Coalition of the forgotten

It appears to me that as our liberation of Iraq continues, you hear less and less about the coalition. I verified this by searching Lexis. In 2003, there were more than 1000 references to the term "Coalition Forces and Iraq" in major newspapers. In 2004 there were 729. In 2005 there were 242. So far this year, 49. Here is what this coalition looks like using information from the Brookings Institute showing troop strength by country in the thousands:



From everything I've read, most of the countries in the "Other" column are looking for ways to gracefully disappear over a sand dune.

To the spammers who fill my mailbox

You people are really underachievers. I haven't got anything in months that had the slightest chance at ripping me off. Here are some tips, and if it helps you make more money, you can send me a check, but don't ask for my bank details. Just send the check.

Get a surname. The only person with one name who has the least chance of reaching me is Madonna, and I'm not even sure about that.

Buy a dictionary. If you don't know the difference between there and their, chances are you are not a multinational bank, even if you do add the right logo.

Get a life. Instead of mining the greed of Americans, go out and get a job and do something with your life. If you are really in Nigeria and have millions of dollars, spend some of that to help children in your country.