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Ask a Vet
Author: TriSec    Date: 03/01/2011 11:36:56

Good Morning.

Today is our 2,904th day in Iraq, and our 3,432nd day in Afghanistan.

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

American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): 4439
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03): 4300
Since Handover (6/29/04): 350
Since Obama Inauguration (1/20/09): 211
Since Operation New Dawn: 21

Other Coalition Troops - Iraq: 318
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 1,483
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 858
Contractor Employee Deaths - Iraq: 1,487
Journalists - Iraq : 348
Academics Killed - Iraq: 448

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

$1, 159, 162, 750, 000 .00


After years of uselessly butting our heads against the brick wall that is Afghanistan, it seems that some among us have finally learned the lesson. Never mind the historical sense; it's easy for you to look up what happened to Britain or Russia when they went there....so at least you can add the United States to that inglorious list. Nevertheless, in case you missed it on last Friday's TRMS here's the story.

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38 comments (Latest Comment: 03/01/2011 21:30:55 by Will in Chicago)

Open Morning.
Author: Raine    Date: 02/28/2011 13:35:31

Writers Block has effectively shut this brain down right now. For now, talk amongst yourselves, I am trying to come up with something worth reading.
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67 comments (Latest Comment: 03/01/2011 02:05:29 by Raine)

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!!
Author: velveeta jones    Date: 02/27/2011 15:45:58

Okay, MY super bowl.....

Tonight, for at least one night we can leave our worries - just for a moment - about all the craziness in the world and be entertained. That doesn't mean we won't be praying for all those who struggle for freedom in places like Libya and Egypt, or those digging out from devastation in New Zealand, or, our own here in America that are fighting tooth and nail for womens rights, workers rights, human rights.

Tonight we may pause, but we never stop fighting.

Let's have a look back at some of the past Oscar opening numbers. This is good to look at when some of today's morning shows get you too worked up. Scott Walker will be on MTP, and I don't want you throwing things at your TV
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8 comments (Latest Comment: 02/28/2011 02:21:41 by Raine)

Cleaning out the drawer of the blog mind...
Author: TriSec    Date: 02/26/2011 14:26:31

Good Morning!

I've got a couple of snippets of ideas today, not really enough to make a blog out of, but stitched together they will bulk out the morning. Of course, I offer the usual apologies to Bob Ryan....from whom I shamelessly steal this theme from time to time.

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24 comments (Latest Comment: 02/27/2011 01:43:47 by wickedpam)

Damn Power Company
Author: BobR    Date: 02/25/2011 13:28:55

I was 90% done with my blog this morning when the power went out. I lost it all. I am not in any mood to rewrite it now. Talk amongst yourselves...

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65 comments (Latest Comment: 02/25/2011 22:56:50 by trojanrabbit)

DOMA no more?
Author: Raine    Date: 02/24/2011 14:04:25

Today I was going to write a blog about social security, but with all the news yesterday, it's going to have to wait. We got news that the Obama administration has directed the department not defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. Specifically, Section 3, which states:
In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word 'marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word 'spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.
This is both surprising, as well as expected.
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47 comments (Latest Comment: 02/25/2011 03:54:30 by Raine)

The State of the Unions - Dateline: Wisconsin
Author: BobR    Date: 2011-02-23 11:16:53


First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.


Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

-- attributed to Martin Niemöller, Germany, 1946


The ongoing battle between the teachers and Governer Walker in Wisconsin has been dominating the news. There have been numerous discussions about whether teachers are paid too much or too little. There have been smear attempts against the teachers for being absent from school to participate in the protests. There have been metaphors and analogies drawn comparing Walker to recently-deposed Egyptian president Mubarek. What is rarely mentioned is the role of unions through history and the recently resurgent attempts to crush them once and for all.
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81 comments (Latest Comment: 02/23/2011 23:35:39 by livingonli)

Ask a Vet
Author: TriSec    Date: 02/22/2011 11:33:20

Good Morning.

Today is our 2,897th day in Iraq and our 3,425th day in Afghanistan.

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

American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): 4438
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03): 4299
Since Handover (6/29/04): 3579
Since Obama Inauguration (1/20/09): 210
Since Operation New Dawn: 20

Other Coalition Troops - Iraq: 318
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 1,476
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 857
Contractor Employee Deaths - Iraq: 1,487
Journalists - Iraq : 348
Academics Killed - Iraq: 448

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

$ 1, 155, 857, 200, 000 .00


Over much of AAV's run, we've been all about the gloom and doom, bad news, and challenges facing our vets...whether it's on the battlefield, in Washington, or at home.

Today, we have some good news. The Massachusetts 102nd is home!

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67 comments (Latest Comment: 02/23/2011 01:15:23 by Mondobubba)

Those who can, teach
Author: clintster    Date: 02/20/2011 23:09:12

Update From Raine: Since this Blog from our own Clintster didn't get the attention it deserved last evening, (Sunday nights are usually slow around these parts) I have decided that it will be our Monday Blog. It's important. Thank you Clint, and thank you to all of our hardworking educators in this country.

I have to get this off my chest. Like many of you, I have been following the events unfolding in Wisconsin, even with the slight handicap of no longer being able to follow the cable news coverage. (Why? Because Comcast sucks - but that's another column.)

I have heard stories, though; of Glenn Beck linking the protests to his ever-expanding Marxist-Soros-Muslim-WoodrowWilson caliphate theory, of Fox News' shameful degradation of the protesters, of Rush Limbaugh coming to the rescue of the poor, poor set-upon governor, who is only trying to make the situation better by stripping state employees unions of their collective bargaining power.
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54 comments (Latest Comment: 02/22/2011 04:39:07 by Raine)

Boston, Mass...02134!
Author: TriSec    Date: 02/19/2011 12:26:50

Americans of a certain age can still sing it:

"Send it to ZOOM: Box 350, Boston Mass, 0-2-1-3-4!!"

While a friend remains fluent, I have sadly lost the ability to communicate in Ubbi-Dubbi. However, I can still do the Zoom "arm flip". (only it hurts now...must be getting old.)

Listen, you know I try not to toot Boston's horn most of the time, but as far as PBS goes, we totally rule.

Do you watch cooking shows? The entire genre was invented here. Does the name "Julia Child" ring a bell? How about home improvement shows? "This Old House". (And it's spinoff, New Yankee Workshop.) The list goes on and on and on...

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27 comments (Latest Comment: 02/21/2011 01:14:24 by Raine)

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