Lest we forget

While Congress fights over how to word non-binding resolutions saying the "surge" is an icky idea - Bush went ahead with it anyhow, leading to 5 helicopters being shot down in the past week. In all the noise, though, we need to remember there are real people out there living, dying, being maimed, being damaged psychologically and spiritually. These are not pawns to be shuffled around at the whim of an increasingly dangerous president:

An overachiever who graduated Swampscott High School bound for the Naval Academy, Jennifer Harris signed up for the most grueling program available: She wanted to be a Marine, according to the town?s veteran agent. Harris, 27, a Marine Corps captain, was killed yesterday while piloting her CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter north of Baghdad. ?She was a great kid,? said Swampscott town veterans agent Jim Schultz. ?This was her third tour. She was scheduled to come home next week.?

It's enough to break your heart.

I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE !!!!!!! Ive been to a place that is so far beyond my ability to describe too you that it breaks me just remembering it.I am not afraid America.I have faced the enemy and i did what i had to do and always did what i was told.I have been decorated several time both in war and in peace time.my mother has had 3 of her children serve this land on 5 seperate occasions and on 2 continents.I have tarined my battle buddies to be the best soldiers they can be and to survive THE HELL HOLE THAT IRAQ IS.

It's enough to make you want to throw things.

For many, the military is where people go to see both the world and themselves, where they go to feel more alive. For many, it's an awakening. Not for me. More and more lately, as my leave approaches, I feel as though I've slept, and am just now waking. And as my eyes open, I see now that there is precious little that the Army can teach me which the blessings of my life have not already done.

It's enough to make you want to bury your head under the covers and try to wish it away.

FORT LEWIS, Washington (Reuters) - A military judge declared a mistrial on Wednesday in the court-martial of a U.S. Army officer, who publicly refused to fight in Iraq and criticized the war.

It's enough to make you wish you could shake the politicians until they could really see these faces of anguish whose numbers increase daily as DC checks its poll numbers for a clue on what to do next.

h/t to snark, before he has a hissy

Open thread

Okay, here's a chat thread for today. I'm putting up a serious thread above, and don't feel right getting goofy on that one. So, goof away, folks. Make me laugh. I dare ya.

Wingnut welfare moms can't get a break

Ripley's on fire these days, monitoring the continuing hijinks of Melanie Morgan's snuff radio meltdown:

Well, it seems that KSFO Drama Queen and PR Patriot, Melanie Morgan, just can?t get enough of playing the victim, and has turned her personal website into a blubbering collection of posts that let her play Damsel in Distress, hounded by dark and mysterious forces.

Isn't this always the way? The bullies sit in their fortresses, flinging poo and eliminationist rhetoric with impunity for years. Then, when someone fights back, they dramatically fall to the ground clutching their barely skinned knees, howling like the WATBs that they are. It's part of their schtick, it's what keeps them going:

Morgan and Coulter love attention from Liberals ('It makes us a bigger bullseye for the Left - and that's always a good thing')

Morgan and Rodgers love to hear from Liberals ('Please keep the hate mail coming. We enjoy it immensely - We want to offend you')

Which is why writing to them and about them is useless. They thrive on publicity, that's why Coulter is saying more and more outrageous trash - she's gone out of style now that the rabid shi-tzu is eclipsing her/him in the "fucking nuts" department. Point and laugh, sure. But if you want to get them where it hurts, go directly to the sponsors. It's all about the Benjamins, folks. Always has been, always will be.

Trex adds his two cents (worth every penny!) on the matter.

363 Tons...of cash.

So, I've never been one of those guys who says that the real problem with the Iraq war is the incompetence with which the administration waged it. But what can you say about this?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The Federal Reserve sent record payouts of more than $4 billion in cash to Baghdad on giant pallets aboard military planes shortly before the United States gave control back to Iraqis, lawmakers said Tuesday.

The money, which had been held by the United States, came from Iraqi oil exports, surplus dollars from the U.N.-run oil-for-food program and frozen assets belonging to the ousted Saddam Hussein regime.

Bills weighing a total of 363 tons were loaded onto military aircraft in the largest cash shipments ever made by the Federal Reserve, said Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

"Who in their right mind would send 363 tons of cash into a war zone? But that's exactly what our government did," the California Democrat said during a hearing reviewing possible waste, fraud and abuse of funds in Iraq.

On December 12, 2003, $1.5 billion was shipped to Iraq, initially "the largest pay out of U.S. currency in Fed history," according to an e-mail cited by committee members.

If nothing else works out in Iraq, at least Ahmed Chalabi can teach Carleton Sheets and Tommy Woo Wu a thing or two about how to make a fortune with no money of one's own.

Fuck. Hitchens was right about one thing: Chalabi is a stone-cold genius. Now if I could just find out where to get my copy of his guaranteed money-making system on DVD, all I would need to do is clear out a spot in the living room for the palettes of cash.

Anatomy of a propoganda piece

Today's headline:

Iran said to assemble two uranium units

Which immediately begs the question, "Said by whom?" Because, you know, we've been down this road before.

VIENNA, Austria - Shrugging off the threat of tougher U.N. sanctions, Iran has set up more than 300 centrifuges in two uranium enrichment units at its underground Natanz complex, diplomats and officials said Monday.

Well, there it is, "diplomats and officials." But who are these "diplomats and officials," and what exactly are they claiming?

Speaking separately ? and demanding anonymity because their information was confidential ? a diplomat accredited to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency and a U.S. official said that two "cascades" of 164 centrifuges each had been set up in recent days.

Gee whiz, those "cascade" thingies sound pretty scary. Explain, please!

Get yer saintly relics right here!

Thank you, tempus, for this lovely story:

'Holy relic' ad angers Russians

The Russian Orthodox Church has expressed indignation at an attempt to sell a skull and bone allegedly belonging to Saint Philipp.

The advert for the remains appeared on a Russian website.

It described the relic as "remains of an Orthodox saint, in good condition, with an inscription on the cranium confirming the saint's name".

Because we all know, only true saints have their names embossed on their bones. I'd better go check my combo "knucklebone of Christ" and "splinter of the true cross" just to be sure, though.

The remains allegedly arrived from Novgorod, an ancient city in northern Russia, and became part of the St Petersburg Atheism Museum.

But after the collapse of the Soviet Union the museum was closed. The exhibit from Novgorod - along with many others - was allegedly packed in a nondescript box and stored on the top floor of St Petersburg's Kazan Cathedral.

Atheism Museum? Damn them commies and their warehousing of holy relics! They just want to keep all the magical knick knacks for themselves.

Boy, there's just nothing on the tube today

Might as well do laundry, eh?

True story: I said to a co-worker that there was no reason to watch the Super Bowl since the Seahawks weren't in it, and she told me "of course I'm going to watch. I want to see the new commercials." Oy. I'm blown away by the ability of humans to eagerly participate in their own manipulation. I suppose if you self-identify as a consumer, every ad is scripture, huh? Do these same people watch NASCAR to see if the drivers have colorful new patches on their uniforms? It's just freaky to me.

So, is anyone doing anything Super Bowl related today?

Watch out where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow

Duh duh dun DUHN. Frank Zappa? Anyone?

Russia probes smelly orange snow

Russia has flown a team of chemical experts to a Siberian region to find out why smelly, coloured snow has been falling over several towns.

By the way, have you checked out Friday Funnies yet? Why not? Don't you like Mike? What's wrong with you?

The Rude Pundit asks us to contemplate Mary Cheney's vagina. Well... okay... if you say so. But I'm not gonna like it.

To cleanse the palate, your Friday carouse should include the Zen Cabin, where the drunk bastards hang out. We don't talk a helluva lot, but we're there, man. Hi, Ripley!

Isn't this a cool picture?

Seven of Six sent me this photo, and I think it's the coolest thing, I've been showing it to everyone. Have you ever heard of an albino peacock? It looks like a snowflake, doesn't it? Here's your Friday thread, do with it as you will.