Weighing the public interest on both sides of a two-year-old environmental legal dispute, Ezra ruled that the Army can resume limited Stryker brigade training in preparation for a late 2007 Iraq deployment.

At least the war profiteers have made their money, sir.

U.S. District Judge David Ezra said yesterday that he has a "profound respect" for the cultural history of Hawai'i, but he reiterated what he has said before: There are precious few things more important than the lives of men and women in the armed forces.

A new analysis of data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control indicates that a toxic chemical in rocket fuel has severely contaminated the nation's food and water supply (read the Environmental Working Group study here).

Scientists warn that the chemical, known as perchlorate, could cause thyroid deficiency in more than 2.2 million women of childbearing age.

This thyroid deficiency could damage the fetus of pregnant women, if left untreated. Perchlorate, the explosive ingredient in solid rocket fuel, has leaked from military bases and defense and aerospace contractors' plants in at least 22 states, contaminating drinking water for millions of Americans.