It's coming from inside the house!

 A Pro-Trump Militant Group Has Recruited Thousands of Police, Soldiers, and Veterans.

Resisting a coup attempt.

A weekend tweet by President Donald Trump mirrors the language of a militia movement that has been calling for civil war for at least three years and gives extremist groups a powerful seal of approval.

The good, the bad, and the really radioactive

A self-sustaining neighborhood, taking care of  its own power, food, and waste.  Let's do this!

A sustainable cardboard house for the future.

Watching how climate change affects the world, one incident at a time.

A farmer's decades long love affair with soil.

80 percent of the ocean's plastic trash is from land-based sources.

Military veterans are urged not to tell the truth about their experiences to potential recruits.

How ISIS came to be.

Radiation in drinking water acceptable to the EPA.

The EPA proposed Protective Action Guides (PAGs) would allow the general population to drink water hundreds to thousands of times more radioactive than is now legal.

Rapid Response Referral Program

For veterans in need.  What a wonderful idea by the IAVA.

Fukushima, the Berlin Wall and Cat Calling. And thank you, vets.

Can we swim in the Pacific Ocean and eat the fish without being afraid of the Fukushima radiation?

The Berlin Wall in interactive pictures.

Catcalling explained.  Kind of.  (Love the woman's expression.)

 BLM government employees are being attacked.

John Oliver takes apart ALEC and state legislatures.

How much food is wasted in landfills?  Too much.

PTSD explained.  And thank you for your service needs to mean something.

Get money out of our political process.

Life goes on...

Veterans Day.

Remnants of the Big Bang.

Under attack from Rove, Elizabeth Warren doubles down. More of her kind, please.

I hadn't thought of it, but the Personhood Amendment would have changed everybody's birthdays and horoscopes! This explains why they never get it right!

Nightsticks are useful when there are no cameras.

James Murdoch's serfs forgot to pretend to not inform the boss what they were doing that he told them to do... or something.

Pictures of the Great War, as the landscape is today.

A discovered Leonardo.

Tracking Japan's Fukishima radiation:

It's the story of how a group of hackers and internet folks are working with Japanese volunteers to harness DIY technology to record and share data about radiation hotspots.

Women come forward with their on the job sexual harassment stories.

Wells Fargo involved with our 'illegal immigration' concentration camps.

Landmines.

Man paraglides with his hawk: Edit: his YouTube has been removed. Anyway. Man paragliding around with treats in his gloved hand and hawk flies in and lands on his arm.

This and that...

Goldwater knew back then not to open Pandora's box. But did anyone listen? NooOOooooo...

Judges for sale.

Harvard students walk out on econ prof. Veterans march for Occupy Wall Street.

Asteroid decides to miss Earth... this time.

Diana Whitten, her film is called Vessel. A vessel that sails in international waters, briefly entering ports in Brazil. They display a phone number on the side of the ship for women to call who want an abortion. They mail the women the over the counter medicine Misoprostol to use in the privacy in their own home. Taken under the tongue, the result is identical to a regular miscarriage with fewer complications than the prevalent illegal abortions.

In space, the Eye of Sauron! Tolkein was right!

Murmuration:

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Doctor's house calls

Actually save money.

When corporations and morons are allowed to rule the world

15 Dangerous Drugs Big Pharma Shoves Down Our Throats

Chemical Industry Lobbyists Block Measure to Protect Infants and Toddlers

Probe is sought of lead in reusable grocery bags (But what else is new?)

Rep. Schock’s Response To Poll Showing 64 Percent Want End To Tax Cuts For Wealthy: Americans ‘Reject’ That

Another 1995-style government shutdown?

In 2007, Beck Praised IAVA But Now Demonizes The Vets Group As Part Of His Made-Up Soros Conspiracy

Support our soldiers

Right now, in a disgraceful move, Sen. Tom Coburn is single-handedly holding up some very important veteran legislation. Sen. Coburn is trying to block S. 1963, “The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009.” While this is a legal move, we think it is morally wrong for Sen. Coburn to hold up any veterans benefits during a time when our men and women in uniform are giving so much to our country.

Sign the petition and send Coburn a message.

In Flanders fields

(via Cosa Nostradamus of Blog Me No Blogs)

The poem by John McCrae:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.


edited to honor the author of the poem. (Thanks, Steve!)

Blue Star, Gold Star

Because of stories like this:

In Ohio recently, a woman who had a son in Iraq was told by her condominium association that she couldn’t put a Blue Star service flag in her window, signifying that she had a loved one in harms’ way. We need to pass legislation that guarantees military families can display service flags wherever they live.

Jon Stolz is asking us to sign the petition:

Today is Memorial Day, and for those of us who served, and the families of those who were lost in war, it is a solemn day.

We honor those who gave their lives in defense of the United States. While VoteVets.org is primarily made up of veterans from 21st century service, we’re immensely respectful of those who served with honor and made the ultimate sacrifice in generations past, and remember we owe our lives to them and their heroism.

And, while we honor those who lost their lives, it is also a time to remember that the families of the fallen are still alive, with a unique set of challenges that only those who lost someone in war could ever know. And, there are families who have a loved one serving, who worry for them every day.

Congressman John Boccieri, an Iraq war veteran who VoteVets.org PAC supported in his election, has introduced legislation guaranteeing that Blue Star Families and Gold Star Families (those who lost a loved one) can put a service flag in their windows in any residential property, without limitation. This bill just makes common sense.

We’re supporting his Blue Star/Gold Star Flag Act of 2009 (H.R. 2546) and are asking you to take today to join us in our petition to Congress to immediately pass the bill.

CLICK HERE TO LET BLUE STAR AND GOLD STAR FAMILIES HONOR THEIR LOVED ONES

Let’s use this Memorial Day to make sure that as we honor those who gave their lives, we also make a commitment allow all military families to properly honor their loved ones, too.

Sincerely,

Jon Soltz
Iraq War Veteran
Chairman, VoteVets.org

And Brandon, Peter, Brian and the entire VoteVets.org team

Makes one want to wear a plastic bubble suit....

And not eat anything nor trust anybody...

Spikes in blood sugar can take a toll on memory by affecting the dentate gyrus, an area of the brain within the hippocampus that helps form memories, a new study reports.

Researchers said the effects can be seen even when levels of blood sugar, or glucose, are only moderately elevated, a finding that may help explain normal age-related cognitive decline, since glucose regulation worsens with age.

And something we've all known is coming:

Virtually all the dominant strain of flu in the United States this season is resistant to the leading antiviral drug Tamiflu, and scientists and health officials are trying to figure out why.

The problem is not yet a public health crisis because this has been a below-average flu season so far, and because the Tamiflu-resistant strain, one of three circulating, is still susceptible to other drugs. But infectious disease specialists are worried nonetheless.

And the Manchurian Candidate was real:

For two decades or more during the Cold War, the CIA and the military allegedly plied the unwitting with acid, weed, and dozens of psychoactive drugs, in a series of zany (and sometimes dangerous) mind-control experiments. Now, the Vietnam Veterans of America are suing the agency and the Pentagon for perceived abuses suffered under the so-called "MK-ULTRA" and other projects.

Six veterans are suffering from all kinds of ailments tied to this "diabolical and secret testing program," according to a statement from the vets' lawyers, passed on to SpyTalk's Jeff Stein.

The experiments allegedly included "the use of troops to test nerve gas, psychochemicals, and thousands of other toxic chemical or biological substances, and ... the insertion of septal implants in the brains of subjects in ... mind control experiments that went awry, leaving many civilian and military subjects with permanent disabilities." Subjects were tested without their consent, the veterans say. And when the trials were over, the government failed to "provide health care or compensation."

And we've never stopped fighting each other:

HANOVER, Germany (CNN) -- Archaeologists have found more than 600 relics from a huge battle between a Roman army and Barbarians in the third century, long after historians believed Rome had given up control of northern Germany.

"We have to write our history books new, because what we thought was that the activities of the Romans ended at nine or 10 (years) after Christ," said Lutz Stratmann, science minister for the German state of Lower Saxony. "Now we know that it must be 200 or 250 after that."

For weeks, archeologist Petra Loenne and her team have been searching this area with metal detectors, pulling hundreds of ancient Roman weapons out of the ground. They paint a picture of a highly organized, technologically superior Roman army beset by Germanic tribes in a forest about 80 km (50 miles) south of the modern city of Hanover.

It can deadly trying to live....

Gee... you mean there are Democrats in the military?

And that's not an oxymoron?

President Bush has almost single-handedly ended the GOP’s lock on veteran and military voters through his tragic mismanagement of the war in Iraq. I have seen the change among active duty members of the military firsthand. Our families have been torn apart by the intolerable rate and length of deployments – and even many solidly conservative members of the military will privately question the competence of Republican leaders.

Now, it will be up to a Democratic president to rebuild a military that has been pushed to the breaking point by a Republican. President-elect Obama will rebuild the military for the 21st Century by increasing the size of the Marine Corps and Army; restoring the readiness of the National Guard and Reserves; and fully equipping service members for the missions they face.

Domestically, the party that rushed us into war in Iraq has abandoned the needs of veterans here at home. It was a Democratic senator, Jim Webb of Virginia, who led the successful fight against the Bush Administration for a new GI Bill. It has been Democrats who have fought to expand health benefits for veterans, improve access to health care for reservists, and cut through the red tape at the VA.

The success of Democratic veteran candidates has reinforced this trend. This new generation of leaders is making its mark on the Democratic Party and changing the conventional wisdom on political support among veterans and military voters.

This is not to say that Democrats are inherently more patriotic than Republicans. There are honorable people from all walks of life and political affiliations serving in the military today. But no longer will the party of Harry Truman and John Kennedy sit idly by while Republicans attack our commitment and dedication to our country.

Maybe we'll learn from this that supporting our troops does not mean forcing them back into the war for six or seven tours of duty, that threatening other countries is not as good as diplomacy, that war is not the first option on the table but the last.

Maybe.

Gaffe number two?

Jon Soltz:

...Sarah Palin repeatedly saying that her son was deploying for Iraq on September 11. First, not only is this not exactly true, but if she sincerely believed it to be true, she would be knowingly violating Operational Security (OPSEC), which says you should never tell the enemy when people and units are going to be landing in Iraq. Thankfully, Palin was fudging the truth, and not endangering the troops. So, she either knew she wasn't telling the truth, or she thought she was and thought violating OPSEC was worth the political points. That, however, hasn't kept the media from finding someone willing to leak all the movements of Track and his unit, and publishing them, violating OPSEC.

Soltz provides the links.

Who is this Jon Soltz?:

Jon Soltz, Co-Founder and Chair of VoteVets.org, is a leader of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans community and is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From May to September 2003, Soltz served as a Captain during Operation Iraqi Freedom, deploying logistics convoys with the 1st Armored Division. During 2005, Soltz was mobilized for 365 days at Fort Dix New Jersey, training soldiers for combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. He also served his country with distinction in the Kosovo Campaign as a Tank Platoon Leader between June and December 2000. Soltz is a graduate of Washington & Jefferson College with dual degree in Political Science and History. He has completed graduate work at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

Jon Soltz has quickly become one of the most authoritative voices on veterans issues and military issues. He has been interviewed by national outlets such as the Associated Press, Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, TIME, Newsweek, among others, and in dozens of local outlets. He has made numerous media appearances including Jim Lehrer’s Newshour on PBS, CNN. MSNBC, FOX News and ABC News and Nightline, and national radio programs including Air America Radio, the Ed Schultz Show, the Bill Press Show, Alan Colmes Show, and Mancow in the Morning. Jon is a frequent contributor to Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

Update:

The best worsts of the week

Of these ten.

Look at number six and guess who it is:

- Voted AGAINST an amendment providing $20 billion to the VA's medical facilities. (5/4/06)

- Voted AGAINST providing $430 million to the VA for outpatient care "and treatment for veterans," one of only 13 senators to do so. (4/26/06)

- Voted AGAINST increasing VA funding by $1.5 billion by closing corporate loopholes. (3/14/06)

- Voted AGAINST increasing VA funding by $1.8 billion by ending "abusive tax loopholes." (3/10/04)

- Voted AGAINST a $650 million increase in veterans' medical care funding. (8/1/01)

Which politician is so against supporting our troops that (s)he would vote like this?? Obviously some dirty rotten liberal Demo..... uh..... Republican?

How could this be?



crossposted at American Street

IAVA

Founded in June 2004, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is the nation's first and largest group dedicated to the Troops and Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the civilian supporters of those Troops and Veterans.

From the people who were there.

(Update 2/22. Found where I got the link: Madison Guy at Letter From Here. A nice story goes with it.)

Support our troops

By giving them access to cheaper housing and better veterans' health care:

• In 2006, approximately 195,827 veterans were homeless on a given night—an increase of 0.8 percent from 194,254 in 2005. More veterans experience homeless over the course of the year. We estimate that 336,627 were homeless in 2006.
• Veterans make up a disproportionate share of homeless people. They represent roughly 26 percent of homeless people, but only 11 percent of the civilian population 18 years and older. This is true despite the fact that veterans are better educated, more likely to be employed, and have a lower poverty rate than the general population.
• A number of states, including Louisiana and California, had high rates of homeless veterans. In addition, the District of Columbia had a high rate of homelessness among veterans with approximately 7.5 percent of veterans experiencing homelessness.
• We estimate that in 2005 approximately 44,000 to 64,000 veterans were chronically homeless (i.e., homeless for long periods or repeatedly and with a disability).

Continuing the Bush administration's process of using them up and throwing them out. Supporting our troops, my ass.

Listen to the man!

Think Progress: (my bold)

This afternoon, the House passed the U.S. Troops Readiness, Veterans’ Health and Iraq Accountability Act. The bill expands funding for veterans health care, requires the Iraqi government to meet certain benchmarks of progress, and calls for the strategic redeployment of all U.S. troops out of Iraq by 2008.

This morning, the Washington Post editorial board, who in 2003 called the Iraq War “an operation essential to American security,” smeared the House plan as “an unconditional retreat.”

Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI) responded on the House floor. “Let me submit to you the problem we have today is not that we didn’t listen enough to people like the Washington Post,” Obey said. “It’s that we listened too much.” Obey concluded, “And I would say one thing, those of us who voted against the war in the first place wouldn’t have nearly as hard a time getting us out of the war if people like The Washington Post … hadn’t supported going into that stupid war in the first place.”