Thank you Kevin. I appreciate all the various areas/subjects you take on. Though I can’t donate a lot, I have donated a number of times (and again now)and hope you will be able to continue your excellent work. I feel it important to drop something in the hat periodically, even if it’s not large. Together, even small individual contributions can become a significant amount.

The Simpson/Bowles plan actually calls for “…cutting military pensions” (?) Well that’s one positive aspect then. Could this be a step towards actually cutting military spending overall? Not likely. But at least the “tools” of U.S. aggression/empire may be inclined to find more lucrative employment if the public teat/gravy train they’ve been on is tightened.

Thanks to the audacious (reckless, actually) capacity of dopes to ignore the obvious and vote for a smooth-talking forked-tongue conservative wolf in black-sheep’s clothing (Twice!)are we now saddled with a Democratic Party who’s evolving goal is to follow to the right off the nearest cliff du jour.

Why it wasn’t enough of a clue that a guy who couldn’t pull his tongue from Joe Lieberman’s ass long enough to actually support the Democratic nominee for Connecticutt Senate (Ned Lamont) is no mystery anymore. Americans are suckers for a well-presented feel-good (about themselves plastic image.

Why all the concern for whether he’s a sissy or not? He’s got all the security a girly pope could hope for.

Claim to fame; takes public transport to “work”. Clubhouse nickname; “Cornholio”.

I hope Judy Miller shows up on Fox News tonight to give her insider’s (and insightful) view of Kellers’s column. Would love to hear her analysis of journalistic “ethics”, a newspaper’s responsibility to publish “leaks” for public knowledge/benefit, and Keller’s interpretation/implementation of those responsibilities. All while explaining/justifying her years of irresponsible promoting of false “intelligence” reports about Iraqi WMDs.

Sometimes you’re better served sleeping-off the drunk before posting half-baked tidbits floating through your transom. Hard to figure how Keller’s column does the Times’ credibility any good. Is it worth it to him to say in public what a good nationalist friend of the Whitehouse he is? That he’s a dutiful patriot-jounalist, for the “interests” of the U.S. and its military adventures? Sick, and sad. I think we can be grateful the NYT didn’t get Manning’s material. They would not have shared it, and would have had G-men first-approve what they might publish.

Keller sure has a bug up his ass about Assange, Wikileaks (“internet insurgents” with only “middling scoops” previously), and now Manning, judging the legitimacy of his motives. Not that it matters, but how does he know that Lamo is an “ex-hacker”? As surely as knowing himself to be no journalist?

Very observant. It’s not like “MSNBC Doesn’t Cover Bradley Manning’s Statement…” was part of the post’ title. So, not at all relevant.

Here below are links to Alexa O’brien’s transcript of Manning’s 35(long)page statement, compiled from her written notes and not a recording. The first link from International Business Times is in larger/darker print, and easier for geezer me to read without glasses. The second link is from Alexa Obrien’s website, but not as easy for my eyes without reading glasses. Thanks to KG and Alexa for their time and attention to Manning’s trial, and the lack of journalistic curiousity at supposedly “liberal” outlets like MSNBC.

http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/bradley_manning/pfc_bradley_e_manning_providence_hearing_statement.html

http://www.ibtimes.com/bradley-manning-news-transcript-soldiers-personal-statement-pretrial-hearing-1109173

Obama’s no fool. He does exactly what he wants for intended results. He seems without caring-conscience or regard of “negative” reaction from his Democratic base because his base is much like George Bush’s; “The haves, and the have-mores”, who approve of his policies. Obama is a well-oiled corporate TOOL. An arrogant emperor with no clothes, splayed for the reaming, eager for the face-creaming.

“The nearly 500-mile long pipeline crosses into the United States from Canada” The U.S. distance from Canada to the Texas gulf is roughly 1,600 miles. Maybe the 500 mile figure is just the Canadian stretch? But much thanks for your covering this.

If those “troops” are 10,000 (who really knows?) “contractors” defending U.S. embassy staff in Iraq, there might only be a handful of cheap “military-grade” enlisted cannon-fodder personnel. Therefore, not technically troops. From an article by Dan Froomkin in the Huff-Po, Sept 2011 below.

The number of personnel under the authority of the U.S. ambassador to Iraq will swell from 8,000 to about 16,000 as the troop presence is drawn down, a State Department official told The Huffington Post. “About 10 percent would be core programmatic staff, 10 percent management and aviation, 30 percent life support contractors — and 50 percent security,” he said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/16/us-embassy-iraq-state-department-plan_n_965945.html