Mark's Notebook

Theft, Politics, and Videotape

While we were parked at the Reno Hilton for 36 hours this weekend, my "support our troops" ribbon-magnet disappeared from the tailgate of my truck.

The truck was dirty enough that even after all the rain we drove through, the magnet's imprint was still visible. Mary says she sees fingerprints toward the top of the imprint, which indicates that someone took it.

Why would someone take my magnet? Mary says she hopes whoever stole it did so because they support our troops and wanted to display the magnet on their own car. But I think that theft is a funny way to show support for the troops. After all, our troops have died to defend our freedoms, the freedom to steal not being one of them (unless you are a politician or a corporate executive).

If this was a statement of disapproval of the "support our troops" message, then we are in a very sorry state indeed. My stepson just return from serving seven months with the Marines in Iraq. I might not personally fully approve of the war and the way in which our government has conducted it, but I am 100 percent behind our troops because several of them are my family members.

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Last updated Tuesday 13 May 2008