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Author: TriSec    Date: 10/08/2013 10:24:45

Good Morning

And so another year has passed. Today is our 4,384th day in Afghanistan.

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

US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 2,276
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 1,105

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

$1, 478, 832, 850, 000 .00



I want you to go back and read the casualty figures again. Although not as high as our costs in blood in Iraq, the number is still too high. But it's also not been moving much. Perhaps we've finally figured out how to fight in Afghanistan so our troops can still do their jobs and stay as safe as one can on a battlefield. But then I want you to ponder that more soldiers died by their own hands this year than on any battlefield. Clearly, we're not doing something right here.


More soldiers have died by their own hand than in battle this year, as the Army continues to fight the elusive enemy that also claimed more lives in 2012 than combat in Afghanistan.

So far this year, 106 active-duty soldiers and 102 reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty are believed to have committed suicide, the Army announced Oct. 1.

In comparison, 91 U.S. troops — 80 of them soldiers — died supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

The Army continues to focus on suicide prevention, but the results appear to be mixed, with potential improvement among active-duty soldiers but an alarming increase in the numbers among reserve component soldiers who are not on active duty.

On Oct. 1, the Army announced there were 12 suspected suicides among active-duty soldiers in August, seven fewer than the month before.

Two of the 12 deaths have been confirmed as suicides and the others are still under investigation.

In July, the Army reported as many as 19 suicides among active-duty soldiers; three have been confirmed and the others are still under investigation.

So far this year, as many as 106 soldiers are believed to have committed suicide. Of those, 51 deaths have been confirmed as suicides.

This is a decrease from 2012; this time last year, the Army reported as many as 131 suicides among active-duty soldiers.


Despite the bad news, there is small cause for optimism regarding Afghanistan. Very quietly, the Pentagon has been withdrawing troops. More than 12,000 of them got the welcome news this year that they'd be going home. We're also slowly but surely winding down offensive operations as we prepare to get out of there in a year or so.


The Pentagon has quietly removed nearly 12,000 troops from Afghanistan during the past several months, scaling back the military’s combat power before the end of the fighting season.

U.S. troop levels have fallen nearly 20 percent, from 66,000 in April down to about 54,500 in late September, Pentagon data show.

Meanwhile, U.S. military operations in Afghanistan are slowing. In August, the U.S. military conducted 158 close-air support missions that dropped weapons, less than half of the 368 sorties that released weapons in May, according to Air Force numbers.

Military officials say the drawdown is part of a gradual reduction to meet President Obama’s target for getting troop levels down to less than 34,000 by February.

It also signals a fundamental shift in the U.S. mission there from directly fighting the Taliban insurgency to supporting the Afghan troops who now plan and conduct combat missions independently.


But despite the downturn, and the overall quietness in the Afghan theatre of operations, there is always a dark side. I want to shift over to a place we rarely visit now, Iraq. Almost unknown and unreported, sectarian violence continues almost unabated in the disaster area we left behind when we pulled out. More than a thousand Iraqis have been killed in sectarian violence this past month, which is the worst it's ever been.


BAGHDAD — An Iraqi sheik cradled his grandson’s tightly wrapped body Tuesday, his face grim and his eyes downcast, trailed by men bearing the coffin of the infant’s mother.

The mother and son were killed the day before by a bombing in Baghdad — two among nearly 1,000 Iraqi lives lost to violence in September. The heartbreaking image, captured in an Associated Press photo, illuminates the human tragedy behind the numbers.

Sectarian bloodshed has surged to levels not seen in Iraq since 2008. More than 5,000 people have been killed since April, when a deadly government raid on a Sunni protest camp unleashed a new round of violence that showed al-Qaida in Iraq is still strong despite years of U.S.-Iraqi offensives against the terror group.

At least 979 people — 887 civilians and 92 soldiers and national policemen — were killed in September, a 22 percent increase from the previous month, the U.N. mission in Iraq said Tuesday. Baghdad was hit hardest, with 418 violent deaths. The U.N. also reported that 2,133 people were wounded nationwide in the relentless car bombings, suicide attacks and shootings.

The spike reversed a brief decline to 804 in August after the death toll reached 1,057 in July, the highest since June 2008 when 975 people were killed.


It's another one of those weeks where I could keep going....but I'll stop for now.
 

89 comments (Latest Comment: 10/08/2013 22:15:13 by Raine)
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Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 13:09:54
Good morning!

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/08/2013 13:14:13
Some of you might have seen my post on the Book of Faces about United Healthcare yesterday. They still blow syphilitic goats.




Comment by BobR on 10/08/2013 13:15:20
I didn't know about that the troops were already being drawn down in Afghanistan. That's good news. I have seen the stories about the bloody violence in Iraq - nearly every day there's another story of a bombing. Thanks Dubya...

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/08/2013 13:15:46
Thank you Artist Series in Jacksonville! They are bringing "Mama Mia" to town. Guess what I have stuck in my head.

Comment by BobR on 10/08/2013 13:16:03
Quote by Mondobubba:
Some of you might have seen my post on the Book of Faces about United Healthcare yesterday. They still blow syphilitic goats.

I've had them as my company-sponsored healthcare denier before. I tend to agree.

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 13:16:57
We have the Nobel Prize Winners in the physics category!
François Englert
Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

and

Peter W. Higgs
University of Edinburgh, UK

“for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider”


Comment by Scoopster on 10/08/2013 13:25:57
Mornin' all..

After reading a FB post by an old HS classmate, I've started looking into the paleo diet. It's an interesting idea.. I think I may give it a try.

Only major problem is dairy is out.. which means no milk for coffee.. which for me means NO COFFEE!!

Comment by BobR on 10/08/2013 13:26:08
Quote by Raine:
We have the Nobel Prize Winners in the physics category!
François Englert
Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

and

Peter W. Higgs
University of Edinburgh, UK

“for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider”

When you have a boson named after you, it's a pretty sure bet...

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 13:26:21
I can't believe 12 years later we are still in Afghanistan.

Comment by BobR on 10/08/2013 13:28:55
Quote by Scoopster:
Mornin' all..

After reading a FB post by an old HS classmate, I've started looking into the paleo diet. It's an interesting idea.. I think I may give it a try.

Only major problem is dairy is out.. which means no milk for coffee.. which for me means NO COFFEE!!

And how long did the average caveman live?

btw - I like my coffee like I like my mens... strong, black, and bitter :hair flip:

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 13:29:41
This is really cool. I bet Rabbit knows a little bit about this!

Comment by Scoopster on 10/08/2013 13:29:50
Quote by Raine:
We have the Nobel Prize Winners in the physics category!
François Englert
Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

and

Peter W. Higgs
University of Edinburgh, UK

“for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider”

Awww.. you mean Edward Snowden didn't win for his personal studies in the acceleration rate of a chickenshit asshole thief around the globe?

Comment by TriSec on 10/08/2013 13:30:19
Remember, healthcare is my business.

My professional opinion is that UHC not only blows syphilitic goats, there is actually a line of them waiting.

I used to have this account; they really and truly suck. (And check out athena's "Payerview" website. I may not work for them anymore, but their metrics are still good.)


Comment by wickedpam on 10/08/2013 13:31:16
Morning

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/08/2013 13:32:48
Quote by BobR:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Some of you might have seen my post on the Book of Faces about United Healthcare yesterday. They still blow syphilitic goats.

I've had them as my company-sponsored healthcare denier before. I tend to agree.


I had them at AOL and the plan was amazing! No life time cap, no weird out of pocket, reasonable co-pays. Pretty much any drug I wanted was covered. For the entire time Mrs Mondo was in the hospital I never got a single bill. It was all covered.

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/08/2013 13:34:29
UHC YOU SUCK. You suck rhino dick. You suck donkey prong. You blow syphilitic goats. Not only do you suck various animal phaluses, you tongue bathe their hairy balls. You are not coerced into doing these acts of bestiality you actively seek these animals in the seedier parts of the internets. Screw the ACA, single payer national health insurance. Lets drive these for profit swine out of business. Healthcare is too important to be left to the magical, mythical free market.


Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 13:43:34
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Raine:
We have the Nobel Prize Winners in the physics category!
François Englert
Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

and

Peter W. Higgs
University of Edinburgh, UK

“for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider”

Awww.. you mean Edward Snowden didn't win for his personal studies in the acceleration rate of a chickenshit asshole thief around the globe?
The peace prize is announced on Friday...


Comment by Scoopster on 10/08/2013 13:51:36
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Raine:
We have the Nobel Prize Winners in the physics category!
François Englert
Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

and

Peter W. Higgs
University of Edinburgh, UK

“for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider”

Awww.. you mean Edward Snowden didn't win for his personal studies in the acceleration rate of a chickenshit asshole thief around the globe?
The peace prize is announced on Friday...

Hence the physics references!

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 13:53:36
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Raine:
We have the Nobel Prize Winners in the physics category!
François Englert
Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

and

Peter W. Higgs
University of Edinburgh, UK

“for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider”

Awww.. you mean Edward Snowden didn't win for his personal studies in the acceleration rate of a chickenshit asshole thief around the globe?
The peace prize is announced on Friday...

Hence the physics references!
That was perfect, Scoop!


Comment by Mondobubba on 10/08/2013 14:07:12
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Raine:
We have the Nobel Prize Winners in the physics category!
François Englert
Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

and

Peter W. Higgs
University of Edinburgh, UK

“for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider”

Awww.. you mean Edward Snowden didn't win for his personal studies in the acceleration rate of a chickenshit asshole thief around the globe?



Bwaaah! :spit:

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/08/2013 14:08:22
Quote by TriSec:
Remember, healthcare is my business.

My professional opinion is that UHC not only blows syphilitic goats, there is actually a line of them waiting.

I used to have this account; they really and truly suck. (And check out athena's "Payerview" website. I may not work for them anymore, but their metrics are still good.)



A line goats? Or a line of UHC employees waiting to blow said goats? Or both?

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 14:10:23
Please don't ask how I got here.

But I found this video at the website I linked above. This makes me want to HATE labeling GMO's.... OMG.


Comment by Mondobubba on 10/08/2013 14:24:04
Reverand Gary Hall of the National Cathederal is awesome!

We must now have the courage to take the final step and call homophobia and heterosexism what they are. They are sin. Homophobia is a sin. Heterosexism is a sin. Shaming people for whom they love is a sin. Shaming people because their gender identity doesn’t fit neatly into your sense of what it should be is a sin.




Comment by TriSec on 10/08/2013 14:25:52
Oh, and Hideki Tojo there on the Sox picked a fine time to choke last night, didn't he?



Comment by trojanrabbit on 10/08/2013 14:31:25
Quote by Raine:
This is really cool. I bet Rabbit knows a little bit about this!


Just a little, because this is Big Philips and we are a category set off to the side. But it's true that CONTROL of the lighting is just as if not more important as the lighting itself.

If they weren't so damn expensive (no we don't get a discount) I'd have a few Philips Hue lights around. Control of the lights will be able to come from any source. You want a particular light to change color when there's a severe weather warning? The hooks will be there for that. Philips is encouraging 3rd party developers.

Comment by wickedpam on 10/08/2013 14:34:46
creative movie promotion



Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 14:37:27
I can't believe this shit. I am really getting pissed. Now the effing GOP is going after entitlements -- or should I say AGAIN.

Comment by trojanrabbit on 10/08/2013 14:38:20
The Teabaggers, the FoxNews fascists and the low-information idiots that enable them are a cancer that needs to be eradicated. Radiation therapy is known to work. You see where this is heading?

Is that unhinged enough?

Comment by wickedpam on 10/08/2013 14:46:36
Quote by Raine:
I can't believe this shit. I am really getting pissed. Now the effing GOP is going after entitlements -- or should I say AGAIN.



you're surprised they're going after the benefits we all work to earn? They aren't going to be happy until we are back to share cropper days and have to work until the day we die.

Comment by Scoopster on 10/08/2013 14:50:31

You know, I recall several years ago a story done by the NY Times about roomie congressmen, and a NPR piece about the same time that expanded on it.

Now, these Tea Party goons may be new to town, but most of them are still pretty well off. They can afford to do a similar arrangement to the above - buy or rent a house, share it with your colleagues in Congress, and be self-sufficient. And hey, at the same time live true to your own self-professed morals about not wasting taxpayer money. BUT NOOOOOOOOOOO These assholes are living in their offices, using government facilities at a whim, hypocritically running up our tab.

Comment by TriSec on 10/08/2013 15:06:46
Once again, this is where secession is probably the answer.

I don't know what they wanted to "take us back" to, but it's increasingly seeming to be the chasm that led to the first Civil War.

Don't worry, my friends in the Balkanized States of America, I'm sure those of us that forge a new path will have an incentive program to erncourage immigration, and a generous support network until you are all established citizens.



Comment by wickedpam on 10/08/2013 15:11:35
Judgement Center 9?

Comment by trojanrabbit on 10/08/2013 15:15:28
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q225/trojanrabbit74/shermannukesuq3_zpsc5782c42.gif


Comment by BobR on 10/08/2013 15:23:05

I had not. Dogfish Head is the undisputed king of gimmicky beers.

That said - being the total space geek I am, the temptation to drive to Rehoboth Beach and try it is very strong.

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 15:31:38
Quote by BobR:

I had not. Dogfish Head is the undisputed king of gimmicky beers.

That said - being the total space geek I am, the temptation to drive to Rehoboth Beach and try it is very strong.
ROAD TRIP?


Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 15:46:20
Read this!
A day in the life of the emptiest suit in Washington:

7 a.m. You wake up, light a Camel. Read a pink Post-it left on the refrigerator by your wife: "John, don't ever forget, YOU REALLY ARE THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE !!! Also, we're out of bagels."

7:30 a.m. You lie in your tanning bed meditating about the government shutdown, wondering if it was such a brilliant idea to let it happen. You put on some Pink Floyd, "Dark Side of the Moon," but that doesn't help.

8:00 a.m. On the ride to Capitol Hill, your driver remarks that there's not much traffic in the city, no tourists lined up to see money being inked at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. You smoke another Camel.

8:11 a.m. From the car you call the police to report that some jerk on D Street is selling "Boehner is a Bum" T-shirts - no, wait, he's giving them away! Worse, he's wearing a national park ranger's uniform.
more...

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/08/2013 15:50:27
Quote by Raine:
Read this!
A day in the life of the emptiest suit in Washington:

7 a.m. You wake up, light a Camel. Read a pink Post-it left on the refrigerator by your wife: "John, don't ever forget, YOU REALLY ARE THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE !!! Also, we're out of bagels."

7:30 a.m. You lie in your tanning bed meditating about the government shutdown, wondering if it was such a brilliant idea to let it happen. You put on some Pink Floyd, "Dark Side of the Moon," but that doesn't help.

8:00 a.m. On the ride to Capitol Hill, your driver remarks that there's not much traffic in the city, no tourists lined up to see money being inked at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. You smoke another Camel.

8:11 a.m. From the car you call the police to report that some jerk on D Street is selling "Boehner is a Bum" T-shirts - no, wait, he's giving them away! Worse, he's wearing a national park ranger's uniform.
more...




Comment by Mondobubba on 10/08/2013 16:02:30
Quote by Raine:
Read this!
A day in the life of the emptiest suit in Washington:

7 a.m. You wake up, light a Camel. Read a pink Post-it left on the refrigerator by your wife: "John, don't ever forget, YOU REALLY ARE THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE !!! Also, we're out of bagels."

7:30 a.m. You lie in your tanning bed meditating about the government shutdown, wondering if it was such a brilliant idea to let it happen. You put on some Pink Floyd, "Dark Side of the Moon," but that doesn't help.

8:00 a.m. On the ride to Capitol Hill, your driver remarks that there's not much traffic in the city, no tourists lined up to see money being inked at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. You smoke another Camel.

8:11 a.m. From the car you call the police to report that some jerk on D Street is selling "Boehner is a Bum" T-shirts - no, wait, he's giving them away! Worse, he's wearing a national park ranger's uniform.
more...



BTW you had me at Carl Hiaasen. He's a hoot.

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/08/2013 16:15:25
Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 16:24:08
You know, I am seeing a new meme here. Medved said it today on the SMS show, and I have been hearing this from a few other conservative types:

If your intent was to insure as many people as possible, you’d have single payer.


Just a reminder: THE GOP DIDN'T WANT SINGLE PAYOR when we first started negotiating the ACA. IT was one of the very first concessions Obama made to the GOP thus leading the rise up of the firebaggers.

Comment by BobR on 10/08/2013 16:34:39
Stupid, poor, and voting against your own economic interests. Isn't that exactly what the GOP wants?

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/08/2013 16:39:10
Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 16:42:40
Quote by Raine:
You know, I am seeing a new meme here. Medved said it today on the SMS show, and I have been hearing this from a few other conservative types:

If your intent was to insure as many people as possible, you’d have single payer.


Just a reminder: THE GOP DIDN'T WANT SINGLE PAYER when we first started negotiating the ACA. IT was one of the very first concessions Obama made to the GOP thus leading the rise up of the firebaggers.


I;m serious about this. I've heard a few RWLM call in the shows bitching and using this same basic idea.


Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 16:43:23
I expect this nonsense from UGA.... *ducks incoming*


Comment by Mondobubba on 10/08/2013 16:51:09
Quote by BobR:
Stupid, poor, and voting against your own economic interests. Isn't that exactly what the GOP wants?



Lumberton. I am not surprised. It is dead smack on 95, the first city of any size in North Carolina and know speed trap. It is a shite hole.

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 16:59:45
******** POTUS to speak around 2 pm. ********


Comment by Scoopster on 10/08/2013 17:04:31
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Hell no. We don't want him. He can go indie if he wants to tho.

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2013 17:09:49
Quote by Scoopster:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Hell no. We don't want him. He can go indie if he wants to tho.

I don't think he's got the balls to do it. That said --

If it gets the on the ground republicans to wake up, I'll take the threat.

King will never become a (D)

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