Hey Eli

Hey egreg!

If Obama would tell the truth about Bush and Cheney and let Holder enforce the law…

oh, silly me.

Slipped into fantasyland there.

Sorry.

I know I’ve said this before but it bears repeating.

Arab is the new black.

I suggest that he pretend that all Muslims are, alternately, health industry CEOs and progressive bloggers – that should make him a respected national security expert in no time.

Your snark-fu is strong, grasshopper!

Arab? WHERE???

*hides under bed*

For whatever the Bush administration and most of the other Very Serious Republican National Security Experts may lack in military experience, they more than make up for in bloodthirst and paranoia.

And will.

I suggest that he pretend that all Muslims are, alternately, health industry CEOs and progressive bloggers – that should make him a respected national security expert in no time.

I’m sure the Rahm trolls are all reporting this idea back to Rahm as their idea.:)

Even if Obama dresses like General George Patton and declares worldwide war on Islam, the GOP and the Village will continue to say he is a wus on national security.

“George W. Bush wouldn’t pussyfoot around and *talk* about wiping out Islam, he’d just *do* it!”

and says, “you gotta hold em by the nose and kick them in the ass”!

Kookie Cokie is why I stop contributing to NPR and PBS.

If only he could have the two five additional terms in office he deserves…

That made me laugh pretty hard. The good ol’ days, when generals could brandish their riding crops in public.

And Ivory handled 357 and 45′s!

Meanwhile, I had to pay to listen to the Illini play Iowa on the computer!

Does Cokie really want to play the military card after 8 years of war this close to an election? After all military families if they believe Obama really will pull troops outs of Iraq and eventually Afghanistan will likely vote our way along with the enlisted men.
I think the officers are the lone GOP holdouts probably the non combat officers who have never served overseas in the wars.
Cokie can say whatever she wants about military support but on election day lets see how right Cokie is:)
Then we can ask why Cokie has a job with so many wrong predictions. Then we can ask if Cokie and the Right Wing Political Media in this country is as accurate as Pravada was?
Whats the difference between Commies and America? Different rich guys controlling the media who don’t like each other.

If only the Intertubes and blogs could’ve been developed to their current state, oh say around 1978. These false narratives would never had been able to take hold in the public discourse. We’ve already done a lot to bust ‘em up, so better late than never!

what really makes someone a Serious Qualified Expert on national security is a little voice in their head screaming “AAAAAHHHH!!! The scary brown people are coming to kill us we have to kill them first OMG OMG OMG!!!” 24 hours a day, and the ability to bedwet on command.

Imagine what Boot Camp for a Serious Qualified Expert on national security looks like . . .

Drill Instructor: Soldier! You call that a wet bed?
Soldier: Sir, YES, sir!

DI: Son, that bed isn’t even damp. My grandmother can wet her bed better than you can. Hell, my three month old can do better than that with just a sippy cup of milk before his afternoon nap.
Soldier: Sir, YES, sir!

DI: Do I need to do like I do with him, and tuck you in with warm milk and cookies?
Soldier: Sir, NO, sir!

DI: When I say “wet!” I want to hear your mattress slosh when you crawl out of your bed in the morning.
Soldier: Sir, YES, sir!

DI: When I say “wet,” I want to see a trail on the floor as you drag your sorry self to the showers to clean up.
Soldier: Sir, YES, sir!

DI: When I say “wet!” I want to hear you ask “How many towels, sir?”
Soldier: Sir, YES, sir!

DI: Then get your ass to bed, and when you get up those sheets better be more than damp, more than moist, more than sweaty. I want WET, soldier! WET!!!
Soldier: Sir, YES, sir! How many towels, sir?!?

DI: That’s better . . .

Arab is the new black

Very true, but also quite amazing, since very few Americans have ever had personal contact with a real live ARAB.

TV brainwashing at its finest.

fuckin di’s would have killed us if we called them sir, that’s some newby shit!

Those dirty Iowans, now you’re talking about real enemies of freedom. Bruce Pearl should be tried by military tribunal.

Yea, if some brothers had killed 3000 people you WOULD have seen some real killin. (spare me the inside job theory please)

you are my man!

I vote for arrogant military-types as the new N******.

Mod Note: around these parts, we really don’t like that word if you know what I mean.

Pleased to meet you.
You were saying?

I wonder if Beck’s Vick’s VapoRub would work for that too…

Atomic Balm in the jock was good!

Just what makes Cokie such an expert that she is a reporter who repeats whatever she is told? When was the last time Cokie investigated a story. When has Cokie’s expertise resulted in her predictions about the war being right? Outside of being a reporter what are her qualifications?

Obama isn’t helping himself with his prolonged underwear bomber damage control campaign. He should say, “The Dutch filmmaker was a U.S. agent who dragged the perp up to first class and pantsed him, so screw all you people. Case closed.”

“Americans should prepare to accept hundreds of U.S. casualties each month in Afghanistan during spring offensives with enemy forces.

The dire forecast was made by retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, an adjunct professor of international affairs at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, in a periodic assessment of political and security issues he has conducted in the war zone since 2003.

“What I want to do is signal that this thing is going to be $5 billion to $10 billion a month and 300 to 500 killed and wounded a month by next summer. That’s what we probably should expect. And that’s light casualties,”

now there’s some expertise

I’m quite sure that Hispanics and African Americans will start getting searched because the Feds think we might be Arabs.
I’m also sure that the airline industry will suffer as any foreigner who can’t come by private plane will after one experience of being treated as Arab at the Airport will try never to come back and tell all his friends.
Lots of low level business deals won’t get made.

True, but if you’re going to get all reality-based on me, you’ve got to admit that the DIs would also have killed the majors who ordered them to teach people how to bedwet on command.

;)

hoooraaah

He said that to expect those numbers this summer? Not doubting just confirming got a link?

Wanna see my DI?

McCaffery

Somehow I don’t think he’ll get his wish (of Americans being prepared). Most people oppose the war now, one month with U.S. casualties in the hundreds and we’ll see real bipartisanship… everybody will be pissed.

Aside from looking cool whats the point learning to throw your rifles back and forth to each other?

Looks like a nice fella.

I’m sure no one asked.

Learning to dodge bayonets is probably a plus.

500 casualties a month by summer?
If we see that, you will see major action by the USAF. Area bombing, that sort of thing. It won’t be surgical strikes, either. The reasoning will be that anyone in the areas where this is occurring is a sympathizer if not an active combatant, as they would not be able to survive in those areas if they were not.

‘evenin’, all-

Hi RonD.

Plus he’d look really silly in riding breeches, boots and pearl handled pistolas.

He was the originator of the USAEUR (US ARMY Europe) Drill Team in the early 60′s. I found that picture in the Stars and Stripes archives some 40 years after the fact. He said he knew he was going to die in the Nam but his name is not on the Wall so I guess he didn’t. Not many Dallas A Pinkney III. He sat with us after basic and said, “the politicians are sending you to war and we did our best in 8 weeks to teach you to do what you are told”. I know Obama is a big disappointment but I couldn’t help but think of SGT Pinkney a year ago.

Building a viable Afghan state with its own security force, he said, is a three- to 10-year commitment, as it is unlikely the U.S. will achieve the political and military goals set forth by President Barack Obama in his Dec. 1 speech announcing a 30,000-troop increase.

Plans to grow the Afghan national army to 240,000 by 2013, McCaffrey said, “is a growing success story,” but the police force, which is now up to 92,000, continues to be a “work in progress” that is six years behind the army in development. To increase the police force to a level of integrity that can operate at village level in a competent manner, he said, will take a decade.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/01/army_casualties_010410w/

We can’t afford healthcare but after 8 years in Afghanistan we can afford another 10 more years?

Hey rat! How’s the weather?

Currently 5 above, windchill -8. Supposed to warm up a little but 4-6 inches of snow expected Thursday.

“the politicians are sending you to war and we did our best in 8 weeks to teach you to do what you are told”.

I’m glad he did his best to teach you but I think there is some regret there at what he was asked to do. Regret that the Cokies of Washington never see.
I think we need a draft everytime there is a war the children and grand kids of the Washington elite, the Media and the Rich go to the front this way the common people know that the rich are willing to sacrifice their own and the cause is worthy/they really do think there are WMD.

Sounds cold on the radio!

Obama isn’t helping himself with his prolonged underwear bomber damage control campaign.

Watch for an Executive Order to connect all dots.

There was a draft in November of 66 and “Project 100,000″ to make sure the folks you mention stayed safe.

How did the republicans get this false claim anyway of being tough on national security and the democrats being weak? It’s because the democrats didn’t push back and they let the republicans get away with it. AWOL Bush and 5 Deferments Cheney were bloodthirsty alright. It’s always the way isn’t it? The leaders who are the biggest cowards have no problem sending others to fight and die in their place.

what really makes someone a Serious Qualified Expert on national security is a little voice in their head screaming “AAAAAHHHH!!! The scary brown people are coming to kill us we have to kill them first OMG OMG OMG!!!” 24 hours a day, and the ability to bedwet on command.

Sometimes I think you’re not taking this terrorism thing quite seriously enough, Eli. “24 hours a day”? When do they get to dream about being Maverick or GI Joe? ;-)

Oh yeah. Cokie is the worst. I remember listening to her say something about Progressive opponents to the HCR bill being divorced from political reality. I thought, “you were born rich, you are rich and you will die rich. Never having wanted for anything. And you are telling us progs out here in the real world we don’t know about political reality. I wanted to reach into the tube and strangle her.

How did the republicans get this false claim anyway of being tough on national security and the democrats being weak?

This is part of the hangover from Vietnam.

I think the children of the rich will be eligible soon enough. Thanks to what their parents have done to education and health care, pretty soon there won’t be enough eligible cannon fodder to keep them out of the front lines.

Yup.

Did you know the Orange Bowl is currently on TV, Georgia Tech vs Iowa?

I think “political reality” has displaced “military intelligence” as the penultimate oxymoron.

But imagine if the folks I mentioned were drafted. Every solder would have a bullet proof vest and armored humvee not Rummy’s excuses about going to war with the army you have. KBR killing our troops with bad wiring in the shower KBR executives would be sued and forced to appear before Congress and apologize to the families on TV before they went to prison.
Our troops would lack for nothing if the children of the Elite were forced to serve at the front every war.

War Tax and Draft!

That will make people wake up about their priorities. War isn’t free. Costs blood and money, and people, unless I’m really mistaken, love their personal blood and money.

IS a bullfrog waterproof? I’ve got the Illini on the computer, football game on the box and chit chatting away here!

I suspect that the ‘in the rear with the gear’ area would grow substantially.

Good article but we are a long way from and rich folks being anywhere near the shit.

It would be hard for it to get much bigger. The tip of the spear is tiny.

You do us proud, you multi-tasker you. Who’s winning at roundball?

Illini were up big at the half but the stinkin Hakeyes seem to be showing some life.

Vid from the Tet Offensive if you’re interested. Probably nothing you don’t already know.

And here’s my 2 cents on what makes this worse: Dems not slamming people for cowardly xenophobia and giving terrorists what they want (military escalation). Dems not slamming fear-mongers by putting things in perspective. Last Dem to do that might have been FDR? JFK? Also Dems backing down on every single piece of legislation that comes along.

Independents see Dems as not having courage of convictions and prefer someone who does. Like Stalin maybe..

I sympathize with your position, but cannot help but think of WWII, in which people named Kennedy and Bush served, and grunts were still treated like…well, grunts.

At my home blog a long time ago I once remarked that Democrats look their weakest when they’re trying to look strong.

Maybe a generation, would be my guess. I don’t remember if I quoted that bit, but the grand total was that about 70% of today’s high school students were considered unfit for service for one reason or another. It can’t get much worse before either the rich start signing up or we learn to do without warfare for a while.

Good footage, you know all Charlie had to do was poison the water coming in the creek and it would have been closing time. They were tying us down prepping for Tet.

I couldn’t get in now. I dropped out and went in on my 17th birthday. Got my GED in Korea before I went to the Nam.

[M]any young Americans who want to join cannot. Startling statistics released by the Pentagon show that 75 percent of young people ages 17 to 24 are currently unable to enlist in the United States military. Three of the most common barriers for potential recruits are failure to graduate high school, a criminal record, and physical fitness issues, including obesity.

Ready, Willing, And Unable To Serve (PDF)

Reagan ketchup is a veggie policy and schools cutting down on PE I think most highschools only require a year or two of it explains the health. 4 years of PE in highschool and an all organic or at least vegan high school menu could help the obesity.
Summer school mandatory until you pass with a C might help I think Chicago is doing that. And maybe the whole racial disparity in sentencing could be looked at?
On the other hand if we run out of troops will we end the war? I’m fine with that or will there be another project 100,000?

Thats why we push back for them its sad that we have to. Its sad the only people Dems push back on is us.

And James Roosevelt, USMC.

Here’s an example of why Independents are attracted to Ron Paul:
http://rawstory.com/2009/01/ron-paul-slams-dick-cheney/

Ron Paul slams Cheney: US ‘doing exactly what bin Laden planned’

“I think he had his eight years and he’s caused a lot of trouble for our country, and he perpetuated a war in Iraq that was unnecessary and wrong-headed. I would say it would be best he not be so critical right now,” Paul told CNN’s Larry King.

That’s what we need to hear from Dems…

In the first Gulf War didn’t we lose how many troops transporting the gear compared to combat deaths?

I skimmed it. My dissertation was about the GED and I looked closely at the military requirements. In looking for recruitment criteria they found that dropouts and GED’s were much less likely to complete their tours. With the cost of training it was a no brainer to not take the above. That was 12 years ago and they have loosened some but not much.

cannot help but think of WWII, in which people named Kennedy and Bush served

I cannot help but think of WWII, which resulted from ‘statesmen’ like Joe Kennedy backing Hitler…

Wall St. brokers like Prescott Bush funding Hitler…

and US companies like IBM providing technology to conduct the Holocaust.

But who cares about facts?

The biggest loss was the scud attack on the mess tent in Saudi.

On 25 February 1991, a scud missile hit a U.S. Army barracks of the 14th Quatermaster Detachment, out of Greensburg, PA, stationed in Dhahran Saudi Arabia killing 28 soldiers and injuring over 100.

Spring training don’t start till March. Oh, that roundball. Never mind.

Ok modify my idea the Elite must serve in a special first to the frontline everytime solder unit (not special forces we want all the rich to qualify to serve) thats air lifted into every war zone.

On 25 February 1991, a scud missile hit a U.S. Army barracks of the 14th Quatermaster Detachment, out of Greensburg, PA, stationed in Dhahran Saudi Arabia killing 28 soldiers and injuring over 100.

I didn’t know that. I’ve always thought it’s kind of amazing to have people operating cameras during a battle. Suppose if they have to they drop it and grab their gun.

The aim of American foreign policy is revolves around 1] Wall Street’s agenda in the global economy and 2] the interests of the military/terrorist industrial complex.

No less so than healthcare “reform” legislation revolves around the interest of Wall Street and the healthcare industrial complex here at home.

This is not something either the Democratic or the Republican Party leadership is in any way shape or form inclined to distance themselves from.

Yes, in some respects the Republicans are more tactically ferocious than the Democrats. But strategically there is no discernable difference between them. And all of this has, in turn, little or nothing to do with who did or did not serve in either political party.

I thought it had to go directly to The Brain, then The Shooter, before it got to Rhambo?

Did I miss a chain of command memo recently?

Well, I care about facts, and none of the above (or a lot of other things), changes my point, which was that a draft is unlikely to affect the lot of the soldiers, or the national decisions on whether or not to go to war.

Not quite like the old days when they did nothing but party all winter and showed up fat and hungover in the Spring.

Pick up 84 Charlie MoPic sometime. Or look for Requiem, Vietnam Combat Photographers.

With the economy the way it is right now, they can be a bit more choosy. Given a good economy, though, then they’ll be back to helping kids get their GEDs, I expect.

Brain I’m guessing Rove, Shooter = Darth Hmmm Rahm in cahoots with Rove and Darth well that would explain the Rahm trolls at Koz who attack Jane.

Did you watch any of that WWII In HD series on History Channel? Some amazing footage there.

Proly so, and if Mc Caffery is right who knows.

a draft is unlikely to affect the lot of the soldiers, or the national decisions on whether or not to go to war.

Not unless troops educate themselves about their rights and responsibilities to disobey illegal and immoral orders…

and have the balls/ovaries to refuse them.

But why expect the troops to do that?

Ya know, given the sorry state of shit we are in across the board, that’s a VERY very positive and upbeat analysis.

And all so true and sad, if we had only had it long ago . . .

Perhaps it will STILL help us prevail in the long haul over the next few decades, if it’s not privatized and priced out of the hands of the masses . . . which I fear is coming sooner than later . . . . sigh.

But still, again, GREAT thought and thanks for the uplift there . . . I needed that! *G*

I’ve read about civilian war photographers in WWII. Weird, none of them were really happy when it was over. They’d gotten hooked on the adrenaline and tended to sink into depression and alcoholism.

Yea, I have the original Army footage of the assault on Corregidor, my old man served on one of the LCVP’s that went in on day 2 so I did some diggin. The paratroopers jumped at about 400 ft and took 30% casualties on the jump itself.

who the fuck are you anyway

Like the people they photographed

I can’t imagine carrying a movie camera during those beach landings. Can’t really imagine being there, period.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it will go away if you ignore it.

my bad

My girlfriend’s grandfather was there. Would never ever talk about it.

Better diet and more exercise at schools would help, but then so would better academic standards. Basically, the schools either don’t get enough money or don’t spend it wisely enough. I don’t know which, but given recent priorities, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were some of both.

In any event, about almost half those disqualified were for health reasons, and almost half for academic ones. There was a sizable remainder disqualified due to having arrest records.

Declaring peace in our war on drugs might help, too.

Why does being reminded that conscientious troops are the best bulwark against tyranny & fascism make you angry?

I was working side by side with Arabs, Persians, Palistineans and more from the Middle East in the mid to late 70′s in the food service/hotel business . . . each one with a different story, a different reason for leaving home and family, most because of religious and/or political assaults on them and their families by the PTB in their country of origin.

Persians HATED Shah Reza Pahlavi, hated the Mullah’s too once Khomeini took charge, disliked the USA for installing Shah but loved USA for letting them come here to start over . . . complex, never simple, never the same twice.

Funny, just like us, just like life.

Your comment though, is very appropos for the majority of Americans, ‘specially those not on borders or coastlines. Yes, I claim the interior is far more conservative and less worldly, always has been.

However, as our standards of living erode so terribly, them interior folks are catching up fast as to who is REALLY screwing them . . . ;-) And it ain’t brown peoples . . .

Agree on everything except standards No Child Left behind was an attempt at standards raising the bar doesn’t help if you can’t do even one pull up.
Maybe add an extra hour to the school day? We might need to make a 15 minute snack break part of the school day though.

I think a draft would simply let more people die unnecessarily. If they have more soldiers to use they have more soldiers to get killed. How many died in Vietnam?
56,000. And, I think, an equal number of suicides after the fact. How many have died in the middle east? Not near that amount. Perhaps there is no correlation between events. All I know is that thousands of Americans have died and millions of people in the countries we have invaded. And we have no economy any longer in this country except the “service economy” and the “war economy”. Shit Fire. I guess we should all encourage our kids to join up to stimulate the economy even more.

Christ that’s ugly, but likely . . . shit’s gonna hit the fan, on all fronts, this summer, ain’t it . . . sigh. Maybe like the addicts, we gotta hit the curb, bounce down and lay in the gutter till we get better . . . . I’m at a loss, anymore on how to wish or think there’s a chance for any positive change without it all collapsing first . . .

However, as our standards of living erode so terribly, them interior folks are catching up fast as to who is REALLY screwing them . . . ;-) And it ain’t brown peoples . . .

Well, there is that one guy in the White House.

I think they call that shade of pig lipstick, “Mocha.”

That was pretty common, they’d only discuss it with vets who’d also been in combat, if anybody.

My dad was lucky enough to get posted to Florida as a radar instructor during WWII. Later, my parents had friends who’d been left mentally scarred, suffering horrible nightmares for years. Of course they didn’t talk about it, my mom would learn of it from their wives. PTSD is nothing new.

could be

Looking at that clip, how young we were.

Yea and they usually get upset when some glib motherfucker starts making judgmental statements about something they know nothing about.

Hell you old goat, I was 18 then! :)

Read yesterday that the DOD is cooking the books on enlistments. Said they are not keeping up at all.

s c r o l l
s
c
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Eli, did you really need to disparage John Amato to make your point? Is it a male ego thing on your part? You could just as easily have made your point by adding on to John’s valid point, rather than saying he really knows nothing about the subject.

If your disparaging was tongue in cheek, it was too subtle to remove the taint you projected onto John. If your disparaging was not tongue in cheek, then you are a pathetic jerk who knows nothing about blogging or supporting an ally (how did that feel?). Either way, your judgement is horrible and unbecoming a progressive.

Personally, my guess is that you have a chip on your shoulder and strangely feel the need to make yourself look better by making someone else look bad.

Military service as path to naturalization/citizenship…

Who needs American couch potatoes?

you are so calm!

I was an old man of 24 at Tet. At 28 my hair was white on the sides.

That’s what I’m talkin bout!

Scroll Eli! Scroll!

I largely agree with you; a draft would simply provide more cannon fodder. I do think a draft would engage a lot of kids’ attention, and create a new group of politically-aware students and parents, but the ultimate reasons why we go to war are so big that a draft wouldn’t really affect the decision, imo.

Cokie is a buffoon. She’s the same one who made the comment about Pres. Obama going to Hawaii and it was like a “foreign” place. Why because it’s five hours away from CA by air! She’s also full of you-know-what on this Dems are weak on national security unlike the Republicans. I am sick of these Democrats standing idly by when people like her and others make those claims with nary a peep. As we all know, Cheney, Bush, Rush and all the other righties talk big, but they’re chickenhawks. I wish some of the Democrats would stand up and redirect the heat towards the Republicans. The reason she makes this claim is because that’s all the Republicans like to talk about; the whole bang-bang thing and war. Kind of like Reagan. Democrats need to put them in their place when they open their mouths on this and call them out.

LOL!

Eli’s snark-fu is strong.

Just tonight for some reason. I do tend to go off on the little bastards after awhile. Pretty much talking myself down, too.

Way to go!

One of the problems with NCLB was that instead of trying to figure out ways of improving under-performing schools, they tried to make them become better by cutting off funding. Didn’t work too well. I can also say from anecdotal evidence that there are school districts that taught more, at least to college-bound students, than they do today.

I mean, seriously. I took whatever the AFQT was called when I graduated from high school. I did almost as well as I did when I took that online test version. So it isn’t just because I’m an electrical engineer. I wasn’t one back then, and I hadn’t started college. If 30 percent of high school students can’t even pass it today, that’s pretty bad.

Damn whippersnappers called me “The Professor.”

The Doctor of Love

I think you’re right. We stayed in Vietnam long after most folks thought we should get out, and most parents were worried that their sons might end up there.

Lemme clear THAT up, NEVER gonna happen . . . you don’t usually sugarcoat shit, hoss . . . must be the football got you all occupied and such!!! *G*

Sheeeeeeeitt

I wonder how that happened

This is the message I usually give to Trolls.

which is why we should have instituted a draft in 2003

One of the problems with NCLB was that instead of trying to figure out ways of improving under-performing schools, they tried to make them become better by cutting off funding

I’m sure that was Bush’s plan all along to sink the poor even farther down. Historically are standards worse than they were in the past? If so by how much? is the highschool graduation GED rate lower than it was in the 70′s?
Still Bush getting a college degree kind of lowers the bar for those with degrees.

The problem with doing that is the draft KILLS. It is a possible solution but it is a solution that kills.

Had there been a draft in 2003, which wing of the War Party would dissenters have rallied around?

The Republican wing, or the Democratic wing?

Or would they have become Kucinich/Paul/Naderites?

I think Cokie was immersed in the post-Vietnam mindset, where the bombing was working and Nixon was fierce, and the American version of the “stab in the back” was created, where the US military and the SVN were betrayed by a bunch of filthy hippies and their Democratic allies in Congress. This attitude was internalized in a lot of people-not just Cokie-during Reagan, starting with the bombing of Libya. War became cool again, and everybody knew the Democrats were weak at best and traitorous at worst.
I give you Cokie Roberts-and a lot of other people.

I was 17, the fact that I could read practically put me off the charts. That was the whole point of Project 100,000, take that many who couldn’t meet minimum requirements.

Bush lowered the human being bar.

Why, it’s almost as if improving struggling schools wasn’t the goal at all.

I can tell you this, the states set the passing levels for the GED and most norm it so 20% of graduating seniors can’t pass it. It’s way more difficult than it was when I took it. . . 42 years ago.

Prolly from not wearin’ a hat in that sun while yachting in the Mekong.

He disproves the theory of evolution at least for himself.

I think I know what you mean, they try to ‘look strong’ by going along with the reich-wing fear mongering? Well, that’s really not ‘looking strong’ at all – it’s just the opposite; that’s my point. For example, see Ron Paul’s comment in my link above..

Why norm so 20% fail?

I know a young lady who dropped out a couple years ago and just got her GED. Said it was really hard. Gettin’ ready to go to St Petersburg College.

Yeah, they always end up looking more “weak on Republicans” than “strong on terror”. We’re making the same point.

National Security is really an illusory notion. True national security would be true independence of any reliance on any other nation for any reason, and the creation of international interdependence in the post WWII-era, to avoid big wars, has made true national independence an obsolete concept. What people mean by “national security” is really “the ability to insulate the nation from the negative effects of interdependence.”
It’s a sort of The Masque of the Red, White, and Blue Death.

Does anyone know how to view the comments by thread – is that possible? It should be. I like posting on FDL, but the comments are a little chatty…

Not sure about relative graduation rates. These guys say the rate has declined slightly since the 1960s. There’s some disagreement on that, apparently. I’m not too terribly surprised. There’s no central registry of high school diplomas (or college degrees, for that matter). If there were, I wouldn’t keep having to show my college transcripts to people.

The passing grade is set so 20% of regular grads wouldn’t pass it. It is done to try to add legitimacy to the test(s). GED preparation is often attacked by the right as a social welfare program and they promote the idea that it’s easy and meaningless. Think of it this way, a fucking high school diploma is not worth much so how can we expect an “equivalent” to be? These credentials are “necessary but not sufficient”.

What if we correlate money spent on education the amount of money spent on school education and link that to test scores and norm the scores to weed out 20% that way?
In other words weed out the Bushes, the Cokies the Mika’s in other words the inbred always wrong elite.

No, what you see is what you get.

It certainly wasn’t the result.

Very much so, there is some work that employers may prefer a GED because they KNOW what it represents as opposed to the differences in traditional diplomas.

but there are lots of other places to go

No one could have anticipated…

So just make highschool diplomas mean that you can get a certain score on a test. This norming to weed out 20% accomplishes what and is it applied to private school grads? The Conservatives should talk the quality of their best and brightest is quite lacking.

Dude, I just spent 4 months teaching HS, and, under NCLB, the reason no child is left behind is because very few get very far to begin with.

Wow. 25 F. in the Tampa Bay area tonight. The Great Swamp is freakin’ cold…

You are missing the point. A sample of regular high school grads take the test. The passing level is then set at 80%. No one is weeded out, this is a legitimate mechanism to set a passing score.

Thats freezing how long can alligators take that kind of cold? Do they hibernate?

Ok gotcha now.

No, they stay in the water.

Great. It does sound funny.

What if the ice gets to thick to break?

It takes a lot more of a freeze than what this is to freeze the water where gators are.

They don’t move around much, but yeah, they stay in the water. It will kill the bugs for a few days….along with strawberries and tropical fish.

From national security to alligators – the pups are on a roll tonight ! :)

And this is us staying on topic ignoring the trolls:)

This has LONG been speculated about . . . months, longer.

That Rove and Cheney are active should be a given . . . they have buried insiders in all the departments, still.

And Brain and Shooter’s goals are right in line with Rhambo’s goals given war, money to be made backing Israel, gutting entitlement and social services to make government seem lean when it’s really printing pallet fulls of money and ‘losing them’ in the MidEast . . . not rocket science to follow or posit.

Even for a nation that’s completely self-sufficient, there are no guarantees. Quite few civilizations have been brought down by events beyond their control. If we survive much longer as a species, others will be as well.

From what I saw of those in my town who went to Nam, and all I read about any other action, no one comes home the same, no one.

Your point is so spot on . . . glad yer here to keep us straight on the details, hoss.

That’s a cold winter night in the Northwest.

Any respect for Cokie Robers disappeared long ago when she stated she was for the Vietnam war until her son became eligible for the draft.

Cool article. Geology is often destiny, as you point out.

My pops was a supply sargaent in WW2.
He was part of the assault on Sicily.

He watched on a transport as our own ack ack blew the lead planes out of the sky.

Then watched as gliders were cut loose wrong, and also got blown out of the sky or crashed in untenable places to land. Watched as troops bailed out in ‘chutes where and when they shouldn’t have.

Ugly shit, and hastily covered up and hardly ever discussed to this day . . . ya gotta dig for it . . . he’d only speak of it occasionally, when I got old enough to talk about Vietnam, about ’63, when we left SE Asia, Vietnam, Thailand and Loas . . . by ’67 he was willing to talk a lot about WW2, as Vietnam, the country he’d tried to help with civvie programs, was beginning to blow and burn.

I have long argued that if we are to survive as an advanced society, we have to get off the planet, in huge numbers. Otherwise, the planet will eventually kill us, and therein lies the true value of the space program. To make that out-migration possible.

He’s just a figurehead for the corporations, and there’s no need to bring his race into what I said or offered. I don’t approve of your comment.

She said that but now that her son is safe she’s prowar again no empathy for other moms no humanity.

good post

No, what really makes someone a Serious Qualified Expert on national security is a little voice in their head screaming “AAAAAHHHH!!! The scary brown people are coming to kill us we have to kill them first OMG OMG OMG!!!” 24 hours a day, and the ability to bedwet on command.

You say that like it’s a bad thing.

Makes you wonder why any sane, rational person would volunteer to do dirty deeds for Corporate Imperialism, doesn’t it?

Of course, I guess it all gets back to the ‘education’ thing.

That’s not logistically possible. We can’t move people off the planet that fast with any forseeable technology. However, every first world nation experiences below-zero population growth (if you don’t count immigration). The way to save the planet, therefore, is to provide for the economic well being of everyone on the planet. As we lift destitute nations out of poverty, their populations will within a generation begin to decline. (However we cannot promote American-style consumerism along the way or we will suffer from global climate change as we consume resources to make goods.)

The OTHER way to reduce the population is with the reliable old Four Horsemen, and the way things are going I suspect that’s the method that will end up working.

Exactly.

Obama is nothing but a corporate figurehead, but he is a figurehead of a certain color.

You said:

However, as our standards of living erode so terribly, them interior folks are catching up fast as to who is REALLY screwing them . . . ;-) And it ain’t brown peoples . . .

Well, it looks like the corporations have figured how to play that card, haven’t they?

That, plus making it less likely that some bits of space will try to kill us.

Good call; space can be very unhealthy.

If we get off the planet in sufficient numbers, and find or make hospitable environments, the numbers will get huge eventually.

We need better space transportation before even that is possible, however.

Yes. the most recent figures I read had the world population stabilizing around 9 billion, assuming the Horseman don’t ride, and that’s one hell of an assumption.

That was a great read, thanks . . .

That’s hilarious. Or perhaps I should say, that thing that looks like a moving picture in the middle of my screen that makes all those voice sounds was hilarious.

Yer on yer A Game, Ron . . . thanks for all the thoughts . . .

We the people are losing ground so fast WRT any control over our lives it’s frightening.

And if the PTB continue unabated, the Four Horsemen WILL come a charging in.

Life is unsustainable as the PTB want it to be . . . and I don’t think the American People will tolerate too much more of the erosion of their lives and futures . . . . somethings gotta give, I’m just not sure how to predict what will give, or when . . . but I HAVE to believe frustrated people will act out long before mama nature takes her toll of us all.

Sadly, there IS the thought that Israel bombs Iran, with our without USA help or permission.

And THAT, will unleash a genie from a bottle that has no limits . . . none whatsoever.

The best way it seems in this Country to become a secuity expert in our Government be a dufus.

The best way to become an agency head is to be a dufus.

The best way to get elected to congress is be a dufus.

And last of all to become President is be a dufus.

All of this makes for a good reason why our Government works so badly.

Ya spelled doofus wrong.

Geez . . . . .

good thing there are no spelling police for comments…. just the posts up top

Thanks, Larue.
I think they’ll tolerate what they must. The system is crumbling, as is apparent to anyone who pays close enough attention. Frustrated people will rise up, and suffer the same fate that awaits people everywhere, when those without guns stand up to people with them. Of course, we have small arms here, so our police forces have helpfully been converted into paramilitary forces.
Dark days are ahead, I am afeared. We have much bigger worries that terrorists.

My dictionary says: “Dufus, an American anti-folk band.” so there is some potential ambiguity here.

What makes you think Obama is any different than a Republican when it comes to national security? How many wars are we still involved in with how may more troops committed? How many innocent people do we kill routinely? How many people do we still rendition and torture? Does he not still continue to reample on the Constitution, the rule of law and civil liberties?

Obama is just a Republican fucking monster wearing a blue uniform.

(re “So what’s the solution? Simple, really: If Obama can develop an appropriately irrational fear and hatred of Muslims, then no one will care that he’s never served in the military.”)

I don’t know about that. Mr. Obama has staffed almost his ENTIRE administration – certainly OVER 50% – with Jewish staffers, including uber Likudnik Rahm Emanuel as Ringmaster… er “Chief of Staff” – and STILL the Jews in Israel fear and despise Obama as “not one of us” (or “not sympathetic” to their desires & goals). And the Jewish Neo-Cons STILL exert PROHIBITIVE control over the US press-media: US press “leaders” the NY Times & Washington Post, and TIME/Warner/CNN (along with WashPost Group owned Newsweek, and Sam Zell owned LATimes, Chicago Trib. etc.) are all blatantly Neo-Con
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/031509.html
(the Post recently FIRED Dan Froomkin for daring to question the Neo-Con “Conventional Wisdom,” and both the Post & Times were cheerleades & megaphones for Dick Cheney’s Lies-to-War) (Remember the HIT JOB the Post did on combat veteran, & then Army Chief of Staff General Shinseki, for Shinseki DARING to question Rumsfeld & WOLFOWITZ’s notion that it would be a SHORT, near bloodless, and CHEAP OCCUPATION of Iraq shortly before the invasion in 2002?)
Yep, EVEN IF Obama WERE TO BOMB IRAN, from ONE END to the other, starting today, I imagine the Likudniks & Neo-Cons WOULD STILL DESPISE him!
PS: To see just how INSANE the Neo-Con/Likudnik world view is, recall that all through the late 1990s the Neo-Con dominated US Foreign Policy establishment did NOTHING (real) about the heartbreak & GENOCIDAL ETHNIC CLEANSING of South Sudan by the “Junjaweed” Arabist/Islamic jihadis against “animist” (tribal) Black culture in South Sudan.
EVEN BACK in late 1990s – BEFORE 9-11, the Neo-Cons PREFERED ISLAMIC TERRORISTS, to Black Africans!!!

certainly OVER 50%

Got any data to back that up?