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Author: TriSec    Date: 07/12/2011 10:36:08

Good Morning.

Today is our 3,037th day in Iraq, and our 3,565th 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): 4472
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03): 4333
Since Handover (6/29/04): 3613
Since Obama Inauguration (1/20/09): 244
Since Operation New Dawn: 44

Other Coalition Troops - Iraq: 318
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 1,657
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 921
Contractor Employee Deaths - Iraq: 1,487
Journalists - Iraq : 348
Academics Killed - Iraq: 448

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

$ 1, 219, 624, 000, 000 .00


I do want you to keep that number in mind today, as the histrionics continue over the debt-ceiling debate.


I've got a bit of a mish-mosh of stories today. A couple of them have a clear thread, but I think I'll just go ahead and do a compilation of sorts. We'll start at a neglected veteran's cemetery. Not Arlington, but someplace further afield. 9 years ago now, we visited the Manila American Cemetery, not far from Ambassador's Row in Metro Manila. It's a tidy, well-kept space with over 17,000 American war dead from the Pacific Theater. The story came out this past weekend that not far away, at Clark Airbase, another cemetery remains forgotton, abandoned, and half-buried by ash from Mt. Pinatubo.


CLARK, Philippines — Walking along the rows of tombstones here offers a glimpse of the wars America has fought and the men and women who waged them.

But most of the grave markers have been half-buried for 20 years, and there is little hope that the volcanic ash obscuring names, dates and epitaphs will be cleared any time soon.

Clark Veterans Cemetery was consigned to oblivion in 1991, when Mount Pinatubo's gigantic eruption forced the U.S. to abandon the sprawling air base surrounding it.

Retired U.S. soldiers, Marines and sailors volunteer to keep watch, relying on donations to try to maintain the grounds, but they lament that they're short on funds to fix things, and that Washington is unwilling to help.

"It's the veterans' cemetery that America forgot," Vietnam War veteran and ex-Navy officer Robert Chesko said.

Workers at the cemetery north of Manila recently dug to fully expose a gravestone for an Army sergeant who died in World War II in the Philippines.

They discovered his wife's name engraved under his and a long-hidden tribute: "Daughter, sister, wife and mother of veterans."

It's impossible to say what else remains hidden at the 17-acre (seven-hectare) cemetery.

It holds the remains of 8,600 people, including 2,200 American veterans and nearly 700 allied Philippine Scouts who saw battle in conflicts from the early 1900s to the resistance against brutal Japanese occupation troops in WWII.

Clark's dead also include military dependents, civilians who worked for the U.S. wartime government and at least 2,139 mostly unidentified soldiers whose marble tombstones are labeled "Unknown."


Speaking of Arlington, while I don't have any updates on the goings-on at our most well-known military cemetery, I have just learned of a volunteer group in the area. Their sole mission is to ensure that no veteran is buried alone. While we all picture the ceremony with soldiers, rifles, solemn faces, and hushed mourners...the reality is that often a soldier is buried with little fanfare and not much more than an honour guard and a bugler. Bloggers in proximity to Virginia might just want to check them out.


Arlington, Va.
A cool breeze swept through Arlington National Cemetery on a warm June morning as a horse-drawn carriage embarked on a solemn procession for the final salute to Navy Captain Joseph Millerick and his wife, Juanita.

Gathered around the gravesite were loved ones and several-dozen sailors dressed in sparkling white uniforms.

Paula McKinley was also there, and while she is not related to Capt. Millerick or his wife, she considers herself family.

She is an Arlington Lady, a member of an all-volunteer organization of women who ensure that every service at Arlington is attended.

“The purpose of the Arlington Lady is to make sure that no soldier, airman, Coast Guardsman, or sailor is buried alone,” says Ms. McKinley, chairman of the Navy Arlington Ladies. “I represent the Navy family.”

The first Arlington Ladies were organized in 1948. Then Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Hoyt Vandenberg and his wife, Gladys, were walking through Arlington during lunch and noticed that some memorial services had no loved ones present. Moved with sadness, Mrs. Vandenberg began to attend services herself and organized her friends to join her.

In 1973, an Army group was formed, followed by counterparts in the Navy in 1985 and the Coast Guard in 2006. Today, there are nearly 170 Arlington Ladies, with the Marine Corps being the only branch without them.

Each branch conducts its own ceremonies a bit differently at the cemetery, located just outside Washington D.C. in Arlington, Va., McKinley says. But the Ladies have a basic responsibility at every service.

Each Lady wears respectful, muted civilian attire and is escorted by the Honor Guard for Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard ceremonies, and the Navy Ceremonial Guard for Navy ceremonies, to the gravesite, where she stands solemnly during the procession and ceremony.

Immediately after the flag is presented to the next-of-kin, McKinley says, the Lady presents the official condolence card from the head of each service, along with a handwritten note.

During the brief interaction, she also offers gratitude on behalf of the branch for the family’s sacrifice, as well as for their support of the deceased and for the opportunity to pay tribute at the gravesite.


Finally this morning...of course the budget and debt ceiling debate is going to affect our veterans. You think the Republicans wouldn't mess with this most sacred trust?


Two cuts in military retired pay are under discussion as part of negotiations between Congress and the White House over the size of the U.S. national debt, but getting an agreement is proving difficult.

One cut is small, involving how annual cost-of-living adjustments are calculated. It could apply to military and federal civilian retirees, disabled veterans and survivors. The net effect would be annual adjustments that average one-quarter of a percentage point below what they would be under the current formula.

The second retired-pay option involves a complete overhaul of the benefit, replacing the 20-year model, which pays immediate benefits, with a new plan that could provide some retirement benefits for as few as five years of service — with the actual payments not starting until at least age 60 for any service members who do not retire on a full military disability.

As it stands, this proposal would apply only to future troops, not current retirees or anyone already in uniform.

The talks come as the U.S. has run out of borrowing power after reaching its current $14.3 trillion debt limit. The Treasury Department has warned the U.S. will run out of cash reserves to pay bills Aug. 2, which has become the deadline for reaching an agreement.
*snip*
The proposed change to the annual cost-of-living adjustment in retired pay would save $24 billion over 10 years, according to an estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The change, which would apply to military and federal civilian retired pay, and veterans disability and survivor benefits, would stop linking annual COLAs for benefits and retired pay to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners. It would be linked instead to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.

The estimated net result of the change would be annual COLAs averaging 0.25 percentage points less than they otherwise would.

If adopted, the change from CPI-W to CPI-U would apply to all future adjustments, even for current retirees, and could take effect as early as Dec. 1.

The last two years have seen no cost-of-living increase in retired pay because of flat consumer prices. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks prices, is reporting a 3.6 percent overall increase in the CPI-U over the past 12 months.

The CPI-W has increased 4.1 percent over the same period, half a percentage point more.

The second change, a complete overhaul of military retired pay and an end to the 20-year system, would pay immediate annuities only to those who receive military medical retirement. For everyone else, retired pay would not begin until age 60 — or possibly older.


It's one of those weeks where I have a mountain of stuff....but we'll leave it at that today.
 

50 comments (Latest Comment: 07/12/2011 21:46:49 by Mondobubba)
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Comment by Raine on 07/12/2011 12:52:07
good morning!

I always get sad when I read about cemeteries that have fallen to disrepair. We are right to have our attention on Arlington -- and I have heard about this organization, Tri...

But I think too often many people forget that we have fallen soldiers all over the world.

Comment by wickedpam on 07/12/2011 13:09:07
Morning

Comment by Raine on 07/12/2011 13:19:40
Aisha is just a little TOO peppy for me this morning!

Comment by TriSec on 07/12/2011 13:25:52
Little-known fact...there's a smattering of British war graves around here. (And there may be around DC and New Orleans; War of 1812 land action.)

The best known of them is on the Concord side of the Old North Bridge; two of the King's Own are buried in front of a large boulder. It bears a memorial plaque that was visited by no less than Queen Elizabeth during the Bicentennial.

There is a Union Jack on the site, and it's usually guarded by a Redcoat re-enactor during the tourist season. There's at least one other grave along the Battle Road near Hanscom Field.


Comment by TriSec on 07/12/2011 13:29:40
Hold onto your butts; the NYSE is open.



Comment by Raine on 07/12/2011 13:36:21
Quote by TriSec:
Hold onto your butts; the NYSE is open.


Why do you say that?

Comment by Scoopster on 07/12/2011 13:40:10
Mornin' all..

What's this about the stock market? If there something us proles should care about going on there?

Comment by TriSec on 07/12/2011 13:42:54
Italy. BBC lead story today - they're in as bad shape as Greece and may default unless they get a bailout, too. Futures are down across the board.

But that said, the Dow is flat in the first 15 minutes.


Comment by wickedpam on 07/12/2011 13:45:03
Hey, does anyone know why gas prices are going back up? Supposidly there is an oil glut and they were saying gas prices were going to "plummet". Staying above $3 is not plummeting in my book.

Comment by Raine on 07/12/2011 13:53:28
Quote by TriSec:
Italy. BBC lead story today - they're in as bad shape as Greece and may default unless they get a bailout, too. Futures are down across the board.

But that said, the Dow is flat in the first 15 minutes.
ahh. Krugman mentioned the Italy story yesterday.

But yes... let's make sure the GOP doesn't raise our Debt ceiling. Nope we have nothing intertwined with this shit at all.

BTW, from Mark Knoller: The total national debt has topped the debt ceiling. The Debt Subject to the Limit has not. It's frozen $25-million from the limit. He gave this link to a PDF. This is very disturbing. I am more concerned about this country than Italy right now.


The GOP needs to get it's shit together. NOW.

Comment by Raine on 07/12/2011 13:54:34
Quote by wickedpam:
Hey, does anyone know why gas prices are going back up? Supposidly there is an oil glut and they were saying gas prices were going to "plummet". Staying above $3 is not plummeting in my book.
I'm gonna take a wild guess that it's more hedging.

I should go listen to my obsession: WTOP to see what they have to say about that.


Comment by wickedpam on 07/12/2011 13:57:29
aaawwww that was as cute as bugs teeth!

Comment by wickedpam on 07/12/2011 13:58:38
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Hey, does anyone know why gas prices are going back up? Supposidly there is an oil glut and they were saying gas prices were going to "plummet". Staying above $3 is not plummeting in my book.
I'm gonna take a wild guess that it's more hedging.

I should go listen to my obsession: WTOP to see what they have to say about that.



I've been tuning in for the traffic on the drive home, they haven't said anything about why as far as I can tell

Comment by TriSec on 07/12/2011 13:59:18
Quote by Raine:

The GOP needs to get it's shit together. NOW.


Not going to happen. Remember what Rachel said last week; no President has ever been re-elected with an unemployment rate higher than 6%. The GOP has a vested interest in keeping everyone out of work.

I'm really starting to convince myself that defaulting, going into double-dip, and letting the GOP hang themselves might just be the best outcome.






Comment by wickedpam on 07/12/2011 14:02:20
Quote by TriSec:
Quote by Raine:

The GOP needs to get it's shit together. NOW.


Not going to happen. Remember what Rachel said last week; no President has ever been re-elected with an unemployment rate higher than 6%. The GOP has a vested interest in keeping everyone out of work.

I'm really starting to convince myself that defaulting, going into double-dip, and letting the GOP hang themselves might just be the best outcome.




Thing is they are so good at messaging that it could backfire and hurt a lot of people in the process -that's what I worry about

Comment by TriSec on 07/12/2011 14:13:53
I've said it before; the President needs to keep hammering them. A press conference every day, if need be. It's very clear where the problem is, but you're right on that; the GOP and that famous "liberal media" have so controlled the messaging that the average idiot man on the street believes the propaganda.



Comment by Scoopster on 07/12/2011 14:32:44
Rush Limbaugh says the reason President Obama is pushing the August 2nd deadline is Ramadan starts on August 1st.




BTW I just checked out that clip of Lawrence O'Donnell's show last night and it's really given me renewed faith that Obama knows what he's doin' in this whole budget showdown - both on a policy level and on a political level.

Comment by Scoopster on 07/12/2011 14:36:02
OH yeah.. has anyone been keeping tabs on how much press this mess in the UK over News Corp. is getting here? Now that it's starting to involve hacking cell phones of 9/11 victims I was thinking NBC (the mainstream side not the MSNBC side) would have at least reported on it.

Comment by Raine on 07/12/2011 14:42:11
Quote by Scoopster:
OH yeah.. has anyone been keeping tabs on how much press this mess in the UK over News Corp. is getting here? Now that it's starting to involve hacking cell phones of 9/11 victims I was thinking NBC (the mainstream side not the MSNBC side) would have at least reported on it.
I saw that story yesterday.

I need to go find the link, but I read early this morning that either wikileaks or Anonymous is going to dump a lot of stuff wrt to this scandal.


Comment by Raine on 07/12/2011 14:48:30
Quote by Scoopster:
Rush Limbaugh says the reason President Obama is pushing the August 2nd deadline is Ramadan starts on August 1st.




BTW I just checked out that clip of Lawrence O'Donnell's show last night and it's really given me renewed faith that Obama knows what he's doin' in this whole budget showdown - both on a policy level and on a political level.
Bob Posted that on FB, I watched it and I can say that I agree.

I watched his presser yesterday, and that is literally what I was thinking. I know yesterday I mentioned something about Lions and Anteopes -- (do y'all remember? ) and today I woke up to the news that Boehner has basically been removed from the debt talks-- replaced by Cantor.

Then I read this:
From Ezra Klein -- IT affirms What O'Donnell said.

Comment by Raine on 07/12/2011 14:51:47
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by TriSec:
Quote by Raine:

The GOP needs to get it's shit together. NOW.


Not going to happen. Remember what Rachel said last week; no President has ever been re-elected with an unemployment rate higher than 6%. The GOP has a vested interest in keeping everyone out of work.

I'm really starting to convince myself that defaulting, going into double-dip, and letting the GOP hang themselves might just be the best outcome.




Thing is they are so good at messaging that it could backfire and hurt a lot of people in the process -that's what I worry about
Don't worry too much.. They aren't as good at this point as they think.

They lost Frum, and they lost Rove. You think this debt ceiling issue is a good example of messaging? Obama is literally winning this one, and he is doing it playing them at their game.




Comment by TriSec on 07/12/2011 14:52:45
Non-Sequitir:

Listening to a Shane-O bonus podcast, featuring a couple of well-known bloggers. Regarding "Girl from Ipanema"....my grandpa knew Stan Kenton. So there.



Comment by Raine on 07/12/2011 15:01:14
Quote by TriSec:
Non-Sequitir:

Listening to a Shane-O bonus podcast, featuring a couple of well-known bloggers. Regarding "Girl from Ipanema"....my grandpa knew Stan Kenton. So there.






Comment by TriSec on 07/12/2011 15:21:30
Say gang...unless you'd rather I post a reminder on my next platelet appointment, please donate blood.

There is a national shortage.

Comment by BobR on 07/12/2011 15:31:39
Quote by Raine:
good morning!

I always get sad when I read about cemeteries that have fallen to disrepair. We are right to have our attention on Arlington -- and I have heard about this organization, Tri...

But I think too often many people forget that we have fallen soldiers all over the world.

When I was in Austria many years ago, I visited their large cemetery on a personal photo safari. I came across the old Jewish section and it was in sad shape. Where the rest of the cemetery was immaculately maintained, the Jewish section (from pre-WWII) was overgrown, with stones falling over.

Comment by BobR on 07/12/2011 15:41:20
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Non-Sequitir:

Listening to a Shane-O bonus podcast, featuring a couple of well-known bloggers. Regarding "Girl from Ipanema"....my grandpa knew Stan Kenton. So there.




Awesome - I love "Artistry in Rhythm" - I have the original sheet music at home (swiped from my Dad) and my father has the original 78s

Comment by Will in Chicago on 07/12/2011 15:57:15
Good morning, bloggers!!

I hope that everyone is doing well. I am busy with my job hunt today.

It is sad to see how our veterans are treated. I think that we quickly make promises as a nation and just as quickly forget about them.

Comment by livingonli on 07/12/2011 16:13:53
Good day everyone. Me slow sleepy.

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/12/2011 16:30:48
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Hey, does anyone know why gas prices are going back up? Supposidly there is an oil glut and they were saying gas prices were going to "plummet". Staying above $3 is not plummeting in my book.
I'm gonna take a wild guess that it's more hedging.

I should go listen to my obsession: WTOP to see what they have to say about that.



I've been tuning in for the traffic on the drive home, they haven't said anything about why as far as I can tell


That pipeline leak into the Yellowstone didn't help either.

Comment by wickedpam on 07/12/2011 16:32:25
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Hey, does anyone know why gas prices are going back up? Supposidly there is an oil glut and they were saying gas prices were going to "plummet". Staying above $3 is not plummeting in my book.
I'm gonna take a wild guess that it's more hedging.

I should go listen to my obsession: WTOP to see what they have to say about that.



I've been tuning in for the traffic on the drive home, they haven't said anything about why as far as I can tell


That pipeline leak into the Yellowstone didn't help either.



It didn't but these prices were starting back up before that. Atleast around here

Comment by TriSec on 07/12/2011 16:43:31
KBED conditions:

Current Temp 31°C (88°F)
Dewpoint 21°C (70°F)
Heat Index 34°C (93°F)
Humidity 55%

Thunderstorms forecast, but radar shows clear.


Comment by Mondobubba on 07/12/2011 17:26:00
Since I am feeling a little down, I'd like to post some fun facts! Mmmkay?

Born on July 12:

Josiah Wedgwood
Henry David Thoreau
George Eastman (Founded a small company called Eastman-Kodak)
George Washington Carver
Buckminster Fuller
Oscar Hammerstein II
Pablo Neruda
Milton Berle
Curly Joe DeRita- One of the lesser Stooges. He was no Shemp.
Bill Cosby
Cheryl Ladd
Kristi Yamaguchi

On this day in 1962 The Rolling Stones performed for the first time at the Marquee Club in London. Their first live performance.

Enjoy!



Comment by Mondobubba on 07/12/2011 17:27:46
Oh it has been a year since Harvy Pekar died. :kick:


Comment by livingonli on 07/12/2011 17:42:33
Today is a good day to stay in the air-conditioning so I might go see X-Men: First Class

Comment by Scoopster on 07/12/2011 17:58:13
Quote by livingonli:
Today is a good day to stay in the air-conditioning so I might go see X-Men: First Class

You ain't foolin'... just got back from a quick walk to get some grub (like two blocks) and I'm wiped from the heat.

I will DEFINITELY be installing my AC tonight when I get home.

Comment by Scoopster on 07/12/2011 18:05:19
Comment by Scoopster on 07/12/2011 18:10:54
Comment by TriSec on 07/12/2011 18:40:21
OK, so I get the Amish with placenames like "Intercourse" and "Mountsville" (come on, they don't watch TV; what else is there to do?)

But what's up with "King of Prussia", PA?



Comment by wickedpam on 07/12/2011 18:47:19
Quote by TriSec:
OK, so I get the Amish with placenames like "Intercourse" and "Mountsville" (come on, they don't watch TV; what else is there to do?)

But what's up with "King of Prussia", PA?




Named for King Frederick II - the King of Prussia

edit - or something to do with Ben Franklin's essays

Comment by Scoopster on 07/12/2011 19:19:57
Comment by Raine on 07/12/2011 19:44:26
Quote by Scoopster:
oh really?



Comment by Mondobubba on 07/12/2011 19:52:06
I have come the opinion that The Bullying Coward, John Boehner is a terrorist. His weapon is not a box cutter or a bomb belt. It is holding America's financial might hostage. In post-Bush America how to we deal with terrorists? Well we still hold them off shore, without access to due process. Ocassionally we torture the living crap out of them. So TBCJB, his Loyal Stooge, Eric Cantor et al need to be reditioned as soon as possible for the good of the Republic. These dangerous terrorist can not be allowed to walk free.




Comment by Raine on 07/12/2011 19:52:54
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Scoopster:
oh really?


Scoop. In reading the ThinkProgress article, (where it originated) something caught my eye:
GINGRICH: In the American system, if you read the Constitution correctly — this is why I wrote “A Nation Like No Other” — if you read the Federalist Papers correctly, the fact is the Congress can pass a law and can limit the Court’s jurisdiction. It’s written directly in the Constitution. The Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton promises, I think it’s Number 78, that the judiciary branch is the weakest of the three branches. There is no Supreme Court in the American Constitution. There’s the court which is the Supreme of the judicial branch, but it’s not supreme over the legislative and executive branch. We now have this entire national elite that wants us to believe that any five lawyers are a Constitutional convention. That is profoundly un-American and profoundly wrong.
boldface mine...

It hit me... Take a look:
The society was begun by a group including Edwin Meese, Robert Bork, Theodore Olson, David M. McIntosh, and Steven Calabresi, and its members have included Supreme Court justices Antonin Scalia, John G. Roberts and Samuel Alito.

The Society looks to Federalist Paper Number 78 for an articulation of the virtue of judicial restraint, as written by Alexander Hamilton: "It can be of no weight to say that the courts, on the pretense of a repugnancy, may substitute their own pleasure to the constitutional intentions of the legislature.... The courts must declare the sense of the law; and if they should be disposed to exercise WILL instead of JUDGMENT, the consequence would equally be the substitution of their pleasure to that of the legislative body."
What society is this, you ask?

The Federalist Society.

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/12/2011 19:53:00
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Scoopster:
oh really?




The thing is, there are people who still believe Newt's bullshit.

Comment by Scoopster on 07/12/2011 20:06:23
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Scoopster:
oh really?


Scoop. In reading the ThinkProgress article, (where it originated) something caught my eye:
GINGRICH: In the American system, if you read the Constitution correctly — this is why I wrote “A Nation Like No Other” — if you read the Federalist Papers correctly, the fact is the Congress can pass a law and can limit the Court’s jurisdiction. It’s written directly in the Constitution. The Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton promises, I think it’s Number 78, that the judiciary branch is the weakest of the three branches. There is no Supreme Court in the American Constitution. There’s the court which is the Supreme of the judicial branch, but it’s not supreme over the legislative and executive branch. We now have this entire national elite that wants us to believe that any five lawyers are a Constitutional convention. That is profoundly un-American and profoundly wrong.
boldface mine...

It hit me... Take a look:
The society was begun by a group including Edwin Meese, Robert Bork, Theodore Olson, David M. McIntosh, and Steven Calabresi, and its members have included Supreme Court justices Antonin Scalia, John G. Roberts and Samuel Alito.

The Society looks to Federalist Paper Number 78 for an articulation of the virtue of judicial restraint, as written by Alexander Hamilton: "It can be of no weight to say that the courts, on the pretense of a repugnancy, may substitute their own pleasure to the constitutional intentions of the legislature.... The courts must declare the sense of the law; and if they should be disposed to exercise WILL instead of JUDGMENT, the consequence would equally be the substitution of their pleasure to that of the legislative body."
What society is this, you ask?

The Federalist Society.

It's pretty ironic then that line I underlined just above is the exact demonstration of what the current Supreme Court is doing - substitution of their own will, motivated by greed and lust for power, over laws passed by Congress that are within the scope of the Constitution.

Comment by Scoopster on 07/12/2011 20:16:06
Actually.. they're in collusion with members of Congress as well as the wealthy & corporate elite in the whole thing. It's not really the substitution of their will over that of Congress in general, but of laws passed when their people weren't in control of Congress.

Comment by Will in Chicago on 07/12/2011 20:31:15
I just heard that Moody's put Ireland's bonds at junk status .. not good.

Comment by livingonli on 07/12/2011 20:36:03
Italy''s apparently going into the crapper now too. Sounds like Berlusconi fucked that country up good.

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/12/2011 21:46:49
When I was at lunch they had the "News" on the TV. There was Shep Smith interviewing Daniel Hernandez, who was the intern who helped save Rep. Giffords' life when she was shot. Hernandez and Joe Garagiola will be there doing the ceremonial pitches.