Editorials
American Taliban
Is John Walker, who left a comfortable life in California and wound up fighting alongside the Taliban, a traitor or a troubled soul -- or both?

'Throw it in the street'?
The Tampa City Council made the right decision by refusing to renew the contract with the Tampa-Hillsborough Action Plan. Giving THAP, a non-profit housing agency, another penny in public funds would make a mockery of ethics and accountability. The city should sever its ties and find a new partner to provide housing to low-income residents.

Gulf veterans' concerns
Military officials have announced that veterans who served in the Persian Gulf region are almost twice as likely as other soldiers to develop the fatal neurological disorder known as Lou Gehrig's disease. As a result, the Veterans' Administration will begin providing additional benefits and compensation to Persian Gulf War veterans who developed the disease and to the survivors of those who died from it.

Letters
Historical perspective on the Mideast
Re: Children of Abraham: The battle for Palestine, Dec. 9.

Flore De Preneuf
A portrait of madmen
Osama Bahar and Nabil Halabiyeh were Palestinians, childhood friends and soccer buddies -- none of which explains why they walked into a crowded Jerusalem plaza, detonated two bombs and killed 10 Israelis along with themselves.

Bill Maxwell
U.S. should reconsider aid to Israel
Israel has severed ties with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. As an American citizen and a taxpayer, I want to go on record stating that the United States should reconsider its ties with Israel.

Martin Dyckman
Tax reform fight is nothing new
TALLAHASSEE -- It's not a new fight that Senate President John McKay will be picking Monday when he formally announces the tax reform campaign he has spent months preparing. It goes back at least to 1949, when he was one year old.

Robyn E. Blumner
Paying for organs may save lives
Egg Donation Inc. in California promises women their "donation" to infertile couples will pay off to the tune of $3,000 to $10,000. "We strongly believe," states a company Web page, "that an egg donor should receive consideration for her commitment, and loss of time from work and her family."

Philip Gailey
Measures to fight terrorism neither benign, draconian
Homefront critics of the Bush administration's antiterrorism tactics haven't fared much better than the Taliban warriors in Afghanistan, but at least they are not having to hide in caves. Although the president's opponents have lost nearly all of the major battles, the debate over the balance between security and civil liberties has been a healthy one for our democracy, and it has had some positive results.