As we reach the fifth anniversary of the U.S. military invasion of Iraq, we mourn the deaths of 4,000 of our brave military and the loss of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of Iraqi citizens. For those of us who agree with the prevailing opinion of independent military and foreign-policy experts that the war should not have happened, cannot be won, and is in fact making us less secure around the world, the continuation of the war is both heartbreaking and inexplicable.

The reason for Peter Pitts' overheated rhetoric in a recent River Cities' Reader guest commentary ("We're Taking Your Medicine, Literally," Issue 674, March 5-11, 2008) would have been a lot clearer if he had disclosed his multiple entanglements with the brand-name pharmaceutical industry.

Last week Isle of Capri (IOC) announced Bernie Goldstein's retirement as CEO and named his successor, Jim Perry, formerly of Trump Entertainment Resorts and Argosy Gaming. Goldstein will remain chair of the board of directors. Included in the shareholder's financial report was the news that the IOC Bettendorf property was planning a landside expansion of additional hotel rooms and new gaming facility to be joined to a new 50,000-square-foot convention center. What was implied and confirmed in subsequent media reports was the intent to scuttle any landside development for the Davenport casino, which they intend to ultimately re-brand as the Lady Luck. The Isle in Bettendorf would be "regional" casino, and the Davenport casino would serve a local market.

In early 2006, Governor Rod Blagojevich faced a firestorm of criticism from Jewish leaders for his appointment of Louis Farrakhan's "minister of protocol" to the Illinois Hate Crimes Commission. Several Jewish members resigned from the commission in protest of Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad's appointment, but Blagojevich refused to back down and claimed he didn't know who she was when he put her on the commission.