PFC BRANDON SCOTT MULLINS OF KENTUCKY KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN!

"Fairbanks-based Stryker soldier killed in Afghanistan
by Jeff Richardson / jrichardson@newsminer.com Fairbanks Daily News Miner Aug 27, 2011 | 851 views | 7 | |
Pfc. Brandon Scott Mullins

"FAIRBANKS - A Fort Wainwright soldier died Thursday of wounds suffered in an attack in Afghanistan, according to a statement this morning from the U.S. Army.
"Pfc. Brandon S. Mullins, 21, of Owensboro, Ky., was killed by an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province. Three other soldiers from the brigade were wounded in the same incident.
"His mother, Catherine Mullins, told the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer that Mullins was killed when the vehicle he was driving struck an IED. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Catherine Mullins said her son loved his time in the military and planned to re-enlist.
“We’re very comforted by that,” she said.
"After enlisting in the Army in March 2010, Brandon Mullins was stationed in Fort Wainwright in June 2010 to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
"Brandon Mullins was thrilled to be stationed in the north, his mother said.
“He loved hockey, hunting and fishing,” she said. “He loved his time in Alaska.”
"Mullins is the ninth soldier killed since the Stryker brigade began its deployment in mid-April. The 4,000-member brigade is in Afghanistan for a one-year tour of duty.
"The current deployment is the third for Fort Wainwright's Stryker brigade, following previous missions in Iraq in 2005 and 2008. The Alaska brigade replaced a Canadian unit in April that had been assigned to the southeastern Afghanistan provinces of Kandahar, Zabul and Uruzgan.
"Contact staff writer Jeff Richardson at 459-7518.
"Copyright 2011 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. All rights reserved."/ sfriedman@newsminer.com Fairbanks Daily News Miner Copyright 2011 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. All rights reserved.
Fairbanks-based Stryker soldier killed in Afghanistan, 7 others wounded | 2 months ago by Sam Friedman / sfriedman@newsminer.com Fairbanks Daily News Miner"
Another son of Kentucky killed in that Afghanistan War--America's longest war, lasting ten years--longer than the Civil War, longer than World War II, longer than World War I, longer than the Korean War, and longer than the U.S. involvement in the Viet Nam War. We have made our point--you don't mess with the U.S. NOW BRING OUR TROOPS HOME!

Nahum

Well I did manage to read the Book of Nahum. It presents a prophecy of utter destruction for Ninevah, a city that was located in present-day Iraq. If you want to read the Bible in a year, I recommend you read the short books first. Short books are easier to read. Ken.

Read the Bible in a year.

You can read the Bible in a year.
I plan to do it.
I started last night.
I read the book of Jude and the book of 3 John.
I believe that was two pages.
I was reading the Living Bible--copyrighted around 1972. It is easily read and in plain English. The Bible speaks for itself.

Herman Cain weighs in.

Jason Linkins jason@huffingtonpost.com Become a fan of this reporter
Herman Cain Pledges To Stop Sending The Military To Dangerous Places
Posted: 8/9/11 05:13 PM ET
"When it comes to the topic of the ongoing war in Afghanistan, Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain has kept his commentary on what he would do, if elected, very limited on the campaign trail. Most of the time, he points out that he lacks the information necessary to devise a strategy, and promises to reach out to the best possible people, sit 'em down, and come up with a plan. This can be maddening for both the reporters who cover campaigns and the citizens evaluating the candidates. . . .
* * *
"Here's a scene from Cain's appearance in Council Bluffs, Iowa, as documented by Dave Weigel:

"Cain takes the stage again, and tells a short story about the way he would consider military decisions. When he ran Godfather's Pizza, a reporter pitched a "gotcha" question and asked why the chain didn't deliver to some black neighborhoods of Omaha. It was simple, he said. Delivery drivers were getting beat up.


"If I wouldn't send my own child there, I wouldn't send your child there!" says Cain. "And that's the same way a President Cain will make decisions about our military."

Herman Cain sounds strangely like those Republican icons Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Warren G. Harding. I'm sure the Republican neocons wouldn't let such a man into the White House who doesn't support their foreign policy of kill-kill-kill! Do the neocons still control the Republican Party? Will the Republicans support the policy of permanent war and big government to support permanent war? Will the neocon pro-war faction dominate both national parties? Time will tell!

Anthony Peterson killed in Afghanistan.

>
Anthony Peterson Killed In AfghanistanPosted: Aug 05, 2011 12:32 PM EDT
Updated: Aug 05, 2011 2:29 PM EDT
posted by: Kevin King - email
photo courtesy Facebook.
"Claremore - An Oklahoma National Guard sergeant from Chelsea has died in Afghanistan, the fourth with the state's 279th Infantry Regiment to die there in a week.
"The Department of Defense says 24-year-old Sergeant Anthony Peterson of Chelsea died Thursday when he was struck by small arms fire in Paktia Province. Another soldier was hurt in the attack and is hospitalized.
"Oklahoma has lost another brave son," said Major General Myles Deering, Adjutant General for Oklahoma. "Sergeant Peterson was an exceptional Soldier who worked tirelessly to protect the values that we as Americans hold close to our hearts. I ask for all Oklahomans to pray for his family and friends as they deal with this tragedy."
"It wasn't the first trip to Afghanistan for Peterson, who also served a deployment to the war-torn country in 2006-2007.
"According to his Facebook page, Peterson graduated from Chelsea High School in 2005 and attended Rogers State University, graduating in 2008. He also has a five-year-old son.
"Peterson's death is the fourth suffered by the Oklahoma National Guard in less than a week.
"Thirty-seven-year-old Staff Sergeant Kirk Owen of Sapulpa died Tuesday in an explosion. Last Friday, 33-year-old Second Lieutenant Jered Ewy of Edmond and 22-year-old Specialist Augustus Vicari of Broken Arrow died when their unit was attacked with an explosive device.
"All four men were assigned to the 279th Infantry Regiment based in Tulsa, which deployed to Afghanistan in June."
"How many times 'til they know that too many soldiers have died? The Answer my friend is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind." When will this never-ending war in Afghanistan ever end? Last week is was four brave Oklahomans killed in the Afghanistan war. This week it might be four Kentuckians. Next week, four from your next most favorite State or Commonwealth. Bring them all home now. Bring our soldiers home. We can protect the lives of our soldiers by bringing them home. We can balance the budget by bringing our troops home. We needed a huge army and a huge navy while the Soviet Union existed--but "the state has withered away" and the Soviet Union and the Soviet Bloc is no more. It's time we celebrate our big victory by bringing 'em home and stressing consumer goods and better education for our economic planning. Nsxt time, vote PEACE!

Hal Rogers is a Toxic Asset!

Hal Rogers is a Toxic AssetJuly 27, 2011
"By David M. F. Schankula
"It’s good fun how the Republican Party bankrupted the country and now seek to fix the problem by further debasing and destroying the country — via cuts to all the programs they’ve always hated.
"Witness the environmental spending bills coming out of Hal Rogers’ Appropriations Committee.
"Permit mining for nuclear fuel near the Grand Canyon?
"Block further additions to the endangered-species list?
"Give tax breaks to big mining companies?
"House Republicans have hitched these and 36 other policy riders to the 2012 interior and environment spending bill that was brought to the House floor Monday — a slew of amendments that Democrats contend are hostile to environmental regulations.
"“This legislation is so bad that it’s toxic,” said Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee.
"Markey and two other leading House Democrats appeared at a news conference Monday to deplore Republican efforts to insert what they consider anti-environment provisions into an appropriations bill that already has been slashed by billions of dollars from previous years’ budgets.
"No House bill has attracted so many special interest riders, but don’t you go accusing Hal Rogers and the Republican Party of being out-of-touch loonies who do big business bidding and pretend it’s “for the people” because Hal Rogers has words to say!Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky, the Republican chairman of the appropriations panel, denied the budget cuts are too much too fast and defended the riders as a necessary antidote to overzealous regulators.
“The reductions and provisions in this bill were made with very good reason — to rein in unparalleled, out-of-control spending and job-killing over-regulation,” Rogers said in a statement. As for the EPA, “this agency has lost grips with economic reality and has become the epitome of the continued and damaging regulatory overreach of this Administration.”
"Words!
"Incidentally, the Rogers rider to block additions to the endangered species drew “a direct attack” from two Congressmen, Republican Mike Fitzpatrick and Democrat Norm Dicks. So not only is Hal fixing economy, saving the environment from EPA fascism, he’s also bringing people together.
"On international efforts to address climate change, the Committee would:
•end US contributions to a global fund that helps poor nations battle climate change
•bar US funding of the UN’s “Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change”
•cut funding for the US contribution to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
And so forth. But what does Hal Rogers, Kentucky Congressman and controller of our national purse strings have to say? Can he put our minds at ease with a little humor, perhaps?
Full committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) defended the bill’s cuts in a prepared statement.
“This bill provides essential support to secure and stabilize some of the most critical areas of the world — including Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said. “However, we have to be extraordinarily careful when using precious American tax dollars around the world, and must protect against wasteful spending and prevent these funds from falling into the wrong hands.”
Iraq and Afghanistan, huh. Wasteful spending. This dude’s funny.
But apparently his style of humor isn’t everyone’s cup of toxic coal ash tea.
In remarks made on the House floor on Monday, July 25th, Congressman Jim Moran (VA-08) voiced opposition to the Fiscal Year 2012 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, or H.R. 2584.
“H.R. 2584, with its deep cuts in important environmental and natural resource programs and amazing array of special interest riders and funding limitations, falls far short of meeting our responsibilities to protect and wisely use the resources of the earth,” said Congressman Moran.
“As bad as the funding in the bill is, what is most disappointing is the scope and extent to which the majority has filled this bill with extremist legislative riders and funding limitations,” continued Moran.
“The bill continues the majority’s assault on the Environmental Protection Agency with deep cuts proposed in many EPA programs,” said Moran.
That’s a serious charge. Where’s Hal Rogers to put these cuts in perspective?
A proponent of the bill is Congressman Hal Rogers (KY-05), who is chair of the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee.
“Americans are sick to death of excessive government spending and regulation that is pushing us further and further away from economic recovery,” said Congressman Rogers.
We are sick to death. That’s probably true".
Had Enough? Vote Democratic!

Let's be Progressive about Immigration!

David J. Skorton.President, Cornell University
Immigration Reform: The Economic Argument
Posted: 8/1/11 12:30 PM ET React Important
"Last week, in the midst of the turmoil related to the nation's debt ceiling, I testified at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security, chaired by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), focusing on the economic imperative for enacting immigration reform. The thrust of the hearing was to explore the economic benefits of immigration reform, with provisions to make it easier for foreign nationals to work in selected sectors of the U.S. workforce.
"What? Won't those foreign workers displace equally qualified Americans? How can more immigration be good for America's economy? The answer, simply put, is that foreign workers make a substantial contribution to our country, particularly in the growing high-tech areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the so-called STEM disciplines.
"The hearing was a lively interchange among individuals of varying backgrounds and experiences. I was joined on the panel by
"•Robert Greifeld, CEO and president of NASDAQ OMX
•Bradley Smith, general counsel of Microsoft
•Puneet Arora, M.D., clinical research medical director of Amgen, who has waited 15 years, so far, for a green card to allow him to live and work in the U.S permanently.
•Ronil Hira, professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, who has focused much of his academic work on high-skill immigration policy, the American workforce and the U.S. economy.
I had the privilege of testifying on behalf of the Association of American Universities, a 110-year-old consortium of over 60 research-intensive universities.
As in any such hearing, there were substantial differences of opinion:
•Mr. Greifeld indicated that NASDAQ companies often have trouble finding sufficient numbers of American workers with the skills and experience to fill vacancies.
•Mr. Smith concurred, stating that in May of this year, Microsoft had over 4,000 unfilled jobs.
•I pointed to data gathered by the Partnership for a New American Economy -- a national bipartisan group of over 300 mayors and business leaders created by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- that confirms staggering projected shortages of workers in fields like industrial engineering and math as well as reminding us of the many hugely successful companies started by immigrants.
•Professor Hira disagreed, pointing to high current unemployment rates among American high-tech workers. He suggested that one motivation for easing restrictions on immigration was to entice lower-paid workers from abroad to take jobs that would cost employers more if filled by Americans.
This apparent contradiction highlights the mismatch between the skills of many American workers and those needed by some of America's most tech-intensive firms. I believe that, as we sort through these differences of opinion and perspective and work to improve the immigration system, we must simultaneously attend to the inadequate and leaky pipeline of STEM students in our K-20 educational system. American students' lack of interest in and qualifications for high-tech careers is a problem in its own right that needs urgent attention. But it cannot be fixed overnight. Meanwhile (as I noted in a previous post), our nation's growth in this innovation economy will depend in no small measure on agile access to the most talented foreign students and scientists -- access that, in turn, depends on a well-functioning immigration system.
All witnesses agreed, and the senators concurred, that our current system is not working well. Professor Hira pointed to major problems in the "guest worker" programs: those involving the H-1B and other visas. Dr. Arora gave moving testimony to the demeaning delays and bureaucratic hurdles. Mr. Smith told of Microsoft opening a research center in British Columbia to overcome barriers of the U.S. system in nearby Washington State. And I pointed to the roughly 50 percent of our current graduate students in high-tech disciplines who are foreign nationals. Based on what I have learned as a member of the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board (a group of some 20 university presidents/chancellors who meet regularly with senior officials of the FBI and other agencies), I also acknowledged the infrequent but potentially very serious national security challenges posed by the presence of foreign nationals in the laboratories of U.S. research institutions.
These sobering statistics and observations led the witnesses on the panel to conclude that only broad immigration reform would allow our country to maintain and even enhance national security while increasing the supply of skilled workers and entrepreneurs from around the world to populate our high-tech companies, large and small. Without the contributions of highly educated and skilled immigrants, the U.S. will lose ground in critical and robust high-tech areas such as the life sciences, nanotechnology, and sustainable energy systems. Can our currently gridlocked political environment produce the bipartisan cooperation needed to design and enact broad immigration reform? Hard to imagine. But here are three things that we could urge our elected leaders to tackle:
1.Create a streamlined green card process for international students who graduate with STEM degrees from U.S. institutions, especially advanced degrees.
2.Reduce the backlog of skilled immigrants waiting to become permanent residents by increasing the number of employment-based visas and lifting the per-country caps on green cards.
3.Pass the DREAM Act, giving undocumented children who are in the U.S. through no fault of their own the chance for citizenship through hard work in college or the military.
Here's hoping that Senator Schumer's hearing will help Congress to focus on this imperative of fairness and economic development. Here's hoping."
Let's be Progressive about Immigration. Teddy Roosevelt was a progressive President. He was President during the last big influx of Immigrants from the European Countries. During that period, the economic disaster that the Know-Knothings have continued to predict failed to happen. As a matter of fact, a child could expect to live a higher standard of living than his father had in America. Now, with the anti-Immigrant policies of the Know-Knothings, America's greatness continues to slow down. I wouldn't say that we are in decline, but our greatness is increasing at a decreasing rate. During the nineteenth century we were great and surged ahead of the rest of the world. In the twenty-first century we have abandoned most of the policies of our fore-fathers and seem doomed to be eclipsed by the Europena Union, mainland China, and perhaps Japan by the end of this century. Let's remember what made us great and follow those policies that made America Number One!