Wow! Is that 12 column inches, or are you just happy to see me?

Silly me... I was starting to worry that I had lost my legendary feminist edge. But all I had to do was buy a newspaper.

The New York Times found this story fit to print right there on the front page: "Dancers Have Landed in Iraq. Marines Offer No Resistance."

The least they could have done is put "dancers" in quotes.

The dancers, known as the Purrfect Angelz, boast one starlet, Tanea, who not only served three years as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, but also played quarterback in the Lingerie Football League.

That's right, grrrls and boyz, your tax dollars are hard (!) at work sending a troup of "dancers" on tour in Iraq. It's all in an effort to boost, you know, "morale." The NYT said this "Shake and Awe" campaign was so effective some of the Marines "had to be reminded not to leave their weapons behind." (which weapons, one wonders? and whose behind?)

Will getting a hard on make these guys better soldiers? What about all the our women soldiers? Gosh--I hope they're lesbians, or at least happily self-loathing enough to appreciate this pep rally.

In truth, I have to admit that some of the LFL footballers' outfits are mighty cute.

What I don't appreciate is:

1) cheerleaders with Uzis

2) my tax dollars supporting an act designed to get these guys all revved up and frustrated with sexual tension that can be redirected to make them better killers... I mean, soldiers.

3) the New York Times writing about it without any sense of irony... Come on, these ladeeez are not Marilyn Monroe or Jane Russell. They're not movie stars. They are sex industry professionals. Why not be honest about that and actually take a moment to consider what that says about military spending, gender dynamics in the still male-dominated military, and this worthy mission of exporting "democracy" to the Middle East.