ArmyBlood

More from history’s greatest criminal syndicate:

A Vatican source who asked not to be identified said Ehiem had been dismissed from his choir duties. Asked about Balducci, the source said, “It is obvious that, while in prison, he cannot exercise his duties as a papal gentleman.” But, the source noted, Balducci has not been convicted of any charge.”If he is convicted, then we will look into it,” the source said.

via Lawyer: Leak of sex claims against Italian official is shameful – CNN.com.

I’m pretty sure this is from some kind of mythic story, isn’t it?

After the marriage contract was signed, the ambassador attempted to kiss his bride-to-be. It was only then that he discovered her facial hair and eyes.

via Arab ambassador discovers bride is bearded and cross-eyed behind veil – Telegraph.

I may be an outlier in that I am not a big football fan.  It’s all good to enjoy others playing sports while eating chips and drinking beer, but in the end – these teams are multi-million (billion?) dollar corporations with an exception to the anti-trust laws in this country.  In what sick world does that trump the Bill of Rights – oh there – Louisiana:

The school is now saying that Frost was not sent home, and that the Colts jersey ban was due to the fact that the school has a uniform dress code that was only relaxed for the Black-and-Gold Day. But Frost and his parents didn’t buy that explanation, and both say the boy was sent home. From WBRZ-2 TV:

“Brandon felt singled out,” said Larry Frost. “I didn’t see where it should be a problem. If everybody else is dressing out of uniform, I think he should be able to wear his.”

Frost is from Indianapolis and moved to Maurepas with his father four years ago. He claims to have one of the best ACT scores in his class and has plans to join the National Guard.

via Louisiana HS student sent home for wearing Colts jersey? – Out of Bounds – NBC Sports.

Maybe they will have Merck day next year, or let students wear the “colors” of the textbook companies.  Argh.

Now what was it called when Nancy Pelosi accused the CIA of being less than truthful?

The CIA today was accused of lying to Congress and covering up its role in the deaths of two innocent Americans, a mother and her infant daughter, at the hands of the CIA and the Peruvian Air Force nine years ago.

via ‘Justice Denied’ in CIA Shootdown of Missionaries – ABC News.

Just in case there was some extra tax money someplace, or a sensible person in the Tripe Department at the Pentagon:

Over the weekend, the Missile Defense Agency released news of another failed intercept test. And no, the interceptor didn’t fail to lift off or fly off course. This time, the tracking radar that wasn’t up to scratch.

via Missile Defense Test Flops as U.S. Unveils New Strategy | Danger Room | Wired.com.

R or D in charge, missile defense continues to be the worst idea ever (well, maybe except for this) and, no matter how much integrity or common sense our leaders pile on the smoking heap of fail that is, they can’t even fake this one.

According to Blood: An Epic History…, gay people were among the best blood donors before the AIDS epidemic.  Many donation centers were located in large cities’ gay areas, which inadvertently worsened the plague.  The time is approaching when the US will have to work out a smarter risk calculation than NO  (via AABB update):

Survey: 77% of MSM willing to donate blood in the U.K.
An online survey showed that 77% of men who have had sex with men in the U.K. would give blood if there were no nationwide ban against them donating. Yusef Azad, director of policy and campaigns at National AIDS Trust, said the organization is working with authorities to re-evaluate the donation ban considering that MSM could represent 2.3 million more donors every year, as indicated by the survey.  PinkNews.co.uk (U.K.) (1/27)

And there ya go:

Well, it’s official now: John Kiriakou, the former CIA operative who affirmed claims that waterboarding quickly unloosed the tongues of hard-core terrorists, says he didn’t know what he was talking about.

via CIA Man Retracts Claim on Waterboarding | Foreign Policy.

The only ones with any credibility left in this mess are the few FBI and military interrogators that have come forward to note how worthless torture is, how worthless or absent the information that past admin nuts trumpeted, and how worthless our credibility will be until we bring these sadists to justice.

Ahhh – business-friendly Texas.  Who cares about those dumbass homeowners anyway.  (via Chris Turner)

“The Texas Department of Insurance is failing to protect consumers by allowing Farmers to pocket these overcharges instead of returning the money to policyholders,” said Alex Winslow of Texas Watch. “This is a gimmick for Farmers to claim they are lowering rates. … Farmers should never have been allowed to charge rates this high.”

Winslow said the situation is a “perfect example” of why the Legislature should require that insurance rates be approved before they take effect.

“Instead of homeowners having to pay excessive rates and the commissioner coming in on the back end to straighten things out, we should have a system where the insurance company has to get approval before it raises rates,” he said.

Under current law, an auto or home insurer can raise rates immediately after notifying the insurance department.

via Farmers Insurance, state agree to cut ‘excessive’ rate hike | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News.

I understand wanting to put sometimes sketchy government things in a good light – boy, do I!  But as public servants and, even more, as part of a defense establishment, I think that one has a very high duty to the truth.  After all, accurate reports are the only way a commander can make informed decisions which lead, ultimately to the life or death of troops under that commander’s charge and the success of the mission.  It is always discouraging to me to have this BS pushed out and then the secrecy label applied once the DoD is called out for it.  When our nation’s credibility is at stake it is even worse.  You’d think Oliver North was back in charge:

“The only way we could possibly have a figure of more than 100 having gone back to the battlefield is if a huge number of these Saudis and Afghans have done this,” Worthington said. “I haven't seen any evidence this is the case whatsoever.”

The vast majority of the nearly 800 detainees originally held at Guantanamo were released under George W. Bush. Obama inherited 242 detainees. So far, he's released or transferred 44. There are 198 remaining with about 92 from Yemen, of which 40 have been cleared for release, according to The New York Times.

Worthington said it's more likely the Bush administration released a handful of detainees who were in fact senior members of the Taliban.

Read this whole thing at Politics Articles | How Many Gitmo Alumni Are Actually Back in the Fight? | Miller-McCune Online Magazine.  It is an eye opener about a subject that grates like a real saddle burr, especially as the president begins his second year with a major campaign promise unfulfilled.

From Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire:

Taking Coburn At His Word

Think Progress caught a chilling moment on C-SPAN this morning. A “teabagger,” apparently taking Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) at his word, called in tears, worried that his prayers for Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) to die before the early morning procedural vote on health care had backfired. The caller was distraught over the absence of Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK).

So funny it is sad.