Good Morning. Today is our 2,883 day in Iraq and our 3,411th 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): 4436
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03): 4297
Since Handover (6/29/04): 3577
Since Obama Inauguration (1/20/09): 208
Since Operation New Dawn: 18

Other Coalition Troops - Iraq: 318
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 1,472
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 843
Contractor Employee Deaths - Iraq: 1,487
Journalists - Iraq : 348
Academics Killed - Iraq: 448

We find this morning's Cost of War not working.

Looking at the number above, that's the "cost of war" in monetary terms only. Returning veterans face yet another challenge on the job front. You may have seen this on facebook over the weekend...the jobless rate for returning vets has spiked well above the national average to a whopping 15.2%.

Continue reading...

31 comments (Latest Comment: 02/08/2011 23:12:48 by clintster)

Ok gang, get your pink and green plastic ray-ban sunglasses and your thin neckties and blazers with sleeves rolled up - we are going on a trip. Today Velveeta is your travel agent for a wonderful trip in centennial celebration of The Great One, The Gipper, our most Supreme President of ALL TIME... Ronald Reagan. (I'm assuming you've taken the time to bow appropriately).

Our first stop on our celebration tour will have to be Afghanistan. Yes, beautiful Afghanistan, a favorite destination for families, honeymooners and spring breakers, offers picturesque mountains lined with towering cliffs pocked with holes made from many bombs. Stay in beautiful downtown Kabul where nightlife is bustling - at least until curfew, and you're sure to meet many new and very interesting people.
Continue reading...

15 comments (Latest Comment: 02/07/2011 04:07:05 by livingonli)

Every once in a while, there is a certain synchronicity in the world, when we see a rash of coincidences that seem related, but generally aren't. We obsess and then we move on (mass animal deaths, anyone?). Sometimes these are more subtle, and there is no greater meaning nor conspiracy, but they are still interesting nonetheless. For me, I noticed a certain surge in stories that fall into the "ironic" category.
Continue reading...

37 comments (Latest Comment: 02/04/2011 23:20:35 by livingonli)

In 2006, the Democrats rode into power in Congress on a wave of disgust with the Republicans' endemic corruption. Two years later, the disgust with the Idiot-in-Chief, and fear of Sarah Palin drove record numbers to the polls to vote for Obama. Likely, there was also motivation driven by the lassaiz-faire approach to regulation which saw an economy heading over a cliff.

The Democrats, controlling both Houses of Congress and the Executive, had a unique opportunity to prove that they could lead this country into a bright shining future. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to. The 60 vote "filibuster proof" majority in the Senate came with not strings, but ropes attached, as each Democratic senator felt the power of his/her one vote to make or break a filibuster. The economy refused to budge so deep was its problems, despite attempts to seed the job market with projects funding. Sure the actions prevented what would have been an unrecoverable complete meltdown, but the turnaround has been slow.
Continue reading...

33 comments (Latest Comment: 02/02/2011 20:32:35 by Scoopster)

To learn that 6 al Jazeera reporters have been detained in Egypt, all equipment seems to have been confiscated. Say a prayer for their safety.

This newest turn of events does not bode well for the situation in Egypt or its current government. I would like to start this blog out making something very clear. I am with the people of Egypt. I am for them protesting, and I am for them removing their government and replacing it with one of their choosing.

I am not for United States of America's military intervention, beyond the peacekeeping forces we have had in in Sinai for decades. Nor am I for our government openly advocating overthrow. There are a number of reasons for this, so I do hope you hear me out.
Continue reading...

48 comments (Latest Comment: 02/01/2011 01:24:06 by TriSec)