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Author: TriSec    Date: 01/31/2012 11:31:24

Good Morning.

Today is our 3,768th day in Afghanistan.

We'll start this morning as we always do; with the latest casualty figures from our ongoing war, courtesy of Antiwar.com:

US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 1,889
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 991

We find this morning's Cost of War passing through:

$ 1, 297, 572, 700, 000 .00


Since today is Primary day in the fine state of Florida, we'll start with some election news. Like all citizens, soldiers are entitled to vote in any and all elections held in the US. But it's a little more difficult logistically. You'd think that they'd be able to register and vote on the base, and you'd be correct for those soldiers that have a permanent address in the United States, whether on-base or off.

Overseas though, the rules are a little different. You stay registered in your "home" district, and all voting is by absentee ballot. I myself have a relative that married a Canadian citizen, and has spent the better part of 5 decades as an ex-pat living in Toronto. However, she never renounced her American citizenship, and has remained on the voter rolls in Lynnfield, MA to this day...and still votes by absentee ballot every year.

For those 'defending our liberties', you'd think the process would be easy, but it hasn't always been. However, there's some encouraging news, and it's hoped that the process will be much easier this November than in past years.


WASHINGTON — Voting experts anticipate fewer problems for military and overseas absentee voters in this November’s presidential election, thanks to more online tools and more accommodating deadlines from states.

However, overseas voting advocacy groups say more still needs to be done to help those citizens participate in all elections.

A new study released by the Pew Center on the States said that all but four states have adjusted their laws and deadlines to ensure that ballots are sent to absentee voters at least 45 days before the election, ensuring they have adequate time to fill out and return the documents.

For the last decade, late-arriving ballots have been the top reason that absentee votes are discounted by state election officials, according to data from the Election Assistance Commission. In 2009, Pew researchers found that 26 states did not give overseas citizens enough time to submit their absentee votes, leading to thousands of discarded ballots.

“But the vast majority of states have enacted reforms since then,” said Sean Greene, project manager of election initiatives for the Pew Center. “Overseas voters are in a better position now than they were in any previous elections.”

Researchers also noted dramatic improvements in online voting tolls in the last four years and anticipate they’ll help cut down on ballot delivery and return times as well.

In 2008, only 20 states allowed overseas voters to receive blank ballots via fax or email. This year, all 50 states and the District of Columbia will allow those citizens to get emailed ballots.

That’s a critical improvement, according to Bob Carey, director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

“In my time in the military, I’ve had several different addresses,” he said. “But I’ve always had the same [email address]. That’s never going to change.”

The Pew study was released Friday at the annual Overseas Vote Foundation’s annual summit. Last year, a survey by the group found that nearly one-third of overseas voters who wanted to participate in the 2010 national elections could not successfully cast a ballot — because of mismailed paperwork, too-tight deadlines and other common frustrations.

That was actually an improvement over 2008. OVF officials surveying after that election found that nearly half of overseas citizens who requested ballots did not successfully vote.

OVF and Pew officials said that more can be done to help overseas voters, particularly in the four states that still have unworkable mailing deadlines for absentee ballots: Alaska, California, New York and West Virginia.

Pew researchers noted that Alabama, Alaska, Virginia and Wisconsin still require a notary or witness to validate the ballots before they are mailed back, another significant obstacle to participation. And 16 states do not recognize the federal write-in absentee ballot for state and local contests, even though that document is designed to be a ballot of last-resort for any election.

Speakers at the summit also cautioned against rapid adoption of online voting tools beyond the blank ballots, noting that many concerns still exist with how those votes would be counted and secured.

Nearly 321,000 troops overseas and in the United States successfully cast absentee ballots in the 2008 presidential election, according to the Election Assistance Commission.


We'll jump in our time machine for a brief visit to 1991 Iraq. We all know about Gulf War Syndrome, a baffling and sometimes debilitating disease that has affected thousands of returning vets from that conflict. Over the ensuing decades, vast amounts of research has been done regarding the cause and possible cures, with little overall success. However, the lead culprit seems to be any number of toxins and heavy metals left over from the fighting, not the least of which is the leftover depleted uranium shells fired en masse by A-10s over the desert. The research continues, and now with a new crop of soldiers returning from Iraq, there are some disturbing discoveries.


Researchers at Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York have determined that a soldier who deployed to Iraq is now carrying particles of titanium, iron and copper in his lungs.

In a letter published this month in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Stony Brook Assistant Professor of Surgery and Medicine Dr. Anthony Szema wrote that samples of a service member’s open lung biopsy were found to contain the heavy metals.

Open lung tissue biopsies done on troops who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan have been shown to sparkle with crystalline material, as noted by researchers Dr. Robert Miller of Vanderbilt University and Dr. Matthew King of Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tenn.

But until now, scientists have not determined exactly what the particles were.

“I was at a barbecue speaking to my colleagues and learned that a method to identify the material was available just down the road at Brookhaven National Laboratory,” Szema said.

He sent the biopsy slides to the laboratory, which used its National Synchrotron Light Source, a facility-sized machine that uses bright beams of x-rays, ultraviolent and infrared light for research, to analyze the material.

“The patient had hot spots all over his lungs,” Szema said.

The soldier, identified as a laundry staff supervisor in Iraq and Kuwait, had been diagnosed with nonspecific interstitial pneumonitis, a type of pneumonia that can’t be categorized into existing patterns, as well as bronchiolitis.

The soldier said he had not worked around grinding apparatus or industrial paint, both common sources for occupational exposure to the metals, but admitted to breathing in airborne dust from “the laundry facility, improvised explosive device blasts, sandstorms, burn pits and the occasional cigar.”

Szema’s work is part of an ongoing effort to determine why some service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan have respiratory problems.

“What makes healthy individuals who have never had asthma end up in wheelchairs on oxygen, or a 34-year-old non-smoker who has near-normal [physical fitness tests] but is short of breath and has lungs that are totally destroyed? These are the problems we’re trying to solve,” Szema said.


Finally this morning...we will end with some good news. Followers of IAVA and the Rachel Maddow Show know that this past weekend was the first, and so far only, "Welcome Home" parade for our returning veterans. The city of St. Louis turned out to honour our fighting men and women, tinged with the bittersweet reality that many of those marching may be headed back out again to Afghanistan.


ST. LOUIS — Looking around at the tens of thousands of people waving American flags and cheering, Army Maj. Rich Radford was moved that so many braved a cold January wind Saturday in St. Louis to honor people like him: Iraq War veterans.

The parade, borne out of a simple conversation between two St. Louis friends a month ago, was the nation’s first big welcome-home for veterans of the war since the last troops were withdrawn from Iraq in December.

“It’s not necessarily overdue, it’s just the right thing,” said Radford, a 23-year veteran who walked in the parade alongside his 8-year-old daughter, Aimee, and 12-year-old son, Warren.

Radford was among about 600 veterans, many dressed in camouflage, who walked along downtown streets lined with rows of people clapping and holding signs with messages including “Welcome Home” and “Thanks to our Service Men and Women.” Some of the war-tested troops wiped away tears as they acknowledged the support from a crowd that organizers estimated reached 100,000 people.

Fire trucks with aerial ladders hoisted huge American flags in three different places along the route, with politicians, marching bands — even the Budweiser Clydesdales — joining in. But the large crowd was clearly there to salute men and women in the military, and people cheered wildly as groups of veterans walked by.

That was the hope of organizers Craig Schneider and Tom Appelbaum. Neither man has served in the military but came up with the idea after noticing there had been little fanfare for returning Iraq War veterans aside from gatherings at airports and military bases. No ticker-tape parades or large public celebrations.

Appelbaum, an attorney, and Schneider, a school district technical coordinator, decided something needed to be done. So they sought donations, launched a Facebook page, met with the mayor and mapped a route. The grassroots effort resulted in a huge turnout despite raising only about $35,000 and limited marketing.

That marketing included using a photo of Radford being welcomed home from his second tour in Iraq by his then-6-year-old daughter. The girl had reached up, grabbed his hand and said, “I missed you, daddy.” Radford’s sister caught the moment with her cellphone camera, and the image graced T-shirts and posters for the parade.

Veterans came from around the country, and more than 100 entries — including marching bands, motorcycle groups and military units — signed up ahead of the event, Appelbaum said.

Schneider said he was amazed how everyone, from city officials to military organizations to the media, embraced the parade.

“It was an idea that nobody said no to,” he said. “America was ready for this.”


The point here of course, is that this wasn't a big-city effort. It was purely as a result of the hard work of two men, and they somehow rallied the entire city to their cause. There is a small movement on facebook right now stating that if New York or Boston can have a Superbowl parade next week, they really should have a veteran's parade, too.

But if you think your city should have a parade...don't just sit there, do something! I myself have a few days off this week - we'll have the emails burning to City Council and the Mayor's office...and I'll be bending the Mayor's ear at my Blue & Gold banquet in a couple of weeks. Maybe, possibly....we can make this happen in my fair city.
 

41 comments (Latest Comment: 02/01/2012 04:35:38 by Raine)
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Comment by Raine on 01/31/2012 14:08:34
good morning! Excellent blog today Tri.

I posted this late last night, but I think it is worth repeating -- and sharing far and wide.




Comment by wickedpam on 01/31/2012 14:13:18
Morning

Comment by Scoopster on 01/31/2012 14:15:13
Mornin' all..

Comment by TriSec on 01/31/2012 14:22:13
Comment by Mondobubba on 01/31/2012 14:26:33



Why is it that Republican candidates are the ones slapped with these suits?

Comment by Raine on 01/31/2012 14:28:32
Comment by Mondobubba on 01/31/2012 15:16:06


Seriously? Newt you wacky guy. You clearly don't know how governing works do you?

Comment by Raine on 01/31/2012 15:19:58
Quote by Mondobubba:
Seriously? Newt you wacky guy. You clearly don't know how governing works do you?

Right? He's just out there spraying crap with this:
http://www.scotts.com/smg/products/ortho/Ortho-Dial-N-Spray-Multi-Use-Hose-End-Sprayer-std.jpg


Comment by Raine on 01/31/2012 15:44:57
Occupy DC still remains.
Under pressure from congressional Republicans concerned about health and safety conditions, the Park Service announced last week that it would begin enforcement of the no-camping rules. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House committee that oversees the District, has called the enforcement “appropriate and overdue.”

Meanwhile, supporters of Occupy D.C. were awaiting a court hearing Tuesday morning in which U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg is expected to take up two related cases. Protesters are seeking to restrain the Park Police’s ability to enforce its camping ban.


Comment by wickedpam on 01/31/2012 15:51:04
Quote by Raine:
Occupy DC still remains.
Under pressure from congressional Republicans concerned about health and safety conditions, the Park Service announced last week that it would begin enforcement of the no-camping rules. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House committee that oversees the District, has called the enforcement “appropriate and overdue.”

Meanwhile, supporters of Occupy D.C. were awaiting a court hearing Tuesday morning in which U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg is expected to take up two related cases. Protesters are seeking to restrain the Park Police’s ability to enforce its camping ban.


not sure I liked the slant the writers took with the article though. Someone on TOP this morning said they aren't really expected the police to do anything until people stop paying attention to the situation

Comment by wickedpam on 01/31/2012 15:52:57
oh Mitt, please don't sing

Comment by Raine on 01/31/2012 15:53:32
ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please make Newt stop signing!

Comment by wickedpam on 01/31/2012 15:56:53
Quote by Raine:
ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please make Newt stop signing!



that was Mitt

Comment by TriSec on 01/31/2012 15:57:27
Listening to TRMS...segment about Mitt being a Mormon, and that seems to be where his passion lies.

A few years back now, Mitt was living in Belmont, MA. The closest Mormon Temple to the northeast was the big one down on the Beltway in Maryland. Mitt built the coalition, organized Mormons throughout the Boston area, and indeed New England, and overcame a ton of community opposition to build this:

http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/boston/images/boston-mormon-temple.jpg


I think he actually can do things when he puts his mind to it; like I said, he built a coalition and compromised with the town and got the place built. (With the support of his rival Senator Kennedy, I might add.)

The trouble is....what does Mitt believe in?


Comment by TriSec on 01/31/2012 16:28:47
An update on a story we've followed here for a few years...


A new study published in Naturwissenschaften - The Science of Nature by a leading bee expert provides damning evidence that a widely used pesticide, even at low levels, is responsible for the recent catastrophic decline in honey bees. Dr. Jeff Pettis of the USDA's Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, MD led the study.

Colony collapse disorder, as this phenomenon is known, has been getting worse since 2006.

The news has brought renewed calls for these pesticides, which only became widely used in the 1990s, to be banned as honey bees are key to human’s survival – pollinating 70 per cent of the crops which produce most of the world’s food.

The pesticide that the study (pdf) looked at was imidacloprid, one of the most widely used pesticides worldwide. It is neonicotinoid insecticide produced by Bayer CropScience.



Comment by Raine on 01/31/2012 16:35:11
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please make Newt stop signing!



that was Mitt
oops.


I typed the wrong name in there.

Comment by Raine on 01/31/2012 16:56:41
Comment by wickedpam on 01/31/2012 17:00:56
Quote by Raine:
This is real.



omg - its pajama jeans for dudes! that's fashion crime, arrest that designer!

Comment by TriSec on 01/31/2012 17:04:36
No, sorry. Look..I work in apparel, and even frumpy old-school LL Bean stuff is better looking (and fitting) than that.


Comment by Scoopster on 01/31/2012 17:11:04
Speaking of LL Bean.. we just got a $10K ad buy from them!

Comment by livingonli on 01/31/2012 17:20:25
Good day, everyone. I think some days I just don't have much to say.

Comment by Mondobubba on 01/31/2012 17:27:09
Quote by Raine:
This is real.



I've been getting a Facebook ad for these the past couple of days.

Comment by Scoopster on 01/31/2012 17:33:27
Quote by Raine:
This is real.

The idea of using a belt with sweatpants... just no!

Comment by Mondobubba on 01/31/2012 17:41:20
Could be worse, could be a "dress" Forever Lazy.

Comment by Raine on 01/31/2012 17:56:39
Forever Lazy with a Vajazzle!



Comment by livingonli on 01/31/2012 18:05:44
It's like we're taking a step back. Next thing, there will be no problem with people taking a dump outdoors.

Comment by Mondobubba on 01/31/2012 18:39:43
Quote by Raine:
Forever Lazy with a Vajazzle!






Comment by Mondobubba on 01/31/2012 18:40:25
Penalty box, Raine! Penalty box!

Comment by Mondobubba on 01/31/2012 19:14:29
Quote by livingonli:
It's like we're taking a step back. Next thing, there will be no problem with people taking a dump outdoors.



You have a problem with that, Livin?

Comment by TriSec on 01/31/2012 19:20:27
We have a little plastic scoop at the store imprinted with the "Leave no Trace" guidelines for the proper procedures to take a dump in the woods.

Seriously.

Comment by Mondobubba on 01/31/2012 19:21:52
Quote by TriSec:
We have a little plastic scoop at the store imprinted with the "Leave no Trace" guidelines for the proper procedures to take a dump in the woods.

Seriously.



This is a Good Thing. Really.

Comment by Raine on 01/31/2012 19:32:06
Quote by Mondobubba:
Penalty box, Raine! Penalty box!
my job here is done.


Comment by Mondobubba on 01/31/2012 20:15:45
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Penalty box, Raine! Penalty box!
my job here is done.



I could go on with the vajazlling and the penalty box, but this is a family blog...

Comment by TriSec on 01/31/2012 20:28:21
Alright gang...shutting down for good. I have the rest of the week at home, then daytime internet ceases to exist for me for the foreseeable future.



Comment by livingonli on 01/31/2012 20:28:59
Both Thom and Randi played the clip of Mittens singing.

Comment by Mondobubba on 01/31/2012 21:36:42
Quote by livingonli:
Both Thom and Randi played the clip of Mittens singing.



:shudder: I heard that this morning on NRP. Mitt, don't quit your day job. Wait... you don't have one...

Comment by Raine on 01/31/2012 21:42:28
This pisses me off. breaking from Planned Parenthood:
We're very disappointed to announce that anti-choice groups have successfully intimidated and pressured the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation to end funding for lifesaving breast cancer screenings for women at Planned Parenthood health centers.

Komen has been an ally and supported PP health centers to provide nearly 170,000 breast exams in the past 5 years – and we’re determined to make sure it won’t stop thousands of women from getting the care they need. Stay tuned.


Comment by Mondobubba on 01/31/2012 21:46:29
Quote by Raine:
This pisses me off. breaking from Planned Parenthood:
We're very disappointed to announce that anti-choice groups have successfully intimidated and pressured the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation to end funding for lifesaving breast cancer screenings for women at Planned Parenthood health centers.

Komen has been an ally and supported PP health centers to provide nearly 170,000 breast exams in the past 5 years – and we’re determined to make sure it won’t stop thousands of women from getting the care they need. Stay tuned.



Why does the pro-life movement hate the ta-tas?

Comment by Raine on 01/31/2012 21:52:46
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
This pisses me off. breaking from Planned Parenthood:
We're very disappointed to announce that anti-choice groups have successfully intimidated and pressured the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation to end funding for lifesaving breast cancer screenings for women at Planned Parenthood health centers.

Komen has been an ally and supported PP health centers to provide nearly 170,000 breast exams in the past 5 years – and we’re determined to make sure it won’t stop thousands of women from getting the care they need. Stay tuned.



Why does the pro-life movement hate the ta-tas?
I want to know why the Komen foundation does. From WaPo:
Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said the cutoff results from the charity’s newly adopted criteria barring grants to organizations that are under investigation by local, state or federal authorities. According to Komen, this applies to Planned Parenthood because it’s the focus of an inquiry launched by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., seeking to determine whether public money was improperly spent on abortions.

Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, has depicted Stearns’ probe as politically motivated and said she was dismayed that it had contributed to Komen’s decision to halt the grants to PPFA affiliates.

“It’s hard to understand how an organization with whom we share a mission of saving women’s lives could have bowed to this kind of bullying,” Richards told The Associated Press. “It’s really hurtful.”



Comment by Will in Chicago on 02/01/2012 02:19:09
Hello,bloggers!!

TriSec, thank you for an interesting blog. The stories are disturbing but important.

As for Mitt Romney's singing, it is only marginally better than O Holy Nightmare on Mike Malloy's holiday program. I have compared the latter to sounding like a human being having surgery without anesthetic.

I have some great news! My grand niece Emily Rose is home tonight from the hospital. She is resting. She still needs to fully transition to solid food from formula, which is now delivered by a stomach tube, and has oxygen while she sleeps. (She was diagnosed with asthma and is a very DEEP sleeper.) So, thanks to all of you for your love and support.

Comment by Raine on 02/01/2012 04:35:38
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Hello,bloggers!!

TriSec, thank you for an interesting blog. The stories are disturbing but important.

As for Mitt Romney's singing, it is only marginally better than O Holy Nightmare on Mike Malloy's holiday program. I have compared the latter to sounding like a human being having surgery without anesthetic.

I have some great news! My grand niece Emily Rose is home tonight from the hospital. She is resting. She still needs to fully transition to solid food from formula, which is now delivered by a stomach tube, and has oxygen while she sleeps. (She was diagnosed with asthma and is a very DEEP sleeper.) So, thanks to all of you for your love and support.

this news! Welcome home sweet Emily Rose!