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Author: TriSec    Date: 06/30/2009 10:39:16

Good Morning.

Today is our 2,295th day in Iraq.

We'll start this morning as we always do, with the latest casualty figures from Iraq and Afghanistan, courtesy of Antiwar.com:

American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): 4319
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03): 4180
Since Capture of Saddam (12/13/03): 3858
Since Handover (6/29/04): 3460
Since Obama Inauguration (1/20/09): 91

Other Coalition Troops - Iraq: 318
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 715
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 486
Journalists - Iraq: 138
Contractor Employee Deaths - Iraq: 1,306

We find this morning's cost of war passing through:
$ 873, 889, 350, 000 .00



Well, is today the day? US forces have pulled out of major Iraq cities and have turned over security to native forces. This has been a long time coming, and the US and Iraqi armies have spent many long months in training and preparations for this day.



In the long run, this is significant; if hundreds of thousands of Americans no longer need to be out in the field ensuring Iraqi security, then perhaps some of them can finally come home. Iraq is celebrating today as their "Sovereignty Day", and it's a holiday across Iraq today.

That doesn't mean the handoff is going to be smooth. In fact, far from it. In the last 2 weeks, there's been a dramatic uptick in the number of bombings in and around Baghdad. (Some of which is tracked here.) And despite the intensive training, there are many in Iraq who believe their forces aren't quite up to snuff.


A number of prominent Iraqi politicians and analysts are voicing concern that the national army will be unable to secure the country in the absence of US troops which could enable neighbouring countries to interfere in the country's internal affairs.

Despite some of the concerns, Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, insists that the withdrawal of US combat forces from Iraqi cities proves that Iraq can handle its own security, despite a recent spike in bombings in the past month.

"We are on the threshold of a new phase that will bolster Iraq's sovereignty. It is a message to the world that we are now able to safeguard our security and administer our internal affairs," he said in a televised event on June 27.

He has called on Iraqis to mark June 30 as a national holiday earmarked as Sovereignty Day.

Usama al-Nujaifi, an Iraqi MP from the Iraqi Nationalist List said: "We think Iraqi forces are not up to the standards of maintaining Iraq's sovereignty and dignity and this could jeopardise Iraq's security."

In November 2008, the Iraqi and US governments signed the Status of Forces Agreement (Sofa) which stipulates the withdrawal of US troops from Iraqi cities to several bases throughout the country on June 30, 2009.

While Iraqi forces step in to take charge of security in the cities, the US army will be tasked with securing Iraq's borders and airspace until its full withdrawal in December 2011.

Debatable sovereignty

Saad Qandil, a member of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, which is part of the Shia-majority ruling coalition, thinks declaring and celebrating national sovereignty is premature.

"We know it is not full sovereignty, but it is a step in the right direction. We are still looking forward for the full withdrawal of all foreign troops."

Dhafir al-Ani, an opposition member of the parliament and head of the al-Tawafuq Party, the largest Sunni bloc (44 seats out of 275 seats), agrees with Qandil.

He said: "Sovereignty means you are capable of free decision-making, defending your national soil, airspace and waters. Iraq is definitely far from achieving all this, I think the title of 'sovereignty day' should be reserved until we achieve the full sovereignty."

Security challenges

For the first time since the March 2003 US-led invasion, Iraqi security forces and the army will take sole responsibility for overcoming security challenges posed by local militias, groups like al-Qaeda and foreign infiltrators.

Although the Iraqi security situation has improved somewhat since 2006, hundreds of Iraqi civilians and a number of US soldiers have been killed in a recent spate of attacks.

Major General Qassim Atta, the commander of Baghdad security operations, believes that cadres of the outlawed Baath Party, al-Qaeda and "extreme religious groups" are responsible for the latest wave of attacks in Iraq.

"It is not only al-Qaeda, there are networks calling themselves al-Naqshabandiya, the Baath Party and foreign-backed organisations, all of them aim at defeating the government and foiling the political process," he said.

Khudair al-Murshidi, the spokesperson for the Baath Party in exile, strongly denied that his organisation was behind any of the attacks and accused the government of "distorting the facts".


It's going to be an interesting July.



Shifting gears dramatically for a moment, (I couldn't let this go by.)

Another A-330 has crashed.


An Airbus A330-200 operated by Yemen's state carrier Yemenia Air that took off from Paris has disappeared between Yemen and Comoros with 147 passengers on board, an airport source said.

The plane left Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport on Monday and traveled to Marseille and then Sanaa in Yemen before heading towards Moroni.

The aircraft -- which was due to have landed in the capital of the Indian Ocean archipelago at 2300 GMT Monday -- disappeared from radar screens, said the airport source.

A crisis task force was set up at Charles de Gaulle airport early Tuesday.

Another Airbus A330 aircraft, operated by Air France, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean between Brazil and France on June 1 with 228 people on board. There were no survivors.


Print details are very sketchy at this time, but the teevee reports that the plane was attempting a landing in heavy winds. Astonishingly, a survivor has been found; a five year old boy was plucked out of the sea alive. Things sure aren't looking good for Airbus these days. Anyone remember when nobody would fly on a DC-10?


 

112 comments (Latest Comment: 07/01/2009 03:20:47 by BobR)
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Comment by Scoopster on 06/30/2009 12:44:12
Morning all! Happy end of the fiscal year!



Weird, NPR was reporting that it was an Airbus A310..

Comment by wickedpam on 06/30/2009 13:06:45
Morning :hug:

Comment by velveeta jones on 06/30/2009 13:08:16
Wow! They found a surviver? And, a 5 year old at that. Ain't he gonna have a story to tell one day! Sad that he probably lost a parent or both though.



Anyway, fireworks in Iraq. Yay! Why do we use fireworks to celebrate war endings? Couldn't they come up with something that wouldn't bring up everyone's PTSD?

Comment by TriSec on 06/30/2009 13:21:18
BBC is reporting it as an A-310.



That's a smaller twin; roughly equivalent to a Boeing 767.



The 330 is a much larger aircraft. And worth noting, this is the one that Sen. McCain favors over the B-767 to replace the aging USAF KC-135 tanker fleet.









Comment by BobR on 06/30/2009 13:35:45
Morning... :coffee:



I suspect the bombings in Iraq will continue. There was nothing the U.S. forces could do to stop them, and I suspect the same is true for the Iraqis. Perhaps a sense of national unity and pride will coalesce, and the "insurgents" will be squeezed out and informed upon by neighbors.



I'm barely awake My sister is headed back to LA today, and decided to hit the road at the ungodly hour of 6:00 AM. I tried to go back to sleep, but was unable to.



Comment by BobR on 06/30/2009 13:45:50
Things are getting interesting on the job front. I contacted a sales manager I used to work with (and got along with and got respect from) at a former company we both used to work for via LinkedIn. He asked me to pass along my resume. I got a message back from him with a sense of urgency asking if I can meet him and the tech manager for a lunch interview tomorrow.



I checked out the company - it's a document/information management software company, which is what I've been working on at 3 of my past 4 employers (the exception being the company he and I both worked for). If the job openings list on their website is anything to go by, the job involves going to customer sites, analysing their information workflow, and designing/coding integration software to automate their processes. This is a nearly perfect combination of my experience and what I'm looking for.





Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 13:53:51
Good Morning!

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 14:00:28
Drudge HAs OFFICIALLY lost his Mind...



NOT from the Onion...

Comment by velveeta jones on 06/30/2009 14:03:53
Gossip news: According to NYT Social Diary, Bernie Madoff's wife has had the ultimate slap in the face, she has been fired from her Colorist. Grey roots for Ruth.



Oh the indignity!



As for her salon, Pierre Michel, Mrs. Madoff had dropped in every six weeks over the last 10 years. One morning in March, she was told that she could no longer enjoy her routine of sitting with a glass of Poland Spring water while Giselle, a colorist often cited in Vogue and Allure, wielded the foils...



The salon also refused to send a stylist to her apartment, a few blocks away, Ms. Brady said. Too many clients at the salon had been swindled, and the owners did not want their image further harmed, she explained.




No worries Ruth, just drop by your local Duane Reade and pick up a box of this:



http://www.tdwcloseouts.com/imgs/loreal-deam-blonde-hair-color-090616a.jpg


Comment by BobR on 06/30/2009 14:05:41
Comment by velveeta jones on 06/30/2009 14:08:02
Quote by Raine:

Drudge HAs OFFICIALLY lost his Mind...



NOT from the Onion...




:rofl: :rofl:



Oh....... that's good! Let the base get dumber and dumberer (and smaller).

Comment by velveeta jones on 06/30/2009 14:10:11
Quote by BobR:

Things are getting interesting on the job front. I contacted a sales manager I used to work with (and got along with and got respect from) at a former company we both used to work for via LinkedIn. He asked me to pass along my resume. I got a message back from him with a sense of urgency asking if I can meet him and the tech manager for a lunch interview tomorrow.



I checked out the company - it's a document/information management software company, which is what I've been working on at 3 of my past 4 employers (the exception being the company he and I both worked for). If the job openings list on their website is anything to go by, the job involves going to customer sites, analysing their information workflow, and designing/coding integration software to automate their processes. This is a nearly perfect combination of my experience and what I'm looking for.





WoHOOO! Hope this works out!

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 14:12:38
:yawn:



I cannot believe I used to get up at 5 am Every morning...



Unlike Bobber... I was able to fall back asleep for a few hours, but Darn, I feel all backwards.

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 14:18:25
What did Joe Jackson Say?

Comment by livingonli on 06/30/2009 14:24:49
Good morning everyone.



So, what's up?

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 14:25:58
Was that Don Lemon Hal was talking too a few moments ago? I just found the video that they were talking about. That Jackson parental unit is batshit crazy.

Comment by livingonli on 06/30/2009 14:26:29
Quote by BobR:

Things are getting interesting on the job front. I contacted a sales manager I used to work with (and got along with and got respect from) at a former company we both used to work for via LinkedIn. He asked me to pass along my resume. I got a message back from him with a sense of urgency asking if I can meet him and the tech manager for a lunch interview tomorrow.



I checked out the company - it's a document/information management software company, which is what I've been working on at 3 of my past 4 employers (the exception being the company he and I both worked for). If the job openings list on their website is anything to go by, the job involves going to customer sites, analysing their information workflow, and designing/coding integration software to automate their processes. This is a nearly perfect combination of my experience and what I'm looking for.





Good luck there, Bobber.

Comment by Scoopster on 06/30/2009 14:29:00
Quote by Raine:

What did Joe Jackson Say?


Is she really going ouuuuuuut with him?!



(yea I know.. different Joe Jackson :lol:)

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 14:30:34
Quote by Scoopster:

Quote by Raine:

What did Joe Jackson Say?


Is she really going ouuuuuuut with him?!



(yea I know.. different Joe Jackson :lol:)


:rofl: I thought the same thing!!!

Comment by clintster on 06/30/2009 14:33:12
Quote by BobR:

Things are getting interesting on the job front. I contacted a sales manager I used to work with (and got along with and got respect from) at a former company we both used to work for via LinkedIn. He asked me to pass along my resume. I got a message back from him with a sense of urgency asking if I can meet him and the tech manager for a lunch interview tomorrow.



I checked out the company - it's a document/information management software company, which is what I've been working on at 3 of my past 4 employers (the exception being the company he and I both worked for). If the job openings list on their website is anything to go by, the job involves going to customer sites, analysing their information workflow, and designing/coding integration software to automate their processes. This is a nearly perfect combination of my experience and what I'm looking for.







Cool vibes coming your way.



Comment by wickedpam on 06/30/2009 14:49:11
Quote by BobR:

Things are getting interesting on the job front. I contacted a sales manager I used to work with (and got along with and got respect from) at a former company we both used to work for via LinkedIn. He asked me to pass along my resume. I got a message back from him with a sense of urgency asking if I can meet him and the tech manager for a lunch interview tomorrow.



I checked out the company - it's a document/information management software company, which is what I've been working on at 3 of my past 4 employers (the exception being the company he and I both worked for). If the job openings list on their website is anything to go by, the job involves going to customer sites, analysing their information workflow, and designing/coding integration software to automate their processes. This is a nearly perfect combination of my experience and what I'm looking for.









:D

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 14:57:56
Tony is the Slogan guy.... Wowser.

Comment by TriSec on 06/30/2009 15:01:28
So. Billy Mays' heart attacked him.



Ed and Farrah were expected; MJ was really not that surprising. Poor Mr. Mays wins the "most shocking" award for this past week, IMHO.





Comment by wickedpam on 06/30/2009 15:08:41
damn someone was talking to me- what was so funny?

Comment by Random on 06/30/2009 15:16:33
Quote by velveeta jones:

Quote by Raine:

Drudge HAs OFFICIALLY lost his Mind...



NOT from the Onion...




:rofl: :rofl:



Oh....... that's good! Let the base get dumber and dumberer (and smaller).


Well,
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090623/capt.a1b6c31591f148cd8ab19f561bee2cf6.obama_whre110.jpg?x=400&y=240&q=85&sig=NpOiJO29Tn0BwxIaOG495g--


That is an evil look.

Comment by Random on 06/30/2009 15:18:03
I do like Hal on the radio. Not as funny as he is when he's the Third Mook, but smart as hell.

Comment by velveeta jones on 06/30/2009 15:18:28
Quote by TriSec:

So. Billy Mays' heart attacked him.



Ed and Farrah were expected; MJ was really not that surprising. Poor Mr. Mays wins the "most shocking" award for this past week, IMHO.





They keep coming: Pina Bausch dead at 68.

Comment by velveeta jones on 06/30/2009 15:25:34
OMG.... In looking at Pina's obit, a friend of mine died! :O

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 15:26:57
Quote by velveeta jones:

They keep coming: Pina Bausch dead at 68.
Wow. 68 is just way to young.



Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 15:27:21
Quote by velveeta jones:

OMG.... In looking at Pina's obit, a friend of mine died! :O


Oh no!

Comment by TriSec on 06/30/2009 15:37:28
Comment by wickedpam on 06/30/2009 15:47:33
from Twitter



johnboehnerTop Democrats in February said "stimulus" would create jobs "almost immediately." Instead, we've lost 1.6M. http://is.gd/1je31



wickedm@johnboehner and Repubs and Bush said they'd get Bin Laden - I'm still waiting.

Comment by wickedpam on 06/30/2009 15:48:16
too much?

Comment by Scoopster on 06/30/2009 15:49:02
Quote by wickedpam:

from Twitter



johnboehnerTop Democrats in February said "stimulus" would create jobs "almost immediately." Instead, we've lost 1.6M. http://is.gd/1je31



wickedm@johnboehner and Repubs and Bush said they'd get Bin Laden - I'm still waiting.




:clap: :clap:

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 15:53:00
That's perfect Mala!

Comment by BobR on 06/30/2009 15:53:32


everything's okay in casa de BRaine. It looks like no one was hurt in the deck collapse, which is great, but it's still scary.

Comment by livingonli on 06/30/2009 16:02:22
I probably would mention the job losses under Chimpy and the fact that the jobs that were the ones that replaced the lost ones often paid less.

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 16:12:40
Thom is quite the scallliwag today...

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 16:13:32
Comment by Will in Chicago on 06/30/2009 16:13:49
Good morning, bloggers!!!



Excellent post, TriSec! I hope that things will go peacefully in Iraq, so that our troops can come home soon. However, it is up to the Iraqis to settle their internal disputes. Often, the only thing that can unite disputing factions in a country is to have someone else step in.



BobR, good luck with the job.



For myself, I have an interview for a teaching job on Thursday afternoon.

Comment by wickedpam on 06/30/2009 16:15:10
Thanks :D

Comment by clintster on 06/30/2009 16:26:53
:devilbanana: You know you want to click it.





Comment by TriSec on 06/30/2009 16:28:06
MSNBC:



BAGHDAD, Iraq - A car bomb has killed at least 24 people near a market in the northern city of Kirkuk, police said Tuesday, as Iraqi forces assumed control for security in urban areas.



Tuesday's bombing comes as Iraqis celebrate what the government is calling National Sovereignty Day to mark the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraqi cities.



Police Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qadir said the explosives-laden car was parked near a crowded market in the city. He said at least 40 people were wounded in the attack.



The U.S. military also said four U.S. soldiers were killed in combat in Baghdad on Monday. It said they died as a "result of combat related injuries."



The two attacks are deadly reminders of the dangers still facing Iraq as Iraqi forces assume more responsibility for their own security.



The withdrawal that was completed on Monday is part of a U.S.-Iraqi security pact and marks the first major step toward withdrawing all American forces from the country by Dec. 31, 2011. President Barack Obama has said all combat troops will be gone by the end of August 2010.



President Jalal Talabani said the day could not have happened without the help of the United States, which invaded Iraq in 2003 and ousted Saddam Hussein — who was later convicted by an Iraqi court and executed in Dec. 2006.

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 16:33:52
Quote by clintster:

:devilbanana: You know you want to click it.









Comment by wickedpam on 06/30/2009 16:38:48
Quote by clintster:

:devilbanana: You know you want to click it.









:spit: That's just so wrong :rofl:

Comment by livingonli on 06/30/2009 17:01:15
I know my computer is getting old because it's getting slow.

Comment by Random on 06/30/2009 17:07:13
Oh my...Random may join Facebook now



Comment by TriSec on 06/30/2009 17:15:12
Idle thought....



When people speak of "coming out", do they mean something like going outside when it isn't raining to do things like cook food and eat it, play sports, walk in the woods, or ride bikes and things of this nature?



:kickcan:





Comment by Scoopster on 06/30/2009 17:26:20
Hey Tri I had a nutty idea to drive New England tourism this year..



Wild mushroom patches! With all this rain, there's bound to be biguns growin' up all over the place! :lol:

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 17:40:16
This sorta Sucks..



Vibe Magazine has Folded.

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 17:50:32
Someone NEEDS to take away Newt Blackberry:



@newtgingrich: Having castro call for defending democracy should convince any reasonable person that honduras was on the edge of a leftist dictatorship



@newtgingrich Sadly the obama administration has joined castro and chavez attacking honduran supreme court and congress for defending their constitution



=====================

So there it is -- Newty is FOR the Honduran Coup.

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 17:52:19
Quote by Random:

Oh my...Random may join Facebook now



Is this any different from This: http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/ ?



Comment by livingonli on 06/30/2009 17:58:17
Quote by Raine:

Someone NEEDS to take away Newt Blackberry:



@newtgingrich: Having castro call for defending democracy should convince any reasonable person that honduras was on the edge of a leftist dictatorship



@newtgingrich Sadly the obama administration has joined castro and chavez attacking honduran supreme court and congress for defending their constitution



=====================

So there it is -- Newty is FOR the Honduran Coup.


Well the leader of the Honduran Coup was trained at the School of the Assasins in Fort Benning which usually means that he is backed by the Righties. So, he probably would like a nice puppet fascist in Latin America like the guys we used to prop up.

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 18:10:13
Andy Borowitz On Thom!

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 18:11:17
Quote by livingonli:

Quote by Raine:

Someone NEEDS to take away Newt Blackberry:



@newtgingrich: Having castro call for defending democracy should convince any reasonable person that honduras was on the edge of a leftist dictatorship



@newtgingrich Sadly the obama administration has joined castro and chavez attacking honduran supreme court and congress for defending their constitution



=====================

So there it is -- Newty is FOR the Honduran Coup.


Well the leader of the Honduran Coup was trained at the School of the Assasins in Fort Benning which usually means that he is backed by the Righties. So, he probably would like a nice puppet fascist in Latin America like the guys we used to prop up.




Comment by Scoopster on 06/30/2009 18:14:55
Quote by Raine:

Someone NEEDS to take away Newt Blackberry:



@newtgingrich: Having castro call for defending democracy should convince any reasonable person that honduras was on the edge of a leftist dictatorship



@newtgingrich Sadly the obama administration has joined castro and chavez attacking honduran supreme court and congress for defending their constitution



=====================

So there it is -- Newty is FOR the Honduran Coup.




He's a fucking moron.. Obama wasn't even addressing issues involving their constitution. He was denouncing a military coup, and was joined by every other head of state in the hemisphere.



Comment by livingonli on 06/30/2009 18:15:11
Quote by Raine:

Andy Borowitz On Thom!


Have you been reading his facebook status updates? They are hilarious.

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 18:27:16
Minnesota court rules Democrat Al Franken won Senate seat



FINALLY! Now can we get him seated? PLEASE?

Comment by clintster on 06/30/2009 18:28:39
CNN is reporting that the Minnesota Supreme Court has declared Al Franken the winner of the US Senate contest in Minnesota.



http://punditkitchen.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/political-pictures-bill-oreilly-f-bombs-loading.jpg


Comment by TriSec on 06/30/2009 18:30:32
Hey kids!



Watch closely and you'll see me visibly decline!



:thud:



Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 18:33:08
Say it Bill. Say it... F*cking Senator Franken!



(how long will it take Timmeh to certify it?)

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 18:50:31
Oh DEAR LARD... (yes LARD --)



South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said Tuesday that he "crossed lines" with a handful of women other than his mistress — but never had sex with them.



The governor said he "never crossed the ultimate line" with anyone but Maria Belen Chapur, the Argentine at the center of a scandal that has derailed his once-promising political career.



"This was a whole lot more than a simple affair, this was a love story," Sanford said. "A forbidden one, a tragic one, but a love story at the end of the day."




TMI!!!!







Comment by Mondobubba on 06/30/2009 18:50:37
Comment by BobR on 06/30/2009 18:52:38
Quote by Raine:

Oh DEAR LARD... (yes LARD --)



South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said Tuesday that he "crossed lines" with a handful of women other than his mistress — but never had sex with them.



The governor said he "never crossed the ultimate line" with anyone but Maria Belen Chapur, the Argentine at the center of a scandal that has derailed his once-promising political career.



"This was a whole lot more than a simple affair, this was a love story," Sanford said. "A forbidden one, a tragic one, but a love story at the end of the day."




TMI!!!!



a Harliquin romance... :puke:



So what does he mean he never crossed the "ultimate" line? He got to 3rd base?

Comment by BobR on 06/30/2009 18:56:45
Quote by Raine:

Someone NEEDS to take away Newt Blackberry:



@newtgingrich: Having castro call for defending democracy should convince any reasonable person that honduras was on the edge of a leftist dictatorship



@newtgingrich Sadly the obama administration has joined castro and chavez attacking honduran supreme court and congress for defending their constitution



=====================

So there it is -- Newty is FOR the Honduran Coup.


A leftist dictatorship? Doesn't he mean a leftist democracy with a democratically elected leftist president?



Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 19:01:00
Quote by BobR:

Quote by Raine:

Someone NEEDS to take away Newt Blackberry:



@newtgingrich: Having castro call for defending democracy should convince any reasonable person that honduras was on the edge of a leftist dictatorship



@newtgingrich Sadly the obama administration has joined castro and chavez attacking honduran supreme court and congress for defending their constitution



=====================

So there it is -- Newty is FOR the Honduran Coup.


A leftist dictatorship? Doesn't he mean a leftist democracy with a democratically elected leftist president?

Well, you seem to agree with the rest of the world, Bobber...



UN backs Honduras head's return



He's a lunatic.



Comment by Mondobubba on 06/30/2009 19:03:47
Quote by Raine:

Drudge HAs OFFICIALLY lost his Mind...



NOT from the Onion...






:scans blog: I fear that Matt is having some sort of D&D flashbacks from when he was an asthmatic teen, who got a daily swirly from the jocks in his high school.

Comment by TriSec on 06/30/2009 19:04:26
Obviously, there are hallucinogens in my coffee. Why is the sky blue?





Comment by Mondobubba on 06/30/2009 19:07:02
Quote by velveeta jones:

Quote by TriSec:

So. Billy Mays' heart attacked him.



Ed and Farrah were expected; MJ was really not that surprising. Poor Mr. Mays wins the "most shocking" award for this past week, IMHO.





They keep coming: Pina Bausch dead at 68.




I think a friend of mine might be right. This is all the work of an ambitious serial killer who has seen "The Dead Pool" too many times.

Comment by Mondobubba on 06/30/2009 19:08:43




Bobber, those are some pretty pissed off sounding noms by the end of the clip.

Comment by TriSec on 06/30/2009 19:13:25
Nevermind; it's gray again.



I am accepting reservations for the ark over on FB, BTW.





Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 19:31:30
Stop talking, Mark. STOP talking.



What the hell.. seriously. STOP talking. Resign.







Comment by Scoopster on 06/30/2009 19:31:42
Quote by BobR:

Quote by Raine:

Someone NEEDS to take away Newt Blackberry:



@newtgingrich: Having castro call for defending democracy should convince any reasonable person that honduras was on the edge of a leftist dictatorship



@newtgingrich Sadly the obama administration has joined castro and chavez attacking honduran supreme court and congress for defending their constitution



=====================

So there it is -- Newty is FOR the Honduran Coup.


A leftist dictatorship? Doesn't he mean a leftist democracy with a democratically elected leftist president?


Newt conveniently skips over that fact though... The coup is OK with him because the president was trying to amend the Honduran constitution to get another term in office, and because he's a "leftist" and "leftists" defend him.



The president was trying to get more time in office, ok fine that's not the greatest idea. But at least he chose to do it through the proper, constitutionally-defined amendment process - a military coup is NOT the proper process, and the country's supreme court giving its blessing to a military coup isn't proper either.

Comment by Mondobubba on 06/30/2009 19:53:04
On oldie, but a goody about former Sen. Norm Colman.



George Galloway, MP:



"Because I publicly humiliated this lickspittle senator Norman Coleman - one of [George] Bush's righthand men - in the US senate in May, this sneak revenge attack has been launched over the past 24 hours."

Comment by TriSec on 06/30/2009 19:55:25
I once looked at a woman with lust in my heart. Now I know what it feels like to have a long-distance affair in Argentina that will ruin my career and destroy my marriage.





Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 19:56:01
Quote by TriSec:

I once looked at a woman with lust in my heart. Now I know what it feels like to have a long-distance affair in Argentina that will ruin my career and destroy my marriage.



Mark is a Meme!



Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 20:01:07
Cole NEws conferenece RIght now...

Comment by Mondobubba on 06/30/2009 20:03:45
Quote by Raine:

Cole NEws conferenece RIght now...




Watching it. He is almost being gracious.



Random comment, no I don't like the new screen format on MSNBC.





Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 20:06:43
This is awesome -- maybe 3 people applauded Norm Coleman.

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 20:07:16
Quote by Mondobubba:

Quote by Raine:

Cole NEws conferenece RIght now...




Watching it. He is almost being gracious.



Random comment, no I don't like the new screen format on MSNBC.



I do not like the MSNBC graphics at all.



Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 20:08:08
I love how he is trying to take credit for counting the votes, when it is LAW in Minnesota. :rolleyes2:

Comment by Mondobubba on 06/30/2009 20:08:59
Quote by Raine:

Quote by Mondobubba:

Quote by Raine:

Cole NEws conferenece RIght now...




Watching it. He is almost being gracious.



Random comment, no I don't like the new screen format on MSNBC.



I do not like the MSNBC graphics at all.







It's too frickin' busy.

Comment by clintster on 06/30/2009 20:12:00
SENATOR MUTHA-F'IN FRANKEN!!!!!











Comment by Mondobubba on 06/30/2009 20:14:15
Turned off the MJ coverage on MSNBC.

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 20:18:47
Quote by clintster:

SENATOR MUTHA-F'IN FRANKEN!!!!!









I do not think I could have said it better!





He's good enough, he's smart enough and doggone it --



people like him.



Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 20:19:55
Damn -- Randi really hates Al.



She has never really gone into details why -- but hoohaw-- she hates him.







Comment by wickedpam on 06/30/2009 20:33:31
and O'reilly's head's gonna go.....

Comment by TriSec on 06/30/2009 20:33:50
Well, looky here!



We're going to have fighter jets and a Herky-bird over the USS Constitution tomorrow, and they've decided to tell everyone about it!!



:nana: to New York; I bet we won't panic!





Comment by wickedpam on 06/30/2009 20:34:29
Quote by Raine:

Damn -- Randi really hates Al.



She has never really gone into details why -- but hoohaw-- she hates him.











personally I think it was Al taking credit for getting AA off the ground when Randi may have done the leg work.

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 20:40:31
Quote by wickedpam:

Quote by Raine:

Damn -- Randi really hates Al.

She has never really gone into details why -- but hoohaw-- she hates him.



personally I think it was Al taking credit for getting AA off the ground when Randi may have done the leg work.


I think there is a lot of sour grapes there. Love Randi, but yeah, Mala... I see resentment. Funny thing -- Randi has done more for progs than Al has in the past few years. ;)







Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 20:41:52
Quote by wickedpam:

and O'reilly's head's gonna go.....
I might DVR it...



ok, no I won't. Someone will youtube it. ;)







Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 20:42:56
The Senate SHOULD have stayed quiet about the Minnesota race.

Comment by Mondobubba on 06/30/2009 20:47:26
Sources on from the McCain campaign on Sarah Palin: The Little Shop of Horrors.

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 21:16:48
Quote by Mondobubba:

Sources on from the McCain campaign on Sarah Palin: The Little Shop of Horrors.






It came from Wasilla.



Amazing read.







Comment by clintster on 06/30/2009 21:26:02
Get ready for the big shock!



FOX News didn't carry Al Franken's acceptance speech live.

Comment by Raine on 06/30/2009 21:30:31
Quote by clintster:

Get ready for the big shock!



FOX News didn't carry Al Franken's acceptance speech live.
SERIES?!?!?!!?!! This is Hugh!





(on a side note -- Randi is pretty funny today--- )



Comment by livingonli on 06/30/2009 21:31:09
Quote by Raine:

Quote by Mondobubba:

Quote by Raine:

Cole NEws conferenece RIght now...




Watching it. He is almost being gracious.



Random comment, no I don't like the new screen format on MSNBC.



I do not like the MSNBC graphics at all.



It's all set up for the HD channel. The graphics go with the added info that they run on the side on the HD channel but it looks crappy on the SD downconvert.

Comment by livingonli on 06/30/2009 21:35:03
Quote by Raine:

Damn -- Randi really hates Al.



She has never really gone into details why -- but hoohaw-- she hates him.







It goes back to the Air America days. It seems like when they made Al the big star when the network started up, it gave the other talent the short end of the stick. And some people have said that Al was a bit snobbish. Randi's not the only one who dislikes Al. Mike Malloy doesn't like Al and I get the impression that Maron's not too fond of him either.

Comment by Random on 06/30/2009 21:35:10
Quote by Raine:

Quote by wickedpam:

Quote by Raine:

Damn -- Randi really hates Al.

She has never really gone into details why -- but hoohaw-- she hates him.



personally I think it was Al taking credit for getting AA off the ground when Randi may have done the leg work.


I think there is a lot of sour grapes there. Love Randi, but yeah, Mala... I see resentment. Funny thing -- Randi has done more for progs than Al has in the past few years. ;)





Randi always seemed to hate every other liberal talker, Steph being the only one I've heard kind words(kind of kind...) from Randi.

But now, Al will be doing much more for Progs than Randi.



Comment by livingonli on 06/30/2009 21:37:31
Quote by Raine:

Quote by wickedpam:

and O'reilly's head's gonna go.....
I might DVR it...



ok, no I won't. Someone will youtube it. ;)







Don't give Fox the rating. Thank goodness for youtube.

Comment by Random on 06/30/2009 21:53:09
Quote by livingonli:

Quote by Raine:

Quote by wickedpam:

and O'reilly's head's gonna go.....
I might DVR it...



ok, no I won't. Someone will youtube it. ;)







Don't give Fox the rating. Thank goodness for youtube.


Ratings don't work like that.

Unless Raine has a Neilson Box. (or booklet, if they still do those) watching Fox won't give them any ratings.

But that aside, no reason to sit through an hour of Fox waiting for Bill'O to go nuts.

Comment by Random on 06/30/2009 22:08:55
Random's never done this before...but caption contest...

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/RandomObs/CaptionContest.jpg


Comment by Mondobubba on 06/30/2009 22:09:49
Quote by Raine:

Quote by Mondobubba:

Sources on from the McCain campaign on Sarah Palin: The Little Shop of Horrors.






It came from Wasilla.



Amazing read.









Further cementing in my mind that she's a snowbilly, whiskey-tango Princess with a massive sense of entitlement.

Comment by Mondobubba on 06/30/2009 22:11:13
KO on Rush last night in Worsts: "Big bag of mashed up jackass."

Comment by BobR on 06/30/2009 22:40:20
Quote by Mondobubba:

Quote by Raine:

Quote by Mondobubba:

Quote by Raine:

Cole NEws conferenece RIght now...




Watching it. He is almost being gracious.



Random comment, no I don't like the new screen format on MSNBC.



I do not like the MSNBC graphics at all.





It's too frickin' busy.


Are they trying to make it look like facebook?



Comment by BobR on 06/30/2009 22:43:50
Quote by Raine:

Quote by clintster:

Get ready for the big shock!



FOX News didn't carry Al Franken's acceptance speech live.
SERIES?!?!?!!?!! This is Hugh!





(on a side note -- Randi is pretty funny today--- )



hugh? - I hope that was a joke...

Comment by BobR on 06/30/2009 22:44:59
Quote by Random:

Random's never done this before...but caption contest...

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/RandomObs/CaptionContest.jpg


Cameraman Joe-Bob pulls out his cock and wags it at the news anchors...

Comment by clintster on 06/30/2009 22:57:08
Comment by clintster on 07/01/2009 00:16:58
And O'Reilly pusses out. Glenn Beck is guest hosting.

Comment by BobR on 07/01/2009 02:28:15
Quote by clintster:

And O'Reilly pusses out. Glenn Beck is guest hosting.


He's at home in his stained underwear, passed out on the barca lounger with a half-empty bottle of Boone's Farm strawberry wine spilled on the floor next to him.

Comment by livingonli on 07/01/2009 03:15:53
Quote by BobR:

Quote by clintster:

And O'Reilly pusses out. Glenn Beck is guest hosting.


He's at home in his stained underwear, passed out on the barca lounger with a half-empty bottle of Boone's Farm strawberry wine spilled on the floor next to him.


Or maybe Jack Daniels and Coors.

Comment by BobR on 07/01/2009 03:20:47
Quote by livingonli:

Quote by BobR:

Quote by clintster:

And O'Reilly pusses out. Glenn Beck is guest hosting.


He's at home in his stained underwear, passed out on the barca lounger with a half-empty bottle of Boone's Farm strawberry wine spilled on the floor next to him.


Or maybe Jack Daniels and Coors.


Jack Daniels is too good for that pimple.