Kenny Davern
PeeWee’s Blues
1995 Bern Jazz Festival
with Johnny Varro on piano, Milt Hinton on bass and Jake Hanna on drums

In December, I noticed Major Gloria D. Davis on the list of deceased. Her death was Non-hostile, under investigation. I wondered how many “Non-Hostile”, unexplained deaths there have been. I went back two years. There have been 70 in the past two years. There are also many Non-hostile deaths due to fires, suicide, aircraft crashes, heart attacks, illness, weapon related accidents, and explained non combat injuries. (there’s also more of these than I’d have thought) The deaths listed below, however, are unexplained. It seems the DOD changed the way they listed them in April of this year, for whatever reason. I wonder if any of these families ever find out the true reason for their loved ones deaths. I wonder what happened to these soldiers who went to fight a war for oil and ended up dying for reasons we don’t know. Just a curious thing to me. I wonder how many were “fragged?” There’s never any follow up to their listings. No way of telling what the investigations came to reveal. Of course, if the military is investigating these deaths, it’s because they DON’T want us to know what really happened, not because they do. My opinion. My sympathies to the families of these soldiers. How terrible it must be to not know what happened. We’ve heard about the Pat Tillman story, who was in Afghanistan…..but there are so many more we don’t hear about.

December 2006
US Private Eric R. Wilkus Landstuhl Reg. Med. Ctr. - Baghdad Non-hostile
US Specialist Michael J. Crutchfield Balad (Camp Anaconda) - Salah ad Din Non-hostile
US Major Gloria D. Davis Baghdad Non-hostile
US Lance Corporal Cody G. Watson Fallujah - Anbar Non-hostile

November 2006
US Sergeant Jeannette T. Dunn Taji - Baghdad Non-hostile
US Private Reece D. Moreno Balad - Diyala Non-hostile
US Sergeant James P. Musack Samarra - Salah ad Din Non-hostile
US Specialist Eric Vizcaino Samarra - Salah ad Din Non-hostile
US Lance Corporal Kristopher C. Warren Trebil - Anbar Non-hostile
US 2nd Lieutenant Mark C. Gelina Rawah - Anbar Non-hostile
US Private Michael P. Bridges Taji - Salah ad Din Non-hostile

October 2006
US Private 1st Class Keith J. Moore Baghdad Non-hostile
US Sergeant Denise A. Lannaman Arifjan, Kuwait Non-hostile

September 2006
US Private 1st Class Christopher T. Blaney Taji - Baghdad Non-hostile
US Sergeant 1st Class Charles Jason Jones Baghdad Non-hostile
US Lieutenant Commander Jane Elizabeth Lanham Manama Non-hostile
US Sergeant James R. Worster Baghdad Non-hostile
US Specialist David J. Ramsey Spanaway, Washington Non-hostile
US Lieutenant Colonel Marshall A. Gutierrez Camp Virginia - NA Non-hostile
US Private 1st Class Hannah L. Gunterman Taji - Baghdad Non-hostile

August 2006
US Sergeant Darry Benson Camp Bucca Virginia - NA Non-hostile
US Sergeant 1st Class Ruben J. Villa Jr Dubai Non-hostile

July 2006
US Lance Corporal Geofrey R. Cayer Habbaniyah - Anbar Non-hostile
US Specialist Damien M. Montoya Baghdad Non-hostile
US Airman 1st Class Carl Jerome Ware Jr. Camp Bucca (near) - Basrah Non-hostile

June 2006
US Specialist Channing G. Singletary Baghdad Non-hostile
US Sergeant Sirlou C. Cuaresma Baghdad Non-hostile
US Major Michael D. Stover Al Taqaddum - Anbar Non-hostile
US Staff Sergeant Darren Harmon Hadithah - Anbar Non-hostile

May 2006
US Sergeant Benjamin E. Mejia FOB Marez, Mosul - Ninawa Non-hostile
US Corporal Alexander J. Kolasa Baghdad Non-hostile
US Lance Corporal Adam C. Conboy Al Asad - Anbar Non-hostile
US Specialist Aaron P. Latimer Mosul - Ninawa Non-hostile

April 2006
US Specialist James W. “Will” Gardner Tall Afar - Ninawa Non-hostile - unspecified cause

February 2006
US Sergeant Dimitri Muscat Balad (military hospital) - Salah ad Din Non-hostile - unspecified injury
US Sergeant 1st Class Amos C. Edwards Jr. Ar Rutbah [nr. Jordan border] - Anbar Non-hostile - unspecified cause
US Specialist William S. Hayes III Baghdad Non-hostile - unspecified injury

Janurary 2006
US Sergeant Radhames Camilomatos Taji (NW of Baghdad) Non-hostile - unspecified injury

December 2005
US Private 1st Class Thomas C. Siekert Bayji - Salah ad Din Non-hostile - unspecified injury

November 2005
US Specialist Allen J. Knop Baghdad Non-hostile - unspecified injury
US Private Dylan R. Paytas Ba-qubah - Diyala Non-hostile - homicide

October 2005
US 1st Lieutenant Debra A. Banaszak Camp Victory Non-hostile - unspecified cause
US Staff Sergeant Lewis J. Gentry Mosul - Ninawa Non-hostile - unspecified cause
US Corporal Benjamin D. Hoeffner Ali Al Salem Air Base Non-hostile - unspecified cause
US Specialist James T. Grijalva Baghdad Non-hostile - unspecified injury
US Staff Sergeant Timothy J. Roark Balad - Salah ad Din Non-hostile - unspecified injury

September 2005
US Staff Sergeant Christopher L. Everett Camp Taqaddum (nr. Habbaniyah) - Anbar Non-hostile - unspecified accident

August 2005
US Specialist Jason E. Ames Mosul - Ninawa Non-hostile - unspecified cause
US Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas C. Hull USS Nimitz Non-hostile - unspecified cause

July 2005
US Private 1st Class Jason D. Scheuerman Muqdadiyah - Diyala Non-hostile - unspecified cause
US Staff Sergeant Jefferey J. Farrow Camp Arifjan Non-hostile - unspecified injury
US Lance Corporal Efrain Sanchez Jr. Camp Blue Diamond (Ramadi) - Anbar Non-hostile - unspecified cause

June 2005
US Sergeant Joseph M. Tackett Baghdad (in Green Zone) Non-hostile - homicide
US Staff Sergeant Mark O. Edwards Tuz (near) - Salah ad Din Non-hostile - unspecified cause
US Captain Phillip T. Esposito FOB Danger (nr. Tikrit) - Salah ad Din Non-hostile - homicide
US 1st Lieutenant Louis E. Allen FOB Danger (nr. Tikrit) - Salah ad Din Non-hostile - homicide
US Colonel Theodore S. Westhusing Baghdad (Camp Dublin) Non-hostile - unspecified injury
US Staff Sergeant Virgil R. Case Kirkuk - At-Ta’mim Non-hostile - unspecified injury

May 2005
US Staff Sergeant Victor M. Cortes III Baghdad Non-hostile - unspecified injury
US Specialist Joshua T. Brazee Al Qaim (nr. Syrian border) - Anbar Non-hostile - unspecified injury

March 2005
US Private 1st Class Samuel S. Lee Ramadi - Anbar Non-hostile - unspecified cause

February 2005
US Specialist Michael S. Deem Baghdad Non-hostile - unspecified cause
US Specialist Justin B. Carter FOB McKenzie (Samarra) - Salah ad Din Non-hostile - unspecified cause
US Staff Sergeant William T. Robbins Taji (NW of Baghdad) - Salah ad Din Non-hostile - homicide

January 2005
US Sergeant 1st Class Mark C. Warren Kirkuk Air Base - At-Ta’mim Non-hostile - unspecified cause
US Lieutenant Commander Edward E. Jack USS Bonhomme Richard Non-hostile - unspecified
US Captain Joe Fenton Lusk II Camp Buehring Non-hostile - unspecified injury
US Sergeant Nathaniel T. Swindell Mosul - Ninawa Non-hostile - unspecified injury
US Corporal Paul C. Holter III Camp Ramadi - Anbar Non-hostile - unspecified accident
US Private 1st Class Gunnar D. Becker Mosul (near) - Ninawa Non-hostile - unspecified injury

It’s good to be king

Oh I pity these fools once I wake up!

Silenced forever…..objective achieved.

Saddam’s death paves the way for U.S. troop escalation and ensures there will be no exposure of U.S. complicity in Saddam’s crimes

The death of Saddam Hussein came at the right time for his once long-term ally, the United States. It will lead to an increase in U.S. troops and provides cover for past ties between Saddam and Washington.

Saddam’s allies promised retaliation and more violence for the death of Saddam. And, the morning of Saddam’s death saw an immediate surge in violence. As the NY Times reports, “Within hours of the execution, at least 75 people were killed in nine bombing attacks of the kind that Sunni insurgents commonly carry out against Shiites. In the mainly Shiite districts of Hurriyah and Sayidah in Baghdad, separate sequences in which car bombs detonated in close succession caused at least 39 deaths. . .” By the end of the day reportedly 110 Iraqis were killed and 167 were wounded. With violence already escalating it will be hard to say whether a spike is Saddam-related, but his death will further strengthen the resolve of Sunni insurgents and make reconciliation more difficult.

Saddam’s death is likely to provide President Bush with another argument for sending tens of thousands of more American soldiers in Iraq - ‘we need the troops to stem the escalating unrest in Baghdad.’ Once again, Bush policies become self-fulfilling as the age-old truth shows its reality - violence begets violence - escalation in the language of surge. There are good arguments that this is one more step on the road to an attack on Iran. See http://democracyrising.us/content/view/694/164/.

But also Saddam’s death comes just in time to avoid a trial that could have embarrassed the United States. In April 2006 “the Iraq tribunal . . . announced new criminal charges against Saddam Hussein and six others for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity in the 1980s crackdown against the Kurds, including the gassing of thousands of civilians in the village of Halabja.”

Read more at OpEd News

Crime, rape, traffic accidents, pollution, noise, loss of prime real estate…..this is what over 700 U.S. bases around the world bring to foreign nations…. and we wonder why people hate Americans.

A lawyer for a Filipina raped by a US marine has called for the impeachment of the Philippine president for allowing the transfer of the soldier to US custody pending his final appeal against his 40-year jail sentence.

Evalyn Ursua, who represented the woman raped by Lance Corporal Daniel Smith, said she would file a criminal complaint on Tuesday against key presidential aides and public officials, including the interior and justice ministers.

Ursua said Smith’s transfer after a month in a local jail would violate an order of the appeal court and a suburban Manila court which had ordered his detention in a jail in the capital while he appealed against his conviction.

The government allowed Smith to be transferred to the US embassy on Friday to diffuse tensions with its most important ally, but the plan could backfire on Gloria Arroyo, the president.

Read more here

Good luck to you in your retirement Senator Sarbanes!

WASHINGTON // As a freshman congressman, he introduced the first article of impeachment against President Richard M. Nixon. As a veteran senator, he responded to corporate scandals by guiding a landmark reform package to passage.
But as he reflects on 36 years in Washington, Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes becomes most animated as he recalls a dredging project in the Chesapeake Bay.

It was the mid-1990s. The port of Baltimore required regular dredging to keep channels clear for commercial shipping. But opposition was growing to the practice of dumping the dredge spoil in deeper waters.

Eventually, the sides hit on the idea of using it to rebuild eroding Poplar Island. The work would keep the bay open to shipping while restoring a habitat then on the verge of extinction. The senior senator from Maryland helped to sharpen the details and shepherded the project through Congress.

Read more at The Baltimore Sun

UAE TO DUMP DOLLARS FOR EUROS

BUDGET AIRLINE TO TAKE ON WORLD

DEMOCRATS ETHICS PROPOSALS WEAKER THAN SOME STATES

USC REPORTEDLY DENIES BUSH ROSE BOWL PASS

THE GREAT GAME ON A RAZOR’S EDGE

HOLY WARRIORS SET SIGHTS ON IRAN

U.S. CONDEMNS ISRAEL’S DEVELOPMENT OF MASKIOT SETTLEMENT

SLOVENIA ADOPTS EURO

NEW STATES JOIN THE EU

JORDAN KING COMPLAINS OF ISRAELI ODORS

BRAZIL’S SILVA VOWS TO HELP THE POOR

2006 DEADLIEST YEAR FOR REPORTERS

Ugh……

Former Interior Secretary Gale Norton has become the latest former Bush administration official to take a high paying job in the private sector for a company that deals directly with her former department.

Norton has accepted a position with Shell Oil as general counsel for exploration, production and unconventional resources. The company said today that in this role Norton will provide and coordinate legal services for Shell.

As secretary, Norton played a vital role in implementing the Bush administration’s agenda to open up more government land to oil and gas drilling. Norton often touted the benefits of opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling.

Read more here