An Army medic who became famous for being photographed in 2003 carrying an Iraqi child to safety has died at the age of thirty-one after overdosing on a computer cleaner aerosol. Army Specialist Joseph Dwyer had been struggling with post-traumatic stress syndrome. After he returned from Iraq, his marriage fell apart, and he spiraled into substance abuse and depression. In 2005, he shot up his El Paso, Texas apartment and held police at bay for three hours with a 9-mm handgun, believing Iraqis were trying to get in. The March 2003 photo of Dwyer was published around the world and has been described as one of the most iconic images of the US invasion. His mother Maureen Dwyer said, “He loved the picture, don’t get me wrong, but he just couldn’t get over the war. He wasn’t Joseph anymore. Joseph never came home.”

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/7/8/headlines

So?

This guy’s got more flags than the UN charter…

No, the authors aren’t gay activists, nor do they seem to be peddling any particular political agenda. But in their search to discover which countries are happier than others and why, these scholars — led by University of Michigan political scientist Ronald Inglehart — have stumbled on one pretty fundamental conclusion about what people want out of life: freedom.

Yes, that’s right, more or less the same thing you were celebrating Friday by scarfing down hamburgers next to the pool in your brother-in-law’s backyard. How exactly, you ask, is gay marriage connected with “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”?

It’s simple. According to surveys, in developed countries discrimination against women and minorities is actually waning and gays remain the least tolerated “outgroup” in society. They are the proverbial canaries in the coal mine. In most developed countries, the relative level of their acceptance or rejection is a sensitive indicator of that society’s overall tolerance toward minorities. And — here’s the takeaway — social tolerance “broadens the range of choices available to people,” thereby enhancing happiness for both the tolerant and the intolerant alike.

The researchers have found that freedom of choice is not only a universal aspiration but the single most important basis of human happiness. But to get to freedom of choice for Armenians, who live in poverty, social tolerance might not beat out economic development on the national “to-do” list. That’s because first, you have to have enough food to eat. Of course, economic well-being doesn’t just buy food, it also frees people from the lack of life choices that deprivation imposes — suddenly you’re on your way up the happiness scale.

Where did the U.S. come in? Sixteenth. Which country was No. 1? Denmark.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-rodriguez7-2008jul07,0,6818301.column

I completely agree.
I’m thinking we should be crashing the gates when the bill passes.

Good morning FR! Maybe Cheney should jump at this one-time opportunity and be buried with his dear friend.

Hey good to see you McWars :)

Like the old saying goes only the good die young. Well I think Cheney will definitely be around to celebrate his 95th birthday.

Okay, follow this. It’s got a fun little pay off:

So John McCain proposes a gas tax holiday and economists almost universally say it’s a stupid idea. In June, McCain, being a reasonable man, chooses to mock the economists: “If you want to call it a gimmick, fine. You know the economists? They’re the same ones that didn’t predict this housing crisis we’re now in.” Ha-ha. Stupid economists. What do they know?

Now McCain has put forth a great and mighty economic plan. Did it yesterday, less than a month after dissing the poindexters. And his campaign has released a letter from, well, who else? Economists who support it. Oodles of them. Guess they know a lot about economics, eh?

Here’s the final step: the Rude Pundit chose one of the names at relatively random. University of Chicago’s Gary Becker, who does a blog on, you know, economics, with Richard Posner. And here’s that promised pay off: back in December 2007, Becker says, “The vast majority of economists, including me, were surprised by the extent of the subprime mortgage crisis.”

So, to conclude: for John McCain, economists who didn’t predict the mortgage crisis don’t know what they’re talking about when it comes to a gas tax holiday, but when it comes to his entire economic plan, they’re a-ok. What fun.

Does that qualify as straight talk?

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/

Progress Rocks Says:
We need to leave Iran alone. They are very powerful and would defeat us rapidly.

sad, sick little puppy. What a poser.

Of course this is what the right wants people to think progressives believe, but what a sick, sick method. Sad part is, this is all they know. Their bag of black magic is dwindling.

Dick Cheney is planning to attend Jesse Helms funeral.

Good Morning 5th Estate :)

I’m not surprised at all. Cheney has alot in common with Helms, they are both mean spirited, evil men.

With a 3rd grader’s mindset comes 3rd grader posts.

What’s that?

We don’t speak trolllish, sir.

Oh – do we accept the troll currency?

You’ll need 5,000 of those, sir. That currency has always been worth crap against the American dollar.

How many flags will it take?