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Rant. (And Breaking news)
Author: Raine    Date: 05/27/2010 12:34:06

Today I am going to rant. I've about lost my mind about this meme that the President isn't doing enough. It's disheartening that much of this meme is coming from the left. I'm also pretty really frustrated by hearing that if this were a Republican President we would be calling for their heads.

It's wrong, and here is why: It's a false frame. This isn't a right wing President. This isn't a guy who is breaking laws by leading our nation to war with lies. He isn't wiretapping its citizens. He isn't torturing people. He didn't give billions of dollars away to the banking industry. He didn't allow for the housing market to crumble. He didn't go AWOL when he was younger. He didn't choose the CEO of Halliburton as his Vice president who was then allowed to secretly craft this nation's energy policy. He's actually respecting our constitution. He's trying to re-regulate this nation. He got Health care reform passed. He pulled this nation back from the brink of economic collapse.
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45 comments (Latest Comment: 05/27/2010 20:39:20 by Raine)

Pass the Koolaide
Author: BobR    Date: 05/26/2010 12:42:43

In recent days, the backwash from Rand Paul's verbal diarrhea has been all over the news. After claiming that he did not support the portion of the civil rights act that applied to private business (which was where a major portion of the correction needed to happen), he was excoriated by the media (FOX News excepted), and even criticized by some Republicans as extreme. When RNC chairman Michael Steele says you don't represent the positions of the party, then you are in trouble.
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35 comments (Latest Comment: 05/27/2010 00:47:57 by TriSec)

Ask a Vet
Author: TriSec    Date: 05/25/2010 10:26:26

Good Morning.

Today is our 2,624th day in Iraq and our 3,152nd 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): 4400
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03): 4261
Since Capture of Saddam (12/13/03): 3938
Since Handover (6/29/04): 3541
Since Obama Inauguration (1/20/09): 172

Other Coalition Troops - Iraq: 318
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 1,081
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 700
Contractor Employee Deaths - Iraq: 1,457
Journalists - Iraq: 338
Academics Killed - Iraq: 437

We find this morning's cost of war closing in on a mind-boggling number.

$ 998, 062, 200, 000. 00



We'll do a little follow-up this morning on some issues that have been followed here...in some cases for years.

IAVA Special Project Coordinator Jennifer Hunt recently testified before Congress about military sexual trauma. You'd think that after combat, one of the safer places to be would be on the base, surrounded by your fellow American soldiers. As Raine has worked diligently to follow in other blogs....that's not entirely so. Video at the IAVA website.

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51 comments (Latest Comment: 05/25/2010 22:22:01 by Mondobubba)

Say what?
Author: Raine    Date: 05/24/2010 13:27:03

I didn't want to talk about her, but I have to. Sarah. She gives me a twitch in my eye. She appeared yesterday on Fox & Friends and said the following:
PALIN: Yeah, absolutely. So you know, one thing that we can learn in this lesson that I have learned and Rand Paul is learning now is don’t assume that you can engage in a hypothetical discussion about constitutional impacts with a reporter or a media personality who has an agenda, who may be prejudiced before they even get into the interview in regards to what your answer may be — and then the opportunity that they seize to get you.

You know, they’re looking for that gotcha moment. And that’s what it evidently appears to be that they did with Rand Paul, but I’m thankful that he was able to clarify his answer about his support for the Civil Rights Act.
Think Progress has the video.
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25 comments (Latest Comment: 05/25/2010 03:45:41 by Raine)

Rand Paul sets the GOP further behind the times than they had intended.
Author: velveeta jones    Date: 05/23/2010 13:40:13

The GOP has always strived to send this country back to a simpler time. A time where white men ruled the world, single women who didn’t declare they were lesbians were locked up in sanitariums for “hysteria”, and where we knew our enemies by their accent.

But with the recent nomination of Rand Paul in KY the Republicans are in a foot race to see who can set the country back faster. In recent days the GOP leadership has tried to reason with Paul and talk him down from his extreme views - well, not Michael Steele, they keep him hidden away - but other leaders have tried to tame Rand Paul.
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5 comments (Latest Comment: 05/24/2010 02:38:42 by Will in Chicago)

News from the fronts
Author: TriSec    Date: 05/22/2010 11:58:53

Good Morning!

It's not *that* early, but it's still early enough that it means I'm off for a platelet donation. I couldn't get my usual 8 am appointment, so I have 2 hours yet.

By now you know the drill, but that still won't stop me from 'witnessing for blood' anyway...


After a short physical examination, the donor is taken into the donation room and sits in a chair next to the machine. The technician cleans one or both arms with iodine, or other disinfectant, and inserts the catheter into a vein in the arm. With some procedures both arms are used, one to draw blood and the other to return it. The process takes about one to two hours while blood is pulled into the machine, mixed with an anticoagulant such as sodium citrate spun around, and returned to the donor. "Double needle" procedures using both arms tend to be shorter since the blood is drawn and returned through different catheters, with "single needle" procedures a set volume is drawn and processed in the first part of the cycle and returned in the second part. The donor's blood is pulled into the machine and returned about 6-8 times.

Side effects of the donation of platelets generally fall into three categories: blood pressure changes, problems with vein access, and effects of the returned anticoagulant. Blood pressure changes can sometimes cause nausea, fatigue, and dizziness. Venous access problems can cause bruising, referred to as a hematoma. While donating, the lips may begin to tingle or there may be a metallic taste; a supply of calcium antacid tablets is usually kept close by because the anticoagulant works by binding to the calcium in the blood. Since calcium is used in the operation of the nervous system, nerve-ending-dense areas (such as the lips) are susceptible to the tingling. The donation process can also cause more serious problems such as fainting, seizures, and nerve irritation. These problems are extremely rare, but apheresis donors are typically not allowed to sleep during the long donation process so that they can be monitored.


Especially if you're already a regular blood donor, this is not that big of a stretch. As for me, I've found platelets to be far less of a shock to the system than donating whole blood, but your mileage may vary.

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4 comments (Latest Comment: 05/22/2010 23:14:58 by trojanrabbit)

A wee little blog
Author: TriSec    Date: 05/21/2010 10:39:01

Good Morning!

I heard from Bob late last night that they're having some modem issues down in DC. Naturally, I listened to the message far too late to do anything about it this morning.

The hell of it is, I have a mountain of stuff I was saving for Saturday...it'll take me some time to wade through it and make a coherent blog.

In any case....there's a ton of stuff to talk about. Let's see; nationalizing the leak site, the craziness of Rand Paul, and there's always Arizona.

Coffee and donuts on the back table!


 
39 comments (Latest Comment: 05/21/2010 23:30:56 by clintster)

What am I missing?
Author: Raine    Date: 05/20/2010 12:29:42

This week we've seen the resignation of Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) , a staunch family values Republican for having an affair with a member of his staff. This is a man who wanted to change the constitution to protect the institution of marriage and even filmed a video with the woman he was having an affair with for his cause.

I don't think I need to point out the hypocrisy with this one. What amazed me is that yesterday, the CEO of Concerned Women for America came out with a statement :
“I am deeply saddened by the news of Congressman Mark Souder’s fall into the temptation of an affair. Those of us who have worked with Mark over the years know him to be a kind and thoughtful legislator. If Mark Souder is capable of sexual misconduct, it could happen to anyone. The frat house environment on Capitol Hill does nothing to encourage accountability. Most Members do not live with their families while they are working in D.C. during the week and have even ditched common rules of etiquette that even major corporations follow such as office doors with windows or careful examination of employee/boss interaction.

“There are many Americans running for office this year who want to bring integrity and family values back to Washington. I challenge any incumbents who manage to escape the wrath of the American people to guard their hearts and reputations and to live by higher standards that reflect the traditional moral values our country holds so dear.”

“In addition, as a Christian I believe that we are all fallen and in need of redemption. I join the countless others now and throughout ages past who cling diligently to the hope of grace and redemption.”
Dave Weigal of the WaPo points out a problem with this concern:
The interviews aired in his district -- where Jackson lives -- but that has nonetheless convinced Concerned Women of America, a beltway conservative group run by Penny Nance, that Souder was brought down by Capitol Hill itself.[snip]

It goes without saying that very few of the members who live like this engage in sexual misconduct. And once again -- Jackson lives in Souder's district, not in Washington.
Thank you for your concern ladies-- It's good to know Capitol Hill is so powerful, that the man lost any control over himself. Basically, CWA are blaming a city for his actions.
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49 comments (Latest Comment: 05/20/2010 23:26:59 by trojanrabbit)

American Zeitgeist
Author: BobR    Date: 05/19/2010 12:32:33

Pundits love to pontificate on what they believe Americans think. To them, we can all be boiled down into just a handful of "types", and in their minds our feelings are easily read and our reactions easily predicted. There are specific segments that can certainly be counted on to have knee-jerk reactions to events (typically the arbiters of the left and right), but how most Americans will react is much more fluid. Like clouds they are always changing, and differ depending on where you are in the country.
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63 comments (Latest Comment: 05/20/2010 01:17:42 by trojanrabbit)

A Declaration to BP - from the USA
Author: TriSec    Date: 05/18/2010 23:13:03

ATTENTION, PEOPLE OF THE WORLD:



When in the Course of environmental events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the economic bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

The history of the present British Petroleum is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over the Gulf of Mexico. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

They have ignored all safety rules and regulations.

They have murdered 11 citizens of these United States

Their oil continues to spew unfettered into our waters, and continues to threaten our shores, our citizens, and our economy.

They have failed to appreciate the gravity of the situation, and have developed an increasingly bizarre series of contraptions that do nothing to address the actual problem.

They are concerned only with protecting their own profits over and above their fellow-creatures of the sea and shore.

They have misled, lied, underestimated, and used deception and delay to deflect all criticism of their actions.

They have hidden behind their friends in the GOP, who bear equal culpability for this outrage.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free market.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these United States, solemnly publish and declare that a state of war has existed between the United States and British Petroleum since April 20, 2010. We shall pursue every means available to us until we reach the ultimate victory; the well is shut down forever, the coasts are clean, our economy is repaired, and the perpetrators of this monstrous crime are brought before the judgment of the world for the crimes against nature and humanity.

Online Petition: BP must be held accountable


 
3 comments (Latest Comment: 05/19/2010 18:59:21 by Raine)

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