Patriot Plates: In Oklahoma, the House of Representatives passed legislation to create special license plates with proceeds going to buy body armor for that state's Iraq troops. For every $35 plate purchased, $20 will go into a kitty to buy the protective equipment. Rep. Ryan Kiesel, D-Seminole, who originally proposed the bill, said, “This is a simple, voluntary and cost-effective way for Oklahomans to show their support for our men and women in uniform.” Er, that's in addition to the simple, involuntary way we should be protecting our troops—through taxes. We're at $170 billion and counting for the cost of this war, yet they've got to sell commemorative license plates to afford armor? What's next, a bake sale?