Battling the Jesus freaks . . . with science!

Bill Nye, the harmless children's edu-tainer known as "The Science Guy," managed to offend a select group of idiot adults in Waco when he suggested that the moon does not emit light. As even most elementary-school graduates know, the moon reflects the light of the sun but produces no light of its own. But don't tell that to the good people of Waco, who were "visibly angered by what some perceived as irreverence," according to the Waco Tribune. Nye was in town to participate in McLennan Community College's Distinguished Lecture Series. He gave two lectures on such unfunny and adult topics as global warming, Mars exploration, and energy consumption. But nothing got people as riled as when he brought up Genesis 1:16, which reads: "God made two great lights -- the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars." The lesser light, he pointed out, is not a light at all, but only a reflector. At this point, several people in the audience stormed out in fury. One woman yelled "We believe in God!" and left with three children, thus assuring that people across America would read about the incident and conclude that Waco is as nutty as they'd always suspected.

Hey watch it Nye! It's in the Bible so it has to be true!

Afghani who saved Navy Seal under constant threat

Gulab says he 'sacrificed everything' to save the American

"Even with all the troubles that followed, Mohammad Gulab says he's still glad he saved the U.S. Navy SEAL. "I have no regrets for what I did," the 32-year-old Afghan told NEWSWEEK recently. "I'm proud of my action." Nevertheless, he says, "I never imagined I would pay such a price." Last June, foraging for edible plants in the forest near his home in the Kunar-province village of Sabray, Gulab discovered a wounded commando, the lone survivor of a four-man squad that had been caught in a Taliban ambush. Communicating by hand signs, Gulab brought the injured stranger home, fed and sheltered him for two days and helped contact a U.S. rescue team to airlift him out".

Why haven't we relocated this man and his family to the United States?

"Uranium from Africa"

"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa". George W. Bush in the 2003 "State of the Union" address, repeating what he knew was a lie.

"TWO employees of the Niger embassy in Rome were responsible for the forgery of a notorious set of documents used to help justify the Iraq war, an official investigation has allegedly found. According to Nato sources, the investigation has evidence that Niger’s consul and its ambassador’s personal assistant faked a contract to show Saddam Hussein had bought uranium ore from the impoverished west African country". The documents, which emerged in 2002, were used in a US State Department fact sheet on Iraq’s weapons programme to build the case for war. They were denounced as forgeries by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) shortly before the 2003 invasion. The revelation spawned a series of conspiracy theories, most alleging that the British, Italians, or even Dick Cheney, the American vice-president, had had a hand in forging them to back the case for war. The story was still reverberating around Washington last week with claims that President George W Bush had authorised the leaking of the identity of a CIA agent whose husband cast doubt on the Niger link".

Bush used the 16 words at the top of this post in his 2003 State of the Union (SOTU) in January of 2003. Here is direct testimony from the Deputy DCI in a National Intelligence Estimate in October of 2002, three months prior to the SOTU;

"On October 2, 2002, the Deputy DCI testified before the SSCI. Senator Jon Kyl asked the Deputy DCI whether he had read the British white paper and whether he disagreed with anything in the report. The Deputy DCI testified that "the one thing where I think they stretched a little bit beyond where we would stretch is on the points about Iraq seeking uranium from various African locations. We've looked at those reports and we don't think they are very credible".

Bush was lying about Iraq trying to obtain uranium from Africa and his own intelligence reports prove that. He was going to Iraq and it didn't matter if they were truly a threat or not. He should be impeached at the very least.

March of the Seals? They can only wish they were penguins...

"The hunt is permitted about two weeks after the seal pups are born and their fur changes from white to gray. Most are killed between 12 to 25 days old". At least they are allowed to live a couple of weeks. We, as a society could never condone behavior so cruel as to kill these animals while their fur was still white. That would be uncivilized.

$13,700 an hour - Brother, can you spare a dime?

"At a town hall meeting in Ohio last Saturday, Representative Sherrod Brown of Ohio, a staunch advocate for social and economic rights--he and Bernie Sanders are the two best candidates running for Senate in 2006--railed against stagnant wages' contribution to economic hardship. "It is unacceptable that someone can work full-time--and work hard--and not be able to lift their family out of poverty." He blasted a system where a full-time worker making the minimum wage earns $10,500 annually, while "last year the CEO of Wal-Mart earned $3,500 an hour. The CEO of Halliburton earned about $8,300 an hour. And the CEO of ExxonMobil earned about $13,700 an hour."

Katrina vanden Heuvel-The Nation Damn - I guess the ExxonMobil CEO won't be worrying about gas at $3 a gallon. Matter of fact, he's looking forward to $4! [BTW, $13,700 an hour comes to about $28.5 million annually at 2,080 hours]

No Shit

U.S. Study Paints Somber Portrait of Iraqi Discord

"An internal staff report by the United States Embassy and the military command in Baghdad provides a sobering province-by-province snapshot of Iraq's political, economic and security situation, rating the overall stability of 6 of the 18 provinces "serious" and one "critical." The report is a counterpoint to some recent upbeat public statements by top American politicians and military officials. The report, 10 pages of briefing points titled "Provincial Stability Assessment," underscores the shift in the nature of the Iraq war three years after the toppling of Saddam Hussein. Warnings of sectarian and ethnic frictions are raised in many regions, even in those provinces generally described as nonviolent by American officials".

Thicker Than Oil

For fifty-five years, the United States and Saudi Arabia were solid partners. Then came the 9/11 attacks, which sorely tested that relationship. In Thicker Than Oil, Rachel Bronson reveals why the partnership became so intimate and how the countries’ shared interests sowed the seeds of today’ most pressing problem—Islamic radicalism.

DOD News Release(s)

U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060407-12783.html IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 292-06 April 7, 2006 DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier, who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Daniel L. Sesker, 22, of Ogden, Iowa, died in Bayji, Iraq on April 6, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Sesker was assigned to the Army National Guard's Troop C, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry in LeMars, Iowa. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060407-12781.html IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 290-06 April 7, 2006 DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier, who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Dustin J. Harris, 21, of Bangor, Maine, died in Bayji, Iraq on April 6, when an improvised device detonated while he was conducting dismounted patrol operations. Harris was assigned to the 172nd Brigade Support Battalion, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060407-12776.html IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 288-06 April 7, 2006 DoD Identifies Marine Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine, who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pfc. Chase A. Edwards, 19, of Lake Charles, La., died April 6 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060406-12770.html IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 284-06 April 6, 2006 DoD Identifies Marine and Sailor Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the identity of a Marine and a sailor supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, who have been listed as Duty Status -Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN) after the seven-ton truck in which they were riding rolled over in a flash flood near Al Asad, Iraq on April 2. The incident was not a result of enemy action. Lance Cpl. Eric A. Palmisano, 27, of Florence, Wis., is assigned to the 1st Transportation Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. Petty Officer 3rd Class Marcques J. Nettles, 22, of Beaverton, Ore., is assigned to Force Service Regiment 1 Fleet Marine Forces Pacific. All available resources are being used to search for the Marine and sailor. Information concerning the six Marines killed in this incident was posted at http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060405-12757.html on April 5. --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bizarre multiple murders in Ontario, Canada

Eight men were found dead in a remote part of a southwest farmer's field, prompting Ontario Provincial Police to launch a homicide investigation. The grisly discovery was made by a property owner near the village of Shedden, about 20 kilometres west of St. Thomas, at around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Then why didn't you have a news conference?

"By definition, the president cannot leak"

"A day after it was revealed that President Bush authorized the release of sensitive pre-war intelligence, his spokesman did not deny the information was leaked by the White House. But spokesman Scott McClellan said it had been declassified and was made public as a defense against allegations the intelligence was manipulated. McClellan said the information from the National Intelligence Estimate was "historical" and the public needed to know the contents..."

If Bush thought the 'public needed to know' then why didn't he have a simple news conference instead of having Libby secretly leak the information to Judy Miller? It would seem to me that if you had valuable information that the public needed to know about, you'd be happy to stand up and tell the whole country instead of giving it exclusively to some mole you have working for you at the NY Times. Keep talking, Scotty.

"I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action." [Bush Remarks: Chicago, Illinois, 9/30/03]

The Bush administration leaked far more 'manipulated' information than the recently acknowledged NIE incident: Here's a nice morsel of info. for you:

"As the war approached, the White House released other documents and statements containing allegations about Saddam's weapons and ties to terrorism, many of which included information from Iraqi defectors and other sources that already had been discredited. Among those was a document published in October 2002, titled "Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs," which was a public version of the National Intelligence Estimate's main points - but with doubts and dissents stripped out".

Let me explain those last two paragraphs to all you Bush ass-kissers. Bush not only authorized leaks, he only leaked the information that didn't contradict his lying. He was cherry picking. All you fools who fell for it should be totally embarrassed. ...You were all such weak and pathetic little sheep...

One of the 16 Seats?

"How nervous are Republicans that the Iraq war could hurt them in November? Nervous enough that Rep. Christopher Shays visited the same senior center twice in one week to defend his stand. The nine-term House veteran is in full campaign mode, explaining his unbending support for the war to confounded voters such as Anne Donnelly, a resident of the Marvin. She has supported Shays in previous elections but complained that his bullish stance on Iraq seemed at odds with news reports that portray a country in a tailspin".

Of all the congressional seats that need to be taken from Republicans this November, Christopher Shays' would be one of the last I would like to see go. He's generally very moderate but his blind faith behind Bush's ridiculous Iraq mess is more than enough reason to vote for Diane Farrell.

below freezing

Overall, do you approve, disapprove or have mixed feelings about the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president? -Approve, 36 percent (37) -Disapprove, 62 percent (60) -Mixed feelings, 2 percent (2) -Not sure, X percent (1) Thirty-Six percent... And that's before the country found out he was behind the leaks coming out of the White House! Any takers on Bush being below 32 in the next poll?

Iraqi Soldier Allegedly Kills U.S. Marine

"An Iraqi soldier allegedly shot and killed a U.S. Marine at a base near the Syrian border, the U.S. said Friday. Another American Marine then wounded the Iraqi soldier. The shootings occurred Thursday near Qaim, 200 miles west of Baghdad, the U.S. statement said. "An Iraqi army soldier allegedly shot and killed the U.S. Marine on a coalition base" near Qaim, the statement said. "The Iraqi soldier was shot by another U.S. Marine."

Not so traditional family values

"The son of [Arizona] state Senate President [Republican] Ken Bennett admitted in court Monday to assaulting middle school boys with a broomstick in their rectal areas, but a judge allowed charges against him to be reduced from 18 to one, and he may avoid jail. Three of the 18 victims, all boys between the ages of 11 and 15, are from Tucson, and the families are angry that 18-year-old Clifton Bennett and co-defendant Kyle Wheeler, 19, were not charged with sexual assault. Also, the families said Bennett is being treated favorably by the court system because of his father's position in the Legislature. Bennett's plea would allow the court to classify the aggravated-assault conviction as a misdemeanor, which means he could go on to become a teacher or counselor and would never have to disclose the so-called "brooming" incident".

Some good old family values coming out of Arizona. Son of the state's Senate President, a good traditional family-values Mormom and self-righteous Republican just out having some fun and getting an early start in his young social 'conservative' life.

The Pathological Liar

We all know a pathological liar or two in our lives. You know, the type of person who will flat-out lie and make up something and then bob and weave and try to either change the subject or try to act like their blatant lies aren't really all that important to the point they're trying to make. Scott McClellan is one of those liars. He tried to say that the NIE information that Bush ordered leaked to the NY Times by Scooter Libby had already been declassified. But poor Scotty. His previous words are public record and some savvy news reporters were sharp enough to dig up the fact that he said back on July 18, 2003 that that information "was officially declassified today". The problem with that? Scooter told Judy Miller 10 days earlier, on July 8, 2003. That information was still classified. You see, pathological liars don't have anywhere to run when they write it down or when there is a written record of their long, long record of lying. Pathological liars...You all know one. White House Caught Lying on Leak "On July 18, 2003, McClellan said that the information had been declassified that day. "It was officially declassified today," he told reporters in a briefing in Dallas, Texas. At the White House on Friday, McClellan interpreted his own remarks to mean that the information had been officially released to the public. The date could be significant because Libby discussed the information with a reporter 10 days earlier, on July 8 of that year".

Omigod! Is he really saying that to Stupid?

Yesterday morning in Charlotte, a Bush PR event on the war on terror went off-script when a man named Harry Taylor took the microphone.

"'I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration,’ Taylor said, standing in a balcony seat and looking down at Bush on stage. ‘And I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and grace to be ashamed of yourself.'"

Right on Harry! George Bush is way too stupid to feel shame, though. Thanks for reminding him. (Looks like the lady next to you is having labor pains) Helluva Job! Think Progress a little more...

Scooter Libby's Source

Libby Traces Approval of Disclosure Back to Bush

"George Bush personally authorized leaking long-classified information to a reporter in the summer of 2003 to buttress administration claims, now discredited, that Saddam Hussein was attempting to acquire weapons of mass destruction for Iraq, according to a court filing by prosecutors in the case against former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was indicted in October on charges that he lied to investigators about his role in the unmasking of former CIA operative Valerie Plame. Court papers filed by special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald late Wednesday said that before Libby's indictment, he told a federal grand jury investigating the leak that Cheney told him to pass on information about a secret National Intelligence Estimate to the press and that Bush had authorized the disclosure.

George Bush practically leaps from his desk and orders Dick Cheney to have Scooter Libby call his New York Times’ source, Judy Miller, and ‘leak’ the highly classified National Intelligence Estimate’s (NIE) report on Iraq’s 'weapons of mass destruction'. And although the NIE report had been refuted by two other agencies, Bush and Cheney knew it would sow doubt in the op-ed piece Joe Wilson had written in the NY Times just two days earlier. The president of the United States leaking classified information to some two-bit ho mole at the NY Times. That scenario was laid-out by Scooter Libby before the federal grand jury. Either Libby is lying or George Bush was lying and, more importantly, now been proven to be a source of leaking coming out of the White House. There has been no denial from the White House on this leak coming from Bush. The initial defense seems to be to that it didn’t have anything to do with the Valerie Plame investigation. What? Are we to believe that Bush ordered Libby to leak the NIE information to Judy Milller in his vain attempt to discredit Joe Wilson, but didn’t know anything about the leak from Libby, to the very same source, about Wilson’s wife? Come on. How goddamn dumb do you have to be to believe that?

The Vast Anti-Christian Conspiracy

"Blame it on the vast anti-Christian conspiracy. That was the explanation offered by U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas and his supporters last week for the whirlpool of legal difficulties that finally led the ex-leader of the Republicans in Congress to admit it was time to call it quits. The convener of a "War on Christians" conference held in the nation’s capital outrageously depicted the former House majority leader’s political plight as the unwarranted crucifixion of a Christ-like leader by God-haters. And, with his trademark gall, the infamously ethically challenged DeLay eagerly embraced this explanation when it was his turn to speak to the adoring crowd. "We have been chosen to live as Christians at a time when our culture is being poisoned and our world is being threatened," thundered the Texan pest-control entrepreneur who rose to become one of America’s most powerful politicians. "The enemies of virtue may be on the march, but they have not won. Let’s leave aside for a moment the absurdity of right-wing Christians’ persecution complex at a time when their adherents effectively control all three branches of the federal government. What’s even more confusing is how so many enemies of virtue seem to have had a field day operating under poor DeLay’s auspices, including the latest member of his staff to plead guilty to a felony. That would be Tony Rudy, DeLay’s former deputy chief of staff, who has now pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge for accepting payments from fellow criminal Jack Abramoff while serving in DeLay’s office, and later working to corrupt public officials and defraud clients. To be fair to DeLay, it should be noted that as absurd as his religious posturing may appear, it comes at a time when he has been denied the services of his onetime spiritual adviser and former chief of staff. Edwin Buckham, an evangelical minister who turned lobbyist after leaving DeLay’s staff, is himself now mired in potential legal problems stemming from Rudy’s plea bargain. A devastating article by R. Jeffrey Smith in the Washington Post last week reported that Buckham and his wife received a total of nearly a million bucks from the “nonprofit” U.S. Family Network, which he created as a front group largely funded by clients of Abramoff". Robert Scheer

What people should understand is that all Americans love true Christians. There is just a lot of people who despise the phony-Christians that dominate the right wing of politics and the Republican party in this country.

Pennsylvania, you have some work to do

Curt Weldon, 10-term Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania's 7th District and someone the country will be a whole lot better off without after he's defeated by Joe Sestak this November Democrat and Retired Adm. Joe Sestak, his wife, Susan, and 5-year-old daughter, Alexandra.

"Sitting in the oncology ward at Children's National Medical Center on Jan. 19, retired Adm. Joe Sestak and his wife, Susan, awaited the doctors' verdict about the condition of their 5-year-old daughter, Alexandra. She had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor last summer and given three to nine months to live. The Sestaks lived for four months in the ward. They watched as their daughter survived three surgeries, and as she endured chemotherapy. But that winter day, doctors told the Sestaks that Alexandra had done remarkably well and that, although the cancer could reemerge, she could resume living like a healthy girl. Relieved and grateful, Sestak, who retired as a three-star admiral Jan. 1, after 31 years in the Navy, began thinking about what he wanted to do next. "I went off to the Navy at 18. That's all I ever wanted to do," said Sestak, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He considered a position at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a private organization that aids refugees. Instead, he joined several military veterans, mostly Democrats, around the country who have decided to run for Congress this year. He's running from his hometown of Springfield, Pa."

Joe Sestak's opponent, 10-term Republican congressman, Curt Weldon, well known as "Crazy Curt' for his obsession with 'Able Danger', thinks Joe and and his wife are gaming the system by not living in Pennsylvania while their daughter received cancer treatment in Washington DC, and for not using a Pennsylvania hospital for their daughter's treatment. What a low-life creep. Pennsylvania should get rid of Weldon at the same time they get rid of Rick Santorum. The country sure could use it and Pennsylvania, you've used up all of your asshole exemptions. Here's Sestak's response to Weldon (from Atrios)

Congressman Weldon's remarks to the Hill magazine in a story published this morning regarding my daughter Alex's treatment are inappropriate. To imply, that I should have sent my daughter to a hospital in Delaware or Pennsylvania for political purposes is beyond the pale. I understand the political arena. I knew that this campaign would thrust my family into the media spotlight and we are prepared for that. But I want to make it very clear to Congressman Weldon, that any remarks regarding my daughter, Alexandra's, treatment will not be tolerated. Like many families dealing with illness, we have had our challenges in the last year. Through the grace of God, the many prayers of our friends and family, and the wonderful doctors and nurses, we have made it through this experience with our daughter Alex, who continues to inspire us everyday. Though we recognize the important work done by the many hospitals in and around Philadelphia, it was our personal choice to have Alex treated in Washington at the Children's Hospital because of its outstanding work on pediatric brain tumors. This decision was based on many things – none of which were political. This was our choice as Alex's parents and as I have said publicly, I believe these medical choices should be left in the hands of parents and family members throughout the country and not in the hands of beauracrats, special interests and especially not in the hands of politicians like Curt Weldon. The Hill via Atrios

DOD News Release(s) 8 Soldiers, 10 Marines, 1 Sailor

U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060405-12765.html IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 282-06 April 5, 2006 DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier, who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Ty J. Johnson, 28, of Elk Grove, Calif., died in Kirkuk, Iraq, on April 4, when an improvised device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Johnson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060405-12764.html IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 281-06 April 5, 2006 DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers, who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Killed were: Staff Sgt. Darrell P. Clay, 34, of Fayetteville, N.C. Sgt. Israel Devora Garcia, 23, of Clint, Texas -------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060405-12758.html IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 280-06 April 5, 2006 DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers, who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Killed were: Capt. Timothy J. Moshier, 25, of Albany, N.Y. Chief Warrant Officer Michael L. Hartwick, 37, of Orrick, Mo. They died in Baghdad Iraq on April 1, when their Apache helicopter crashed while conducting a combat air patrol. Both soldiers were assigned to the Army's 4th Battalion, 4th Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060405-12757.html IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 279-06 April 5, 2006 DoD Identifies Marine Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of six Marines, who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Cpl. Andres Aguilar Jr., 21, of Victoria, Texas Cpl. David A. Bass, 20, of Nashville, Tenn. Lance Cpl. Patrick J. Gallagher, 27, of Jacksonville, Fla. Lance Cpl. Felipe D. Sandoval-Flores, 20, of Los Angeles, Calif. Cpl. Brian R. St. Germain, 22, of Warwick, R.I. Staff Sgt. Abraham G. Twitchell, 28, of Yelm, Wash. All Marines died April 2, when the seven-ton truck they were riding in rolled over in a flash flood near Al Asad, Iraq. Aguilar was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Media with questions about Aguilar can call Marine Corps Base Hawaii Public Affairs Office at (808) 257-8871/8835. Bass, Gallagher, Sandoval-Flores and St. Germain were all assigned to elements of the 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. Media with questions about these four Marines can call the Camp Pendleton Public Affairs Office at (760) 725-5044. Twitchell was assigned to the Combat Service Support Group-1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. Media with questions about Twitchell can call the Twentynine Palms Public Affairs Office at (760) 830-5476. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060405-12756.html IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 278-06 April 5, 2006 DoD Identifies Marine Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of four Marines, who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lance Cpl. Jacob W. Beisel, 21, of Lackawaxen, Pa. Lance Cpl. Kun Y. Kim, 20, of Atlanta, Ga. Staff Sgt. Eric A. McIntosh, 29, of Trafford, Pa. Cpl. Scott J. Procopio, 20, of Saugus, Mass. Beisel died March 31 from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Kim, McIntosh and Procopio died April 2 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. All Marines were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060404-12750.html IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 274-06 April 4, 2006 DoD Identifies Navy Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Hospitalman Geovani Padilla Aleman, 20, of South Gate, Calif., died Apr. 2 as a result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was permanently assigned to Bethesda Naval Hospital, USNS Comfort Detachment and operationally assigned to Third Battalion, Eighth Marine Regiment, 2/28 Brigade Combat Team. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060403-12745.html IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 271-06 April 3, 2006 DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pfc. Jeremy W. Ehle, 19, of Richmond, Va., died on April 2 in Hit, Iraq from wounds sustained when his dismounted patrol came under enemy small arms fire during combat operations. Ehle was assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division in Friedberg, Germany. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060403-12744.html IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 270-06 April 3, 2006 DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pfc. Joseph J. Duenas, 23, of Mesa, Ariz., died in Kirkuk Province, Iraq on March 30 from non-combat related injuries while returning from combat operations. Duenas was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101 Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060403-12742.html IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 268-06 April 3, 2006 DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Staff Sgt. Robert Hernandez, 47, of Silver Spring, Md., died in Al Taquaddum, Iraq on March 28, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Hernandez was assigned to the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 318th Regiment, 1st Brigade, 80th Division (Institutional Training), Fort Meade, Md. --------------------------------------------------------------------------