Thomas White, a 13 year old seventh grader at Memorial Middle School in Joplin, came to school on Oct. 9th of this year with an semi-automatic rifle. He fired a shot into the ceiling and attempted to continue firing at Principal Stephen Gilbreth as Gilbreth escorted him out of the building. Due to the brave intervention of the Principal, and the jamming of the rifle, a tragedy was narrowly averted.
Gregory White, 44, father of Thomas is a convicted felon, and has pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. From a report in the Joplin Globe:
"The boy is believed to have obtained the gun from a locked gun cabinet in his parents' bedroom and to have carried it to school, possibly concealed under a trench coat. Joplin police found four more rifles, two shotguns, a pistol and various ammunition in the home of Greg and Norma White after the shooting incident.
The boy was charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and making a terrorist threat, and he remains in the custody of juvenile authorities. He also was charged with an escape attempt in the first week of his detention."
Reporter Michelle Pippin, www.joplindaily.com, interviewed Thomas White's mother in the 11/17/06 edition.
Norma White, mother of the seventh-grade boy accused of entering Memorial Middle School on Oct. 9 with a rifle, said she wishes now she had done more to help her son when he came home with complaints, and even injuries from other students. She said her son's complaints of bullying began when he entered the sixth grade, and continued - in fact, escalated - into his seventh-grade year."He came home once limping; he had been kicked by an older kid in the halls," she recalled. "He came home once with a huge welt on his head from someone slamming his locker door on his head when they passed him in the hall. His hand was injured once too."He did suffer from bullying. He would come home crying, begging us not to send him back to school."
White spoke to his teachers about the problem only a couple of times - during parent-teacher conferences - but never made a formal complaint to the administration. She said she advised her son to tell his teachers, but he often insisted nothing would be done about it.
Norma White offered the same advice to students and parents."If an adult was bullied this way when they went to work every day - with people throwing things at them, hitting them - how long would they deal with it before they quit or snapped?" she asked. "There are a lot of kids under this kind of pressure, and I wonder how many parents don't know it. We have to ask ourselves, 'Is my kid being bullied? Is my kid a bully?
"It could be your kid."
I've been following this story in The Turner Report, and spent a couple of hours during the middle of a sleepless night contemplating the fate of this boy following his certification to stand trial as an adult. He has pleaded not guilty, but if convicted he will serve a lengthy sentence in prison. He will grow up and come to maturity in the company of hardened criminals. The abuse he suffered at the hands of school yard bullies will seem insignificant in comparison to what he will be subjected to in prison. Young prisoners are usually subjected to repeated rape and sexual abuse; and if they snitch on their abusers they suffer violent retribution.
Thomas White will emerge from prison, if that is his fate, in a few years to reclaim his place in society. What kind of man will he become in the time period of his imprisonment? Will we have exacted the proper amount of retribution for his trangression?
If this seventh grader had been sentenced as a juvenile, he could be held until his eighteenth birthday, and hopefully would finish his high school education and receive counseling to turn his life around. The punishment of spending those teen years removed from society seems suitably harsh, and if he were transformed at the end of such a sentence, we would all be benefited.
As it stands, I fear for his future and ours, as they are intertwined and cannot be separated.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Four More Years of Aunt Norma
In todays Turner Report, the incompetence of Norma Champion is once again highlighted in her failure to consider legislation submitted in 2006 by Democratic Senator Tim Green, that would have addressed problems with privately owned mental health facilities. Aunt Norma is head of the Senate's Committee on Aging, Families, Mental and Public Health.
Why does it take a tragedy, such as the one that just occurred in Anderson, MO to remind our state government that they have been remiss in protecting those citizens who cannot fend for themselves?
I would like to ask the Republicans who recently re-elected Aunt Norma how they feel about her today. Many of the voters at the polling place where I vote are elderly. Several were on walkers on the last voting day. Do they think Aunt Norma is going to be watching out for them if they or a beloved family member have to enter a managed care facility?
It seems to me that the kindly Aunt Norma is just another wolf in sheep's clothing who passes legislation only if it pleases and/or lines the pocket of a fat cat Republican campaign contributor.
Please write a letter to Aunt Norma, and tell her how you feel about her performance in the Senate. She is yours (and mine) for four more years, like it or not.
Why does it take a tragedy, such as the one that just occurred in Anderson, MO to remind our state government that they have been remiss in protecting those citizens who cannot fend for themselves?
I would like to ask the Republicans who recently re-elected Aunt Norma how they feel about her today. Many of the voters at the polling place where I vote are elderly. Several were on walkers on the last voting day. Do they think Aunt Norma is going to be watching out for them if they or a beloved family member have to enter a managed care facility?
It seems to me that the kindly Aunt Norma is just another wolf in sheep's clothing who passes legislation only if it pleases and/or lines the pocket of a fat cat Republican campaign contributor.
Please write a letter to Aunt Norma, and tell her how you feel about her performance in the Senate. She is yours (and mine) for four more years, like it or not.
Friday, November 17, 2006
U.S. Consumers Finance China's Military Expansion
If there were ever a good reason to rethink the U.S. free trade policy with China, which sends our middle class manufacturing jobs to workers in China who labor under inhumane conditions for 30 cents an hour, this should be our wake up call.
The trade imbalance has given China's treasury billions of surplus dollars to spend on building up their military might. Our closets and knick-knack shelves are overflowing with cheap goods from China. It's becoming difficult to find much of anything produced elsewhere. It's time to change our spending habits.
Even Condi is beginning to have her doubts.
By ANNE GEARAN, AP Diplomatic Writer
Rice: US Concerned about Rising China
The United States has some concerns about a rising China, including a military expansion that may be excessive, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday.
Beijing has spent heavily in recent years on adding submarines, missiles, fighter planes and other high-tech weapons to its arsenal and extending the reach of the 2.3 million-member People's Liberation Army, the world's largest fighting force.
Its reported military budget rose more than 14 percent this year to $35.3 billion, but outside estimates of China's true spending are up to three times that level.
"There are concerns about China's military buildup," Rice told a television interviewer. "It's sometimes seemed outsized for China's regional role." ...
Read the entire article at BreitBart.com.
The trade imbalance has given China's treasury billions of surplus dollars to spend on building up their military might. Our closets and knick-knack shelves are overflowing with cheap goods from China. It's becoming difficult to find much of anything produced elsewhere. It's time to change our spending habits.
Even Condi is beginning to have her doubts.
By ANNE GEARAN, AP Diplomatic Writer
Rice: US Concerned about Rising China
The United States has some concerns about a rising China, including a military expansion that may be excessive, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday.
Beijing has spent heavily in recent years on adding submarines, missiles, fighter planes and other high-tech weapons to its arsenal and extending the reach of the 2.3 million-member People's Liberation Army, the world's largest fighting force.
Its reported military budget rose more than 14 percent this year to $35.3 billion, but outside estimates of China's true spending are up to three times that level.
"There are concerns about China's military buildup," Rice told a television interviewer. "It's sometimes seemed outsized for China's regional role." ...
Read the entire article at BreitBart.com.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Unfair, Unbalanced and Slanted Hard Right
FOX News has been under increased scrutiny since reports surfaced that a $2 million ransom was paid for the release of two kidnapped Fox news employees. Details are still sketchy about who paid the ransom, but it's probable there is now increased risk of abduction for all media personnel working abroad.
Huffington Post published an internal memo from the Fox Vice President in charge of news, who's looking to put just the right spin on the Democratic victory on November 7:
..."And let's be on the lookout for any statements from the Iraqi insurgents, who must be thrilled at the prospect of a Dem-controlled Congress."...
If this is their idea of "fair and balanced," it leaves me a bit perplexed.
Huffington Post published an internal memo from the Fox Vice President in charge of news, who's looking to put just the right spin on the Democratic victory on November 7:
..."And let's be on the lookout for any statements from the Iraqi insurgents, who must be thrilled at the prospect of a Dem-controlled Congress."...
If this is their idea of "fair and balanced," it leaves me a bit perplexed.
35 Million Americans Have Food Insecurity
The USDA is removing the word hunger from official reports this year, substituting the phrase "food insecurity" for the 35 million among us who require assistance in putting food on the table at least part of the year.
Of those, 11 million report going hungry at times, so they will now be described as having "very low food insecurity."
"In 1999, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, then running for president, said he thought the annual USDA report -- which consistently finds his home state one of the hungriest in the nation -- was fabricated."
This year the annual USDA report did not appear in October, as usual, but instead was released after the election cycle. How convenient.
Source: Washington Post
Of those, 11 million report going hungry at times, so they will now be described as having "very low food insecurity."
"In 1999, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, then running for president, said he thought the annual USDA report -- which consistently finds his home state one of the hungriest in the nation -- was fabricated."
This year the annual USDA report did not appear in October, as usual, but instead was released after the election cycle. How convenient.
Source: Washington Post
Bush Plans to Increase Troop Level by 20,000
From today's Guardian:
The Iraq study group is expected to issue it's recommendations centered around the fact that Bush has said no to withdrawal.
Four-point strategy
· Increase US troop levels by up to 20,000 to secure Baghdad and allow redeployments elsewhere in Iraq
· Focus on regional cooperation with international conference and/or direct diplomatic involvement of countries such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
· Revive reconciliation process between Sunni, Shia and others
· Increased resources from Congress to fund training and equipment of Iraqi security forces
The Iraq study group is expected to issue it's recommendations centered around the fact that Bush has said no to withdrawal.
Four-point strategy
· Increase US troop levels by up to 20,000 to secure Baghdad and allow redeployments elsewhere in Iraq
· Focus on regional cooperation with international conference and/or direct diplomatic involvement of countries such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
· Revive reconciliation process between Sunni, Shia and others
· Increased resources from Congress to fund training and equipment of Iraqi security forces
Monday, November 13, 2006
Thom Hartmann on Air America Radio
Ron Davis posted an interesting comment this morning at Chatter about Clear Channel pulling Air America from the airwaves of liberal Madison, WI despite the gain of significant market share there. I received this email from Thom Hartmann in October during the election frenzy, and thought it appropriate to post it today, for your consideration.
I have read Thom's latest book, Screwed: The Undeclared War on the Middle Class and What We Can Do About It, and highly recommend it.
Why Air America Matters
by Thom Hartmann
There are times when doing the profitable thing is also doing the right thing.
That's certainly what Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch thought when they lost an average of $90 million a year for about five years before the Fox News Channel became profitable. It's what Reverend Moon believes, as his Washington Times newspaper lost hundreds of millions of dollars and, according to some reports, even today continues to lose money. And its what the people who have made Air America Radio possible - names you probably wouldn't recognize because they've invested millions of their own money but don't seek the limelight - believe.
Each of these endeavors hit nail-biting times.
In Murdoch's early days building News Corp. (which then helped fund Fox News), as The Hollywood Reporter noted in a 2005 article:
"[C]orporate expansion and the stock market crash of 1987 conspired to create a financial crisis for Murdoch in 1990, when News Corp. reported revenue of $6.7 billion and saw more than $7 billion in debt come due. With News Corp. shares plummeting from $24 to $8 as a result of the Black Monday crash and Murdoch's buying sprees continuing unabated, creditors became nervous. A refinancing plan was put in place, but at the last minute, one small bank in Pittsburgh refused to go along with the scheme, demanding repayment of a $10 million loan.
"That $10 million loan nearly caused the entire collapse of News Corp.: An extraordinary race against time ensued in which Murdoch and his financial advisers struggled to convince the company's 100-plus creditors to agree to a deal by which they would all be paid at the same time. Only at the eleventh hour did the Pittsburgh bank capitulate, to Murdoch's great relief.
"The mogul managed to get through the ordeal without parting with substantial blocks of stock, which likely would have forced him to lose control of the company he created (a fate that befell his rival, Turner). At one point, though, Murdoch reportedly did have to sign over as security personal assets, including his New York penthouse."
There was, however, a happy ending (for Murdoch), which helped fund the money-losing Fox News Network:
"Today, the studio and the Fox owned-and-operated stations are News Corp.'s cash machines."
Brit Hume noted, in a 1999 interview with PBS:
"This operation loses money. It doesn't lose nearly as much as it did at first, and it's -- well, it's hit all its projections in terms of, you know, turning a profit, but it's - it will lose money now, and we expect for a couple more years. I think it's losing about $80 million to $90 million a year."
This is not, of course, to celebrate losing money. It's just a demonstration of the old truism that sometimes "it takes money to make money." And sometimes it takes money to make a difference in the world, as well.
While Fox News and The Washington Times have devoted themselves to promoting the interests of America's most wealthy, most of the programming of Air America Radio has been committed to discussions of labor, the middle class, and holding up the founding ideals of this nation. These were best expressed by America's first liberal president, George Washington, when he said: "As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality."
Liberal or conservative, the nation has often moved as its media has moved.
Rupert Murdoch's investment in Fox News not only produced profits for him, it changed America. As Richard Morin noted in The Washington Post on May 4, 2006, in an article titled "The Fox News Effect":
"'Fox News convinced 3 to 8 percent of its audience to shift its voting behavior towards the Republican Party, a sizable media persuasion effect,' said Stefano DellaVigna of the University of California at Berkely and Ethan Kaplan of Stockholm University.
"In Florida alone, they estimate, the Fox effect may have produced more than 10,000 additional votes for Bush -- clearly a decisive factor in a state he carried by fewer than 600 votes."
Similarly, Air America Radio may have had a significant effect in awakening people across the United States to positive liberal alternatives to the conservative vision of Fox and Bush. In a democracy, which depends on a vital and ongoing exchange of free ideas for its survival, this is essential.
It's a tragedy that for the lack of an investor the size of Rupert Murdoch Air America is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But its existence and ongoing presence in the marketplace is an essential part of the dialogue that is known as democracy.
In a letter about Shay's Rebellion, which some argued was incited by newspapers, Thomas Jefferson wrote:
"The people are the only censors of their governors; and even their errors will tend to keep them to the true principles of their institution. To punish these errors too severely would be to suppress the only safeguard of the public liberty. The way to prevent these irregular interpositions of the people is to give them full information of their affairs, through the channel of public papers, and to contrive that those papers should penetrate the whole mass of the people.
"The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide, whether we should have a government without newspapers, ore newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers, and be capable of reading them."
Had radio existed in 1783, Jefferson would have probably expressed similar sentiments about it.
As Jefferson wrote in 1786 to his close friend Dr. James Currie, "Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost."
But ever since Ronald Reagan stopped enforcing the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1881, leading to an explosion of acquisitions and mergers, and Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, leading to an even more startling concentration of media in a very few hands, freedom of the press in America has become as much a economic as a political issue. This is problematic, because no democracy can survive with only one voice in the media.
Back in the years when I often visited Russia, the well-work joke that everybody knew had to do with the names of the two biggest newspapers, Pravda and Ivestia. "Pravda" is a Russian word that translates as "truth" and "Ivestia" means "news." The joke every Russian can recite from memory is: "There�s no news in Pravda, and no truth in Izvestia."
As Russians well learned, single-party-news is corrosive to democracy. Jefferson made his comment about newspapers being vital to America just at the time he was being most viciously attacked in the newspapers. The core requisite of democracy is debate. When there's only a single predominant voice in the media, American democracy itself is at greatest risk.
Losing the voices of Air America would harm this nation, just as much as would losing the voices of conservative talk radio.
We need them all to really be America.
Thom Hartmann is a Project Censored Award-winning New York Times bestselling author of 17 books, and host of a nationally syndicated daily progressive talk show carried on the Air America Radio network. His most recent book is "Screwed: The Undeclared War on the Middle Class and What We Can Do About It."
I have read Thom's latest book, Screwed: The Undeclared War on the Middle Class and What We Can Do About It, and highly recommend it.
Why Air America Matters
by Thom Hartmann
There are times when doing the profitable thing is also doing the right thing.
That's certainly what Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch thought when they lost an average of $90 million a year for about five years before the Fox News Channel became profitable. It's what Reverend Moon believes, as his Washington Times newspaper lost hundreds of millions of dollars and, according to some reports, even today continues to lose money. And its what the people who have made Air America Radio possible - names you probably wouldn't recognize because they've invested millions of their own money but don't seek the limelight - believe.
Each of these endeavors hit nail-biting times.
In Murdoch's early days building News Corp. (which then helped fund Fox News), as The Hollywood Reporter noted in a 2005 article:
"[C]orporate expansion and the stock market crash of 1987 conspired to create a financial crisis for Murdoch in 1990, when News Corp. reported revenue of $6.7 billion and saw more than $7 billion in debt come due. With News Corp. shares plummeting from $24 to $8 as a result of the Black Monday crash and Murdoch's buying sprees continuing unabated, creditors became nervous. A refinancing plan was put in place, but at the last minute, one small bank in Pittsburgh refused to go along with the scheme, demanding repayment of a $10 million loan.
"That $10 million loan nearly caused the entire collapse of News Corp.: An extraordinary race against time ensued in which Murdoch and his financial advisers struggled to convince the company's 100-plus creditors to agree to a deal by which they would all be paid at the same time. Only at the eleventh hour did the Pittsburgh bank capitulate, to Murdoch's great relief.
"The mogul managed to get through the ordeal without parting with substantial blocks of stock, which likely would have forced him to lose control of the company he created (a fate that befell his rival, Turner). At one point, though, Murdoch reportedly did have to sign over as security personal assets, including his New York penthouse."
There was, however, a happy ending (for Murdoch), which helped fund the money-losing Fox News Network:
"Today, the studio and the Fox owned-and-operated stations are News Corp.'s cash machines."
Brit Hume noted, in a 1999 interview with PBS:
"This operation loses money. It doesn't lose nearly as much as it did at first, and it's -- well, it's hit all its projections in terms of, you know, turning a profit, but it's - it will lose money now, and we expect for a couple more years. I think it's losing about $80 million to $90 million a year."
This is not, of course, to celebrate losing money. It's just a demonstration of the old truism that sometimes "it takes money to make money." And sometimes it takes money to make a difference in the world, as well.
While Fox News and The Washington Times have devoted themselves to promoting the interests of America's most wealthy, most of the programming of Air America Radio has been committed to discussions of labor, the middle class, and holding up the founding ideals of this nation. These were best expressed by America's first liberal president, George Washington, when he said: "As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality."
Liberal or conservative, the nation has often moved as its media has moved.
Rupert Murdoch's investment in Fox News not only produced profits for him, it changed America. As Richard Morin noted in The Washington Post on May 4, 2006, in an article titled "The Fox News Effect":
"'Fox News convinced 3 to 8 percent of its audience to shift its voting behavior towards the Republican Party, a sizable media persuasion effect,' said Stefano DellaVigna of the University of California at Berkely and Ethan Kaplan of Stockholm University.
"In Florida alone, they estimate, the Fox effect may have produced more than 10,000 additional votes for Bush -- clearly a decisive factor in a state he carried by fewer than 600 votes."
Similarly, Air America Radio may have had a significant effect in awakening people across the United States to positive liberal alternatives to the conservative vision of Fox and Bush. In a democracy, which depends on a vital and ongoing exchange of free ideas for its survival, this is essential.
It's a tragedy that for the lack of an investor the size of Rupert Murdoch Air America is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But its existence and ongoing presence in the marketplace is an essential part of the dialogue that is known as democracy.
In a letter about Shay's Rebellion, which some argued was incited by newspapers, Thomas Jefferson wrote:
"The people are the only censors of their governors; and even their errors will tend to keep them to the true principles of their institution. To punish these errors too severely would be to suppress the only safeguard of the public liberty. The way to prevent these irregular interpositions of the people is to give them full information of their affairs, through the channel of public papers, and to contrive that those papers should penetrate the whole mass of the people.
"The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide, whether we should have a government without newspapers, ore newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers, and be capable of reading them."
Had radio existed in 1783, Jefferson would have probably expressed similar sentiments about it.
As Jefferson wrote in 1786 to his close friend Dr. James Currie, "Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost."
But ever since Ronald Reagan stopped enforcing the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1881, leading to an explosion of acquisitions and mergers, and Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, leading to an even more startling concentration of media in a very few hands, freedom of the press in America has become as much a economic as a political issue. This is problematic, because no democracy can survive with only one voice in the media.
Back in the years when I often visited Russia, the well-work joke that everybody knew had to do with the names of the two biggest newspapers, Pravda and Ivestia. "Pravda" is a Russian word that translates as "truth" and "Ivestia" means "news." The joke every Russian can recite from memory is: "There�s no news in Pravda, and no truth in Izvestia."
As Russians well learned, single-party-news is corrosive to democracy. Jefferson made his comment about newspapers being vital to America just at the time he was being most viciously attacked in the newspapers. The core requisite of democracy is debate. When there's only a single predominant voice in the media, American democracy itself is at greatest risk.
Losing the voices of Air America would harm this nation, just as much as would losing the voices of conservative talk radio.
We need them all to really be America.
Thom Hartmann is a Project Censored Award-winning New York Times bestselling author of 17 books, and host of a nationally syndicated daily progressive talk show carried on the Air America Radio network. His most recent book is "Screwed: The Undeclared War on the Middle Class and What We Can Do About It."
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Were Robo-Calls Rove's Plan B?
I'm wondering if the glut of robo-calls were supposed to be Rove's ace in the hole for 2006. Hopefully we can get some legislation going to ban these intrusive and obnoxious calls.
Several of my friends reported their phones ringing several times a day in the last two weeks of the campaign. If they didn't answer, the robot kept calling until they picked up.
My phone number is unlisted, and I received only one call from a real person, a pro Talent-Stem Cell caller. She asked me what I thought about Michael J. Fox "attacking" Jim Talent, and asked if I was pro-life. By the end of the phone call, I think I had convinced her to vote Democratic. That worked out well.
Several of my friends reported their phones ringing several times a day in the last two weeks of the campaign. If they didn't answer, the robot kept calling until they picked up.
My phone number is unlisted, and I received only one call from a real person, a pro Talent-Stem Cell caller. She asked me what I thought about Michael J. Fox "attacking" Jim Talent, and asked if I was pro-life. By the end of the phone call, I think I had convinced her to vote Democratic. That worked out well.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Hallelujah - Now for 2008
Congratulations to Claire McCaskill and Susan Montee.
Stem Cell looks like it will make it.
Cheap smokes are in. Under 21 drinkers are out.
Minimum wage by a landslide. Thank You.
Nancy Hagan and Doug Harpool ran good races. I had high hopes for both. Would more money have made the difference?
I'm already thinking forward to 2008, and to influencing legislation between now and then.
Stem Cell looks like it will make it.
Cheap smokes are in. Under 21 drinkers are out.
Minimum wage by a landslide. Thank You.
Nancy Hagan and Doug Harpool ran good races. I had high hopes for both. Would more money have made the difference?
I'm already thinking forward to 2008, and to influencing legislation between now and then.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Where Is The Outrage?
Today's post from Blue Gal, Red State has a succinct listing of the reasons why the Republicans need to be relieved of their stranglehold on the congress.
To summarize, it comes down to just one word. Iraq.
We may never know the details of the Republican deceit that landed us there, but we should all feel the outrage of their incompetent implementation of this conflict, and their failure to properly equip and care for our troops.
Jim Talent serves on the Sentate Armed Services Committee, yet he has missed 65 of 95 scheduled hearings. Jim--hello--troops are dying in Iraq... Meanwhile, you have something more deserving of your attention?
I really can't say it better than Blue Girl, Red State. But I can say it repeatedly.
Wake up, Missouri voters. This man does not deserve to be re-elected to the Senate. Please vote for Claire McCaskill, and give us a voice in Washington who will attend to business.
To summarize, it comes down to just one word. Iraq.
We may never know the details of the Republican deceit that landed us there, but we should all feel the outrage of their incompetent implementation of this conflict, and their failure to properly equip and care for our troops.
Jim Talent serves on the Sentate Armed Services Committee, yet he has missed 65 of 95 scheduled hearings. Jim--hello--troops are dying in Iraq... Meanwhile, you have something more deserving of your attention?
I really can't say it better than Blue Girl, Red State. But I can say it repeatedly.
Wake up, Missouri voters. This man does not deserve to be re-elected to the Senate. Please vote for Claire McCaskill, and give us a voice in Washington who will attend to business.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Talent Does Not Support Our Troops - Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Why would anyone vote for a senator who can't be bothered to show up for his armed services committee meetings and votes against the interests of the troops and military families during a time of war.
Actions speak louder than words. We need a change in Washington.
Jim Talent receives a D+ score on from the IAVA. The IAVA Rating is based on this legislator's voting history on issues that affect US troops, Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, and military families. Please go to the IAVA/Talent page to see for yourself. (Kit Bond sinks even lower to a D score).
Let's revisit the Fired Up! Missouri site from 8/23/06. Roy Temple points out that Jim Talent can't be bothered to show up for his SASC meetings, at this crucial time when we have soldiers dying in Iraq and/or coming home with disabling conditions by the thousands
For example, Senator Jim Talent, in his role on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) not only doesn't ask tough questions of the Bush administration but most of the time doesn't bother showing up at all. Talent has missed 65 of the 95 SASC hearings since he arrived in the Senate.
Meanwhile, our men and women in uniform are left without the equipment they need to defend our country. Bush says we are "fighting them over there" so we don't have to fight them here. What he doesn't make clear, is that by his actions, he has left the our military in such a condition that they'd be too ill-equipped to fight them here.
Had enough? Vote Democratic.
Actions speak louder than words. We need a change in Washington.
Jim Talent receives a D+ score on from the IAVA. The IAVA Rating is based on this legislator's voting history on issues that affect US troops, Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, and military families. Please go to the IAVA/Talent page to see for yourself. (Kit Bond sinks even lower to a D score).
Let's revisit the Fired Up! Missouri site from 8/23/06. Roy Temple points out that Jim Talent can't be bothered to show up for his SASC meetings, at this crucial time when we have soldiers dying in Iraq and/or coming home with disabling conditions by the thousands
For example, Senator Jim Talent, in his role on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) not only doesn't ask tough questions of the Bush administration but most of the time doesn't bother showing up at all. Talent has missed 65 of the 95 SASC hearings since he arrived in the Senate.
Meanwhile, our men and women in uniform are left without the equipment they need to defend our country. Bush says we are "fighting them over there" so we don't have to fight them here. What he doesn't make clear, is that by his actions, he has left the our military in such a condition that they'd be too ill-equipped to fight them here.
Had enough? Vote Democratic.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Limbaugh, Michael Fox & Stem Cell Research
The Mother of one of my friends died recently from Parkinson's. The last few years of her life were consumed by a never-ending quest to balance a number of medications that were keeping her alive. If stem cell research could help find better treatments or a cure for Parkinson's and other diseases, what a blessing that would be.
If Rush Limbaugh, who reaches a reported 13 million listeners weekly, wants to shop for OxyContin, or medicate his erection with a phony Viagra prescription on an overnight vacation to the Domincan Republic, it's A-OK. His characterization of the Michael Fox ad is repugnant.
Nancy Reagan came out in favor of stem cell research, as has John Danforth and even our own Blunt, Jr.
Please, speak out to your friends and relative who vote about the real stakes in this issue, and vote yes for lifesaving cures.
If Rush Limbaugh, who reaches a reported 13 million listeners weekly, wants to shop for OxyContin, or medicate his erection with a phony Viagra prescription on an overnight vacation to the Domincan Republic, it's A-OK. His characterization of the Michael Fox ad is repugnant.
Nancy Reagan came out in favor of stem cell research, as has John Danforth and even our own Blunt, Jr.
Please, speak out to your friends and relative who vote about the real stakes in this issue, and vote yes for lifesaving cures.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Kevin Tillman: After Pat's Birthday
Thanks to Strannix for prompting me to post this letter. Please follow the link to see the photo of Kevin and Pat Tillman. These guys remind me a lot of some of my friends who fought in Vietnam.
I found this in a couple of places - I am not sure which site I lifted this from. I'll be safe and hat-tip both Crooks and Liars and Truthdig. Pat Tillman and his brother Kevin joined the Army together after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Pat was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. In this photo of the brothers from early 2002, Pat is on the left. Where ever I lifted this from, I got the distinct impression that Kevin Tillman, who was discharged in 2005, wants every blog in America to run this full text. I am happy to oblige.
It is Pat’s birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice… until we got out.
Much has happened since we handed over our voice: Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can’t be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that.
Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them.
Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few “bad apples” in the military.
Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It’s interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.
Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.
Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.
Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.
Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.
Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.
Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.
Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.
Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.
Somehow torture is tolerated.
Somehow lying is tolerated.Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.
Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.
Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.
Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.
Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.
Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance.
Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.
Somehow this is tolerated.
Somehow nobody is accountable for this.
In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don’t be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to know that “somehow” was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged parasites.
Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People still can take action.
It can start after Pat’s birthday.
Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,
Kevin Tillman
I found this in a couple of places - I am not sure which site I lifted this from. I'll be safe and hat-tip both Crooks and Liars and Truthdig. Pat Tillman and his brother Kevin joined the Army together after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Pat was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. In this photo of the brothers from early 2002, Pat is on the left. Where ever I lifted this from, I got the distinct impression that Kevin Tillman, who was discharged in 2005, wants every blog in America to run this full text. I am happy to oblige.
It is Pat’s birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice… until we got out.
Much has happened since we handed over our voice: Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can’t be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that.
Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them.
Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few “bad apples” in the military.
Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It’s interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.
Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.
Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.
Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.
Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.
Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.
Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.
Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.
Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.
Somehow torture is tolerated.
Somehow lying is tolerated.Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.
Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.
Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.
Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.
Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.
Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance.
Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.
Somehow this is tolerated.
Somehow nobody is accountable for this.
In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don’t be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to know that “somehow” was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged parasites.
Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People still can take action.
It can start after Pat’s birthday.
Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,
Kevin Tillman
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Governor Blunt, JR and the MOHELA Scandal
We need to send a few Democrats to Jefferson City to help reign in this junior idiot.
With all the noise about the November election, this story has not been given the attention it deserves.
Fired Up Missouri has a reference to the 10/15/06 article in the Columbia Daily Tribune.
From Tony Messenger at the News-Leader, reader pf has this comment:
Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 9:04 pm Post subject: MOHELA
This whole thing started with the Governor attempting to push through the MOHELA sale without an open meeting, using phone calls to set up a vote to sell the assets off (purportedly to Sallie Mae, one of the most profitable companies in the U.S.). Someone on Blunt's staff (or maybe Blunt was approached by Sallie Mae) estimated the loan portfolio was worth approx $350 million. That is, it would be worth that to Sallie Mae, who would finance the deal based on the increased income they could reap on future loans to Missouri students in need from not having to compete in this market with MOHELA.
Attorney General Jay Nixon, who was one of the original sponsors of the MOHELA bill back in the '80's, threatened to sue based on the Open Meetings act. Mike Cummins, the chair of the MOHELA board, and who opposed the sale, was removed from the board. Terry Ganey's article says more about this (see Tony's link). Terry and the Trib have done a great job of following this story.
$350 million for new construction is great, but this money is not coming out of thin air. It belongs, by legislation, to the people of the State of Missouri. If we want to dissolve or sell MOHELA and build buildings with it, that's up to us. But Governor Blunt's approach reveals that he believes he can do with this money as he sees fit, as if it were his own money. It is NOT. That money was placed there BY STUDENTS IN NEED THAT GOT A LOAN, GOT A DEGREE, GOT A JOB, AND PAID THEIR LOANS OFF.
Furthermore, with tuition to all Missouri state universities increasing faster than inflation (the result of the failure of the State Legislature to provide funding in lieu of the loss of Federal funds) MOHELA represents the EXACT remedy that we most need right now. Even though we're 47th out of 50 states in spending for higher education, at least we can say we have MOHELA, which is one of the largest, best, and lowest-cost sources of loans in the US, and the envy of many other States.
Governor Blunt wants this to be the man who "provided X millions to higher education" in the next election. But he's giving away OUR money. And it shoudl be our (i.e., the Legislature's) decision to do what we want with it. The Governor's now making the state turn administrative backflips just to bypass the State Leglislature, and Jay Nixon is threatening yet another lawsuit.
I suggest that all Springfieldians do the following:
1. Get up to date on this issue. Educate yourself about how the Governor is trying to sell MOHELA. Ask yourself WHY he's so interested in selling MOHELA.
2. Write your State Representative and let them know how you feel about this. Ed Robb, Judy Baker, and other representatives from Columbia are loath to oppose the Governor's plan, because it means money for the University of Missouri, money whose source seems invisible, but which is actually coming out of the pockets of STUDENTS IN NEED. By the legislation that established MOHELA, this is NOT a legal use of these funds. And I don't like STUDENTS IN NEED being used to fund construction at the University of Missouri.
3. Write Jay Nixon and tell him "thanks" for looking out for your interests. No, I'm not a Democrat, I'm not campaigning for Jay Nixon. I just appreciate what he's doing here. If he's doing this just to get elected Governor, I say that's Democracy in action.
pf
With all the noise about the November election, this story has not been given the attention it deserves.
Fired Up Missouri has a reference to the 10/15/06 article in the Columbia Daily Tribune.
From Tony Messenger at the News-Leader, reader pf has this comment:
Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 9:04 pm Post subject: MOHELA
This whole thing started with the Governor attempting to push through the MOHELA sale without an open meeting, using phone calls to set up a vote to sell the assets off (purportedly to Sallie Mae, one of the most profitable companies in the U.S.). Someone on Blunt's staff (or maybe Blunt was approached by Sallie Mae) estimated the loan portfolio was worth approx $350 million. That is, it would be worth that to Sallie Mae, who would finance the deal based on the increased income they could reap on future loans to Missouri students in need from not having to compete in this market with MOHELA.
Attorney General Jay Nixon, who was one of the original sponsors of the MOHELA bill back in the '80's, threatened to sue based on the Open Meetings act. Mike Cummins, the chair of the MOHELA board, and who opposed the sale, was removed from the board. Terry Ganey's article says more about this (see Tony's link). Terry and the Trib have done a great job of following this story.
$350 million for new construction is great, but this money is not coming out of thin air. It belongs, by legislation, to the people of the State of Missouri. If we want to dissolve or sell MOHELA and build buildings with it, that's up to us. But Governor Blunt's approach reveals that he believes he can do with this money as he sees fit, as if it were his own money. It is NOT. That money was placed there BY STUDENTS IN NEED THAT GOT A LOAN, GOT A DEGREE, GOT A JOB, AND PAID THEIR LOANS OFF.
Furthermore, with tuition to all Missouri state universities increasing faster than inflation (the result of the failure of the State Legislature to provide funding in lieu of the loss of Federal funds) MOHELA represents the EXACT remedy that we most need right now. Even though we're 47th out of 50 states in spending for higher education, at least we can say we have MOHELA, which is one of the largest, best, and lowest-cost sources of loans in the US, and the envy of many other States.
Governor Blunt wants this to be the man who "provided X millions to higher education" in the next election. But he's giving away OUR money. And it shoudl be our (i.e., the Legislature's) decision to do what we want with it. The Governor's now making the state turn administrative backflips just to bypass the State Leglislature, and Jay Nixon is threatening yet another lawsuit.
I suggest that all Springfieldians do the following:
1. Get up to date on this issue. Educate yourself about how the Governor is trying to sell MOHELA. Ask yourself WHY he's so interested in selling MOHELA.
2. Write your State Representative and let them know how you feel about this. Ed Robb, Judy Baker, and other representatives from Columbia are loath to oppose the Governor's plan, because it means money for the University of Missouri, money whose source seems invisible, but which is actually coming out of the pockets of STUDENTS IN NEED. By the legislation that established MOHELA, this is NOT a legal use of these funds. And I don't like STUDENTS IN NEED being used to fund construction at the University of Missouri.
3. Write Jay Nixon and tell him "thanks" for looking out for your interests. No, I'm not a Democrat, I'm not campaigning for Jay Nixon. I just appreciate what he's doing here. If he's doing this just to get elected Governor, I say that's Democracy in action.
pf
Talent Voted Against Body Armor For Troops
Jim Talent voted against effective body armor for our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. He attended only 30 of 95 meetings of the Armed Services Committee.
This is inexcusable and unfathomable.
A group called Vote Vets is running an ad pointing out the results of that life or death decision.
Go to Fired Up Missouri to view the ad. There you will also find a form to send them a donation to help with the cost of the ad.
This is inexcusable and unfathomable.
A group called Vote Vets is running an ad pointing out the results of that life or death decision.
Go to Fired Up Missouri to view the ad. There you will also find a form to send them a donation to help with the cost of the ad.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Does Rove Have A Plan B?
Today's Washington Post describes an eerily optimistic Rove/Bush forecast concerning the November elections.
This despite the Foley scandal, reports of the Republicans disrespect of their conservative religious allies, and tanking polls for a remarkable number of GOP candidates. Not to mention the deplorable situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, and North Korea's recent nuclear test scare.
This leads me to ask--what else does Karl Rove have in his Halloween bag of tricks?
This despite the Foley scandal, reports of the Republicans disrespect of their conservative religious allies, and tanking polls for a remarkable number of GOP candidates. Not to mention the deplorable situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, and North Korea's recent nuclear test scare.
This leads me to ask--what else does Karl Rove have in his Halloween bag of tricks?
Stephen Hawking, Center Stage
From Yahoo News, Physicist Stephen Hawking will star in a new movie titled "Beyond the Horizon."
The film, "Beyond the Horizon," aims to explain some of the complicated theories backed by Hawking and his fellow physicists, including the idea that space has up to 11 dimensions and the cause of the big bang.
The 64-year-old Hawking, famous for his 1988 international best-seller "A Brief History of Time," will also narrate a soundtrack which explains cosmological concepts.
I've been fascinated with Stephen Hawking for years. When I get the blues about my own little problems, I think of all that he has accomplished despite having been diagnosed with ALS at age 22, and it puts everything into perspective.
The film, "Beyond the Horizon," aims to explain some of the complicated theories backed by Hawking and his fellow physicists, including the idea that space has up to 11 dimensions and the cause of the big bang.
The 64-year-old Hawking, famous for his 1988 international best-seller "A Brief History of Time," will also narrate a soundtrack which explains cosmological concepts.
I've been fascinated with Stephen Hawking for years. When I get the blues about my own little problems, I think of all that he has accomplished despite having been diagnosed with ALS at age 22, and it puts everything into perspective.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Bush Refers to Christian Right as "Wackos"
The Architect: Karl Rove and the Master Plan For Absolute Power by James Moore and Wayne Slater is a fascinating look inside the political maneuvering of Karl Rove in his quest to bring the Republicans to power in every level of government.
From Chapter 15, p. 229:
Karl Rove was on the phone, working the wackos. That's what George W. Bush sometimes called the Christian conservatives, the wackos, and the term had wide currency among Rove's circle of Republican allies. Lobbyist Michael Scanlon told partner Jack Abramoff they had to "bring out the wackos" to help fleece Indian casino operators. Economic conservatives, having little in common, were equally condescending toward the religious Right. But the Christians were a potent political constituency, and Rove recognized their value as a reliable army that could be movivated time and again on behalf of a candidate or an issue.
Moore and Slater portray Rove, a professed agnostic, as a user of the religious Right in his Machiavellian quest for GOP dominance. Bush is a sort of born again Methodist, a religious epiphany sparked by the impending breakdown of his marriage, and was the perfect puppet to "talk the talk" with the religious wackos. Without their vote, in a polarized political climate, Dubuh would have decisively lost.
The newly released book, Tempting Faith by David Kuo, an aide in the office of faith based initiatives, adds fuel to the fire. He describes how the faith based agenda was a thinly veiled effort to mobilize Christian voters.
If current dominance of government by the Republicans, from school
boards to state legislature, congress and the White House, can be held up as a shining example, the Rovian tactic of "the ends justify the means" has worked well. Up to now...
From Chapter 15, p. 229:
Karl Rove was on the phone, working the wackos. That's what George W. Bush sometimes called the Christian conservatives, the wackos, and the term had wide currency among Rove's circle of Republican allies. Lobbyist Michael Scanlon told partner Jack Abramoff they had to "bring out the wackos" to help fleece Indian casino operators. Economic conservatives, having little in common, were equally condescending toward the religious Right. But the Christians were a potent political constituency, and Rove recognized their value as a reliable army that could be movivated time and again on behalf of a candidate or an issue.
Moore and Slater portray Rove, a professed agnostic, as a user of the religious Right in his Machiavellian quest for GOP dominance. Bush is a sort of born again Methodist, a religious epiphany sparked by the impending breakdown of his marriage, and was the perfect puppet to "talk the talk" with the religious wackos. Without their vote, in a polarized political climate, Dubuh would have decisively lost.
The newly released book, Tempting Faith by David Kuo, an aide in the office of faith based initiatives, adds fuel to the fire. He describes how the faith based agenda was a thinly veiled effort to mobilize Christian voters.
If current dominance of government by the Republicans, from school
boards to state legislature, congress and the White House, can be held up as a shining example, the Rovian tactic of "the ends justify the means" has worked well. Up to now...
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Why Don't People Vote?
Tonight's local news predicts voter turnout for the November election at 50-55%. That's pathetic.
Several of the people I work with don't vote.
I don't think they're even registered.
They say "I don't read the paper" or "I don't watch the news" or "They're all crooks, anyway." Or they just look at me like I'm a little off the beam when I talk politics.
What the hell.
They are all above average in intelligence, and liberal in philosophy.
What else can I say that I have not already said.
They can consider their butts kicked.
Several of the people I work with don't vote.
I don't think they're even registered.
They say "I don't read the paper" or "I don't watch the news" or "They're all crooks, anyway." Or they just look at me like I'm a little off the beam when I talk politics.
What the hell.
They are all above average in intelligence, and liberal in philosophy.
What else can I say that I have not already said.
They can consider their butts kicked.
Iraq - 655,000 Commas and Counting...
In the past, upon hearing this kind of news report, I might have been one of millions of people who would have been boarding a bus and heading to Washington D.C. to stage the largest protest ever in the U.S. I'm a little long in the tooth for such an arduous journey, but I'm still up for it.
The least I can do is take this blog and pay it forward. Please do the same.
From Blue Girl, Red State:
Appalling Statistics out of Iraq
A team of researchers have conducted a statistical study on the far-reaching mortality effects of the war in Iraq, and the news is sickening.
According to the epidemiological study conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins and The Lancet, 655,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the war. These numbers encompas not only those who died as a result of hostile action, but those who perished because they were unable to secure adequate care for chronic and accute health problems. The figure of excess deaths is interpolated from an increase in deaths per 1000 polulation from 5.5 before the invasion to 13.3 since.
That's a whole lot of "commas."
The Washington Post has more details.
The least I can do is take this blog and pay it forward. Please do the same.
From Blue Girl, Red State:
Appalling Statistics out of Iraq
A team of researchers have conducted a statistical study on the far-reaching mortality effects of the war in Iraq, and the news is sickening.
According to the epidemiological study conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins and The Lancet, 655,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the war. These numbers encompas not only those who died as a result of hostile action, but those who perished because they were unable to secure adequate care for chronic and accute health problems. The figure of excess deaths is interpolated from an increase in deaths per 1000 polulation from 5.5 before the invasion to 13.3 since.
That's a whole lot of "commas."
The Washington Post has more details.
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