Obama

President Obama's award of the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday added him to a list of laureates that in addition to legendary human rights activists includes such other warmakers as Al Gore and Henry Kissinger.  However, his escalation of the war in Afghanistan--he's currently debating whether to send an additional 40,000 troops to supplement that occupation--has not made him popular in the Twin Cities on this, the 8th anniversary of that war's beginning.

On Wednesday - as some do every Wednesday at evening rush hour - people gathered at the Lake Street/Marshall Avenue bridge to bear witness to the war, which in Afghanistan has killed unknown thousands of civilians and 869 U.S. soldiers. "For 8 years, the people of Afghanistan have suffered attacks on their families and the destruction of their homes and villages. We say this is 8 years too many!" declared a statement by the vigil organizers.

Related: Rochester IMC | Washington, DC (1, 2, 3) | New York City | San Francisco | Minneapolis: March October 17 | Recruiting Station Cleared Out

From the OpEdNews, http://www.opednews.com/articles/Obama-Westerwelle-and-Af-by-Ann-Garriso...

A man who self-identifies as "Chris" is receiving criticism as well as praise for his actions at an Obama town-hall style event in Phoenix Arizona.  Chris attended protests outside the rally with an AR-15 semi-automatic battle rifle.  The rifle was carried in accordance with open carry laws and was completely legal. 

The West African Gulf of Guinea is not only oil rich, but also the corridor for transporting West African oil to the rest of the world. Controlling the Gulf of Guinea is a principal goal of AFRICOM,  the U.S. Africa Command.

Cross post from Examiner.com, http://www.examiner.com/x-8257-SF-Energy-Policy-Examiner~y2009m6d7-Gaza

"This is America!  We figured out how to put a man on the moon in ten years. You can't tell me we can't figure out how to burn coal, that we mine right here in the United States of America, and make it work!"

A race car sponsored by the Indiana National Guard was the first to crash today, 05/23/2009, in the Indianapolis 500, not long after the opening ceremony to honor America's veterans, including a speech by General Craig McKinley, a three-volley salute, and the national anthem sung by a member of Indiana's Guard. 

The Indiana Guard sponsored two Indy500 race cars, to promote itself, and encourage recruitment, this year. The 1313th Engineer company just deployed to Iraq, after a send-off party at East High School in Columbus, Indiana.