I heard on KPFA this morning that the US Navy is posting hiring ads online for professional morticians. It's not really clear what the Navy will need them for, if this photojournal (warning: not for the faint of heart!) by Peter Turnley from the last war on Iraq is any indication. (Note that said photojournal depicts Iraqi troops slaughtered in the midst of a retreat -- isn't that a war crime??) But, apparently, the Navy will be needing these morticians sooner than later, since the US has severed its last diplomatic ties with Iraq. Don't be fooled by the spectacle, though -- it looks like Ashcroft has further plans for us right here at home, in a turn of horrifying legislation best described as the "Patriot Act II". As usual, the mainstream media ignored the leak almost completely, even though Reuters actually reported it with a straight face.