Just Noticing: Observations of a blogger
Posted by Michelle Moquin on April 6th, 2014
Good morning!
“Just noticing…”
“…Obama has had another first.”
From Think Progress:
Zero U.S. Troops Died In Combat In March, The First Time In More Than A Decade
March 2014 marked the first time in more than a decade that there were zero U.S. fatalities among American troops engaging in combat, according to numbers from the Department of Defense.
After a decade at war in the post-9/11 environment, with major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and smaller conflicts in the various other countries where the U.S. uses more covert methods to fight against terrorism, the lack of combat deaths in March 2014 marks a milestone. In Iraq, the death toll reached 4,474 before thelast soldier fell in November 2011. For years after the war’s launch in 2003, no months passed where at least one American didn’t die in battle and then only towards the end of the conflict did the numbers taper off enough to have a month where the only fatalities were non-combat related.
Based on information collected at the website iCasualties, which pulls from Pentagon data, it is the first time since July 2007 that no Americans were killed in Afghanistan in support of Operation: Enduring Freedom. The worst single month for U.S. forces in that conflict was July 2010, amid the summer fighting season, during which 65 Americans died. At that point, 98,000 American forces were stationed in Afghanistan amid the surge of 30,000 additional soldiers into the country. To date, 2176 U.S. military personnel have lost their life in Afghanistan.
While this marks a low point in deaths among American soldiers, the same cannot be said of the coalition forces fighting alongside the U.S. — two allied soldiers died over the course of the month. It also doesn’t mean that the situation in the two countries the United States has fought wars in over the last country are also free from strife. As NATO forces prepare to withdraw combat troops at the end of the year, violence in Afghanistan is currently threatening the ability of observers to verify its pending election. And in Iraq, 16 civilians died in an attack just this weekend. (HT: Kevin Sieff)
“Just noticing…”
“…and another first for Obama.“
From Think Progress:
The ACA Has Spurred The Largest Expansion In Health Coverage In America In Half A Century
MARCH 31, 2014 AT 5:41 PM
Today marks the last day of the six-month open enrollment period for people to get insurance coverage through the state and federal marketplaces. Despite technical challenges and staunch ideological opposition, it has already been a huge success with over six million people enrolling. But in the last several days, the interest in signing up and the outreach efforts to those not yet covered has reached new heights.
Take a look at the final surge by the numbers:
- 9.5 Million: Number Of Uninsured That Now Have Insurance Thanks To The ACA. A new analysis of enrollment data has found that almost ten million people who were previously without health insurance now are covered. The report estimates that two million have enrolled in private coverage on the new marketplaces; about 4.5 million previously uninsured people have gained public coverage through Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion; and about three million previously uninsured young people are now covered on their parents’ insurance plans. The law, as written by the Los Angeles Times, “has spurred the largest expansion in health coverage in America in half a century.”
- 10 million: Number Of Visits To Heathcare.gov In The Past Week. The Washington Post tallied 8.7 million in the past week through Monday morning, with 2 million visiting this weekend alone. Today, the Department of Health and Human Services tweeted that there had been another 1.2 million visitors just by noon–”record volume.”
- 125,000: The Number Of Concurrent Users On Healthcare.gov On Monday. An unprecedented level of traffic on the website has led to an unprecedented number of people using the site to sign up for health insurance.
- 4,000: Number Of Grassroots Events To Help People Enroll In March.For all the money spent over the airwaves, grassroots organizing was a huge component of outreach efforts to get people signed up for coverage. Events took place all over the country, with a focus on reaching the uninsured to make sure they had the information they needed to enroll.
- 300: Number of Radio Interviews Administration Officials Have Given In The Past Six Weeks. While there have been enormous efforts to use new media to promote the law, good old-fashioned radio has been a go-to source for top White House officials: from Chief-of-Staff Denis McDonough and Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett to President Obama himself.
- 49 Percent: Public Support For The ACA. According to a ABC News/Washington Post poll out today, support for the law is at 49 percent, its highest level in months. Back in November, just 40 percent supported and 57 percent opposed the law; today the picture looks much different:
BOTTOM LINE: If there’s any indication that the Affordable Care Act is in high demand, this is it. The law is working, it’s here to stay, and it’s delivering on its promise to provide quality, affordable health coverage that will be there when consumers need it most. Conservatives will continue their repeal-at-all-costs agenda, but the success of these past six months will make it harder because people do not want to go back to the way it was.
*****
What’s next President Obama?
Readers: I can see yesterday’s topic brought up a lot of controversy for many of you. I found reading your diverse writes even more interesting than the original write itself, which doesn’t surprise me considering the quality of readers that visit here. So, again, thanks for being here, sharing your thoughts, and contributing to the conversations. All of you truly make this blog an exciting, and thought-provoking place to visit.
Social Butterfly: My pleasure. Nice to hear from you. No worries.
I think Lupita is gorgeous too. Her comment about being inspired by Alek Wek, because they look similar, brought to mind a memory that I every so often look back on for inspiration in my work, because it left such an impression on me. I remember seeing Wek in a fashion spread for the first time many years ago, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the magazine pages. I believe the entire feature was of her dressed in white, at least that is the part I remember. The white clothing against her dark skin playing off her bright white teeth and the whites of her eyes was absolutely mesmerizing. The most wonderful example of high contrast was simply stunning. And here in this video, Nyong’o is replicating that gorgeous look. It will be interesting to see how the ripple of inspiration and HOPE continues.
Alycedale: Happy to see you here again giving your two. I HOPE all is well with you.
Happy Sunday – Peace & Love.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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April 7th, 2014 at 11:33 am
Just another first for this black President to have to suffer the envy of hate from my race.
April 7th, 2014 at 11:36 am
One of the most important things we do as Democrats is protect the right to vote. We’re the political party working to expand that right, so voting can be easier and more secure, and so that more voices are heard — not fewer.
That’s why Democrats started the Voter Expansion Project. We’re taking everything we’ve learned and built from years of fighting Republican attempts to block access to voting, and using it to help even more people vote.
And you know what? When more Americans vote, Americans elect more representatives to stand up and fight for their families, and protect their future. In other words, they elect more Democrats.
I’ll turn it over to our favorite VPOTUS to tell you more about our project
I’ll be sending you more information on the Voter Expansion Project shortly, and I look forward to working with you.
Thanks,
Pratt
Pratt Wiley
National Director of Voter Expansion
Democratic National Committee
P.S. — Speaking of Vice President Biden, he just announced that he’s going to be using Twitter a lot more during these midterm elections. Be sure to follow @JoeBiden!
April 7th, 2014 at 11:43 am
I couldn’t get in earlier to say: Thank you President Obama!
April 7th, 2014 at 11:43 am
Truly something to celebrate!
April 7th, 2014 at 11:45 am
After a decade at war in the post-9/11 environment, with major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and smaller conflicts in the various other countries where the U.S. uses more covert methods to fight against terrorism, the lack of combat deaths in March 2014 marks a milestone.
In Iraq, the death toll reached 4,474 before the last soldier fell in November 2011. For years after the war’s launch in 2003, no months passed where at least one American didn’t die in battle and then only towards the end of the conflict did the numbers taper off enough to have a month where the only fatalities were non-combat related.
April 7th, 2014 at 11:46 am
Nice!.
April 7th, 2014 at 11:47 am
This is good news. Now if we can just rein in the War Party, (but I worry with Sheldon Adelson prepared to bankroll his favorite candidate) maybe this country can return to its proper role in the world.
It appears to me that the pressure(s) on a U.S. President to go to war are extreme and obscene.
Thank god we finally have a person in the office with the will to stand up to the death profiteers.
April 7th, 2014 at 11:48 am
Think about that. Over a decade of US soldiers, sailors and marines dying in foreign lands.
Agree or not with Operation Iraqi Liberation, we should have been done and out of there in half the time. And in Afghanistan, we should have been out of there at least 8 years ago.
Hopefully we can string together many, many more months like this past one.
April 7th, 2014 at 11:50 am
The only way to rein in the War Party is to deprive it of funding. This can be done in 2 ways:
First, reduce the Pentagon’s reliance on contractors, bringing more work back under direct government control
Second, nationalize the oil and gas industry.
April 7th, 2014 at 11:50 am
hopefully the jerk off in the white house will grow some balls and bring em all home
April 7th, 2014 at 11:51 am
Ken#10, That’s why I didn’t vote for him last election. I voted third party.
April 7th, 2014 at 11:52 am
Amen! Michelle.
Bet this article won’t get much action…
April 7th, 2014 at 11:52 am
I wonder how the right will “sour-grape” this like they did with the obamacare signups, employment, and every other accomplishment.
April 7th, 2014 at 11:53 am
Did that left-wing pig Cindy Sheehan ever buy a headstone for her fallen hero son yet?
It’s bad enough that she and the other left-wing kooks readily smeared her dead son’s honor … that socialist pig Sheehan decided to take it one step further and spend the money on Jamba Juice and plastic hippie shoes.
April 7th, 2014 at 11:54 am
Yes, we do hear a lot about the US’s conventional wars in the media, but how many non conventional wars the US is involved in get’s reported? I’m talking about covert operations that are taking place right now in over 75 countries.
These wars are being ran out of the White House using the CIA/SOG (Special Operations Group). Remember the president’s kill list? Every time one person is killed from that list, more names are added.
Since JFK, who greatly supported the Special Forces which is where the CIA and SOG get their trained personnel from, all administrations have used covert resources to assassinate leaders of sovereign countries, that is until Ford put a stop to it, probably out of fear someone would want to target him.
The US will never be free of war as long as terrorist groups threaten the US, and they most likely will for years to come. Bush Jr. said the war on terror would be a long hard slog. Obama certainly realizes that…now.
Both parties fully understand that covert operations are necessary to fight terrorism. Considering the number of countries we are fighting in covertly, WW3 may very well have started soon after 9/11.
April 7th, 2014 at 11:55 am
Good news. Now help the returning soldiers.
April 7th, 2014 at 2:20 pm
Here’s all you need to know about the Ryan budget “Chairman Ryan Gets 62 Percent of His Huge Budget Cuts from Programs for Lower-Income Americans” http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3723