Around the nation, states struggling with stubbornly high unemployment rates face the problem of having too few jobs for all the able-bodied workers. But a few states in the Midwest face a different problem, one that places stuck …
BattlelandIraq
Meanwhile, Back in Baghdad…
It has been a rough few months in Iraq. Killings in June and July are higher (though nowhere near the 2006 and 2007 highs) and Sunday’s New York Times publishes the not-so-shocking revelation that the Iraqis and Iranians trade …
Indiana Cantaloupe Linked To Nationwide Salmonella Outbreak
BattlelandCongress
Fallout Shelter 2.0
You might think this story from Monday’s Washington Post is simply about some Maryland congressman who believes the end of the world may be drawing near and wants to be prepared:
The electrical grid could fail tomorrow, he
…
Should Voting Be Mandatory?
“We are transitioning to Afghan security. And for us to train them effectively, we are in much closer contact -- our troops are in much closer contact with Afghan troops on an ongoing basis. And you know, part of what we've got to do is to make sure that this model works but it doesn't make our guys more vulnerable...we are deeply concerned about this from top to bottom.”
BattlelandMilitary
Perspective, Not Pedestal
One-time Army Ranger turned think-tank dweeb Andrew Exum, now at the Center for a New American Security, says the pedestal that American society has placed its military atop since 9/11 is “unhealthy”:
…American society as
…
How the Romney or Obama Campaign Could Change the Supreme Court
Romney or Obama could significantly change the makeup of the highest court in the land—and the rules on everything from gun control to abortion rights
BattlelandTroops
Air Force Heroes…And Heroines
Latest roster of Air Force heroes – or, as the service prefers to call them, “Portraits in Courage” – consists of 20 airmen who recently performed heroic feats, mostly in Afghanistan. They all make for inspiring reading, especially if you’re stuck behind a desk. Four of the 20 – 20% — are women. Females make up 19.1% of the …
BattlelandWeapons
How Drones Can Reinforce Failure
Gaeta, Italy — This report by independent journalist Gareth Porter is extremely important. Porter, one of our finest investigative journalists, highlights one of the central problems in drone warfare: how its imperfect …
Photographs of American Gun Culture
TIME originally published photographer Zed Nelson’s photo essay about American gun culture in 1998. In light of the recent incidents of mass gun violence in Colorado and Wisconsin, Nelson revisits the work he started in the ’90’s.
BattlelandAfghanistan
Semper Infidelis
Of all the horrible “green on blue” killings that have happened recently in Afghanistan, perhaps the most horrific took place in Helmand province on Aug. 10. That’s when Aynoddin, who like many in that country goes by a single …
“I am really thankful to Jay [Leno] for his willingness to put this little Italian car up for sale. As [Army General and Chief of Staff] Ray [Odierno] said, it's Odierno, it's Panetta, it's Leno, you better damn well bid on this Italian car and make it a good bid.”