Who knew? There are no people who deserve our respect and care more than the families and friends of the deceased, regardless of the cause of their demise, and many would argue that’s it’s an even truer case to the families and friends of those who died while in service to their country. But for some unlucky number- the utmost care was not taken to ensure the proper somber note when our fallen brothers and sisters were cremated-

The U.S. military has, since 2001, cremated some of the remains of U.S. service members killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in a Delaware facility that also cremates pets, a practice that ended Friday when the Pentagon banned the arrangement.

The facility, in an industrial park near Dover Air Force Base, has cremated about 200 service members, manager David Bose said Friday night. It uses separate crematories a few feet apart to cremate humans and animals, he added.

According to reports no one is sure how many service members were cremated at the Friends Forever Pet Cremation Service, and there’s no evidence that would show any service member having been cremated in the animal crematory, however, the real issue stemmed not from which crematory was used, but from the feelings of shock and dismay caused in those who went to oversee the procedure, saying farewell to their loved ones.

The revelation came to light when an Army officer who works at the Pentagon traveled to Delaware on Thursday to attend the cremation of a military comrade.

Offended to discover that the facility was labeled as a pet crematory, the officer sent an e-mail late Thursday to superiors at the Pentagon that included a photograph of the signage.

It soon rocketed to the attention of (Defense Secretary Robert) Gates, who directed David Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, to conduct “a comprehensive review of existing DOD policies and practices governing the cremation and handling of remains of U.S. service members,” (Pentagon press secretary Geoff) Morrell said.

As a result, in 2001 Air Force officials contracted with two local funeral homes to perform cremations, including with Torbert Funeral Chapels and Crematories, which oversees the facility managed by Bose, and another crematory that is located with a funeral home.

Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne directed Friday that the service “cease using the off-site crematory, use only crematory facilities that are co-located with licensed funeral homes, and have a military presence during the off-base process at the funeral-home facilities,” Morrell said.

Why it would’ve taken this 6-7 years for all of this to become an issue is debatable- is it really so bad that they were being cremated at this facility, given that they were cremated in proper human crematories with no signs of foul play, and if so… why did no one say anything until now? Was this just one man’s over-reaction? Or is it as deeply disrespectful as it sounds to find out that the very people we’re supposed to be honoring and holding in the highest regards are being cared for after death in a facility called Friends Forever Pet Cremation Service?

In my opinion the military should have known better than to outsource to this facility, when obviously as they’re using now- there were more traditional and fitting arrangements that could’ve been made. Odds are, when this service began, it was cheaper and easier than going to a traditional funeral home facility. But this is one place where surely Uncle Sam can afford not to be a miser.

Popularity: 2% [?]

No wonder we’re having such trouble finding bin-Laden (assuming anyone is really looking for the guy anymore) we can’t even really figure out if we’ve killed or captured a guy, when his is or isn’t in our presence.  We’re not really sure to tell the truth.  Confused?  I know I am.

Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the head of al Qaeda in Iraq, has not been captured, a senior U.S. military official told CNN on Friday.

Iraqi authorities said Thursday that al-Masri had been captured in Mosul.

U.S. military officials were surprised about the report of Abu Ayyub al-Masri’s capture — first reported by Iraqi media and picked up by The Associated Press. And intelligence officials said they were skeptical, even though Iraqi officials said al-Masri was already in U.S. military custody.

Al-Masri (”the Egyptian”), also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, took the reins of the Iraqi al Qaeda offshoot in June 2006 after a U.S. missile strike killed his predecessor, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Since then, Iraqi officials have reported his death three times, his capture twice and a mortal wounding once.

So either the guy is a zombie, a magician, a figment of our imaginations, or- all these intellegence officials are completely lacking in intellegence.  Which do you think it is?

Iraqi officials have also misreported the deaths or capture of other high-ranking insurgents, Baathists or others, including al-Zarqawi before he was killed and Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, the highest ranking former member of Saddam Hussein’s regime still at large.

Al-Duri, who was the King of Clubs (No. 6) on the U.S. military’s deck of most wanted regime officials, was most recently reported captured two weeks ago by multiple Iraqi officials. He had previously been reported killed in 2005 and captured the year before.

Wow… kinda helps you sleep at night knowing the Keystone Cops are working in conjuntion with Mr. Magoo to keep Iraq, and the rest of the world, safe and secure- doesn’t it?

Popularity: 2% [?]

George Stephanopoulos speculates that Clinton is staying in the race in order to place a stronger bid for the vice president spot. hmmm…. that gets the brain cogs working:

Is Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., staying in the race to get the vice presidential slot?

George thinks so.

CHARLES GIBSON: George, she puts on a brave face in public. What’s going on behind the scenes?

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, I think it’s fair to say … that everyone’s waiting for a signal from her on how to go forward. Today, the signal was very clear — we’re staying in — [according to] the Clinton campaign. And it’s based on the hope that anything can happen. And that every Democrat deserves a vote. That’s the principal they’re running on right now. The arguments against, inside right now, are you may be spending a lot more money in [a] futile effort. You may also be dividing the party the longer you go on. You heard (California Sen.) Dianne Feinstein say that as well, but the math just doesn’t work.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Think of her like Jason Vorhees or Freddy Krueger; you can keep putting bullets in them, but somehow they just won’t die. Clinton is much the same. She’s lost the delegate race- even if not by the margin needed to solidify. These past two primaries have basically made it one step from impossible to win. She’s losing her argument against Obama’s electability as the thing she wants super-delegates to look for in her.

It’s over for Hillary Clinton. But she won’t stop.

Obama’s camp has even come out to say they’d feel comfy giving her the majority of the delegates she’d have won in Michigan and Florida had those two states not been being boycotted by the Dems for moving their primaries ahead of schedule. So why continue?

Some look at her as a Rocky Balboa figure, refusing to stay down, wanting to go the distance- which is great for ego and all, but does nothing of benefit for the Dems themselves. In fact, it does more harm than good. Which is why I find the comparison to the stars of the slasher/horror flicks more fitting. But then, ego and quest for personal glory and gain has always been a big motivator for the Clinton’s. We really shouldn’t be surprised by all of this. What is surprising is that no one seeks to stop her. Of course, that likely has to do more with party members watching their own backs and doing their best not to piss off Clinton’s loyal followers, which could have adverse effects on their positions.

Chicken Shits.

I would love the chance to sit down with her, just for myself, and ask her- why? Why do you honestly keep this up when you’re tearing your party apart? Even with controversy and scandal and speculation nipping at his heels, Obama can beat you. Why do you go on? Of course, I know I’d only get spin and rhetoric in response, so maybe it’s just not worth it.

Someday this will end. That’s what I have to keep telling myself to keep from going clock-tower climbing. (kidding, I’d never do such a thing… do you hear me Homeland Security, I’m joking. Ok?)

*sigh*

Popularity: 1% [?]

As Clinton and Obama continue pandering to crowds in hopes of winning the Indiana primaries, a small revelation has come to light. Well, not really a big surprise… Republicans dig Obama over Clinton.

At Clinton’s rally here, the state’s top Democrat and her main backer, Sen. Evan Bayh, seemed to be lowering expectations, telling the Sun-Times that Clinton started way behind rival Barack Obama, “he has outspent her 2-1, and he has won every other state that borders Illinois. I think it’s very close — it could go either way.”

A surprising number of registered Republicans — who can pull Democratic ballots on Election Day — came to both events.

“We were with eight Republicans last night and six of them are voting for Obama,” said retired firefighter Dan O’Neill, 63.

“I like how family oriented he is,” said Caroline Harlan, a 26-year-old Republican. Obama had his wife and daughters with him all weekend.

Exit polls show most Republicans who have crossed over to vote Democratic in this primary voted for Obama, responding to his message of reaching out to work across party lines. That bodes well for Obama in this Republican state.

“She’ll win the Democrats,” Bayh said. “The others, I’m not so sure.”

At the Clinton event, registered Republican Sally Anepper, 53, was deciding whether to vote for Clinton or McCain, but not Obama.

“His pastor’s anti-American comments really bothered me,” she said.

As hard as he has tried to move past Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s bombastic comments, Obama spent the first 20 minutes on “Meet the Press” Sunday giving the same answers to the same questions about why he gave Wright the benefit of the doubt for so long.

So basically, folks who are listening to Obama himself are more likely to vote for him than those who listen to others either once affiliated with him, or reports about him. Which could be quite disastrous for his campaign when considering everything that has been going against him; Rezko scandals, Rev. Wright’s comments, and all the still lingering suspicions of some (somehow they’re still out there- believe me, I’ve met some of them) that Obama is a Muslim.

In her Sunday-morning appearance on ABC, Clinton was asked to name a single economist who supports her plan for a summer gas-tax holiday, which Obama continued to blast Sunday as a “gimmick” that would save drivers little and torpedo road repair projects.

“I’m not going to put in my lot with economists,” Clinton said.

“Who understands what you’re going through?” she asked the crowd at Indiana Tech. “People drive a lot of long distances in Indiana. I’ve driven a lot of long distances in Indiana. I think between my husband, my daughter and me, we’ve made 95 stops in Indiana. We believe Indiana matters.”

Obama and his wife have made 28 stops in Indiana.

Clinton said she watched as a pick-up truck driver spent $63 to fill just half a tank of gas.

Clinton has the Midwest cred in her past, and that could work in her favor in Indiana.

With both candidates neck and neck at this point… I’m sorry. I really can’t pretend to be anything but put off by this entire long lasting ridiculous fiasco that does nothing but continue to highlight the glaring deficiencies of all the parties involved, and I can’t wait until the primaries are over, and even the election itself, so I can stop being inundated with all of this nonsense, and we can finally find out what direction our country is going to go in with the leadership of the next Commander in Chief.

Popularity: 3% [?]

In a wave of ignorance, famed horror novelist Stephen King inserted foot in mouth:

I don’t want to sound like an ad, a public service ad on TV, but the fact is if you can read, you can walk into a job later on. If you don’t, then you’ve got, the Army, Iraq, I don’t know, something like that. It’s, it’s not as bright. So, that’s my little commercial for that.

[video]

Sorry, Stephen. Joining the Army and going to Iraq isn’t necessarily the fate of retarded monkeys. This holder of a B.A. English and Iraq veteran proves otherwise. That’s my public service ad to you.

Popularity: unranked [?]