(Cross-posted from the AFL-CIO
Now Blog. The ad will air on markets in Michigan and other states.)
Today the AFL-CIO launched the Union Veterans Council, bringing together veterans and members of military families to hold our leaders accountable on the issues that matter most.
The launch of the Union Veterans Council will help mobilize the more than 2.1 million union members who
are veterans to get involved in the 2008 elections and fight for the health and education benefits they deserve. These veterans will speak out to advocate policies like a fully funded Veterans Affairs (VA) and the recently passed 21st Century GI Bill.
Let us remember the real reason for Memorial Day this weekend. Thank you to all of those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice.
Fallen Patriots
by David Lawson
"Taps" drifting over carved marble stones.
Tiny flags standing in smart ranks like an honor guard
We come this day to remember those who fell
The youthful and the seasoned alike
Volunteer or conscripted, doesn't matter which
Most did not a hero's medal gain
Yet all were patriots for what they did
They went; they served and they died
Some realized glory, others saw their duty clear
Yet, not all dreamed a patriot's dream
Or really understood their country's call
But all knew well of fear and death
How shall we remember them?
By bugle strain or tear stained cheek?
Or by their bones that feed the grassy roots?
No! By the free air and soil they bought for us
At the highest price of all
But these are not alone
They have brothers and sisters
that do not sleep beneath the stones
Who also went and served
And stand now and remember
Young man, do not scoff at this remembrance
Rather, accept their gift.
They have given you the freedom to scoff if you want
But refrain and remember instead
And as you do, stand a little straighter
Turn your eyes to that banner fluttering yonder
On which they once gazed and still do
And sing the anthem loud,
For the courageous and strong have sung it before you
And were not timid in it.
Now , as you go from this hallowed place
Do not forget them that lie here
Or those that lie in places far distant
While their lives were lost,
Their gift of freedom lingers still.
(Welcome to soon-to-be-Congressman Peters! - promoted by Eric B.)
Friends,
First, I’d like to begin by thanking all of you for your support. Because of contributions from people like you, our campaign has just been ranked in CQ’s list of the top ten best funded challengers in the country. The voters in Michigan’s 9th Congressional district are tired of the failed leadership they’ve gotten from my opponent, Congressman Joe Knollenberg, for the past sixteen years, and they’re eager for a real change in Washington.
As a former Lt. Commander in the Navy, I wanted to take a moment to write to you this week as we pass the fifth anniversary of one of the most shameful moments in recent American history. On May 1st, 2003, President George W. Bush landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln, in front of the now-infamous “Mission Accomplished” banner and said these words: “My fellow Americans, major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.”
What happens when you deploy troops who have seen high intensity combat time and time again with inadequate dwell time between tours? You see skyrocketing mental health issues.
After months of investigative work, talking to our troops and veterans, we released a report on the situation at Fort Drum in Watertown, New York. Since 9/11, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team has been deployed for more than forty months, more than any other brigade in the Army, and we are seeing what is nothing short of a cry for help from the men and women on the base; a cry we will answer for the troops at bases here in Michigan as well.
A cry for help that is also coming from the leadership on the base. In a New York Times article today about our report, Major General Michael Oates, commander of the 10th Mountain Division, says: "We recognize that there is stress on our force and their families from this conflict, but until recently, we have not fully appreciated the extent of some of the mental stresses and injuries or how to best identify them." Please read the rest of the article here.
What is happening at Fort Drum -- with Soldiers still on active duty suffering from PTSD, with Soldiers and their families in need of counseling, with Soldiers literally dying while still on duty -- is going to happen all around America unless we begin to address some of the basic issues of this war. As our report explains, DoD itself has stated that the likelihood of troops having mental health problems increases by 60% with every tour of duty. So, in short, through ourdeployment policies, we are consciously compounding the wounds of war.
This is unacceptable to us. Veterans for America's Wounded Warrior Outreach Program will continue to address these problems from the bottom up.
We are going to go to as many bases as we can afford to go to, see what is happening on those bases and see how we can help. If you can help us, we would greatly appreciate it.
We are going to continue our Wounded Warrior Registry Outreach -- if you or someone you know needs help getting help with PTSD or TBI, please click here.
And above all, we are going to continue to serve and help those that serve and have served us with the same level of dedication and courage they have shown. Click here to learn more about what we are doing.
(Pass this along to someone in need and consider this your good deed of the day - promoted by LiberalLucy)
Around the United States, including here in Michigan, we see that the military is overwhelmed as it tries to assist servicemembers.
Here at Veterans For America, where I am proud to be Director of Policy, we are determined to do something to help the men and women who have served us. Part of our efforts include our easy-to-use registry that will help us get you the help you need (or help for someone you know).
If you or someone you know needs help, we will work to make sure that you get it -- it's as simple as that. We will answer every single request we get. Sometimes it can be just knowing how to fight through the bureaucracy and get the mental health appointment you need or it might be how to get your family counseling.
Please let us help you or someone you know get the help you need and deserve.
Veterans For America was founded over thirty years ago by Bobby Muller, who was paralyzed by a bullet in Vietnam while leading a Marine patrol. Originally named the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, VFA now works all across the country, focusing on the high rates of mental health problems and mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) as a result of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This Wounded Warrior Registry will help us determine how many military men and women need help and what is the best way to get them that help.
"Pearl Harbor 66th Anniversary: HONORING THE PAST, BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE" ...
The National Park Service and Navy Region Hawaii will host the 66th Anniversary Pearl Harbor Day Commemoration on Friday, December 7, 2007, 7:40 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Kilo Pier on Naval Station Pearl Harbor. The Kilo Pier venue looks directly out on the USS Arizona Memorial situated in Pearl Harbor approximately half a mile away.
The theme of this year's historic commemoration, "Honoring the Past, Building for the Future," will reflect on the remembrance of Pearl Harbor and efforts underway today that continue to broaden interpretive opportunities for future generations of Americans to discover the history of WWII and appreciate the veterans who served and their comrades who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Special guest speakers include Dr. Robert K. Sutton, Chief Historian, National Park Service and Admiral Robert Willard; Commander, US Pacific Fleet.
Highlights of the ceremony will include a selection of military band music, morning colors, a Hawaiian blessing, a rifle salute by members of the U.S. Marine Corps, wreath presentations, echo taps and recognition of the men and women who survived that December 7, 1941 and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. ..."
Thanks for remembering. Memory helps keep us human, after all, from Ann Arbor to Pearl Harbor.
(Originally posted at Arblogger on 11/11/06, with some editing done since then and cross-posted there)
There are many kinds of veterans, but, clearly, military veterans are one of the sorts who often sacrifice the most, and today is Veterans Day in the U.S., cf. the website of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs ("VA") re today's holiday. A little closer to home, an Ann Arbor resident is one veteran who made the "ultimate sacrifice", see the Department of Defense press release, about Minhee "Andy" Kim, and yesterday's Ann Arbor News article, Hundreds mourn Ann Arbor Marine: 20-year-old Andy Kim's faith remembered [link now expired],
"On her son's 20th birthday two weeks ago, Mi Hea Kim waited in her Ann Arbor home for a phone call or e-mail from Iraq. She was worried because it had been about a week since she'd heard from Andy, who had sounded tired and mentioned how difficult his duties had become. The day passed with no word. On Thursday night, Mi Hea Kim wept and hugged her son's still body as Marines stood guard on either side of his flag-draped casket. ..."
Quite a busy quarter for the Lying Dutchman. First it was children and now among many others it is Veterans. Who doesn't Pete vote against? HR 3043 among many other things, provides for veterans:
$231 million for Veterans' Employment and Training programs to assist returning veterans to find and train for jobs
$23.6 million for the Homeless Veterans' Program.
$10 million for those veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI), for their rehabilitation, hospital care and long-term support.
$3.4 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
We cannot forget their sacrifices that make our freedoms possible. The commitment in Congress to meeting the needs of America's veterans is strong...I look forward to continuing to work to ensure that the men and women who have served, are serving or will serve in the U.S. military receive the compensation and assistance they deserve.
Maybe he forgot...and maybe what he says and what he does are two completely different things.
I wonder if he mentioned this when he was giving a speech in Holland,MI for Veteran's Day? For the men and women who give all for our country, this is how your Congressman repays your service.
hat tip to GSMSO for the info, visit her site HERE
I am a Vietnam veteran who relied on the G.I. benefits when I came back from Vietnam. I had a wife and baby to support while I went back to school at the Univ. of Miichigan. Even with this support and a part-time job, we still had to resort to food stamps. However, compared to what the new veterans now receive, we were wealthy.
(FYI, HBO special this Sunday. - promoted by DianeS)
From Executive Producer James Gandolfini Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq
Premieres Sunday, September 9 at 10:30PM
In a war that has left more than 25,000 wounded, ALIVE DAY MEMORIES: HOME FROM IRAQ looks at a new generation of veterans. Executive Producer James Gandolfini interviews ten Soldiers and Marines who reveal their feelings on their future, their severe disabilities and their devotion to America. The documentary surveys the physical and emotional cost of war through memories of their "alive day," the day they narrowly escaped death in Iraq.
Watch the entire ALIVE DAY MEMORIES special on HBO.com beginning Sunday, September 9 at 11:30pm, immediately following the premiere.
As I've noted to some friends, the elitist and segregative idea of putting the three self-declared "research universities" (UM, MSU, WSU) in a special silver-platter tier above other Michigan universities is not a good idea, cf. the ruffled feathers already in this 3/1 Freep article,
"...Treating the state's Big Three of higher education differently than its other 12
public universities is unsettling for some educators who fear they may get a smaller
slice of the pie. "There's a finite amount of money in the higher education pot; we all understand that.
And the state is strapped. We all understand that, too," said Freman Hendrix, the chief
government relations officer for Eastern Michigan University. "The universities are all
trying to inoculate themselves from budget cuts. But to do that at the expense of other
universities would not be a good thing." Others said splitting appropriations would increase competition between the top
universities and the state's other schools. "We all want more money," said Greg Rosine, vice president of legislative affairs for
Western Michigan University. "It's disheartening to watch some universities want to pull
away from others.... Rosine and Hendrix both pointed out that the 12 smaller universities serve two-thirds of
the students in the state. ..."
Perhaps the "top universities" should drop the attitude and focus on their own problems instead, e.g., giving UM CFO Timothy Slottow an outrageous 41% raise last year. That's right, 41%, in the middle of a state fiscal crisis. Some of these college people simply can't be trusted much with state money, unless they agree to keep admin salary and other expenses WAY down.
"Future lawmakers wouldn't be able to count on getting free health care coverage
at age 55 after leaving office under cost-cutting measures unveiled Monday. House Democratic leaders told reporters that they want to end the legislative
perk for future lawmakers. They also want to require current lawmakers and House
employees to pay the same health care premiums other state employees pay. ... House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford, said the state constitution bans taking
away the health care benefit from current lawmakers because they've already
been promised the coverage. ... But future lawmakers would have to pay for that coverage if legislation is passed
changing the benefit. ..."
Wow.
Now THAT's what I'm talking about. And if Dems are courageous enough to cut their own expenses, they can certainly cut other bloated state expenses as well. Thank you Speaker Dillon and other Dem leaders!
Maybe the key to recovery is to cut the outrageous salaries and bonuses to these
university presidents and directories. _________________
Have a great day!!
- - -
Michiganders know well that there is plenty of waste in higher education, especially on the administrative end. (And don't get me started on UM-Ann Arbor not being fully audited by the state Auditor General in 23 years or so, from what I hear; and the bloated $200-million-plus Michigan Stadium luxury box project which *is discriminating against*
Do the Dems, including the Governor, want to associate themselves with the kind of university administration that makes these kinds of embarrassing moves, consistently? What's the upside? (Besides flattering the egos of some college presidents whom I shall not name at the moment...)
"The University of Chicago announced today that it has hired Julie Peterson, the University of Michigan's interim vice president for communications, as its vice president for communications. [the following portion was cut from the article, but is still visible in the Google cache here:]" ...It seems the University is having a hard time retaining its top public relations officials. Perhaps contentious University decisions like the University's response to Proposal 2 and the plan to renovate Michigan Stadium have made the job difficult and unattractive. ..."
Scrapping the segregative system, plus solutions
The "two-tier college system" should not be implemented (even if the three research universities would still get much of the funding they want); we don't need a horrible system of second-class citizenship for most Mich state colleges. If the Dems and Gov wanted to kill two birds with one stone, they could, without having to create the two-tier status-segregated system at all,
a. increase research funding for the "Big Three" schools (and others, too: I'm sure SOME research happens at the other schools),
but also
b. announce that there should be a crackdown/investigation on the outrageous waste etc. at Michigan schools, which might include among its solutions/conclusions
1. agreed-on salary caps for university administrators;
2. better treatment of our heroic disabled military veterans;
3. more government scrutiny of unnecessary school construction projects;
4. a full audit of UM-Ann Arbor for the first time in decades;
5. etc.
I don't see what would stop the Dems/Gov from doing this, or something like it. They would look
a. pro-research and pro-education
and ALSO
b. pro-fiscal hawk and pro-"average taxpayer".
What would they have to lose?
In conclusion: these are difficult economic times, but that demands *more* cracking down on unnecessary luxuries and waste, not *less*. That way we have *more* resources left to give to necessities like research, tuition reduction, and other key parts of higher education, to move the state forward. And forward is where we all want to go, is it not?
