THE END IS IN SIGHT...

...that is the end of the war in Iraq. Read all about it at Counterlight's Peculiars.

The invasion and occupation cost the lives of 4,407 American soldiers. The British medical journal The Lancet, estimates an Iraqi death toll of more than 650,000. Billions of dollars were lost to corruption on the part of Iraqi officials and private contractors and still remains unaccounted for. The cost of the war was kept off of the federal books and was largely paid for by borrowed money dramatically escalating the national debt. The full cost of the war will probably end up in an economy-wrecking figure of trillions upon trillions of dollars. This was an imperial adventure paid for on a credit card.

Read the rest at the link above. Doug's written a fine post.

Picture from Wikipedia.

UPDATE: When the troops leave, the US Department of State will take over from the military.

From ABC News:

There will be a US embassy in Baghdad which, when it opened in early January 2009, was one of the largest and most expensive ever built. There will be consulates in Basra and Irbil, which both opened in June 2011. There is also a diplomatic presence in Kirkuk that will eventually become a consulate.
....

Roughly 1,700 people will be working under the American mission in Iraq at the various diplomatic posts. About 300 are Iraqi citizens (translators, etc) and a small number of third country nationals, so about 1,400 are Americans.
....

The State Department is expected to have about 5,000 security contractors in Iraq as of January 2012 (they already have about 3,000 in country).

Additionally they will have 4,500 so-called “general life support” contractors, who provide food and medical services, operate the aviation assets, etc.

In addition, the State Department will have airplanes and helicopters operated by contractors to move them around the country and for a rapid response in the event the staff need to evacuate. Although no US troops troops will remain in Iraq, we will still be a rather large presence.

THANK YOU, BISHOP GRAY, FOR YOUR GOOD AND WISE LETTER

Letter from Bishop Duncan Gray of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi:

My dear friends,

My deep reservations about abortion and the death penalty grow out of my abiding belief in the sanctity of human life and the arbitrary nature of these actions. I am not, however, a pacifist in regards to war. I do believe that some very serious moral decisions are not simply choices between good and evil, but rather in the case of two evils, choices between the lesser of two evils. Such is the complexity of human moral decision-making in a fallen world.

I appreciate the intentions of those who have supported Proposition 26, what has been called the Personhood Amendment. I share their passion for the sanctity of human life. However, I am gravely concerned about the unintended consequences of this legislation. The moral nightmares of doctors no longer able to give preference to saving the life of the mother in such cases as an ectopic pregnancy and the uncertain impact on in-vitro fertilization are real. Thus, the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Medical Association has announced that it cannot support this legislation.

The legal nightmares arising from this legislation are also very real. The word “person” is used over 9,400 times in the Mississippi Annotated Code and the implications for mass confusion and decades of legal challenges over every use of the term are staggering.

For their own reasons, Roman Catholic bishops in several states, including Mississippi, have said they could not support this particular legislation.

While I recognize the complexities of such moral decisions and the need for each of us to make our own informed and prayerful choices, you need to know that I share the aforementioned concerns about the unintended consequences of this legislation. Thus, I cannot support Proposition 26 on the November 8th ballot in Mississippi.

Please feel free to share this letter with whomever you wish.

Faithfully,

The Rt. Rev. Duncan M. Gray III

The open letter from Bishop Gray concerns his opposition to Proposition 26, a proposed amendment to The Constitution of the State of Mississippi, which will appear on the ballot of the November 8, 2011 General Election.

I decided, along with other bloggers, Andrew Gerns at The Lead and Ormonde Plater at Through the Dust, that the letter is so very good and wise that it warrants posting in its entirety and the widest circulation possible. More and more often on the political scene, I see a lamentable disregard for considering the possible and grave consequences of policies we propose and subsequentially enshrine into law. Thank you, Bishop Gray, for your excellent reminder.

Text of measure

Title

The proposed measure, also known as Initiative 26, reads:

Should the term 'person' be defined to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the equivalent thereof?

Summary

The official ballot summary of the measure reads:

"Initiative #26 would amend the Mississippi Constitution to define the word 'person' or 'persons', as those terms are used in Article III of the state constitution, to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof."

Fiscal note

According to the Mississippi Legislative Budget Office's fiscal analysis:

There is no determinable cost or revenue impact associated with this initiative.

Constitutional changes

The measure would amend Article III of the Mississippi Constitution by adding a new Section 32 to read:

SECTION 33. Person defined. As used in this Article III of the state constitution, “The term ‘person’ or ‘persons’ shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.

Text of the amendment from Ballotpedia.

BIBLICAL FAR SIDE

Thanks to Ann.

IT'S OUR JCF!

Read JCF's story at Born This Way:

What's most important about this photo, is how genuinely happy I am here. I look like me. That didn't happen again for too many years. Now, I'm content with my genderqueer self. I don't have to be either/or - I can be BOTH! And that's great!

Read the rest at the link.

IMMERSION - 'BRIDESHEAD REVISITED'

Regarding blogging, I've been pretty much out to lunch, or dinner, or tea with English folks. For several days now, I've been watching episodes of Brideshead Revisited, which I've seen a number of times before, but one more time is never too much. The 1981 Granada Televison series is superb. Of course, the episodes were meant to be viewed a week apart, but I'm cramming them into several, days taking the occasional time-out away from the screen for daily life. I feel as if I'm in another world, the world of Oxford, Brideshead, London, Venice, France, and coming up is Morocco.

On the journey, I lost my way a bit, what with real life interruptions, having to stop in the middle of an episode and trying to mark my place on the DVD, and then missing out entirely on Venice and having to go back and view one of my favorite parts of the story.

The video above is of a deliciously camp lunch party in Sebastian's rooms at Oxford. If you've seen the series, you know it. If you haven't, then think about watching.

The video below is a conversation between Charles Ryder and Cara, Lord Marchmain's mistress, during Charles and Sebastian's visit to Venice. This post is mainly for those who are familiar with the series. Sorry.

OCCUPYNOLA (NEW ORLEANS)

From Occupy NOLA on Facebook:

Today marks OccupyNOLA 14th day, of peaceful, Nonviolent occupation of Avery Alexander Park aka Duncan Plaza. OccupyNOLA has had no arrest or confrontation with the city of New Orleans during this time. We continue to increase our numbers daily and garner support from our community. You are not alone, We are the 99% and the people are too big to fail.

Obviously it's possible for protestors and police to get along. I hope and pray the good relations spread to all areas which are being peacefully occupied.

A LITTLE JEWISH HUMOR

A Jewish woman goes to see her Rabbi and asks, "Yankele and Yosele are both in love with me, who will be the lucky one?"

The wise old Rabbi answers, "Yankele will marry you. Yosele will be the lucky one.
-------------------------------------------------------------

If a married Jewish man is walking alone in a park and expresses an opinion without anybody hearing him, is he still wrong?
------------------------------------------------------------

My father says, "Marry a girl who has the same belief as the family." I said, "Dad, why would I marry a girl who thinks I'm a schmuck?"
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Jewish marriage advice: "Don't marry a beautiful person. They may leave you. Of course, an ugly person may leave you too. But who cares?"
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The Italian says, "I'm tired and thirsty. I must have wine."
The Frenchman says, "I'm tired and thirsty. I must have cognac."
The Russian says, "I'm tired and thirsty. I must have vodka."
The German says, "I'm tired and thirsty. I must have beer."
The Mexican says, "I'm tired and thirsty. I must have tequila."
The Jew says, "I'm tired and thirsty. I must have diabetes."

Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

JESUS AND MO

Click on the strip for the larger view.

Author says this strip is an oldie from 2007.

From Jesus and Mo.

Oh, and thanks to Renz at Facebook for the reminder to post the strip. Renz is back to blogging.

SAYS IT ALL - OCCUPY WALL STREET

Click on the image for the larger view.

The young man speaks for me, although I am an indolent, retired person with, fortunately, enough money not to have to choose between food and medicine. I don't want to live in a country like the young man describes, either.

From a friend of a friend of Doug (Counterlight) on Facebook. I hope he doesn't mind. I cropped off the part of his face that showed.

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FRIEND MARK

Mark at Enough About Me has lost his Miutu, pictured above.

There's a 19 lb hole in my life. A sweet boy, all cuddles and chainsaw purrs. Even in fear, he might growl but never scratched or bit. Katzie, at first excited about having me to himself, has been looking from room to room, and, finally, following and rubbing on me at all times. He looked distinctly depressed as I left for work.

Our animal companions most often go before us, but it's no less heart-rending each time it happens. The losses pile up, and it's a bit worse each time. We can invite new companions into our homes, but they don't take the place of those who are gone. Mark grieves for Miutu, and I grieve with him.

Oh God, we bring you our grief in the loss of Miutu and ask for Mark the courage to bear it. We bring you our thanks for Miutu who gave freely of her love. We commit his friend and companion to your loving hands. Give us eyes to see how your love embraces all creatures, and every living thing speaks to us of your love. Amen.