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In four years of writing a weekly column, I have never been buried in such an avalanche of e-mail thanking me for an opinion.

Judging from the hundreds of responses (99.99 percent of them supportive of my position), "Ask Me if I Care About 'Mishandling' of Koran" touched a nerve like nothing I have ever written. They ran the gamut from the crude to the sad to the angry. And while I certainly would have guessed there was a lot of "I don't care" sentiment out there, I could never have anticipated the sheer number of responses. Without revealing anyone's identity, I would like to share some of them.

The most common theme running though the letters was that I had articulated exactly what they were thinking and feeling. "I don't care" became almost a rallying cry.

A woman identifying herself simply as Leona wrote: "If I could give you a standing ovation, I would! Instead, I sent it to every stinking liberal I know that says we have no business being in Iraq and we are mistreating the Iraqi prisoners...To that I say: GIVE ME A BREAK! THIS IS WAR NOT A TEA PARTY!"

A man named Ron wrote: "I wish this e-mail to travel world wide. I absolutely, unequivocally cannot say strong enough these same thoughts! THANK YOU!"

A few well-intentioned (but obviously deluded) individuals wrote that I would have their vote if I ran for president (proving once and for all the incredible dearth of leaders).

A woman describing herself as a "retired military wife" wrote, "Bless you! You have said all the things that we Americans would love to shout to the world! Just think of the millions you have reached. I am so grateful."

Vietnam Veterans knew the frustration of being disrespected after laying their lives on the line. One who served in that thankless war wrote: "You said the same thing I've been saying for sometime now. You are right; I don't care! Keep up the good work." He signed it simply, "A retired Marine & Viet Nam Vet."

It was especially humbling to receive praise from members of the Greatest Generation. Those who fought in World War II know what it takes to win a war. They remember because they know that losing is an unacceptable option. Some of these seniors were service men themselves during WWII. One identified himself as "French by birth, Canadian by choice," and signed his letter "Ex-French bomber pilot, trained by the U.S. Air Corps, 1944-45." He simply wrote, "I remember!"

Another said, "Doug, just to let you know that there are untold numbers of us who feel just as you do, only we can't say it as eloquently. Thanks from all us 'old vets.'"

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