This is bad news??? Being as I am familiar with acts I and II, I prefer that German soldiers remain fat, drunk and slovenly in perpetuity. How 'bout you?
The German Ambassador to Iraq, Hans Schumacher, has submitted a classified report to the Foreign Ministry in Berlin in which it is charged that three Iraqi nationals, working as security guards for the German consulate, were taken into custody and allegedly mishandled by American troops. The third was taken by Americans to a prison camp near Basra, where he was held for four months before the error was discovered. The two who were temporarily detained have been financially compensated. The man taken to Basra has been summarily ignored.
Hastert's Old Seat Flips Blue If that doesn't qualify as a psychological victory and a potent portend for November, I guess I need to be schooled on what, exactly, it would take to meet the criteria...
Hope you already have a job...In a report that was far worse than most analysts had expected, the Labor Department estimated that the nation lost 63,000 jobs in February. It was the second consecutive monthly decline, and the third straight drop for private-sector jobs.
Ya know, the interwebs iz our baby... there would be no internet if there was no Pentagon. Now the Pentagon is having a "What hath God wrought?" moment - they don't want Google Maps showing the layout of bases. And I am torn - I like looking at where my relatives are, but I don't want just anybody to be able to do so.
Rest in Peace Gary Gygax - One of the co-creators of Dungeons and Dragons shuffled off this mortal coil last week. Believe it or not, he had a wife and six kids.
Rhea might have rings A flyby by international exploratory vehicle Cassini has detected what appears to be a large debris field around Saturn's second largest moon. Unlike the rings around Saturn and other planets, the rings around Rhea have not been directly seen. Instead they were detected by sensors aboard Cassini that detected a drop in electrons on either side of the moon. If the ring system is confirmed, it will be the first time one has been observed around a moon.
Back in the day the uncomfortable truth that became common knowledge was that when Americans went into space and discovered that pens wouldn't write up there, millions of dollars were spent on research to develop a gravity-defying pen...while the Russians simply used a pencil. Now the census bureau is in danger of not bringing in the 2010 census on time because they replaced their pens and paper with gadgets that don't work. The failure is expected to triple the cost of the upcoming census.
And that's it for Blue Girl - but Strannix has a question...
What began as a typical chat session with traveling reporters on the plane from Atlanta to New Orleans quickly became a testy exchange with McCain. The senator was questioned on the details of a conversation with former presidential nominee John Kerry in 2004 about being his potential running mate.
Pressed further aboard the plane by a reporter as to whether he did in fact have a conversation with Kerry, McCain showed his infamous temper.
It is not difficult in Washington to find high-level military officials who have had close encounters with John McCain's temper, and who find it worrisome. Politicians sometimes scream for effect, but the concern is that McCain has, at times, come across as out of control. It is difficult to find current or former officers willing to describe those encounters in detail on the record. That's because, by and large, those officers admire McCain. But that doesn't mean they want his finger on the proverbial button, and they are supporting Clinton or Obama instead.
"I like McCain. I respect McCain. But I am a little worried by his knee-jerk response factor," said retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, who was in charge of training the Iraqi military from 2003 to 2004 and is now campaigning for Clinton. "I think it is a little scary. I think this guy's first reactions are not necessarily the best reactions. I believe that he acts on impulse."
"I studied leadership for a long time during 32 years in the military," said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Gration, a one-time Republican who is supporting Obama. "It is all about character. Who can motivate willing followers? Who has the vision? Who can inspire people?" Gration asked. "I have tremendous respect for John McCain, but I would not follow him."
