American students aren't all that smart

Whihc is not news. The news is that maybe they never were...

Asbury Park and Seattle swell the flood

Each in their own way.

and people wonder why Republicans are often looked upon with hatred by sensible people

My sister in law sent me this link on Dick Morris's strategy for the president.

( cut for excessive ranting )

changing scales (thank G*d)

from a series in the Post on the 101st Division's service in Iraq:

After several months of relative peace, Mosul and the surrounding region were wracked with insurgent attacks, which ebbed in mid-winter, then surged again with suicide bombings in early February that killed numerous Iraqi policemen and more than 50 Kurds. The worst night occurred on Nov. 15, when 17 troops from the 101st died after two Black Hawk helicopters collided over Mosul, due at least in part to ground fire.
"Nothing prepares a commander for the loss of 17 soldiers in one night," [101st Division commander] Petraeus wrote me in an e-mail shortly afterward. The division's casualties in Iraq totaled 69 dead -- including non-battle fatalities -- and 489 wounded. A vast majority of the deaths and injuries occurred after the move into northern Iraq. "I think I've mentioned to you before that division command in combat is a roller-coaster experience, with real highs and real lows," Petraeus also wrote me from Mosul in late November. In January he added, "It's been a long, tough year, and I am older in more ways than just age."

While I sorrow with the comrades, family, and friends of those who were killed or wounded, I can't help but give thanks that a division commander in wartime would face casualties of 69 KIA and 500 wounded. IN Operation Market-Garden, the British 1st Airborne Division took over 5,000 casualties between 17 September and 25 September 1944, 1,200 of them killed in action.

whoops! :-)

Sometime back I participated in a poll on the American Family Association website. If memory serves, it was an anti-gay-rights push poll they were running to get some chunky numbers to throw at liberals. Lots of liberals heard about it and, well, sort of spoiled their poll.

They started another just recently, and their automated website scripts are carefully asking all prior pol participants to come cast their vote for president. The result? As of 11.13 pm, the poll for the self-proclaimed "America's Largest Pro-Family Online Action site" is showing 1,127 votes for Raplh Nader (6%), 635 votes for George Bush (3.5%), abd 16,450 votes for John Kerry (90%).

let's hope the election comes out the same way...

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