University of Florida News

When we lost the draft a generation ago, we lost a lot. We lost the ability to have a meaningful discussion about anything that involves the military. The Pentagon has begun significant call-ups for the next major rotation of troops in Iraq, but it has no realistic plan for covering our military and domestic security commitments without exhausting our reserve forces.

When Keiko the killer whale, star of the movie “Free Willy,” beached himself earlier this month in western Norway, the story of probably the most expensive animal in human history came to an end. By the time of Keiko’s death, seven years of effort and more than $20 million had been spent vainly - and unwisely - trying to return the whale to the wild.