Dear friends,
Please read the article below and then contact your Senators regarding S.2536: ‘A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from collecting certain debts to the United States in the case of veterans who die as a result of a service-connected disability incurred or aggravated on active duty in a combat zone, and for other purposes.
Please pass this e-mail along to all who care that our service members are giving their lives for their country without their families having to sacrifice any more than they already have due to the loss of their loved one.
Link to the bill and to contact your Senators: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/bills/?billtype=S.&billnumb=2536&congress=110
Bill would clear vets’ estates of VA debt
By Rick Maze – Staff writer Posted : Wednesday Jan 23, 2008 11:17:57 EST
A bill that would block the Department of Veterans Affairs from trying to collect money from the estates of service members who die in combat was introduced Tuesday by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.
Her bill, S 2536, applies only to debts to the VA, and not to money owed to private-sector creditors or other federal agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service.
Hutchison is asking Senate leaders for quick passage of the bill, hoping to bypass the normal process in which new bills are sent to committee for consideration.
She could get high-level support. VA Secretary Dr. James Peake is expected to write a letter to the Senate endorsing her call for expedited passage of the bill, according to Senate sources.
VA officials said they supported the bill but did not confirm that Peake would write a letter.
Waiving normal procedures would require the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, on which Hutchison serves, to allow the bill to proceed without its involvement. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, the veterans’ affairs committee chairman, would have to approve the move. Akaka aides said the committee staff would study the measure first.
Few people die owing VA money, but Hutchison aides found that VA has collected more than $56,000 from the families of 22 deceased soldiers, mostly National Guard and reserve members called to active duty who received overpayments of GI Bill education benefits.
Her bill would be retroactive to Sept. 11, 2001, allowing families or estates that paid a debt to VA to receive a refund of any payment made since that date.
Hutchison spokesman Matt Mackowiak said few people may be affected, but Hutchison considers it improper for any family of a service member who dies in combat to be contacted with a demand for money.
Current law requires contacting a family or estate if there is any outstanding debt to VA at the time of death. A family has 180 days to file a grievance, with the VA secretary permitted to waive the debts.
“This bill is about honoring our fallen heroes by treating the families they left behind with dignity and by showing them we mean it when we tell them our nation is truly grateful,” Hutchison said in a statement. “The fact that VA is forced to collect a few hundred dollars from bereaved mothers and fathers for something as simple as a small debt for education benefits is ludicrous.”
Of the 22 cases, three involved Texans, Hutchison aides said. One was an Army soldier killed by a sniper while on his third tour to Iraq whose family repaid the government for a $389 overpayment of GI Bill benefits.
The family of another Army soldier was billed for $2,282 in outstanding loans after the sergeant, who was married with four children, was killed in an explosion on his second tour in Iraq. The third Texas case involved a Marine Reservist killed by an explosion in Iraq who owed VA $845.
Hutchison aides said their review found similar cases in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin.
Link to article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/military_veteransestates_080122w/

Pete Ashdown sent an e-mail to his Politech list today that I really liked:

Greetings.
You are cordially invited to this free screening. This issue is of utmost importance to us all. Hope to see you there…Carla
Wednesday, January 30, 2008 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Salt Lake City Main Public Library (210 E. 400 S) Fourth Floor Conference Room Light refreshments will be served. The ACLU of Utah is hosting a screening of the ACLU-produced Freedom Files’ “Freedom from Abuse of Power: Torture and Unlawful Imprisonment.” This 30-minute film illuminates the practices of torture, indefinite detention and extraordinary rendition as related to the U.S. government’s “War on Terror.” Dr. Tim Chambless, University of Utah professor of political science and ACLU of Utah Board Member, will introduce the film and lead an open discussion following its conclusion. This event is free and open to the public. The ACLU of Utah also will be providing free orange ribbons (to show solidarity with the movement to close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center) and educational materials to those who are interested. If you have any questions, please contact Anna Brower, Development Director at the ACLU of Utah, at abrower (at) acluutah (dot) org or 521-9862 ext. 100.

I’m not a Democrat, and since reading “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man”, I see candidates less as Democrats or Republicans or Greens, etc. and more as pro-human or pro-business. I essentially have the same views as Jen at Jen’s Green Journal, and her post on progressive independence was a heartening read for me.

Then my favorite progressive magazine, Mother Jones, has a blog post about the futility of voting for a third party candidate. Admittedly, MoJo has had some strange blog posts and articles recently, and I guess they’ve got a new editor – something I wasn’t aware of. But what do you think? Is it unreasonable to vote for the candidate that most closely aligns with your beliefs, knowing full well that it might help the lesser candidate win?

Phil Donahue’s Body of War
Why Picket the New York Times in DC on Friday? By RUSSELL MOKHIBER
Well, it has to do with a movie I just saw.
It’s called Body of War.
It was produced by Phil Donahue.
The star of the movie is a young man named Tomas Young.
He’s an Iraq war vet.
Young had been on duty in Iraq a mere five days when he was hit by a bullet under his collar bone.
The bullet shattered his spine.
And now he’s paralyzed from the chest down.
The movie is about his daily struggle to live.
It’s about his wife and mother, who care for him.
And its about the politicians who sent him to Iraq.
I watched the movie last night at home in West Virginia with my wife and my two boys–aged 10 and 13.
I’m not sure what effect the movie had on the boys.
It held their attention for the full 87 minutes.
The bottom line lesson from Tomas Young–don’t make impetuous decisions –about attacking another country or signing up for the military.
The boys were quiet afterwards. The older one picked up a book and read into the night. The younger one went straight to bed.

Greetings.
The following announcement is courtesy the ACLU of Utah:
January 11, 2008, marks the six-year anniversary of the first arrival of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay. It is deplorable that this illegal detention center persists as a stain on our international reputation and an open assault on basic human rights. On Friday, January 11, the ACLU of Utah is hosting a special “Close Guantánamo” Candlelight Vigil at the Federal Building (125 S. State St. in downtown Salt Lake City) from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. We are asking Utahns of conscience to display their outrage and sorrow over the torture and indefinite detention being carried out in our names by attending this vigil. We will be giving out “Close Guantánamo” T-shirts and armbands, providing candles, and distributing printed fact sheets you can share with your family, friends and colleagues. If you are not able to attend, please participate in this critical action by wearing orange on January 11 to show your solidarity with the cause of “Closing Guantánamo!” The ACLU of Utah, in recognition of this unfortunate anniversary, also will be hosting a screening of the ACLU-produced Freedom Files’ “Freedom from Abuse of Power: Torture and Unlawful Imprisonment” on Wednesday, January 30, from 6:30 to 8:00 (location TBA). Dr. Tim Chambless, University of Utah professor of political science, will introduce and lead a discussion about the 30-minute film. Learn more about the ACLU’s Freedom Files at www.aclu.tv/ For more information about the Candlelight Vigil, Film Screening and other ACLU of Utah events, please contact Anna Brower at abrower@acluutah.org.

Here’s an interesting little series of videos about U.S. consumption on what just might be my new favorite time-wasting website.

WEAR ORANGE ON JANUARY 11TH!
Wherever you are on January 11th, we [ Witness Against Torture] encourage you to wear orange to raise public awareness and strengthen the movement to demand an end to torture and indefinite detention. Consider wearing one of Witness Against Torture’s Orange “Shut Down Guantánamo” T-shirts, an ACLU arm band, or even an orange jump suit.

For more information see: www.WitnessTorture.org

My patriotism has been questioned because of my work for Peace and Justice; this has caused me to think about what patriotism means. To many, it means to love one’s country, but what does that mean? Do I love my country? Why? What makes my country worth loving more than any other country?

For me the answer is simple; it’s our Constitution that makes our country worth loving.
The rights we are guaranteed make our country special.

When I was in the Marine Corps, I took an oath to defend the Constitution against all threats foreign and domestic. I take that oath very seriously; I did not un-take that oath when I got out of the Marine Corps.

As I look at what has happened to my country over the last seven years, I am blown away by how much destruction has been done to our Constitution and how little outrage there is coming from the public. If another country were trying to take away our rights, people would be fighting mad. I can’t figure out why there is so much complacency as our government subverts our Constitution.

In World War II, the “Greatest Generation” fought to save our way of life. We fought against the idea that any country has the right to preemptively attack another country.
We fought against the ideas that “might makes right,” “the ends justify the means,” and some people do not deserve human rights. Now my country stands for all these ideas. And to some, that is patriotic.

My government has started an illegal war with lies, and now argues that torture is okay, spies on the public illegally without warrant, does away with due process, and kidnaps people all over the world.

With the Iowa caucus over (and Sen Obama obtaining the win) the Obama campaign will now be sending staffers to help obtain victory in Utah. Staffers are on their way as I write this and will be here until the Utah primary on Feb 5th. The campaign is looking for folks willing to provide shelter for these staffers during the next month. In addition, even more staffers will be looking for a place to crash after Nevada on January 19th.
If you have an extra room (or comfy couch, or air mattress, or ANYTHING else you can spare) please contact Aaron at (801) 803-0647. As of last night, they were very short on housing for these staffers.