3-D eyes and heat beams aimed at you.
Last week's terrorist attacks once again brought attention to Massachusetts' burgeoning defense and Homeland Security industries. 
Share prices of companies including Billerica-based American Science and Engineering and Wakefield-based Implant Sciences - both makers of explosives-detection systems - shot up on Wall Street after the horrific British transit blasts.
Hundreds of other state firms are laboring to come up with new cutting-edge, high-tech gadgets to help police and GIs battle terrorist killers.
Waltham's Raytheon Co.has developed a revolutionary new Active Denial System that shoots nonlethal millimeter-wide heat beams - stinging targets with an intense burning sensation comparable to hot iron pressed against the flesh.
Mounted on a Humvee and resembling a Buck Rogers ray gun, the ADS is being field-tested by the Pentagon, with some predicting it could soon be used at roadblocks in Iraq to stop drivers of suspect cars.
Meanwhile, Burlington's iRobot Corp. has developed the small PackBot robot that wheels around on treads and has already hunted for terrorists in caves in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Late last month, iRobot unveiled its latest PackBot model: PackBot Explorer. Hiding behind sand dunes or inside tall grass, PackBot Explorer can act like a ``prairie dog,'' lifting itself up with flippers and extending a ``head'' to record video of potential enemy threats.
From Peabody-based Analogic's 3-D X-ray machines that screen airport luggage to Wilmington-based Textron Systems' new armored security vehicles, Bay State companies are cranking out security and military products at a feverish pace.
Gene Gordon, a vice president at executive staffing firm McCormick Group Inc., said the defense and Homeland Security business is booming in Massachusetts.
``We're seeing a really big uptick in companies that are selling into the Homeland Defense industry,'' said Gordon, saying products being made range from high-tech identification cards to submarine weaponry.

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July 10, 2005 Sunday  
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HEADLINE: Hub veterans get `Warrior' welcome

BYLINE: By LAURA CRIMALDI

BODY:
After coming home from the Middle East two years ago to bury her mother in Concord, Lt. Col. Jane E. Perkin finally got the homecoming she's been waiting for yesterday.
Perkin, a member of the Army Reserve's Boston-based 883rd Medical Company, was among 42 soldiers honored in South Boston with the Welcome-Home Warrior Citizen award for their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
``Personally, this brings (my mother) here and here,'' said Perkin, a nurse and therapist, as she gestured to her heart and head.
Perkin's mother, Frances, died of cancer on April 15, 2003, after being diagnosed with the deadly disease just as her daughter was sent to Fort Drum, N.Y., for training. During her illness, Frances Perkin kept a photograph of her daughter at her bedside.
``She told people, `That's my daughter. She's serving in the war,' '' said Perkin, who now lives in Dover, N.H.
Army Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. James R. Helmley authorized the new award - a packet that includes a folded and framed American flag, a global war on terrorism commemorative coin and lapel pins. Another 135 soldiers will receive the award today at the Devens Reserve Forces Training Area.
``Not only did you do your mission, but you brought everyone back home,'' said Col. Cedric F. Wingate, an officer with the 94th Regional Readiness Command, addressing the honorees. ``When I stand before you looking at your faces, I know that you really deserve (this honor). It doesn't matter how many times we honor you all. It's never enough.''
The awards ceremony came just as members of the medical company gear up to be redeployed to the Middle East next month.
``It feels good to be honored for what I did,'' said Robert Davis of Newton, an EMT in Waltham and father of an 11-year-old boy named Robert.
Davis is among those returning overseas. Added his wife Beth: ``I'm not looking forward to it, but I've done it once and we'll do it again.''

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July 8, 2005 Friday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 007

LENGTH: 463 words

HEADLINE: LONDON ATTACKED; 
 ANALYSTS SEE BOOST FOR BUSH; 
 G-8 leaders unite to condemn terror

BYLINE: By MAGGIE MULVIHILL and THOMAS CAYWOOD

BODY:
The deadly attack in London is likely to boost support for President George W. Bush and the war on global terrorism, international terrorism experts said yesterday, as political leaders united to condemn the bombings.
``I think this will probably help Bush because it will reinforce the sense that this is a very real threat,'' said Louise Richardson, executive dean at Radcliffe's Institute for Advanced Study. ``People are frightened and when they are frightened they tend to rally around what is familiar.'' 
Bush, in Scotland for the G-8 summit, joined British Prime Minister Tony Blair in denouncing the terrorists and stating resolve to stay the course in Iraq.
``The war on terror goes on,'' Bush told reporters on the lawn of the Gleneagles Hotel as Blair's helicopter lifted off behind him bound for London. Bush said the resolve of G-8 nations to fight terrorism ``is as strong as my resolve. We will not yield to these people, will not yield to the terrorists.'' The G-8 leaders, many of whom have differed sharply with Bush and Blair over the war in Iraq, came together to pledge solidarity.
In a statement on behalf of all 13 participants - the G-8's United States, Britain, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Russia, plus China, India, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa - Blair said ``We are united in our resolve to confront and defeat this terrorism that is not an attack on one nation but on all nations and on civilized people everywhere.''
Here at home, experts said the attacks will probably unite Congress on such issues as increased military funding, and give Bush a boost on other war-related issues.
``We should make sure we stand by the British people in their tragedy, and I think we should use the moment to focus attention on our own rail security,'' U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston) said. ``I think we would be ill-advised to assume it cannot happen here. I think we need to take appropriate steps. We've got five times as many Americans that travel by rail as travel by air.''
Bush may also see more support for his argument that centering intelligence in one American domestic security agency will not increase safety, since its longstanding counterpart in Britian - MI5 - was unable to prevent yesterday's bombings, said retired U.S. Naval intelligence Cmdr. Erik Dahl, a doctoral student at the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
However, U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Somerville) saw the London transit bombings as further evidence the war in Iraq is distracting attention and resources from the war on terror.
``We should have done the job right the first time once and forever. We got dragged into a side issue, a distraction. Osama bin Laden should be captured and dead now,'' Capuano said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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HEADLINE: LONDON ATTACKED; 
 BRITISH HUNT BOMBERS IN DASTARDLY TRANSIT BLITZ

BYLINE: By JOSE MARTINEZ

BODY:
The most powerful men in the world were meeting hundreds of miles away, but terrorists yesterday took their battle against the mighty to the rush-hour streets of London where ``ordinary Londoners'' like Gemma Signes felt its fury.
The 32-year-old hotel worker was on a subway train leaving King's Cross station when one of four blasts went off, killing at least 53 people and injuring hundreds of commuters on trains and a double-decker bus.
``Everyone was screaming and panicking; no one knew what to do,'' Signes told the Times of London last night. ``There was so much shoving, people pulling and pushing. I just focused on getting to the surface.'' 
``There was a massive bang, and smoke and glass everywhere. I've still got some in my hair,'' said Fiona Trueman, 26, who was on the same train on the Picadilly Line. ``We sort of cushioned each other during the impact because the compartment was so full. It felt like a dream; it was surreal.''
The coordinated attacks - three on London's fabled ``tube'' system and another on one of the city's ubiquitous red double-decker buses - set off a massive manhunt for those responsible.
A shaken Prime Minister Tony Blair called the attacks ``particularly barbaric'' and vowed an intense hunt for whoever was responsible before leaving the G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland to lend support in the capital.
``They are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us,'' he said. ``They should know they will not succeed.''
The bombings came a day after London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics, prompting the British organizers to cancel plans for celebrations.
``This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty,'' said London Mayor Ken Livingston before rushing home from Singapore. ``It was aimed at ordinary working-class Londoners.''
Bombs went off on trains at three subway stations within 26 minutes - beginning at 8:51 a.m. at Aldgate station near the Liverpool Street railway terminal followed by blasts at Edgware Road and King's Cross in north London and Old Street in the financial district. Then death moved above ground, with an explosion atop the No. 30 double-decker bus at Russell Square, near the British Museum, at 9:47 a.m. London police could confirm only 37 dead last night, with at least 700 wounded, but the death toll was expected to rise. London newspapers pegged the count at 53 and rising.
Authorities, uncertain if the bombs were triggered by suicidal terrorists or by triggermen armed with cell phones, jammed some mobile phone towers to prevent further carnage.
From Scotland, President Bush warned Americans to be ``extra vigilant,'' and his administration raised the terror alert for U.S. transit to orange. In London, Queen Elizabeth II ordered the Union Jack over Buckingham Palace lowered to half-staff, as millions walked home, their transit system paralyzed by the worst violence visited on the city since the Blitz in World War II.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the explosions have the ``hallmarks of an al-Qaeda related attack.'' He added that neither Britain's police nor the intelligence services had any warning of the attacks.
A group calling itself the ``Secret Organization of al-Qaeda in Europe'' claimed responsibility for the London attack on a Web site, declaring: ``Britain is burning with fear.'' The group said the bombings were in retaliation for British involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan and warned Italy and Denmark could be next if they do not withdraw troops from the Middle East.
The group's claim was not immediately verified.
Investigators, meanwhile, were uncertain if whoever carried out the attacks were a collection of homegrown British terrorists - shoebomber Richard Reid, convicted here of trying to blow up a trans-Atlantic airliner, fell in with radical Islamists at South London's Brixton Mosque - or an imported al-Qaeda cell linked to the same European network responsible for the rush-hour bombings in Madrid that killed 191 people last year.
Several suspects in the Madrid slaughter also had London ties including the alleged mastermind, Mustafa Setmariam Nasar, a 46-year-old Syrian al-Qaeda veteran who remains at large with a $5 million reward over his head. Three other men are now jailed in London and fighting extradition to Spain for their alleged roles in that terrorist operation.
While Spanish authorities say they had been warning Scotland Yard of a possible Madrid-like attack on London since last March, British intelligence yesterday said the bombings came out of the blue. Only last month the nation's alert status had been lowered to ``substantial'' from its post-9/11 status of ``severe general.''
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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HEADLINE: LONDON ATTACKED; 
 Pros: Beware Qaeda, the sequel

BYLINE: By JULES CRITTENDEN

BODY:
Al-Qaeda is back.
The elusive hydra-headed beast never left, terrorism experts say. But yesterday's bloody attack on London fits the long-term pattern of al-Qaeda's offensive against U.S. allies - and shows alarming new signs of adaptation. 
``This attack is different,'' said James Walsh of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. The bombings were timed to coincide with the G-8 summit, when security was high in Britain. And the bombers managed to escape the notice of British counterterrorism authorities, who have heavily infiltrated local Islamic groups and benefit from massive technical surveillance of British society.
The terrorists' message yesterday, Walsh said, was: ``We're going to attack even when you're prepared for it. . . . They still want to attack the U.S. We should expect more of the same.''
What sub-group of al-Qaeda carried out the attack remains unclear. British police said they could not confirm a claim of responsibility from ``The Secret Organization of al-Qaida in Europe.'' But Prime Minister Tony Blair blamed Islamic extremists, and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the bombings have the ``hallmarks of an al-Qaeda-related attack.''
Osama bin Laden is on the run and al-Qaeda's core leadership has been disrupted, Neil Livingstone of GlobalOptions Inc. said, but their ability to inspire and possibly support attackers remains a threat.
``We're within a pattern, part of a rolling campaign that will go on for years,'' said Charles Heyman, a British counterterrorism expert with Janes publications. There have been nine deadly attacks around the world attributed to al-Qaeda since Sept. 11, 2001.
Al-Qaeda's goal may be to drive a wedge between U.S. allies, but the effect of yesterday's bombing in the long-term war remains to be seen. Livingstone noted the 2004 Madrid attack was instrumental in bringing down a U.S.-allied Spanish government, and other attacks have inflicted heavy economic damage.
Juliette Kayyem of the Kennedy School said she believes a political resolution in Iraq would greatly reduce the terrorist threat and that the bombing will weaken Blair, a strong supporter of the Iraq War. Others disagree.
``They are looking at this from a long-term point of view, trying to wear us down to get some advantage,'' Heyman said. His son was within 200 yards of one of the blasts yesterday, and he said the British are unlikely to shrink now.
``If they (al-Qaeda) think they'll get the British people to withdraw from Afghanistan or Iraq, they are sorely mistaken,'' Heyman said.

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HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 All the world's British - for now

BODY:
``We shall prevail and they shall not,'' - British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
As Blair spoke those words, he was flanked by the other world leaders who had gathered in Scotland for the G8 Summit. Before the day was out the flags of all the nations at the summit were lowered to half-staff. 
``Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilized nations throughout the world,'' Blair added. ``We will not allow violence to change our societies or our values nor will we allow it to stop the work of this summit.''
There is obviously no chapter on the Law of Unintended Consequences in the terrorist handbook. And the unintended consequence of this obviously well-timed attack in London was to remind the world's leaders that there is far more that unites them than divides them, that their mutual interest in halting terror outweighs all of the usual carping over trivia.
Somehow climate change and greenhouse gases seem less than compelling when the dead and the wounded are being dragged out of subway stations for the ``crime'' of trying to get to work.
When the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked, when thousands of lives were lost, the world was shocked by the crime. Signs of heartfelt sympathy appeared in the windows of shops and cafes all over Europe. ``We are all Americans,'' said a handwritten sign in a Paris cafe at the time.
But people have short memories. And when our nation took the fight to the places where terrorism is bred and nurtured - places like Afghanistan and Iraq - many nations of the world turned their backs on us. This wasn't THEIRfight.
Then when the bombs went off in Madrid, terror truly triumphed as the Spanish government fell and its successor ordered that nation's troops out of Iraq.
``The war on terror goes on,'' Bush said yesterday, reiterating a commitment made after 9/11 to take that battle to the breeding grounds of terrorism so that it would never be fought again on American soil. It was the right decision, but not all of Europe's leaders understood or approved.
Yesterday, however, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder called the London bombings ``perfidious attacks.'' And French President Jacques Chirac said, ``This scorn for human life is something we must fight with ever greater firmness.''
Yesterday all the world wept for the lives lost or changed forever. Yesterday we were all British - even Chirac and Schroeder and Russia's Vladimir Putin. Now if only the world's leaders can remember that tomorrow.

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HEADLINE: Co. soldiers on with Army deal

BYLINE: By JAY FITZGERALD

BODY:
A unit of Wilmington-based Textron Systems has been awarded a rush contract to build hundreds of armored vehicles to be used by American troops on dangerous scouting missions in Iraq.
Textron Systems, a subsidiary of Providence conglomerate Textron Inc., said the U.S. Army ordered another 724 Armored Security Vehicles, also known as M1117 Guardians, as part of a $500 million contract over the next two years. 
The company has already hired 700 new workers and plans to add another 400 by next March as it ramps up production from one vehicle every three weeks to more than 40 per month, a spokesman said. The vehicles - with their big wheels and tank-like turret - will be built in the New Orleans area by Textron Marine and Land.
The ASVs can rapidly spit out .50 caliber rounds and grenades, as well as withstand medium-caliber hits and even some land mine explosions, Textron said.
``It is a continued vote of confidence in a vehicle that was specifically designed for a threat-rich, urban environment,'' said B. Clay Moise, head of the Textron unit.
The contract is also a sign that the Pentagon is rushing to provide American troops with more heavily armed scout vehicles. Terrorist thugs have been targeting American convoys with roadside bombs and suicide car attacks.
Critics have lambasted the Pentagon for not providing enough armor protection for troops in vehicles such as Humvees.
The additional ASVs would appear to address some of those concerns.
There are already more than 100 ASVs in Iraq.
The first deliveries from the latest contract are expected early next year, with all of the vehicles to be built and shipped by June 2007.
In Wilmington, Textron builds future combat systems and unmanned ground sensors. About 1,200 people are employed by the company in Wilmington.

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HEADLINE: Soldiers learn lessons on and off battlefield

BYLINE: By JESSE NOYES

BODY:
Twice a week Massachusetts soldiers stationed in Iraq finish a 12-hour shift, then sacrifice two more hours of sleep to learn the ins and outs of entrepreneurship.
A group of 45 Massachusetts Army National Guardsmen gathers under a utility tent that serves as a makeshift classroom to get instruction from Louis Celli, president of the nonprofit New England Veterans Business Resource Center, and other certified teachers in real-time via the Web.
Varying business interests are represented in the group, Celli said. One soldier would like to become a disc jockey. Another wants to open a day-care center when he gets home. 
``They're interested in something completely diverse and different than what they are doing now,'' Celli said. ``Through this course we help them fine-tune their business plan.''
The troops get more than just fine-tuning. The program also provides the entrepreneurs a published Web site and 500 personalized business cards to get started once safely back stateside.
The nine-module training program ranges from basic business strategies to marketing and financing.
Celli - a retired master sergeant in the U.S. Army - was surprised to find little assistance existed for veterans looking to break into the business world.
``I was under the mistaken assumption that there were programs designed to help Army veterans start their own business,'' he said.
He started the resource center 18 months ago offering a ``FastTrac'' training program in business.
When a Bay State soldier who was deployed in Iraq asked Celli to be his mentor through e-mails, he agreed, Celli said.
The same soldier mentioned some of his peers might also be interested.
``Next thing I knew I got a spreadsheet with 45 names on it,'' Celli said.
To reach all 45 soldiers at once Celli turned to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Citrix Systems, Inc., which donated software allowing the class to participate online.
The class mixes high technology with old-fashioned American ingenuity. A laptop is used to pick up the signal and the soldiers then gather around a projector screen made of taped-together butcher paper to view the live video.

GRAPHIC: DISTANCE LEARNING: A group of 45 Massachusetts Army National Guardsmen in Iraq gather regularly for classes in business management given by an Army veteran over an Internet connection from the Bay State. HERALD PHOTO BY SGT. 1ST CLASS RICHARD GUZOFSKI

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HEADLINE: ESPLANADE EXTRAVAGANZA; 
 U.S.S. Citizens: New Americans proudly pledge allegiance

BODY:
By LAURA CRIMALDI
Sailing aboard Old Ironsides during its annual turnaround cruise, Juan Quiroz took his oath of allegiance to the United States yesterday - six weeks before he deploys for Iraq.
``It feels great. It's a great honor, especially since I'm being deployed,'' said Quiroz, a 30-year-old Colombian native and mental health specialist with the Army's Boston-based 883rd Combat Stress Control unit. 
Twelve men and women from 12 countries became American citizens during the two-hour cruise aboard the USS Constitution, the world's oldest commissioned warship.
The event was celebrated with a 21-gun salute and a flyover by four A-10 Thunderbolt ``Warthogs'' from the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield.
Another 26 new citizens, representing 22 countries, were naturalized in a separate ceremony at the Esplanade along the Charles River, said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Shawn Saucier.
``To overcome loss of control, loss of power, we must participate in government. . . . You, too, now have a stake in that experiment in self-government of which I spoke earlier. It is a wonderful experiment and fully worthy of the effort of us all,'' U.S. District Court Judge Rya Zobel told the newly minted Americans.
Lebanese native Rita Daaboul, 34, of Newburyport said she felt special to be naturalized aboard the 207-year-old ship. Her husband George expects to become an American citizen later this year.
``It's very nice, great. I'm proud,'' said Daaboul, a gas station manager and mother of two girls, Sandra, 16, and Lenzy, 11. ``I love this country and I'd like to raise my children in this country.''
Eighteen years after leaving her native Jamaica, Charmaline Black, 47, of Roslindale said it was about time she became an American citizen.
``I've been here such a long time. Since I'm here, it's just as well that I get it to get more opportunities,'' said Black, a customer service representative at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

GRAPHIC: That's the Hub Spirit!: Clockwise from left, folks in East Boston's LoPresti Park gaze at Old Ironsides, on which 12 men and women from 12 different countries became American citizens yesterday; patriotic boaters motor along the Charles; and Bonnie Durante of Newbury dances while passing the time with family members on the Esplanade.

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HEADLINE: State tolerant of homemade highway displays of patriotism

BYLINE: By DAVE WEDGE

BODY:
Once considered off-limits for hanging banners or signs, the Bay State's many highway overpasses are now a public canvas for those seeking to let the world know about everything from their family's returning war hero to their love for their girlfriend.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, highway overpasses increasingly have been adorned with messages to the commuters below, reminding them to ``Never Forget'' or ``Support the Troops.''
In recent months, more soldiers' families have hung flags and inspiring banners on Massachusetts interstates, welcoming their loved ones home from the Iraq war. 
But not all the messages scrawled on bedsheets or stenciled on posterboard are patriotic.
``I love Jill'' proclaims one sign on Route 3. Another on the same roadway advertises holiday fireworks. Political campaign signs too are popping up on overpasses on Routes 3, 24 and I-495, among other roadways.
``The policy is to have our maintenance people judge them on a case-by-case basis,'' said Jon Carlisle, spokesman for the state Executive Office of Transportation. ``If they deem them a distraction then they have the authority to remove them.''
Some states, such as California and Washington, have banned the hanging of signs on highway overpasses, citing safety reasons.
Some traffic safety officials have argued that highway banners and roadside memorials can be driver distractions and could cause accidents.
While there are no statistics on wrecks caused by distracted drivers in Massachusetts, 25 to 50 percent of crashes nationally have distracted driving as a factor. In Massachusetts, that could amount to as many as 40,000 crashes per year, according to Brook Chipman of the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau.
``We want to make people aware of the danger of distracted driving,'' Chipman said. ``It can present a safety issue.''
Carlisle acknowledged distractions pose a risk and said highway crews routinely check banners and signs to make sure they are secured.
``If it's a bedsheet that comes undone, it could conceivably cover a car's windshield. But we keep a regular check on them and err on the side of caution,''he said.
Safety issues aside, the heartfelt patriotic hangings are a welcome sight for soldiers returning from the chaos in the Middle East, said National Guard Lt. Col. Paul G. Smith.
``It's tremendous,'' Smith said. ``It boosts our spirits and lets us know people are behind us. It's just thrilling that people appreciate their sacrifice and take the time to recognize it.''

GRAPHIC: SHEETS TO THE WIND: Homemade highway banners welcoming soldiers home, such as this one on an overpass crossing Interstate 93 in Milton, are becoming more common, but are mostly tolerated by road crews. STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL FEIN

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LENGTH: 727 words

HEADLINE: Letters to the Editor

BODY:
Poor sportsmanship
Russian President Vladimir Putin was inconsiderate to simply pocket Robert Kraft's Super Bowl ring (June 30). Putin had no right. He didn't earn the ring. He obviously lacked the manners to ask, ``May I keep it?''
Mr. Putin, give back that ring! 
- Jantique Fielding, Revere
Money not for Islam
Contrary to the Herald's report, the Nation of Islam does not and has never received any grants from the Boston Police Department or any other city, state or federal program (``Faith-based grants go elsewhere,'' June 28). The money that the article refers to is paid to the Neighborhood Development Corporation of Grove Hall, not the Nation of Islam. The money is part of a mentoring program, and the person who mentors happens to be a member of the Nation of Islam.
- Minister Don Muhammad, Nation of Islam, Boston
Bolt of sensationalism
I was one of the people who fell victim to the lightning strike at the softball field in Rockland (``Lightning jolts Rockland,'' June 27). The experience was an extreme emotional distress for everyone involved. The stories being printed are hardly true. The skies were not black when the incident occurred. There was no rain, and the only sign we had was a strike of lightning in the distance, which led to the game's cancellation. No more than 15 seconds later, the bolt of lightning struck the tree behind us. The girls hadn't left the field yet when this occurred.
The stories make it seem like the people involved were foolish and at fault.
- Daniel J. Lattuada, Rockland
Philly words rings true
Our joyful congratulations to the Herald for this remarkable column (``Proclaiming liberty now and then,'' July 1). It is a precious reflection on our heritage and should be treated accordingly. How about framing it for display in the Boston Herald lobby - alongside the Bill of Rights.
We will start the ball rolling in Wayland as we make pass the column along to our family and friends. Your words will enable us to get morality on our side quickly and quietly, and it will surely be user-friendly for citizens wishing to go their separate ways, together.
Thank you Rachelle Cohen.
- Rod and Nema Geer, Wayland
Rove has GOP all wrong
I am grateful that Karl Rove along with Bill O'Reilly and other ``conservatives'' are defining our politics for us (``Slouching toward oblivion,'' June 25). However, they should remember that true conservatives do not spend trillions of dollars they do not have. They do not lie in order to invade a country that was no threat to us, and honest conservatives do not submit legislation such as the Clean Air Act that does the opposite of its name.
Rove claims his conservatives believe in ``curbing the size of government'' yet the federal government is the biggest it's ever been. He says that his colleagues are advancing a ``culture of life'' but our country has endured three years of fear-mongering from a war with no end in sight. Contrary to Rove's claim, citizens of every political stripe were united after the events of 9/11. ``Conservatives'' and their war are also responsible for the abuses at the Abu Ghraib.
- T. F. Kelley, Norwood
Writer no help in war
I'm certain columnist Michelle Malkin will be enlisting soon to take up arms during this time of war (``Lefty pacifists peddle the new `self-esteem,' '' June 30). After all, ``just what we need to combat throat-slitting, suicide plane-flying Islamists'' surely isn't a pen-wielding syndicated columnist.
- Keith D. Demers, South Boston
Irked by Iraq coverage
The editorial regarding President Bush's address is blantantly misleading (``Bush on Iraq: Terrorists will fail,'' June 29).
Your paper dismisses most public opinion polls, which display a growing anxiety with the packaging and progress in the war. The editorial staff force-feeds readers, and in the process, puts forth a dishonest interpretation of public opinion. Even worse, the Herald filled the piece with fractured logic, at one point quoting President Bush on the importance of protecting ``our'' future from car bombers (I have yet to see a car bomber on Newbury Street), to later point out the sacrifice that troops have made for the Iraqi people.
We invaded Iraq illegally. That is terrorism. At least let those of us who legitimately support the troops understand their real contribution rather than hear another flailing attempt to pacify.
- Michael Tolman, Halifax

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HEADLINE: OP-ED; 
 Supporting the troops can be made easy

BYLINE: By John Kerry and Pamela Resor

BODY:
To truly honor our past and present heroes, our deeds must match our words. Today, many military families struggle to meet the demands of extended and repeated tours of duty.
Whether it's families who can no longer pay the bills when a parent is in the reserves, or a health care system that doesn't fully meet veterans' needs, we must do better. We need a Military Family Bill of Rights that stands by our troops and their families. And we must acknowledge that no bill or budget will ever anticipate all the needs of our military families. Someone will always fall through the cracks. 
Take the case of 22-year-old Jay Briseno of Manassas, Va. Jay was wounded in Iraq and left paralyzed from the neck down. The law authorizes the Veterans Administration to provide $11,000 to modify a disabled veteran's vehicle. But that just wasn't enough to buy the specially-outfitted vehicle he needed. A generous member of the community donated the van Jay's parents now use to drive him to medical appointments.
There is a second lesson to be learned from Jay's story. When it comes to honoring our troops and taking care of them when they return home, Americans are willing to do the right thing. We are willing to bet on the generosity of Americans to guarantee we do right by every Jay Briseno.
We have proposed adding a simple box to state and federal income tax forms that will allow Americans to voluntarily mark a few dollars of their taxes to a fund for military families. If we do this for our presidential elections, we should do it for our troops.
Just think: If half of American taxpayers gave $5, we would have almost $400 million every year to meet the unanticipated needs of our troops and their families.
Some might ask why we need to add this box when people can already contribute to dozens of military charities. That's a fair point, but we should make it as easy as possible for Americans to stand by our troops.
Many of our troops have already experienced how helpful these military charities can be. Take John Salonich, a Massachusetts National Guardsman from Worcester. While serving at Guantanamo Bay, he contracted encephalitis, and continues to suffer from brain damage and related symptoms. The Friends of the Mass. National Guard and Reservist Families, a private charity that would benefit from these voluntary funds, provided financial support to deal with the illness, and paid for the family to visit John in the hospital. John's wife, Lisa, calls the Friends ``angels of mercy.'' She says, ``My husband believed in the importance of being a Guardsman . . . John was a brilliant computer developer with a bright future, and now it is uncertain.
``People want to help,'' she added, ``Please give them the vehicle in which to do so by supporting this bill.''
Massachusetts can join 16 states in creating a check-off for veterans, and as a new generation of vets returns home from Afghanistan and Iraq, Congress should follow their lead. For every presidential campaign, 13 million Americans send $3 of their tax money to fund the open elections that are the foundation of our democracy. Next year, we hope they can do the same for those who risk their lives to defend it.
John Kerry is the junior senator from Massachusetts. Pamela Resor is a state senator from Acton.

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HEADLINE: Letters to the editor

BODY:
Objectivity lost
The Herald ought to at least appear objective in stories that readers would conclude are news (June 29).
Trashing Gov. Mitt Romney because he's insufficiently conservative for your taste may make for a good editorial, but you ought to at least have the integrity to label it as such. 
- Norman Bernstein, Sharon
Gelzinis scores again
As usual, Peter Gelzinis' column on the West End was on target and most commendable (``The sad ending to West End story,'' June 29). There has been much written about the travesty that befell the West End, and Jimmy Campano's remarks in the column brought to light the greed and government intervention that can and did destroy a neighborhood like the one I grew up in.
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision about government takeover of private property has rekindled the memory of many West Enders. Campano is correct in saying that it's the people who give neighborhoods their life, and the people should make sure that the West End tragedy is not repeated.
- Stuart H. Rosenberg, President
Mattapan Board of Trade
USPS still delivers
I have not detected any noticeable interest in the Postal Service being privatized (``Role model for USPS,'' June 19). Perhaps that's because, as you note, the Postal Service is trying to be efficient. It concluded fiscal years 2003 and 2004 comfortably in the black. Our expenses have remained relatively constant since 2001, and we've not increased prices since 2002. Our on-time delivery scores and customer satisfaction index are at all-time highs.
The proposal to increase (among other things) the 37-cent first class mail rate to 39 cents is a proposal we would have preferred not to have made. The funds that will accrue if this proposal goes forward are not for postal operations but rather to meet an escrow account established by Congress in 2003.
We appreciate your acknowledgement that ``it could be counted as an achievement that the price of a first-class stamp has risen roughly with inflation during the past quarter-century.'' We agree. In fact, in real terms the price has risen less than a penny per year, on average, since 1982, when the federal subsidy ended for the Postal Service.
- Azeezaly S. Jaffer, VP Public Affairs, USPS
Washington, D.C.
War deserves no praise
Michelle Malkin's column blasting peacemakers is not even worthy of lining my canary's cage (``Lefty pacifists peddle the new `self-esteem,''' June 30).
How ironic that it appeared in a Herald issue with two reported teen murders in Boston and more American dead in Iraq and Afghanistan.
War continues to be the scourge of mankind. As President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a true soldier, noted, ``Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.''
Ike knew war first-hand. Malkin, like most of the war-mongering neocons in the current administration, has never served her country or seen war's horrors first-hand.
- Joe Hayes, Stoneham
Freedom worth the fight
Bravo to columnist Cal Thomas (``Nothing hurts like the truth,'' June 29).
Liberals can't get their heads around the idea that nothing will end this threat except rooting it out from within in the form of democracy. Ironic how a party named after a process doesn't understand how the process can change the world.
Democracy can turn opportunistic religious zealots into a criminal minority in their own land, but their recruiting of young uneducated minds in the Arab nations can be choked by the power of choice through education and reform.
No current Democratic leader shows me anything but hate and personal and political selfishness.
- Michael Schmidt, Nashua
Brown panned here
It's sad to learn that Whitney Houston continues her downward spiral while appearing on Bobby Brown's reality show (``Houston, you have a problem,'' June 29). I think her fall from grace is even greater than Michael Jackson's because he has almost always been viewed as somewhat of a weirdo.
The Herald review credits Brown with accomplishments as a New Edition member, but without his solo career there would likely be no ``Being Bobby Brown.''
- Philip Morgan, Brockton

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HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Thank a soldier for your freedom

BODY:
Fourth of July celebrations in backyards and town squares are a joyful mix of cookouts and parades, flags and fireworks.
Hot dogs, s'mores and barefoot children doing a darned good imitation of Lady Liberty, with their outstretched hands holding a sparkler like a torch, are all a reminder that life is good in America.
And should be a reminder that it's our freedom that makes it so.
For protecting that freedom, we are in the debt of every American soldier, past and present, whether serving at the ready, or serving in time of war. 
Staff Sgt. Christopher Piper, laid to rest in his native Marblehead after dying of wounds suffered in Afghanistan, used to tell his friends, ``freedom isn't free.'' His meaning has never been clearer.
We Bostonians take a great deal of pride in holding our history close. We celebrate and honor great figures of generations past who graced our cobblestone streets and founded a nation.
But President Bush, in an address just last week, spoke of a new greatest generation of Americans who are taking their place among those historic leaders in our own time.
These heroes walked among us in Boston, in Scituate, in Dracut, in Cheshire, before they walked on the sands of Iraq and the hills of Afghanistan.
Some are home now, picking up the pieces of their lives. Some will never come home.
Massachusetts has lost some 36 soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our wound is open and raw having just buried three of them in these past few weeks alone.
So this Fourth of July, we don't need to stroll Battle Road in Lexington and Concord, or visit the Old North Church to pay homage to heroes.
We need only to turn on the news, visit a neighbor, or a freshly dug grave in the cemetery.
When the Supreme Court refused last week to hear a case regarding two journalists and their confidential sources, it prompted predictable cries that freedom of the press is under assault.
And it prompted us to look up Sen. Zell Miller's speech to the Republican National Convention last summer when he recounted this bit of wisdom, well worth repeating now:
``It's the soldier, not the reporter who has given us freedom of the press.
``It's the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
``It's the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
``It's the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
``It's the soldier who salutes the flag, serves under the flag and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who gives the protester the right to burn the flag.''
So we remember the heroes of our time here:
Lance Cpl. Travis R. Desiato, Pfc. John D. Hart, Chief Warrant Officer Kyran E. Kennedy, Sgt. Daniel J. Londono, Lance Cpl. John J. Vangyzen IV, Lance Cpl. Andrew J. Zabierek, Capt. John W. Maloney, Spc. Matthew Boule, Lt. Travis J. Fuller, Staff Sgt. Darren J. Cunningham, Spc. Gabriel T.Palacios, Cpl. David M. Vicente, Pfc. Norman Darling, Gunnery Sgt. Elia P. Fontecchio, Staff Sgt. Joseph Camara, Lt. Brian McPhillips, Sgt. Glenn R. Allison, Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Burgess, Capt. Christopher J. Sullivan, Lance Cpl. Alexander S. Arredondo, Cpl. Brian Oliveira, Capt. Benjamin Wilson Sammis, Spc. Peter G. Enos, Pfc. Markus J. Johnson, Sgt. Justin W. Garvey, Chief Warrant Officer Stephen M. Wells, Staff Sgt. Joseph P. Bellavia, Sgt. Andrew K. Farrar Jr., Sgt. Daniel H. Petithory, Capt. Seth R. Michaud, Sgt. Theodore L. Perreault, Petty Officer Brian J. Ouellette, Pfc. Evan W. O'Neill, Staff Sgt. Christopher N. Piper, Sgt. Michael J. Kelley, Capt. David S. Connolly.
We thank them today, however inadequately, by hanging a flag, attending a parade, gazing in wonder at colors exploding in the sky.
We honor them always by completing the mission for which they died.

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HEADLINE: American heroes paid our freedom's passage

BYLINE: By Joe Fitzgerald

BODY:
Joe McCallion was 19, fresh out of Woburn, when he entered the Korean War from which he'd return with memories that never faded.
``A sergeant showed me my bunker,'' he said, recalling the morning a Jeep carried him across the Imjim River to E Company, then in the thick of a battle at Munsan-Ni.
``We were relieving the Korean marines who'd had no sanitation provisions. Rats were feasting on empty C ration cans. You could hear them nibbling at night, yet you couldn't shine lights for security reasons. So I'm looking through the aperture of my bunker, rifle ready, when this huge rat jumps onto a sandbag in front of my eyes, then slithers down beside me. I'll never forget it.'' 
McCallion, who came home safe and sound, would author a poem in tribute to those who didn't, part of which read:
``Freedom's price is always high.
``Some are wounded. Others die.
``Blinded eyes and shattered bones;
``hospitals and nursing homes.''
Freedom's price has indeed always been high.
Over in Moynihan Park, in Hyde Park, high school chums of Puzzy Carter gathered a few years back to honor his memory with a granite marker.
Puzzy, 19, a Marine in H Company, was firing tracers from an M-16, securing Highway 1 in the opening hours of the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War when he was killed by a rocket-propelled grenade while racing to the rescue of comrades under attack.
On that marker his friends noted:
``He never had the chance to go to a high school reunion, get married, coach Little League or get gray hair. We never had the chance to throw a surprise 40th birthday party for him. What a wonderful friend he was. In our hearts he has stayed young, handsome, funny, brave, and we still miss him deeply.''
The names change, but the price of freedom never does.
Alex Arredondo, also a Marine, was 20 when he died during a second tour in Iraq.
``It seems my whole life changed in an instant,'' the Norwood native wrote to his father while en route to his first tour. ``Yesterday I was in a classroom learning about trigonometry; now I'm being sent across the world to fight. Soon I'll be in full combat gear, ready to carry out my mission,proud to be fighting for my country.''
In a separate mailing to his brother Brian, Alex wrote: ``I feel so lucky to be blessed with the chance to defend my country. Some Marines have been in for over 20 years and still haven't seen combat. I'm also lucky to have such a wonderful family. I know how much you support me. I love you, brother!''
Two weeks ago, his father, Carlos, received a much-anticipated memorandum from a sergeant with the Corps, explaining how his son was killed fighting.
``Lance Corporal Arredondo served as a Fire Team Leader during the Battalion's attack into the old city of Najaf. As the platoon attacked to clear a four-story hotel, it was heavily engaged by enemy machine gun and sniper fire from three different directions,'' the memorandum stated.
``Lance Corporal Arredondo returned fire, exposing himself to great risk to ensure the members of his team were safe. After fearlessly exchanging fire with enemy snipers for more than three hours, Lance Corporal Arredondo fell mortally wounded as he moved through the rooms to inspect the Marines' defensive positions.
``This is the only information I have at this time.''
``It was hard to swallow,'' Carlos Arredondo confided. ``But it's going to take forever to digest.''
That's because freedom's price has never changed, something to ponder as veterans pass by in today's parades. 

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July 3, 2005 Sunday  
THIRD EDITION

SECTION: THE EDGE; Pg. 033

LENGTH: 510 words

HEADLINE: MUSIC REVIEW; 
 Swinging sultan Knopfler rules, schools

BYLINE: By Bill Brotherton

BODY:
MARK KNOPFLER, with BAP KENNEDY, at the Bank of America Pavilion, Friday night
Guitar hero Mark Knopfler has famously said, ``I'm a guitar teacher's worst nightmare,'' and called his playing ``the same old hodgepodge.''
Well, on Friday night the modest former Dire Straits frontman displayed his guitar prowess in a deliriously sensational two-hour, 16-song show at the Bank of America Pavilion that ranks as one of the best this city has seen in a long, long time. 
Knopfler's ringing guitar sound is instantly identifiable, much like that of B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Bo Diddley. For years, Knopfler has been known as a Stratocaster man. Friday night before a capacity crowd, he switched from his trademark '54 Fender Strat to a '58 Les Paul and a vintage Telecaster. It didn't matter what guitar he used, that classic Knopfler tone rang through loud and clear.
With graying, close-cropped hair and granny glasses, the black-clad Knopfler looked like a college professor, and, indeed, he gave a textbook tutorial on how to play the guitar. Yeah, the boy can play!
From the first chugging boogie chords of ``Why Aye Man'' to the sedate folky closer ``Our Shangri-la,'' the 55-year-old Brit wowed the crowd. Few guitarists make it look so easy.
The early one-two punch of Dire Straits classics ``Romeo and Juliet'' - a Springsteenesque epic and his finest song - and ``Sultans of Swing'' brought fans to their feet.
The current single, ``Boom, Like That,'' which skewers McDonald's founder Ray Krok, was tastier than the fast-food giant's french fries.
With a hot cup of tea at his side, Knopfler sat center stage for a riveting ``Song For Sonny Liston'' and ``Donegan's Gone,'' both from his most recent CD, ``Shangri-La.''
An orgasmic 15-minute version of ``Telegraph Road'' provided a double espresso jolt of rock 'n' roll. Throughout the Pavilion, fans, including Hollywood superstar Glenn Close, could be seen playing air guitar.
The encore featured three songs from the landmark ``Brothers in Arms,'' which 20 years ago this month began its climb to No. 1. With our young men and women dying daily in Iraq, the title song never has been more heart-rendingly relevant. Knopfler's moaning solo and husky baritone mumble brought tears to many a concertgoer. ``Money For Nothing'' and ``So Far Away'' returned smiles to concertgoers' faces.
This 30-date tour is Knopfler's first in the United States since a motorbike crash in 2003 left him with numerous broken bones and internal injuries. He's never been better. And, whew, what a tight, well-oiled band (guitarist Richard Bennett, keyboard players Guy Fletcher and Matt Rollings, drummer Danny Cummings and bassist Glenn Worf), oddly the same configuration as Dire Straits.
There was preconcert buzz that James Taylor, who was at the Tweeter Center earlier this week, might drop in to harmonize on ``Sailing to Philadelphia.'' Unfounded: Sweet Baby James was playing at Jones Beach in New York.
Irish singer-songwriter Bap Kennedy, a chum of Steve Earle and Van Morrison, opened with a too-short set of rootsy folk rock.

GRAPHIC: MONEY FOR NOTHING: Ex-Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler wowed a Hub crowd Friday night.

LOAD-DATE: July 3, 2005

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HEADLINE: POLS & POLITICS; 
 Jeb's visit lands Mitt in hot water

BODY:
With ethics complaints flying around the State House like David Ortiz moonshots, it's no wonder the Dems are all up in arms about Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's recent visit.
The president's bro dropped in on Gov. Mitt Romney for what his aides called a ``courtesy call.'' 
In an impromptu press conference while awaiting Bush's arrival, Romney ranted about how important it was for the GOP to maintain control of the Sunshine State's governor's office in the upcoming election.
Coupled with Romney's recent acknowledgment that he is considering a 2008 presidential run, some Dems are accusing the governor of breaking ethics rules that ban political stumping at the State House.
Romney fielded similar complaints that went nowhere during last summer's Democratic National Convention.
With so much political jockeying going on, it should make for a busy year at the Ethics Commission.
Eric's exit?
There's Beacon Hill buzz that Romney's communications director, Eric Fehrnstrom, is being edged out as one of his boss' main confidantes as Romney pushes forward toward the U.S. presidential race.
``Eric's not even in the loop anymore,'' said one veteran State House official.
Instead, Romney consults freqently with his GOP strategist Michael Murphy, who is navigating the gov through the 2008 presidential race launch.
File under: Will Mr. Fehrnstrom go to Washington?
Lineup changes
Big changes are expected on Romney's State House team next week, including moving Ellen Roy Herzfelder out of her slot as state secretary of environmental affairs, Beacon Hill sources said.
Herzfelder is expected to remain as a policy adviser.
She made headlines recently when it was reported that the Hingham energy company founded by her father - and which made Herzfelder a very wealthy woman - owes the state nearly $1 million in delinquent taxes.
In 2003, Boston magazine named the Ivy League-educated Herzfelder one of the most powerful women in Boston.
Just how powerful, of course, appears yet to be determined.
Who's Hot
Ben Affleck
He snuggles with a beautiful woman (now his wife) as the sun sets on a superprivate, superposh Caribbean hideway where not a single paparazzo can intrude. The man is a natural for the U.S. Senate, right, Ted K?
Who's Not
Tom Cruise
Just when we thought getting squirted by a prankster was his most embarrassing moment, Tom goes on some nonsensical rant about psychiatry and antidepressants and Brooke Shields. Who does he think he is, Howard Dean?
Maggie Mulvihill and Dave Wedge contributed to this column.
CBS4 POLITICAL ANALYST JON KELLER'S SPINOMETER
``Sixty years of tolerance and excuse-making by Western nations had to change, and it is changing.'' - Dan Bartlett, Bush spokesman, on the war in Iraq
For once, a political flack has prompted the Spin-O-Meter to explore unfamiliar territory at the other end of the dial. No question, our Iraq adventure represents an abandonment of decades of failed foreign policy in the Middle East. This doesn't speak to the worthiness of the course correction, or its chances of success. The jury is out on all that. But it's refreshing to hear a government official tell the truth about our past blunders, if not exactly reassuring about the future. 

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HEADLINE: Letters to the Editor

BODY:
Misplaced blame
It's easy to blame Gov. Mitt Romney for failing to lower taxes, straighten out the Big Dig and help grow the economy; however, we live in a commonwealth with three branches of govenment (June 29).
You can't blame the governor when the Legislature refuses to lower taxes. You can't blame the governor when the court legislates from the bench. If you want to place blame, put it in the hands of the people who keep putting these other politicians in power. 
- Edmund Robbins, Somerville
Heart help premature
A story based on our work suggested that the ``blue light'' used in certain tooth whitening devices might help control gum disease and, by implication, heart disease and stroke (``Tooth whitener makes healthy hearts,'' June 21).
We have demonstrated that blue light can kill black pigmented bacteria, which are associated with some of the most virulent forms of gum disease. Other investigators have suggested that some species of black pigmented bacteria may be important in development of heart disease. While the connections are interesting and potentially important, no clear associations can be made at this time.
- J. Max Goodson,
Director of Clinical Research; Nikos Soukos, Director of Laboratory of Applied Molecular Photomedicine; The Forsyth Institute, Boston
Golfing rep responds
The Herald has questioned the appropriateness of an annual golf event I hosted in which elected Democrats and Republicans took part (``Another bogey for golfing solon,'' June 29). The facts follow.
The event was billed as charity for the first time this year. The process to set up the fund began on June 15 when my office took out the necessary documents from the secretary of state's office. The Herald is wrong in writing that the fund was created only because of recent coverage.
In previous years, attendees wrote checks directly to the course being played. This year it was requested that I write one check to the Hyannis Golf Club on the day of the event. I did not receive official documentation for the fund until June 23. All tee sponsors made checks payable to the scholarship fund, which is proper according to state regulations. The State Ethics Commission has all paperwork.
Documentation given to the Herald shows that in the prior five years the event was billed as the ``Legislators' Open.'' The word ``charity'' has not been mentioned until this year's event.
In previous years, players had contributed $10 or $20 as they began play, from which prizes were given. Any remaining funds, roughly $300 (hardly the thousands as reported), went to local organizations.
I was dismayed when asked about the appropriateness of a surprise 40th birthday party for me organized by a former district staff member. When I discovered that guests were asked to donate to my campaign, I insisted that all checks be made to the school. Everyone obliged, including me, to raise more than $800 for an elementary school.
- Rep. Demetrius J. Atsalis, Barnstable
Crackdown on cruelty
Judge Richard Carey sentenced Shawn Lynch to six months in jail for the brutal ax murders of a dog and cat (``Owner sentenced to jail in ax slaughter of pets,'' June 18). This is minimal. While on probation, he can't own animals. How about never owning animals? I implore the judge to be tougher if David Betournay, suspected of being the actual killer, is found guilty. Despite a Northeastern University study linking animal and human cruelty, cases are still not being punished to full extent of the law.-
- Kelly King, Chelsea
Speech spurs outrage
There are four groups of people who are outraged about President Bush's speech on Iraq: cave-dwelling terrorists, the media elite, fire-breathing Democrats and soon-to-be unemployed system administrators at moveon.org (``Bush insists war is worth U.S. sacrifice,'' June 29). That should be sufficient evidence that the president is on the right track.
- Miguel A. Guanipa, Whitinsville
Flag wavers justified
I take great offense to the story about MBTA workers (``T pays big bucks to have them wave flags at trains,'' June 30). Since I started my job at the T, at least five men I knew have been killed by trains while working on the rails. One man lost his life less than a year ago, leaving behind a wife and young children. Ask the loved ones of these men if their lives were worth a few thousand dollars a week that it costs to pay flag workers.
- James A. Bain, South Boston

LOAD-DATE: July 1, 2005

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HEADLINE: Op-Ed; 
 Proclaiming liberty now as then

BYLINE: By RACHELLE COHEN

BODY:
PHILADELPHIA - Some insist we're a nation deeply divided - over Iraq, over politics, a nation of red and blue states. So as this July 4th approaches, it's time to go home - to my home and my nation's home - where it all began, where every decision made by men at once wise and yet ordinary would set the stage for a country like no other.
These are the historic shrines of my youth, changed - as we all have changed - by the new realities of our post-9/11 world. Security checkpoints and miles of security fencing protect those shrines now. The Liberty Bell is housed not in Independence Hall (as it was during my fourth-grade trip), but in a glass and marble structure that both protects this secular icon and helps to tell its story. 
And by the thousands, the tens of thousands, they travel from around the world and around the country to file past this sacred relic. Families snap photos of the kids standing on either side of, yes, a symbol of the American Revolution, but a symbol of so much more - of liberties won and also of ``liberties denied,'' as its literature recalls.
``Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land and unto all the Inhabitants thereof,'' reads the inscription, which it duly notes is from Leviticus, Chapter 25, Verse 10. (Guess even the Supreme Court ought to be OK with this one, right?)
An older, African-American woman passes on the far side, away from the watchful gaze of the Park Service ranger who guards the bell. She puts her fingers to her lips and gently passes the kiss to the bell's outer rim - a rim once touched by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and by Nelson Mandela. The bell may trace its origins to before the Revolutionary War, but it was not called the Liberty Bell until the 1830s, when it became a symbol to abolitionists.
Its history is OURhistory - right through the sit-ins staged around it during the '60s and '70s, over civil rights and to protest the war in Vietnam.
Every nation needs its symbols, its touchstones, and this city, where the Declaration of Independence was written and signed, where the Constitution was written, is filled with them.
``We have no aristocracy, no monarchy, no established church. All we have is law,'' said Northwestern law professor Stephen B. Presser at a gathering hosted by Common Good at the new National Constitution Center.
ALL WE HAVE IS LAW.
And, yes, as perhaps the most litigious society ever, we often lean too heavily on the law, often abuse it and misuse it, all the while cherishing it and the way of life it protects, nourishes.
In Congress Hall, a simple, almost underwhelming, structure next to the grander Independence Hall, a ranger/guide explains that it wasn't so much what early laws were passed here that make it historic. It was one particular event on March 4, 1797, when Massachusetts native John Adams took the oath of office as this nation's second president as George Washington retired to private life.
This peaceful transition of power, which we so take for granted today - red states and blue state notwithstanding - was historic.
The Constitution, then so very new, had taken hold and with it the rule of law. There's another relic - this part of a temporary exhibit in the National Constitution Center - a child-sized plaid jacket. It was worn by Owen Gowans on his first day at Girard College (despite its name, a school for low-income students in grades 1-12) in 1968. Gowans was one of the first black students in the previously all-white school.
In his own way, Owen Gowans was as much a pioneer as John Adams.
That is the beauty of this nation - its laws, but also the spirit that comes from those who live under them, challenge them, make them - and us - better.
On the wall of the Constitution Center is a quotation from Judge Learned Hand (1944), which captures that:
``I often wonder whether we do not rest our hopes too much upon constitutions, upon laws, upon courts. These are false hopes, believe me, these are false hopes. Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women . . . when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it.''
Rachelle G. Cohen is editor of the editorial pages.

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HEADLINE: Letters to the Editor

BODY:
Colliding emotions
The front page photos and headlines were sobering (June 28). Herald photographer Nancy Lane appropriately captured the love and hate.
The Rev. Fred Phelps' platform carries no weight. God hates nothing but sin itself. The public would be better off ignoring those so-called Christians or whispering a prayer that they realize they hurt only themselves. 
Thank you, Nancy Lane, for the awe-inspiring photo of a soldier weeping. Multiple thanks to the Piper family, who gave us another reason to be grateful for what we have.
- Joe Rizzo, Raynham
Bring troops home
President Bush says we should stay the course in Iraq (``Bush insists war is worth U.S. sacrifice,'' June 29). His suggestion is nonsensical and dangerous for our security at home and our economic well-being abroad.
If this administration wanted to support our troops, it would bring them home from this unjustified war that does nothing but fuel more hatred and increase the likelihood of another attack like 9/11.
Where's our exit strategy?
- Akira Kamiya, Jamaica Plain
Accident clarified
I'm writing to correct the story about my son's accident (``Hingham boy, 10, killed in N.H. bicycle accident,'' June 7). I did not watch in horror as Luke lost control because it happened in a split second out of my view. But, I'm still in shock having come to him lying on his back on the side of the road as though he were asleep.
On June 22, I road my bicycle down Cathedral Ledge Road at about the same time the accident occurred, so I could experience what my son saw and felt. There was a length of gradual incline. He could have easily stopped there, but he was feeling exhilarated. He had the best bicycle - tuned with excellent brakes and ideally fit. Together, for years, we had ridden roads like this in Maine. When I followed him on the day of the accident with my car lights on, I stayed back a safe distance, but I did observe he was controlling his speed by feathering his brakes. He was staying to the right side of the road, and he was absolutely in control.
Emulating him on my ride, I did not find the downhill portion of any more challenge than other roads we had ridden together. Why he braked so hard is a mystery. I have a strong sense based on observations during my ride, along with a very strong spiritual bond, that he was trying to avoid an animal. Chipmunks scampered onto the road several yards from me, and I also saw a deer near the road. Luke's bicycle was unscathed. It was clear no human or machine was involved.
He never wanted to harm another living creature. That's what I know to be true. My 10-year-old son, Luke, went straight to heaven, brimming with happiness, and without any pain, far too young.
Four days after the accident a black bear cub was seen by visitors at the top of Cathedral Ledge, precisely where we took our last photos together. There's plenty of wildlife to be seen there.
- Richard McDermott,
Westbrook, Maine
Ruling beatable at home
I have seen several polls registering voter disapproval of the Supreme Court's ruling on eminent domain (``Court: Your home not your castle,'' June 25). I believe the ruling can be defeated by any state legislature passing a law prohibiting takeover of private property by a private developer. Our Legislature should do so next term.
- John Krogstad, Burlington,
Thanks for Beckham
I, too, want to express my displeasure at the loss of Beverly Beckham's column. It was the only one I read, and I looked forward to the personal touch she brought. I especially cherish her stories about phases of life such as ``sweet 16.'' I felt like she was in my home and heart writing what I thought for each milestone. She will be missed, but I will share her columns with my daughter as she has children.
Beverly, thanks for the many stories.
- Janet Squillante, Plymouth
Rove revelations
Here are some alternative views that Karl Rove did not include in his speech (``Slouching toward oblivion,'' June 25):
The suicide bombers of 9/11 were religious fanatics and did not represent any nation.
The Bush administration prepared for, and executed, a war against the wrong enemy.
The Iraq invasion squandered post-9/11 international good will while strengthening the religious fanaticism of our enemy.
It is not passion that makes some conservatives irrational, it is their fundamentalist dogmatic thinking.
- Tom Larkin, Bedford

LOAD-DATE: June 30, 2005

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HEADLINE: Soldiers show support for Sox

BYLINE: By Jesse Noyes

BODY:
Bay State soldiers stationed in Iraq will be taking to the airwaves to deliver an important message: ``Go Red Sox.''
Starting Friday morning WEEI Sports Radio (AM-850) will broadcast pre-recorded greetings from 10 Massachusetts soldiers.  
The troops say hello to friends, family and the Sox.
``Some of (the soldiers) talk about how they miss being able to watch the Red Sox,'' said Jason Wolfe, WEEI's programming director. ``One guy ripped Yankee fans.''
Catching a Sox game is tough for soldiers in the Middle East. But many have been able to stay on top of the team's stats this season since WEEI started streamlining its broadcasts online last April. The station doesn't Webcast actual game broadcasts.
Many area soldiers are listening to WEEI's sports talk shows to keep up on the Red Sox' progress, Wolfe said.
The messages will run on a rotating basis during the morning, midday and late afternoon commute for seven days.

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HEADLINE: State reps: Get rid of Patriot Act, nukes

BYLINE: By DAVE WEDGE

BODY:
While measures dealing with sex offenders and tax cuts languish on Beacon Hill, a group of mostly Democratic lawmakers passed toothless resolutions to repeal the controversial Patriot Act and wipe out America's nuclear weapons.
The two resolutions recently passed by the Joint Committee on Rules will be forwarded to Bay State Sens.  
Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry and Massachusetts congressmen but carry no official weight. Resolutions are often sent by state legislatures to their Washington delegations to express a stance on an issue.
Rep. Marie Parente (D-Milford), who serves as vice chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, refused to sign the petitions, citing a lack of information on foreign policy at the state level.
``Without the information on which our military leaders formulate national security policies, it is not possible for local or state officials to reach an informed decision on these important matters,'' said Parente, who has a nephew in Iraq. ``I will not sign resolutions memorializing the Congress or other public officials to act on matters of defense and national security.''
Several states have passed resolutions opposing the USA Patriot Act, a federal law that opponents argue has eroded civil liberties and freedom. Forty-two mostly Democratic Bay State lawmakers signed the resolution, and 16 signed the measure calling for an end to nuclear weapons.

LOAD-DATE: June 29, 2005

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HEADLINE: NEWS in Brief; 
 Marine memorial set at Chicopee High

BODY:
A wake and memorial service will be held this afternoon at Chicopee High School for Marine Capt.  
John Maloney, who was killed in Iraq earlier this month.
It was unclear last night if members of the Westboro Baptist Church, a Kansas hate group, planned to demonstrate near the high school today as they did Monday at the Marblehead funeral of Green Beret Christopher N. Piper.
Maloney's wake will be from 1 to 3 p.m. followed by a memorial service. He will be laid to rest Friday in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Compiled from Herald staff and wire reports.

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HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Bush on Iraq: Terrorists will fail

BODY:
The American people have the vision and the patience to see the stabilizing and rebuilding of Iraq through. They understand, as President Bush clearly does, 9/11 didn't change this country it reminded us who we are.
``The terrorists do not understand America. The American people do not falter under threat and we will not allow our future to be determined by car bombers and assassins,'' the president said last night from Fort Bragg. 
But like any partner in a huge endeavor, Bush knows the public deserves an honest assessment of the road just traveled and the road ahead. Unlike some members of Congress who gloss over the good news to dwell on the bad, Bush offered both. ``The work in Iraq is difficult and dangerous. Like most Americans, I see the images of violence and bloodshed . . . our progress has been uneven but progress is being made,'' he said.
Unlike most of us, he has been to Walter Reed Army Medical Center and faced the consequences of his decisions. He has met vital young men and women learning to walk again or trying to accept they never will.
They will not walk so that 8 million Iraqis could go to the polls and vote in a free election. They will not walk so Iraqis can draft a new Constitution and vote in national elections in December. They sacrificed ``a measure of their youth'' so millions could be free.
``Amid all this violence, I know Americans ask the question: Is the sacrifice worth it? It is worth it, and it is vital to the future security of our country,'' Bush said.
``Some wonder whether Iraq is a central front in the war on terror. Among the terrorists, there is no debate,'' Bush said.
Is it worth it? Ask the soldiers at Fort Bragg, at Walter Reed, in Iraq and Afghanistan and you will hear the same answer. Yes.
Americans are listening.

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HEADLINE: New iRobot PackBots will better track terrorists

BYLINE: By JAY FITZGERALD

BODY:
Cave-dwelling terrorists first confronted PackBot in Afghanistan right after the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center attacks.
Then thugs in both Afghanistan and Iraq had to deal with the updated bomb-fighting PackBot EOD. 
Now, a new-and-improved PackBot Explorer robot is expected to be unveiled today by Burlington's iRobot Corp.
The small robotic wonder - which tools around on tractor-like treads - can act like a ``prairie dog,'' lifting itself up on small flippers and extending a ``head'' to record video and take audio soundings of possibly nearby terrorists.
``It looks Martian-like,'' said Joe Dyer, executive vice president and general manager of iRobot.
With its swiveling square head and camera-lens eyes, PackBot Explorer might look like something out of ``War of the Worlds.''
But it could also be something out of a terrorist's nightmare.
Costing about $90,000 each, PackBot Explorers can wheel into caves where GIs might be hesitant to go for safety reasons.
It can also check for insurgents while in tall grass or behind a sand dune.
About 200 PackBot robots are now deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. IRobot - which also makes the robotic vacuum cleaner Roomba for consumers - is turning out about 30 to 40 PackBots a month for the Pentagon, company officials said yesterday.

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HEADLINE: INSIDE TRACK; 
 State's film feud fades to black with new agency

BYLINE: By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa

BODY:
The ugly dispute over who is in charge of film production in the state appears to be over - and the winner is, Gov. Mitt Romney.
The $23.9 billion state budget sitting on Romney's desk contains language establishing a new state film office under the gov's Executive Office of Economic Development.
``The office shall be the primary governmental office or agency to facilitate motion picture production and development within the commonwealth,'' the measure reads. 
The new budget leaves funding for Robin Dawson's Mass. Film Bureau on the cutting room floor. The budget language also appears to put Mark Drago and the Mass. Sports & Entertainment Commission out of the film biz.
If, as expected, Romney signs off on the measure, it will put an end to an embarrassing public feud that insiders say was hurting the state's chances to attract major motion pictures.
``It's a good conclusion,'' said Senate Minority Leader Brian Lees, who proposed the measure. ``We worked with the House and the Sports Commission and everybody felt it was important to have a state agency to be in charge of film and to let the Sports Commission handle sports.''
Lees said the new film office will have an executive director who will be the state's official point person for film production. The budget also leaves intact funding for Drago's position at the Sports & Entertainment Commission and sources say he'll be told to refocus his efforts toward attracting major sporting events to the state.
What is not known, however, is whether Drago will go quietly. Yesterday, his people were insisting he would remain in charge of film and that the new office was inconsequential. But Dawson's people begged to differ.
``Saddam Hussein thinks he's still in charge of Iraq, too,'' said film bureau flack George Regan.
Meanwhile, Dawson, the former head of the state film office, said she's not interested in returning to that role but promised to work with the new agency.
``It's a step in the right direction to get Massachusetts back on the map in Hollywood,'' she said. ``And the Film Bureau will work with the new person and office to create the most efficient resource for the film industry.''
The film feud sprouted after Gov. Jane Swift cut Dawson and the film office out of the state budget back in 2002. Undaunted, Dawson started the Mass. Film Bureau, a privately funded non-profit agency that did much of the work she had been doing at the state.
But in 2003, Romney wanted to bring in Don Stirling, whom he worked with on the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, to head the Sports Commission. So Drago, who had that gig, was put in charge of film. And the rest is veddy ugly history!
It got so bad that at one point Dawson wrote to Romney accusing Drago of threatening the crew working on Martin Scorsese's set-in-Boston flick, ``The Departed.'' And Drago threatened to sue her for defamation.
All of which was NOTamusing to the governor or the legislative leadership.
Romney is expected to announce his budget vetoes on Thursday and aides say he'll review the proposal. So do stay tuned.
Tracked down
``The Departed'' director Martin Scorsese chowing on braised wild boar and rigatoni with the rels at Lucca on Hanover Street . . . Matt Damon, galpal Luciana Barroso and buddies swilling Stella Artois at Sonsie . . . Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and a boatload of pals docking their tub at car-czar widow Barbara Boch's dock on the Vineyard and repairing to the Hot Tin Roof to check out Jim Belushi's show . . . ``Cheers'' postman John Ratzenberger and his daughter also being hosted by Mrs. Boch during a Vineyard holiday . . . Funnygal Whoopi Goldberg back behind the bar at Captain Carlo's in Gloucester . . . Funny filmmakers Peter and Bobby Farrelly dining at Balance on the Vineyard . . . Horror honcho Wes Craven, Midnight Farmgal Tamara Weiss and drummer Rick Marotta fueling up at GM Ben de Forrest's table at Balance before heading up the street to the Offshore Ale House to hear pal Carly Simon and her son, Ben Taylor, do an abbreviated show for Carly's birthday . . . New England Patriots dynamic duo Dan Koppen and Lonie Paxton working the female crowd at Tia's . . . ``Baywatch'' hunk David Chokachi charming the ladies at a Duxbury fund-raiser for Jordan Hospital, where his dad is a doc . . . ``Black Irish'' actors Michael Angarano and Tom Guiry dining at Ray Bourque's Via Valverde . . . WZLX-FM mid-day host Carter Allen enjoying special guest privileges (his pal is bassist Roger Glover) at the Deep Purple show at the South Shore Music Circus . . . Mayor Tom Menino sampling some of chef Peter Palumbo's apps at Venezia in Dorchester . . . And Menino stylin' with French designer Phillipe Starck at the groundbreaking of luxury condos in the South End . . . Vintage Red Sox pitchman Dennis Eckersley greeting disabled kiddies and their rels at Ironstone Farm in Andover . . . and departing Disney dictator Michael Eisner and the missus dining at the Boston Harbor Hotel. . . .
Side tracks
Apropos of nothing:
- No handbags or cell phones of any type were allowed into last night's ``War of the Worlds'' sneak preview at Loews Boston Common. Guess Steven Spielberg doesn't want the World to get a sneak peek!
- Ex-New Kid on the Block Donnie Wahlberg's TV pilot, a '70s cop drama based on the real-life New York detectives who inspired the ``French Connection,'' didn't get picked up by NBC. We're devastated.
- Attention hard-luck homeowners! A casting team from ``Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'' is homing in on a casting call at the Square One Mall in Saugus on July 5 & 6 from 4 to 8 p.m. Bring a completed application (download it from www.abc.com), a videotape or photos of the house and the family and, more importantly, a compelling story to the call.
- And in other reality-TV casting news, Donald Trump's boardroom scouts for ``The Apprentice 5'' will be at Jordan's Furniture in Natick July 9. Wristbands will be handed out at 9 a.m. and the interviews start at 10 a.m. Download an application at www.nbc.com - and get fired up!
Drop dimes to trackgals@bostonherald.com or 617-619-6488.

GRAPHIC: N.Y. STATE OF MIND IN SOUTHIE? `The Departed' crew was back in Whitey Bulger's old stomping grounds yesterday for the third week of filming its set-in-Boston cops/mob drama. Director Martin Scorsese, center, above, brought his stellar cast - Jack Nicholson, left, and Matt Damon - and crew back to Southie to film in the Mary Ellen McCormack Housing Development and at the L Street Bath House. One question: Did Red Sox super fan Matt Damon think to warn Jack that wearing the blue Yankees cap into the projects, below, was not a cool thing to do??? Staff photos by Douglas McFadd
A PITCH FOR SUN SENSE: Just because there's a heat wave, you don't necessarily have to bake. That's the word from Red Sox ace Curt Schilling and his bride, Shonda. The Schillings and their kids - from left, Garrison, 4, Gabriella, 8, Gehrig, 10, and Grant, 5 - are appearing in a new public service announcement for the SHADE Foundation, aimed at preventing skin cancer. Shonda started the foundation after being diagnosed with melanoma. `Skin cancer can happen to anyone,' she said. `If you limit the sun, not the fun, you can reduce the risk for your loved ones.'

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HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Freedom to be ignorant

BODY:
``No matter where they needed America to come in, my brother was there. This was his calling.'' Lisa Piper, sister of Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Piper
Christopher Piper died on American soil and was laid to rest yesterday in the soil of his hometown of Marblehead, but he spent most of his adult life defending America on foreign soil. By all accounts there was no place he would have rather been. 
We also have no doubt this Green Beret understood that the freedom he was fighting for included allowing the filth assembled on Marblehead streets yesterday to PROTESTat his funeral. The Kansas-based hate group carried signs reading ``Thank God for IED's'' like the roadside bomb which killed Piper and ``Thank God for dead soldiers'' among other trash.
``He always said `Freedom isn't free,' '' childhood friend Tim Donahue said. ``I thought he was going to catch Bin Laden himself.''
In fact, it was on a second voluntary tour of duty in Afghanistan that Piper was injured. He later died in a Texas military hospital.
The Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church blames 9/11 and military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan on America's tolerance for homosexuals. Their presence in Marblehead yesterday not only did not cast a shadow on the honoring of Piper, it cast his heroism in stark relief.
Nor does the ``god'' this ``church''' invokes bear any relation to the God cited in this prayer for American special forces:
``Almighty God, who art the author of liberty and the champion of the oppressed, hear our prayer.
``We, the men of the Special Forces, acknowledge our dependence upon thee in the preservation of human freedom. Go with us as we seek to defend the defenseless and to free the enslaved. May we ever remember that our nation, whose motto is ``In God We Trust,'' expects that we shall acquit ourselves with honor, that we may never bring shame upon our faith, our families, or our fellow men. Grant us wisdom from thy mind, courage from thine heart, strength from thine arm, and protection by thine hand. It is for thee that we do battle, and to thee belongs the victor's crown. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.''
Thank you, Sgt. Piper, we are in your debt.

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HEADLINE: Letters to the Editor

BODY:
Kennedy no ally
This story sent me to my computer (``Isn't it time for you to resign?'' June 23). My suspicions were confirmed when I saw a similar article on Aljazeera.net titled ``Rumsfeld rejects Iraq pullout deadline.''
The story discussed my senator's blasting of Donald Rumsfeld for the mismanaged war and the intractable quagmire that Ted Kennedy claims the United States is in. What is my senator thinking when he makes these kind of statements? He must know they can be used to encourage our enemies. 
Ted Kennedy continues to embarrass Massachusetts, the United States and me.
- Bob McCorry, Wakefield
Tragedy avoidable
The tragedy of three New Jersey boys who suffocated after becoming locked inside the trunk of a junk car should be a call to action to all communities, including my own, to enforce local laws to eliminate these hazards (``Deaths of 3 N.J. boys accidental,'' June 26).
We require that refrigerators be discarded with their doors removed, yet complaints about unregistered cars on private property often become lost in bureaucratic municipal processes. It's easy to shrug off complaints about junk cars as petty gripes about neighborhood eyesores. But given the heat of summer and the cold of our winters, towns should be vigilant to protect children from getting locked in trunks and passenger compartments, not to mention preventing kids' exposure to gasoline and toxic fluids.
Junk cars belong in the junk yard, not the back yard!
- Richard A. Duffy, Arlington
Minister responds
While in general, I admire Howard Manly's journalistic abilities, this column contains a number of unfortunate inaccuracies (``Preacher gets political,'' June 22)
First, in a Sunday sermon, I used the visit of a generic politician to a Black Ministerial Alliance meeting as a two-minute illustration without mentioning any politician's name.
Second, I have said on several occasions that the agenda to destroy the institutions of marriage and the family is ``demonic.'' I have never called Deval Patrick demonic.
Third, I am not now and have never been an adviser for Gov. Mitt Romney, and I am not a member of his ``kitchen cabinet.'' I agree with the definition of marriage as the union between one man and one woman, but the basis for my position is theological, not political.
Fourth, as president of the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston, I do not oversee the distribution of millions of federal dollars. An oversight committee comprised of program officers from major foundations in Boston controls the decision making and re-granting of federal dollars.
Finally, as a servant of Christ, I have never stooped to ``carrying water'' for any politician, and I am offended by the accusation. And in terms of my pulpit being ``part religious, part political,'' traditionally the pulpit of the black church has been the place where spiritual revelation, social analysis and even political critique converge. That my pulpit follows in this centuries old tradition should shock no African-American.
- Bishop G.A. Thompson,
Sr. Pastor, Jubilee Christian Church
President, BMA of Greater Boston
Spare us the details
Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa went too far in Inside Trash (as I refer to it) (``Book: Diana rated JFK Jr. as `10 out of 10' in hotel tryst,'' June 27). It is easy to listen to the ravings of an warped mind looking to sell books, but even the Herald should have its limits as to what sensationalistic items to print. Of course, the two parties are deceased and thus the author and the Herald do not have to worry about backlash - that is except from friends and family members of JFK Jr. and Princess Diana.
JFK Jr.'s sister Caroline should be the most outraged, as should Princes Harry and Williams over this item that disperses the reputations of their loved ones.
- Paul J. Baranofsky, Waltham
New trial an injustice
I am appalled that a judge has granted Alexander Pring-Wilson a new trial. (``Judge zaps Harvard student's murder conviction,'' June 25). This says that if you are a crime victim, you had better have had a stellar reputation, otherwise you will not receive justice. It also shows that if you are a perpetrator, and mommy and daddy have money, you can buy yourself a new trial.
- Rhonda M. Colleton, Quincy
Beckham's missed
Let me add my voice to those mourning the departure of Beverly Beckham's column. On more than one occasion, Beckham's writing brought tears to my eyes, and when I e-mailed her to tell her that, I received a prompt and warm reply. Too many columnists merely grind their axes, but she gave us insight into another side of human events, and her words will be missed.
- Don Wall, Saugus

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HEADLINE: THEATER REVIEW; 
 `Pugilist' doesn't pull any punches

BYLINE: By Robert Nesti

BODY:
``Pugilist Specialist,'' presented by the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, Wellfleet, through July 16.
``Pugilist Specialist'' plays like a Jerry Bruckheimer movie: Four Marines, part of an elite intelligence group, are ordered to assassinate the head (code name: the Bearded Lady) of an unnamed Mideast country. (Written in 2003 before the Iraq invasion, there's little doubt who the leader is.) 
Yet unlike one of those films, there's little gung-ho camaraderie amongst the soldiers; instead, social and political issues threaten to break them apart and sabotage the mission.
Central to these is the role of women in the military, represented by Lt. Emma Stein, a demolitions expert who's known as a spokeswoman for Marine recruitment ads and the-not-so-secret source of leaks to The New York Times.
Joining her as both friend and foe in the mission are Lt. Studdard, an eerily cold communications expert; Lt. Travis Freud, a hot-headed sniper; and their commander, Col. Johns, who has a tendency to speak in aphorisms about the nature of their operation.
As conceived by Adriano Shaplin for the San Francisco-based Riot Theatre, the drama unfolds in a series of short, taut sequences in which the mission is planned and the conflicts play out. Stein is cast as the outsider, partly because of her outspokenness and also because of an ingrained prejudice against women in the military.
Shaplin's staccato dialogue often evokes David Mamet in its precise interplay of character and situation; but what's most unique about the play is how it captures the nuts and bolts of a covert operation while texturing a deeply ironic critique on the workings of the military. The double-talk is often Orwellian and makes the play, in these days of scandals such as Abu Ghraib, scarily relevant.
Set in an austere barrackslike setting (designed by WHAT resident designer Dan Joy), the production unfolds with gripping suspense spliced with dark humor. Director Wesley Savick directs his cast with martial precision. Mandy Schmieder, a ringer for actress Laura Linney, ably conveys Lt. Stein's fierce intelligence and determination. Gabriel Kuttner subtly draws the introverted Lt. Studdard, while Rick Gifford is wonderfully extroverted as the outspoken cowboy Lt. Freud. Tom Kee nicely shades Col. Johns, whose words prove to have more meaning than immediately meets the eye.

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HEADLINE: HOT AIR, D.C. STYLE; 
 Rhetoric heats up to near-record levels

BYLINE: By ANDREW MIGA

BODY:
WASHINGTON - It's already shaping up to be a long, hot summer here where a recent barrage of snarky partisan insults has tempers flaring and frazzled speechwriters working overtime.
The dizzying torrent of invective and red-meat rhetoric - erupting from the leading voices in both parties in a blur of recent speeches and media interviews - has been harsh, even by jaded Washington standards.
President Bush's political guru Karl Rove set off the latest firestorm, ridiculing liberals as wimps on terrorism whose first impulse was to offer ``therapy and understanding'' to the 9/11 attackers. Outraged Democrats demanded Rove's firing. 
Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) branded Rove's blast a ``cheap and divisive political applause line.''
The day after Rove's sniping, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) cuffed around Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld during a testy face-to-face showdown at a Senate hearing. ``Isn't it time for you to resign?'' the Bay State senator asked.
Meanwhile, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Democratic whip, was forced to apologize last week after taking to the Senate floor and comparing the treatment by U.S. guards of Guantanamo detainees to Nazi brutalities and the horrors of a Soviet gulag.
At the same time, Democratic National Committee chief Howard Dean, the voice of his party, sneered at Republicans in a speech as spoiled fat cats who ``never made an honest living in their lives.'' Dean also mocked Republicans as ``pretty much a white, Christian party.''
In response, Vice President Dick Cheney fired off a caustic personal shot at Dean: ``Maybe his mother loved him, but I never met anybody who does.''
Both sides blame each other for the feuding. Democrats charge Republicans are responsible for the latest wave of partisan rancor, which coincides with Bush's slipping popularity and growing public disenchantment with the course of the Iraq war.
U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Somerville) said it was no accident the GOP-led House voted on a flag desecration bill last week as Bush's poll ratings slumped.
``There's a lot of malicious intent with the Republicans,'' said Capuano. ``They're pushing an issue that's a hot-button issue. They do it all the time to score political points, but it divides people.''

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HEADLINE: Kin mourn soldiers, brace for hate group

BYLINE: By TOM FARMER

BODY:
A Green Beret killed in Afghanistan will be laid to rest in his native Marblehead today as police brace for the anticipated arrival of a Kansas hate group.
``We're in Massachusetts now and we will be in Marblehead,'' said Margie Phelps of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church.
The WBC has blamed the 9/11 attacks and deaths of American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan on America's tolerance of homosexuals. The group, which recently demonstrated outside local Catholic churches and public schools it deemed tolerant of homosexuality, has threatened to show up at services today for Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Piper, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan this month.  
The group's literature proclaims ``Thank God for IEDs (roadside bombs)'' and states that Piper and other slain soldiers were ``cast into Hell to join other dishonorable Americans.'' Officials in Marblehead and Chicopee, home of slain Marine Capt. John Maloney, have denounced the group's plans to demonstrate at the fallen heroes' funerals. Both men's families have said freedom of speech is something they died trying to protect. Maloney was killed by an IED in Iraq this month.
Marblehead and state police have prepared for the group's arrival as well as other groups who may show up to demonstrate against the WBC.
``We don't know if they are definitely going to show up but they will be ready for them,'' Marblehead police Lt. David Millett said.
Piper, 43, is Marblehead's first combat casualty since the Vietnam War. His wake was held yesterday at a local funeral home. If WBC members show up today, Millett said they will be allowed to demonstrate in an area set aside for public protest. Piper's funeral will be held at 10 a.m. in Marblehead's Old North Church.
``They (WBC) are due to arrive before the service and be gone before the service is over,'' said Millett. Phelps, a daughter of WBC founder Fred Phelps, said a ``handful'' of WBC members will be in Marblehead about an hour before Piper's funeral.
State police anti-terrorism investigators have been assisting police in Marblehead and Chicopee prepare for any group that might start trouble. Marblehead Police Chief James Carney said earlier this week that protecting the demonstrators from irate citizens and veterans will also be part of today's mobilization by law enforcement.

GRAPHIC: GRIEVING: State trooper and childhood friend Tim Donahue, above, wipes his eyes at the wake for Army Staff Sgt. Christoper Piper, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, in Marblehead yesterday. Below, Gov. Mitt Romney arrives at the wake. STAFF PHOTOS BY TIM CORREIRA

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HEADLINE: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

BODY:
Keep hope for young
The media's inability to see what is happening in Boston's neighborhoods is nothing short of incompetent (June 24).
They treat the hopelessness of our teens as crime statistics. Forget politicians and spin. The young people of Charlestown, South Boston, Dorchester, Roxbury and other neighborhoods desperately need help. They are not insignificant; they are human beings and if given opportunities, guidance and love, they will become productive citizens. Ignoring them or treating them as sensational crime stories will make the situation worse. Boston is losing its reputation and its soul. 
Bostonians must demand support from civic, religious and business leaders. It's their city, their families and their children who are suffering.
- Ray Flynn, Boston
The writer is a former Boston mayor.
This tribute fits
My compliments to guest columnist Thomas H. O'Connor for endorsing Mayor Tom Menino's idea for a Kevin White statue near Faneuil Hall (``Statue will depict a real man about town,'' June 23). Professor O'Connor reminds us in his books that arguably the most successful development in city history came to fruition only after Mayor White made it a priority and persuaded local banks to underwrite half of it. The suggested site would be a wonderful tribute to White's leadership in making Boston a far better place to stroll, eat, shop and linger.
- Frank D. Barrett, Boston
Keep colleges open
I'm writing regarding Robert Beal's guest column (``It's time to renew American Dream,'' June 15). Allowing students to pay in-state tuition in our public colleges and universities is not a gift. They deserve it for their hard work. Massachusetts deserves it for the investment. These students have excelled in our school system and are now fully prepared for college. Making further education inaccessible is simply unfair and unwise.
- Regina Moriarty, South Boston
Stop threat at root
Columnist Charles Krauthammer believes that the threat to the survival of the United States is not immigration but bilingualism and biculturalism (``Don't alienate immigrants,'' June 19).
Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, among other countries, have survived bilingualism for many years. The real threat to the United States is population growth due to uncontrolled immigration into our country. Since the Immigration Reform Act of 1965, the United States has absorbed more than 100 million immigrants, primarily from the Third World. Falling wages, decline in the standard of living, skyrocketing price increases for necessities, enviromental burdens, high taxes and criminal activity followed.
The short-term solution is not more cultural assimilation as Krauthammer suggests, but a moratorium on all immigration for at least 10 years. Anything short will lead to social chaos and economic destruction. Then, bilingualism and biculturalism will become the least of our problems.
- Jim Sullivan, Wakefield
Leave hate at home
The town of Marblehead is mourning the loss of one of its sons, Staff Sgt. Christopher N. Piper. He is the latest in a long line of Marbleheaders, beginning with our revolutionary heroes, to give his life for his country and the ideals for which it stands. Those ideals do not include the venomous hate spewed by Margie Phelps and her father, Fred Phelps, the Westboro Baptist Church leader and self-declared prophet (``Kansas group to spew hate at local soldiers' funerals,'' June 21).
Marblehead's tribute to Chris is not ``being made into a public ordeal,'' Margie. It is a personal, sorrowful goodbye from family and friends to a fine man who embodied the best that this country has to offer. Stay in Kansas and stew in your own misguided hate. Leave his family and the rest of our community alone to grieve.
- Marcia L. Sweeney, Marblehead
Hussein explained
The editorial about Saddam Hussein telling his prison guards that he is still president of Iraq is no more delusional than President Bush claiming that he can bring democracy to that country (``Dissing the Fruit Loops,'' June 22).
Saddam's preference of President Reagan over President Clinton has nothing to do with good taste and common sense. Lest the Herald editorial staff forget, Saddam was our country's ally when Reagan was president, and the Reagan administration helped to supply him with some of those weapons of mass destruction that were used against fellow Iraqis and Iranians during the Iran-Iraq war.
- Cynthia Curry, Plymouth

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HEADLINE: Online from the front lines

BYLINE: By O'Ryan Johnson

BODY:
Michael, a U.S. soldier in Iraq who requested anonymity, checked his M-240 rifle, strapped himself to the side of a humvee and began the hunt for a ``mad mortar man'' who had been tormenting a nearby base. As the long, fruitless search wore on, his legs grew numb, and he regreted not bringing a Civil War novel he was reading.
``I go back to thinking about (Stonewall) Jackson, (Robert E.) Lee and (Joshua) Chamberlain, and others, reliving the horror they witnessed and wondering if the smell of death on their battlefield was as bad as the smell here,'' he later wrote in his blog. 
Composing a story under enemy fire was once the exclusive domain of journalism's elite war correspondents.
But the first armed conflict of the Internet era has given would-be Ernie Pyles the chance to broadcast their most recent gun battle to family, friends and indeed anyone with a computer. The grammar and language can be rough, but these blogs put on display the raw feelings of infantrymen in combat.
Avid GI bloggers draw followings on Web sites such as mudvillegazette.com, which hosts dozens of the soldiers' stories.
One popular blogger, Army Capt. Charles Ziegenfuss - who commands a tank company and posts his writing at tcoverride.blogspot.com - was injured by a roadside bomb while on patrol last week. According to a blog post from his wife, Ziegenfuss is in intensive care at a German hospital, set to return to the states this week.
Before the injury, he talked to the Herald via e-mail about why he blogs:
``I write to give the folks at home an understanding of what life is like here,'' he said in his e-mail. ``I write so that my wife will know if I am doing ok. I write to keep my sense of humor. It allows me to absorb and digest what goes on around here.''
On June 10 he described his unit's mission of explaining to locals why a terrorist who had attacked the tank unit was killed. As U.S. soldiers handed out leaflets, Ziegenfuss said a crowd of Iraqis began shuffling by.
``And it dawns on me,'' he wrote in the blog. ``It's his funeral. And we're passing out flyers explaining why his killing was justified. Jeebus. Why me?''
On his blog, adayiniraq.com, Michael fumed about his roommate's alarm clock, the boredom of war and the longing for a hot meal.
``I just try to write what I'm feeling,'' said the Alabama rifleman with the 3rd Infantry Division. ``I pretty much struggle over everything I write. I guess part of the reason I have the blog is to work on something I would like to get better at.''

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HEADLINE: Slain R.I woman was a `proud Marine'

BYLINE: By Jessica Fargen

BODY:
In high school, Holly Charette was the girl with the smile and the trademark dimples walking happily down the hall, a pal to everyone, a friend said yesterday.
Some classmates never knew that same cheerleader and field hockey player had joined the Marines and ended up in one of the most dangerous places an American soldier can be.
``She was one of the most genuine people you'd meet in your life,'' said Aubrey Sears, who grew up with Charette in Cranston, R.I., and went to high school with her. 
``She was one of those people who got along with absolutely anybody.''
Lance Cpl. Holly A. Charette, a 2001 graduate of Cranston High School East, was among the six U.S. military personnel killed in Fallujah, Iraq, on Thursday.
Charette, 21, was killed by a suicide bomber who drove a car into the convoy she was riding in.
``She wanted to become a Marine after 9/11,'' Charlene Wheetman, Charette's aunt, said in a statement on behalf of the family. ``She wanted to do something for her country. She was a very proud Marine.''
Gov. Don Carcieri yesterday ordered state flags lowered in honor of Charette.
Charette was among four women killed and 11 women wounded in the attack that military officials say may have specifically targeted female service members.
Charette delivered mail for the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
She had her eye on becoming a mail carrier because it was job that people depended on, she said in a May 3 Marine Corps press release.
``It won't be the same as being being a Marine, but at least I'm still in uniform,'' she said.
``I never really thought too hard about being a mail person but it's really an important job,'' she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

GRAPHIC: AMERICA'S FINEST: Marine Lance Cpl. Holly A. Charette, 21, of Cranston, R.I., was killed when a suicide bomber attacked her convoy in Fallujah, Iraq. on Thursday. AP photo

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HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Keeping pressure on terror in Iraq

BODY:
As the clamor for a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal grows ever more shrill on Capital Hill, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld this week held his ground, saying ``That would be a mistake.''
And it surely would be, especially in the wake of new evidence that in western Iraq near the Syrain border, enemy factions are fighting each other, according to Marine units in the area.
Under those circumstances, the last thing U.S. forces should be thinking about now is a date for withdrawal, as called for by a House resolution backed by two Republicans and four Democrats (including Rep. Marty Meehan of Lowell, who ought to know better). Now is the time to increase the pressure on the enemy to take advantage of the division in its ranks, especially since disaffected Sunni Muslims have now agreed to participate fully in drafting a new constitution. 
The split is between native Iraqis and foreign ``jihadists,'' with the Iraqis reportedly objecting to tactics of the foreigners that kill large numbers of Iraqi civilians.
The Marines recount instances of mortar fire that wasn't aimed at them, according to a report in The New York Times. In towns along the Euphrates River, the absence of cell phones tells Marines that foreigners control the area - they believe cell phones make it easier for the locals to report on them.
Guerrilla fighters are supposed to be like fish, and the civilian population the sea in which they move without impediment. But this news means the guerrillas are close to being stranded on the beach.
U.S. and Iraqi forces only recently have begun major operations near the Syrian border to disrupt the flow of Saudis, Algerians, Egyptians, Yemenis and others who, with Syrian help, are feeding arms and supplies to the terrorists. As long as the border is unsecured - and for lack of troops it has been effectively unsecured throughout the two years since the defeat of Saddam Hussein's army - there will be no end to terrorist violence in Iraq no matter how capable Iraqi police and troops become.
The border ought to be the No. 1 military priority in Iraq.
Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. commander in the Persian Gulf region, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, ``I believe there are more foreign fighters coming into Iraq than there were six months ago.''
If the panel weren't so fixated on withdrawing troops, perhaps they might have explored whether Abizaid, indeed, needs more troops to stop the flow of terrorists.

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HEADLINE: Testy Ted K takes aim at Rummy over Iraq war: `Isn't it time for you to resign?'

BYLINE: By ANDREW MIGA

BODY:
WASHINGTON - In a heated face-to-face show-down on Capitol Hill, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy yesterday demanded Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's resignation for ``mishandling'' the Iraq war, calling it a `quagmire'' with '`no end in sight.''
``In baseball, it's three strikes you're out,'' Kennedy scolded. ``What is it for the secretary of defense? Isn't it time for you to resign?'' 
A dour Rumsfeld glowered at his accuser from across a Senate hearing room before responding tartly: ``I've offered my resignation to the president twice. That's his call.''
Bush has rejected Rumsfeld's offers to step down, standing behind his defense chief despite a rising chorus of criticism from many congressional Democrats - and even a few Republicans - disenchanted with the course of the war.
The Bay State senior senator, one of the Bush administration's harshest Iraq war critics, provided a shot of high-voltage drama as he tore into Rumsfeld during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
Kennedy, who has made similar calls for Rumsfeld's resignation in past months, cited a laundry list of what he branded ``gross errors and mistakes'' as he lashed one of the administration's prime architects of the Iraq war.
``This war has been consistently and grossly mismanaged,'' asserted Kennedy, the second ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee. ``Our troops are dying and there really is no end in sight. And we are now in a seemingly intractable quagmire.''
Rumsfeld scoffed at Kennedy's charge. ``Well, that is quite a statement,'' said Rumsfeld, who appeared at the hearing along with several senior U.S. military commanders. ``First, let me say that there isn't a person at this table who agrees with you that we're in a quagmire and that there's no end in sight.''
Emboldened by polls showing President Bush's popularity slipping, Democrats have pumped up the volume recently on their criticisms of the administration's handling of the war. Even some Republicans admit that voters are skeptical of how the war is going.
``Public support in my state is turning,'' said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, a state that has a high concentration of military families. ``People are beginning to question.''
The Pentagon reported 1,725 military deaths and more than 13,000 casualties since the fighting began in 2003.

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HEADLINE: Kerry bolts D.C. and misses Bolton vote

BYLINE: By Noelle Straub

BODY:
WASHINGTON - Sen. John F. Kerry has been an outspoken critic of John Bolton's nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, but the senator skipped a roll-call vote on the appointment Monday as he took a two-day leave from his Washington duties. 
Kerry missed four roll-call votes altogether on Monday and Tuesday, including one on an energy amendment he co-sponsored.
Kerry spokesman David Wade refused to divulge where the Bay State senator had been, characterizing his absence only as a ``longstanding commitment which could not be rescheduled.'' Monday evening, Kerry skipped the vote that Republican leaders had scheduled to end debate on the Bolton nomination.
``While we hate to miss any vote, the fact remains that (Kerry's) vote would not have been decisive in any outcome,'' Wade said. ``The fight against the Bolton nomination continues, and John Kerry will continue to speak out.''
On Tuesday, the Bay State senator missed a roll-call vote on an amendment he co-sponsored that would have stripped a provision from the energy bill allowing an inventory of all offshore oil and natural gas resources. The Senate rejected the measure, but Kerry's vote would not have changed the outcome.
The senator missed votes on two other energy amendments, on promoting technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reducing emissions on from diesel engines. The senator's aides said he has cast 97 percent of votes this Congress.
Kerry's office on Tuesday also released a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about equipment shortages in Iraq. A note from the press office called it a letter ``Kerry sent to Rumsfeld today,'' although the senator was not in Washington at the time.

GRAPHIC: OUT OF ACTION: U.S. Sen John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) missed four roll-call votes during a two-dayleave from D.C. File photo

LOAD-DATE: June 23, 2005

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HEADLINE: Feds aid local cops to curb hate mongers

BYLINE: By Tom Farmer

BODY:
State police antiterrorism investigators are joining forces with police in Marblehead and Chicopee to prepare for the unwanted arrival of a Kansas hate group at the funerals of a Marine captain killed in Iraq and a Green Beret killed in Afghanistan.
While members of the radical Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) have not decided yet whether to carry out their threat to demonstrate at services Monday in Marblehead for Staff Sgt.  
Christopher N. Piper and at an upcoming memorial in Chicopee for Capt. John Maloney, authorities are planning for every contingency.
``We're going to provide intelligence to the local police departments about this group and what other counter-protest groups they might attract,'' said one state police source familiar with the WBC.
The rogue church claims the 9/11 attacks and subsequent deaths of American service members in Iraq and Afghanistan are God's vengeance on a nation tolerant of homosexuality. Margie Phelps, a daughter of WBC leader Fred Phelps, told the Boston Herald this week the group plans to demonstrate at both funerals.
Marblehead police Chief James Carney said the group is well-versed in its First Amendment rights. He said an area will be set aside for them to demonstrate if they do show up for Piper's funeral Monday morning. But Carney added he spoke to another of Phelps' daughters yesterday who said they haven't decided whether to make good on their threat to picket the funeral.
If they do show up, Carney said they will be protected regardless of the hateful venom they spew. ``We just can't let them roam around for their personal safety,'' he said. ``We will have a couple of game plans and we will be ready for whatever happens.''

GRAPHIC: FUNERAL TARGETED: Army Capt. John Maloney is shown with his son, Nathaniel. The officer was killed by a bomb on duty in Iraq. AP photo

LOAD-DATE: June 23, 2005

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June 22, 2005 Wednesday  
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HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Dissing the Froot Loops

BODY:
Ah, just when we thought it was safe to come out without fear of running into photos of Saddam Hussein in his undies, come more revelations about the man who once terrorized Iraq - this time from his guards.
Five GIs from a Pennsylvania National Guard unit, entrusted with guarding Saddam, agreed to be interviewed by GQ magazine.  
And while they signed an agreement not to reveal certain strategic aspects of Saddam's incarceration, they were free to offer such revealing insights as the tyrant's preference for Raisin Bran Crunch over Froot Loops (thus offering some assurance of his good taste and common sense) and President Reagan over President Clinton (ditto on the good taste/common sense).
The young guardsmen also talked about having to remind themselves that this pathetic creature before them - obsessed with washing his clothes and his hands - was also responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of his countrymen.
``He'd always tell us he was still the president. That's what he thinks, One hundred percent,'' said Spc. Jesse Dawson.
Whatever helps get him through the day - as he awaits trial for his crimes against the Iraqi people.

LOAD-DATE: June 22, 2005

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June 21, 2005 Tuesday  
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HEADLINE: Kansas group to spew hate at local soldiers' funerals

BYLINE: By O'RYAN JOHNSON

BODY:
A radical Midwestern hate group plans to protest at the funerals of two local soldiers killed in action, claiming the slain heroes ``were cast into hell to join many more dishonorable Americans.''
The Westboro Baptist Church, proclaiming ``thank God for IEDs'' or roadside bombs, claims the 9/11 attacks and American deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan are God's vengeance on a nation that is tolerant of homosexuality.
``It's going to shock and enrage every person who sees it. That is our goal,'' said Margie Phelps, daughter of WBC leader Fred Phelps. The group is based in Topeka, Kansas, and has made headlines protesting homosexuality at school events, graduations and mainstream churches. 
But when told about the group's plans, John Maloney, the father of slain Marine Capt. John Maloney, said his son died in Iraq to protect free speech, no matter how offensive.
``He fought and died for their right to do what they do,'' he said. ``I may not agree with what they do. This is still the United States of America, isn't it?''
In addition to protesting Maloney's funeral, the group also plans to protest the Marblehead funeral of Staff Sgt. Christopher N. Piper, a Green Beret, killed in Afghanistan.
``This kid was an American hero,'' Marblehead veterans service agent David Roberts said. ``I don't understand people like that. Any disrespect shown towards him and his family is beyond my imagination.''
Margie Phelps said her father is a self-declared prophet.
``He hasn't been sent to save. He's been sent to condemn,'' she said, adding that group members have protested the funerals of 11 slain soldiers across the nation in the past two weeks.
Phelps said the protests may be disruptive to family members but ``as long as it's being made into a public ordeal, then all bets are off.''
She added, ``Thank God for the mortar. Thank God for the shell that came from the gun. Thank God for the fact that it killed the fruit of America to punish it for its sins.''
But Maloney, still grieving for his son, said simply, ``I think they're misdirected. I'll pray for them.''

LOAD-DATE: June 21, 2005

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June 21, 2005 Tuesday  
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HEADLINE: Stop & Shop moves to help disabled vets

BYLINE: By JESSE NOYES

BODY:
Stop & Shop will wear its heart on its wrist next week.
The supermarket chain plans to sell $2 ``Hero Bands'' wristbands at local stores, with proceeds going to the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes.  
The nonprofit provides aid - such as disability-adapted homes and job placement - to severely injured veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The wristbands will be sold at Stop & Shop supermarkets in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and New York from June 26 to July 9.
Injured veterans can often wait for 120 days before getting financial support from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or Social Security, said Salute Executive Vice President Doug Plank.
The nonprofit has been planning to use wristbands to raise money for more than three years, but it took a partnership with the Quincy-based retailer to bring the idea to life.
The hero bands are red, white and blue, in a style resembling the Lance Armstrong Foundation's yellow ``Live Strong'' bands.
Despite the wide range of charities using bands, Salute believes its cause resonates with Americans. It's time ``to stand up for those men and women who (went) across oceans and countries and came back with a sacrifice of lost limbs, lost sight and other traumas,'' Plank said.
The supermarket operator also plans to train interested disabled veterans to work in its stores. ``We feel that we owe something to these men and women,'' Weiner said.

LOAD-DATE: June 21, 2005

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June 20, 2005 Monday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 006

LENGTH: 490 words

HEADLINE: Times test Guard commander

BYLINE: By THOMAS CAYWOOD

BODY:
Oliver J. Mason Jr., a former science teacher recently promoted to become the state's top military officer, barely had time to pin on brigadier general stars before a gut-punch arrived from Afghanistan.
Insurgent mortar fire killed Massachusetts National Guard Sgt. Michael Kelley, 26, of Scituate, last Wednesday near the Pakistan border. He was buried Saturday. 
``This is our first combat loss, and we're extremely saddened,'' said Mason, who has a son and a daughter around Kelley's age. ``The shock has rippled throughout the entire Massachusetts National Guard.''
In his first in-depth interview since taking over as adjutant general in late April, the Bay State's new top military officer pledged to focus on preparing troops for combat and expressed confidence that the state's militia can juggle its commitments at home and abroad despite rapid-fire deployments and a major recruiting crunch.
``In every action, every preparation that we do getting soldiers and airmen ready, it's always in the back of our minds that we have to give them the best training and make them as ready as we can so they can defend themselves overseas in combat,'' Mason said Thursday at the Joint Force Headquarters in Milford.
Knowing the Guard has about 800 troops deployed, many of them in Iraq and Afghanistan, at any one time weighs heavily on his mind, Mason said. But he has missions to accomplish. For starters, he's responsible for transforming the Cold War-era force to fit the modern Army's doctrine of smaller, self-sufficient ``units of action.'' In Massachusetts, this will begin with the 26th Infantry Brigade, which will be reinvented beginning this fall as the 26th Brigade Combat Team.
The unit will gain the military police, intelligence, engineer, transportation, medical and other assets it needs to operate on its own in battle. The change, expected to be completed in the fall of 2006, opens the possibility of a large combat deployment that would involve thousands of Massachusetts troops.
``You can't say positively, but that's the intent, that the brigade combat team would deploy in the future intact,'' Mason said.
In the meantime, Mason and his staff are struggling to recruit new soldiers and to hang on to their experienced sergeants and officers. Both the active Army and the Guard and Reserves have consistently missed recruiting goals after three years of war.
Last year, the Massachusetts Guard decreased by roughly 800 troops, or about 9 percent of the force. The combined strength of the Army and Air National Guard dipped to 8,200 - down from 10,000 four years before.
Even so, Mason said the force is sufficient to do its part to combat terrorism while standing ready for mobilization at home in an emergency or natural disaster. The Guard fielded roughly 500 troops during the January blizzard.
``Right now we're holding our own,'' Mason said. ``But we're certainly looking for young patriots to raise their hand and volunteer.''

GRAPHIC: IN CHARGE: Former science teacher Oliver J. Mason Jr. was recently promoted to serve as commander of the Massachusetts National Guard. STAFF PHOTO BY TED FITZGERALD

LOAD-DATE: June 20, 2005

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June 20, 2005 Monday  
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HEADLINE: Roadside bomb kills Chicopee Marine, dad

BYLINE: By THOMAS CAYWOOD

BODY:
Even as a boy, U.S. Marine Corps Capt. John W. Maloney of Chicopee distinguished himself as a leader who seemed to thrive on the responsibility of looking after his two younger brothers.
``Being a working mom, I carried a heavy hand for discipline, and I expected great things of him and for him to help out while I was at work,'' said his mother, Lydia Maloney of Chicopee, who is now mourning her son's death in combat last week. ``He seemed to take to it. He always made sure things went smooth while I was working.'' 
The 36-year-old father of two, who rose through the ranks from private to company commander, and another Marine were killed Thursday in Iraq when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle near Ramadi.
``I am so proud of him,'' said his father, John E. Maloney of Holyoke. ``I couldn't be any more proud of a person than I am of John.
``He was my hero, my son, my friend, my confidant,'' Maloney added, his voice cracking with emotion. ``Just a special guy.''
Lydia Maloney said she last heard from her son a few days before Mother's Day.
``He was just saying he was doing all right, doing well. A day at a time,'' she recalled yesterday. ``We've become accustomed to not being able to talk about specifics. He seemed upbeat. He was very proud of the men he was commanding. Many of them were back in Iraq for their third time.''
Maloney had recently told his dad about a mission delivering medical supplies to a hospital outside Ramadi. The career Marine, who also fought in the 1991 Gulf War, was buoyed by a group of Iraqi schoolboys who helped the Marines unload their truck, his dad recalled.
``He was so happy about that,'' Maloney said. ``The interaction, the willingness to participate. It just kind of pleased him.''
Maloney lived outside Camp Pendleton, Calif., with his wife, a son, 6, and a daughter, 2. He was assigned to the 1st Marine Division.
The younger brothers he helped raise both followed him into the Marine Corps: 1st Lt. Jason Maloney, just back from Iraq, is now stationed in Okinawa; and Lance Cpl. Justin Maloney of Chicopee, a Marine reservist, was stationed in Bahrain in 2003 and 2004.
``You think of it as a roulette wheel,'' Lydia Maloney said. ``You just don't know who it's going to land on. You become accustomed to things, the sudden changes. You accept it. You may not like it all the time, but it's the vocation my sons chose.''

LOAD-DATE: June 20, 2005

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June 20, 2005 Monday  
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HEADLINE: Kerry cautious on probing `Downing Street Memo'

BYLINE: By NOELLE STRAUB

BODY:
WASHINGTON - Walking a tightrope on a politically charged issue, Sen. John F. Kerry vowed weeks ago to raise the controversial ``Downing Street Memo'' as an issue in Washington, but has since publicly held his tongue on the matter.
Instead, Kerry has been enlisting other senators to sign onto a letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee seeking answers about the memo, aides said. 
The memo contained minutes of a 2002 meeting in which British officials told Prime Minister Tony Blair they believed the Bush administration had already decided on military action against Iraq and ``fixed'' intelligence to fit the policy.
The Downing Street memo generated a firestorm in Britain last month and has gained increasing attention in the United States. President Bush and Blair have denied allegations that the memo proves intelligence was misrepresented.
``When I go back (to Washington) on Monday, I am going to raise the issue,'' Kerry told the New Bedford Standard-Times about the memo on June 2.
``I think it's a stunning, unbelievably simple and understandable statement of the truth and a profoundly important document that raises stunning issues here at home,'' he added. ``And it's amazing to me the way it escaped major media discussion. It's not being missed on the Internet, I can tell you that.''
But Kerry has not been vocal about the issue since then, raising it neither in a floor speech nor in the media. Kerry spokesman David Wade insisted the administration needs to answer questions about the memo.
``It's not too much for Americans to expect a thorough explanation of the Downing Street memo,'' he said. ``The administration and the Washington Republicans who control Congress scoff at the idea of congressional oversight, and insult Americans by brushing off even the most basic questions about pre-war intelligence and planning for the aftermath of war.''

LOAD-DATE: June 20, 2005

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June 20, 2005 Monday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 028

LENGTH: 130 words

HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 She still throws like a girl

BODY:
``It really doesn't have anything to do with being a female. It's about the duties I performed that day as a soldier.''  
- Silver Star recipient Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester
----------
Reality overtook rhetoric - again - on combat restrictions for women as Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester last week became the first woman since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the third highest medal for valor.
``Her actions saved the lives of numerous convoy members. Sgt. Hester's bravery is in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism,'' the award citation reads, citing an attack on her unit during which she moved through enemy fire to help clear roadside trenches of insurgents, killing three.
A retail store manager in civilian life, Hester's still in Iraq, doing her duty. We salute her. 

LOAD-DATE: June 20, 2005

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June 19, 2005 Sunday  
THIRD EDITION

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 014

LENGTH: 1083 words

HEADLINE: INSIDE TRACK; 
 Wild and crazy guys hit Nantucket fest

BYLINE: By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa

BODY:
NANTUCKET - A boatload of bold-facers landed at the Sconset Casino last night to fete and fawn over funnyman Steve Martin at the annual NBC Universal Screenwriter's Tribute at the Nantucket Film Festival.
The Peacock People packed the place with newsies like Brian Williams,``Today'' weekend gal Campbell Brown, anchorgal Natalie Morales, CNBC's Maria Bartiromo and ``Hardball'' heavy Chris Matthews. ``SNL'' creator Lorne Michaels made the scene with Steve, and the lovely Lake Bell, who will appear in ``Fathom,'' a new under-the-sea ``Lost''-esque series on the network's schedule this fall, also vogued on the red carpet.
Macauley Culkin, fearful that he may encounter a question about his good friend Michael Jackson, cowardly skulked in a side door. Indie fave Steve Buscemi, here at the festival with his movie ``Lonesome Jim,'' also skipped the cameras-and-questions part of the program. But wannabe White House daughter Alexandra Kerry paraded before the press (although she couldn't remember her favorite Steve Martinism), as did comic Jim Gaffigan and ``Blind Justice'' top cop-now-on-hiatus Michael Gaston. 
Inside the casino, Williams kicked off the yearly gush-a-thon with his usual round of jabs at Nantucket's weather, cobblestone streets, red tide alert and, of course, rich residents.
``I could tell my children were uncomfortable when they saw a family getting off a Gulf Stream II,'' the newsie deadpanned. ``It's only a 10-seater with those old swivel reading lights and aftermarket DVD player. But the kids were very good at not staring.''
Steve Martin left the sight gags to NBC's Bob Wright who came out to fawn over the funnyman with his trademark arrow-through-the-head. Which is probably the reason the only photog shooting the event inside was the network's official shutterbug!
``I got it from Lorne Michaels' extensive collection,'' he said.
Williams nearly brought the crowd down with a story about being imbedded with an Army battalion under fire in Iraq earlier this year but drove his point home when he said the lieutenant, who was around his age, told the unit to ``Let's get small.''
``Even in that you-know-what hole, we exchanged a knowing glance that we were part of something,'' said the groupie, who told the Track he wore out three stylists on his stereo playing ``Let's Get Small,'' Martin's debut comedy album in 1977.
Michaels, who had Martin host ``SNL'' more than a dozen times, introduced his wild 'n' crazy friend after a video tribute that included 11 films that Martin wrote and starred in, as well as many memorable ``SNL'' skits.
``This is especially meaningful for me,'' Mr. Happy Feet deadpanned. ``After school, my friends and I used to play Nantucket Film Festival screenwriters. I remember taking that first piece of paper and putting it in the typewriter and thinking maybe this will get me (bleeped).''
After receiving his traditional boat quarterboard with ``Martin'' engraved on it, the man of the hour joked that he would have preferred ``a full board.''
``Several of us were up late last night trying to find a boat named ``Martin','' reported the NBC News cheese.
Bet that left Steve feeling like a Jerk!
TRACKED DOWN
Man of the hour Steve Martin and ``SNL'' sultan Lorne Michaels lunching at The Ropewalk...``Las Vegas'' boss James Caan having a cocktail with Mass. Sports and Entertainment Commission cheese Mark Drago at the Brant Point Grille before meeting his tanorexic Hollywood bud GeorgeHamilton... Ben Stiller and Lake Bell, late of ``The Practice,'' chatting on the couch at J. Seward Johnson's swank manse at a late-night festival bash... NBC News nabob Brian Williams looking at the preppy duds in Murray's Toggery Shop...
Funnyman Steve Martin and ``Inside the Actor's Studio'' sultan James Liptontook turns playing each other's straight man yesterday when the Bravo! interviewer staged a sit-down with Hollywood's favorite Jerk here at the Nantucket Film Festival.
Martin, on the island to be feted by the festival last night at the annual NBC-sponsored Screenwriter's Tribute, flashed his famous humor as well as humility and haughtiness during the 90-minute Q&A in front of a SRO crowd at the Nantucket High School.
``On `Inside the Actors Studio,' I,'' Lipton began.
``Is that YOU?,'' the astonished actor asked. ``Oh. My. God.''
``It's me when it's not Will Ferrell,''the Studio softball tosser said, referring to the ``SNL'' alum's dead-on impersonation of him. ``And full disclosure - he's better than me.''
Talk about Bringing Down the House!
``You really don't seem prepared,'' Martin gibed James, holding up his trademark stacks of blue note cards.
During the course of the questioning, the actor and screenwriter described his early fascination with show biz and how working at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., got him hooked on performing magic tricks, making balloon animals and telling jokes.
``To me it was show business,'' he said.
Fast-forward to his college years studying philosophy at Long Beach State and then onto UCLA where he had the good fortune of having an ex-galpal sleeping with the head writer of the Smothers Brothers TV show. Years later, he got back into performing, he said, because he was ``envious.''
``For generations comedy was East Coast-based, mostly Jewish,'' Lipton droned. ``And then suddenly there came on the scene a West Coast WASP with an arrow through his head and happy feet, spearheading a revolution.''
``Well. I don't know if I spearheaded a revolution,'' Steve in the striped seersucker jacket shrugged.
``You did.''
``Oh.''
File Under: All of Steve
WE HEAR:
That NBC News chief Brian Williams is never, ever away from the nightly broadcast because he has a special number on speed-dial on his cell phone that allows him to listen in to the show. ``It drives my wife nuts,'' he said.
That CN8 WILL include Needham homey Scott Rosenberg's woeful tale of losing his galpal, actress - and now Comcast spokesgal - Bridget Moynahan to New England Patriots QB/QT Tom Brady on ``Backstage with Barry Nolan'' on Friday night at 8. The screenwriter said he had no idea that the festival's Late Night Storytelling event was sponsored by Comcast. We blame it on the six Grey Gooses he imbibed pre-tale telling.
That ``Fat Actress'' PA Bryan Callum dated ``Monster'' director Patty Jenkins for nine years. They're such good pals, Patty said she'd put him in her next flick. That's Bryan's take on the situation anyway.
That wonderfully wacky Amy Sedaris is writing a book about entertaining and cooking for Warner Books.

GRAPHIC: EXCUUUSE MEEE! Film star and screenwriter Steve Martin, right, and `Saturday Night Live' creator Lorne Michaels head into the Sconset Casino on Nantucket last night. Staff photo by Mark Garfinkel
`PRACTICE' MAKES PERFECT: Lake Bell, lat of NBC's `The Practice,' was on hand for the Nantucket festivities yesterday. Staff photo by Mark Garfinkel ÿ1A

LOAD-DATE: June 19, 2005

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June 18, 2005 Saturday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 011

LENGTH: 378 words

HEADLINE: Marblehead soldier succumbs to wounds

BYLINE: By CASEY ROSS and DAWN WITLIN

BODY:
A Marblehead Special Forces soldier who fought in the world's toughest battle zones died Thursday from wounds suffered during an attack earlier this month on his convoy in Afghanistan.
Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Piper, 43, died on his home soil Thursday after battling for two weeks against seared lungs and burns more than 60 percent of his body. He suffered the injuries when the Humvee he was riding in was struck by a homemade bomb June 3. 
``He was what everyone wishes a soldier to be,'' his sister, Lisa Piper, said. ``Christopher joined the Marines the day he turned 18. He really believed in his own sense of righteousness, he was just born that way.''
Piper, who leaves a wife and two children from a previous marriage, served in Beirut and Iraq and was on his second tour in Afghanistan when he suffered the fatal injuires.
``He made everyone feel safe, had an incredible sense of humor and was incredibly smart,'' his sister said.
Despite endless career options - Piper was a high school honors student and football captain - the Marblehead native joined the Marines after graduating high school in 1980. He joined the Army in the 1990s and was most recently serving with a Special Forces unit based in Fort Bragg, N.C.
The attack that led to his death killed two other American soldiers and wounded an Afghani interpreter who was traveling in the Humvee. Piper, though badly burned, was pulled to safety by Afghani government soldiers he had been training, his sister said.
Doctors and family members reported steady improvement in recent days as Piper began undergoing a series of skin grafts to replace damaged tissue. But his condition took a turn for the worse after doctors discovered a previously unknown abdominal injury and performed emergency surgery.
The procedure was not enough.
Piper succumbed Thursday at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to his sister, he is survived by his wife, Connie Morales; his two children from a previous marriage, Diedre Piper, 13, and Christopher Piper, 12; his father and a brother.
``He touched everyone in both a gentle and strong manner. He believed and cared about the old-fashioned things: truth, justice, the American way of life, defending America and parenting,'' his sister, Lisa, recalled.

GRAPHIC: PIPER: Wounded by blast while serving in Afghanistan.

LOAD-DATE: June 18, 2005

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June 18, 2005 Saturday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 011

LENGTH: 355 words

HEADLINE: Soldier `determined to serve' dies of wounds

BYLINE: By CASEY ROSS

BODY:
A Marblehead special forces soldier who fought in the world's toughest battle zones has died from wounds suffered during a recent attack on his convoy in Afghanistan.
Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Piper, 43, died on his home soil Thursday after battling for two weeks against seared lungs and burns over 60 percent of his body. He suffered the injuries when the Humvee he was riding in was struck by a homemade bomb June 3. 
``This was his calling,'' his sister, Lisa Piper, told WBZ-TV (Ch. 4) yesterday. ``He was bound and determined (to serve) no matter what, no matter where.''
Piper, who leaves a wife and two daughters, served in Beruit, Iraq and was on his second tour in Afghanistan when he suffered the fatal injuires.
Despite endless career options - Piper was an honors student in high school and captain of the football team - the Marblehead native joined the Marines after graduating high school in 1980.
He served for six years before returning to civilian life, but Piper wanted to go back, to defend his country however and wherever he could, his family said.
``No matter where they needed America to come in, my brother was there,'' Lisa Piper told WBZ.
He then joined the Army and was most recently serving with a special forces unit based in Fort Bragg, N.C.
The attack that led to his death killed two other American soldiers and wounded an Afghani interpreter who was traveling in the Humvee. Piper, though badly burned, was pulled to safety by Afghani government soldiers he had been training, his sister said.
Doctors and family members reported steady improvement in recent days as Piper began undergoing a series of skin grafts to replace damaged tissue. But his condition took a turn after doctors discovered a previously unknown abdominal injury and performed emergency surgery.
The procedure was not enough. Piper succumbed Thursday at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. In addition to his sister, he is survived by his wife, Connie Morales; two children from a previous marriage, Diedre Piper, 13, and Christopher Piper, 12; his father and a brother.
Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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June 16, 2005 Thursday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 033

LENGTH: 371 words

HEADLINE: OP-ED; 
 Lynch gets up close and personal on Iraq

BYLINE: By WAYNE WOODLIEF

BODY:
Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D-South Boston) is a hands-on kind of congressman. From his days as an ironworker, Lynch likes to see it, feel it, experience an issue up close to see how it affects our country and the people he represents. 
Lynch supported the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq from the start.
That's why the congressman's warning this week - after a fact-finding mission to Iraq where he ate, spoke and flew with the troops - that it's time for America to get serious about getting out sooner rather than later is an ominous omen for the president's vague ``stay the course'' path.
Lynch vividly described to business leaders of the New England Council riding with the crew of a Black Hawk helicopter from Baghdad to Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.
``We flew about 120 feet off the ground,'' he said. ``And when we would pass over a caravan of goat herders or over a town, young children would rush out excited and smiling and waving up at the helicopter. And the gunners would throw out big bags of candy and soccer balls to the kids.''
Though he praised the Iraqi elections as a turning point in their own ``move against oppression,'' Lynch said, ``Only time will tell if the Iraqis will sufficiently appreciate and love that freedom. And at some point, we're going to run out of time.''
Set no hard withdrawal timetable, he cautioned. That could embolden the terrorists and endanger our troops. But a clear exit strategy is in order. Otherwise, ``Our presence militarily can be transformed into that of a colonial patron'' similar, Lynch said, to the British in India, the French in Vietnam and the Soviet Union in Afghanistan who ``stayed too long.''
What most angers Lynch is the lack of funding and support he sees for grievously-wounded American troops he often visits at Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Amputee Center.
``It is full of our young men who (in losing limbs) have sacrificed the simple pleasure of walking their daughter down the aisle or playing a game of catch with their kids.'' These are the costs of war that can never become acceptable. ``Never!'' he said.
``We can stay too long in Iraq,'' he added - and he ought to know. But is President Bush listening?
Wayne Woodlief's column appears weekly.

LOAD-DATE: June 16, 2005

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June 15, 2005 Wednesday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 030

LENGTH: 312 words

HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Polls fail to ask the right question

BODY:
The headline was big and bold enough. ``Poll: USA is losing patience on Iraq,'' said Monday's lead story in USA Today.
And because it was by the reputable Gallup organization and in a national newspaper, it got lots of air time, too. 
The poll of 1,003 adults, taken June 6-8, found that 59 percent of those surveyed think the United States should withdraw all or some of its troops from Iraq and only 36 percent think current troop strength ought to be maintained or increased.
Now imagine for a moment someone gets you on the phone and says something like, ``So, do you think the United States should bring home all its troops from Iraq, some of its troops, maintain the current contingent or increase the number?''
Who, for heaven's sake, wouldn't want America's sons and daughters to come home? What kind of fool would say, ``Oh, sure, just leave 'em there until hell freezes over.'' ``Just keep them there as a permanent occupation force - until maybe Iraq agrees to become the 51st state. Sure, it's far away, but heck they've got oil, right?''
Anyone with a functioning brain and a heart wants to see this nation's young men and women home safe and sound. Anyone who has ever witnessed one of those homecomings at an airport and watched as strangers applauded this person in uniform knows how very deeply those feelings run.
Yes, we all want them home as soon as reasonably possible. And isn't that the key - REASONABLYpossible? That's what polls never ask. They never ask if the choice is bringing the troops home now and abandoning a newly democratic nation to terrorists and thugs, should we bring them home now? They never ask if the choice is bringing the troops home now and leaving Iraq to once again become a threat to the region and to our own safety and security, should we bring them home now?
The world is complex. Polls that try to make it otherwise are worthless.

LOAD-DATE: June 15, 2005

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June 15, 2005 Wednesday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 006

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HEADLINE: Protesters crash Army party

BYLINE: By Marie Szaniszlo

BODY:
The Blackhawk helicopter hovered overhead and, moments later, the parachuters swooped like enormous black birds from the sky as a Hummer waited below, a dare on its rear door: ``Your future has just passed you by.''
After the Blackhawk had disappeared and the officials had finished their speeches yesterday on Cambridge Common, Bill Callahan stood in his desert fatigues at the U.S. Army's 230th birthday celebration and dismissed the dangers of his 11-month tour of duty in Iraq. 
``You're doing something for your country,'' said Callahan, an Army National Guard lieutenant colonel from Natick.
Here, on the very ground where George Washington took command of the newly formed Continental Army to fight the British, hundreds of people celebrated its anniversary, while hundreds of others protested what they saw as its reversal of roles.
Washington's army ``was fighting imperialism. They were fighting occupiers,'' said Cynthia Enloe of Somerville, a political science professor who carried a sign warning, ``Caution: Army recruiters have a monthly quota.''
In all, seven demonstrators were arrested. Others shouted down Undersecretary of the Army Raymond Dubois. Still others, such as Jack Tobin of Allston, soldiers once themselves, stood quietly on the sidelines.
``I was gung-ho,'' Tobin said, recalling his decision to drop out of college during the Korean War to join the Marines at 17. ``I believed there was a purpose to the war. I believed all the things they told us about fighting for freedom and democracy.''
But then how could he have known, he said, that a half-century later, as a 70-year-old veteran, he would be tossed off the common because police deemed the peace symbol he held a ``weapon''?

GRAPHIC: GIVING PEACE A CHANCE? A member of the Silver Wings parachute jump teams coasts onto Cambridge Common above a sign held by a protester as the Massachusetts Army National Guard celebrated the U.S. Army's 230th birthday. At right, antiwar protester Matt Orsborn, wearing fake blood and Iraqi garb, is arrested and led away by Cambridge police. Staff photos by Nancy Lane

LOAD-DATE: June 15, 2005

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June 15, 2005 Wednesday  
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HEADLINE: Quincy's Tobins trying to bridge brother-in-law promotion snafu

BYLINE: By Howie Carr

BODY:
It may be time to make it official - just change the name of the city of Quincy to Tobintown.
I mean, the Tobin family has been calling the shots down there for a good long time, but they may right now be at the pinnacle of their power.
For those of you not familiar with City of Presidents hackerama, the patriarch of the clan is Arthur Tobin, age 75, the clerk/magistrate of the Quincy District Court and a former city councilor, mayor and state senator.
His son, Steve Tobin, has been the state rep since 1989. 
And now, the Quincy Police Department is about to promote a number of cops, including three sergeants in particular who may very soon be lieutenants:
- Brian Tobin, Arthur's son.
- Kevin Tobin, Arthur's nephew.
- Donald Greenwood, Arthur's son-in-law.
The final decision will be made by the mayor, William Phelan. Would you care to guess who Mayor Phelan's father-in-law is?
That's right, Mayor Phelan is married to the former Tracey Tobin. It's a small world, isn't it? Especially if you're a Tobin in Quincy.
``They're all top-notch people,'' the mayor was saying yesterday from the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Chicago. ``They work hard and I'm proud to be associated with them. I'm glad people like them decide to enter public service.''
The state Ethics Commission, though, sometimes has concerns about public servants who are also brothers-in-law, which is what Sgt. Brian Tobin is to Mayor Phelan. The mayor has requested an opinion from the commission as to how, or whether, he can bypass a provision in the city code that says if the mayor can't promote someone, nobody can.
I've gotten several letters and phone calls about the Tobin hackerama down in Quincy, but I couldn't keep all the names straight. Finally, I asked one of the dime-droppers to fax to me a Tobin family tree, and now I think I've got it.
First, let's go to Arthur's brother, Tim. He's a retired QPD cop, and Kevin is his son. Arthur has six living children, one of whom is the state rep, and another is Mark Tobin, who ran unsuccessfully for register of probate in 2002. He has a hack courthouse job in Bristol County.
Then there's Brian, the sergeant who's the fly in the ointment right now. (Brian's twin brother, Bruce, by the way, is a state trooper.)
Next comes another of Arthur's daughters, Kelly Ann. She was a crime analyst at the QPD, but has lately been out on workers' comp. She's married to Donald Greenwood Sr., who aced the exam, and is by all accounts a fine man - he's in the Army Reserves, and at age 57, has been to Iraq twice. He has a son, Donald Jr., who has also done at least one tour in Iraq, and when he's not in the theater, would you care to guess where Donald Jr. works?
``Oh yeah, I forgot about Donald Jr.,'' the mayor said. ``He's on the Police Department. They're great people.''
Donald Jr. is not Kelly Ann's son, so technically he's not a Tobin, but close enough.
I decided to run a bluff on the mayor: Aren't there some Tobins in the School Department?
``Oh yeah,'' he said. ``My brother Jimmy's a teacher and his wife, Tracy, is a teacher. Both were hired well before I went into politics.''
Out of space. Sorry there wasn't more flowery descriptive passages, but there were just too damn many Tobins to get to. And when you call me this morning to tell me which ones I missed, please don't yell.
There's so many of them, and there's only one of me.
Howie Carr's radio show can be heard weekday afternoons on WRKO AM 680, WHYN AM 560, WGAN AM 560, WEIM AM 1280 and WXTK 95.1 FM

LOAD-DATE: June 15, 2005

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June 14, 2005 Tuesday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 031

LENGTH: 456 words

HEADLINE: OP-ED; 
 Bush, Blair raise new hopes for Africa

BYLINE: By Charles R. Stith

BODY:
As laudable as are British Prime Minister Tony Blair's efforts on behalf of Africa and President Bush's eventual response, I fear something fundamental is getting lost in the discussion. More important than what Bush owes Blair for his support in the Iraq War is the issue of what the world owes Africa.
Africa has always been central to the global economy - from providing the slave labor that developed the new world and enriched the old world to providing the mineral essential to making today's computer chips. Sub-Sahara Africa remains among the world's largest net exporters of fresh food and agro-based products. 
Africa's development has forever been impacted by its history: Colonialism stunted the ability of nations to grow, develop, and successfully manage independence. Militarization, aimed at ensuring foreign political hegemony, also limited access to Africa's vast resources. And Apartheid not only oppressed South African blacks but debilitated neighboring states, requiring them to spend millions defending themselves instead of investing in their own development.
Africa's importance to global commerce and western development is unquestionable. The issue is will Africa ever benefit from its contribution to the global economy as much as the world has benefited?
The $64 million question (or maybe $64 BILLIONquestion) relative to THISAfrica plan is: Is this the same old tune, or are Blair and the West really singing a new song?
The most recent list of plans to save Africa have left something to be desired. And, the list is long: the Lagos Plan (1979), the World Bank's Berg Report (1981), the Economic Commission for Africa's Priority Program for Economic Recovery (1986), followed by the African Alternative Framework to Structural Adjustment Program for Socioeconomic Recovery and Transformation (1989); the Arusha African Charter for Popular Participation and Development (1989) the World Bank's Sub-Saharan Africa report; the U.N. New Agenda for Development in Africa in the 1990's, and the Clinton administration's Africa Growth and Opportunity Initiative. In this millennium we can now add the U.N.'s Millennium Challenge Goals and President Bush's Millennium Challenge Account. Tony Blair's Commission on Africa Plan is just the latest.
If the volume of words in the plans devoted to Africa's development were dollars, Africa would be flush with more than enough cash to secure its future.
My hope, and the hope of many, is that this initiative by Blair and Bush is not another example of talking the talk, but a giant step forward in walking the walk that will insure that Africa takes its place as a member in equal standing in the world community.
The Rev. Charles Stith is a former U.S. ambassador to Tanzania.

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LENGTH: 325 words

HEADLINE: OH, CANADA! CANADIAN TOURISTS FAVOR HUB; 
 Visits rise 9 percent

BYLINE: By Jennifer Heldt Powell

BODY:
Let's go visit Boston, eh?
A growing number of Canadians are doing just that since fears over SARS and terrorism have subsided. A weak U.S. dollar has also helped attract bargain hunters from the north seeking a cheaper vacation. 
An estimated 358,300 visitors poured into the Bay State from Canada last year, up about 9percent from the previous year, according to Tourism Massachusetts.
That's still down from the year before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but Bay State tourism officials said they're encouraged by the numbers.
``The trend is going in the right direction,'' said Patrick Moscaritolo, chief of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Visits from Canada dipped following 9/11 as tourism in general slowed. Travel was further hampered by longer waits at the U.S.-Canadian border.
In 2002 and 2003, tourism from the north also suffered from concerns over the potentially deadly respiratory disease SARS, as well as the Iraq war's start.
Last year, Canadian tourists spent $109 million in the Bay State, Tourism Massachusetts President Bill MacDougall said.
However, average spending per visitor was down - most likely due to a change in where tourists were coming from. Travelers from Ontario, for instance, tend to spend more than those from Quebec.
Tourism Massachusetts plans to do more to woo Canadian visitors, a critical market for Bay State tourism's recovery, MacDougall said.
``We're pushing really hard to get our key regions back here,'' he said.
Canadian tourism trends mirror those of visitors from overseas.
Last year's total visitors to Greater Boston were above projections of 815,000 tourists, according to numbers to be released next week.
Although the U.S. dollar is gaining strength, tourism officials are confident that Canadian and overseas visits to the Bay State will continue to climb based on interest in the region.
``There is a pent-up demand to visit the United States and New England,'' Moscaritolo said.

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June 12, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: THE EDGE; Pg. 038

LENGTH: 728 words

HEADLINE: Heroic and enduring, Batman is no fly-by-night fancy

BYLINE: By James Verniere

BODY:
When director Tim Burton first brought Batman, DC Comics' costumed crime fighter, back to the big screen in 1989, the world was a different place.
The OTHERGeorge Bush was in the White House, the Berlin Wall was about to fall, the World Trade Center stood tall, the Evil Empire was on the ropes and Francis Fukuyama famously declared ``the end of history.''
Fukuyama, a Harvard-educated State Department official specializing in the Middle East, was famously wrong, of course.
In 2005, history is far from over and setting off suicide car bombs. We're engaged in a protracted war in Iraq and a global war on terrorism, and our children are growing up in the multicolored shadow of a terrorist-alert indicator. 
George Bush II, so to speak, is in his second term in the White House. And despite an onslaught of remakes and movie sequels, box-office ticket sales have slumped alarmingly.
Coincidentally, opening Wednesday is ``Batman Begins,'' a film noir fantasia by the edgy, young director Christopher Nolan (``Memento,'' ``Insomnia'') and featuring Christian Bale in a role previously played - if not a Batsuit previously inhabited - by Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney.
Few observers expect the Dark Knight to storm the box office as he did in 1989 or to provide comfort to a nation troubled by nightmares of mass destruction. It's too much to ask.
But just as many detected thinly veiled (Or is that caped?) political barbs in ``Revenge of the Sith,'' this new ``Batman'' reflects the world circa 2005. For one, this installment represents a reboot after eight years of dormancy and a return to the hero's roots in trauma and emotional anguish. For another, the plot involves a paralyzing, Pogo-evoking, fear toxin unleashed by the villain Scarecrow on Gotham City. In fact, mastering our fear is the film's overriding theme.
The last two, indulgent Clinton-era Batman films were little more than the film equivalent of fellatio in the Oval Office. They lost sight of what motivated Batman: his devastated response as a child to the murder of his parents. This is what transformed Bruce Wayne from carefree young heir to a fortune to virtually invincible fighting machine.
Wherever you stand on the whole Blue State-Red State thing, the world is a more dangerous place today than in 1989. And a justice-seeking creature of the night, a black-winged angel of death broodingly keeping watch over us from our cities' rooftops, is arguably tailor-made for our troubled times.
He's a hero for people sick and tired of being ``wanded'' at airports and courthouses and feeling helpless against virtually invisible enemies. Another sign we will be seeing a darker, more Zeitgeist-y Batman this time is the casting of Bale, a talented, young Welsh actor whose most notable previous credit was as the chainsaw-packing protagonist of ``American Psycho.''
The comic book Batman was created by Bob Kane for ``Detective Comics'' No. 27 in 1939, at the end of the Depression and in the looming shadow of World War II, and was an instant success. He was even enlisted to fight the Nazis with such World War II-forged DC heroes as Sgt. Rock and the Blackhawks.
I don't think we'll be shipping Batman to the Middle East to wage war any time soon. But one of the new film's posters is fertile ground for anyone with an active or morbid imagination.
Perhaps I'm reading too much into it or too attached to my ``X-Files''-bred, subliminal advertising theories.
But the poster depicts Batman facing the viewer in his trademark cape and twin-peaked mask. In his arms is the film's heroine (Katie Holmes), looking as if she has just been rescued from a burning building or some other disaster, and in the background is a swarm of bats oddly recalling the swirling, choking debris in the air after the fall of the Twin Towers.
To me, the message is clear: Batman is our savior, even if he must save us retroactively. It's worth remembering that however dark this new Batman may be, like all superheroes, he has Christ-like roots (this is why those Jesus comics were such a natural).
All superheroes protect us from evil and risk and sacrifice their well-being for ours. They would never slaughter innocents to further their aims. Batman is an idea as well as a character in a suit. And in the global struggle for hearts and minds, it's our superheroes, if not our gods, against everybody else's.

GRAPHIC: CRUSADER: For some, Batman is much more than a comic book character.

LOAD-DATE: June 12, 2005

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June 11, 2005 Saturday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 011

LENGTH: 356 words

HEADLINE: Combat death of GI stuns Scituate family

BYLINE: By FRANCI RICHARDSON

BODY:
Never in a million years did the Kelley family of Scituate expect military police to arrive at their door with the grim news of their youngest son's death.
Their 26-year-old had volunteered to relieve soldiers who had been overseas months longer than expected. And instead of Iraq, he was stationed in the less chaotic theater of Afghanistan. But at 11 p.m. Wednesday, two MPs in full dress pulled up in a Scituate cruiser to report to Joseph Kelley that his son, Michael Jason Kelley, was killed in a mortar attack on the front lines of Shkin, Afghanistan. 
``When he was sent, we never thought that he would not come back - that didn't even come up,'' Kelley's brother, Shawn Kelley, 33, of Vermont said from his parents' home yesterday. ``This was a total shock to us. Very rarely are you seeing a lot of activity in Afghanistan.''
Kelley enrolled in the military in 1997, just after graduating from Scituate High School. He wanted to take advantage of the college tuition benefit, which helped him through a few semesters at Bridgewater State College. College ``wasn't for him at the time,'' Shawn Kelley said.
After the massive tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, Kelley took a full-time position in Homeland Security at Otis Air Force Base. While he was there, his Quincy unit was sent to Iraq.
While Kelley was reassigned to Rehoboth, he took up a request to relieve overextended personnel. He left April 1 to start what was to be an 18-month tour.
``He just felt that it was almost like his duty to volunteer and to go,'' Shawn Kelley said.
Military police told the Kelley family their beloved radar operator was unloading a helicopter when four rockets that were fired by insurgents killed him instantly.
Kelley's mother, Karen, was the last to talk to her child Monday.
``He was fine. He was healthy,'' Shawn Kelley said. ``He asked for some baby wipes and Vicks VapoRub, and he wanted some expanding foam for his tent because he wanted to seal out the bugs.''
Last Christmas, Karen Kelley had pushed for a large celebration in case something happened to her son. ``Michael was saying it's not going to be our last Christmas,'' Shawn Kelley said.

GRAPHIC: KELLEY

LOAD-DATE: June 11, 2005

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June 10, 2005 Friday  
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SECTION: THE EDGE; Pg. e09

LENGTH: 611 words

HEADLINE: Dance; 
 Images of war inform choreographers' works

BYLINE: By THEODORE BALE

BODY:
When 27-year-old Jill Jackson studied choreography at Roger Williams University, her professor said once, ``If the step has a name, throw it away.''
In a recent telephone interview from her home in New York, Jackson said the advice had a profound effect on the development of her choreographic language. Rather than choosing from any particular lexicon of established gestures and movement, she's come to mine the emotional landscapes of her dancers in order to generate material. Her latest quartet, for example, scrutinizes ``conversations that have impacted the dancers' lives, telling stories through shifts in body language, dynamics and gestures,'' according to a press release. 
Along with her peers Andrea Blesso and Annie Kloppenberg (both 26), Jackson performs in a program aptly titled ``Between the Lines'' tonight and tomorrow night at Green Street Studios in Cambridge. While each choreographer has her own unique style, the common denominator among the three is using personal narratives from the dancers as a starting point. The results, according to Kloppenberg, are vastly different.
``Andrea finds her ideas physically, in her own body,'' said Kloppenberg. ``She is a real mover. Jill is really good at employing choreographic tools. In rehearsal she opens up her toolbox and picks up the appropriate tool for the moment, and then she fits the piece together that way. My work is spatially driven, and I like to work with images. I try not to be didactic in any way.''
Blesso, who met Jackson when both were students at Roger Williams University, will perform a solo based loosely on themes of immigration, service in war, illness and what she calls ``everyday survival rituals.'' One of her favorite souvenirs is her grandfather's wool peacoat, from the time he served in the Navy during WWII. One of his most vivid memories became a catalyst for her solo.
``My grandfather came from Sicily on a big boat,'' said Blesso. ``I think people back then were harder workers and much more focused, not as self-absorbed and materialistic as today. During WWII, he was in a battleship and a torpedo blasted into the hull. Luckily it was a dud. He actually touched this thing that was supposed to kill half the men on the ship. Then they pushed it back out into the sea and they repaired the hole.''
Blesso said she supposes she should explore the roots of the women in her family as well. ``But the men are very inspiring to me because of their physical actions,'' she added. She describes her style as ``athletic but fluid, bound and dramatic but very released at other times.''
In an odd coincidence, Kloppenberg's newest dance also explores the emotional impact of WWII, although she never discussed the details of the piece with Blesso.
``When I first came up with the concept, I was feeling so disconnected from the Iraq war,'' said Kloppenberg. ``It doesn't affect me directly. I don't know anyone who's fighting there right now, but I strongly oppose it. Each of my dancers came in with a personal story, and we made little dances about each of those and then layered them on top of each other.''
In rehearsal, her dance eventually took shape around the theme of women supporting each other during wartime. She also incorporated material from her days as a dance and American studies major at Middlebury College in Vermont.
``We use buckets and flowers in the dance,'' she said, ``which originates in the story of Molly Pitcher. During the American Revolutionary War, she carried water onto the battlefield for soldiers to drink. Eventually she picked up fallen weapons and joined in the battles herself.''
Tickets, $12-$15, can be reserved by calling 617-864-3191.

LOAD-DATE: June 10, 2005

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LENGTH: 296 words

HEADLINE: Actor-alum takes center stage

BYLINE: By MARIE SZANISZLO

BODY:
For Harvard, the choice was admittedly a first.
John Lithgow said as much - and more - yesterday when the actor complimented his alma mater for its ``uncharacteristic recklessness'' in choosing him instead of the usual world leader or Nobel laureate to address the university's 6,580 graduates. 
``Wisdom? From an actor? Are you kidding?'' quipped Lithgow, who graduated in 1967 and went on to win four Emmys, two Tonys and one Golden Globe award. ``If I were a wise man, I never would have gone into acting.''
A ripple of laughter peeled through Harvard Yard before the two-time Academy Award nominee offered up the obligatory pearl of wisdom: ``Be creative. Be useful. Be practical. Be generous.''
Lithgow then demonstrated by reading a children's book that he is writing and dedicating to the class.
Touching lightly on the controversy stirred by Harvard President Lawrence Summers' comments earlier this year about women and science, Lithgow's story is about a female mouse who attends the university and studies science.
Summers took a more serious tone addressing the graduates, reminding them how 1.2 billion people struggle to live on the equivalent of less than $2 a day.
``While the United States today may be at the zenith of its power,'' he said, never before has the world's perception of this nation been ``as troubled, or as troubling.''
Summers, one of the university's most controversial presidents because of his alleged insensitivity toward women and African-Americans on the faculty, did not specifically mention the war in Iraq.
But he devoted much of his speech to extolling the merits of recruiting international students and expanding study-abroad programs, and to outlining the university's role on the global stage.
Jennifer Heldt Powell contributed to this report.

GRAPHIC: HAT-IN-HAND: Actor John Lithgow tips his mortarboard to the crowd of graduates after receiving his honorary degree before his commencement speech. STAFF PHOTO BY STUART CAHILL

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June 9, 2005 Thursday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 030

LENGTH: 124 words

HEADLINE: Meet the MBTA's finest: Class of 2005 graduates

BODY:
The MBTA Transit Police Academy graduated 46 new recruits yesterday in a ceremony at Faneuil Hall that included promotions for some MBTA veterans. 
T spokesman Joseph Pesaturo said 12 of the graduates will become transit police in Boston and the rest will join departments in 10 surrounding towns, including Wellesley, Milton, Acton, West Bridgewater and Norfolk.
During the ceremony, 12 transit police patrolmen were promoted to sergeant and five sergeants were promoted to lieutenant.
Transit police officer Andrew J. Galonzka, a U.S. Marine who just returned from Iraq, was also recognized during the ceremony. A military reservist, Galonzka had served on the force for just one week when he was called to duty. He returned to service yesterday.

GRAPHIC: BABY BLUES: Kenneth Wood of the Quincy Police Department holds his 4-week-old son Jack during graduation at Faneuil Hall. Staff photo by David Goldman

LOAD-DATE: June 9, 2005

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June 9, 2005 Thursday  
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LENGTH: 124 words

HEADLINE: Meet the MBTA's finest: Class of 2005 graduates

BODY:
The MBTA Transit Police Academy graduated 46 new recruits yesterday in a ceremony at Faneuil Hall that included promotions for some MBTA veterans. 
T spokesman Joseph Pesaturo said 12 of the graduates will become transit police in Boston and the rest will join departments in 10 surrounding towns, including Wellesley, Milton, Acton, West Bridgewater and Norfolk.
During the ceremony, 12 transit police patrolmen were promoted to sergeant and five sergeants were promoted to lieutenant.
Transit police officer Andrew J. Galonzka, a U.S. Marine who just returned from Iraq, was also recognized during the ceremony. A military reservist, Galonzka had served on the force for just one week when he was called to duty. He returned to service yesterday.

GRAPHIC: BABY BLUES: Kenneth Wood of the Quincy Police Department holds his 4-week-old son Jack during graduation at Faneuil Hall. Staff photo by David Goldman

LOAD-DATE: June 9, 2005

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June 7, 2005 Tuesday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 028

LENGTH: 726 words

HEADLINE: Letters to the Editor

BODY:
Woes overstated
The story on the Interstate Compact inaccurately states that our office could not provide answers on the number of out-of-state sex offenders under probation supervision (May 26). That number would have been provided had it been clearly requested. Your reporter specifically asked for ``instances or specific cases where there are offenders from out of state who are in Massachusetts.'' That is a different subject. 
I explained that I didn't have information based on her question and that I was unable to speak with the commissioner. I was surprised to then read: ``To make matters worse, Commissioner of Probation John O'Brien was unable to provide the number of out-of-state cons his agency is policing.''
The next day, the Herald included the figure I provided - without attribution.
Also, ``con'' is wrong. A con is in prison - not on probation.
- Coria A. Holland,
Director of Communications
Probation Commission
See the link?
Why is it so utterly challenging for school committees and administrators to connect the dots? Two more stories (``At rainbow's end, an STD downpour'' and ``Shrewsbury dad complains about sex survey for 11-year-old daughter,'' May 26) are about pushing sexuality prematurely on our kids.
The homosexual agenda is one of the conductors of this runaway train - all behavior must be stripped of age appropriateness, morality and gender to fit in with ``gay marriage models.'' Whether it's a youth risk survey, an AIDS booklet for 7-year-olds or lesbian-laden bedtime stories for kindergarteners, our culture is headed in only one directon: down.
- Pamela W. Clare, Bedford
Pro-Kerry and proud
It's apparent that columnist Howie Carr doesn't really know why Massachusetts voted for Kerry (``If I can read your Kerry sticker, you're too close,'' June 1).
A Kerry voter is concerned about health care, a well-funded education for every American, the environment, foreign affairs and people dying needlessly in Iraq. The list goes on.
And by the way, NPR is the best unbiased news source and Garrison Keillor most likely is a genius and the beautiful person named ``Chauncey'' with a trust fund is most likely a Republican.
- Andrew Blanchard, Arlington
Gelzinis ever good read
First among many reasons to read the Herald is Peter Gelzinis' column. The man has a moral center lacking in many of today's pundits. He also has a sense of history, rare, save in the writings of George Will and a few others.
His latest (``Blind devotion to Hoover was the bile in Deep Throat,'' June 3) is typical of his work. He chastises an FBI corrupt with power. Black hat agents H. Paul Rico and John Connolly are left naked in Gelzinis' acid words.
But the FBI is still problematic in Boston, one of the cities where a young J. Edgar Hoover started his climb to power during the infamous Palmer Raids during the Wilson administration.
The Herald recently reported on an FBI that targets young anarchist wannabes while Osama bin Laden remains free. A civil liberties group demands details on government domestic spying on dissidents Howard Zinn and Norm Chomsky and anti-war groups while Whitey Bulger remains at large.
So long as Gelzinis graces the pages of your newspaper, I shall remain an avid and loyal reader.
- Steve Lindsey, Keene, N.H.
Obesity can kill
We thank the Herald for its vigilance in reporting the ongoing risks of obesity (``Feds say fatheaded study minimized obesity's risks,'' June 3). Obesity puts children at risk of diabetes, asthma, heart problems and other diseases. We should take action to protect our children by replacing junk food with healthier alternatives, particularly in our schools. A bill filed by Rep. Peter Koutoujian would take this sensible step to reducing the obesity epidemic.
- Roberta R. Friedman,
Director of Education
Mass. Public Health Association
Justice denied in Mass.
Paul Martinek is right (``Majority rule is real justice,'' June 4). A requisite number of citizens signed petitions to get the protection of marriage question on the ballot, yet a majority of Democrats refused to obey the Massachusetts Constitution and because of this a majority of judges took the law into their own hands and refused to mandate the Legislature put the question on the ballot.
Too bad these public servants don't take an oath of office to swear to uphold the Constitution and all principles therein.
- Don Schwarz, Stoughton

LOAD-DATE: June 7, 2005

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June 7, 2005 Tuesday  
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SECTION: FINANCE; Pg. 031

LENGTH: 556 words

HEADLINE: ON STATE STREET; 
 They beat the Dow for 51 years (and counting)

BYLINE: By Brett Arends

BODY:
Many happy returns to the Boston Investment Associates, one of the Hub's longest-lived private investment clubs.
When its members first began playing the stock market, Republicans controlled both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, security fears gripped the nation and America was extracting itself from a controversial war.
That was in 1954. 
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then: booms, busts, inflation, stagflation, a savings & loan crisis, dot-com mania, one Vietnam war, two Iraq wars, housing bubbles, housing busts, a Japan panic, a China panic, deficits, surpluses and now deficits again.
But during more than 51 years, the club's dozen or so members - who meet over dinner once a month - have averaged a 9 percent annual return.
And that's while keeping about a fifth of the pool in cash, which means their equity holdings have returned just over 11 percent.
The Dow Jones over the same period: 10.4 percent, even with dividends reinvested.
And the average mutual fund? Don't ask. It's not even close.
Is there a secret?
I joined the group for dinner not too long ago, and they scratched their heads at that question.
They admitted they invest quite conservatively, and don't trade too often.
``We look for undervalued growth stocks,'' says Lloyd Glazer, the portfolio manager at Advest, and their adviser for 30 years. ``And we may hold on to them for anywhere between three and 10 years.''
Among the more recent winners: Vodafone, the London-based wireless company, and reinsurer Gen Re, which became part of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.
One club member, Charlie Bronner, remains from the original group. He's nearly 90 now. One or two others joined not long after him. At the other extreme, three new members joined in the last year.
Full disclosure: the club rejected my strenuous offers to pay for my dinner. Eliot Spitzer take note: I had the chicken.
Boston seems to be a natural for long-lived investment clubs. The Hamilton Trust, seemingly America's oldest such group, was founded in 1882.
According to the National Association of Investment Clubs, there are an estimated 40,000 groups across America, managing perhaps $20billion.
The average club's life expectancy is only four years.
But here's a curiosity: overall, clubs seem to stack up pretty well against professionally managed mutual funds.
An NAIC survey suggests the average club made 15.9 percent a year over the past decade - well ahead of the overall market.
Sure, the survey is far from scientific and may significantly overstate the performance figures.
But as Boston Investment Associates and others show, investing through a club can turn out very well.
Why?
When you think about it, the reasons aren't hard to find.
Unlike the individual private investor, a club can only trade following a meeting, debate, and agreement.
That cuts out day trading, rash purchases and dubious ``tips,'' and severely cuts down on greed and fear.
Meanwhile, unlike the pros handling your mutual funds, club members are investing their own money. That has a way of focusing the mind.
There are also other advantages to joining a club.
For openers, it's fun.
Also, members get to spend the management ``fees' on themselves instead of some characters downtown.
The BIA usually goes out for a big annual dinner. And in 1982, they made so much money they took their spouses to London.

LOAD-DATE: June 7, 2005

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June 7, 2005 Tuesday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 035

LENGTH: 268 words

HEADLINE: Globe blog guru raps guild prez, eyes post

BYLINE: By Brett Arends

BODY:
Boston Globe columnist Hiawatha Bray is again whipping up a storm of controversy with political accusations made on his Web log.
This time, though, instead of presidential candidate John Kerry, his target is the president of the Newspaper Guild, Linda Foley. 
Bray accuses Foley of claiming, in a speech on May 13, that the U.S. military was ``deliberately murdering journalists in Iraq.''
Bray lashes the union president for making the accusations without offering any evidence. ``We have no right to lie about'' soldiers bravely fighting the war, he writes, ``slandering them even as they risk their lives for our sakes. It's reprehensible, and I won't have it.''
Bray is so angry he is launching a write-in campaign for election to the guild's executive committee.
Bray is joining a campaign against Foley that has appeared elsewhere, on other blogs and in the conservative Washington Times.
The problem is, the widely repeated transcript of Foley's remarks does not exactly bear out the accusations.
Foley said journalists were being ``targeted'' in Iraq, but did not say by whom. She merely accused the military of taking a ``cavalier'' attitude to the matter.
Still, Foley has not exactly been innocent in all this. According to Foley Gate, another conservative Weblog, in a letter to the White House last month she referred to ``worldwide speculation'' that the military is trying to kill reporters.
Neither Foley nor Bray could be reached for comment yesterday.
What the public will make of Bray's election campaign remains to be seen. From the postings on his Web site, Bray apparently enjoys 100 percent support.

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June 6, 2005 Monday  
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LENGTH: 273 words

HEADLINE: N.H. unit gets just rewards after 20-month deployment

BYLINE: By THOMAS CAYWOOD

BODY:
Nearly a year after they got home from a marathon 20-month deployment in Iraq, the local reservists of the 94th Military Police Company were honored yesterday in Devens with a new award.
The 176 men and women of the Londonderry, N.H.-based unit were presented Welcome Home Warrior-Citizen Awards, an Army Reserve recognition program that eventually will be presented to all reservists who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. 
``This program honors in a small measure soldiers who have willingly answered the nation's call to war,'' Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly, chief of the Army Reserve, said in a statement.
The award consists of an encased American flag, a commemorative coin and a lapel pin set for soldier and spouse.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Martin Meehan (D-Lowell) yesterday in a speech at a Bedford church called for a gradual withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq by 2006.
Critics have dismissed Meehan's exit plan as a ``cut and run'' strategy. But the Bay State's only member of the House Armed Services Committee, who voted for the resolution to use force in Iraq, said the current policy is ``a disaster.''
``By any measure our policy in Iraq is a failure,'' Meehan told the like-minded audience.
Meehan and Bedford resident Brian Hart, whose son John was killed in Iraq in 2003, stressed that it's possible to question the administration's Iraq policy while wholeheartedly supporting the troops.
``The worst thing we can do for these brave men and women is leave them in Iraq with a policy going nowhere,'' Meehan said.
Meehan, who visited U.S. troops in Iraq in January, argued that the $350 billion war has ``set us back'' in the war on terrorism.

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June 6, 2005 Monday  
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LENGTH: 735 words

HEADLINE: Letters to the Editor

BODY:
Choosing battles
City Councilor James Kelly was quoted in support of new technology by the city of Boston to catch parking scofflaws (May 28).
``I don't want to see cars booted but I also don't want to see scofflaws,'' the quote read.
Is this the same James Kelly who refuses to abide by the city's snow emergency laws? I guess it depends whose ox is being gored, eh, councilor? 
- Brendan P. Myers, Easton
Pike official responds
The story ``Pike stalls during highway merge'' (June 1) is a disservice to readers. We responded to a Herald inquiry about this issue, making it clear that we were working cooperatively with MassHighway and were voluntarily paying for half the cost of the consultant hired to look at possible efficiencies. There has been no delay in the production of the final report, which is due by the end of June. As we told the reporter, we are on target to meet that deadline.
MassHighway has personnel working full time on this issue, and as we explained to the Herald, the meetings referred to in your story were scheduled by those individuals based on their schedules.
We make every effort to stay out of the political mix of making false and misleading statements to the public via the media, and are frustrated by those who want to promulgate this myth that we are at odds with other agencies.
We respect our colleagues at city, state and federal agencies, and are disappointed by politically motivated attempts at making our neighbors forget about the great things we are all accomplishing.
- Marie Hayman, Chief of Staff, Massachusetts Turnpike Authority
Higher wage has benefits
As one of more than 50 state economists who released a statement explaining how an increase in the minimum wage can help low-wage workers and our economy, I feel compelled to respond to your editorial ``Politics rule wage hike'' (June 1).
Numerous studies support the conclusion of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers that ``modest increases in the minimum wage have had very little or no effect on employment.'' An increase in the minimum wage will raise purchasing power and could yield other benefits such as reduced turnover and lower training costs. A minimum wage increase will also expand opportunity for low-wage workers: people who work hard, play by the rules, do the jobs that keep the state running and deserve fair wages in exchange. Rewarding hard work is good for our economy.
- Thomas A. Kochan, Co-director, MIT Workplace Center
McCain is no coward
Columnist Jay Ambrose was in rare form when he contrasted ``doing the right thing'' with ``judicial tyranny'' (``McCain's `moderation' is critical,'' May 31).
On the day after Memorial Day he accused war hero Sen. John McCain of being a coward for standing up for one of the few remaining mechanisms for half of Americans' voices to be heard. If the real cowards in his party had the guts to vote on judicial candidates by their merits rather than the dictates of a leadership that does not believe in dissent, the filibuster would not be an issue.
Tyranny depends on people who share Ambrose's sense of what it means to go along and do the right thing.
- David Gow, Belmont
Silver spoons compared
Reading columnist Howie Carr's view, you'd think that Sen. John Kerry and anyone who supported him were a bunch of rich, whining liberals who couldn't stand to have an election or two stolen from them (``If I can read your Kerry sticker, you're too close,'' June 1).
Heck, why would anyone think that? We've got a real down-home, blue collar president without a drop of blue blood in his veins, unlike Kerry. The president and his poor corporate buddies will set us on the right course - regular guys at the ranch, just snakeskin boots and Coors beer.
- John F. Ricco Jr., Middleboro
Accountability for Bush
President Bush and Vice President Cheney's claims that the Amnesty International report about abuses at Guantanamo Bay is ``absurd,'' and that the allegations were made by people ``who hate America,'' is just more of their jingoist fear mongering (``Bush calls this lie `absurd,' '' June 1).
I hope that the Bush administration will someday be called to account for their part in the death, torture and illegal detention of men and children at Guantanamo Bay and in Iraq, Afghanistan and the countries where they send so-called ``enemy combatants.''
If our freedom comes at the price of our humanity, what use is freedom to us?
- Mary-Ann Greanier, Plainville

LOAD-DATE: June 6, 2005

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June 6, 2005 Monday  
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LENGTH: 254 words

HEADLINE: Obituary; 
 Sgt. Kurt Schamberg, 26, in Iraq combat, dad from Melrose

BODY:
Sgt. Kurt Daniel Schamberg, a soldier, died Friday, May 20, in Baghdad, Iraq, from a roadside blast while on patrol near the Abu Ghraib prison.  
He was 26.
Born in Warren, Ohio, he grew up in Orwell, Ohio, graduating from Grand Valley High School in 1997. His father, Thomas Schamberg, lives in Melrose.
Sgt. Schamberg enlisted in the Army in April 2003, completed basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., in July 2003 and was then assigned to the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, N.Y. He was with Charley Company, 2nd Bat., 14th Infantry, 2nd Brigade. He was on his second tour of duty in Iraq since Jan. 25.
He was presented a Purple Heart by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on April 12 for injuries sustained during a fire fight while on patrol on March 31.
Sgt. Schamberg loved to draw and paint. He also enjoyed sports, especially the Pittsburgh Steelers, politics, being with friends and family and making home movies. He had been documenting his unit's tour of duty in Iraq.
He is survived by his father and stepmother, Thomas and Joanne (Lynch) of Melrose; his mother and stepfather, Pam and Mark Lindsay of Gillette, Wyo.; two brothers, Lance of Middlefield, Ohio, and Jay of Denver; a sister, Terah of Philadelphia; his maternal grandmother, Rose Mary Gabriel of Green Bay, Wis.; his paternal grandmother, LaVerne Schamberg of Melbourne, Fla.; and several cousins.
Services were held in Orwell, Ohio, over Memorial Day weekend. 
A memorial Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 25 at Incarnation Parish, Melrose.

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June 5, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 007

LENGTH: 561 words

HEADLINE: Baseball, Mom, apple pie . . . and `Queer Eye'?

BYLINE: By Gerry Callahan

BODY:
There will be a new twist on an old tradition when thousands of fathers and sons and mothers and daughters file into Fenway Park for this afternoon's Red Sox-Angels game.
Young, awe-struck kids in Jason Varitek jerseys will turn to their fathers and ask many of the same questions those fathers asked their fathers the first time they entered the great green time machine.
Did Ted Williams really hit that red seat? Who's inside the Wall? Why are our seats facing center field?
Every once in a while, though, there comes a curve ball that leaves even quick-thinking parents standing there like a house by the side of the road. 
Dad?
Yes, son.
What's a Queer Eye?
Good luck with that one, Dad, because there seems to be no easy answer. Let's face it: You probably would have gotten the back of your dad's hand just for using the Q-word. What was once considered a slur against the gay community is now the name of an obscure cable TV show that somehow merits center stage at Fenway today.
Four of the stars of ``Queer Eye,'' a makeover show of sorts on the Bravo network, will throw out the first pitch, a privilege often reserved for the best and brightest in Red Sox Nation.
Just two days ago Army Sgt. Peter Damon of Brockton delivered the ceremonial first pitch. Damon is a natural righty, but he has a little problem. He lost his right arm in an explosion while serving as a helicopter mechanic in Iraq. He lost some of his left arm, too, but has a prosthetic hand that allowed him to grip a ball underhanded and a make 40-foot toss to Kelly Shoppach.
Nice job, Red Sox. This was like the Monster seats, the World Series ring ceremony and playing catch on the field on Father's Day. It was one of those brilliant moves that never would have made it out of the idea stage under previous Red Sox ownership.
But here's the problem with the John Henry-Tom Werner-New York Times Sox: Sometimes they try to be so open-minded their brains fall out. This is clearly one of those times.
In doing what they do best - expanding their base and breaking down old barriers - they decided they would reach out to the gay community. That is understandable and commendable, except for one thing: Carson Kressley represents the gay community the way Tony Soprano represents the Italian-American community. He is nothing more than a cartoon character and a clown who plays up all the worst cliches and stereotypes.
Whenever Kressley's name comes up on the radio, the response is the same: Most of the callers and e-mailers who identify themselves as gay don't like him or his act. They were as repulsed as anyone to learn that Kressley took Doug Mirabelli's protective cup, put it over his face like a gas mask and smelled it.
The Red Sox PR staff says the decision to honor Kressley and friends is all about the children. Bravo supposedly spent $100,000 to rebuild storm-damaged Little League fields in South Florida. That is a nice gesture, to be sure, but it's not nearly as much as all the mothers and fathers will pay to bring their kids to a game today. And it's a pittance compared to the price Peter Damon paid.
Let Carson back in the clubhouse if you want. Let him go to town on the dirty laundry after the game. But keep him off the field. Parents have enough trouble explaining why managers wear uniforms. They shouldn't have to explain why this strange man is wearing a cup on his face.

LOAD-DATE: June 5, 2005

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June 5, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 010

LENGTH: 376 words

HEADLINE: Home, sweet homes for disabled vets

BYLINE: By Thomas Caywood

BODY:
A Wareham contractor's desire to donate some spare time to help disabled Iraq veterans has evolved over two years into a full-time job running a growing nonprofit with a national profile.
Homes for Our Troops Inc. has now raised more than $1 million, most of it during the past year. The Taunton-based nonprofit - which builds new disabled-accessible homes and adapts old ones - has even gotten a plug from the commander in chief. 
President Bush gave a shout-out to the group and founder John Gonsalves in a December speech to Marines at Camp Pendleton.
Gonsalves has had to learn on the fly, struggling to reinvent himself as a nonprofit executive as his fledgling charity has taken off.
``Before I started this, I knew absolutely zero about running a nonprofit,'' Gonsalves said.
Even so, donations poured in.
A group of Billerica kids raised $2,400 selling brownies recently. Piano man Billy Joel and pro golfer Phil Mickelson have kicked in tens of thousands of dollars. And Homes for Our Troops last week accepted $105,000 from the New York-based Avon Foundation.
``It gave us an opportunity at the Avon Foundation to get in at the ground floor on a program that is addressing a real need,'' said spokeswoman Susan Heaney.
Gonsalves got involved after he was moved by a news story about a Humvee driver who lost both legs in a rocket attack. ``I assumed there was an organization doing this, and I could have just donated some time to help out,'' he said.
In December, Homes for Our Troops broke ground in Middleboro on a house for Army Sgt. Peter Damon, a Massachusetts National Guard sergeant who lost both arms when a helicopter tire he was working on exploded. Two days ago, Damon delivered the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway.
The house, specially designed to accommodate someone with prosthetic arms, is scheduled to be done by the end of July.
In addition to the Middleboro project, another under construction in Pennsylvania and other projects, Homes for Our Troops recently bought an existing home in North Carolina, which it plans to adapt for a disabled veteran there.
``You hear on the news two soldiers killed and three injured. You don't hear any more than that,'' Gonsalves said. ``Not enough people realize what they go through when they get home.''

GRAPHIC: BUILDING ON SUCCESS: Homes for Our Troops contractors are hard at work on Sgt. Peter Damon's Middleboro home. Damon lost both arms when a helicopter tire he was working on exploded. Herald photo by John Gonsalves
GONSALVES

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June 3, 2005 Friday  
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SECTION: THE EDGE; Pg. e09

LENGTH: 572 words

HEADLINE: DISCS; 
 Common grounds himself in hip-hop even as he scales the pop plateau

BODY:
COMMON
``Be'' (Geffen)
Three stars (out of four)
Chicago's Common lit the underground on fire nearly a decade ago with the clever hip-hop ode, ``I Used to Love H.E.R.'' The songwriting skills he displayed on that classic come to full commercial fruition on ``Be,'' produced by hip-hop's latest golden boy, Kanye West. There are tracks for the B-boys and true hip-hop heads (``The Corner,'' ``Chi-City''), but also several r & b- and soul-tinged jams destined for the pop charts, most notably, ``Go,'' featuring John Mayer). West's Midas touch is unmistakable, even if he overuses his trademark sped-up vocal samples. Download: ``Go!'' - DAVE WEDGE 
THE WALLFLOWERS
``Rebel Sweetheart'' (Interscope)
Three and one-half stars
Still straddling the Tom Petty/Bruce Springsteen axis, Wallflowers leader Jakob Dylan writes memorable tunes and strikingly abstract lyrics that he sings with husky beauty. Heck, he even painted the eye-catching, thought-provoking cover. Songs about the war in Iraq, romantic confusion and life's big questions get juice from jaunty tempos, stirring guitar riffs and precisely placed acoustic and electronic flourishes. They might be Wallflowers, but a band playing music this good shouldn't be relegated to the sidelines. Download: ``God Says Nothing.'' - SARAH RODMAN
OASIS
``Don't Believe the Truth'' (Epic)
Three stars
If you've been disappointed by recent Oasis albums, the brothers Gallagher have a treat for you. The Brit-pop band's sixth release is loaded with winners including a funny, Kinks-style rambler ``The Importance of Being Idle,'' the urgent and succinct ``The Meaning of Soul'' and the superhooky ``A Bell Will Ring.'' This ``Truth'' is definitely something to ``Believe'' in. Download: ``The Importance of Being Idle.'' - SARAH RODMAN
KELLY OSBOURNE
``Sleeping in the Nothing'' (Sanctuary)
Two stars
Recorded during her stint in rehab with producer Linda Perry (Pink, Christine Aguilera), Kelly's second CD echoes the fancies of her generation, not her father Ozzy's. Leaving the punky posturing of her first CD behind, she serves up bubblegum electro-dance pop that occasionally delves into seriousness with lyrics about date rape and societal ills. Her early-Madonna-ish voice is pleasing enough, but Kelly sings with all the commitment of a child reciting the multiplication table. Download: ``Uh Oh.'' - LINDA LABAN
VAN ZANT
``Get Right With The Man'' (Columbia)
Two stars
Southern rock icons and brothers Donnie and Johnny Van Zant double up to make a country album that's only half as interesting as their recent outings with .38 Special and Lynyrd Skynyrd, which is really saying something. Because the Southern rock-country connection has already been thoroughly explored by now, there's little for the Van Zants to do but snarl Dixie-fried God-and-country cliches and await the roar of the fist-pumping crowd. Download: ``Nobody Gonna Tell Me What to Do.'' - KEVIN R. CONVEY
SHELBY LYNNE
``Suit Yourself'' (Capitol)
Three and one-half stars
Working in a stripped-down, largely acoustic vein, Lynne does exactly what her title suggests, eschewing pop production in favor of stark, personal country-tinged ballads. Recorded in the home studio of engineer Brian Harrison, the album's 10 originals and two Tony Joe White covers resonate with bittersweet simplicity, capped by a hidden closing track, a gorgeous turn with White on his classic ``Rainy Night in Georgia.'' Download: ``Where Am I Now.'' - NATE DOW

LOAD-DATE: June 3, 2005

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June 2, 2005 Thursday  
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SECTION: OBITUARY; Pg. 058

LENGTH: 326 words

HEADLINE: Obituary; 
 Barbara Conroy, at 44, Emmy-winning journalist

BODY:
Barbara Conroy of New York City, an Emmy Award-winning reporter and producer, died Thursday at her home in Manhattan. She was 44.
Born in Woburn, Ms. Conroy graduated from Woburn High School and Emerson College. 
Ms. Conroy's career included working as a national news coordinator with WBZ-TV in Boston until 1986. She then worked for NBC in the Washington, D.C., office as a chief producer, where she covered such stories as the fall of the Berlin Wall, revolutions in Romania, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, the U.S. bombing of Libya, the 1988 Summer Olympics in South Korea and the Beirut hostage release.
She then took a job with NBC News as a primetime producer for ``Dateline'' and ``Real Life with Jane Pauley.'' While working at NBC News, she was a Gulf War correspondent and producer covering Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq.
She was the only Western journalist to obtain unlimited access throughout Iraq after the war. While covering the story in Iraq, she smuggled out a videotape documenting the Iraqi deployment of Russian-made weapons and Iraq's deplorable treatment of starving children.
Ms. Conroy continued to cover world events with ``Inside Edition,'' CBS News and ABC News. Her journalistic career as well as her stories became more focused on the impact of world events on children and the positive contributions of a number of special causes in which she was actively involved, including the British royal family's ``Prince Phillip Fellowship Awards,'' and the ``Friends of Africa.''
She is survived by her mother, Jean F. (Coady) Sevigny and stepfather, Paul Sevigny of Kittery Point, Maine; two brothers, Brian of Kittery Point, and Mark of Londonderry, N.H.; two sisters, Maureen Demango and Jaqueline Aiesi, both of Wilmington; and many nieces and nephews.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. today at St. Barbara's Church, Woburn.
Burial will be in Woodbrook Cemetery in Woburn.
Arrangements by Lynch-Cantillon Funeral Home, Woburn.

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June 1, 2005 Wednesday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 018

LENGTH: 384 words

HEADLINE: Support the troops - even when they're home

BYLINE: By MARIE SZANISZLO

BODY:
You see it on vehicles across the country: the yellow ``Support our troops'' ribbons. But if you really want to show your support, Linda Boone says, think about what happens after the troops come home.
``You presume that because they've risked their life or lost a limb for their country, they're taken care of, but they're often not,'' said Boone, executive director of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. ``This is a solvable problem.'' 
``They come back, and their job is gone, their house is gone because the family couldn't keep up with the mortgage,'' said Ralph Cooper of the Veterans' Benefits Clearinghouse in Roxbury.
Yesterday, the coalition kicked off its annual conference in Washington, D.C., by calling on Congress to pass the Service Members' Enhanced Transition Services Act, which would help prevent homelessness among veterans by making available up to eight hours of individualized services - help with housing, employment, training and health care - to people leaving the military.
Right now, counseling may be limited to brief group presentations, attendance is left to the discretion of unit commanders and veterans typically don't receive information about homelessness prevention, even though prevention is vital, advocates say, because Congress hasn't allocated enough money for veterans' housing.
A 2003 Department of Veterans report found that in Massachusetts, there were only 477 funded beds for an estimated 2,700 homeless veterans, and only 8,811 beds for 317,840 homeless veterans nationwide.
Exactly how many of those veterans served in Iraq or Afghanistan is unclear. Some have sought job training, but not housing, at the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans, said interim CEO Christian Dame. And a national sample of 19 organizations surveyed by the coalition reported serving 67 last year. But studies show it can take years - an average of 12 in the case of Vietnam veterans, for example - to seek help.
Without more government funding, advocates say, corporate sponsorships and other private donations are critical to preventing veterans from becoming homeless.
``I would certainly hope we've learned from past wars that people deserve more than a handshake and a welcome-home banner,'' Dame said.
For more information, contact the coalition at 1-800-VET-HELP.

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May 31, 2005 Tuesday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 004

LENGTH: 283 words

HEADLINE: HONORING OUR HEROES; 
 `We have them to thank'

BYLINE: By THOMAS CAYWOOD

BODY:
Standing amid the sun-splashed tombstones of fallen comrades in Dorchester yesterday, Jack Horrigan of Weymouth swelled with gratitude.
``We have them to thank for us being here,'' said Horrigan, an 80-year-old World War II veteran. 
He was one of scores of veterans who gathered at Cedar Grove Cemetery and at parades across the state to honor the sacrifice of those who didn't make it home from America's wars.
The aging veterans stood rigid, holding their salutes, as an Army bugler played taps at the Dorchester cemetery.
``These men suffered all. Sacrificed all. Dared all, and died,'' said Brig. Gen. Oliver J. Mason Jr., the Massachusetts National Guard's top officer.
Mason reminded the crowd of families and veterans that the country's battles go on today in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the rolls of service men and women who have given their lives continue to grow.
``We're here today to honor what the fallen have done for us,'' Mason said.
Army Master Sgt. Kellyanne O'Neil, formerly of Dorchester, attended the parade and Memorial Day ceremony with her veteran father. She served as a medic with the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad in 2003 and 2004, and knows many still serving there.
``I don't worry because I know God's watching over us, and we're doing great things,'' she said.
Margie LeBlanc of Dorchester stood outside her home cradling her 7-month-old daughter, Ava, as the gray-haired veterans filed by.
``It's really nice to see how people band together to honor the people who died for our country,'' she said.
In the North End, a memorial made by schoolchildren honoring those killed over the past three years in Iraq and Afghanistan was unveiled yesterday at the Old North Church.

GRAPHIC: A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE: Member of the `Old Dorchester Post 65' stand and salute, above, as the national anthem is played at a Memorial Day ceremony at Dorchester's Cedar Grove Cemetary. At left, little MaryEllen Tevnan kisses the grave of her grandfather, who was a World War II veteran. Below, marchers make their way down Garden Street during Cambridge's Memorial Day Parade. STAFF PHOTOS BY MARK GARFINKEL, ABOVE AND LEFT; AND ANGELA ROWLINGS, BELOW.

LOAD-DATE: May 31, 2005

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May 31, 2005 Tuesday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 018

LENGTH: 59 words

HEADLINE: Paying tribute to Iraqi civilian deaths (photo caption only)

BODY:
Bassist Blake Newman of Cambridge and drummer Eric Paull of Brighton join about 70 musicians in `Collateral Damage Noted' at Boston City Hall Plaza yesterday, protesting the estimated 25,000 Iraqi civilians killed in the war. They sounded a high note for each child killed, a medium note for a woman and a low note for a man. STAFF PHOTO BY ANGELA ROWLINGS

LOAD-DATE: May 31, 2005

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May 30, 2005 Monday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 016

LENGTH: 341 words

HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Armed conflicts waning

BODY:
The New Republic has called attention to a startling conclusion of research at the University of Maryland: Armed conflicts are decreasing.
This applies to wars between countries, civil wars, insurgencies and other clashes. The third ``Peace and Conflict'' report from the university's Center for International Development and Conflict Management totaled these at 51 in 1991, the post-World War II peak, but 20 in 2004. The extent and destructiveness of these fights was rated on the center's index at 179 in 1991, another peak, and 65 last year. 
It is a surprise. Twenty-four hour news channels are a relatively new phenomena that constantly call attention to particular conflicts like the current war in Iraq and the civil war in Sudan, but rarely stress the conflicts that are ending.
Some reasons given for these heartening numbers are the disappearance of the Communist bloc, the drying up of sources of important arms, expansion of United Nations and other peacekeeping missions, the greater involvement of some countries in the affairs of neighbors (as Poland acted in Ukraine recently), growing abilities of formerly incompetent governments, rising international trade and the addition of 80 countries to the ranks of democracies in the last 20 years.
We find ourselves resisting the magazine's speculations on a possible end to war. The trend is far too young for conclusions.
The world has seen optimism before. In 1914, many high-minded people believed a large war economically impossible for all the great powers. In 1913, world trade as a share of world GDP reached a peak. In 1914, the Guns of August opened the bloodletting that killed 8 million soldiers in four years. World trade didn't recover its relative importance until the 1990s.
As long as groups are willing to send fanatics on suicide missions and to fly airplanes into office buildings, as long as nations claim things they don't have as China claims Taiwan, war is a possibility. The Romans had the right policy: Si vis pace, para bellum - If you want peace, prepare for war.

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HEADLINE: ALL-AMERICAN TRIBUTE

BYLINE: By Jessica Heslam

BODY:
Before the holiday barbecues, legions of Bay Staters lined parade routes throughout the region yesterday to pay tribute to veterans, soldiers and their families.
American flags and balloons lined the streets of Somerville as the annual Memorial Day parade made its way through the city yesterday.  
More parades will march through other towns today.
``We love our city. We love our country,'' said Karen Lennon, 58, who teared up at the memory of her father, a World War II vet. ``He always marched in this parade. We're so proud to live here all our lives.''
Her childhood friend, Margaret ``Peggy'' Cowles, said the duo - decked out in red, white and blue - haven't miss the parade, rain or shine, in more than 50 years. Yesterday's took place on a brilliant afternoon, before gray clouds and thunder rolled in.
``If it weren't for our veterans, we wouldn't be sitting here,'' Cowles said.
Woody Hayes, a 70-year-old Korean War veteran, said it's important to honor those who died serving their country.
``To me, it's a memorial for the deceased veterans,'' he said, adding it's important to show support for the families of soldiers now overseas. ``Vets care for one another. We're like a big family.''
Cambridge, Gloucester, Dorchester and other cities and towns plan to hold parades today.
A memorial honoring American soldiers and civilians killed in Afghanistan and Iraq will be unveiled at 10 a.m. today at the Old North Church in the North End.
At City Hall Plaza today, musicians plan to perform at 11 a.m. as a remembrance to Iraqi civilians killed in their country during the ``current conflict.''

GRAPHIC: PATRIOTISM: Jeff Wairi, 11, of Somerville, above, shows his true colors during yesterday's Memorial Day parade in Somerville. At right, Russell Moscone of Quincy restores the area around his brother-in-law's grave at Mount Wollaston Cemetery in Quincy. His brother-in-law was Jody F. Miller, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Army. Staff photos by Stuart Cahill, above; and Matthew West.

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HEADLINE: Marine `wanted to make a difference'

BYLINE: By Tom Farmer

BODY:
Knocked on his back by a burst of gunfire that hammered the body armor covering his chest in November in Fallujah, Marine Lance Cpl. Dimitrios Gavriel gave his corporal the thumbs-up and continued to cover the room where his attacker lay waiting.
Within minutes, the 29-year-old Gavriel would be dead, killed by more bullets and a grenade tossed by the Iraqi insurgent who would also draw his last breath that day.
A fiercely loyal and patriotic first-generation Greek-American, he gave up a lucrative career on Wall Street to join the Marines after losing five friends on Sept. 11. Gavriel didn't have to be in Fallujah when he died Nov. 19. But his letters and e-mails now clearly show that the Haverhill man was determined to serve his country despite the pleadings of his family and friends to stay out of harm's way. 
``He was tormented over trying to please us and living up to the promise he had made to himself on 9/11,'' said Gavriel's father, Chris. ``He didn't want to upset us but he knew if he didn't do this he would regret it years from now.''
On their first Memorial Day since losing their son to the harrowing battle of Fallujah, Chris and Penelope Gavriel have learned much more about why their son rejected the riches of Wall Street to carry an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon and about how he was killed in a small house by a man who also chose to give his life for his country.
Poring over words penned by their son, a 1997 Brown University graduate, the Gavriels concluded there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent him from joining the Marines, where most recruits were 10 years his junior.
``He bore deep into his heart, knowing this torment, which stood as the ultimate barrier to so many, was really the threshold to promises he had made to himself during a time that had long passed,'' Gavriel had written about his agonizing decisionto join the Marines.
Trying to put his parents and younger sister, Christina, at ease, Gavriel told his family he was bound to sit behind a computer with an intelligence unit. In reality, he had signed up to be a rifleman - a grunt - the most dangerous job in the Marines. The Marines had actually rejected Gavriel when he first tried to join because of injuries he had suffered as a champion heavyweight wrestler at Brown and Timberlane Regional High School in Plaistow, N.H.
Unwilling to take no for an answer, he worked out fanatically, lost 40 pounds and was accepted for boot camp, where, dismayed with the scandals enveloping Wall Street, he hoped to hone his leadership skills and craft his future legacy after a four-year enlistment.
``He asked what type of jobs would have the most leadership opportunity or that type of responsibility and I told him infantry,'' said Staff Sgt. Joshua Speigel, Gavriel's recruiter. ``You have 18- or 19-year-olds making life or death decisions and that type of leadership is the most important in the Marine Corps.''
Reporting to Parris Island in October 2003, the Marine officers and drill instructors quickly realized that Gavriel was not their average recruit. Capt. Roger Mahar said he tried to steer Gavriel toward becoming an officer but he was rejected because of five lines tattooed on his forearm in honor of his friends killed on 9/11. ``You could tell he was older and more mature,'' said Mahar. ``From head to toe he was in shape and he had a serious attitude. He wasn't one of those scared or lost kids we get down here.''
Deployed to Iraq in June, Gavriel quickly developed the reputation as a warrior who would do anything for his fellow Marines. Wounded by grenade fragments a week before he died that earned him the first of two Purple Hearts, Gavriel left the hospital when he found out his unit was in for more bitter fighting in Fallujah.
Chris Gavriel said he will never know if his son might have been pulled away from death had he not given the thumbs-up just like he had the first time he was wounded. ``His love of country was greater than his love for his own life and the love of his loved ones,'' said his father. ``He humbled himself to be a grunt yet never lost his resolve. I will never second-guess his sacrifice even though I feel his tremendous loss.''
A soldier's stories
Excerpts from letters and e-mails written by Lance Cpl. Dimitrios Gavriel before he was killed in Iraq.
``So how, after all this, did a guy like me end up in Iraq? The answer is pretty simple when I look to the young Marines at my right and left. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to do something, no, give something, to deserve all the good things we, as Americans, enjoy and sometimes take for granted as we move through the years of the good lives we lead under the safety and freedom of our flag.''
``Everyone lost something on that terrible day of 9/11. I lost my close friends, brothers you might say. Guys I grew up with, teammates, pals, mentors and confidants. I watched the towers fall, helpless, from a block away in the streets of New York and made a promise before God that I would do all I could to keep something like this from happening again.''
``No man can know just exactly how much his effort has changed the world out here, but together we have chased much evil away from power and have shown those who, for one reason or another, hate our way of life, that we are a nation of people who refuse to live under the threat of terror.''
``Had to sprint over a 200-yard pontoon bridge after an eight-hour patrol to clear a section of an island in the Euphrates where we took mortar fire. By the time I reached the far side I couldn't feel my legs. Felt like a knife was in my back from the weight of the armor vest and 600 rounds bolted to it. Dehydrated and suffering from heat exhaustion, we then proceeded to halt traffic and move from house to house in search of the mortar system. I was tripping over (expletive) goats, chickens, rolling ankles and watching other Marines just plain faint. Fun stuff. This is the kind of stuff that makes for good memories, better stories - but sucks to live through.''
``We should see the good action many of us have been wanting to sink our teeth into, and not the on-off (expletive) we've been seeing the last few months. I often catch myself waffling from one side to the other when it comes down to wanting to go through with it, but in the end, it isn't my choice and whatever is going to happen, will happen.''

GRAPHIC: MEMORIES: Chris and Penelope Gavriel hold a photo of their son, Dimitrios, who was killed in action in Iraq on Nov. 19. Staff photo by Jon Hill

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HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 We honor them with our thoughts

BODY:
It took a 9-year-old from Framingham and his new best friend, back from his second tour of duty in Iraq, to remind us about the real meaning of this Memorial Day.
Collin Kelly had this terrific idea to place just a couple of marigolds on the graves of veterans buried in Edgell Grove Cemetery in time for Memorial Day. People were touched, eager to aid the cause. 
Then, of course, he ran headlong into bureaucrats (the cemetery is owned by the town), who insisted, as Trustee vice chairman Barbara Ford did, ``You don't just go into a cemetery and place flowers on graves that belong to somebody else.''
Well, many of the graves Collin wanted to decorate were those of soldiers who had died in the Revolutionary War and in the Civil War (the war which actually began the tradition of Memorial Day). He rightly assumed that some of those war heroes might not have families around to decorate their graves.
The Cemetery Commission eventually relented (even fools have their limits) and Collin got some help from Marine Cpl. John Grigg, 23, a veteran of the second battle of Fallujah, and from the Natick American Legion, which will help provide the flowers - red geraniums because that, Grigg says, is what women placed near the bodies of those killed on Civil War battlefields.
Why is this important? Why is this news?
Because for too long Memorial Day has been more about backyard barbeques than about honoring those who died in wars current or long ago. And because we need to remember - for them and for us, too. We need to remember not just at ceremonies near the glorious monuments we erect in historic places, but in simple ways, too.
USA Today reminded us of two local men who choose to remember those killed in Afghanistan and in Iraq with simple but heartfelt memorials of their own creation. Ed Hardy, a retired teacher from Duxbury, tied yellow ribbons around trees, each bearing the name of a military man or woman killed during the current conflict.
Chris Johnson is credited with the memorial of baseballs at the edge of a Little League ballfield in Whitman, each with name of a service member killed in Iraq.
We cannot repay the sacrifice of those now lost to us. We can only honor them by keeping them in our thoughts.

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HEADLINE: HOTLINE; 
 It's zilch for Zooma Tour: Jam band fest scrubbed

BODY:
The Zooma Tour starring Phish frontman Trey Anastasio, Ben Harper, Jurassic 5, Gomez, Galactic and many others has been scrubbed. Organized by the producers of the jam-band-heavy Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee, this smaller, road-show version of Bonnaroo was scheduled to come to the Tweeter Center on July 2. Friday the producers announced the entire tour's cancellation in a vaguely worded statement: ``The Zooma Tour was conceived to provide fans with an exceptional musical and entertainment experience. Due to unforeseen circumstances, it has become clear that it would not be possible to provide that experience at the level initially envisioned. Rather than go forward with a tour that falls short of what was conceived, everyone involved has mutually agreed that it is best to cancel the tour altogether.'' Ticket refunds are available at point of purchase. - LARRY KATZ
One-cannon salute for Thompson 
Organizers of a memorial for Hunter S. Thompson plan to erect a 150-foot structure - courtesy of Johnny Depp - to shoot the gonzo journalist's ashes onto his Aspen, Colo.,-area ranch.
Friends and acquaintances gathered Thursday to discuss the Aug. 20 invitation-only service, which will be six months after Thompson shot himself in his Woody Creek home.
Jon Equis, the event producer working with Thompson's family, said the tower will be 12 feet wide at the base and 8 feet wide at the top, where a cannon will be placed.
Depp, who portrayed the author in the movie version of Thompson's book ``Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,'' will pay for the tower, designed to resemble Thompson's ``gonzo fist'' emblem.
As Thompson requested, his ashes will be shot out of the cannon onto his property.
Hank magic, BBQ included
Chords and Discourse, a monthly ``VH1 Storytellers''-style music and chat night, pays tribute this Thursday to that great country pop troubadour Hank Williams. Now taking place in O'Briens the first Thursday of every month, this acoustic performance series features local and national musicians recalling inspirational musical icons. Williams' magic will be evoked in song and story by Dropkick Murphys chanteuse Stephanie Dougherty, Texas Bob (Ragged Old Flag), Zack Shedd (Satan's Teardrops) and others. The cover is $8, which includes a barbecue buffet from 8 to 9 p.m., with the action starting soon after. O'Briens is located at 3 Harvard Ave., Allston. Call 617-782-6245 or go to www.obriensallston.com. - LINDA LABAN
`Nightline' roll call
ABC will devote tonight's entire ``Nightline'' broadcast to a roll call of U.S. war dead, nearly a year after some political conservatives condemned a similar tribute as anti-war propaganda, the network said.
As he did last year, ``Nightline'' host Ted Koppel will recite the names of more than 900 American servicemen and women killed in Iraq or Afghanistan during the past year as a photograph of each one is shown on the screen.
The Memorial Day special, titled ``The Fallen,'' will air tonight, and ``Nightline'' will be extended from its usual 30-minute broadcast to about 45 minutes to allow time for all the names to be read, ABC said.
Tapping settles down
Family values are behind the decision by renowned violist Roger Tapping to give up life on the road with the prestigious Takacs Quartet and settle in Boston. This fall Tapping will join his wife, cellist Natasha Brofsky, as a member of the faculty at the New England Conservatory. Tapping and Brofsky have two daughters, ages 2 and 6. ``It became apparent that the best decision for our family was for us to move together to Boston, making it necessary for me to leave the quartet,'' Tapping said in a statement. - T.J. MEDREK
Copley concert Friday
- Jake Brennan & the Confidence Men, Friday, Copley Square Plaza. The free concert starts at 5:30 p.m.
Compiled by Sandra Kent from staff and wire reports.

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HEADLINE: Flower child wins memorial battle

BYLINE: By Jennifer Kavanaugh (METROWEST DAILY NEWS)

BODY:
Collin Kelly arrived at Edgell Grove Cemetery in Framingham yesterday to place flowers on soldiers' graves, only to find the eyes of a nation upon him and decades of emotions buried deep.
The 9-year-old boy gained national attention last week after he came up with the idea to plant marigolds at 156 veterans' graves by Memorial Day, but was blocked by the cemetery's board of trustees from planting them on other families' graves.
The board's decision prompted an outcry from local veterans - and national media attention - until they agreed to a compromise: Collin could place geraniums on the graves, and cemetery workers would later remove them. 
``You did an awesome thing - you did,'' Marine Cpl. John Grigg, a Framingham man who has served two tours in Iraq, told Collin as he swept him up in his arms. ``Don't let anyone tell you no when it comes to honoring veterans.''
Yesterday, Collin seemed excited by the attention, but a bit overwhelmed.
``I keep trying to sleep, and the next thing I know, I'm up with a reporter at the door,'' said Collin, who went to New York a few days ago to appear on NBC's ``Today Show.''
Veterans and their families greeted the young boy with pins, patches and offers to visit military bases.
``For a young man to have that level of depth and compassion is remarkable,'' said Framingham's Kathie Krager, who was visiting soldiers' graves yesterday.
Collin's work is not yet done. He is the guest of honor at Framingham's Memorial Day services tomorrow, and has been invited to appear as a guest on ``The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.''
Juan Garrity, a Marine veteran and Framingham resident, said he hopes Collin's actions will inspire patriotism in other young people.
``Not only the dead,'' he said, ``but you need to help celebrate the ones who come back from their tours of duty.''

GRAPHIC: ATTA BOY: Marine Cpl. John Grigg embraces Collin Kelly at Edgell Grove Cemetery in Framingham yesterday. Metrowest Daily News photo

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HEADLINE: Special pay for wounded moves closer to reality

BYLINE: By NOELLE STRAUB

BODY:
WASHINGTON - Winthrop Marine Lance Cpl. James Crosby's effort to give combat-wounded soldiers special pay while they recover moved closer to becoming law with a U.S. House vote last week. 
``It will make such an impact,'' said Crosby's father, Kevin. ``My son is in constant pain 24 hours a day. No amount of money can ever make up for that, but at least there's something for these people and their families who have been torn apart.''
A rocket attack in Iraq last year left the younger Crosby, 20, paralyzed from the waist down. When he left Iraq, his combat pay was cut while he fought for his life.
The measure, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Edward Markey (D-Malden), would give $430 a month to soldiers who are wounded and evacuated from the combat zone.
The special pay would continue until a soldier receives a new form of insurance for traumatic injuries received in combat - no less than a lump sum of $25,000 and as high as $100,000, depending on the injury's severity.
The measure is part of a $442 billion defense bill for fiscal year 2006. The Senate will take it up in June.
The original bill was named the Crosby-Puller Combat Wounds Compensation Act in honor of Crosby, 20, and Lt. General Lewis ``Chesty'' Puller, the most decorated Marine in history.

GRAPHIC: CROSBY: Paralyzed by a rocket attack while serving in Iraq.
BATTLING ON: A U.S. House vote last week brings closer to reality a law proposed by Winthrop Marine Lance Cpl. James Crosby to give combat-wounded soldiers special pay while they recover. HERALD FILE PHOTO

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HEADLINE: Music event remembers Iraqi civilian casualties

BYLINE: By T.J. MEDREK

BODY:
As Americans remember their fallen soldiers on Memorial Day, a different kind of remembrance will take place on City Hall Plaza, where up to 100 musicians will perform in memory of Iraqi civilian casualties.
``Collateral Damage Noted,'' scheduled for 11 a.m., will be presented by the Mobius Artists Group. 
Each volunteer musician will sing or play one note for each death as reported on the Web site www.iraqbodycount.com. Earlier this week, that estimate was 21,795 to 24,735.
Organizer Tom Plsek, chairman of Berklee College of Music's brass department, called the event a ``human statement'' rather than a political one. ``In the war in Iraq there are civilians who have paid an incredible price, and we don't tend to know that,'' Plsek said.
When told of the event, Robert Stevens, director of Veterans' Services for the city of Cambridge, was dismayed by the timing. ``My heart goes out to the innocent civilians of Iraq that have lost their lives in the global war we're fighting against terrorism,'' Stevens said. ``I believe there's a time and place they should be recognized and memorialized. But not on our most solemn holiday, purposely set aside to honor and remember our war dead.''

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HEADLINE: Ferrara deal gives new meaning to blind justice

BYLINE: By PETER GELZINIS

BODY:
Fifteen-and-a-half years in federal prison has diminished Vincent ``The Animal'' Ferrara in two ways: He told a judge he's been afflicted with ``poor elocution'' and haunted by an ``intrinsic sadness.''
Quite a mouthful for an incendiary Mafioso, whose tempestuous coup to become Boss back in 1989 ended with one guy floating in the Connecticut River and another shot up like a clay pigeon in front of a Saugus pancake house.
Ah, but that was some 20 years ago, when Vinnie spoke so much clearer. For example, even though Harry ``Doc'' Sagansky was 86 years old at the time, the legendary old bookmaker had no trouble understanding Vinnie when he came looking for $500,000 in ``rent.'' 
Vinnie made it all sound so simple. Gennaro Angiulo, the paternal Don of the North End, was in jail. It was a new day. Vinnie appointed himself the new Boss. And the charming old dentist-turned-congenial crook realized he could have his brittle bones pulverized same as any other bleeping bookie. Vinnie's elocution was perfect.
Yesterday, The Animal rejoined polite society. A federal appeals court agreed with U.S. District Court Judge Mark Wolf's assessment that The Animal has been neutered, so to speak.
Now, there are a few peoplein and around the North End who would strenuously beg to differ. Carmine DiNunzio for one. The Cheese Man's considerable bulk allegedly occupies the spot that Vinnie so ruthlessly coveted, back when he was speaking plainly.
The Animal now claims ``I want to use the other half of my brain.'' But folks like Carmine, they only remember the first half of Vinnie's brain, the half that threatened to run people's hands through meat grinders and rip their tongues out.
Now, it's difficult for them to ever picture Vinnie, and his brain, humbly serving up shrimp scampi with his daughter in a ristorante called ``Vinnie & Bianca's.''
Few thugs get the chance to walk free, saying ``I feel vindicated.'' But Judge Wolf allowed Vinnie to excoriate those ``crooked prosecutors'' who give honest gangsters a bad name.
The judge is convinced Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Auerhahn deep-sixed a police report about a murder witness who changed his tune. Seems Walter Jordan never meant to say Vinnie ordered Jimmy Limoli's extinction.
``Of course, Walter had himself a religious experience,'' one North Ender said. ``He saw his life flash before his eyes. Change his testimony, or die like Jimmy.
``Just my opinion, but I'm guessin' the fed knew Walter was probably lyin' to save his skin and couldn't stand the idea of Vinnie skipping out of jail.''
But justice is supposed to be blind. Even an ambitious gangster, whose dreams of becoming Godfather were sidetracked by a multi-layered indictment for extortion, racketeering and murder, is entitled to every last drop of justice.
Yesterday morning, Vinnie strolled out of the Moakley Courthouse as if he were coming home from Iraq. Not JUST a gangster, but a martyr of the justice system.
Meanwhile, another community will brace itself for Vinnie's return and as they do, they will recall the unfortunate Sonny Grasso, who turned up floating in the river, and Frank Salemme, the star-crossed Mafia boss ambushed on his way to breakfast, and the names of maybe a half-dozen hapless slugs whose very existence filled Vinny with a great deal of intrinsic sadness.
``Not too many people want to go back to those days,'' said the North Ender. ``But they know Vinnie's not going to sit still. People want to make money, not war. And when he was around, Vinny was all about making war.''
The concern is that sooner rather than later, Vincent ``The Animal'' Ferrara's ``poor elocution'' is going to improve dramatically. And when it does, few people will have any trouble understanding the gangster behind the Ray Bans.

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HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Women at war with no strings

BODY:
Perhaps it's the rush to get out for the Memorial Day recess, but it seems good sense is spreading on Capitol Hill these days. The latest example is the welcome change of heart by House Republicans on further restricting women in combat.
The last place Congress should put itself is between military commanders and the battlefield. Codifying the outdated 1994 rule barring women from direct combat roles as a rider to a defense bill would have done just that. 
The restriction on women in combat is already being recognized for the anachronism it is. With the battlefront no longer ``linear,'' in Pentagon parlance, it makes little sense to restrict women from further deployment in support units such as communications, medical assistance, maintenance and supplies to ``protect'' them.
``Modern wars will be fought 360 degrees, which means women will be on the `front lines' whether the Congress likes it or not,'' retired Army Col. Dan Smith told USA Today.
The compromise of requiring the Pentagon to get an OK from Congress some 60 days in advance of shifting women into different roles (an extension of the current 30-day rule) is hardly as odious but still nonsensical when it's widely understood that a nimble military is a modern wartime necessity.
USA Today also recently put some flesh and blood on the bones of the debate when it ran a front page photo of Lt. Dawn Halfaker sporting a prosthetic right arm. She was wounded in Iraq when a rocket-propelled grenade hit her armored Humvee.
``Women in combat is not really an issue. It is happening,'' she told the paper.
It is happening not because the Pentagon is going around its own rule. It's happening because that is the nature of war today.
Of some 9,000 military women who have served in Iraq, 37 have been killed, representing 2 percent of the casualties. It would have been a disservice to those 37 heroines to engrave in law that they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were doing the job they signed up to do - serving our country honorably.

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HEADLINE: Marine to aid boy's tribute after cemetery relents

BYLINE: By Richard Lodge (METROWEST DAILY NEWS)

BODY:
FRAMINGHAM - A U.S. Marine back from combat in Iraq will help 9-year-old Collin Kelly place flowers on the graves of long-dead veterans at Edgell Grove Cemetery Saturday, after the Cemetery Commission relented, allowing the tribute as long as the flowers are gone after Memorial Day.
Collin, due in New York this morning for NBC's ``Today'' show, will place geraniums on the veterans' graves with Marine Cpl.  
John Grigg, 23. Grigg said red geraniums are what women placed on the bodies of men on Civil War battlefields.
Grigg, who fought in the second battle of Fallujah, said he was angered when commissioners denied Collin's plan to plant two marigolds on each soldier's grave. The commissioners had said cemetery rules allow only family members to plant on graves.
``It inflamed me,'' Grigg said.
He contacted Collin's mother, Lynn, and said he'd go with the family to place geraniums on each grave. The Natick American Legion post will provide the flowers, he said. Grigg learned yesterday the commissioners had backpedaled, but the Marine said he was prepared to accompany young Collin in his dress blues anyway, because a presidential order allows decorating of soldiers' graves on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
``I thought it would be cool for him to have a Marine go with him,'' Grigg said. ``Here's a little boy who, I don't know if he fully understands it or not, but the fact that he wants to honor veterans is an amazing thing.''

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HEADLINE: Guardsmen salute Romney legislation

BYLINE: By DAVID WEBER

BODY:
Massachusetts National Guardsmen were elated to hear Gov. Mitt Romney announce yesterday that he filed legislation to raise their pay and give them free educations at state colleges. 
``My initial reaction is this is great. This is really going to help me out personally,'' said Army Guard Sgt. John Brown, 31, of Quincy, who spends $1,700 on fees each semester for his post-graduate courses in international relations at the University of Massachusetts at Boston.
``It's nice to be recognized with greater benefits,'' said Brown, a full-time Guardsmen at the armory on Victory Road in Dorchester.
``It shows that people realize the greater role the Guard is playing,'' he said, referring to the 9,600 Bay State men and women who have been called on to support the war in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.
Called the ``Massachusetts G.I. bill,'' Romney's legislation raises Guardsmen's pay from $75 to $100 a day and increases state death benefits from $5,000 to $100,000.
Additionally, the state would cover the premiums for $250,000 worth of life insurance for Guard members.
``This is, in fact, the least we can do,'' Romney said to rousing applause at the swearing-in of Army National Guard Brigadier Gen. Oliver Mason Jr. as the new adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard.
``Today, more than ever, we need patriots to take an oath, as I am doing today,'' Mason said after receiving congratulations from Romney and retiring guard Adjutant Gen. George Keefe.
Romney praised Keefe for ``cleaning house'' and leaving the state National Guard in ``great shape.''

GRAPHIC: APPRECIATED: Sgt. John Brown of Quincy strolls past equipment at the Dorchester armory. He and his fellow Guardsmen will benefit from legislation filed by Gov. Mitt Romney that hikes pay and education aid. STAFF PHOTO BY JOHN WILCOX

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LENGTH: 514 words

HEADLINE: Op-Ed; 
 Chirac flushed with ineptitude

BYLINE: By RACHELLE COHEN

BODY:
Newsweek - at least the current international edition - may be on the verge of redeeming itself with its latest cover story.
Sure, the American edition of the magazine is still smarting from that ill-sourced and ultimately retracted story about military intelligence officers at Guantanamo flushing a Koran down the toilet. But the international edition has now decided to rip up what's left of the career of French President Jacques Chirac and flush it down the porcelain (and we don't mean Limoges). 
Those who are still chowing down on ``freedom'' fries are going to love a cover story entitled ``Europe's Dinosaur'' that raises the question: ``Is France's Jacques Chirac dragging his country down?''
If Newsweek had intended to plant a big wet kiss on President Bush's posterior, it couldn't have timed this one better.
``Even if Chirac's opposition to the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 was obstructive, divisive and ultimately ineffective, it marked one of the high points of his popularity at home,'' Newsweek wrote.
``Yet, after 40 years in politics and 10 as president, Chirac's footwork has gone flat. The public is weary of his bobbing and weaving, and deeply wary of his promises,'' the article continued, not letting go of a sumo-wrestling metaphor it insisted on torturing into submission along with the French president.
The article noted Chirac promised to cut unemployment, which is down only marginally from 11.4 percent when he took office to 10.2 percent today. His term doesn't expire until 2007, but at the moment some 72 percent of voters don't want him to run again. And a scheduled May 29 referendum on a new European constitution is widely expected to go down in a perceived slap at Chirac himself.
The article is accompanied by some particularly delightful photos - a kind of Chirac political family album. One shows a youthful Chirac as prime minister in January 1976 with an equally youthful Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, no less. A later photo shows him side by side with another loathsome war criminal, Serbian tyrant Slobodan Milosevic.
And not to pile on or anything, the magazine solicited a commentary by British Member of Parliament Denis MacShane, who also served as an EU minister from 2002 to 2005. His assessment?
``France has had its worst decade of economic growth since World War II. Poverty is increasing. . . And Chirac has weakened France on the world stage, in contrast to all his predecessors.''
And MacShane reveals that in February 2003, Chirac met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the Normandy coast (apparently without any sense of irony there) and assured him that ``he would not leave America and Britain to go it alone'' in Iraq. That pledge lasted no more than a few weeks.
Well, freedom fries may be off U.S. menus now, yes, those glorious white burgundies are too good a deal to pass up, but those still harboring just une petite animosite can still speak out.
NewsweekInternational.com is holding a ``live vote'' on Chirac's future. As we say here in Boston, vote early and often.
Rachelle Cohen is editor of the editorial pages.

LOAD-DATE: May 25, 2005

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May 23, 2005 Monday  
ALL EDITIONS

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 010

LENGTH: 377 words

HEADLINE: Town voters take on national concerns

BYLINE: By LAURA CRIMALDI

BODY:
In an age of worries about terrorism and the ongoing conflict in Iraq, Town Meeting voters across the state are tackling issues fit for the United Nations and Congress - testing the fabric of the centuries-old institution.
From Milton to Williamstown, voters are weighing in on the USA Patriot Act and the Iraq war between their votes on local budgets and zoning bylaws.
Taking up national issues in a local forum has drawn ire from some who believe those matters don't belong on the Town Meeting floor. 
But supporters of acting locally on global matters reach back to the Stamp Act - the hot pre-Revolutionary War issue of 1765 - to make the case for the relevance of their efforts to take action at the lowest, most traditional level of participatory government.
``I think the citizens that bring these forward say these are local matters because they affect our lives,'' said Nancy Murray, education director for the Massachusetts' American Civil Liberties Union.
Williamstown last week joined 52 other communities in passing a resolution opposing the USA Patriot Act.
Williamstown's Town Meeting was also one of several local bodies that approved a separate article calling for the withdrawal of Massachusetts National Guard units from Iraq.
Meanwhile, in Milton, voters also approved a resolution opposing the USA Patriot Act, but not without a bitter fight.
``We know that most of the business of Town Meeting has to do with budgets and zoning bylaws, but what does it mean to swear an oath to protect the constitution when the USA Patriot Act is undermining our very rights?'' said Geoffrey Wilkinson of Milton, who coauthored the anti-Patriot Act resolution. Another group of Milton townies recently organized themselves as the Article 55 Team to fight Wilkinson's measure.
Several western Massachusetts towns also have taken action this spring on a resolution demanding the return of Massachusetts National Guard units serving in Iraq.
Response to the resolutions has been mixed.
In Belchertown, where the measure was defeated, opponents argued a foreign policy debate over Iraq has no place at Town Meeting.
But Madeline Casey, the Belchertown peace activist who sponsored the out-of-Iraq resolution, countered, ``We are citizens of the country as well as the town.''

LOAD-DATE: May 23, 2005

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May 22, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 005

LENGTH: 303 words

HEADLINE: Cheers greet Marines in Hub

BYLINE: By Casey Ross

BODY:
Marine Col. Ron Johnson keeps the names in his pocket, a long list of privates and lance corporals who didn't make it home.
``I wish I could show you all their faces,'' Johnson said during a solemn ceremony in South Boston yesterday. ``These men were some of the strongest and brightest America had to offer. We lost 18 the first time (in Iraq) and 36 the second time. I will never forget them.'' 
As he spoke, more than 350 Marines from the 24th expeditionary unit stood in formation before him, ready to return to Iraq next year for their third tour in the desert war zone.
The sacrifices of those soldiers and the dozens who died in the fighting were commemorated yesterday by hundreds of South Boston residents who cheered during a parade down East Broadway and then cried at a wreath-laying in Medal of Honor Park.
``We open our arms and our hearts to welcome you home into our community of South Boston,'' said Tom Lyons, a member of the Southie Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee. ``. . .The sad irony is it takes the reality of war for the general public to realize what it means to wear that uniform.''
The 24th expeditionary unit, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., lost 54 soldiers in some of the most intense war zones in Iraq; 400 soldiers in the unit suffered injuries during the fighting.
On Thursday, the 24th arrived in Boston aboard the USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier for a weekend of rest before heading to New York for Fleet Week. Many of the soldiers visited historical sites and relaxed in local restaurants as Bostonians thanked them for their service.
``It sure feels good to be home in Boston, I'll tell you that,'' said Col. Johnson, who is from Massachusetts. ``This is the best reception I've ever received in my 30 years in the Marine Corps.''
The 24th is expected to return to Iraq by next spring.

GRAPHIC: SALUTE: Rachael Elliott of New Hampshire, right, and Matt Tallent of Boston cheer as Marines march in South Boston. Staff photos by David Goldman
SUPPORT: Kathy Narbonne, right, whose son is in Iraq, gets a hug from Lisa Holzeman.

LOAD-DATE: May 22, 2005

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May 22, 2005 Sunday  
ALL EDITIONS

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 008

LENGTH: 281 words

HEADLINE: Young soldier: `Protect, fight'

BYLINE: By Thomas Caywood

BODY:
Seventeen-year-old Shavonne Santiago of Chicopee recently raised her right hand and enlisted in the Massachusetts National Guard knowing full well she could be signing on for a tour in Iraq.
``I am nervous. I'll be honest. But we joined knowing that was expected of us. If it's go gonna help out, then OK,'' Santiago said last weekend at Camp Edwards. 
Her class of 22 young men and nine young women had barely arrived at the post to begin military training when Sgt. Major Mark ``Hurricane'' Foster told them to forget about the Guard's signing bonuses and education benefits.
``The reason you are here is because we are a nation at war. You know what a terrorist is?'' Foster said, hands behind his back. ``He's been trained to kill you.''
After three years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. Army and the Army National Guard are struggling to replenish their ranks.
The Army fell well short of its recruiting goal for the third month in a row in April. The Army National Guard has missed its recruiting goal nationally in every month of the fiscal year.
Santiago stepped forward to become a Guard helicopter mechanic at a time when her peers are steering clear of military service.
``Since a kid, it was something I really wanted to do,'' the high school senior said. ``Protect, fight. Have a good time.''
Bridgewater State College student Paul Marcia, 21, of Pembroke, enlisted as a combat engineer. He left for basic training Monday.
``The big thing for me was the $10,000 signing bonus,'' said Marcia, who knows it's unlikely he'll serve out his hitch without getting deployed somewhere overseas.
``If it happens, it happens,'' he shrugged. ``I'll go over and do whatever I got to do.''

LOAD-DATE: May 22, 2005

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May 22, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: THE EDGE; Pg. 045

LENGTH: 664 words

HEADLINE: watch this

BYLINE: By Sarah Rodman

BODY:
It's a big week of season finales, but none is bigger than the wrap-up of the shenanigans on Wisteria Lane on ABC's ``Desperate Housewives.'' In addition to answering some burning questions, creator Marc Cherry piles on the intrigue with the introduction of yet another housewife, Betty Applewhite, played by the redoubtable Alfre Woodard. Meet the new neighbor tonight at 9 on (WCVB, Ch. 5).
Today May 22: 
- It might take place about 120 years before ``Housewives,'' but the second season finale of HBO's ``Deadwood'' should be just as explosive as Swearengen (Ian McShane) upsets his neighbors, again, at 9 p.m.
- Say goodbye to ``Dr. McDreamy'' (Patrick Dempsey) as ABC's breakout medical drama ``Grey's Anatomy'' concludes its midseason run. The prognosis is good for nebbishy George (T.R. Knight) as he finally gets a girl, if not the one he's pined for all season, at 10 p.m. on WCVB (Ch. 5).
Tomorrow May 23:
- There are only two hours left in Jack Bauer's fourth worst day ever, and Fox's ``24'' doubtlessly will pack a lot of punch into the final 120 minutes, at 8 p.m. on WFXT (Ch. 25). Thankfully, no cameos from Kim or cougars are expected.
- Ephram (Gregory Smith) is off to Europe, Andy (Treat Williams) may be off to Chicago and Bright (Chris Pratt) wonders if he's off his rocker to like Hannah (Sarah Drew) in the season finale of WB's ``Everwood,'' at 9 p.m. on WLVI (Ch. 56).
Tuesday May 24:
- The last two boxers on NBC's ``The Contender'' duke it out for $1 million on the reality show's live finale from Caesar's Palace, at 8 p.m. on WHDH (Ch. 7).
- In their latest, but likely not last, reality television spectacle, ``Boston'' Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich of ``Survivor'' and ``Amazing Race'' infamy tie the knot in the Bahamas courtesy of CBS in the appropriately titled ``Rob and Amber Get Married,'' at 9 p.m. on WBZ (Ch. 4).
Wednesday May 25:
- Here's our advice to TV junkies who want to be in the know around the water cooler tomorrow: Tape the two-hour finale of Fox's ``American Idol,'' at 8 p.m. on WFXT (Ch. 25), and watch the two-hour season ender for ABC's ``Lost,'' at 8 p.m. on WCVB (Ch. 5). You can always peek at the last 10 minutes of ``Idol'' before you go to bed, but you'll need to see every twist and turn on that nutty island to properly discuss how producer J.J. Abrams resolved the castaways' first season.
Thursday May 26:
- It's only been one night, but apparently the TV Guide Channel already has caught up with the gang from ``American Idol'' in its special ``Idol Stars: Where Are They Now?'' The scrolling listing station hosts this update on contestants from the first three seasons at 9 p.m. Mario Vazquez is still promising that we'll hear from him real soon.
- A&E takes a look at the sometimes scary world inhabited by five female journalists covering the Iraq war in ``Bearing Witness,'' at 10 p.m.
Friday May 27:
- Sweeps is officially over, so your broadcast network pickings just got slimmer than the winner of ``America's Next Top Model.'' You can check out a leftover episode of ABC's now-canceled ``Complete Savages'' at 8:30 p.m. on WCVB (Ch. 5), or NBC's ``Law and Order: Trial By Jury'' on WHDH (Ch. 7) at 10 p.m., to remind yourself you didn't miss anything.
Saturday May 28:
- You just had to watch the ``American Idol'' finale didn't you? If you're kicking yourself for missing the ``Lost'' finale - or if you just want to pore over the details one more time, you're in luck. ABC re-airs the whole two-hour she-bang, at 8 p.m. on WCVB (Ch. 5).
- Every small town has a big story, according to HBO's tagline for its adaptation of Richard Russo's Pulitzer Prize winning novel ``Empire Falls.'' The ``it's not TV'' people enlisted the help of some seriously big names for this terrific two-parter, including Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Ed Harris and Helen Hunt. Among them, these actors have racked up a whopping 19 Oscar nominations. The first part of this tale of a dying Maine town begins tonight at 9 and concludes tomorrow at 9 p.m.

LOAD-DATE: May 22, 2005

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May 22, 2005 Sunday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 008

LENGTH: 760 words

HEADLINE: GUARDSMEN TOE THE LINE FOR PRE-BOOT CAMP HELL

BYLINE: By Thomas Caywood

BODY:
Fourteen hours into a grueling day that began before sunrise, a group of exhausted young Massachusetts National Guard recruits stand shoulder to shoulder absorbing a blistering butt chewing.
``You're in the military!'' bellows Sgt. Major Mark ``Hurricane'' Foster, a square-jawed, barrel-chested former drill sergeant. ``This is the United States Armed Forces! You do what you are told when you are told to do it! Is that clear!'' 
``Yes, sergeant major!'' the weary recruits shout back hoarsely.
One weekend a month, Foster and his hand-picked cadre of noncommissioned officers assemble at Camp Edwards on Cape Cod to push four busloads of Guard recruits through a crash course in soldiering.
The baby-faced trainees enlisted in the Guard over the last month but haven't yet shipped out to boot camp. Foster's job is to get them ready, not to coddle them.
The 46-year-old Guardsman from Middleboro welcomes this month's class of 31 recruits late Friday night with patriotic videos set to country music and a brusque speech: ``I look at you, and I see a bunch of stinking, selfish, self-centered civilians.''
Foster's staff of grizzled sergeants introduce the aspiring Guardsmen to marching, basic map reading, shooting, stripping down an M-16A2 rifle and other fundamental solider skills. No matter what the subject, the lesson always is teamwork.
The trainees barely sleep all weekend and do push-ups until their faces flush purple and their bodies shake uncontrollably.
``I feel like I've been up for days, and this is just -basic,'' says Pvt. Jacqui Graden, 20, of Norwell. ``I feel like I've run a marathon.''
After Foster's welcome Friday night, the trainees are taught to make a military bunk and issued two sheets and a scratchy, wool Army blanket. The platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class John Valis, 46, of Webster circles the building peering unseen through the windows as the recruits make their bunks. Most work on their own.
``Individuality,'' Valis says, spitting out the word like a mouthful of spoiled milk.
He sends the recruits to bed at 12:40 a.m. Four hours later, the cadre is back stomping up and down the hall bellowing and flicking on florescent lights.
``You're burning my time now, darlings,'' calls out Sgt. 1st Class James Duncan.
The cadre, who went to bed hours after the recruits and got up before them, stay in high gear all weekend. Privately, the 40-something NCOs admit they're dead on their feet. Sometimes they pull over and sleep in their cars on the way home Sunday afternoon.
A little after 7 p.m. Saturday, the exhausted recruits arrive back at the barracks thinking the long day almost over. Instead, they find the hallway strewn with toilet paper, garbage and their linens. The steel bunk beds lay toppled and roughly disassembled, as if a ``Hurricane'' had blown through.
The stunned recruits line up at attention in the narrow hallway. Towering over most at 6-foot-2, Foster stalks back and forth heaping an ear-splitting tirade on them.
``We got people serving over in Iraq and Afghanistan doing their duty in an honorable fashion putting their life on the line for your worthless butts, and you can't even make a bed right. You got to be (kidding) me!'' he barks, the veins in neck stretched taught.
The weekend ordeal ends Sunday morning. Filthy and sweaty from 20 minutes of push-ups and sit-ups in wet dirt, the recruits file by the cadre to shake hands and accept a certificate.
``Welcome to the United States Armed Forces,'' Foster tells the group. ``It's good to have you aboard.''
WHEN DUTY CALLS, AND CALLS, AND CALLS
The long, grueling Saturday for Bay State National Guard recruits at Camp Edwards pre-basic training program, May 14, 2005.
12:40 a.m. - Dismissed to go to sleep
4:45 a.m. - Wake-up to screaming platoon sergeant
5:05 a.m. - Line up for inspection
5:17 a.m. - Arrive at base gym for push-ups and sit-ups
6:21 a.m. - One-mile road sprint
6:44 a.m. - Breakfast: lukewarm French toast, rubbery sausage
7:18 a.m. - Marching practice
8:15 a.m. - Weapons training in simulator
11:00 a.m. - Map-reading class
12:02 p.m. - Lunch: MREs
12:36 p.m. - Health and fitness class
1:56 p.m. - M-16A2 assault rifle class
3:31 p.m. - Life in basic training session
5:20 p.m. - Dinner: chicken and rice
6:16 p.m. - Back to gym for more push-ups, sit-ups and sprints
7:18 p.m. - Return to find barracks ransacked because bunks weren't made to military standards. Recruits bawled out, ordered to clean up the mess.
8:26 p.m. - Stand sweating for re-inspection
9:12 p.m. - Dismissed for the evening to shower and wash uniforms.
Staff photos by Mark Garfinkel

LOAD-DATE: May 22, 2005

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May 21, 2005 Saturday  
FIRST EDITION

SECTION: THE EDGE; Pg. 026

LENGTH: 351 words

HEADLINE: MUSIC REVIEW; 
 Serious rock image doesn't add up for Sum 41

BYLINE: By CHRISTOPHER BLAGG

BODY:
Sum 41 at Avalon, Boston, Thursday night.
It's always a bit awkward when a snotty punk band tries to redefine itself as a serious rock band. Green Day pulled it off, but Sum 41 is still suffering through growing pains, and those pains were on full display Thursday night at Avalon. 
Considering Sum 41's heavy presence on pop radio and MTV, it was surprising to see Avalon only three-fourths full. The Canadian foursome hasn't had a monster hit since 2001's ``All Killer No Filler,'' but that didn't stop the teeny-bopper punks cramming the floor from shrieking like banshees the entire set. The crowd was an interesting mix of adolescents with bored chaperones and a squadron of Navy boys on shore leave.
The sneering pop punk of ``Hell Song'' began the set, the band displaying a remarkably clean and tight sound, especially for a punk band. But Sum 41 didn't just stick to the three-chord punk aesthetic, showing off a schizoid mix of hardcore slamming and pop metal excess. The tunes from its new record, ``Chuck,'' took stabs at social protest and the Iraq war, but were difficult to digest between the childish snot-nosed antics. At one point, singer-guitarist Deryck Whibley dressed up like a Fat Elvis and screamed through a metal version of ``That's Alright, Mama,'' but the maneuver was more set filler than amusing.
Throughout, Whibley bounced around stage like a toddler with too much sugar, preening for the screaming girls in the front. It seems the scrawny frontman is something of a heartthrob. He'd be better served carving his own identity, as he gave a nifty impression of Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong that lasted the entire set. In fact, for most of the night, Sum 41 came off as a slicker, more image-conscious version of Green Day.
For an encore, Sum 41 showed its rather confusing state of transition. Howling first through the pleas for societal change in ``No Reason,'' the band followed with the buffoonery of its first single, ``Fat Lip,'' which boasts lines such as ``we laugh when old people fall.'' Sum 41: progressive-minded rockers or fart joke-loving punks? Make up your mind.

LOAD-DATE: May 21, 2005

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May 20, 2005 Friday  
ALL EDITIONS

SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. 104

LENGTH: 532 words

HEADLINE: BASEBALL; 
 Selig needs to just say no to feds

BYLINE: By MICHAEL GEE

BODY:
Here's the state of the baseball business in a nutshell: CEO Bud Selig thinks the best way to deal with one of his industry's big problems is to hand the mess off to a more efficient organization - the federal government.
Selig told a congressional committee it was OK by him if the feds wrote and implemented a standard drug testing policy for the four major professional sports. Passing the buck to the world's undisputed champion buck-passers. Now there's a concept. 
Setting aside the proposal's dubious to nonexistent consitutionality, its practical effect would be an unparalleled explosion in the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. Cheaters would be inducted into the Hall of Fame and dead at a ripe old age before test results from their rookie seasons came back from the lab. The lab wouldn't be built because 435 members of the House of Representatives would still be arguing that their district should be the site of the Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis Memorial Urine Specimen Depository.
The steroid hearings, a wholly bipartisan display of idiocy, go far to explain why Congress' poll ratings are testing historic lows. An endless war in Iraq, a massive budget deficit, health care in crisis, and the people's most urgent business is Barry Bonds' cap size?
The question is, why are Selig and his 30 club owner bosses allowing the charade to go on, let alone aiding and abetting said farce. The men who possess major league franchises keep senators and representatives as house pets. If baseball wanted the hearings to go away, they would.
As usual in our national pastime, the answer is money. Selig and the owners would like a stricter drug testing policy than the one they negotiated with the Players Association without having to bargain for it.
After the first set of congressional hearings in March, Selig met with union boss Don Fehr to propose just such a policy. Here's how that scenario played out.
Selig: ``Don, here's my idea of how we can clear steroids right out of baseball and get Congress off our backs.''
Fehr: ``Mmm, interesting. What would the players get in return for agreeing?''
Selig: ``Ahhh, let me get back to you on that.''
Cut to a dusty, cobwebbed phone on Fehr's desk.
Fade to black.
The moguls hope Congress can negate the Basic Agreement and the collective bargaining process. The elected dimbulbs in question agree, because after all, they kept Terry Schiavo hooked up to her feeding tube, didn't they? Aside from amusing some lucky Court of Appeals, the entire procedure would have no effect. The evidence suggests the current ``inadequate'' steroids policy is working. Only one major leaguer has tested positive this season and only 60 of the thousands of minor leaguers.
There's even more evidence that drug use in baseball may be a self-correcting problem.
If poster-child Bonds was a longtime steroid user, he can thank that for the three knee surgeries he has endured since Jan. 31. Players use steroids not only for bigger muscles, but to speed the healing process. Artificial recoveries might have let Bonds go on until his body broke down altogether.
When the body breaks, the income stops. There's the threat that'll ``clean up'' baseball.

LOAD-DATE: May 20, 2005

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May 20, 2005 Friday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 007

LENGTH: 241 words

HEADLINE: Historic carrier's future uncertain

BYLINE: By TOM FARMER

BODY:
ABOARD THE USS JOHN F. KENNEDY - It is a question no one associated with this great fighting ship wants to answer but there is a very good chance that this will be the USS John F. Kennedy's last visit to Boston.
Nearly 40 years old and one of only two of the Navy's 12 aircraft carriers that is not nuclear-powered, the JFK is under serious consideration for decommissioning by Pentagon officials as a cost-cutting move.  
A ruling is expected in February.
``The ship is ready and extremely capable of deploying to any forward theater,'' Rear Adm. Barry McCullough said after the ``Big John'' docked at Black Falcon Pier in South Boston yesterday morning. ``The ship will remain active at least until February.''
With the exception of the USS Constitution, no other Navy ship shares a kinship with Boston like the JFK, which was christened in 1967 by then 9-year-old Caroline Kennedy. ``The namesake says it all,'' said Capt. Dennis FitzPatrick, the JFK's commanding officer. ``It's Boston's aircraft carrier, so to speak.''
Thousands of visitors flocked to the carrier during its last two Hub visits in 1990 and 2000.
The ship, which could serve the nation for at least another 10 years, returned in December to its home port near Jacksonville, Fla., after a six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf to support operations in Iraq. During the bloody fighting last fall in Fallujah, JFK pilots flew missions in support of U.S. Marines for 16 consecutive days.

GRAPHIC: THE FEW, THE PROUD: A crew member climbs aboard an F/A-18 on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy yesterday. At left, the USS JFK arrives in Boston Harbor with crewmen standing at attention. STAFF PHOTOS BY DAVID GOLDMAN

LOAD-DATE: May 20, 2005

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May 20, 2005 Friday  
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SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 007

LENGTH: 311 words

HEADLINE: TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO HUB; 
 USS John F. Kennedy arrives at second home

BYLINE: By TOM FARMER

BODY:
ABOARD THE USS JOHN F. KENNEDY - Loud bangs or whistling sounds still make them nervously look for cover, even though it has been more than two months since anyone has fired a mortar shell at them.
Standing on the flight deck of the USS John F. Kennedy yesterday, a group of Boston-area Marines were thrilled to be coming home but horrifying moments in Iraq remained fresh in their memories. ``It definitely beats the hell out of Iraq,'' laughed Cpl. Sean Powers, 21, of Quincy. ``We had to deal with car bombs, mortars, rockets and IEDs (improvised explosive devices).'' 
Members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the Marines spent a harrowing deployment in the so-called ``Triangle of Death'' near Baghdad. ``I had a car bomb blow up 30 feet from me,'' said Lance Cpl. Andy Hunnefeld of Plymouth. ``Six of our people got hurt but I didn't get hit.''
The Marines, all in their early 20s, now shun crowds and remain constantly on alert. They will likely return to Iraq next spring.
``We had some tough fights,'' said their commander, Col. Ron Johnson of Duxbury. ``I lost 15 of my men and that was very difficult as a commander.''
Despite the bitter fighting, the Marines were still involved with a different kind of holy war. ``We'd be fighting, but I'd still get my updates on the Red Sox and Yankees,'' chuckled Johnson. ``I'd get back to the command post, check to see if all my men were OK and then ask, `Who won the Sox game last night?' ''
The JFK's visit to Boston also meant an emotional homecoming for many sailors with local ties. Raymond Gibree of Worcester wiped tears from his eyes after he found his parents and twin sisters waiting for him.
``I missed them a lot,'' said Gibree, 24, who has spent nearly four years in the Navy and deployed with the JFK to the Persian Gulf last year. ``My mom is a worrier. It doesn't matter what I say, she still worries.''

GRAPHIC: WELCOME BACK: Raymond Gibree, 24, of Worcester hugs his sister Heather, 22, upon seeing her for the first time since Christmas after disembarking from the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy at the Black Falcon Terminal in South Boston yesterday. STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GOLDMAN

LOAD-DATE: May 20, 2005

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May 20, 2005 Friday  
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SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 022

LENGTH: 128 words

HEADLINE: Editorial; 
 Welcome troops home

BODY:
Local veterans leader Tom Lyons is giving Bostonians a rare opportunity tomorrow to say a simple thank you to a group of American heroes.
Lyons has organized a parade in South Boston on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in honor of some 450 Marines returning home on the USS John F. Kennedy from two tours of combat duty in Iraq. 
As Herald city hall reporter Kevin Rothstein reported Thursday, neither the parade, nor the turnout of onlookers can hope to rival the welcome this city gave the Red Sox and Patriots after their championship wins.
No matter. Whether the crowd numbers 2,000 or 20,000, whether duck boats travel down East Broadway or not, this is one of those ``it's the thought that counts'' moments. And saying thank you to a soldier, however simply, counts quite a lot.

LOAD-DATE: May 20, 2005

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May 19, 2005 Thursday  
ALL EDITIONS

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 011

LENGTH: 315 words

HEADLINE: Vet activist urges Bostonians to cheer homecoming heroes

BYLINE: By Kevin Rothstein

BODY:
When 450 Marines fresh from two tours of Iraq combat duty come ashore in Boston tomorrow from the USS John F. Kennedy, there will be no duck boat tours or ticker tape parades for them.
While honors like those are afforded to victorious Red Sox and Patriots teams, the main honor for the combat-weary troops will be a small, privately organized parade in South Boston Saturday.
``When you talk about putting an event on of this magnitude, we'd love to have the help of anybody who wants to be part of a welcome-home ceremony to these heroes, as we call these kids'' said parade organizer Tom Lyons. He said he never asked the city for help, but was asked to help welcome home the troops by Col. Ron Johnson, a Duxbury native who leads the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. 
``It's one thing to cheer these kids off when they're going. We have to be there when they come home as well,'' Lyons said. To cover the estimated $5,000 to $7,000 cost, Lyons, a Vietnam veteran and former deputy head of Boston's Veterans Affairs, is selling T-shirts. The bare-bones celebration is in stark contrast to the massive heroes' welcome the city gave to the World Champion Red Sox, who enjoyed a large parade through the city aboard duck boats.
But city officials say they've done everything the military has asked on short notice.
``Whatever they wanted they got,'' said Michael Galvin, chief of Basic City Services ``We've actually bent over backwards for them.'' In addition to providing security for the carrier's arrival and permitting Saturday's parade, the city has cleared the way for a Marine display at Fanueil Hall and a Marine road race Friday.
Menino has been invited to Saturday's parade. A spokeswoman said he has a tight schedule but will ``make every effort to go.''
The parade starts at 12:30 p.m. at Farragut Road and East Broadway in South Boston and proceeds up East Broadway to Medal of Honor Park.

GRAPHIC: TOM LYONS

LOAD-DATE: May 19, 2005

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Copyright 2005 Boston Herald Inc. 
The Boston Herald

May 19, 2005 Thursday  
ALL EDITIONS

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 020

LENGTH: 931 words

HEADLINE: INSIDE TRACK; 
 Werner's latest pitch: Hub is reel good

BYLINE: By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa

BODY:
If you believe the teeny bopper buzz, Foxboro 'tween queen JoJo has hooked up with Jesse McCartney, J-Kwon and Bow Wow. She says she's Not That Kinda Girl, but we do know JoJo's gone goo-goo for Freddy Adu! Woo-hoo!
Word is, the 14-year-old pop princess and the 15-year-old D.C. United soccer phenom looked veddy friendly at Rock Bottom in Braintree the other night. Which is where the pair repaired for a bite after JoJo watched Freddy's team get blanked 1-0 by the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium. 
``They're like a couple made for MTV and there they are having dinner at Rock Bottom with one of JoJo's friends,'' said our spy on the scene. ``It was pretty funny, because Freddy was getting razzed by his teammates and some of the Revs who were there, too.''
Details of the dinner are sketchy, but we hear the kicker cutie had an 11 p.m. curfew back at the Sheraton Tara across the street. So things obviously wrapped up early.
And why wouldn't JoJo want to be friendly with Phenom Freddy? He's got the Michael Jordan-esque smile and has been known to attract thousands of screaming meemees to United games. The Nike spokesjock's been on the talk-show circuit and has popped up on MTV's too-cool-for-school ``Total Request Live'' and - more recently - the ``Fake ID Club.'' Which was, surprise, surprise, hosted by JoJo!
``Apparently when they were on the show Freddy mentioned that she was hot and she said something like she hoped to get together sometime,'' said our spy.
Well, ain't that a kick?????
Red Sox czar and Hollywood producer Tom Werner has been working behind the scenes to help the State House solons come up with some legislation aimed at helping Massachusetts attract more film business.
Werner, who serves on Cal-eee-for-nee-ya Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's film commission, has been helping House leaders research other states' film-incentive packages with an eye toward getting a bill on Gov. Mitt Romney's desk by the legislative summer recess.
House honcho Tom Petrolati said he and the boss, Sal DiMasi, met Werner on a couple of occasions and asked for his help.
``He indicated that he would like to make more films in the state and offered to help form the legislation,'' Petrolati said.
``The Departed,'' Martin Scorsese's set-in-Boston cop drama starring Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson, is being filmed primarily in New York because that state enacted tax incentives and Massachusetts has not.
Stay tuned.
Tracked down
Elisabeth Hasselbeck Surviving her first day back on the job at ABC's ``The View'' after her maternity leave and bragging that new baby Grace ``likes to eat a lot and sleep a lot - just like her father,'' (ex-BC QB Tim Hasselbeck) . . . ``CSI'' top cop Paul Guilfoyle, in town to address grads at his alma mater, BC High, scoping out his Canton 'hood . . . Talbots PR prince Phil Tracey hanging with ``Will & Grace'' stars Eric McCormack and Debra Messing, ``Ray'' star Jamie Foxx, ``Medium'' gal Patricia Arquette and The Donald at NBC's new fall lineup party in the Apple and escorting his pal, Liz Smith, to her Literacy Gala at Lincoln Center . . . Retired FBI Assistant Director James Kallstrom dining at Saraceno's with his rels . . . Political warhorses Kevin White, Bob Crane, Bobby Travaglini and George Regan dining at Joe Tecce's . . . Boston screenwriter Howard Katz at the Cannes Film Festival rubbing elbows with Sharon Stone while trying to secure a deal for ``Last Call,'' a romantic comedy . . .
We hear
- That it's Lock Up Your Daughters Time today as the aircraft carrier JFK lands in Boston with 450 Marines on board. The Marines, fresh off their second tour of duty in Iraq, will have weekend shore leave here and we assume their fearless leader, Col. Ron Johnson of Duxbury, will show the boys a good time.
- That Hotel Commonwealth honcho Tim Kirwan, returning from a trip to Ireland to push Boston tourism, landed at Logan International Airport to a throng of TV cameras, which he naturally assumed had assembled to hear his pearls of wisdom on attracting Euro dollars to the Hub. He straightened his tie and headed for the microphones, only to be told that, sadly, the press was there to catch passengers on the Alitalia plane that made an unscheduled stop in Maine after a security breach. D'oh!
- That LunchDates founder Steve Penner has sold the dating biz to his partner and will concentrate full time on selling Red Sox T-shirts.
- That it was a hung jury over who owns the Red Sox World Series ball at a mock trial conducted by the kids from the Washington Irving Middle School. The verdict was 9-7 in favor of the Red Sox keeping the baseball over first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, who caught the final out. But the Sox needed a two-thirds majority of the jury to prevail. Hanify & King sponsored the Citizens Schools program and top litigator Tim O'Neill played baseball Commissioner Bud Selig.
- That the Rolling Stones will Roll back into the FleetCenter to play a couple of more dates after the first of the year. Apparently, the Hub fans give Mick & Company much Satisfaction.
- That ``Neutron'' Jack Welch gave some unsolicited advice to George Steinbrenner vis a vis steroid underperformer Jason Giambi: ``Get his ass off that team!'' at a biz breakfast at 21 in the Apple . . . .
- And that enfant terrible rocker Ryan Adams got into it with yet another heckler at Avalon the other night when the guy yelled out ``Play something we know.'' Birds were flipped, F-bombs were dropped. The cranky schtick is getting a little old, dude . . .
Drop dimes to trackgals@bostonherald.com or 617-619-6488. 

LOAD-DATE: May 19, 2005

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Copyright 2005 Boston Herald Inc. 
The Boston Herald

May 18, 2005 Wednesday  
ALL EDITIONS

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 003

LENGTH: 363 words

HEADLINE: O'Reilly: Is politics a Factor in Harvard's `Abu Ghraib' shutout?

BYLINE: By GREG GATLIN

BODY:
Fox News program ``The O'Reilly Factor'' wanted to film Harvard students re-enacting the torture of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib through a theatrical performance that included dance and drama.
But the Factor's cameras weren't allowed into the theater.
Now, Bill O'Reilly and his crew are trying to figure out why. 
Robert Mitchell, director of communications for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, said he'd told O'Reilly's producers on the telephone that Harvard policy does not allow filming or reporters in its FAS buildings, unless permission is granted by the sponsoring group, in this case the student producers of the play. But O'Reilly and his executive producer David Tabacoff told the Herald they got that student OK, and showed up to shoot the show May 12 at the Loeb Experimental Theater.
``We had talked to the producer,'' O'Reilly said. ``Apparently she said yes to our guy. We sent a crew over, and they said, `Oh, you can't come in.' That raises the flag, why not? Don't you want this kind of exposure?''
O'Reilly said he hasn't reached conclusions about the play. ``There's something creepy about it, but I don't know what it is.''
In an e-mail response to Herald questions, ``Abu Ghraib'' director Currun Singh and producer Xin Wei Ngiam wrote that O'Reilly invited them to appear on the Factor, ``but framed the debate in terms of Democrats vs. Republicans, when really, we're about reconciliation, not division. The exploration of prison abuse transcends partisan politics.''
The New York Sun reported that the play, which had a three-day run last week, opened with a handcuffed male actor clothed only in a black hood holding his genitals. It also reportedly featured the character of an Army specialist urinating on a detainee.
Tabacoff said ``The O'Reilly Factor'' was interested in whether the re-enactment may have altered events for dramatic effect, and whether Harvard funded the production. Mitchell said he didn't know if it was university-funded.
In their e-mail, Singh and Ngiam, both sophomores, said they wanted to ``examine closely the human tragedy at Abu Ghraib'' through theater. The show attempts to humanize both prisoners and soldiers, the e-mail said.

LOAD-DATE: May 18, 2005

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Copyright 2005 Boston Herald Inc. 
The Boston Herald

May 11, 2005 Wednesday  
ALL EDITIONS

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 027

LENGTH: 163 words

HEADLINE: Carrier USS JFK's port call may be last for Hub

BYLINE: By TOM FARMER

BODY:
In what could be her final visit to Boston, the USS John F. Kennedy will dock in South Boston next week while the Navy considers whether to decommission the aircraft carrier.
The ``Big John,'' which returned in December from a six-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, will visit Boston May 19-22 along with more than 500 members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, many of whom also saw duty in Iraq. 
``We hope not, but this could be the last time she's in Boston,'' said Navy Reserve Lt. Cmdr. Adam Holland of Lowell, who is assisting with planning the visit.
The carrier went into service in 1968 and may be decommissioned as part of budget cuts.
Named after President Kennedy, the ship has long been beloved by Bostonians, and last visited in 2000.
Among events planned this time, the 24th MEU will march from the ship to Medal of Honor Park in Southie at 11 a.m. May 21 to pay homage at the South Boston Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

LOAD-DATE: May 11, 2005