Air Heads

Via Memeorandum, the Air Force caves to the Jesus freaks, turning into a bunch of sky pilots. I wonder when they're gonna rename it Christian Aviators.

The Air Force, under pressure from evangelical Christian groups and members of Congress, softened its guidelines on religious expression yesterday to emphasize that superior officers may discuss their faith with subordinates and that chaplains will not be required to offer nonsectarian prayers.

"This does affirm every airman's right, even the commanders' right, to free exercise of religion, and that means sharing your faith," said Maj. Gen. Charles C. Baldwin, the Air Force's chief of chaplains. [my em]

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And that means proseletyzing and pressure from above for cadets to accept the 'Christian way'. It's a crock of horseshit and is detrimental to the good order and discipline. I wonder if being 'Christian' is a requirement for the missilemen (you know, the guys who launch the ICBMs) nowadays? Gotta have 'people you can trust' with their fingers on the button, don't ya?

The stench of hypocrisy 14

Seems the Chimp is going after the people who leaked evidence of his eavesdropping program. How much you wanna bet the White House is more forthcoming with this prosecutor than they were/are with Fitz?

Penthouse to the pavement

Mr. H has the story of a recently unemployed executive who gets hit squarely between the eyes by reality.

Bounce this

Wolfie can gin the facts any way he wants, but nobody believed that crock of shit Bush called the State of the Union speech last week. Maru, fully and completely:

Bush's job approval, much like a dingleberry, stuck near bottom.

Lyie McStupington's marks on overall job approval and for handling the economy are mired near their lowest levels ever despite a spike in consumer confidence over the past month and an "upbeat" SOTU, an AP-Ipsos poll found.

Update:

Taylor Marsh has detail on the polling.

Brass monkey

Gag me.

Dogs rule

As you know, I love all animals, but especially dogs. I've had a dog all my life, starting from my Beagle, Fritz, when I was a little kid, to my German Shepherd, George, who was my best friend through two marriages and 6 years on active duty, to our current Princess Shayna*, the Australian Cattle Dog. They all have one thing in common. They're all shelter dogs.

Pedigree, the pet food people, and the American Humane Association are running a drive to get shelter dogs adopted into good homes. Did you know 7000 dogs are euthanized every day because there is no place to keep them? The website makes it very plain:

Life on the streets is no fun. Especially when you're there because you lost your best friend. Untold numbers of dogs are "orphaned" each year - lost, abandoned, or worse, abused and left to fend for themselves.

While political contributions are important, see if you can earmark some funds for the AHA. Also the North Shore Animal League [Where we got Shayna. - F-man] does incredible work in animal rescue and adoption. Our best friends can't do it themselves. Why not make room in your home for a shelter dog? If the logistics don't allow it, toss these dedicated folks some coin.

*Pic added for cuteness and the fact I missed Friday Cattle Dog Blogging yesterday.

Yeah...that's it

Ya see, we were wrong the first time, so we can't take any chances now.

Winter Camo

Since we're waiting for a blizzard here in NY, the Uniform of the Day is Arctic-1.

Rumors

When I was in the military, they drummed into us not to listen to rumors, which were usually wrong anyhow. With that in mind, I present this from Xan:

...

"Rumors have it that Vice President Cheney is to step down amidst health and/or Libby related issues. On that same note, our sources show that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has reserved the Nashville-area Marriott hotel to hold a press conference this Saturday.

...

Clay pigeons

Elaborating on Gord's entry last night, you know what happens to clay pigeons on the skeet range:

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Two of the elected officials referred to in Friday's filings have been identified in published reports as Reps. Steven LaTourette, R-Ohio, and Don Young, R-Alaska. According to Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, the two representatives wrote to the GSA in September 2002, urging the agency to give preferential treatment to groups such as Indian tribes when evaluating development proposals for the Old Post Office.

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Friday's filings by prosecutors refer to a third member of Congress, Rep. Shelly Moore Capito, R-W.Va. Her name appears in e-mails that suggest she was trying to help Abramoff secure a GSA lease for land in Silver Spring for a religious school.

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Too bad, so sad. Three more Republicans under investigation thanks to Abramoff. Heh...the hits just keep on comin'. Tell me again how the Republican Party is not an organized criminal enterprise?

Tip o' the Brain to the Left Coaster.

Rats

The great Neil Shakespeare.

The Sopranos

Man, there's a lotta shit flyin' in courtrooms, investigations, and newsrooms inside the ol' Beltway today. I can't remember the last time I saw fingers pointin' in so many directions at once and so many heads a-shakin', "Not me. Iss not my yob! Ees hees fault!". I guess instead of takin' the bullet like they were supposed to, they'd rather spread the slugs around.

Brownie's tellin' who knew what and when they knew it, and who kept him from doing what he should have. Note to Brownie: I know you had experience with tragedies and disasters in the Arabian horse world such as when they break a leg, but you can't solve the problems of thousands of people in a major city in the same manner by shooting them in the head! That doesn't solve the horse's problem, just yours.

Abramoff's tellin' how many times he met with Bush at parties and such. He's got the photos. They'll be showin' up soon I betcha.

A new CIA voice is telling reporters Bush had decided to go to war no matter what. Hey, the more the merrier.

On top of Libby droppin' many dimes on Cheney.

I wish I knew how to put little musical symbols on this thing: "The Hill is alive, with the sound of music..."

Couple all that with the Chimp gettin' dumped on by ministers, ex-Presidents, and others at Mrs. King's funeral, and his job approval numbers, it's been a pretty good week.

McCarthy's ghost

Or, Ohio again. Zoe on a new bill going through the Ohio State House:

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So it is now up to the state of Ohio to investigate and determine who is or isn't homosexual, bisexual or transgendered? (I'd love to know how many children each of these people have adopted and/or fostered. I would also love to know if any of them have any glbt kids.)

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Yeah, love those 'family values'.

30%

Escaping the attention of the mainstream media at the end of January was a panel held by mental-health professionals at the National Press Club in Washington, in which it was revealed that up to one-third of Iraq war Veterans will suffer from some degree of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

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[Deputy Chief Consultant for Mental Health Services at the Department of Veterans Affairs] Zeiss said 120,000 soldiers have sought health care, and that 31 percent of them are being reviewed for possible mental health disorders, with the prevailing diagnosis being PTSD. A big difference from previous wars, she said, is that 13 percent of those soldiers are women. [my em]

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By the time this war is over, we'll have seriously screwed up a generation of young men and women. Bob Geiger has some statistics that might surprise you. Over the next ten years, the VA is going to be strained even farther than it is now.

Let's send old people off to war

After reading this article in the EssEffChron, I'm calling the recruiter - as soon as I remember where I put the phone...

Many Americans are becoming impatient with this sacrifice of the young people who comprise our combat forces, soldiers with their whole lives ahead of them. I think the public attitude toward casualties could be changed by the simple expedient of extending the age of eligibility for military service to, say, 85. Think about it. How much strength or physical fitness is required to drive a vehicle down the road?

What if, rather than pester high school students (and their parents) about enlisting, military recruiters focused their efforts on nursing home residents? Sure, many with advanced Alzheimer's or hooked up to Foley catheters might be unenthusiastic about military service, but I guarantee you that some World War II vets who haven't really felt significant since 1945 would be happy to make use of their still-valid driver's licenses in the service of their country.

Imagine these guys -- or women -- at the wheel of a humvee in Fallujah or Kirkuk. The insurgents would have no idea what to make of it. ("Hang on Achmed, I think he's turning left. No, wait, he just put on his right directional.") You don't have to throw their timing off by much to make them miss.

In our daily lives we're accustomed to seeing people die full of years, having finished most of life's assigned tasks. We couldn't possibly feel the same sense of loss as we do when a young person is taken in the flower of life. This would achieve an important Bush administration objective and result in increased public tolerance for casualties.

It also might serve as an opportunity for some elderly members of the current national leadership to shed their "chicken hawk" label. People like Dick Cheney or Dennis Hastert could at last have a crack at the combat that eluded them during the 1960s. Since there is no apparent end in sight to the war on terror, President Bush himself might eventually "age in" to the geezer brigade. With his driving record, he might even be eligible for a waiver to join immediately on leaving office.

The only drawback I can see is that I hear GI-issue 'Depends' are scratchy.

I'm gonna remember

To those of you who support the rape of our nation by the Republicans. Not the under- or mis-informed who voted for Bush twice, you've come to your senses by now, or will by Election Day. No, I'm talking about the Kool-Aid drinking hate mongers, willfully aiding the Republican cause. I'm gonna remember.

Someday, the Dems or maybe a 3rd Party, will be in control of the government once again. One day, the crooks and sycophants will be out of the government and reality (or as close to it that can be acheived in Washington) will prevail. And I'm gonna remember.

I'm gonna remember how you spread the lies, how you enabled these criminals to turn a nation to be proud of into a paraiah. I'm gonna remember how you called for war in Iraq, supported it in some childish, Rambo-esque sexual fantasy that somehow makes you a man. I'm gonna remember how you advocated genocide - "nuke all them ragheads", "nuke Mecca" - how you give a shit for the lives of anyone who isn't white and 'christian', or who wears the uniform of this country. I'm gonna remember how you tried to curtail my free speech by calling me a traitor because I stand up for what is right and I'm gonna remember how you advocated giving an incompetent President the power of a monarch.

In the past 5 years you've hurt this nation more than any outside enemy, more than the terrorists did on 9/11, and I'm not gonna let you get away with it. When this ship of state is righted, I will not let anyone forget it was you who contributed to swamping it. You may peel the 'Bush/Cheney 04' bumpersticker off your car, but I'll be there to remind folks you displayed it proudly once upon a time.

I will do my best to jam you up at every opportunity, make sure any successes in your future are small and your failures extraordinary. I will go out of my way to see you are marginalized by the Reality-based Community and that your opinions and proclimations are ridiculed and dismissed. You and your ilk will never have control of this country again and I'll fight until my last breath to make it so. You've proven you are not up to the task.

We'll talk again in November.

And just something to keep in the back of your tiny minds as you continue your inept, murderous rampage on the Constitution. The French had their own way of dealing with collaborators after the Nazis were vanquished. Be glad this is America and some of us do believe in the principles this great nation was founded upon.

Update:

This is one I'm never gonna let off the hook.

Just fucking crazy

At C&L.

Mary Matalin - "...they're keeping their neighborhoods and their African-American brothers enslaved..."

And Phyllis Schafly - "...by malicious feminists who have lobbied for laws that punish spousal rape just like stranger rape..."

Mary Matalin should be run out of Washington (and her moron husband along with her) and Phyllis Schafly should be run down by a bus. Two extreme, batshit-crazy wastes of my good air.

'Bureaucratic SNAFU' or CYA?

Following up on yesterday's post about Lt. Rebrook who was charged for "losing" body armor when he was wounded, CNN has this:

A former Army soldier will be reimbursed after he was required to pay for his equipment when he was wounded in Iraq, a military spokesman said Wednesday.

The statement also said, "There is no question that [Rebrook] should not have to pay for the body armor of his that was destroyed in Iraq."

But that development came after the matter garnered national attention Tuesday when a West Virginia newspaper reported Rebrook's story.

On Wednesday, the Army said Rebrook would not have been asked to pay the money if he had filled out two required forms.

Those comments drew an angry rebuke from Rebrook's father, Edward Rebrook of Charleston, West Virginia.

"That is a lie," the soldier's father told CNN. "It's a case of CYA by the Army."

Bureaucratic SNAFU? CYA? My military experience tells me it's both, but without the publicity the EllTee woulda been SOL for his money.

Heh . . .

The Yella Bros. collaborate.

Curses, foiled again!

Okay...so they were gonna blow the cabin door open...with a shoe bomb...in a pressurized aircraft...and they're actually gonna be able to fly it...into a building...the tallest building in L.A....yeah...that's it...