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Author: TriSec    Date: 01/22/2013 11:08:17

Good morning.

Today is our 4,125th day in Afghanistan.

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

US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 2,175
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 1,083

We find this morning's cost of war passing through:

$1, 415, 727, 075, 000 .00


I've got a follow-up to Saturday's blog....I derided the F-35 for it's underpowered engine and ill-advised multipurpose role. Turns out that our English allies have discovered something new...it could blow up in a thunderstorm.


It's considered to be the world's most sophisticated superfighter jet, but Britain's new £150million combat aircraft has been banned from flying in bad weather for fears it could explode.

Engineers working on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have found the jet's fuel tank could explode if hit by lightning.

According to reports, the aircraft, which is hoped to enter service for both the RAF and the Royal Navy in five years' time, has also been made more vulnerable to enemy attack than the aircraft it is set to replace, after its weight was reduced in an attempt to increase fuel efficiency.

The Telegraph has reported the revelations were disclosed in a leaked report from the Pentagon's operational test and evaluation office, which states that, until a device in the fuel tank is redesigned, test-flying within 25 miles of thunderstorms is 'not permitted'.

Several other problems have been identified with the plane, including a fault in the design of the fuel tank which means it is unable to rapidly descend to low altitude.
A handful of cracks were also discovered in the tested aircraft during examinations by the United States Air Force and the aircraft's manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

A Lockheed Martin spokesman has said the manufacturer does not consider the latest problem a 'major issue'.

The spokesman said: 'We have demonstrated very good vulnerability performance and we continue to work with the Joint Programme Office.'


We'll take the briefest look at the inaugural yesterday....despite the President's soaring rhetoric on equal rights for all, the military still hasn't quite gotten the message. A same-sex couple has been devastated by war, and yet the Pentagon will not consider the survivor a war widow. This sets up the possibility that parents of gay soldiers might not be considered Blue Star or Gold Star parents....but I digress.


RAEFORD - Clutching a copy of her marriage certificate and racked with grief, Tracy Dice steeled herself for a battle.

Dice had just received a call from her in-laws, summoning her to their Hoke County home.

Dice knew what lay ahead. Her wife, fellow National Guard member Donna Rae Johnson, failed to call her that October morning from Khost, Afghanistan. Worse, Dice learned through the Internet that three unidentified soldiers had been killed in the same area hours earlier.

And now National Guard officers had shown up at her in-laws' home.

On occasion, Dice and Johnson had discussed what would happen if one of them were to die while serving their country.

They knew that the military would not recognize their same-sex marriage. A federal law, the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, defines marriage as the legal union of one man and one woman. The military abides by the letter of that law.

But Dice was determined to fight to be part of her wife's affairs. That's why she clutched her marriage certificate, intent on being able to prove her connection to Johnson and terrified that she would somehow be excluded.

The marriage certificate did little good. The casualty officers who showed up at her in-laws' home were bound by the Defense of Marriage Act. The officers could not legally recognize Dice as the widow and notified her in-laws of Johnson's death before she arrived.

The Defense of Marriage Act held other ramifications for Dice, who is believed to be the first same-sex war widow in the U.S. military:

Since she was not recognized as a spouse or family member, Dice could have been left behind when Johnson's body arrived from Afghanistan. Instead, her mother-in-law intervened and a military officer "pushed the edges of the envelope" to allow Dice to escort Johnson's body from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

In correspondence from the Department of Defense, Dice said, officials expressed their condolences for the loss of her "significant other." The lone exception was President Obama, the only government official to refer to Johnson as Dice's wife.

Moments before Johnson's funeral, a small ceremony was held out of public view in the church basement. There, Dice said, uniformed officers presented her with an American flag. During the funeral, the flag that had draped the coffin was handed to Dice's mother-in-law, Sandra Johnson, instead of the grieving widow.

The Department of Veterans Affairs denied Dice's application for survivor's benefits.


Finally this morning....It's still a shooting war.


KABUL - A nine-hour siege Monday in the heart of Afghanistan’s capital left at least seven people dead, including three police officers, and brought a normally bustling section of the city to a standstill amid explosions and gunfire.

The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, which started around 5:30 a.m., when at least four attackers stormed the lightly-defended headquarters of the Kabul Traffic Police, before taking up positions and firing light and heavy weapons down on an adjacent compound that houses the Afghan Border Police. During the attack a car bomb went off outside the headquarters and at least two of the attackers detonated suicide vests, according to a Ministry of Interior statement.

A traffic policeman on the scene said the attackers had found the building’s armory, which contains heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and explosives. Kabul’s police chief, however, denied in an interview that the attackers had reached the armory.

Dozens of large explosions rocked the neighborhood on the west side of the city throughout the day, punctuated by automatic gunfire and what sounded like rocket propelled grenades. Smoke rose from the traffic police building after several of the explosions, and Afghan commandos could be seen running along rooftops. Witnesses reported seeing Norwegian special forces soldiers, who were involved in quelling a major attack at a lakeside resort in June.

The International Security Assistance Force confirmed its troops assisted in the operation but would not give details, except to say no coalition troops were killed or wounded.

“I just finished morning prayers and I was getting into bed to sleep a little longer and suddenly there was a big blast,” said Shahpoor Fikri, an employee at a nearby Ministry of Power and Water office. “It shook the whole office. When I looked outside there was smoke outside the Traffic Police Directorate and then a lot of shooting started.”

Around 2:30 p.m. there was a final burst of gunfire, an explosion and a plume of smoke from a third floor window of the traffic directorate. In the aftermath, possibly as many as five fighters and three police officers were killed, in addition to four police officers and eight civilians wounded, Kabul Police Chief Ayoub Salangi said. Salangi denied the attackers had successfully reached the armory.

 

86 comments (Latest Comment: 01/23/2013 06:22:52 by clintster)
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Comment by wickedpam on 01/22/2013 13:50:43
Morning

Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 13:50:45
good morning.

It's because of stories like Ms. Dice' that lead me to believe we will see DOMA overturned.

I'm still pooped from yesterday.

Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 13:57:42
Howdy all. Nom...nom nom. Got some really outstanding blue berries at the grocery this morning! Yum!



Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 13:59:54
I watched part of "Layover" last night. It is Anthony Boudain's show on The Travel Channel. He spends 36 hours in a town. Last night: Atlanta. Cool dive bars, rib joints, skeet shooting.

Comment by TriSec on 01/22/2013 14:01:11
Morning, comrades.

Feeling slightly better today.

Blueberries? 'taint Maine at this time ah ye-uh.. Ayup.

(but we had some suprisingly delightly Harry & David blueberry english muffins recently...)


Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 14:05:22
Comment by wickedpam on 01/22/2013 14:10:50
Comment by BobR on 01/22/2013 14:19:37
Quote by Mondobubba:
I watched part of "Layover" last night. It is Anthony Boudain's show on The Travel Channel. He spends 36 hours in a town. Last night: Atlanta. Cool dive bars, rib joints, skeet shooting.

I would have liked to see that. Do you remember the names of any of the places?

Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 14:31:32
Quote by BobR:
Quote by Mondobubba:
I watched part of "Layover" last night. It is Anthony Boudain's show on The Travel Channel. He spends 36 hours in a town. Last night: Atlanta. Cool dive bars, rib joints, skeet shooting.

I would have liked to see that. Do you remember the names of any of the places?
Fox's BBQ?


Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 14:40:15
Quote by Raine:
Quote by BobR:
Quote by Mondobubba:
I watched part of "Layover" last night. It is Anthony Boudain's show on The Travel Channel. He spends 36 hours in a town. Last night: Atlanta. Cool dive bars, rib joints, skeet shooting.

I would have liked to see that. Do you remember the names of any of the places?
Fox's BBQ?
OMG! FATT MATTS! Even better!!!!


Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 14:40:58
Bobber, Raine & Mala. You state legislature is huge bag dicks! Virginia GOP sneaks through gerrymandering bill on MLK Day

Comment by wickedpam on 01/22/2013 14:43:35
Quote by Mondobubba:
Bobber, Raine & Mala. You state legislature is huge bag dicks! Virginia GOP sneaks through gerrymandering bill on MLK Day


yep, posted that earlier - PLUS Lt Gov Bolling said he would not have broken the tie cause he has serious concerns about it. Its going to fly through the fully Rep House and the Gov if gonna sign it.


Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 14:46:39
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by BobR:
Quote by Mondobubba:
I watched part of "Layover" last night. It is Anthony Boudain's show on The Travel Channel. He spends 36 hours in a town. Last night: Atlanta. Cool dive bars, rib joints, skeet shooting.

I would have liked to see that. Do you remember the names of any of the places?
Fox's BBQ?
OMG! FATT MATTS! Even better!!!!


Bourdain's potty mouth description of Fat Matt's was priceless!


Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 14:49:52
Tri, blueberries are from Chile

Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 14:52:17
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by BobR:
Quote by Mondobubba:
I watched part of "Layover" last night. It is Anthony Boudain's show on The Travel Channel. He spends 36 hours in a town. Last night: Atlanta. Cool dive bars, rib joints, skeet shooting.

I would have liked to see that. Do you remember the names of any of the places?
Fox's BBQ?
OMG! FATT MATTS! Even better!!!!


All the Asian noodle places that are in an endless string of strip malls was pretty cool.


Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 14:53:44
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Bobber, Raine & Mala. You state legislature is huge bag dicks! Virginia GOP sneaks through gerrymandering bill on MLK Day


yep, posted that earlier - PLUS Lt Gov Bolling said he would not have broken the tie cause he has serious concerns about it. Its going to fly through the fully Rep House and the Gov if gonna sign it.
More Details.

The author is also claiming to hearing rumours that this may be a bluff: There's a rumor going around that the whole redistricting debacle from yesterday could be a bluff to force a deal on transportation.



Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 14:54:25
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by BobR:
Quote by Mondobubba:
I watched part of "Layover" last night. It is Anthony Boudain's show on The Travel Channel. He spends 36 hours in a town. Last night: Atlanta. Cool dive bars, rib joints, skeet shooting.

I would have liked to see that. Do you remember the names of any of the places?
Fox's BBQ?
OMG! FATT MATTS! Even better!!!!


All the Asian noodle places that are in an endless string of strip malls was pretty cool.
buford highway?




Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 14:56:07
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by BobR:
Quote by Mondobubba:
I watched part of "Layover" last night. It is Anthony Boudain's show on The Travel Channel. He spends 36 hours in a town. Last night: Atlanta. Cool dive bars, rib joints, skeet shooting.

I would have liked to see that. Do you remember the names of any of the places?
Fox's BBQ?
OMG! FATT MATTS! Even better!!!!


All the Asian noodle places that are in an endless string of strip malls was pretty cool.
buford highway?





Sounds about right, yeah

Comment by BobR on 01/22/2013 14:59:44
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by BobR:
Quote by Mondobubba:
I watched part of "Layover" last night. It is Anthony Boudain's show on The Travel Channel. He spends 36 hours in a town. Last night: Atlanta. Cool dive bars, rib joints, skeet shooting.

I would have liked to see that. Do you remember the names of any of the places?
Fox's BBQ?
OMG! FATT MATTS! Even better!!!!

All the Asian noodle places that are in an endless string of strip malls was pretty cool.
buford highway?

Sounds about right, yeah

Buford Hwy is a mix of Asian and Hispanic, both VERY authentic. Glad he covered the Clermont Lounge and the Earl. FWIW - I used to live next door to Fat Matts. It is NOT the best BBQ place in Atlanta, but it IS pretty good.

Comment by Scoopster on 01/22/2013 15:04:39
Mornin' all..

Back to normal.. There's snow on the ground, and batteries in the laser pen. Dance, Office Dog.. dance!

Comment by TriSec on 01/22/2013 15:09:06
I am pleased to report that ordinary water no longer "tastes like chemo", and I have re-connected with an old friend.....ice!


Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 15:12:12
Quote by BobR:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by BobR:
Quote by Mondobubba:
I watched part of "Layover" last night. It is Anthony Boudain's show on The Travel Channel. He spends 36 hours in a town. Last night: Atlanta. Cool dive bars, rib joints, skeet shooting.

I would have liked to see that. Do you remember the names of any of the places?
Fox's BBQ?
OMG! FATT MATTS! Even better!!!!

All the Asian noodle places that are in an endless string of strip malls was pretty cool.
buford highway?

Sounds about right, yeah

Buford Hwy is a mix of Asian and Hispanic, both VERY authentic. Glad he covered the Clermont Lounge and the Earl. FWIW - I used to live next door to Fat Matts. It is NOT the best BBQ place in Atlanta, but it IS pretty good.


Bourdain pointed out that Matt's doesn't technically do BBQ since they aren't smoking the meat. But it does look plenty tasty.

Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 15:12:44
Quote by Scoopster:
Mornin' all..

Back to normal.. There's snow on the ground, and batteries in the laser pen. Dance, Office Dog.. dance!



Cruelty!

Comment by wickedpam on 01/22/2013 15:15:21
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Bobber, Raine & Mala. You state legislature is huge bag dicks! Virginia GOP sneaks through gerrymandering bill on MLK Day


yep, posted that earlier - PLUS Lt Gov Bolling said he would not have broken the tie cause he has serious concerns about it. Its going to fly through the fully Rep House and the Gov if gonna sign it.
More Details.

The author is also claiming to hearing rumours that this may be a bluff: There's a rumor going around that the whole redistricting debacle from yesterday could be a bluff to force a deal on transportation.




I can't see them passing up the opportunity to get this passed.

Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 15:21:40
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Bobber, Raine & Mala. You state legislature is huge bag dicks! Virginia GOP sneaks through gerrymandering bill on MLK Day


yep, posted that earlier - PLUS Lt Gov Bolling said he would not have broken the tie cause he has serious concerns about it. Its going to fly through the fully Rep House and the Gov if gonna sign it.
More Details.

The author is also claiming to hearing rumours that this may be a bluff: There's a rumor going around that the whole redistricting debacle from yesterday could be a bluff to force a deal on transportation.




I can't see them passing up the opportunity to get this passed.



If the GOP can find a way to be douche bags on voting or gerrymandering, they will jump on it. That is a truism at this point.

Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 15:23:29
I totally missed Eric Cantor's pained look while Richard Blanco was reading his poem yesterday. Was it gas, him not getting the point of the poem or his total dickishness?

Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 15:43:17
Quote by Mondobubba:
I totally missed Eric Cantor's pained look while Richard Blanco was reading his poem yesterday. Was it gas, him not getting the point of the poem or his total dickishness?
anyopne got a photo?


Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 15:54:22
I have to say, Charlie pierce is MUCH hairier than I imagined!

Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 16:04:22
I wasn't aware that it was traditional for the runner up in presidential elections to attend the inauguration.

Truthfully, I'm glad that Romney didn't attend.

Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 16:05:16
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Mondobubba:
I totally missed Eric Cantor's pained look while Richard Blanco was reading his poem yesterday. Was it gas, him not getting the point of the poem or his total dickishness?
anyopne got a photo?


http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/9A/34BA64A76B54BAB7FAD6B68753C29F_h316_w628_m5_cfzCjBTAD.jpg


Here ya go.

Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 16:10:34
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Mondobubba:
I totally missed Eric Cantor's pained look while Richard Blanco was reading his poem yesterday. Was it gas, him not getting the point of the poem or his total dickishness?
anyopne got a photo?


http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/9A/34BA64A76B54BAB7FAD6B68753C29F_h316_w628_m5_cfzCjBTAD.jpg


Here ya go.
OMAHGAHD.




Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 16:20:16
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Mondobubba:
I totally missed Eric Cantor's pained look while Richard Blanco was reading his poem yesterday. Was it gas, him not getting the point of the poem or his total dickishness?
anyopne got a photo?


http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/9A/34BA64A76B54BAB7FAD6B68753C29F_h316_w628_m5_cfzCjBTAD.jpg


Here ya go.
OMAHGAHD.





I don't think Eric Cantor likes poetry. Especially from gay, Cuban-American poets.

Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 16:21:45
Cantor's idea of poetry:

There once was a man from Nantucket...

Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 16:33:32
Quote by Mondobubba:


I don't think Eric Cantor likes poetry. Especially from gay, Cuban-American poets.
He looks confused to see some new strange life form.


Comment by Will in Chicago on 01/22/2013 16:50:52
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Mondobubba:


I don't think Eric Cantor likes poetry. Especially from gay, Cuban-American poets.
He looks confused to see some new strange life form.



Cantor looks like he is in pain.

TriSec, thanks for a great blog. I think that we will see DOMA overturned. As for Afghanistan, I fear that there will be strife there for many years.

Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 17:11:02
Boo friggin hoo.
If Mickelson is indeed paying 62 to 63 percent of his income in taxes, he probably needs new financial advisers.


Phil Mickelson -- rich douchnozzle of the week.

Comment by livingonli on 01/22/2013 17:11:06
Good day, folks. That Eric Cantor picture does sum up that it does show that the GOP has a rod up its butt.

Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 17:27:46
Quote by Raine:
Boo friggin hoo.
If Mickelson is indeed paying 62 to 63 percent of his income in taxes, he probably needs new financial advisers.


Phil Mickelson -- rich douchnozzle of the week.



Oh poor over burdened baby!

Comment by Will in Chicago on 01/22/2013 17:31:50
I am on hold calling Senator Harry Reid's office to support the Merkley-Udall proposal on the filibuster. If anyone wants to call, the number is 202-224-3542.

Comment by TriSec on 01/22/2013 17:38:43
Why the President's spech was a nuclear assault on the GOP


Reclaiming the language of patriotism, Obama then threw it back in the faces of right-wing Republicans to advance a liberal agenda.

With its elegant rendering of the liberal agenda before the eyes of the American people, President Barack Obama's second inaugural address was music to the ears of many a progressive. But to the ears of Tea Partiers and the Republican right, this inauguration speech, as well as the ceremony that surrounded it, was war -- not just a war of words, but a war of prayer, a war of poetry and even, perhaps, a war of song.

Driving the message home were the hands of the Fates, who conspired to see the second inauguration of the nation’s first African American president fall on Martin Luther King Day, the national holiday whose very creation was opposed by so many who still today comprise the Republican Party’s right wing.




Comment by Will in Chicago on 01/22/2013 17:38:43
Okay, I left a brief message for Senator Reid. I hope that he takes the tougher filibuster proposal. If a Senator wants to block something, I feel that we should know why he or she is doing so.


Comment by Mondobubba on 01/22/2013 17:41:15
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Okay, I left a brief message for Senator Reid. I hope that he takes the tougher filibuster proposal. If a Senator wants to block something, I feel that we should know why he or she is doing so.



Does Harry still do the voicemail message for his office himself?

Comment by Will in Chicago on 01/22/2013 17:59:39
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Okay, I left a brief message for Senator Reid. I hope that he takes the tougher filibuster proposal. If a Senator wants to block something, I feel that we should know why he or she is doing so.



Does Harry still do the voicemail message for his office himself?


Yes, Harry Reid does the voicemail options. I think it is kind of charming. Now the question is what will Reid do?

I will call my Congressman and Senators later today on the Appalachian Community Health Emergency Act, which calls for studies on the health impacts of mountaintop removal.

Comment by TriSec on 01/22/2013 18:10:30
Satan's Drool is still annoying me.

When I was on the stuff, I was hyper-sensitive to cold temperatures. Now with the neuropathy, it's gone the other way. I used to have a tremendous tolerance for heat - now mere lukewarm tapwater makes my hands feel like they're on fire.

Come on, make up your mind!

(Actually, I can't tell if my hands are cold or not anymore. Feels like they're asleep all the time, and my right leg is all screwy - it's affected my gait to where I'm using a walking stick again. Headed to the doc on Friday.)


Comment by TriSec on 01/22/2013 18:31:01
"Ariboflavinosis"

Is this what happens when you don't listen to Momma enough?

*chortle, snort*


Comment by Scoopster on 01/22/2013 18:32:57
Liveblog of today's Israeli parliamentary elections..

Looking grim for Bibi Netenyahu.... excuse me for a moment while I

Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 18:53:28
Quote by Raine:
I wasn't aware that it was traditional for the runner up in presidential elections to attend the inauguration.

Truthfully, I'm glad that Romney didn't attend.


However, the Carters and The clintons did, and Bush?

No show. I'm pretty sure this is not normal is it?

Comment by wickedpam on 01/22/2013 18:55:53
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
I wasn't aware that it was traditional for the runner up in presidential elections to attend the inauguration.

Truthfully, I'm glad that Romney didn't attend.


However, the Carters and The clintons did, and Bush?

No show. I'm pretty sure this is not normal is it?



From what I understand about Bush, per Bill Press, is that he wanted to stay by his father's side. Sounds like Bush I isn't doing a well as the news is reporting.

Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 18:57:50
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
I wasn't aware that it was traditional for the runner up in presidential elections to attend the inauguration.

Truthfully, I'm glad that Romney didn't attend.


However, the Carters and The clintons did, and Bush?

No show. I'm pretty sure this is not normal is it?



From what I understand about Bush, per Bill Press, is that he wanted to stay by his father's side. Sounds like Bush I isn't doing a well as the news is reporting.
Ahhh. that makes sense.

That seems appropriate.


Comment by Raine on 01/22/2013 19:08:50
MSNBC is reporting that multiple people have been shot at a texas college.