It seems that on Saturday Brian Murphy of the Associated Press is reporting that the US has removed uranium from Iraq.

The removal of 550 metric tons of "yellowcake" — the seed material for higher-grade nuclear enrichment — was a significant step toward closing the books on Saddam's nuclear legacy. It also brought relief to U.S. and Iraqi authorities who had worried the cache would reach insurgents or smugglers crossing to Iran to aid its nuclear ambitions.

So?  So, the denizens of redstate.com are taking this effort as validation of Bush's invasion!    More in "there's moresville"...

It's refreshing to see that some businesses are doing well in today's economy.  Perhaps the most success venture going today is the pawn shop.  From Peoria to Pasadena,  pawn shops are seeing a boom in clients.

The folks at RedState have a new slogan:

The Republican Party must reclaim its rightful mantle as the leading champion of Freedom of Choice.

If you can handle that little taste of cognitive dissonance, if you're sitting down and relaxed, then cross over to the land of there's more.

It's Monday, and that means everybody supports the troops!  Here at NFTT (Netroots For The Troops), we're we're preparing care packages to ship to soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.  

It warms my heart to know that people take the time, money, and effort to pack and ship a box 8000 miles across barren land with only the hope that it bring a smile to someone's face. You will never know how much your support means to all of us, how a bite into your favorite candy bar can bring you home.

That's from a letter a soldier sent to a perfect stranger who shipped him a care package.  A little comfort can go a long way.  You know you want to be a part of that comfort, so give us a little time and/or a little money.

And speaking of money, I'll put some where my mouth is. I'll match the first $500 donated today. That's right.  When you chip in, I'll make it double.

Please join me over in "There's Moresville" (sorry, BiPM) for the details.  And, while you're at it, please recommend this diary!

Army Reserve Major Lance Waldorf passed away in Holly Township, Michigan, on Monday, 2008 June 02, from a self-inflicted gun shot wound.  He chose to take his own life in Great Lakes National Cemetery, leaving behind some photographs, a note, and his will.

There is a small but rabid following here of the prophet currently known as edscan.  Many of us edscan addicts, sometimes known as edheads, actually lead normal dailykos lives when we are beyond the walls of the edscan cathedral.  We are your friends, neighbors, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, even third cousins twice removed.  We put up with candidate wars, pie fights, pootie vs. woozle conflicts (some of us even thrive in those environments).  But we do, perhaps emotionally and irrationally, hold our time with the master as holy and sacrosanct.  So I am only gonna say this once.

Do NOT fuck with edscan's tags.

We know you want to bolt.  We know you're sick of it.  You thought this'd be such a cool job, what with the nuclear football and a personal chef who can make the best pancakes.  But it turned out to be a real pain, didn't it?

So now it's time to do what you do best.  Dine and dash, Mr. President.  Weasel out.  Slip out the side door for some fresh air, and hit the trail.

Brave Sir Robin ran away.
Bravely ran away away.
When danger reared it's ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled.
Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about
And gallantly he chickened out.

****Bravely**** taking to his feet,
He beat a very brave retreat.
Bravest of the braaaave, Sir Robin!

Almost there... almost there... just a few more hours...then, it'll be...uh, not over for another coupla months. ARRRGGG!!!!

Time for some animal shots, people!  Please!  Have you no sense of decency, at long last?

Look at the mess on your desk.  Listen to the nattering nabobs of negativism.  Where'd your friends go? Think about all those whiners outside your office, eager to waste your time with inane blather about stuff that makes you want to take a nap.  Remember why you tried to end it all?  Why don't you tell the country that you're going out for a pack of smokes?  Slip on out, and run.  You can do it.

Today is Jotter Appreciation Day, and we need to keep that High Impact Diaries diary on the rec list!

I've seen it get near the bottom of the rec list, and it's still before noon PDT.  C'mon, people.  Show jotter some love!

I just saw a hilarious David Letterman bit on alternet.  Letterman goes on a wonderful riff: "how 'bout this John McCain?"  Among the golden nuggets:

He looks like a Walmart greeter!
He's the guy who's early for the early bird special.

Please watch the vid at alternet and jump over to "there's more"

The title of a recommended diary, "The moment that put John Edwards back in the game," seems to conflict  with my "out of Kos" experience, especially today.  The "easy news" from Google suggests Edwards need not exist.  The real news is that Clinton and Obama got personal, renewed their brawl, and took the gloves off.

The great moments diaried by JedReport seem to have no standing in the news cycle of the day.

Where does this state of affairs leave Edwards supporters?  What do we do?  Continue to diary within koslandia? (yes, I see the irony)?  I say "no."  This is a TTFN diary. I have work to do, and I am way way behind.  If Edwards is to be back in the game, we have to put him there.

Many of you have followed and supported (thanks!) the story of Pretty Bird Woman House, a shelter for women on the Standing Rock reservation who have been victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.  The dailykos community has chipped in with great generosity.  However, hurdles remain for the shelter, as the city council has blocked the purchase of a house.

Please follow me over the fold for some data.

Apparently that pesky HR 888 isn't enough to save this heathen nation.  We're headed for serious trouble, people.  The rapture index has been at 161 for the whole of 2008.  And that spells doom.

In particular, we have this advice from the rapture watchers:

Rapture Index above 160: Fasten your seat belts

What is the rapture index, you might (not) ask?  From Rapture Ready

You could say the Rapture index is a Dow Jones Industrial Average of end time activity, but I think it would be better if you viewed it as prophetic speedometer. The higher the number, the faster we're moving towards the occurrence of pre-tribulation rapture.

So, at 161, Satan has his foot on the gas and the petal to the metal!  Follow the bouncing Jesus to some hilarity below.

Lots of diarists have submitted their Inevitability 2.0 stories (e.g. here), suggesting Edwards should pull out and back Obama.  We've had the seven stages of grieving repeated to us.  We've been asked to bet.  We're told that it's over.  I disagree.

I am just not ready to concede.

I have to thank thereisnospoon for a diary that is well written, thought provoking, and infuriating, all at the same time.  Sigh.  We are to believe that Congressional Democrats really have a plan that corresponds to these three steps:

(1) Stand up and talk about defying the President, correcting the course, and providing Americans with important protections,
(2) Allow the Republicans to block good legislation with no fight, and
(3) Pass crummy legislation that is no different from what the Republicans wanted.

The scary thing is that, in the short term, it just might work.

Living in fear seems to be part of today's social landscape.  But the things the government seems to want us to fear distract us from the real problems.  Today's LA Times ran an article that should scare us all.  Titled "401(k) study has bad news for young workers," the story provides the grim details of our savings for retirement.

Overall, just 36% of workers had savings in 401(k) or similar retirement plans in 2004, with participation practically disappearing among the lowest-paid workers, the Government Accountability Office reported. For those who had such retirement savings, the typical account balance was $22,800, the study found.

Follow me below the fold for more (or less).

I read a lot of polls on this site, and I enjoy them.  I also like to look at the futures markets (U. of Iowa and intrade) for a different form of information.

While the current market prices indicate Senator Clinton is in the lead, the trends are definitely favoring Senator Obama.  I've got the graph below the fold.