I'll get back into the swing of things when I have more time - not only for my own blog, but also when I have more time to get back to reading many of my favorite blogs, too.
Until then, enjoy the summer!
And ITMFA!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
My Schadenfreude Meter Is Stuck on Red Line: Thanks David Vitter
Thanks a lot Senator Vitter, you moral blowhard by day, freakazoid by night, I'm going to need a new schadenfreude meter. This one is busted; pushed way beyond the red line.
From the Quote Machine:
I don't think David will be sleeping too well at night these days:
From the Quote Machine:
Marriage is a core institution of societies throughout the world and throughout history. It's something that has provided permanence and stability for our very social structure.
We need a U.S. Senator who will stand up for Louisiana values, not Massachusetts’s values. I am the only Senate Candidate to coauthor the Federal Marriage Amendment; the only one fighting for its passage. I am the only candidate proposing changes to the senate rules to stop liberal obstructionists from preventing an up or down vote on issues like this, judges, energy, and on and on.
[Bob Livingston's resignation is] obviously a tremendous loss for the state.... I think Livingston's stepping down makes a very powerful argument that Clinton should resign as well and move beyond this mess. [Vitter on the Clinton-Lewinsky affair and former House Speaker Bob Livingston]
I don't think David will be sleeping too well at night these days:
Vitter's wife, Wendy, said in 2000 that if her husband cheated on her, she would react like a woman who cut off her sleeping husband's penis. "I'm a lot more like Lorena Bobbitt than Hillary [Clinton]," she said. "If he does something like that, I'm walking away with one thing, and it's not alimony, trust me. I think fear is a very good motivating factor in a marriage
Sunday, July 8, 2007
American Research Group Confirms What We Already Know: ITMFsA
American Research Group conducted a survey recently. 45% of Americans want to begin impeachment proceedings against Dubya, and a majority want the same for Darth Cheney. As usual these days, Republicans are off babbling in a corner, while Democrats and Independents agree: ITMFsA.
ARG
ITMsFA (I added the plural.)
ARG
ITMsFA (I added the plural.)
Monday, July 2, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
President Bush is an Asshole
There's no way around this conclusion. Dan Froomkin
via Wonkette
"Congress joined the Bush Administration for a nice little barbecue on the South Lawn [Tuesday] night. The theme was Mardi Gras, so everybody could enjoy memories of New Orleans being destroyed by the Bush Administration and then pretty much left in that same condition years later....
From the transcript:
"THE PRESIDENT: Kermit Ruffins and the Barbeque Swingers, right out of New Orleans, Louisiana. (Applause.)
"MR. RUFFINS: Thank you. Thanks for having us. We're glad to be here.
"THE PRESIDENT: Proud you're here. Thanks for coming. You all enjoy yourself. Make sure you pick up all the trash after it's over. (Laughter.)"
via Wonkette
A Review of Recent US Death Trends in Iraq
Most people know that more US soldiers are dying than at any previous time in the Iraq war/occupation. 2007 was the deadliest February, March and May, and the second deadliest January and April. June will surely be another grim record-setting month.
542 troops have already died in 2007. In 2006, the 542nd troop died in October. That's one surge no one wants - even the NeoCons. ICCC
This got me thinking about the causes of US deaths. My expectation was that, given the surge, we would see a lot more troops dying in combat operations as they take the fight directly to the enemies. This is what the military has had us expect.
Unfortunately, this presumption doesn't hold up to the facts on the ground. The Brookings Institute tracks the cause of US deaths into broad groups - IEDs, mortars/rockets, RPGs, helicopter losses, other hostile fire (which I presume be to mainly from enemy rifles and guns) and non-hostile causes.
Breaking this down, non-hostile deaths have generally numbered between 5 and 10 per month recently. Mortars/rockets, RPGs, and helicopter losses are very small contributors - one percent or less of total troop losses. (Note that deaths from each of these categories have come way down over time.)
This leaves two categories - IEDs and other hostile fire. Here's the breakdown for the entire war and for the time period from March 1 through June 10.
Percent of US troop fatalities from:
IEDs: Entire War = 39%; March-June 10, 2007: 63%
Other hostile fire: Entire War = 31%; March-June 10, 2007: 28% Brookings
Even through the percent of deaths from non hostile file is slightly down recently, more soldiers are dying from this cause because, well, more soldiers are dying, period. I presume these soldiers are mostly dying fighting the enemy - a point the military brass have been making. I never want to say any death is acceptable, but the point is merely made that these men and women are dying fighting.
On the other hand, the huge increase in IED fatalities is simply unacceptable to me. These soldiers are simply sitting ducks, dying as the drive the roads of Iraq. This is an incredibly tragic outgrowth of the occupation, and I presume, the surge. And it is yet another example of why the surge is failing.
542 troops have already died in 2007. In 2006, the 542nd troop died in October. That's one surge no one wants - even the NeoCons. ICCC
This got me thinking about the causes of US deaths. My expectation was that, given the surge, we would see a lot more troops dying in combat operations as they take the fight directly to the enemies. This is what the military has had us expect.
Unfortunately, this presumption doesn't hold up to the facts on the ground. The Brookings Institute tracks the cause of US deaths into broad groups - IEDs, mortars/rockets, RPGs, helicopter losses, other hostile fire (which I presume be to mainly from enemy rifles and guns) and non-hostile causes.
Breaking this down, non-hostile deaths have generally numbered between 5 and 10 per month recently. Mortars/rockets, RPGs, and helicopter losses are very small contributors - one percent or less of total troop losses. (Note that deaths from each of these categories have come way down over time.)
This leaves two categories - IEDs and other hostile fire. Here's the breakdown for the entire war and for the time period from March 1 through June 10.
Percent of US troop fatalities from:
IEDs: Entire War = 39%; March-June 10, 2007: 63%
Other hostile fire: Entire War = 31%; March-June 10, 2007: 28% Brookings
Even through the percent of deaths from non hostile file is slightly down recently, more soldiers are dying from this cause because, well, more soldiers are dying, period. I presume these soldiers are mostly dying fighting the enemy - a point the military brass have been making. I never want to say any death is acceptable, but the point is merely made that these men and women are dying fighting.
On the other hand, the huge increase in IED fatalities is simply unacceptable to me. These soldiers are simply sitting ducks, dying as the drive the roads of Iraq. This is an incredibly tragic outgrowth of the occupation, and I presume, the surge. And it is yet another example of why the surge is failing.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Thinking Blogger Award
I Wish I were in Paris hit me with a Thinking Blogger Award. I am really amazed to have gotten this award since there are literally thousands of excellent sites out there. Even in my little blogging world there are literally dozens and dozens of great sites to choose from. Thanks Paris, I am really honored.
Thinking Blogger has a great idea that has proved to be very popular. Here are the rules that I blatantly copied:
1. If, and only if you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).
Okay, that was the easy part. Now on to the hard part. The five blogs that I have chosen that make me think are:
1. Informed Consent. Professor of Middle East History, Juan Cole is one of the first blogs I read every morning. If you really want insights on the war on Iraq, Sunnis, Shia, Palestinians, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, anything on the Middle East, then this is an absolute must-read. Dr. Cole also translates many Arabic newspaper articles - essential for understanding different points of view in this most volatile land.
2. Another Point of View is blog I highly recommend - just be sure to have had your morning coffee and be prepared to concentrate. Mentarch's posts have many relevant links and references to back up his assertions. He has a typically excellent post today on contrasting priorities of PTSD problems for state department officials in Iraq/Afghanistan and our troops on the ground.
3. Suzie-Q (and the Justice Blog Team) is a prodigious source of politicking punditry. Because there are multiple contributors, they cover a lot of territory. Whether its the mess in Iraq, Big Brother, or jut another rotten CEO, Suzie-Q is on it like stink on BushCo. The site is really well done with a great mix of graphics and pictures. Still, I just can't figure out if the pic of Suzie is real or not. That mystery only adds to the allure.
4. I would be remiss to exclude the newly remodeled Reconstitution 2.0 site. There's always something new and good there. Yesterday's post on the possible collapsing credit bubble still has me thinking. And worrying.
5. Finally, I'm going to give a shout-out to my buddy TomCat at Politics Plus. I first became aware of TomCat about the time we were in on an April Fool's gag with a number of other bloggers. Since then, I try to visit his site every time I'm blogging. TomCat's posts are always interesting and often provocative. He usually has multiple posts every day on a variety of topics near and dear to my heart - bashing BushCo and the vile NeoCons, helping me understand what it means to be a religious liberal (God-hating liberals would be advised to read his posts on this topic - they are real eye-openers), as well as a variety of domestics and international issues. Don't miss his twice-monthly poll.
There are so many other sites I really enjoy, and that's not just some smarmy BS. But the rules say five. Please click on any and all of the links I've blogrolled. I've reviewed each of them multiple times and they all share one thing in common - they are all great!
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