'Morning Edition' Letters

Copyright © 2006 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

STEVE INSKEEP, host:

And it's the time when you get to speak.

(Soundbite of music)

INSKEEP: We received many comments about our interview with General George Casey, the senior American commander in Iraq. He said that U.S. military operations in Baghdad have helped to improve security in recent weeks. Listener David Wheating(ph) of Littleton, Colorado is a veteran who says he served in Afghanistan.

(Soundbite of listener voicemail)

Mr. DAVID WHEATING (Caller): While General Casey did a good job of defending a failing position, his arguments and defenses are so recycled that they are nearly meaningless.

INSKEEP: We also heard about security in Iraq from Time Magazine reporter Bobby Ghosh. He spoke to us from Baghdad and described U.S. military operations there.

(Soundbite of previous MORNING EDITION broadcast)

Mr. BOBBY GHOSH (Reporter, Time Magazine): What typically happens is that when the U.S. military shows up in a neighborhood, the bad guys, if you like, melt away.

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

That language brought this comment from Rob Pates(ph) of Charlottesville, Virginia.

(Soundbite of listener voicemail)

Mr. ROB PATES (Caller): Bad guys. It takes me back to my youth of games and cowboys and Indians, where bad guys wore black hats and could be shot dead without further ado. But I think I've learned since the age of five that things aren't quite as simple as that. Those bad guys may have support of a large proportion of the Iraqi population.

INSKEEP: We also have some corrections this morning. In our remembrance of photographer of Joe Rosenthal, who captured the World War II image of U.S. servicemen raising the American flag on Iwo Jima, some listeners heard us say that six Marines were depicted in that photo. Actually, there were five Marines and one Navy Corpsman.

We also said that Joe Rosenthal took the photo near the end of fighting at Iwo Jima, but the shooting actually continued for several weeks.

MONTAGNE: In our story about Iraqis who are refugees in their own country, we misinterpreted the comments of one Arabic-speaking refugee. We interpreted her remarks as God, get my revenge. Some Arabic-speaking listeners wrote to tell us the woman was using a phrase often said during trying times: I can only depend on God. I have only God.

INSKEEP: Finally, we have this note from Cheryl Williams(ph) of Waco, Texas in response to a brief item about a young man who was trapped in a vat of chocolate. She writes: I'm very, very glad and relieved he was not seriously injured.

MONTAGNE: She goes on to say, I've got to tell you that the first thing we thought of was the Smothers Brothers singing, Oh, I Fell Into a Vat of Chocolate. We were in the car and immediately launched into the rest of it.

(Soundbite of song I Fell In A Vat of Chocolate)

Mr. TOM SMOTHERS (Comedian): (Singing) I fell in a vat of chocolate...

Mr. DICK SMOTHERS (Comedian): (Singing) What'd you do when you fell into the chocolate?

Mr. TOM AND DICK SMOTHERS: (Singing) La, le, doo, dum, la, le, doo, dum day.

Mr. TOM SMOTHERS: (Singing) I just yelled fire when I fell into the chocolate...

Mr. DICK SMOTHERS: (Singing) Tom, why'd you yell fire when you fell into the chocolate?

Mr. TOM SMOTHERS: (Singing) Well, I yelled fire because no one would save me if I yelled chocolate...

(Soundbite of laughter)

Mr. TOM SMOTHERS: No one would save me if I had yelled chocolate...

INSKEEP: If you'd like to get our attention, just send us a note. It can be almost as fun as a vat of chocolate. Just go to npr.org and click on Contact Us.

(Soundbite of song I Fell In A Vat of Chocolate)

Mr. TOM SMOTHERS: (Singing) I just fell in a vat of chocolate...

Mr. DICK SMOTHERS: Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Mr. DICK SMOTHERS: You just said you fell in a vat of chocolate.

Mr. TOM SMOTHERS: I know. I fell right in this vat of chocolate.

Mr. DICK SMOTHERS: I know and I asked you a question. I said, what did you do when you fell in the chocolate?

Mr. TOM SMOTHERS: I swam a lot (unintelligible)...

(Soundbite of laughter)

Mr. TOM SMOTHERS: It was a 30-foot vat and we just...

Mr. DICK SMOTHERS: No, what did you do? There had to - first of all there had to be a restraining rail on the vat of chocolate.

Mr. TOM SMOTHERS: Well, I used to kind of balance on that rail…

INSKEEP: It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News.

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