"It is the effort to make a profit he opposes, as if trying to make a profit were an un-American activity. Is he saying no anti-war protests should be strengthened by the energy of capitalism? Should Michael Moore have let everyone see Fahrenheit 9/11 for free?

Many anti-war protesters, including Cindy Sheehan, have seen the value of using the names of the fallen to spread their message. But when we are talking about thousands of names, there is no practical way to incorporate those names into anti-war gear unless some money changes hands."

/shoulda used the Sick tag

Lorelle: Well, of course. Only Halliburton is allowed to profit from dead soldiers.

Waitaminit: I thought Halliburton lost all its Pentagon contracts and is now profiting from the black folks in New Orleans that Bush doesn't care about.

Just trying to keep things in order so I know who to hate.

jesusandeinstein: i mean, think of the logistics!

Yes, let's.

You are aware that many of the no-bid contracts are won by Halliburton simply because no other company exists in the world that can fulfill them?

Biff_Steel: Free speech surrenders.

Right. Because we all know free speech means anything that CAN be said MUST be said.

/good taste, manners and public mores also surrender

anrwlias: if you want to put my name on a T-shirt, there's nothing I can do to stop you, so long as you aren't libeling me in the process

Not quite true--if I establish that you are profiting from using my name without my permission, I can force you to stop.

merreborn: There are thousands of T-Shirts all over the net that use the names of people without their permission.

The law draws a sharp distinction between celebrities and other folks.

People often get famous against their will: Because they witnessed something, got sued, were involved in a court case, etc. If someone in that category wants to sue for libel they merely need to demonstrate that the publisher said something demonstrably untrue that reasonable diligence should have allowed them to avoid.

Movie stars, professional athletes, politicians and so on are in the public eye on purpose. If you're a celbrity and you want to sue the bar is very, very high: You have to prove not only that something was untrue, but that the publisher KNEW it was untrue and published it anyway with "malice aforethought" AND you have to demonstrate actual loss or damages.

Soldiers who die in war and their survivors are generally not in this second category--with exceptions such as Cindy Sheehan, of course.

The CraneMeister: If someone in that category wants to sue for libel

Clarification: Anyone can sue anyone for anything, of course. What I mean here is if you want to sue for libel and be confident it will stick.

FredGarvin: Well, as has been pointed out, our chickenhawk-in chief has been exploiting them, what's worse? T-shirt guy or the guy who sent them off to die for lies?

No soldier in Iraq was sent there without his or her permission.