A developing situation in my small world has precluded my posting frequecy lately, but in light of recent happenings I would feel remiss if I don't jump into the pool for a dip. Besides, Arthur has snapped off an impressive number of lengthy, thought provoking and enraging (if you're not enraged after reading some of the most recent posts you need to check your pulse, priorities, and possibly status as a human being) entries after a lengthy period of recuperative silence.
Cenk Uygur:
Here we go again. I was going to write a nice, fun piece about Matt Damon on a lovely Sunday afternoon when the Democrats went and ruined everything, as usual.
Well, I'll go ahead and comment on the latest installation of the Bourne franchise. I saw it Saturday night. The theater was packed to the gills, and we had to grab the remaining two adjacent seats in the front row slightly off to the left. I'm going to have to go back and see it again from further back in the auditorium, but the experience was still a good one. The film is great fun visually from start to finish, with very few (brief) opportunities given the audience to catch their breath. Damon and the supporting cast do a great job with the script. It's pretty good, once one accepts the convention (continuing a trend which established in the first two films) that the only similarities between the films and the Ludlum novels. The detail featured in these films that strikes me as poignant is the highlighting of the typical use of technology and practice which are precisely at the heart of the surveillance and wiretapping programs that has been in place for years now under the NSA and which Congress signed into law on Saturday, ruining the weekend for anyone who is a fan of the Fourth Amendment, may it rest in peace.
These insidious ways of flagging and tracking people are employed during all three of the major sequences in Ultimatum, to varying degrees of success, since, of course, our intrepid amnesiatic hero can never be a step behind his pursuers... Data Mining and Satellite Tracking play a huge role in the action and forward movement of the plot of the film.
In actuality, the film Enemy of the State touched on these precise issues several years ago, albeit with less critical and popular acclaim and success. In the interest of full disclosure, the story left quite a bit to be desired. Smith and Hackman did as much as they could with their roles and the story, but it seemed kinda rough around the edges, possibly because it was 15 pounds of story crammed into a ten pound box.
However, in all four films, a network of surveillance exists to filter certain key pieces of information that, once detected, place in motion a machine of incalculable swiftness, inhuman mercilessness, and single minded purpose, even when it doesn't know what it will do with the goal once it has attained it, be it a piece of information or an individual. Scary stuff, that exists this very moment, to be sure.
So, while Matty and his crew might have gotten FISA'd, they were doing a little FISAing themselves for anyone who was paying attention and likes to talk about what they just saw beyond the terms of how cool the NYC chase was or how there's no way he could have survived that 10 story swan dive in to East River. Apologies to anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but take heart: All you know is the there's a chase sequence in downtown Manhattan, and Damon goes for a dip in the River. You'll have to pony up for the rest of the goodies...
"Remember, no matter where you go, there you are."
-Pigkiller, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
"For doing my job you're going to bill me?"
Ahhh, more quality treatment for our veterans:
WCBS:
Former Army Specialist Rodriguez started getting bills for $700 for lost or damaged government property this summer. Although he was discharged some four years ago, bills recently arrived demanding payment, but giving no details on what or why -- nor do they offer a way to dispute the charges.
And he's not alone. A 2006 government report found more than 1,000 soldiers being billed a total of $1.5 million. And while fighting overseas put their lives on the line, this battle on paper could cost them their future by ruining their credit. Rodriguez will be reported to credit agencies next month.
"It makes a terrible point about the nature of military service today," citizen soldier Tod Ensign said.
Ensign is a veteran's advocate. He says this is all part of the military’s push to be run more like a business.
"They'll just pound him and call him, call his employers, and make his life as miserable as they can until he pays up," Ensign said.
Testimony before Congress detailed in a report found that "although unit commanders and finance offices are authorized to write off debts for lost and damaged equipment ... they have not always done so."
Ummmm, What the fuck is that all about? If there is anything that can be classified as the 'cost of war' it's lost and damaged equipment, never mind the human costs...
Excuse me--numb fuck, stone brained looking for any angle to squeeze a buck from any potential source military beaurocrats:
IT'S FUCKING WAR. SHIT GETS BLOWN THE FUCK UP. FUCKING DEAL WITH IT. IF YOU DIDN'T WANT TO PAY FOR IT, DON'T GET INTO A WAR!!
Of course, we know how receptive these folks are to common sense and logic now, don't we?
What's next? Billing widows or parentless children for the cost of a dead soldier's uniform and equipment they had on when they were killed? Maybe billing a Hummer driver's widow for the cost of the vehicle since it was damaged beyond repair by an IED or EFP?
I'm going to stop now before the wrong person stumbles upon this and thinks it's a grand idea and should be implemented yesterday...
WCBS:
Former Army Specialist Rodriguez started getting bills for $700 for lost or damaged government property this summer. Although he was discharged some four years ago, bills recently arrived demanding payment, but giving no details on what or why -- nor do they offer a way to dispute the charges.
And he's not alone. A 2006 government report found more than 1,000 soldiers being billed a total of $1.5 million. And while fighting overseas put their lives on the line, this battle on paper could cost them their future by ruining their credit. Rodriguez will be reported to credit agencies next month.
"It makes a terrible point about the nature of military service today," citizen soldier Tod Ensign said.
Ensign is a veteran's advocate. He says this is all part of the military’s push to be run more like a business.
"They'll just pound him and call him, call his employers, and make his life as miserable as they can until he pays up," Ensign said.
Testimony before Congress detailed in a report found that "although unit commanders and finance offices are authorized to write off debts for lost and damaged equipment ... they have not always done so."
Ummmm, What the fuck is that all about? If there is anything that can be classified as the 'cost of war' it's lost and damaged equipment, never mind the human costs...
Excuse me--numb fuck, stone brained looking for any angle to squeeze a buck from any potential source military beaurocrats:
IT'S FUCKING WAR. SHIT GETS BLOWN THE FUCK UP. FUCKING DEAL WITH IT. IF YOU DIDN'T WANT TO PAY FOR IT, DON'T GET INTO A WAR!!
Of course, we know how receptive these folks are to common sense and logic now, don't we?
What's next? Billing widows or parentless children for the cost of a dead soldier's uniform and equipment they had on when they were killed? Maybe billing a Hummer driver's widow for the cost of the vehicle since it was damaged beyond repair by an IED or EFP?
I'm going to stop now before the wrong person stumbles upon this and thinks it's a grand idea and should be implemented yesterday...
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Money for Nothing
Jim Hightower:
By a 244-181 vote in June, our congress critters quietly hiked their own pay, putting them in an income class that exceeds 97 percent of American households. And guess what? Unlike us riff-raff, their pay raise is automatic! Deserve it or not, need it or not, they get this annual boost, unless they choose not to accept it. And, gollies, guess what again? They rarely choose to say no!
Glad to see that a little less than half of the reps. in Congress recognize how ridiculous this is, but it's still not enough...
Worse than the raise – which comes when the majority of Americans are falling behind economically – are the excuses of the congressional leaders. They say the big bucks are necessary to retain experienced lawmakers. Yeah... experienced at raising their own pay, which they've done for seven of the past 10 years. And if you want to hear a truly sad tale, try this: members wail that they have to meet with lobbyists who are paid far more than they are, so they need to narrow the gap to save face.
Ken Boehm of the National Legal and Policy Center:
"Their approval rating is 14 percent," Boehm points out. "That means that 86 percent of the American public thinks they're doing a pretty crummy job. If they were doing an absolutely sterling job -- and everybody knew it -- and working long hours and doing productive stuff and not getting caught stealing and so forth, then you might be able to make an argument about it. But that's hardly the case when their approval rating is [so low]."
In the Spirit of Hill...
By a 244-181 vote in June, our congress critters quietly hiked their own pay, putting them in an income class that exceeds 97 percent of American households. And guess what? Unlike us riff-raff, their pay raise is automatic! Deserve it or not, need it or not, they get this annual boost, unless they choose not to accept it. And, gollies, guess what again? They rarely choose to say no!
Glad to see that a little less than half of the reps. in Congress recognize how ridiculous this is, but it's still not enough...
Worse than the raise – which comes when the majority of Americans are falling behind economically – are the excuses of the congressional leaders. They say the big bucks are necessary to retain experienced lawmakers. Yeah... experienced at raising their own pay, which they've done for seven of the past 10 years. And if you want to hear a truly sad tale, try this: members wail that they have to meet with lobbyists who are paid far more than they are, so they need to narrow the gap to save face.
Ken Boehm of the National Legal and Policy Center:
"Their approval rating is 14 percent," Boehm points out. "That means that 86 percent of the American public thinks they're doing a pretty crummy job. If they were doing an absolutely sterling job -- and everybody knew it -- and working long hours and doing productive stuff and not getting caught stealing and so forth, then you might be able to make an argument about it. But that's hardly the case when their approval rating is [so low]."
In the Spirit of Hill...
Friday, July 20, 2007
The Citadel of Sanity
"The Atlantic and Pacific are our walls. Broad, stout walls. The Citadel of Sanity! If we get in it we'll go bankrupt like the others and lose a couple million of our finest young men."
Ike Lacouture, on why the U.S. should avoid entry into World War II, The Winds of War, by Herman Wouk. The character of Lacouture may have been based on the real life isolationist Senator from Michigan Arthur Vandenberg.
Houston Chronicle, 19 JUL 07:
Construction of a polarizing fence along the Texas-Mexico border is expected to begin by this fall, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff confirmed Wednesday, adding that border communities will be consulted "in terms of style" so the government doesn't "create any eyesores."
Chertoff said he had seen some fencing "that was quite attractive" during his visits along the South Texas border.
"I think I was in Brownsville ... and I saw some very nice fence that was ornamental but it did the trick," he said.
Similar to how effective the isolationist camp's views were in the lead up to the U.S.'s entry into World War II (all Pearl Harbor attack conspiracy theories non withstanding...) border barriers of any kind serve no purpose but to antagonize the nation that didn't build them and make life difficult for the people and other life living on either side of the border on all sorts of levels.
Oh, yeah, it probably won't keep folks from crossing the border in search of work and a better life, either. Despite what some of the commenters on the piece from yesterday had to say:
44mag wrote:
The fence won't solve all the problems on the border, but it will help. The open borders lobby knows this to be true, hence their hysterical opposition - it will ruin the environment, cause flooding, kill livestock, destroy the economy, bankrupt farmers, blah blah blah.
texrob1 wrote:
Build It! It certainly won't hurt anything,all these people claiming the fence will hurt the environment,what about the tens of thousands of Illegal aliens trampling all over the environment? I guess they are careful as they are entering our country Illegally, to not hurt any plants or animals,what a Joke.
sportfanatic wrote:
I want a fence with electricity, just like jurassic park.
Ahhh, I love Texas, just not too fond of some of my fellow Texans...
Back to Thursday's article:
Chertoff, however, pledged Wednesday to consult with border leaders on the fence design, but said "we can't give border communities a veto."
The homeland chief on Wednesday said he "can't rule out" that the government would use eminent domain to seize private property to make way for the fence. Governments use eminent domain to take private property for public use.
In a state rich in property rights history, that acknowledgment will likely earn a fiery reception along the border.
Yes, it will and it has:
Chronicle, 20 JUL 07:
(John Cornyn showing some intestinal fortitude on one thing at least)
"I assure you there will be local consultation," the Texas Republican said in a call with state reporters. "There will not be ... unilateral actions on the part of the Department of Homeland Security without local input."
"This could not be mishandled any worse, as far as I'm concerned," said Cornyn, who voted last year for legislation mandating the construction of 700 miles of double-layered fencing at the Southwest border but insisted that local leaders be consulted.
Or, maybe just self preservation by trying to please everyone on some level:
The fence issue is a tricky one for Texas elected officials in Washington, and particularly for Cornyn, who is up for re-election next year. On the one hand, Cornyn and other Texas congressional delegation members are pressing for increased border security. But they also are facing a huge wave of opposition to the fence from border officials and landowners who view it as the wrong approach to border security.
I myself like this comment:
txnflfan wrote:
Cherfoff says that construction was to begin by this fall... Hmmm
Weren't these the same people a few weeks ago who ran around talking about urgency, and the need for immediate legislation.
The last time I checked we are at the end of July, and the fall is in October.
Where is this urgency they were talking about???
I say get rid of every incumbent in office regardless of party. Perhaps the next batch will actually do the will of the people who sent them to Washington.
If only wishing would make it so. These Congress critters are worse than cockroaches in terms of getting rid of them for good. Remember our good buddy Tom Delay from Sugarland? He's still weighing in with random idiocy like this that Hill went off on the other day.
But I'd like to go back to a phrase from the article on Thursday:
The homeland chief on Wednesday said he "can't rule out" that the government would use eminent domain to seize private property to make way for the fence.
Ummmmm, excuse me? Homeland Chief? As in, "Jawohl, mein Commandant?" He's not my homeland chief, I'll tell you that right now.
Let's keep it in perspective and call him what he is, the Homeland Security Chief.
Amazing what the omission of a single word can do to a title... maybe I should apply as a copy editor over there at the Chronicle....
Another great passage that somehow didn't make it into the online article was a quote from none other than the Shrub himself on the merits and risks of stepping on the toes of landowners here in Texas over the issue of this pesky fence:
By the way, in my state of Texas, when it comes to the fencing, I would strongly urge those who advocate it not to go down there and go face to face with some of these Texas ranchers down there.
As Hill would say:
BwaaaaaaaaaahahaahAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think I can call Texas my state before he can, even though I've only been back for 12 years after being spirited away by parental units at the tender young age of one...
Remember: Broad, Stout Walls! Bigger Fences Make Better Neighbors!
Just ask the Israelis about how well their wall is working over in the West Bank.
Col. (res.) Shaul Arieli, who was the last commander of the Gaza regional brigade of the IDF, has stated that the effectiveness of the barrier will only be short-term. "The fence provides a partial security response to the terror threats and a good response to prevention of illegal immigration and prevention of criminal acts," he explains, "but on the other hand, in its current format it creates the future terror infrastructure because this terror infrastructure is precisely those people living in enclaves who will support acts of terror as the only possible tool that they perceive as being able to restore them the land, production sources and water wells taken from them."
Ike Lacouture, on why the U.S. should avoid entry into World War II, The Winds of War, by Herman Wouk. The character of Lacouture may have been based on the real life isolationist Senator from Michigan Arthur Vandenberg.
Houston Chronicle, 19 JUL 07:
Construction of a polarizing fence along the Texas-Mexico border is expected to begin by this fall, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff confirmed Wednesday, adding that border communities will be consulted "in terms of style" so the government doesn't "create any eyesores."
Chertoff said he had seen some fencing "that was quite attractive" during his visits along the South Texas border.
"I think I was in Brownsville ... and I saw some very nice fence that was ornamental but it did the trick," he said.
Similar to how effective the isolationist camp's views were in the lead up to the U.S.'s entry into World War II (all Pearl Harbor attack conspiracy theories non withstanding...) border barriers of any kind serve no purpose but to antagonize the nation that didn't build them and make life difficult for the people and other life living on either side of the border on all sorts of levels.
Oh, yeah, it probably won't keep folks from crossing the border in search of work and a better life, either. Despite what some of the commenters on the piece from yesterday had to say:
44mag wrote:
The fence won't solve all the problems on the border, but it will help. The open borders lobby knows this to be true, hence their hysterical opposition - it will ruin the environment, cause flooding, kill livestock, destroy the economy, bankrupt farmers, blah blah blah.
texrob1 wrote:
Build It! It certainly won't hurt anything,all these people claiming the fence will hurt the environment,what about the tens of thousands of Illegal aliens trampling all over the environment? I guess they are careful as they are entering our country Illegally, to not hurt any plants or animals,what a Joke.
sportfanatic wrote:
I want a fence with electricity, just like jurassic park.
Ahhh, I love Texas, just not too fond of some of my fellow Texans...
Back to Thursday's article:
Chertoff, however, pledged Wednesday to consult with border leaders on the fence design, but said "we can't give border communities a veto."
The homeland chief on Wednesday said he "can't rule out" that the government would use eminent domain to seize private property to make way for the fence. Governments use eminent domain to take private property for public use.
In a state rich in property rights history, that acknowledgment will likely earn a fiery reception along the border.
Yes, it will and it has:
Chronicle, 20 JUL 07:
(John Cornyn showing some intestinal fortitude on one thing at least)
"I assure you there will be local consultation," the Texas Republican said in a call with state reporters. "There will not be ... unilateral actions on the part of the Department of Homeland Security without local input."
"This could not be mishandled any worse, as far as I'm concerned," said Cornyn, who voted last year for legislation mandating the construction of 700 miles of double-layered fencing at the Southwest border but insisted that local leaders be consulted.
Or, maybe just self preservation by trying to please everyone on some level:
The fence issue is a tricky one for Texas elected officials in Washington, and particularly for Cornyn, who is up for re-election next year. On the one hand, Cornyn and other Texas congressional delegation members are pressing for increased border security. But they also are facing a huge wave of opposition to the fence from border officials and landowners who view it as the wrong approach to border security.
I myself like this comment:
txnflfan wrote:
Cherfoff says that construction was to begin by this fall... Hmmm
Weren't these the same people a few weeks ago who ran around talking about urgency, and the need for immediate legislation.
The last time I checked we are at the end of July, and the fall is in October.
Where is this urgency they were talking about???
I say get rid of every incumbent in office regardless of party. Perhaps the next batch will actually do the will of the people who sent them to Washington.
If only wishing would make it so. These Congress critters are worse than cockroaches in terms of getting rid of them for good. Remember our good buddy Tom Delay from Sugarland? He's still weighing in with random idiocy like this that Hill went off on the other day.
But I'd like to go back to a phrase from the article on Thursday:
The homeland chief on Wednesday said he "can't rule out" that the government would use eminent domain to seize private property to make way for the fence.
Ummmmm, excuse me? Homeland Chief? As in, "Jawohl, mein Commandant?" He's not my homeland chief, I'll tell you that right now.
Let's keep it in perspective and call him what he is, the Homeland Security Chief.
Amazing what the omission of a single word can do to a title... maybe I should apply as a copy editor over there at the Chronicle....
Another great passage that somehow didn't make it into the online article was a quote from none other than the Shrub himself on the merits and risks of stepping on the toes of landowners here in Texas over the issue of this pesky fence:
By the way, in my state of Texas, when it comes to the fencing, I would strongly urge those who advocate it not to go down there and go face to face with some of these Texas ranchers down there.
As Hill would say:
BwaaaaaaaaaahahaahAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think I can call Texas my state before he can, even though I've only been back for 12 years after being spirited away by parental units at the tender young age of one...
Remember: Broad, Stout Walls! Bigger Fences Make Better Neighbors!
Just ask the Israelis about how well their wall is working over in the West Bank.
Col. (res.) Shaul Arieli, who was the last commander of the Gaza regional brigade of the IDF, has stated that the effectiveness of the barrier will only be short-term. "The fence provides a partial security response to the terror threats and a good response to prevention of illegal immigration and prevention of criminal acts," he explains, "but on the other hand, in its current format it creates the future terror infrastructure because this terror infrastructure is precisely those people living in enclaves who will support acts of terror as the only possible tool that they perceive as being able to restore them the land, production sources and water wells taken from them."
Friday, July 13, 2007
Cataloguing(people...)
How long would it take for the idea of this to be shot down here in the U.S. where Democracy "exists"? The same sort of Democracy that we are purportedly bringing to Iraq?
U.S. troops are stopping Iraqis at checkpoints, workplaces and sites where attacks have recently occurred, and inputting their personal data using handheld scanners or specially equipped laptops. In several neighborhoods in and around Baghdad, troops have gone door to door collecting data.
Can this be far behind?
Over there and maybe over here?
I can't help but recall the fears of Paul Craig Roberts in this interview with Mark::
"the United States is is essentially finished. Liberty's dead, I don't see any way to bring it back. The country is balkanized, it's split, and ignorant. It hasn't the foggiest idea what's happening to it."
"...I don't see any signs of hope at all. I see none. None at all. I expect to die in a concentration camp."
U.S. troops are stopping Iraqis at checkpoints, workplaces and sites where attacks have recently occurred, and inputting their personal data using handheld scanners or specially equipped laptops. In several neighborhoods in and around Baghdad, troops have gone door to door collecting data.
Can this be far behind?
Over there and maybe over here?
I can't help but recall the fears of Paul Craig Roberts in this interview with Mark::
"the United States is is essentially finished. Liberty's dead, I don't see any way to bring it back. The country is balkanized, it's split, and ignorant. It hasn't the foggiest idea what's happening to it."
"...I don't see any signs of hope at all. I see none. None at all. I expect to die in a concentration camp."
More Support for the Troops...
I think all of this speaks for itself. My blood has been close to the boiling point and I'm going to meet a friend for lunch here in a little while, so I wanted to assemble these items together not unlike the modifications that the boys and girls over there have had to employ for years now just to feel like they have a chance of surviving an ambush:
But here we are in Iraq after 15 bloody months still welding steel plate onto Humvees. Sure, our soldiers gain a tad more protection, but it also turns the vehicles into rollover queens because it shifts their center of gravity.
The problem is that the soft-skinned Humvee was conceived as a light utility truck – not a close combat vehicle. "The Humvee is horribly thin-skinned and underpowered," says Army veteran Scott Schreiber, who drove one for six years. "It should be used in roles that don’t call for armor. If the role calls for armor, it’s simple: use armor."
Bob Geiger:
A study completed in late June by the Pentagon's Inspector General concludes that the Department of Defense (DoD) has risked the lives of U.S. troops in Iraq due to malfeasance in awarding and monitoring contracts for badly-needed armored vehicles.
The study, which was requested by Democratic Congresswoman Louise Slaughter of New York, found that since 2000 the DoD has awarded "sole-source" contracts valued at $2.2 billion to just two companies, Force Protection, Inc.(FPI) and Armor Holdings, Inc (AHI).
Inspector General auditors found that the Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) made these two companies the sole providers of armored vehicles and armor kits for troops, despite knowing that other suppliers may have produced the equipment so desperately needed in Iraq substantially faster. Both manufacturers fell far behind delivery schedules, while AHI also produced inadequate and faulty equipment.
Democracy Now!:
On Wednesday, Republicans defeated an amendment that would require U.S. troops to get as much or more rest between deployments as the time they were deployed. Seven Republicans joined Democrats in support but the measure failed to attract the sixty votes needed to move ahead. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid criticized Republicans, saying: “Our troops are not machines, they are human beings.”
UPDATE 14 JUL 07 (very early):
Then there's this:
Following the Committee’s April 24, 2007, hearing on the Tillman fratricide, the Committee wrote to White House Counsel Fred Fielding seeking “all documents received or generated by any official in the Executive Office of the President” relating to Corporal Tillman’s death. The White House Counsel’s office responded that it would not provide the Committee with documents that “implicate Executive Branch confidentiality interests” and produced only two communications with the officials in the Defense Department, one of which was a package of news clippings. The response of the Defense Department to the Committee’s inquiry was also deficient.
How far are these bastards willing to go? As Poppy put it in 1990:
That's why, in the Persian Gulf, George Bush had to say, 'This will not be another Vietnam.' He actually said, 'this time we're going all the way.'
*Rubbing eyes fiercely...*
But here we are in Iraq after 15 bloody months still welding steel plate onto Humvees. Sure, our soldiers gain a tad more protection, but it also turns the vehicles into rollover queens because it shifts their center of gravity.
The problem is that the soft-skinned Humvee was conceived as a light utility truck – not a close combat vehicle. "The Humvee is horribly thin-skinned and underpowered," says Army veteran Scott Schreiber, who drove one for six years. "It should be used in roles that don’t call for armor. If the role calls for armor, it’s simple: use armor."
Bob Geiger:
A study completed in late June by the Pentagon's Inspector General concludes that the Department of Defense (DoD) has risked the lives of U.S. troops in Iraq due to malfeasance in awarding and monitoring contracts for badly-needed armored vehicles.
The study, which was requested by Democratic Congresswoman Louise Slaughter of New York, found that since 2000 the DoD has awarded "sole-source" contracts valued at $2.2 billion to just two companies, Force Protection, Inc.(FPI) and Armor Holdings, Inc (AHI).
Inspector General auditors found that the Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) made these two companies the sole providers of armored vehicles and armor kits for troops, despite knowing that other suppliers may have produced the equipment so desperately needed in Iraq substantially faster. Both manufacturers fell far behind delivery schedules, while AHI also produced inadequate and faulty equipment.
Democracy Now!:
On Wednesday, Republicans defeated an amendment that would require U.S. troops to get as much or more rest between deployments as the time they were deployed. Seven Republicans joined Democrats in support but the measure failed to attract the sixty votes needed to move ahead. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid criticized Republicans, saying: “Our troops are not machines, they are human beings.”
UPDATE 14 JUL 07 (very early):
Then there's this:
Following the Committee’s April 24, 2007, hearing on the Tillman fratricide, the Committee wrote to White House Counsel Fred Fielding seeking “all documents received or generated by any official in the Executive Office of the President” relating to Corporal Tillman’s death. The White House Counsel’s office responded that it would not provide the Committee with documents that “implicate Executive Branch confidentiality interests” and produced only two communications with the officials in the Defense Department, one of which was a package of news clippings. The response of the Defense Department to the Committee’s inquiry was also deficient.
How far are these bastards willing to go? As Poppy put it in 1990:
That's why, in the Persian Gulf, George Bush had to say, 'This will not be another Vietnam.' He actually said, 'this time we're going all the way.'
*Rubbing eyes fiercely...*
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