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This Week with George Stephanopoulos notes the passings of former Florida Senator Paula Hawkins, banking executive and junk bond king Fred Joseph and actor and D-Day at Normandy veteran Richard Todd. In addition, the Pentagon released the names of five servicemembers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army PFC Michael A Rogers, 23, of White Sulphur Springs, MT
Navy PO3 David M Mudge, 22, of Sutherlin, OR
Army PFC Derrick D Gwaltney, 21, of Cape Coral, FL
Marine LCpl Jonathan A Taylor, 22, of Jacksonville, FL
Army SGT Kenneth R Nichols Jr, 28, of Chrisman, IL

According to iCasualties, this brings the total number of allied soldiers killed in Iraq to 4,685; in Afghanistan, 1,535. During this same period, Iraq Body Count lists the deaths of 39 Iraqi civilians. Sadly, there is no site that I have found listing the civilian deaths in Afghanistan, but per Wikipedia, there were 1,013 civilian deaths in Afghanistan for the first six months of this year, and it is projected to top that number for the second half.

Boy, that's a pretty big jump. The new numbers include deaths indirectly caused by flu complications like pneumonia:

Swine flu has killed nearly 4,000 people in the US, including 540 children, officials said after devising a new counting method.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the new system is based on more precise figures provided by 10 states.

The previous estimated death toll from the H1N1 virus in the US was 672.

Latest figures show about 22 million Americans contracted the virus in six months with some 98,000 hospitalised.

"This is just the first six months and I am expecting all of these numbers, unfortunately, to continue to rise," said Dr Anne Schuchat of the CDC.

She said that, although still imprecise, the new statistics provide "a bigger picture of what has been going on in the first six months of the pandemic".

The CDC now estimates that 3,900 people in the US have died from the virus in the past six months.

Dr Schuchat said that in children under 18, an estimated eight million have had swine flu, with 36,000 hospitalised and 540 deaths.

The new estimated death toll for children is four times higher than the previous estimate.

"We will be updating the toll that the pandemic has taken... about every three to four weeks," she said.

What is it about Democratic hawks that makes them so indistinguishable from Republican hawks? From the AP:

Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy said a strategy decision on new deployments involving the U.S. and other troop-contributing nations would be made within the next few weeks, according to an official transcript released Saturday.

Flournoy, the Pentagon's policy chief, led a U.S. delegation that briefed NATO ambassadors Thursday on the Obama administration's review of the Afghan war. Officials released a transcript of her remarks from that meeting.

"No one is talking about leaving Afghanistan, or even standing pat. We are increasing our commitment and we're talking about how best to do that with both civilian and military resources," Flournoy was quoted as telling NATO ambassadors.

Tell me, Ms. Flournoy, how many thousands of troops NATO is going to be providing, given their limited participation to date and their nations' people also coming out more and more against further involvement in Afghanistan? How many more years, how many more deaths, how many more billions will it take before Afghanistan is "secure"? Honestly, someone needs to clue in Ms. Flournoy about the failed wisdom of following in the footsteps of the "stupidest guy on the face of the planet."

I have never understood the grasping need of Dem politicians to be viewed as being as tough as - and often, as foolish - Repub politicians when it comes to issues of national security. Afghanistan is not vital to American security interests - going after al Qaeda is, and they're in Pakistan. We need a strategy of containment rather than one of nation-building - we can't afford the current strategy, and it's overdue for a change.

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(Laying the Cornerstone for the UN Building October 24, 1949)

Further evidence it's impossible to find a week where nothing happened. I've tried. Sixty years ago this week we had deaths, inquiries, strikes, political aspirations and the laying of the cornerstone for construction of the United Nations building in New York. President Truman added his two cents.

Pres. Truman: “I should like to speak of one other problem, which is of major concern to the United Nations. That is the control of atomic energy. The establishment of the United Nations Atomic Energy Committee . . . Commission was one of the first acts of the first session of the General Assembly. That commission worked for three years on the problem. It developed a plan of control which reflected valuable contributions by almost every country represented on the commission. This is a good plan. We support this plan. And will continue to support it unless or until a better or more effective plan is put forward.”

All in all - just another week that wound up on October 29th. And we somehow survived.

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It looks like David Gregory is reading C&L and many other blogs because I've been saying that for the cost of the wars, America would have health care bought and paid for. David Gregory finally asked a Republican the same question. This clip also shows that republicans are living in a land far, far from reality if they actually go on TV and say Americans aren't dying because they have no health care.

David writes: Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) told NBC's David Gregory that the war in Afghanistan is a "necessity" but health care reform is not as important.

"And is it a necessity to tackle the fact that there are more and more Americans who die because they don't have access to health insurance?" asked Gregory.

Kyl disagreed with the premise of the question. "I'm not sure that it's a fact that more and more people die because they don't have health insurance. But because they don't have health insurance, the care is not delivered in the best and most efficient way," said Kyl.

Talking Points Memo notes that it is indeed a fact that Americans die from a lack of health insurance.

I imagine Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) -- of "Republicans want you to die quickly" fame -- might have a field day with this one.

And for the record, a highly-publicized Harvard study released last month said that 45,000 deaths are linked to lack of health insurance coverage each year -- and that uninsured, working-age Americans have a 40 percent higher death risk than their privately-insured counterparts.

It would have been nice if Gregory followed up and asked Kyl to back up why he thinks Americans aren't dying over health care. That's what he does week after week. Show quotes and news reports to back up his questions, but to just let Kyl ignore the premise of the question is ridiculous. Gregory knows thousands are dying every month. It's not a secret or some super duper liberal code word. And the country shouldn't be spending blood and treasure on the two Bush wars like it is and the country knows it too.

But I don't want to focus on Gregory too much because at least he asked the question. Sen. Kyl is either a stone cold liar or really is that ignorant.
(David helped me with this post)

Attytood: What's 100,000 or so deaths "to retain political and professional credibility"?

We are Respectable Negroes: A new low for Glenn Beck (for now), and the discreet charm of Ayn Rand.

Beggars Can Be Choosers: GOP Politicians are okay with tax-funded health care - but only for themselves.

Group News Blog: Reviewing my presidential wish list.

Majikthise: Wilkins Coffee ads as a metaphor for U.S. foreign policy.

SteveAudio: R.I.P. Bob Bogle.

Guest post by Batocchio. Temporarily e-mail tips to batocchio9 AT yahoo DOT com. Thanks!

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This Week with George Stephanopoulos marks the passings of historian Ernest May, actor David Carradine, and women's health provider Dr. George Tiller (and shame on ABC/This Week for the label of "abortion doctor"). The Pentagon this week has released the names of 12 servicemembers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army PVT Thomas E Lee, III, 20, of Dalton, GA
Army PVT Bradley W Iorio, 19, of Galloway, NJ
Army SPC Samuel D Stone, 20, of Port Orchard, WA
Army SPC Marko M Samson, 30, of Columbus, OH
Marine LCpl Matthew G Reza, 27, of Austin, TX
Army SSG Jeffrey A Hall, 28, of Huntsville, AL
Army PFC Matthew D Ogden, 33, of Corpus Christi, TX
Army PFC Matthew W Wilson, 19, of Miller, MO
Army SGT Justin J Duffy, 31, of Cozad, NE
Army SPC Roberto A Hernandez II, 21, of Far Rockaway, NY
Army SPC Jarrett P Griemel, 20, of La Porte, TX
Army SPC Christopher M Kurth, 23, of Alamogordo, NM

The number of allied forces killed in Iraq now totals 4,629, in Afghanistan, 1,174. During this same week, Iraq Body Count lists the deaths of 55 Iraqi civilians. For the month of May, 344 Iraqi civilians were killed, including 15 children.

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Now here is a disturbing story:

Federal authorities in Utah are searching for a man who allegedly made threats against President Obama.

Daniel James Murray has been charged with making threats against Obama, after telling a bank teller he was part of a "mission" to kill the president. The Secret Service says Murray has at least eight registered firearms. His whereabouts are unknown.

Murray entered Zion's First National Bank in St. George, Utah, May 19, to open a savings account with an $85,000 check, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Salt Lake City today.

Murray allegedly asked if the bank was solvent and then stated, according to the complaint, "With all this mess going on under President Obama with banks and the economy, I'm sure if citizens happen to lose their money, they will rise up and we could see killing and deaths."

Sounds like someone who's been watching Glenn Beck, doesn't it?

On May 27, the complaint states, Murray came back to withdraw $12,698 from his savings account. He did not have proper identification and was told he needed it to complete the transaction. He allegedly said, "Not to be disrespectful, but if I don't get this money, someone is going to die."

The bank manager allowed the transaction, and Murray allegedly demanded bills smaller than $50 in non-sequential order.

Murray then said, "We are on a mission to kill the president of the United States," according to the complaint.

Murray told the teller during that visit, the complaint added, "We are 94 million miles from the sun, and are in-between the sun and moon, and the eagle that flies between them, and it's a giant step for mankind. ... I have traveled thousands of miles to be here and know things that are going to happen. ... The banking system will fail and people will die. ... There will be chaos in the world."

The next day, according to the complaint, Murray withdrew the remaining $72,000 and closed his account.

But perhaps the most disturbing part of the whole story is this:

A Secret Service spokesman said there will be no further comment on the case because it involves protective intelligence.

"This is one of a gazillion cases," the spokesman told ABC News. "It's not that out of the ordinary. We see this day in and day out."

Somehow, I find that less than comforting.

The Salt Lake Tribune has more.

[Ed. note: Please welcome to the C&L team our old friend Ian Welsh, whose work from the Agonist and FDL many of you many know. Ian will be writing whatever he chooses, but that usually means economics and international politics.]

It's Memorial Day. I gather for many it's just another long weekend, but I know that for many it's what Remembrance Day is for Canadians like myself: a day to remember those who have died in war. I won't say "died to protect our freedom" or any such trite BS, because with few exceptions, most wars had nothing to do with protecting anyone's freedom, but they did die, nonetheless, for us.

Their blood is on our hands, sticky and wet, and it will never dry. Why?

Because we live in democracies. Because we elected the leaders who sent them to war. Whether you think those wars are justified, or not, at the end of the day, we bear the collective guilt of their deaths. They died due to the decisions we made, the society we live in.

Oh, we can say "I did everything I could to oppose the war", whether that's Iraq or Vietnam, or some other war. But even if that's true, well, you failed, didn't you? (Didn't I?) And so off went the young men and women, and they died, or they were maimed, or their brain case got knocked around and they came back shaking, and they wake up screaming at night, and they can't control their emotions and they'll never be the same again.

It's one of the ironies of democracy that we're all responsible, collectively, and yet each of us, individually, can say "but not me, I voted against him" or "I protested against that policy". And because it's true, each of us can feel, in the end, that the deaths and suffering caused by our society, whether in war, or through a horrific medical system, or through abuses in the penal system, aren't our fault.

But is it true? Or is it true instead, that we failed, that we support the system with both our consent and our tax dollars, and that we are therefor complicit in what it does?

I don't know. But I do know this, on this Memorial day, even if it's not a Canadian holiday, I'm thinking of those who died, both soldiers and civilian.

And at the very least, I know I failed.

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This Week with George Stephanopoulos marks the passings of former journalist and health advocate Brooke Shearer, historian David Herbert Donald and voice of Mickey Mouse Wayne Allwine.

In addition, the Pentagon released the names of 4 servicemembers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army SPC David A Schaefer Jr, 27, of Belleville, IL
Army SSG Esau I De la Pena-Hernandez, 25, of La Puente, CA
Army SGT Carlie M Lee, III, 23, of Birmingham, AL
Air Force 1st Lt Roslyn L Schulte, 25, of St. Louis, MO

According to iCasualties, the total allied forces killed in Iraq is now 4,618, in Afghanistan, 1,153. During this same week, Iraq Body Count notes the deaths of 124 Iraqi civilians.