TheAnvil

I've a bit of knowledge about military recruiting, having done a bit of it myself for a short time. I don't find any point in Mr. Cave's article to be insightful in the least. I would hope that anyone with even a minute amount of reasoning ability would be able to discern on their own that war=recruiting slump, Vietnam Era parents=recruiting slump, or that military recruiters are not welcomed by all. A far more interesting piece of journalism related to recruiting would be on how many schools produce students that are incapable of passing the ASVAB and how that affects recruiting. Or perhaps coupling the recruitment slump with the stop-loss policy on the Army's infantry divisions and discussing those effects on the Army as a whole. The only realy factors affecting recruiting that Mr. Cave took into account were the war and parents from the Vietnam Era. There are so many others things that factor into the recruiting equation that his article doesn't really impress me at all. Then again, perhaps my own experience skews my own views a bit. I consider his article mediocre-at-best.

Hezbollah does seem to offer that option, 'tis true. Say what one might about the Syrian occupation, it did provide a modicum of stability in many regards. The civil war taking place prior to the Syrian/Israeli occupations was wreaking havoc upon the general populace. Hopefully these elections results in a government that can actually function. Maronite Christians, Druze, and different sects of Muslims all in one country in a region with such religious-based hatred. What a challenge. I'm eager to see how the rest of the elections play out. Assad has to be happy with the latest round, that's for sure. With such a great outpouring of anti-Syrian sentiment in the wake of Hariri's assasination I find it hard to fathom the remaining elections will provide him much cheer.

Legally it's correct. It ticks me off that Congress made it illegal in the first place. This ruling is a reminder of that. Odd, as I've never smoked weed, but I'm a huge proponent of limited legalization of illicit drugs. I think outlawing them is stupid and a waste of federal/state $$ in enforcement.

Hmmm...interesting Bill. The elections of which you speak were only for the southern section of Lebanon. The rest of the nation will be voting over the next few weekends. If memory serves I believe Hezbollah was unopposed for 6 of 23 seats in the Southern region that were up for grabs. Given the concentration of Muslims in the south, their close proximity to the Israeli border, the concentration of Palestinians there, and the previous Israeli occupation there its small wonder Hezbollah won easily. I think peace in the Middle East will be difficult regardless of who comes out ahead in the elections in Lebanon. As for the elections themselves, I am extremely glad they are taking place. It is sad that Hezbollah is so powerful in any regard, however, given its stance on terrorism. Sickening, in fact. Hopefully the rest of the country votes for candidates more amicable to peace.

Clicky Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

That's an awesome story, Sid! Congrats, Paula! Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

You should read Adam Smith vice Marx and Engels. From Boortz this morning: The New York Times is reporting with great fanfare that the gap between the rich and the poor is rising. They seem aghast that the top .1 percent of income earners are raking in an average of $3 million a year. Furthermore, That's only about 145,000 taxpayers. So much money in the hands of so few..they must have stolen it! Another interesting statistic...households with a net worth of $10 million or more, that group has grown more than 400% since 1980. So there you have it...the rich are getting richer! OH .. And if you read the Times story you'll come away with the distinct impression that the main reason these people are getting so rich is because of the Bush tax cuts. In other words, they're getting richer because they're being allowed to keep more of the money they earn -- instead of having that money taken from them and redistributed to the poor, poor pitiful poor. This is bad news? If rich people are getting richer, that means they're producing more profit or earning more money. We'll call them the achievers. But this isn't how the class warlords on the left see it. To them, the entire economy is a certain-sized pie. If a rich person is getting richer, that means they have gotten wealthy because they have stolen that money from poor people. Their piece of the pie is just too big, and only government can step in and make things right .. but cutting a smaller slice for the rich, and a larger slice for the poor. Somehow it just doesn't occur to them that everyone can have a bit more if you just bake a bigger pie! For those of you who went to government schools, you bake a bigger pie by growing the economy! While the New York Times was focusing on the rich, here's what you weren't told. Home ownership is at an all-time high in the United States. Not just an all-time high for the evil rich, but an all-time high for all income categories. Also, family net worth is at an all-time high. Again .. not just for rich families, but for every income quintile. I guess the Times believes that if you include this information in the story you somehow take away from the "rich as evil" theme. It's also hard to paint the Bush tax cuts in an unfavorable light when all boats seem to be rising on the tide. Poverty is a mental disease at worst and a behavioral disorder at best. The rich keep getting richer because they keep doing the things that make them rich. Ditto for the poor. Everyone is where they are in life as a direct result of the decisions they have made to put them there. If they've worked hard, they can be rich. If not, then they won't be rich. Unless, of course, you're a Kennedy and get rich by default. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I jumped at Suffolk once. Nice place.

Mr. Cave finds army recruiting taking a slump in a wartime environment in a time period where parents of potential recruits grew up in the Vietnam era newsworthy. To what depths has journalism dropped? Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

My friend is a cop in the People's Republic of Memphis. He says it's awesome to hear the stories morons tell who get caught with these. They have one that will shut itself down and lock you inside whil transmitting its location to the police. ROFLMFAO. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

A bottle of Patron. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Interesting. I agree that the Russian market might be undervalued, but the mere fact that a large portion of an entire industry was renationalized in such a shady manner would trouble me were I an investor looking for places to sink my millions of $. If it can happen with one industry, then why not another? More trumped up charges and another Baikal Financial Group popping up and voila - $$$ gone to the Russian treasury. So true about the oil. I just think this whole thing so remniscient of Khruschev era Russia. Sad. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I forgot to mention, that tequila would be a far superior gift than vodka... Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I agree, Bill. Do you think this Yuganskneftegaz imbroglio will have any effect on foreigners with investment capital who are considering putting it into Russia? Had I the cashola, I would be quite wary of doing so. What do you think the long term effects will be?

Grey Goose or Ketel 1. Grey Goose is the better vodka, but not that much better than Ketel 1, which I consider the best bang-for-the-buck as far as vodka goes.

OK. I will never understand these people. A homicide bomber blows himself up, so a crowd riots and burns the KFC. WTFO? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8040422/ Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Comrade Putin's Russia bears close watching. Thoughts on this anyone? Clicky Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Well said. Hadn't heard it put that way before.

My college room-mate flies right wing for them. They put on one hell of a show. They don't drink tequila very well though. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I have a confession: I used to be a Democrat. Not kidding. Thank God I came to my senses.

My cop-friend pulled me over the morning after he and I were on a tequila drinking frenzy. He was so out of it he didn't realize it was me he pulled over. He didn't look at me and asked me for my license and I said 'Fuck you, Barney Fife! You're still too drunk to read!' Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Dick Morris agrees with billvon. hehehehe Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Hmmm...I'm such a JACKASS that somebody would probably delete me. If your brain were stored electronically and someone deleted you, would that be considered murder? Quite an interesting topic, in all seriousness.

I'm extremely disappointed. I was looking so forward to having CSPAN show democrats doing an actual filibuster. Perhaps the 6 Republicans and RINO Lincoln Chafee will call Judge Saad and render their condolences. Or better still, come out and state why they think him unworthy of an appointment or floor vote. I'd really like to see that. McCain might do that - none of the others. The Dims show yet again that they play for keeps and have won again. At least some of these qualified judges will get to the appellate bench, which is a good thing I guess. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Hmmmm...I hear those RB fellows like tequila.... I, too, like tequila... Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!