Landstuhl clarifies press rules for aborted Obama visit
By Steve Mraz, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, August 1, 2008
LANDSTUHL, Germany Although news outlets have reported charges that Sen. Barack Obama canceled his trip to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany because the media weren't allowed to cover the event, U.S. European Command officials say plans were in place to allow limited press coverage.
All media, including local press and the more than 40 journalists accompanying the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee on his eight-day international trip last week, would have been able to photograph the Illinois senator entering and leaving the hospital, said Air Force Lt. Col. John Dorrian, a U.S. European Command spokesman.
Defense Department public affairs policy guidance on media coverage of candidates visiting military installations states "under no circumstances may a candidate receive approval to make a campaign or election-related statement or to respond to a campaign or election-related media query."
The guidance also states that "the candidate may appear on camera and in photographs as an official participant and may make a statement or answer questions about the official business being conducted."
go here for more
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=56487
Aside from McCain having two scripts ready to attack Obama no matter what he decided to do, McCain decided to not tell the truth about any of this and that's a real shame. The shame does not belong to Obama, who did't want the media with him even though he could have them there, but McCain decided to use the wounded troops no matter what happened. Sickening!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
"Agent Orange Equity Act of 2008," H.R. 6562 needs tweaking
Received by email
Hello Friends,
Please Can You Help?!
A lot of conversation has been circulating in regards to Rep. Bob Filner's (D-CA) "Agent Orange Equity Act of 2008," H.R. 6562.
Some think this will resolve the exposure to Agent Orange issues because it includes those exposed in "the inland waterways of such Republic Vietnam, the waters offshore of such Republic, and the airspace above such Republic." While this solves the problems of the "Blue Water Navy" veterans...the fact is it leaves others out such as those exposed in nearby countries such as Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Korea, Okinawa, the Phillipines. It also doesn't include other areas through which large quantities of Agent Orange were shipped (and used) such as Guam & even right here on military bases in the U.S.
I think the saddest part about herbicide issues/exposures is the fact
that so many years has gone by, too many lives lost & so little has
changed. The cases are presented, the facts are there to back them
up, but no justice prevails. Somehow, together we must find a way to
change that!
Please Can You Help?!
HELPPP!, the Herbicide Exposure Legislative Proposal & Promotion Program, is a Yahoo Group created with the purpose and mission of establishing a forum to support and advance the passage of legislation submitted by Blue Water Navy veterans and introduced in the Congress by the Chairman, House Committee on Veterans Affairs.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AgentOrange-DioxinExposureBill-HELPP/
The Group includes all those exposed to Agent Orange and other herbicides: While serving in the Military or as a civilian, in combat or in direct support of combat, from any service, including but not limited to Blue and Brown Water Navy, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Okinawa, Guam, Korea, and the Philippines or other places from the Lane Evan's list and/updates from 'The History of the US Department of Defense Programs for the Testing, Evaluation, and Storage of Tactical Herbicides by Alvin Young', between 1962 and 1975, during the period known as the Vietnam War, the War in Indochina, or the War in Southeast Asia.
The Group does not segment, discriminate, or differentiate between services, categories of service, countries, MOS, or rank and will not discuss political parties, candidates, or other subjects other than to determine legislative sponsors, co-sponsors, and strategies to ensure passage of this legislation submitted to clarify the service-connection of veterans as it applies to P.L. 102-4, the Agent Orange Act of 1991.
Bush threatens to veto veterans again!
Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report
Administration News White House Threatens To Veto $118.7B Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill
[Jul 31, 2008]
The White House on Wednesday said that President Bush will veto a $118.7 billion fiscal year 2009 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations bill (HR 6599) unless Congress finds $2.9 billion in offsets in other appropriations bills to meet the overall spending level he requested, CQ Today reports. In addition, in the event that Congress cannot find the offsets, Bush might veto the other 11 appropriations bills, the White House said. The Military Construction-VA appropriations bill includes $72.2 billion in discretionary spending, an $8.8 billion increase from FY 2008 and $3.4 billion more than President Bush requested (Johnson, CQ Today, 7/30). The bill would provide VA with $47.7 billion in discretionary spending. Under the legislation, VA would receive a $4.6 billion increase in discretionary spending from FY 2008 and $2.9 billion more than Bush requested.
The White House Office of Management and Budget in a letter said, "If Congress determines that additional resources above the president's request are needed, Congress must provide reductions in other appropriations bills to offset this increase and meet the president's top line (discretionary spending cap) of $991.6 billion," adding, "If Congress ... does not offset this increase with spending reductions in other bills, the president will veto any of the other bills that exceed his request until Congress demonstrates a path to reach the president's top line." According to the letter, the current spending level for VA is "104% above the level when the president took office" and "provides ample resources to ensure veterans receive the quality care they deserve" (Sanchez, CongressDaily, 7/30).
Comments
House Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chair Chet Edwards (D-Texas) said, "I do not understand the values that would suggest, during a time of war, we provide tax breaks for people making over $1 million a year, but we cannot afford to provide the health care our veterans deserve and the housing our troops need. I believe our veterans, military families and the American family will be as offended by this veto threat as I am" (CQ Today, 7/30).
A Democratic aide to the House Appropriations Committee said, "This Congress is dedicated to meeting the needs of our nation's veterans, no matter the political maneuvering of a callous president," adding, "Veterans are not political bargaining chips" (CongressDaily, 7/30).
go here for more
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=53627
UPDATE 8/1/08
This was on the Huffington Post claiming Bush did not threaten Veto on this. Your guess is as good as mine.
Administration News White House Threatens To Veto $118.7B Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill
[Jul 31, 2008]
The White House on Wednesday said that President Bush will veto a $118.7 billion fiscal year 2009 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations bill (HR 6599) unless Congress finds $2.9 billion in offsets in other appropriations bills to meet the overall spending level he requested, CQ Today reports. In addition, in the event that Congress cannot find the offsets, Bush might veto the other 11 appropriations bills, the White House said. The Military Construction-VA appropriations bill includes $72.2 billion in discretionary spending, an $8.8 billion increase from FY 2008 and $3.4 billion more than President Bush requested (Johnson, CQ Today, 7/30). The bill would provide VA with $47.7 billion in discretionary spending. Under the legislation, VA would receive a $4.6 billion increase in discretionary spending from FY 2008 and $2.9 billion more than Bush requested.
The White House Office of Management and Budget in a letter said, "If Congress determines that additional resources above the president's request are needed, Congress must provide reductions in other appropriations bills to offset this increase and meet the president's top line (discretionary spending cap) of $991.6 billion," adding, "If Congress ... does not offset this increase with spending reductions in other bills, the president will veto any of the other bills that exceed his request until Congress demonstrates a path to reach the president's top line." According to the letter, the current spending level for VA is "104% above the level when the president took office" and "provides ample resources to ensure veterans receive the quality care they deserve" (Sanchez, CongressDaily, 7/30).
Comments
House Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chair Chet Edwards (D-Texas) said, "I do not understand the values that would suggest, during a time of war, we provide tax breaks for people making over $1 million a year, but we cannot afford to provide the health care our veterans deserve and the housing our troops need. I believe our veterans, military families and the American family will be as offended by this veto threat as I am" (CQ Today, 7/30).
A Democratic aide to the House Appropriations Committee said, "This Congress is dedicated to meeting the needs of our nation's veterans, no matter the political maneuvering of a callous president," adding, "Veterans are not political bargaining chips" (CongressDaily, 7/30).
go here for more
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=53627
UPDATE 8/1/08
This was on the Huffington Post claiming Bush did not threaten Veto on this. Your guess is as good as mine.
House set to pass budget bill today before recess
ANDREW TAYLOR August 1, 2008 07:41 AM EST
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WASHINGTON — The House took up its first spending bill Thursday after weeks of delays that have left efforts to pass next year's Cabinet budgets in shambles. The bill is slated to pass on Friday as the House leaves Washington for a five-week recess.
The measure _ one of just a handful that may become law before Congress adjourns for elections _ awards generous increases for veterans medical care and military base construction and base closures. It is easily the most bipartisan of the 12 annual appropriations bills since it funds politically sacred veterans accounts, despite exceeding President Bush's already generous budget increase for veterans and military construction by $3.4 billion.
The measure calls for increasing spending on Veterans Administration health programs by $3.1 billion over current levels, some 9 percent. A $1.8 billion increase for military base construction is 20 percent above current levels. There's also a $2 billion increase in base closure accounts for items such as improving conditions at bases slated for troop increases and assisting states and localities in preparing closed bases for economic development projects and other uses.
Despite the increases, the White House has not threatened a veto, even though Bush has taken pride in clamping down on domestic spending accounts funded by Congress each year and generally has promised to veto bills that exceed his request.
go here for more
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20080801/congress-spending/
DoD official Michael Dominguez booted from sex assault hearing
DoD official booted from sex assault hearing
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jul 31, 2008 14:19:16 EDT
The Pentagon’s No. 2 personnel and readiness official was admonished and dismissed from a House subcommittee hearing on sexual assault in the military Thursday after admitting that he had directed a key subordinate not to appear.
“Mr. Dominguez, I notice that Dr. Kaye Whitley is not in her chair,” said Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass., and chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s national security and foreign affairs panel. “Is it under your direction that she has not shown for testimony this morning?”
“Ah, yes sir,” replied Michael Dominguez, principal deputy under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
“Do you have an executive privilege to assert?” asked Tierney.
“Ah, no sir,” Dominguez replied.
“Mr. Dominguez, this is an oversight hearing,” Tierney said. “It’s an oversight hearing on sexual assault in the military. As such, we thought it was proper to hear from the director of the Defense Department’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. ... Inexplicably, the Defense Department — and you, apparently — have resisted.”
Tierney said Whitley would be subpoenaed and that Dominguez’s decision showed disrespect to the two women who had testified moments earleir — one a rape victim, one a rape/murder victim’s mother — as well as other victims and the subcommittee itself.
click post title for more
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jul 31, 2008 14:19:16 EDT
The Pentagon’s No. 2 personnel and readiness official was admonished and dismissed from a House subcommittee hearing on sexual assault in the military Thursday after admitting that he had directed a key subordinate not to appear.
“Mr. Dominguez, I notice that Dr. Kaye Whitley is not in her chair,” said Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass., and chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s national security and foreign affairs panel. “Is it under your direction that she has not shown for testimony this morning?”
“Ah, yes sir,” replied Michael Dominguez, principal deputy under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
“Do you have an executive privilege to assert?” asked Tierney.
“Ah, no sir,” Dominguez replied.
“Mr. Dominguez, this is an oversight hearing,” Tierney said. “It’s an oversight hearing on sexual assault in the military. As such, we thought it was proper to hear from the director of the Defense Department’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. ... Inexplicably, the Defense Department — and you, apparently — have resisted.”
Tierney said Whitley would be subpoenaed and that Dominguez’s decision showed disrespect to the two women who had testified moments earleir — one a rape victim, one a rape/murder victim’s mother — as well as other victims and the subcommittee itself.
click post title for more
Children see man decapitate fellow passenger on Greyhound bus in Canada
Children see man decapitate fellow passenger on Greyhound bus in Canada
Elana Schor in Washington The Guardian, Friday August 1 2008
It came out of nowhere, passengers on the Canadian Greyhound bus said. A young man was sleeping, head against the window, when the man sitting next to him began stabbing and then decapitating him as other travellers looked on in horror.
The grisly and apparently random evening attack, on a bus bound for Winnipeg, ended with police apprehending the assailant hours later.
The 37 passengers who witnessed the carnage, including several children, were left to relay their shocking tale of the man wearing sunglasses who suddenly pulled out a hunting knife.
"We heard this blood-curdling scream and turned around, and the guy was standing up, stabbing this guy sitting next to him repeatedly, like 40 or 50 times," passenger Garnet Caton told the Canadian press.
"When he was attacking him, he was calm - it was like he was at the beach," added Caton, who was sitting in front of the victim. "There was no rage or anything. He was just like a robot stabbing the guy."
Elana Schor in Washington The Guardian, Friday August 1 2008
It came out of nowhere, passengers on the Canadian Greyhound bus said. A young man was sleeping, head against the window, when the man sitting next to him began stabbing and then decapitating him as other travellers looked on in horror.
The grisly and apparently random evening attack, on a bus bound for Winnipeg, ended with police apprehending the assailant hours later.
The 37 passengers who witnessed the carnage, including several children, were left to relay their shocking tale of the man wearing sunglasses who suddenly pulled out a hunting knife.
"We heard this blood-curdling scream and turned around, and the guy was standing up, stabbing this guy sitting next to him repeatedly, like 40 or 50 times," passenger Garnet Caton told the Canadian press.
"When he was attacking him, he was calm - it was like he was at the beach," added Caton, who was sitting in front of the victim. "There was no rage or anything. He was just like a robot stabbing the guy."
The severed head of the victim, described as in his 20s, was then displayed to the stunned passengers.
go here for more
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/01/canada
Boyfriend held after British girl's torso found in case in Brazil
Boyfriend held after British girl's torso found in case in Brazil
· Police say body was chopped up in bathroom
· Alleged drug dealer said to have confessed to killing
Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro Vikram Dodd The Guardian, Friday August 1 2008
Police and firemen in Brazil are searching for the remains of a British teenager who was murdered and then dismembered, with parts of her body found in a suitcase by a riverbank.
Police say that Cara Marie Burke, 17, who was from Wandsworth, south London, was killed by her Brazilian boyfriend, who they allege has confessed to the gruesome killing.
She was killed in Goiania, a city 130 miles from the capital Brasilia, on Sunday night. Police found the victim's torso in a suitcase dumped beside a river on the city's outskirts on Monday night. They are still searching for the dead girl's head, arms and legs.
Police said yesterday they have arrested a 20-year-old, who they named as Mohammed D'Ali Carvalho dos Santos, in connection with the murder.
go here for more
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/01/internationalcrime.brazil
· Police say body was chopped up in bathroom
· Alleged drug dealer said to have confessed to killing
Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro Vikram Dodd The Guardian, Friday August 1 2008
Police and firemen in Brazil are searching for the remains of a British teenager who was murdered and then dismembered, with parts of her body found in a suitcase by a riverbank.
Police say that Cara Marie Burke, 17, who was from Wandsworth, south London, was killed by her Brazilian boyfriend, who they allege has confessed to the gruesome killing.
She was killed in Goiania, a city 130 miles from the capital Brasilia, on Sunday night. Police found the victim's torso in a suitcase dumped beside a river on the city's outskirts on Monday night. They are still searching for the dead girl's head, arms and legs.
Police said yesterday they have arrested a 20-year-old, who they named as Mohammed D'Ali Carvalho dos Santos, in connection with the murder.
go here for more
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/01/internationalcrime.brazil
UK:Ministers seek curbs on internet suicide sites
Ministers seek curbs on internet suicide sites
Websites which encourage vulnerable teenagers to kill themselves are to be blocked under plans by the Government to tackle the dozens of suicides that have been linked to internet chatrooms.
Ministers are alarmed that pages inciting young people to take their lives – and even giving advice on suicide methods – are too easily available online.
They are urging internet service providers (ISPs) to veto "harmful or distasteful" suicide sites, and to provide automatic links to such organisations as the Samaritans or ChildLine when users try to find information on suicide. ISPs already warn website managers that "offensive" material will be automatically taken down from the internet.
However, the Ministry of Justice believes more must be done. It is even examining whether the legislation controlling assisted suicide websites is strong enough.
Despite initially being linked to the social networking site Bebo, police have said that there was no internet "pact" between the 17 young people from Bridgend, north Wales, who have taken their lives since January 2007.
However, campaigners have identified 30 suicides in which the internet has played a significant role, either by providing details of how to do it or where people are encouraged by visitors to chatrooms to kill themselves.
click above for more
DAV agenda to address underfunded VA and honor Tammy Duckworth
DAV National Convention to Push for VA Funding Reform
Last update: 1:14 p.m. EDT July 30, 2008
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Presidential Candidate, Key Officials Scheduled to Address Disabled Veterans
The Disabled American Veterans will once again convene its national body to address the needs of disabled veterans, including those who have served and sacrificed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere when the organization meets at the Bally's Hotel in Las Vegas for its 87th National Convention Aug. 9-12.
More than 4,000 DAV delegates will review important legislative initiatives aimed at building better lives for disabled veterans and their families. The major issues to be addressed by the Convention include the need to improve mental health care for the psychologically wounded and their families, eliminating the lengthy delays veterans encounter when submitting disability claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs and guarantying full funding for veterans health care.
The 1.4 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit organization founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932, represents this nation's wartime disabled veterans. It is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for our nation's disabled veterans and their families. For more information, visit the organization's Web site www.dav.org.
SOURCE Disabled American Veterans
click post title for more
Last update: 1:14 p.m. EDT July 30, 2008
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Presidential Candidate, Key Officials Scheduled to Address Disabled Veterans
The Disabled American Veterans will once again convene its national body to address the needs of disabled veterans, including those who have served and sacrificed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere when the organization meets at the Bally's Hotel in Las Vegas for its 87th National Convention Aug. 9-12.
More than 4,000 DAV delegates will review important legislative initiatives aimed at building better lives for disabled veterans and their families. The major issues to be addressed by the Convention include the need to improve mental health care for the psychologically wounded and their families, eliminating the lengthy delays veterans encounter when submitting disability claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs and guarantying full funding for veterans health care.
A special moment will be the presentation of the DAV's Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year Award to Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth, whose remarkable accomplishments in service to veterans, despite suffering a double amputation and other grievous wounds during combat duty in Iraq, inspired the nation and advanced the causes of America's disabled veterans.
The 1.4 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit organization founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932, represents this nation's wartime disabled veterans. It is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for our nation's disabled veterans and their families. For more information, visit the organization's Web site www.dav.org.
SOURCE Disabled American Veterans
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Department of Veterans Affairs had 621,000 claims backlog
House backs VA benefits bill; No Senate bill yet
Hall and GOP challenger differ on details of plan
By Jenny Lee • Poughkeepsie Journal • July 31, 2008
Hundreds of thousands of veterans' claims could be cleared more quickly if a bill sponsored by Rep. John Hall, and passed by the House of Representatives Wednesday, is enacted.
The Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act of 2008 passed unanimously in the House Wednesday, the Dover Democrat said. The House bill has been sent to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
"The VA is in dire need of change and it is time to modernize the disability claims system," Hall said in floor debate.
As of July 26, the Department of Veterans Affairs had 621,000 of those claims pending, with almost 23 percent of them more than 6 months old. The VA's New York region had about 10,700 pending with almost 27 percent more than 6 months old.
Veterans who become paralyzed or lose their limbs in combat usually have to go through the claims process to receive compensation. Under the bill, veterans could receive payments right away for undisputed injuries, Hall said. If a veteran dies, the surviving spouse could continue with the claims process without having to start the process over, Hall said.
If the legislation does not get approved in the Senate, the number of claims could surpass one million next year, Hall said.
go here for more
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080731/NEWS01/807310335
Hall and GOP challenger differ on details of plan
By Jenny Lee • Poughkeepsie Journal • July 31, 2008
Hundreds of thousands of veterans' claims could be cleared more quickly if a bill sponsored by Rep. John Hall, and passed by the House of Representatives Wednesday, is enacted.
The Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act of 2008 passed unanimously in the House Wednesday, the Dover Democrat said. The House bill has been sent to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
"The VA is in dire need of change and it is time to modernize the disability claims system," Hall said in floor debate.
As of July 26, the Department of Veterans Affairs had 621,000 of those claims pending, with almost 23 percent of them more than 6 months old. The VA's New York region had about 10,700 pending with almost 27 percent more than 6 months old.
Veterans who become paralyzed or lose their limbs in combat usually have to go through the claims process to receive compensation. Under the bill, veterans could receive payments right away for undisputed injuries, Hall said. If a veteran dies, the surviving spouse could continue with the claims process without having to start the process over, Hall said.
If the legislation does not get approved in the Senate, the number of claims could surpass one million next year, Hall said.
go here for more
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080731/NEWS01/807310335
Iraq's Burn Unit Working Miracles at military base
Iraq's Burn Unit Working Miracles
Tough Volunteers At Military Base Have Helped Heal At Least 1,000 Iraqi Children
SCANIA BASE, Iraq, July 31, 2008
(CBS) Sgt. Joe Barzeski is the closest thing in Central Iraq to a miracle worker.
And 11-year-old Ali is going to need a miracle to get over burns from a kerosene stove.
When starting the treatment, Barzeski said: "It has to come off so that the medicine will work. Plus this will get all crusty - and scab up and that will be an ugly scar."
The soldiers turn up the radio to drown out the crying, CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports. Conditions are primitive. But even so, the burn unit is filled to capacity.
It's tucked away on a U.S. base that's known as the biggest gas station in Iraq. It's where military convoys refuel.
While on the far side, Iraqi families - as many as 80 a day - wait patiently to be admitted to a clinic that's more MASH unit than E.R.
Barzeski had no medical training before he joined the Army - so he's been learning on the job.
go here for more
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/31/eveningnews/main4312349.shtml
Tough Volunteers At Military Base Have Helped Heal At Least 1,000 Iraqi Children
SCANIA BASE, Iraq, July 31, 2008
(CBS) Sgt. Joe Barzeski is the closest thing in Central Iraq to a miracle worker.
And 11-year-old Ali is going to need a miracle to get over burns from a kerosene stove.
When starting the treatment, Barzeski said: "It has to come off so that the medicine will work. Plus this will get all crusty - and scab up and that will be an ugly scar."
The soldiers turn up the radio to drown out the crying, CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports. Conditions are primitive. But even so, the burn unit is filled to capacity.
It's tucked away on a U.S. base that's known as the biggest gas station in Iraq. It's where military convoys refuel.
While on the far side, Iraqi families - as many as 80 a day - wait patiently to be admitted to a clinic that's more MASH unit than E.R.
Barzeski had no medical training before he joined the Army - so he's been learning on the job.
go here for more
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/31/eveningnews/main4312349.shtml
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