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Youth Organizations
Author: TriSec    Date: 03/26/2011 12:14:11

Good Morning.

'tis a lovely Saturday, and we'll soon be off to the nearby Arsenal Mall for the district Pinewood Derby. Javi won his den races, and qualifies to represent the pack.

You all know I've been at the Scouting business for nearly my entire life; I joined as a youth member when I was 8 years old myself, and haven't really been out of uniform since.

But what am I really doing here? Something Raine said in Monday's blog has given me pause.
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5 comments (Latest Comment: 03/26/2011 21:25:08 by Raine)

Under the Radar
Author: BobR    Date: 03/25/2011 12:44:34

With the military action in Libya, and nuclear crisis in Japan, the goings-on here in the U.S. seem to be slipping by under the radar. In particular, those international news stories are giving cover to the Republicans' actions. Let's take a closer look...
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56 comments (Latest Comment: 03/25/2011 19:41:34 by Raine)

Silence Isn't Always Golden
Author: Raine    Date: 03/24/2011 13:10:36

This is just a little too close to home. I mean that seriously. As the crow flies, National Airport is just a three miles from our home. In this case, as the crow flies is significant. Listen:



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70 comments (Latest Comment: 03/25/2011 04:26:57 by livingonli)

Libya, NATO, Congress, and the President
Author: BobR    Date: 03/23/2011 11:11:17

Once again, President Obama has taken an action which is approved by the majority of Americans, but condemned by those on the right and by some on the left. His measured actions in Libya have Republicans questioning his lack of hawkishness, and Progressives angry about yet another war front.

The biggest question is whether he got Congress involved enough:
Kucinich also questioned why Democratic leaders didn’t object when President Barack Obama told them of his plan for American participation in enforcing the Libyan no-fly zone during a White House Situation Room meeting on Friday, sources told POLITICO.

And liberals fumed that Congress hadn’t been formally consulted before the attack and expressed concern that it would lead to a third U.S. war in the Muslim world.

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75 comments (Latest Comment: 03/24/2011 00:12:37 by TriSec)

Ask a Vet
Author: TriSec    Date: 03/22/2011 10:33:25

Good Morning.

Today is our 2,925th day in Iraq and our 3,443rd 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: 1,508
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 865
Contractor Employee Deaths - Iraq: 1,487
Journalists - Iraq : 348
Academics Killed - Iraq: 448

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

$ 1, 169, 062, 000, 000 .00



Did you see all the coverage of the protests this weekend? It was, after all, the 8th anniversary of the ill-starred invasion of Iraq. My tiny little foilhat thinks that the start of "Operation Odyssey Dawn" this past weekend was no coincidence. Why remember a war we're losing when it's oh-so-much easier to show US warplanes dominating an essentially helpless foe? But, I digress.
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32 comments (Latest Comment: 03/22/2011 22:30:34 by trojanrabbit)

Monsters among us
Author: Raine    Date: 03/21/2011 12:44:59

I heard the news today, oh boy.... This is real ugly stuff. It's also VERY Graphic.
Some of the activities of the self-styled "kill team" are already public, with 12 men currently on trial in Seattle for their role in the killing of three civilians.

Five of the soldiers are on trial for pre-meditated murder, after they staged killings to make it look like they were defending themselves from Taliban attacks.

Other charges include the mutilation of corpses, the possession of images of human casualties and drug abuse.

All of the soldiers have denied the charges. They face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted.

The case has already created shock around the world, particularly with the revelations that the men cut "trophies" from the bodies of the people they killed.

An investigation by Der Spiegel has unearthed approximately 4,000 photos and videos taken by the men.
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69 comments (Latest Comment: 03/22/2011 03:32:52 by Raine)

Bombs and Money
Author: velveeta jones    Date: 03/20/2011 14:28:45

There are so many things going on this week that Velveeta’s poor little brain nodule is playing a game of Pong on top of a game of Astroids with the Space Invaders theme playing in the background! It’s truly a jumble salad, made worse by lack of sleep.

There is so much going on in the world today. Why, only less than 10 days ago we were worried about the Japan Tsunami. Remember that? We watched in horror as the force of water upon Japan washed away whole cities. As the death toll continues to climb, we hardly mention the “water” except where it relates to getting it on the Nuclear reactors that threaten the country and the rest of the world in some part.
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10 comments (Latest Comment: 03/21/2011 11:26:12 by Raine)

Saturday it is.
Author: TriSec    Date: 03/19/2011 10:36:36

Good Morning!

Well, by now you must know the drill...if it's an early Saturday Morning blog, I must be off to donate platelets!

It's certainly an interesting process...and if you've been a whole blood donor before, why not take the next step? It doesn't hurt...much, and the need is always critical.

But what do platelets do? I asked once, and the Dedham (MA) donor center where I go almost exclusively supports both Boston's Children's Hospital and the Dana-Faber Cancer institute (which you all should know as the "Jimmy Fund Hospital".) Apparently, chemotherapy blasts platelets, so a replacement therapy is often needed for cancer patients. In any case, your mileage may vary.
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12 comments (Latest Comment: 03/19/2011 22:54:51 by Raine)

Hard Work
Author: BobR    Date: 03/18/2011 12:37:11

Once again, the Republicans are doing their best to nothing productive. I'll certainly agree that the budget deficit is a serious problem, one that requires serious thought and sober action. There's also the whole jobs issue that prompted voters to give them control of the House. So why aren't Republicans taking actions on these? Their latest bit of legislative tomfoolery does nothing to help either.

I am talking of course about their bill to defund NPR. How does it affect the budget? What about jobs?
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55 comments (Latest Comment: 03/18/2011 22:56:42 by livingonli)

Sláinte!
Author: Raine    Date: 03/17/2011 12:28:59

Let's take a break from things for a day, just one day. The news won't go away. I've added some music (scroll down, past the images) but for now, I toast to all of you, my friends near and far:



Here's to a long life and a merry one.
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one.
A cold pint-- and another one!


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Irish_clover.jpg/150px-Irish_clover.jpg


http://www.beerh.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/stout-beer.jpg

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56 comments (Latest Comment: 03/17/2012 13:31:44 by Raine)

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