UConn James

Thanks, tho at this point all we get is the Official Word, which is to be believed about as much as that Iraqi Information Minister.... Wouldn't be surprised to learn that the op conditions were stevestojanny, but the soldiers will still be charged.... Since they've otherwise been described as serving most honorably, one might hold judgment before you call them "cowards" until the specific details come out. That's just for level-headed persons tho. And, the "supplies" was contaminated fuel, not exactly something that was Do or Die.

Where did you read another article about it? Link? I haven't seen anything else in my rounds.... Are you suggesting collusion? I don't know, with that many people, I think it'd be hard to have EVERYone willing to commit that "mortal sin" and risk the penalties w/o a very good reason. If another convoy made the run successfully, you'd have to question whether the brass made operational changes. Wouldn't be the first time commanders were shown to be issuing an unlawful order, then changed what was wrong and went ahead to cover their 6. Let's hope the truth DOES come out, but all too often it doesn't. In that case, usually a way to arrive at truth is to read what both extremes are saying and believing something toward the middle point. [On Edit:] Had to go to the New London Day to actually find an AP article on it. General has the unit on "stand down" while condition of the trucks are checked. Another unit, with 120 troops completed the mission. Read above.....

Revolt in the Ranks in Iraq From a lead-in: "The extreme behavior of the soldiers in the 343rd, a supply unit whose general mission is to deliver fuel and water, reflects a serious disconnect between the administration's mantra of progress in Iraq, and the perspective of at least some of the U.S. soldiers fighting for it. "'I got a call from an officer in another unit early [Thursday] morning who told me that my husband and his platoon had been arrested on a bogus charge because they refused to go on a suicide mission,' said Jackie Butler of Jackson, wife of Sgt. Michael Butler, a 24-year reservist. 'When my husband refuses to follow an order, it has to be something major.'" ------- Just to ask, but how many of you would want to drive 200 miles through the Sunni Triangle with no gunner trucks and no air support, in fuel trucks with little or no armor? This combined with the fact that the mission was to deliver fuel contaminated with diesel that had been refused at another location just prior. My brothers have gotten some dip-stevestojan orders in their time, but said that this takes the cake when they asked if I saw this, this morning. Is there such a thing as Army Intelligence?

I don't think very much crosses the line if it's the truth, the family has thrust themselves into the public figure status, and the issue its brought up about is affected by public policy. Yup, DC's daughter's a lesbian. Yup, Edwards' wife is overweight (is she really 'obese' by definition?). And, maybe you're onto something. Providing medical care for obesity early on can save a lot of money in the future, when the people in their 60s+ and on MediCare develop the diseases that are associated with it. Just like pre-natal screening saves $6 for every dollar spent. You guys talk about reducing the federal budget, these are baby steps to the day when we can say, okay we don't need these programs anymore b/c people are in better health. $2.5T - $.5T = $2T. Baby steps, and we'll get to a time when we can have the same standard of living w/o having to make so many transfer payments.

Voter registrations must've Just crumpled up and thrown themselves in the wastebasket.... For sign-in, enter: mercurynewsloginssuck@nowhere.com 123456 ---------- Highlight: "I personally witnessed my supervisor at VOA, together with her personal assistant, destroy completed registration forms that VOA employees had collected," said Russell. "All of the destroyed registration forms were for registrants who indicated their party preference as 'Democrat.'" Russell said he registered both Democrats and Republicans and, as a result, his pay was docked. According to the lawsuit against the Clark County Registrar of Voters, he provided copies of destroyed registration forms he retrieved from his supervisor's garbage can. ----------- Sorry, but this crap goes on from both sides of the aisle. Voter fraud doesn't have a strict enough penalty and is all too often not enforced. One person, one vote. Allow voters to register, check them in w/ valid ID, show them how the machine works if they need to be shown, and then let them vote. Count them up to determine who got the most votes. It's not hard. Why can't people respect that? Maybe if that happened, whatever way the election went, we can be sure of and accept the outcome?

But it's kind of sad that it takes these circumstances to maybe get a win.

So, b/c I present a logical argument that most everyone in America abides by and thinks is worthwhile, I'm told to go reproduce with myself. Nice. And that b/c you didn't get it, no one else should. As the saying goes, don't hate the player, hate the game. If I left everything up to my guidance counselor, the last time I thought about school would have been putting my HS diploma in the attic. My brothers went the same route as you (different branches tho), and saw the worst humanity has to offer in Bosnia and recently in countries ending in -istan. I well understand the sacrifice. Yup, transfer payments do suck when you don't get any benefits in return. But the children in your family did all benefit and got a leg up from state and federal subsidies that the universities got for operating costs and building programs; and good for them. But don't pretend that you're the only person who pays taxes, or that yours is the only generation that paid more than it got. My forebears worked to the bone to make this a better country. I'm sure over the course of my life I'm going to pay more in than I get. It's the cost of living in the society that's set up and unless you've got a lot of lawyers, guns, and/or money it's going to be that way for a while.... I did work and go to school. Pell Grant covered a tiny percentage of the total cost after maxing out student loans that I'm now paying back, and paying my own way. You don't owe me a degree. I earned it.

1862? The world has undergone a few changes since then. I have nothing against hard work being meaningful and teaching values; my mum scrubs toilets and showers at the U. And does so b/c it's created a better life for her sons who appreciated all she sacrificed, and work hard in return. But hey, let's go back to the days of dirt roads and horses, barefoot children while papa drives in the herd for cashmoney, and cold outhouses in the winter. We can burn the computers for heat. Why does every topic always steer to the $2.5 trillion and that federal spending is the evil of all evils? Not saying taxes are great, but they're necessary to promote programs that improve the quality of life in this country. Yeah, there's a lot of pork barrel spending that is unecessary and wrong. But Pell Grants are well worth the investment. Or will you disagree no matter how beneficial they are b/c it costs money to make money?

More people are going to college. Govt calls this a higher standard of living, which was an established goal when the Founders created the Treasury Dept. You don't seem to want to hear that, longterm, this money is more than made up for in the increased GDP when you have a more educated workforce! Actually, yeah it is the fed govt's "fault." But I guess by your immediate-bottom-line of thinking it wouldn't be the federal govt's fault. The federal funding UConn got in 2001, 2002 decreased unexpectedly by about $100 million that was used for the operations budget. They made cutbacks everywhere they could and then raised tuition by about $800/year, which you might not think is much, but then again college students aren't you. I can tell you from experience, even that much can be the difference in being able to go to college or not. I actually took a class with the president of the U about this and other issues. This state HAS done a lot to promote the growth of UConn, over $2B when all is said and done to make capital and infrastructure improvements. It's gone up among the top 25 public universities. But it's also generating a lot of dividends back to the state, region and country. Which is another reason why some federal funding is given, and that being what was cut which raised tuition. So unless you limit enrollment to state residents only, which I believe is illegal, other areas than this state are getting the benefits that simply charging out-of-state tuition cost doesn't make up for.

Bastards! B)

So Pell grants are welfare now? Basic economics is that you have to create incentives for people to buy your product. You guys apparently don't believe in promoting education THAT PAYS FOR ITSELF AND A LOT MORE IN THE GDP!!!! Look at it in the macrocosm. The cost of college in real money cost has gone up double-digit percentages in the past couple of decades despite programs that remain unchanged. Any grants given are tantamount to auto dealers advertising $4,000 cash back to make you believe they're giving you a deal. If you want to get rid of Pell Grants, reduce tuition costs back to the real cost!

Well put. And the media touts them b/c it's quick, quantifiable information b/c the market research says that people are busy and spend less and less time reading the news. Which leads to soundbites, b/c the media believes it needs to cater to people with severe listening/reading deficiencies. But, for those of you not in the know, newspapers are the better source of news. BTW -- UConn was ranked as the #8 party school by Playboy....

I don't think polling has much to do with people not voting. If they're that callous about their civic duty, and don't realize that one vote can make a difference (as evidenced in the 2nd CT Congressional District in... I want to say '94. The guy won by 1 vote.) it's not b/c of overexposure to polls, which in and of themselves tell us very little about how an election will go in a particular state. I can think of a lot other reasons, namely laziness and an overall laissez-faire attitude, combined with a resignation to what AD talks about a lot -- that either way it's not going to appreciably change govt functioning. Then there are other realists who believe most everything happens in small steps. It's yet another piece of information in our daily lives. We still have to sift it through to see where it fits in the overall puzzle and how/if it matters. Do you propose censoring polls?

Mm-hmm. That does seem to be the most likely scenario. Irsay has been unhappy for a while with the RCA Dome and wants some new digs. I wouldn't be overly surprised to see them be the ones to go. (In that case, can Baltimore get "Colts" back?). Arizona is apparently getting (or is it still a proposal?) a new stadium with a field that's kind of like on an escalator and can be retracted out of the stadium. The Bills have a pretty stable market. One of the smallest, but loyal, as evidenced by TBD.

I didn't quite say that AQ "caused" the split, just meant that the split was exacerbated to a sustained, constant level, the magnitude of which evokes the late '60s. This is characterized by the ad hom attacks no longer being reserved for the politicians and Sunday morning shows, but John Q. Public walking down the street being shouted at for supporting this or that political party, even tho he may not agree with others in that same party or everything that party holds as a broad platform. Either way, we're just not emphasizing our common goals. Everyone wants this country to be safer and more secure. People have different opinions in how best to make that happen. Whoever wins the election will pursue their plan and work hard to make it work.

Nice to see that he'll be getting some playing time. I guess the coaches finally clued in that you need to give players some experience in order to groom them for the future, rather than rely on 10-year showboating vets who can't catch the ball, run their routes, or block like they're supposed to.

So, do you want documentation and corroboration that these were in fact, among her final words to Mr. Kerry? Somehow, I give him the benefit of the doubt that when he's talking about his mother telling him, "Integrity," he'd be telling the truth about it. Journalists live by the phrase "If your mother says she loves you, check it out" but then again, that's just tongue-in-cheek....

Let me first say I am truly sorry for your loss. It obviously must not be easy for you or anyone who loses a loved one. But I'm not a person who believes that by invoking that someone close to you died, somehow gives you an excuse to write the response you gave last night that was deleted by the mods and that you have re-produced here this morning in an attempt to get a reaction out of me in like kind. You'll not get it. I do not deign to tell Mr. Kerry how to remember, talk about, and take on with him the memory and words of his mother. You lambaste him for showing his sentiment, and then you do the self-same above. I don't think the worst of you for doing so. Bob Sheffer asked a personal question about the women in the candidates' lives and the impact that they've had. It was obviously an important and enduring comment that he shared with us. I'm not going to dispute that those were among her last words; I wasn't there. As I PM'ed AD last night: "I love this country, but it's sad to see that AQ never imagined how effective they were at throwing a monkey wrench into the very heart of our democracy, which comes in the respect we have for each other as citizens with our own opinions. Little did they know (or maybe they did) the effect it'd have on splitting us from within." I come here in search of a rational discussion of PPP, and I only see more and more personal attacks of a one-line response of 'You don't know what you're talking about,' calling someone a "Whore" or F-bombs simply b/c there's a disagreement. It crosses the line of civil debate, and I lose respect for people who resort to it. The ad hom attacks need to stop. Take care.

Not everyone can serve in the military, but I don't think playing Hurry-Up-And-Wait is the only contribution to society that merits financial aid. The people who receive Pell Grants are your future doctors, biologists, chemists, journalists, teachers, librarians, politicians (such as they are), business owners, middle managers, and every other occupation that helps this economy and society function efficiently. Make college less affordable and you'll soon see the GDP lower and the economy and your life not function as well as it could. The federal gov't realizes this; that's why it's funded. Same thing here w/ UConn 2000 and 21st Century UConn. You have to put money in to get money out. And right now, it's paying dividends for the state.

I don't think those were her "last" words. Or maybe they were. He goes to tell her that he's going to run for president. People have said things like that to me more times than you'd know. It's powerful b/c it was intended to be; she felt that integrity was the most important value for a president. I just lost a lot of respect for your opinions, BiB. I can't believe you're panning a dead woman whose advice was to live and act with integrity. Talk about the divisiveness and Say Anything in how we're making policy in this country. More like outright hatred of anyone who doesn't agree with you, b/c you're obviously the most important and smartest person in the history of the world.

Illinois State U. student newspaper -- 26 April 2004 The year after Bush entered office, my Pell Grant went from $1,600/year to $0. The family financial situation did not change appreciably. Informal questioning at the time, almost everyone I asked said they were getting less or none at all. Tuition bills and ancillary costs of college are already sky-high w/o losing sources of funds. No Child Left Behind, indeed. Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining, Mr. Bush.

What are you talking about? Amendment XIII, Section the First.

Well, I'm not being paid to come up with a realistic solution and I don't have the resources they have, so I have no concrete answer. Go ahead and spout off the "See, you don't have answers" line. But I know enough to see when the problem is being made worse both in the current time and for the future, and the neocons have no concrete answer either, other than a level of war and occupation that we're too overstretched to take much further. I think the No. 1 step would begin by becoming energy independent at more than the snail's pace b/c the administration lets the monolpolistic domestic oil companies stonewall alternative energy for the simple fact that they don't have a monopoly on it too. Forcing the MidEast to adapt their economy to something other than profit-rich oil would go some of the way toward the end. Necessity is the mother of invention. As for those who will still flock to AQ, you can't invade and topple every country that has a few AQ cells. And if you think Iraqis aren't going to do what they're going to do, namely become an Islamic theocracy worse than Saddam, or start a civil war five seconds after we pull out of there (be it next week or 50 years from now) you're kidding yourself! Thinking you're going to solve it with military might isn't necessarily the answer. Didn't work for the Romans, won't work for us. Giving a :I starred in Brokeback Mountain: to the world and invading other countries at will, will come back to bite us in the ass. That's guaranteed.

I don't know what kind of research you did, but that is blatantly false. NIH funding, in the last year reports were available, said that ASC research gets ~$150 million in funding, vs. ~$17 million for ESC. That's the same funding? Researchers who have labs that receive federal funding cannot do testing with ESC lines created after August 2001 (that does not have mouse cells mixed in) in those same labs, with those same microscopes, those same petri dishes, those same assistants. They literally need to buy different microscopes, lab space, etc. to do the research. Those are the same research conditions? That's like trying to compete in a marathon with your feet tied together. I think you've said quite enough right there. You can base your life and actions on a book of fiction written 2,000 years ago (written quite well, and some based on historical evidence, I admit. A lot written in parables and metaphor that too many people take literally). We all know how Islam has progressed being tied to the same thing. I don't advise replying to this paragraph b/c you're not going to influence me. I basically agree with the teachings w/o deifying the teacher. You have your beliefs, I have mine. Somehow, I give him more credit than that. The issue is saving lives by ethically using the technology you're given. There are many differences and nuances b/w stem cells and abortion, scientifically and morally, that can stand the test of Candidate A saying Candidate B is giving up his or her beliefs. X is not Y.

'Scuse, but doesn't AQ go breasts-up when their recruiting pool dries up? I guess this is where we fundamentally disagree. I believe it is economics, which is rooted in human behavior and choice, that is the root problem. The opportunity cost of blowing oneself up looks pretty crappy when you've got a good, productive job and a family who doesn't see their children as a liability and another mouth to feed. AQ and the like simply cloud it all through Islam and social values. I know they're stupid, but I don't think even their minions believe we're fighting them b/c they eat dogs or wipe with their left hands....