Saddam Hussein has been captured. The stock market is back up over 10,000 -- or at least it was at closing yesterday.

But something's missing. Make that someone.

One thing about the late Roger Schmidt, he was never at a loss for an opinion.

"You screwed up the stock market again," he used to tell associated editor Dawn Cribbs.

"Did you see Jay Leno last night?"

Between the flu and Roger's sudden demise, this column was one of the things that went undone for the last couple of weeks. Other columnists have already commented on our loss, so I apologize to readers who are thinking "enough already."

But personal columns are just that, so the loss of a key fellow employee and friend is too much to ignore.

Roger would have had an opinion about what should be done with Saddam -- something swift and decisive, I'm sure.

Roger was proud of his collections, and sometimes showed off his latest proof set, or told of his collection of airline liquor bottles.

He watched the stock market carefully, and had every reason to believe his investments would serve him well in his old age.

He watched each advance and decline, calculating, I'm sure, the dollars lost and gained.

In the end, it didn't matter a whit.

Thousands of gamblers are buying Power Ball tickets today, hoping against hope to win the $100 million on the line Wednesday night.

Yes, the money would be fun to win, but one doesn't have to look far to find horror stories that occur when such responsibility is thrust upon the unprepared.

In the end, all the money in the world won't make a difference when your heart stops beating.

After Roger's death, a co-worker said he had learned a lesson about priorities: "God first, family second, job third."

That does not mean we don't do our best to deliver an honest day's work for an honest day's pay -- there's nothing more rewarding that knowing we've given a task our best effort.

But as we head into the holiday season, it's a good time to remember that our family and friends, not money and possessions, are the only things that count in the end.

---

We've never lived in complete isolation in Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas, but the recent story about a dog, caught in a trap, proves just how much the Internet has brought the world home.

A story, intended to recognize two boys who cared for an injured dog, and encourage trappers to check their traps daily, brought both sides of the animal rights issue to focus.

Now, thanks to online search engines and instant communications, animal rights groups that some see as terrorists, outdoors interests and those who make their living from animals have gotten involved.

More letters on the issue are included today.

I'm sorry. I love pets, and often recommend them to people. There's nothing like the unconditional love and acceptance a dog or cat can provide its owner. (In the cat's case, perhaps it should be "unconditional tolerance.")

But animals are animals, and people are people. Animals deserve respect and humane treatment, but not human rights.

I think Roger would agree.