It's unbelievable to me…

…that well-intentioned foreigners still go to Iraq to try to help the locals. There's brave and then there's crazy, and heading to Baghdad to make a difference in the world is a running long-jump over that line.

If you're wearing government khaki, Mr. Bush has seen to it that you need to be there. If you strap on body armor and automatic weapons in the morning and guard fuel convoys for Halliburton, chances are you belong there. If you're a heavily-guarded major network TV anchor reporting from Baghdad, you are walking that thin line between brave and crazy.

If you're doing anything else there, you're nuts and your friends and loved ones need to do an intervention before you end up in the next hostage video. I am serious as a heart attack. There are plenty of needy folks and organizations that service them here at home and other places abroad that could use your generosity of spirit. Risking your life needlessly doesn't make your altruism more valuable; by its sheer expendability, it actually makes it less valuable.

If you're still not convinced, think about this: Even if you're over there with a heart full of love for the Iraqi people, as this latest kidnap victim, Jill Carroll, seems to be, if it's al Qaeda that grabs you up, your good will for the locals isn't gonna make a bit of difference. You're an American and an infidel and your fate is sealed.

These days, the road to hell that is paved with good intentions runs right through downtown Baghdad. Go to Brazil and save a fucking rain forest instead and spare your family their broken hearts.