An e-mail from a retired Marine:

"Dear Hugh:

I've come up with what I think is a good analogy that may help your listeners understand the significance of the Sarin gas shell that was recently found in Iraq.

We are all familiar with the Mars robots that are cruising around the Red Planet looking for signs of life. Suppose that they were unable to find a single bit of evidence for it; no water, no carbon, no primitive fossils, nothing. Then, on the last day of their exploration, one of them finds... a spoon.

Now, on its face, it's an insignificant find. Just a common eating utensil. But do you think the folks at NASA will consider it insignificant? Of course not; it would be a monumental find. Imagine the implications! That one spoon would provide evidence for fully developed extraterrestrial life, hominid life forms, interplanetary space travel, a functioning industry, economy, and government base which is not of earthly origin... The list could go on and on.

Likewise, with that single chemical warhead we know several things. First and foremost, that it must be the product of a Saddamist government program, it could not have been something that was mixed up in someone's garage with fertilizer and gasoline. Also, it gives evidence of a chemical warfare industry in Iraq, as well as a dedicated military program. The fact that it was used by agents who didn't really know how to use it is particularly chilling, as it may indicate that the shells are so numerous that almost anyone can get their hands on them. Again, as with the spoon on Mars, the list of implications goes on and on. It's no wonder that the liberal press has so carefully avoided mentioning it. After all, according to them, Bush has been lying about WMD's, and this artillery shell doesn't fit with the story they've been telling.

Thanks for your program Hugh; keep slugging away at the lefties.

Sincerely,
Stephen M. Young, LtCol (Ret), USMC"