Send some oatmeal cookies, talk the weather, as it's cold over there too, especially at night. My daughter in law is there and she says it's freezing and even snowed some in Bagdad last week or week before.

They can't talk about how screwed up the govt is, or anything about Bush, so don't even go there as they've taken the Oath and you'll put him at a disadvantage. He doesn't need to be reminded about how screwed it is, as him and his buddies are paying for our mistake of letting this unfold as it has. They know better than anyone how screwed it is

Internet connections are frequently shut off to the troops, especially if something big is going down or if weird stuff has happened, so if you don't hear back keep on writing with the knowledge that the kid is reading your stuff and that he's glad to know that somebody cares enough to write. Keep them connected to back home, Iraq is another planet and they need to remember that it ain't the only reality.

Write him a story and stay upbeat! He ain't a stranger, he's yore kin, take care of him Girl! ;~)

Tweed