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Ask a Vet
Author: TriSec
Date: 10/29/2013 10:18:12
Good Morning.
Today is our 4,405th 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: 2,285
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 1,104
We find this morning's cost of war passing through:
$ 1, 484, 507, 100, 000 .00
Come with me this morning as we visit briefly in Iraq. Since we're out of there, it's gotten scant coverage in the media, but what happened yesterday really can't be ignored.
The only comparison in recent times is what happened in Bosnia; after the Dayton Accords in 1995, territorial disputes, terrorism, and bombing continued on for years; some of which still happen from time to time today. I"m afraid Iraq still has a long row to hoe, which will be part of the ongoing legacy of George W. Bush.
Looking over at Afghanistan, it's still not clear how we will manage to extricate ourselves completely. While it's easy to put troops on a plane and fly them home, it's not so easy to get a decade's worth of military supplies out of a country, especially when we've spent years building it up. The Pentagon's solution is to either sell it or abandon it, which certainly won't help the budget any. But I guess that's OK, because it's the military.
Finally, since this column is ostensibly about our veterans, I'll leave you with a sobering story this morning. Our Republican friends have made careers on excoriating immigrants and other "non-Americans" over the past decade. Immigration reform has been a huge roadblock of late, and ignoring the problem has certainly not helped the GOP's cause any. The target, of course, is Mexicans....but what happens when they wear the uniform of the United States, and fight and bleed and indeed, die, for their yet-to-be country?
"Freedom from Fear" was once a cornerstone of domestic war policy. My, how times have changed.
Today is our 4,405th 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: 2,285
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 1,104
We find this morning's cost of war passing through:
Come with me this morning as we visit briefly in Iraq. Since we're out of there, it's gotten scant coverage in the media, but what happened yesterday really can't be ignored.
A wave of car bombs struck Shia neighborhoods of Baghdad and a suicide bomber targeted soldiers in a northern city in attacks that killed at least 66 people across the country on Sunday, officials said.
Coordinated bombings killing scores of people have hit Iraq multiple times each month in the past half-year, a spike in bloodshed that has claimed more than 5,000 lives since April. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Sunday's blasts.
Four police officers said that the bombs in the capital, placed in parked cars and detonated over half an hour, targeted commercial areas and parking lots, killing 42.
Meanwhile, in the northern city of Mosul, a suicide bomber drove his explosives-laden car into a group of soldiers as they were sealing off a street leading to a bank where troops were receiving salaries. The attack killed 14 including five civilians, a police officer said. At least 30 people were wounded, he said. Mosul, which has been an insurgent stronghold in the past, is located about 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.
While no one claimed responsibility, such systematic attacks are a favorite tactic of Al-Qaeda's local branch. It frequently targets civilians in markets, cafes and commercial streets in Shia areas in an attempt to undermine confidence in the government, as well as members of the security forces.
The only comparison in recent times is what happened in Bosnia; after the Dayton Accords in 1995, territorial disputes, terrorism, and bombing continued on for years; some of which still happen from time to time today. I"m afraid Iraq still has a long row to hoe, which will be part of the ongoing legacy of George W. Bush.
Looking over at Afghanistan, it's still not clear how we will manage to extricate ourselves completely. While it's easy to put troops on a plane and fly them home, it's not so easy to get a decade's worth of military supplies out of a country, especially when we've spent years building it up. The Pentagon's solution is to either sell it or abandon it, which certainly won't help the budget any. But I guess that's OK, because it's the military.
IN BAGRAM, Afghanistan — The armored trucks, televisions, ice cream scoops and nearly everything else shipped here for America’s war against the Taliban are now part of the world’s biggest garage sale. Every week, as the U.S. troop drawdown accelerates, the United States is selling 12 million to 14 million pounds of its equipment on the Afghan market.
Returning that gear to the United States from a landlocked country halfway around the world would be prohibitively expensive, according to U.S. officials. Instead, they’re leaving behind $7 billion worth of supplies, a would-be boon to the fragile Afghan economy.
But there’s one catch: The equipment is being destroyed before it’s offered to the Afghan people — to ensure that treadmills, air-conditioning units and other rudimentary appliances aren’t used to make roadside bombs.
“Many non-military items have timing equipment or other components in them that can pose a threat. For example, timers can be attached to explosives. Treadmills, stationary bikes, many household appliances and devices, et cetera, have timers,” said Michelle McCaskill, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon’s Defense Logistics Agency.
That policy has produced more scrap metal than Afghanistan has ever seen. It has also led to frustration among Afghans, who feel as if they are being robbed of items such as flat-panel televisions and armored vehicles that they could use or sell — no small thing in a country where the average annual income hovers at just over $500.
In Afghanistan, nicknamed the “graveyard of empires,” foreign forces are remembered for what they leave behind. In the 1840s, the British left forts that still stand today. In the 1980s, the Russians left tanks, trucks and aircraft strewn about the country. The United States is leaving heaps of mattresses, barbed wire and shipping containers in scrap yards near its shrinking bases.
“This is America’s dustbin,” said Sufi Khan, a trader standing in the middle of an immense scrap yard outside Bagram air base, the U.S. military’s sprawling headquarters for eastern Afghanistan.
The scrap yard looks like a post-industrial landfill in the middle of the Afghan desert, a surreal outcropping of mangled metal and plastic. There’s a tower of treadmills 50 feet high and an acre of American buses, trucks and vans, stripped of seats and engines. An ambulance is perched unsteadily atop a pile of scrap, as if it fell from the sky. A mountain of air-conditioning units sits next to a mountain of truck axles.
Finally, since this column is ostensibly about our veterans, I'll leave you with a sobering story this morning. Our Republican friends have made careers on excoriating immigrants and other "non-Americans" over the past decade. Immigration reform has been a huge roadblock of late, and ignoring the problem has certainly not helped the GOP's cause any. The target, of course, is Mexicans....but what happens when they wear the uniform of the United States, and fight and bleed and indeed, die, for their yet-to-be country?
WASHINGTON — Jesus Magana, an Arizona resident of Mexican descent, protested before the White House Thursday.
"I was in the Army for four years: I fought for my country, I bled, I cried, I ached for this country I love, I was ready to die for this country, and that same country is deporting my family," Magana mourned.
He is part of a group of 44 pro-immigration activists from Tucson and Phoenix who travelled more than 40 hours by bus this week to arrive in Washington and demand that Republican John Boehner, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, finally call for a vote on the issue of immigration reform.
The trip was in vain.
"We arrived on Tuesday morning, we went to his office and his secretary was outside waiting for us. It's quite funny, because there is a sign that says, 'Hi, I'm John Boehner, please come in,' but they did not let us in. They told us his agenda is full and he has no time to talk to us," Magana said.
For two days, the activists stood around the corridors of Congress, "praying and singing psalms for congressmen," but they did not get an appointment, he said.
So on Thursday they moved on to the White House, where they prayed and sang outside in support of the call for immigration reform that US President Barack Obama was making inside to the very same Congress that would not meet with them.
"This is the moment when we should be able to the job done," Obama said in a brief address that focused exclusively on immigration reform.
The reform is an unfulfilled promise of Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, and he renewed it after he achieved re-election last year. Now, after Washington's recent political crisis, Obama has again placed the issue as a legislative priority.
"Now it's up to Republicans in the House to decide whether reform becomes a reality or not," Obama said.
However many times Magana tells his story, tears of sadness and rage well up in his eyes again and again. He and his sister arrived in the United States as kids, with their mother, who just wanted to grant her children a better future.
He is already a US citizen, after doing military service. His sister, however, is being deported. Magana says he is afraid for her and for his nephew, who "is afraid to leave the house because he does not want to go to a country he does not know."
"I don't think a 13-year-old child should live in fear," Magana says.
"Freedom from Fear" was once a cornerstone of domestic war policy. My, how times have changed.
Comments:
Order comments Newest to Oldest Refresh Comments
Comment by 
wickedpam on 10/29/2013 12:56:07
wickedpam on 10/29/2013 12:56:07
Morning 
Comment by 
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 13:02:06
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 13:02:06
Grunt. That is all.
Comment by 
Raine on 10/29/2013 13:26:06
good morning!
Raine on 10/29/2013 13:26:06
good morning!
Comment by 
BobR on 10/29/2013 13:30:38
That story about the vet being deported should be trumpeted loudly to every nimrod with a "Support The Troops" sticker on their truck.
BobR on 10/29/2013 13:30:38
That story about the vet being deported should be trumpeted loudly to every nimrod with a "Support The Troops" sticker on their truck.
Comment by 
Scoopster on 10/29/2013 13:37:19
Scoopster on 10/29/2013 13:37:19
Mornin' all..
I got my namaste on last night.. has anyone ever noticed how absolutely terrible the normal paper bags at Whole Foods are? I swear I had THREE of them break on me last night before I even left the store!
I got my namaste on last night.. has anyone ever noticed how absolutely terrible the normal paper bags at Whole Foods are? I swear I had THREE of them break on me last night before I even left the store!
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 13:49:24
Support The Troops® only applies to the white ones.
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 13:49:24
Quote by BobR:
That story about the vet being deported should be trumpeted loudly to every nimrod with a "Support The Troops" sticker on their truck.
Support The Troops® only applies to the white ones.
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 14:06:30
Raine on 10/29/2013 14:06:30
For precautionary reasons I give you this: 
And now, This... Long Lost Star Wars Bloopers and Outtakes Found
Your welcome.
Love,
Raine
And now, This... Long Lost Star Wars Bloopers and Outtakes Found
Your welcome.
Love,
Raine
Comment by BobR on 10/29/2013 14:13:12
BobR on 10/29/2013 14:13:12
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 14:16:40
Raine on 10/29/2013 14:16:40
I'm a phucking visionary!
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 14:19:32
Well you should have brought your lovingly crafted hemp bags made by the Ecuadorian native women's collective. Then they are shipped directly to you by a delivery company that uses carbon offsets so they have neutral carbon footprint, bitch.
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 14:19:32
Quote by Scoopster:
Mornin' all..
I got my namaste on last night.. has anyone ever noticed how absolutely terrible the normal paper bags at Whole Foods are? I swear I had THREE of them break on me last night before I even left the store!
Well you should have brought your lovingly crafted hemp bags made by the Ecuadorian native women's collective. Then they are shipped directly to you by a delivery company that uses carbon offsets so they have neutral carbon footprint, bitch.
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 14:29:51
I love this idea. I just hope the ice they skate on has been dyed blue.
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 14:29:51
Quote by Raine:I'm a phucking visionary!
I love this idea. I just hope the ice they skate on has been dyed blue.
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 14:31:55
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 14:31:55
Oh said hemp in those bags, is of course organically grown using the latest is sustainable agriculture techniques.
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 14:36:00
"File not found or deleted" at the bottom of the linked page.
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 14:36:00
Quote by Raine:
For precautionary reasons I give you this:
And now, This... Long Lost Star Wars Bloopers and Outtakes Found
Your welcome.
Love,
Raine
"File not found or deleted" at the bottom of the linked page.
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 14:37:52
The verge link still had some.
they are out there -- so keep looking. You gotta try harder than that....
Raine on 10/29/2013 14:37:52
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:
For precautionary reasons I give you this:
And now, This... Long Lost Star Wars Bloopers and Outtakes Found
Your welcome.
Love,
Raine
"File not found or deleted" at the bottom of the linked page.
The verge link still had some.
they are out there -- so keep looking. You gotta try harder than that....
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 14:52:26
Raine on 10/29/2013 14:52:26
I know they talked about it on the show, but this bears repeating:
The Wall Street Journal apparently thought it would be neat to have former “Three’s Company†star Suzanne Somers write a piece for them as an “expert†on national health care policy, aka Obamacare.
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 14:59:16
Raine on 10/29/2013 14:59:16
Comment by wickedpam on 10/29/2013 15:03:19
no wonder I felt dumber last night, he lowered the IQ of the whole state
wickedpam on 10/29/2013 15:03:19
Quote by Raine:
I missed The good Doctor last night.
Can we just keep that randtard out of Virginia altogether?
no wonder I felt dumber last night, he lowered the IQ of the whole state
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 15:10:32
Raine on 10/29/2013 15:10:32
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 15:23:33
Okay WSj just get it over with and add Tailgunner Jenny to your staff of medical experts.
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 15:23:33
Quote by Raine:
I know they talked about it on the show, but this bears repeating:
The Wall Street Journal apparently thought it would be neat to have former “Three’s Company†star Suzanne Somers write a piece for them as an “expert†on national health care policy, aka Obamacare.
Okay WSj just get it over with and add Tailgunner Jenny to your staff of medical experts.
Comment by Scoopster on 10/29/2013 15:27:27
The lists make absolutely no sense. The only thing that should be flagged are satire sites, social media and KNOWN disseminators of false information and outrage tourism.
I mean cmon.. you whitelist Ring of Fire's website, but not Dailykos/Rawstory/Mother Jones?!
Scoopster on 10/29/2013 15:27:27
Quote by Raine:
Phuck Reddit.
(read the whole thing, seriously -- fair and balanced my ass.)
The lists make absolutely no sense. The only thing that should be flagged are satire sites, social media and KNOWN disseminators of false information and outrage tourism.
I mean cmon.. you whitelist Ring of Fire's website, but not Dailykos/Rawstory/Mother Jones?!
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 15:37:36
Raine on 10/29/2013 15:37:36
Brittany is a freedom fighter.
At least they didn't play Panama....
At least they didn't play Panama....
When the United States invaded Panama in December 1989, Noriega took refuge in the Holy See’s embassy on December 24, which was immediately surrounded by U.S. troops. After being continually bombarded by hard rock music, including Van Halen's hit song Panama,[4] and “The Howard Stern Show†for several days, Noriega surrendered on January 3, 1990
Comment by Scoopster on 10/29/2013 15:41:15
Scoopster on 10/29/2013 15:41:15
LOL MARKOS HIMSELF TELLS REDDIT TO GO SCREW!!
Thanks for the heads up (72+ / 0-)
A year ago, this would've been a significant problem. But ever since they removed r/politics from the homepage, our Reddit-sourced traffic has slowed to a mere trickle. It's not something I'll worry about from a business perspective. Their politics subreddit is no longer relevant to anything.
And we've more than made up for the loss of Reddit traffic via other higher-quality sources. (Reddit users had the lowest pages-per-visit and time-on-site counts of pretty much any referral source.) You can see our traffic here.
So while this is disappointing on various levels, and shows a laughable inability to properly vet sources for a group supposedly dedicated to politics (I mean, banning NRO?), the numbers of people that frequent that section of Reddit is dwindling. It really doesn't matter much anymore.
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 15:41:59
Freerepublic isn't banned.
Raine on 10/29/2013 15:41:59
Quote by Scoopster:Quote by Raine:
Phuck Reddit.
(read the whole thing, seriously -- fair and balanced my ass.)
The lists make absolutely no sense. The only thing that should be flagged are satire sites, social media and KNOWN disseminators of false information and outrage tourism.
I mean cmon.. you whitelist Ring of Fire's website, but not Dailykos/Rawstory/Mother Jones?!
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 15:47:34
Barney, they have used Barney. Now that is cruel and unusual.
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 15:47:34
Quote by Raine:
Brittany is a freedom fighter.
At least they didn't play Panama....When the United States invaded Panama in December 1989, Noriega took refuge in the Holy See’s embassy on December 24, which was immediately surrounded by U.S. troops. After being continually bombarded by hard rock music, including Van Halen's hit song Panama,[4] and “The Howard Stern Show†for several days, Noriega surrendered on January 3, 1990
Barney, they have used Barney. Now that is cruel and unusual.
Comment by wickedpam on 10/29/2013 15:55:44
someone please to be explaining this to me
wickedpam on 10/29/2013 15:55:44
(72+ / 0-)
someone please to be explaining this to me
Comment by Scoopster on 10/29/2013 15:57:19
It's DailyKos' rating system for comments. In this case the comment had 72 recos, 0 hides when I copied it.
Scoopster on 10/29/2013 15:57:19
Quote by wickedpam:(72+ / 0-)
someone please to be explaining this to me
It's DailyKos' rating system for comments. In this case the comment had 72 recos, 0 hides when I copied it.
Comment by wickedpam on 10/29/2013 16:04:12
what's a recos?
I don't speak KOS
wickedpam on 10/29/2013 16:04:12
Quote by Scoopster:Quote by wickedpam:(72+ / 0-)
someone please to be explaining this to me
It's DailyKos' rating system for comments. In this case the comment had 72 recos, 0 hides when I copied it.
what's a recos?
I don't speak KOS
Comment by BobR on 10/29/2013 16:06:13
recommendations
BobR on 10/29/2013 16:06:13
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Scoopster:Quote by wickedpam:(72+ / 0-)
someone please to be explaining this to me
It's DailyKos' rating system for comments. In this case the comment had 72 recos, 0 hides when I copied it.
what's a recos?
I don't speak KOS
recommendations
Comment by Scoopster on 10/29/2013 16:15:06
Scoopster on 10/29/2013 16:15:06
Comment by wickedpam on 10/29/2013 16:24:08
danke
wickedpam on 10/29/2013 16:24:08
Quote by BobR:Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Scoopster:Quote by wickedpam:(72+ / 0-)
someone please to be explaining this to me
It's DailyKos' rating system for comments. In this case the comment had 72 recos, 0 hides when I copied it.
what's a recos?
I don't speak KOS
recommendations
danke
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 17:11:06
Raine on 10/29/2013 17:11:06
Comment by Will in Chicago on 10/29/2013 17:24:21
Will in Chicago on 10/29/2013 17:24:21
Hello, bloggers!! I hope that everyone is doing well.
I am saddened to hear about the news from Iraq and the story of Jesus Magana and his family. I fear that we will see no action from this Congress on immigration reform -- as this Congress seems even worse than the Do Nothing Congress of 1948.
I am saddened to hear about the news from Iraq and the story of Jesus Magana and his family. I fear that we will see no action from this Congress on immigration reform -- as this Congress seems even worse than the Do Nothing Congress of 1948.
Comment by Will in Chicago on 10/29/2013 17:29:21
I am amazed at how badly the GOP is trailing in Virginia. I think Obama wants to seal the deal.
As we are getting close to when mid year teaching positions are going to be posted, I am checking in Massachusetts and Virginia. (Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's school board has cut a lot of teaching positions, so little hope of any interviews here.) However, I need some advice. A few of my references seem to be offline or not responding. At least one left her district. (SchoolSpring, a site where several districts post cannot contact a few people for surveys and I have had little luck.) So, should I still use these references -- as I have few others.
Will in Chicago on 10/29/2013 17:29:21
Quote by Raine:
Boom! Obama is coming to Virginia to campaign for McAuliffe!
Canary -- coal mine for one.
I am amazed at how badly the GOP is trailing in Virginia. I think Obama wants to seal the deal.
As we are getting close to when mid year teaching positions are going to be posted, I am checking in Massachusetts and Virginia. (Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's school board has cut a lot of teaching positions, so little hope of any interviews here.) However, I need some advice. A few of my references seem to be offline or not responding. At least one left her district. (SchoolSpring, a site where several districts post cannot contact a few people for surveys and I have had little luck.) So, should I still use these references -- as I have few others.
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 17:35:33
If your ref's aren't responding, try to get new ones.
Raine on 10/29/2013 17:35:33
Quote by Will in Chicago:Quote by Raine:
Boom! Obama is coming to Virginia to campaign for McAuliffe!
Canary -- coal mine for one.
I am amazed at how badly the GOP is trailing in Virginia. I think Obama wants to seal the deal.
As we are getting close to when mid year teaching positions are going to be posted, I am checking in Massachusetts and Virginia. (Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's school board has cut a lot of teaching positions, so little hope of any interviews here.) However, I need some advice. A few of my references seem to be offline or not responding. At least one left her district. (SchoolSpring, a site where several districts post cannot contact a few people for surveys and I have had little luck.) So, should I still use these references -- as I have few others.
Comment by wickedpam on 10/29/2013 17:44:41
I'd try some new ones too
wickedpam on 10/29/2013 17:44:41
Quote by Raine:If your ref's aren't responding, try to get new ones.Quote by Will in Chicago:Quote by Raine:
Boom! Obama is coming to Virginia to campaign for McAuliffe!
Canary -- coal mine for one.
I am amazed at how badly the GOP is trailing in Virginia. I think Obama wants to seal the deal.
As we are getting close to when mid year teaching positions are going to be posted, I am checking in Massachusetts and Virginia. (Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's school board has cut a lot of teaching positions, so little hope of any interviews here.) However, I need some advice. A few of my references seem to be offline or not responding. At least one left her district. (SchoolSpring, a site where several districts post cannot contact a few people for surveys and I have had little luck.) So, should I still use these references -- as I have few others.
I'd try some new ones too
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 17:45:53
The Big Dawg and the former Secretary of State last week, POTUS this week. The DNC wants a win, don't they?
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 17:45:53
Quote by Raine:
Boom! Obama is coming to Virginia to campaign for McAuliffe!
Canary -- coal mine for one.
The Big Dawg and the former Secretary of State last week, POTUS this week. The DNC wants a win, don't they?
Comment by Will in Chicago on 10/29/2013 17:48:28
Thanks. I will see if anyone at one school district and the school I got my Masters in Education from can help.
Will in Chicago on 10/29/2013 17:48:28
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:If your ref's aren't responding, try to get new ones.Quote by Will in Chicago:Quote by Raine:
Boom! Obama is coming to Virginia to campaign for McAuliffe!
Canary -- coal mine for one.
I am amazed at how badly the GOP is trailing in Virginia. I think Obama wants to seal the deal.
As we are getting close to when mid year teaching positions are going to be posted, I am checking in Massachusetts and Virginia. (Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's school board has cut a lot of teaching positions, so little hope of any interviews here.) However, I need some advice. A few of my references seem to be offline or not responding. At least one left her district. (SchoolSpring, a site where several districts post cannot contact a few people for surveys and I have had little luck.) So, should I still use these references -- as I have few others.
I'd try some new ones too
Thanks. I will see if anyone at one school district and the school I got my Masters in Education from can help.
Comment by BobR on 10/29/2013 18:27:08
"Because when you think of what Lou Reed meant to American culture, the meaning is really meaningful."
BobR on 10/29/2013 18:27:08
Quote by Mondobubba:
I Loved Lou Reed More Than You.
"Because when you think of what Lou Reed meant to American culture, the meaning is really meaningful."
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 19:04:48
Lou also brought and end to Communism in the Czech Republic. Seriously.
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 19:04:48
Quote by BobR:Quote by Mondobubba:
I Loved Lou Reed More Than You.
"Because when you think of what Lou Reed meant to American culture, the meaning is really meaningful."
Lou also brought and end to Communism in the Czech Republic. Seriously.
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 19:14:31
Raine on 10/29/2013 19:14:31
I;m really hoping that Randi is going to go after Jan Crawfords reporting on the ACA.
Comment by 
livingonli on 10/29/2013 19:17:58
livingonli on 10/29/2013 19:17:58
Listening to Thom "debate" Betsy the former Lt. Gov. of New York and it seems all she wants to do is filibuster. This is what I get for oversleeping and not waking up until after 2 PM.
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 19:20:35
This election means a lot more than a lot of people realize.
I keep saying that this is gonna be a bellwether election. That O is coming to the state kinda seals the deal.
This could very well bode well for the Dems next year. Mala has said it for years, Virginia doesn't elect (D) govs when a (D) is POTUS -- after election day -- that trend could very well be going away.
Raine on 10/29/2013 19:20:35
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:
Boom! Obama is coming to Virginia to campaign for McAuliffe!
Canary -- coal mine for one.
The Big Dawg and the former Secretary of State last week, POTUS this week. The DNC wants a win, don't they?
I keep saying that this is gonna be a bellwether election. That O is coming to the state kinda seals the deal.
This could very well bode well for the Dems next year. Mala has said it for years, Virginia doesn't elect (D) govs when a (D) is POTUS -- after election day -- that trend could very well be going away.
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 19:21:40
UGH.
Is she trying to tell Thom about how Obamacare is all up in your private business?
Raine on 10/29/2013 19:21:40
Quote by livingonli:
Listening to Thom "debate" Betsy the former Lt. Gov. of New York and it seems all she wants to do is filibuster. This is what I get for oversleeping and not waking up until after 2 PM.
Is she trying to tell Thom about how Obamacare is all up in your private business?
Comment by livingonli on 10/29/2013 19:22:57
Yep, I guess since Fox News dug her up she thinks she has something important to say.
livingonli on 10/29/2013 19:22:57
Quote by Raine:UGH.Quote by livingonli:
Listening to Thom "debate" Betsy the former Lt. Gov. of New York and it seems all she wants to do is filibuster. This is what I get for oversleeping and not waking up until after 2 PM.
Is she trying to tell Thom about how Obamacare is all up in your private business?
Yep, I guess since Fox News dug her up she thinks she has something important to say.
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 19:28:10
Raine on 10/29/2013 19:28:10
I'm LOVING RANDI TODAY!
Comment by livingonli on 10/29/2013 19:29:39
If I didn't have to go to work I would be listening. It sucks that XM took her show off by dropping her channel (even if most of the stuff on that channel is crap).
livingonli on 10/29/2013 19:29:39
Quote by Raine:
I'm LOVING RANDI TODAY!
If I didn't have to go to work I would be listening. It sucks that XM took her show off by dropping her channel (even if most of the stuff on that channel is crap).
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 19:30:12
And he played for the Pope.
Now think about that.
Lou Reed performed for the POPE!
Raine on 10/29/2013 19:30:12
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by BobR:Quote by Mondobubba:
I Loved Lou Reed More Than You.
"Because when you think of what Lou Reed meant to American culture, the meaning is really meaningful."
Lou also brought and end to Communism in the Czech Republic. Seriously.
And he played for the Pope.
Now think about that.
Lou Reed performed for the POPE!
Comment by livingonli on 10/29/2013 19:31:32
livingonli on 10/29/2013 19:31:32
I am watching my DVR of last night's Rachel Maddow show and loving her take on how Rand Paul plagiarized the Gattaca entry from Wikipedia.
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 19:41:10
All in a day's work for an punk/alt-rock pioneer.
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 19:41:10
Quote by Raine:Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by BobR:Quote by Mondobubba:
I Loved Lou Reed More Than You.
"Because when you think of what Lou Reed meant to American culture, the meaning is really meaningful."
Lou also brought and end to Communism in the Czech Republic. Seriously.
And he played for the Pope.
Now think about that.
Lou Reed performed for the POPE!
All in a day's work for an punk/alt-rock pioneer.
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 19:46:16
A'yup.
Raine on 10/29/2013 19:46:16
Meanwhile, CBS News featured a story of a woman who will be paying 10 times more under Obamacare than what she paid for her old health insurance. It’s a story almost as disturbing as the story of the misreporting that went into the story. Dianne Barrette got a notice that her new health plan under Obamacare will cost her 10 times that $54. Sweetie, that’s because your new health coverage provides things the old one didn’t... like health coverage. Only a moron could look at this story and not see what’s going on. On that note, yes, Dianne has already been booked onto three Fox News shows. So a lot of morons will get to look at this story.
A'yup.
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 19:49:01
Sorry for yelling -- but that is a reality -- junk insurance is nothing more than voucher care.
Raine on 10/29/2013 19:49:01
Quote by Raine:
When I worked at the damn Xtra-mart -- I had a junk insurance plan.
It covered NOTHING. If I ended up in the hospital, it covered about 50 bucks.
THAT'S FUCKING VOUCHER CARE!!!!
Sorry for yelling -- but that is a reality -- junk insurance is nothing more than voucher care.
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 20:01:08
A friend of mine posted some statement from Jake Carney at the press gaggle yesterday about people loosing coverage. I pointed out very politely that the plans in question weren't ACA compliant. Something caused her to post something about services like women's preventive screenings are covered and this is driving up costs for everybody, men and women a like yada yada yada. Her company's rates are going up! :foam:
I pointed out that the employer mandate doesn't even start until 2015. The ratea people are talking about are for individual policies, that the ACA has stopped being female a pre-existing condition and rates for individual coverage for women are going down. She didn't know this!
This is one of the things that makes me nuts. The people who are doing the loudest whining and complaining don't know shit about the ACA.
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 20:01:08
Quote by Raine:Meanwhile, CBS News featured a story of a woman who will be paying 10 times more under Obamacare than what she paid for her old health insurance. It’s a story almost as disturbing as the story of the misreporting that went into the story. Dianne Barrette got a notice that her new health plan under Obamacare will cost her 10 times that $54. Sweetie, that’s because your new health coverage provides things the old one didn’t... like health coverage. Only a moron could look at this story and not see what’s going on. On that note, yes, Dianne has already been booked onto three Fox News shows. So a lot of morons will get to look at this story.
A'yup.
A friend of mine posted some statement from Jake Carney at the press gaggle yesterday about people loosing coverage. I pointed out very politely that the plans in question weren't ACA compliant. Something caused her to post something about services like women's preventive screenings are covered and this is driving up costs for everybody, men and women a like yada yada yada. Her company's rates are going up! :foam:
I pointed out that the employer mandate doesn't even start until 2015. The ratea people are talking about are for individual policies, that the ACA has stopped being female a pre-existing condition and rates for individual coverage for women are going down. She didn't know this!
This is one of the things that makes me nuts. The people who are doing the loudest whining and complaining don't know shit about the ACA.
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 20:03:27
Raine on 10/29/2013 20:03:27
Just made this my status update:
You know, regulations might suck -- but I'm pretty glad that insurance companies are no longer allowed to sell policies for 56 bucks a month and if I had to go to the hospital would only pay for 100 bucks for the visit.
Yes, I had a policy like that -- and it was employee sponsored. I paid 8 bucks a week for a job that paid me less than 9 bucks an hour. At the time, I was glad to get more than 25 hours a week. I was also terrified of having to use the insurance.
So, you'll have to forgive me if I think these policies should be cancelled. Insurance companies had 2 years to get in line with new federal regulations. Junk insurance needs to go the phuck away -- and that is something else the ACA is doing.
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 20:07:13
THANKS OBAMA!
Raine on 10/29/2013 20:07:13
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 20:13:40
RWTP.
GODFORFUCKINGBID that maternity care is tossed into the pool.
I'm not kidding here. I have seen people bitching about maternity care being covered like any other medical need.
Am I the only one who remembers when being pregnant was a pre-existing condition?
Give that link to your friend, Mondo.
Raine on 10/29/2013 20:13:40
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:Meanwhile, CBS News featured a story of a woman who will be paying 10 times more under Obamacare than what she paid for her old health insurance. It’s a story almost as disturbing as the story of the misreporting that went into the story. Dianne Barrette got a notice that her new health plan under Obamacare will cost her 10 times that $54. Sweetie, that’s because your new health coverage provides things the old one didn’t... like health coverage. Only a moron could look at this story and not see what’s going on. On that note, yes, Dianne has already been booked onto three Fox News shows. So a lot of morons will get to look at this story.
A'yup.
A friend of mine posted some statement from Jake Carney at the press gaggle yesterday about people loosing coverage. I pointed out very politely that the plans in question weren't ACA compliant. Something caused her to post something about services like women's preventive screenings are covered and this is driving up costs for everybody, men and women a like yada yada yada. Her company's rates are going up! :foam:
I pointed out that the employer mandate doesn't even start until 2015. The ratea people are talking about are for individual policies, that the ACA has stopped being female a pre-existing condition and rates for individual coverage for women are going down. She didn't know this!
This is one of the things that makes me nuts. The people who are doing the loudest whining and complaining don't know shit about the ACA.
GODFORFUCKINGBID that maternity care is tossed into the pool.
I'm not kidding here. I have seen people bitching about maternity care being covered like any other medical need.
Am I the only one who remembers when being pregnant was a pre-existing condition?
(1) Pregnant women are frequently unable to obtain health insurance in the individual market. The four largest for-profit health insurance companies each list pregnancy as a medical condition that results in an automatic denial of individual health insurance coverage; put differently, if a pregnant woman applies for insurance coverage in the individual market, insurers generally consider her pregnancy to constitute a preexisting medical condition and deny her coverage. The investigation also found that, because the law in some states requires insurers to extend coverage to policyholders’ newborn or adopted children, insurers sometimes deny coverage to expectant fathers and those who are in the process of adopting.
Give that link to your friend, Mondo.
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 20:15:19
I set her ass straight last night.
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 20:15:19
Quote by Raine:RWTP.Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:Meanwhile, CBS News featured a story of a woman who will be paying 10 times more under Obamacare than what she paid for her old health insurance. It’s a story almost as disturbing as the story of the misreporting that went into the story. Dianne Barrette got a notice that her new health plan under Obamacare will cost her 10 times that $54. Sweetie, that’s because your new health coverage provides things the old one didn’t... like health coverage. Only a moron could look at this story and not see what’s going on. On that note, yes, Dianne has already been booked onto three Fox News shows. So a lot of morons will get to look at this story.
A'yup.
A friend of mine posted some statement from Jake Carney at the press gaggle yesterday about people loosing coverage. I pointed out very politely that the plans in question weren't ACA compliant. Something caused her to post something about services like women's preventive screenings are covered and this is driving up costs for everybody, men and women a like yada yada yada. Her company's rates are going up! :foam:
I pointed out that the employer mandate doesn't even start until 2015. The ratea people are talking about are for individual policies, that the ACA has stopped being female a pre-existing condition and rates for individual coverage for women are going down. She didn't know this!
This is one of the things that makes me nuts. The people who are doing the loudest whining and complaining don't know shit about the ACA.
GODFORFUCKINGBID that maternity care is tossed into the pool.
I'm not kidding here. I have seen people bitching about maternity care being covered like any other medical need.
Am I the only one who remembers when being pregnant was a pre-existing condition?(1) Pregnant women are frequently unable to obtain health insurance in the individual market. The four largest for-profit health insurance companies each list pregnancy as a medical condition that results in an automatic denial of individual health insurance coverage; put differently, if a pregnant woman applies for insurance coverage in the individual market, insurers generally consider her pregnancy to constitute a preexisting medical condition and deny her coverage. The investigation also found that, because the law in some states requires insurers to extend coverage to policyholders’ newborn or adopted children, insurers sometimes deny coverage to expectant fathers and those who are in the process of adopting.
Give that link to your friend, Mondo.
I set her ass straight last night.
Comment by 
TriSec on 10/29/2013 20:19:49
TriSec on 10/29/2013 20:19:49
Afternoon, folks.
I would suppose that if Jarrod Saltala-can't-throw-out-a-base-runner-to-save-his-life starts tomorrow, we'll go to game seven. Ross behind the dish is a win in six.
I would suppose that if Jarrod Saltala-can't-throw-out-a-base-runner-to-save-his-life starts tomorrow, we'll go to game seven. Ross behind the dish is a win in six.
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 20:22:02
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 20:22:02
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 20:38:28
Tina Fey. Amy Poehler.
Just to name a few.
Meryl Streep.
Angelina Jolie.
Sally Field.
Jane Fonda.
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Edie Falco
Raine on 10/29/2013 20:38:28
Quote by Mondobubba:
Speaking as we were about Suzanne Sommers and Tail Gunner Jenny...
Are there any actresses over 40 who believe in medical science?
Tina Fey. Amy Poehler.
Just to name a few.
Meryl Streep.
Angelina Jolie.
Sally Field.
Jane Fonda.
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Edie Falco
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 20:51:10
Thank you for the list to rebut the somewhat rhetorical question posed by the author. I think the phrase that the author wanted to go with might have been "washed up starlets" but that might sound too nasty.
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 20:51:10
Quote by Raine:Quote by Mondobubba:
Speaking as we were about Suzanne Sommers and Tail Gunner Jenny...Are there any actresses over 40 who believe in medical science?
Tina Fey. Amy Poehler.
Just to name a few.
Meryl Streep.
Angelina Jolie.
Sally Field.
Jane Fonda.
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Edie Falco
Thank you for the list to rebut the somewhat rhetorical question posed by the author. I think the phrase that the author wanted to go with might have been "washed up starlets" but that might sound too nasty.
Comment by Raine on 10/29/2013 21:02:02
Look -- I think it was lazy. (not you. the author)
I'd like to see more reporters spend less time snarking about this stuff and more time writing about how wrong this shit is.
Raine on 10/29/2013 21:02:02
Quote by Mondobubba:
Thank you for the list to rebut the somewhat rhetorical question posed by the author. I think the phrase that the author wanted to go with might have been "washed up starlets" but that might sound too nasty.
I'd like to see more reporters spend less time snarking about this stuff and more time writing about how wrong this shit is.
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 21:14:45
There was some intelligence in the article. I agree, more facts less snark. Or wrap your snark into your facts.
Mondobubba on 10/29/2013 21:14:45
Quote by Raine:Look -- I think it was lazy. (not you. the author)Quote by Mondobubba:
Thank you for the list to rebut the somewhat rhetorical question posed by the author. I think the phrase that the author wanted to go with might have been "washed up starlets" but that might sound too nasty.
I'd like to see more reporters spend less time snarking about this stuff and more time writing about how wrong this shit is.
There was some intelligence in the article. I agree, more facts less snark. Or wrap your snark into your facts.
Comment by 
clintster on 10/30/2013 00:37:17
Just to note: The last VA governor to be elected while his party held the White House was Mills Godwin ®, elected in 1973. The last Democrat to govern Virginia at the same time as a Dem President was... Mills Godwin as well. He switched parties in '73 at the behest of conservative GOPers who wanted to defeat the strong Democratic Lt. Governor Henry Howell.
clintster on 10/30/2013 00:37:17
Quote by Raine:This election means a lot more than a lot of people realize.Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:
Boom! Obama is coming to Virginia to campaign for McAuliffe!
Canary -- coal mine for one.
The Big Dawg and the former Secretary of State last week, POTUS this week. The DNC wants a win, don't they?
I keep saying that this is gonna be a bellwether election. That O is coming to the state kinda seals the deal.
This could very well bode well for the Dems next year. Mala has said it for years, Virginia doesn't elect (D) govs when a (D) is POTUS -- after election day -- that trend could very well be going away.
Just to note: The last VA governor to be elected while his party held the White House was Mills Godwin ®, elected in 1973. The last Democrat to govern Virginia at the same time as a Dem President was... Mills Godwin as well. He switched parties in '73 at the behest of conservative GOPers who wanted to defeat the strong Democratic Lt. Governor Henry Howell.
Comment by Raine on 10/30/2013 00:57:15
ooOOoo I like this history stuff!
And, Clint -- the fact that the dude's name was Godwin is not lost on me.
Raine on 10/30/2013 00:57:15
Quote by clintster:Quote by Raine:This election means a lot more than a lot of people realize.Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:
Boom! Obama is coming to Virginia to campaign for McAuliffe!
Canary -- coal mine for one.
The Big Dawg and the former Secretary of State last week, POTUS this week. The DNC wants a win, don't they?
I keep saying that this is gonna be a bellwether election. That O is coming to the state kinda seals the deal.
This could very well bode well for the Dems next year. Mala has said it for years, Virginia doesn't elect (D) govs when a (D) is POTUS -- after election day -- that trend could very well be going away.
Just to note: The last VA governor to be elected while his party held the White House was Mills Godwin ®, elected in 1973. The last Democrat to govern Virginia at the same time as a Dem President was... Mills Godwin as well. He switched parties in '73 at the behest of conservative GOPers who wanted to defeat the strong Democratic Lt. Governor Henry Howell.
And, Clint -- the fact that the dude's name was Godwin is not lost on me.