On CNN.com today, I was reading a sad story about seven soldiers who were killed in Iraq today. Two of these men had recently written an op-ed piece in the New York Times saying the "Baathist tyranny" has simply been replaced by an "Islamic tyranny", and arguing Iraq is generally worse off since America invaded. Out of the 7 soliders who authored that article, 3 are now dead in the span of 1 month. 7 soldiers dying in a car accident is sad. That two of those soldier wrote a highly-read newspaper article only a few weeks ago saying what they were doing was pointless and actually making the situation worse, that is REALLY sad.

Isn't it better to die doing something you truly believe in?

Just as I had finished the article, I noticed the ad that ran along side it:
"If you died today, who would fund your family's future?" An ad for life insurance.

Is this what contextual ads have come to? An article about multiple deaths in Iraq, next to an ad for life insurance??? And the tagline reads, "If you died today"???

Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. This ad is in the poorest taste. I understand that life insurance companies need a place to advertise, but they should absolutely be blocked from running ads next to obituaries and other news reports of deaths. And their ads should be tasteful, not attempting to shock the viewer "if you died today" after reading an article about multiple accidental deaths. They are basically attempting to profit from these deaths. Maybe there should be NO ads next to news articles that report death, but life insurance has to be the worst thing you can try to sell there.