By BobbiV

Ya gotta love the Pentagon and the military.  The DOD has done one great job training these guys.  Now they say they can’t account for eight point seven billion dollars of money that was earned from Iraqi oil sales.  Seems to me I remember Paul Wolfowitz testifying before the House, or maybe it was the Senate, that the Iraqi oil revenues were going to pay for our expenditures in the war.  Actually, he said these oil revenues would more than pay for the war, so no harm, no foul,,,right?  We American citizens don’t have to worry though, because the DOD says the money was just lost due to simple accounting errors.

Noooo… fellas,  simple accounting errors would be a hundred dollars or a thousand dollars,even a million dollars in extreme circumstances.  But we are talking about eight point seven billion dollars. That is no accounting error or group of errors.  It is also most definitely not simple.

From Laurence Lewis at Daily Kos; (emphasis mine)

Now, let’s do the math. $8,700,000,000 divided by $9,100,000,000. That comes to 0.9560. Or 95.6%. Missing. Of the Iraqi oil revenue entrusted to the Defense Department between 2004 and 2007. Which would be during the Bush-Cheney administration. Which would be mostly during the tenure of Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense.

$8,700,000,000.

95.6%.

Unaccounted for. Gone. Missing. Poof. Like magic.

You can read the rest here.

Coming closer to getting the point now, guys?  It wasn’t just the American tax payers you ripped off this time.  We want the money paid back sooner rather than latter and everyone  up through Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld should have to cough up their share.  Out here in the reality based world that is just the way it is.

From The Los Angeles Times; (emphasis mine)

If more money is found to be missing, “Iraq will definitely try to get it back,” said Ali Musawi, a media advisor to Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.

Most of the money covered in the latest audit has been spent, but the study found $34.3 million that should legally have been returned to Iraq in 2007, when Iraq’s government assumed responsibility for its finances.

The Defense Department has not said what it intends to do with the money, which is “at risk” of being spent, the audit said.

In response to the audit findings, the Defense Department concurred with recommendations that it establish better guidelines for managing such funds. But a letter from U.S. Central Command emphasized that failure to establish deposit accounts for the $8.7 billion does not mean it all cannot be accounted for.

Read the rest of this article here.

Okay you guys, left…right…left…right…hup,hup,hup, get back in those little cubicles where you stick the bean counters and start accounting.  And do not stop until you find at least eight point seven billion dollars!

Just to let you know how serious we are about this, take a look at what is going on in Bell, California.  That is over a few million at most.  Imagine when we come after you for billions.  Wait, don’t imagine.  Its too gruesome even for a cardboard cut out, love to wear the medals but haven’t had to do any fighting Pentagon asshat.  It might mess with your sensibilities.

Get going, start accounting, right NOW!

Look how much we spend on you over inflated pieces of crap and this was in 2007. Find the money and stop the waste or we will send you where they don't spend very much at all on the military. To be clear that would be in the "Rest of the World" category on the pie chart. And yes, we will leave you there. Aw....don't cry.

President Obama made a video appearance at the Netroots Nation gathering of Progressive bloggers in Las Vegas, Nevada.  I thought readers of this blog might be interested in what the president had to say.

Of course, Obama was as cool as always.  But the video has a clip from Rachel Maddow explaining the achievements of his administration.  He gets his point across without actually bragging or tooting his own horn.  Yet, the gathering has been told about the economy recovering, strides forward for the environment , passage of health care and reduction of the military force in Iraq among other strides forward.

This Democratic President is really a smooth political operator.  I don’t think the Republicans have ever had a leader as collected, cool and politically intelligent.

Watch the video and judge for yourselves.

By BobbiV

Bush did more for the wealthy rich in this country than any president before.  When it came to discussion about unemployment extensions to help the millions of Americans who are out of work thanks to the Bush economy, all we began to hear in the media and from Republicans was the deficit couldn’t handle these benefits.  This was, of course after we had paid for the unemployment insurance out of our pay checks.

However, when it comes to letting the Bush tax cuts expire for those making over $250,000 deficit suddenly becomes a dirty word.  I would be willing to wager we don’t hear about the fact that tax rates were higher through most of the Reagan era.

Democrats should pass the tax cuts for the 95% of America making less than $250,000, and dare Republicans to filibuster to protect the top five percent!

I mean really filibuster.  Bring in the mattresses, make these Republican Senators talk until they drop.  I would really like to hear how they are going to defend their position.  What do you want to bet they would cave pretty quickly?

If the Democratic side wants to win in November, force this filibuster.  Give the voters a graphic illustration of who cares about their well being and who doesn’t.  Don’t back down anymore to these asses.  Show them up for what they really are.  Believe me, the voters of this country will get it very quickly if a filibuster actually happens, plus Democratic members of the Senate can grab the news cycle and the headlines for as long as the filibuster lasts.  You know CNN, MSNBC, FOX and the rest of the press will be all over it.

I tell you, this is the best and most illustrative way to get a dual message out there.  First you show the Democrats are standing up for the common man and second you show you aren’t afraid to confront Republican hypocrisy and lies.

As an added bonus, voters and activists will be lighting up the phone lines and flooding the emails  to the Senate, House and White House.  Come on.  Let’s tea bag the tea baggers!  Lets show them what real protest is all about.  We know how to get loud and in their faces and we are not afraid to do it.

There is good news and some good paying jobs heading to the small towns of central Nevada.  Living in one of these towns I can say for a fact that we could use them.  With a 14% unemployment rate in Nevada the entire state could use more jobs.

I am not sure if Tea Bag darling Sharron Angle will even bother to comment on this topic.  If she deigns to give any statement on it whatsoever it will more than likely be just that, a statement made in front of the cameras and then she will do her usual sprint away from the reporters to the safety of her car.  Many questions asked but not a single one answered.

You see Sharron is already on record saying that it would not be part of her job to protect or promote new jobs in our beautiful state.  You would think though,  she would like to see as many jobs as possible created here to get those “Spoiled” people who are unemployed off of state and federal aid.

There is another reason for darling Sharon to smile her deaths head grin and condemn these new jobs.  Many of these jobs are being created through grants provided from the federal stimulus plan.  Now, we all know how she feels about that pesky big government butting into the business of the state of Nevada.

There is one project in particular that would make her poor head just explode.  It involves the stimulus plan, the green energy plan and creating jobs in the state for which she would like to become the Senator.

This plan revolves around a lithium mine in a small town called Silver Peak, Nevada and is getting headlines in our local paper,”‘The Tonopah Times-Bonanza”.  A grant in the amount of $28.4 million dollars has been granted to the Chemetall Foote Corp. to expand their lithium mine in Silver Peak.

Chemetall is the only domestic provider of lithium our nation has.  That lithium will be pivotal in creating the high capacity batteries needed for the next generation of electric cars and other high tech advancements.  It seems to me that investing in our own production of lithium will reduce our need to buy it from other nations.

This project is already creating jobs in our area.  Contractors doing the work to expand the Silver Peak mine are starting to hire workers.  When finished, the estimates are that the on site staff at the mine will double what it was in 2009 before the Bush fiscal debacle.  It is an investment not only in an area that needs jobs badly, but also an investment in the future of our nation.

Sadly, Angle will have no choice but to condemn this entire project that is investing millions of dollars into her state.  She is against the stimulus plan, she is against the clean energy bill and is completely indifferent about creating new jobs in the state she wants to represent.  Her tea baggers are against any form of government regulation or spending whatsoever.

The only win for Angle is that there will be fewer “spoiled unemployed people” sucking the resources out of her state.  I guess that will save her the trouble of hunting all the “spoiled unempolyed people” down and exercising her “second amendment solutions” on them.

If she ends up saying anything at all on the subject she will claim that Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid somehow blackmailed somebody in some way to divert this money to our state.

How sad!

Watch the video.  It shows the extremism of the tea baggers and Angle.

By BobbiV

There is a rule in the Senate that says the minority can hold up a vote on a bill for thirty hours after a filibuster is broken.  No one expected Republican Senators to pull this out of the hat and use it to delay unemployment benefits for just one more day.  What would be the point?

No matter what logic says and no matter that they lost the vote, Republicans decided to use this rule just , I guess, because they could.  So a few thousand kids go hungry for another day.  So a few more hard working Americans get ejected from their homes.  No skin off the Republican Senators noses.  They are living high on the hog with their corporation executive buddies and could care less about the lazy, too dumb to get a job lower class.

As Bugs Bunny would say, “What a bunch of maroons.”

As I would say, “What a bunch of heartless, self centered, crooked, unpatriotic bastards.”

I mean really, the truth is they helped create this mess.  The economic destruction of this country was brought about by Bush, Cheney,Republican Senators and Congresspeople, Banks and Wall Street.  Now they are so desperate to shift the blame to the Democratic side and Obama. they have lost all reason whatsoever.

We have simply got to get these Neanderthals out of our government and our economy.  They want a rules free government without any regulations at all……thinking……thinking……got it, let’s send them to Somalia, they don’t have any regulations.

Press release from the White House;

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary
___________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2010

Statement by the Press Secretary on Continued Delay on Unemployment Insurance Extension

A day after the Senate moved forward to pass the unemployment insurance extension to help millions of Americans fighting to get back on their feet and find work, the partisan minority in the Senate is yet again obstructing passage of this bill.  After blocking this aid three separate times over the past weeks, Republicans have once again refused to reach an agreement and allow this bill to come to the floor for a vote quickly so these benefits can be restored.  Republican obstruction has already cost 2.5 million Americans essential aid they need to pay their rent, put food on the table, and take care of their kids.  By the end of this week, roughly 350,000 more Americans could be added to that number.  The livelihoods of nearly 3 million Americans shouldn’t hinge on partisan game playing in Washington.  This latest move gives the partisan minority thirty more hours to stall in the Senate, but that means thirty more hours of suffering for these hardworking families trying to get by.

That seems to sum it up quite nicely.  But just to put a cherry on the cake the unemployed can’t afford to bake, here is a video with our favorite House member Alan Grayson (D-FL) on the Ed Show.

Are we in for a repeat of these signs from the Great Depression? It sure looks like it if Republicans get their way.

Posted with permission from fluffy feet;

Most of the readers of this blog know I am crazy for Labrador Retrievers.  As a breed these dogs have done so much for people and yet they don’t get  enough recognition from us.  Individual Labs have been awarded tons of plaques, gifts and trophies, but just how do we thank these valiant animals for the lives they save?  Would anything ever be enough?

Labs are continuing their selfless devotion to man as IED sniffing dogs for troops in Afghanistan.  In case you do not know IEDs are bombs.  They are placed in ways that soldiers drive or walk through their trip mechanism and many of our troops have been killed by them.

These dogs are putting their lives on the line by seeking out these roadside bombs and making sure the soldiers get past them unharmed.  Of course the dogs are specially trained for this duty.  To get an idea of the esteem with which the military views these very special dogs, they are given a military rank one degree above their handler.  So who is the boss in tight situations?  It is the dog and in effect the handler takes orders from the canine.

From CBS News, follow 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines on patrol with their Lab named Tigger;

Lance Corporal Jordan Ridder never owned a dog when he was a boy. But he always liked dogs, and there were plenty around the neighborhood.

So when he joined the Marine Corps and they told him they were looking for dog handlers as part of a new program – a program designed to save Marines’ lives – he applied, and was accepted.

The biggest threat to U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan – as in Iraq – is from IEDs, improvised explosive devices. To counter IEDs the military uses metal detectors, ground penetrating radar, electronic jamming signals, mine rollers attached to the front of vehicles and pretty much anything else they can think of that might be an effective counter-measure. Now comes a four-footed addition to the fight against IEDs – specially-trained dogs who can sniff out explosives under the ground before a Marine gets close to the danger zone.

Read the rest of this article here.

The Marines in Afghanistan are in good paws with these wonderful dogs.  Let’s hope both two footed and four footed soldiers come home safely.  Fluffy feet would like to give a big salute to all the military dogs who are serving now or have served before.  There are not awards big enough to express the thanks of this nation and the families of the troops you keep safe.

Devoted and beautiful and they save lives. What more could you ask? Labrador Retrievers deserve our love, gratitude and respect.

By BobbiV

It seems to me President Obama does not get enough credit for the things he is doing right.  Republican and even Democratic sources seem to be quick to complain about this president and far too slow to compliment or even say anything positive.

Don’t get me wrong, I sincerely believe any elected official should be taken to task when they are not doing enough, and I think Obama could be doing more in some areas.  But I also believe when elected officials or anyone else does something right, they should receive praise, or at the very least credit for it.

Lets take immigration as an example.  The press has been giving a whole lot of attention to the racist policies that Arizona and its Republican Governor Jan Brewer are trying to implement.  However, the Obama Administration has been quietly going about the business of calling employers to task for hiring illegal immigrants.

Instead of the flak vest wearing, screaming immigration agents breaking down doors like they did during the Bush Administration, this administration has taken a far more cost effective and overall more efficient way of dealing with this problem.

Rather than break down doors which yielded iffy results at best, agents are now auditing employers employee records.  Instead of taking care of one employer with a raid, they now can take care of ten with just one agent who is trained in payroll and record keeping.

Needless to say, this is putting a big pinch on some employers and throwing a lot of illegal immigrants out of work.  But, I thought that what the people who are so hot for immigration reform wanted.  Or was that all just a smoke screen to help election campaigns?  Perhaps the powers that be don’t appreciate so many business owners being held to account and that is the reason for their out of proportion anger at the situation?

In any event, the Obama Administration is doing a good job on this front and they deserve credit for it.  You can read a really good article all about this from the New York Times via MSNBC below

Republican lawmakers say Mr. Obama is talking tough, but in practice is lightening up.

“Even if discovered, illegal aliens are allowed to walk free and seek employment elsewhere” said Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee. “This lax approach is particularly troubling,” he said, “at a time when so many American citizens are struggling to find jobs.”

Employers say the Obama administration is leaving them short of labor for some low-wage work, conducting silent raids but offering no new legal immigrant laborers in occupations, like farm work, that Americans continue to shun despite the recession. Federal labor officials estimate that more than 60 percent of farm workers in the United States are illegal immigrants.

John Morton, the head of the immigration agency, known as ICE, said the goal of the audits is to create “a culture of compliance” among employers, so that verifying new hires would be as routine as paying taxes. ICE leaves it up to employers to fire workers whose documents cannot be validated. But an employer who fails to do so risks prosecution.

You can read the rest here.

Glad to see Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama is so concerned about Americans finding jobs and not struggling.  Just how did you vote on the unemployment extension for these same Americans you so care about Senator Sessions? hmmmmmm?

Who will fill the basket? Who will suffer, the migrant worker or the big farm interests?

By BobbiV

Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson from Florida is truly a rare jewel amongst a bunch of rocks.  He draws no punches and speaks out whenever or wherever given a chance for what is right, even if it isn’t the current inside the beltway group think.  Grayson seems to draw his ideas, ideals and progressive thinking from what he feels is the right thing to do in a situation instead of what is expedient in politics at the moment.

I would be hard pressed to find another elected representative who I look up to more than Alan Grayson.  I find him to be as refreshing as a cool drink of water on a sweltering day and as courageous as an angry mama lion in the way he backs down to no one when he believes he is right.

What I particularly like about Alan Grayson is the fact that when someone tells an untruth while talking to him (like Republican Michele Bachmann on CNN) he calls them on it.  And he doesn’t use the correct political speak like, ‘I think my friend from Minnesota misspoke.’  Oh no, Grayson comes out and says ‘that is not true.’  If the unfortunate on the other side debating Grayson continues with the falsehoods he will then even be bold enough to say ‘that is a lie.’

How refreshing is that, and yet how sad to feel its refreshing.  Everyone in office should be saying what is true and what they believe in rather than pussy footing around  issues that are very important to the American people.  We shouldn’t have to guess or infer what our representatives believe.  They should tell us straight out.

If I never again hear a spinmeister say ‘what the representative meant to say’ or ‘what the president meant to say’, it will be too soon.  No, that isn’t what they meant to say, that is your interpretation of what they said or its you trying to think hard and talk quick to cover both their ass and yours.  Sorry talking heads and press secretaries, I want a representative who is intelligent enough and responsible enough to speak for themselves and say what they mean.  If they cannot or will not then they deserve to be thrown out of office.  They are far too dumb and cheesy to represent Americans.

Lately Alan Grayson has been speaking out against the country’s never ending war and what it is costing us, not only in lives but also in reputation and money.  As is his usual way, Grayson is not drawing punches and speaks eloquently about the human cost of these wars and the harm they are doing our military and our country.

Below is a video done by a group including Martin Sheen and other Hollywood types.  They want everyone to get behind Alan Grayson and support him with time and dollars.  Watch to get an idea of their view of the ceaseless war.

My view is there couldn’t be a much better investment than Alan Grayson.  His being in the House of Representatives will pay off far better than any investment you could make on Wall Street.