A News Bucket

I wanted to pass along a few Reports to this Community and really don’t have the time or energy for a breakdown or commentary, so hope you don’t mind coming in this form.

First: Try and Catch ‘Free Speach’ on your PBS Station tonight, just caught a snippet on the NewsHour. I think many here will appreciate this as well as give a breakdown of what is talked about, the snippet has me baited, but I’ll have to try and see what they put up at the site, too pooped to stay up and early to work.

More in the body:
Newspaper Editor Ben Bradlee Discusses Career, Journalism

Former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, who guided the newspaper through Watergate, the Pentagon Papers and other crises, sits down for an extended conversation with Jim Lehrer about journalism and his career. A PBS special airs Monday night. The Web site has background reports and a timeline of Bradlee’s life and times.

A couple of these you may find interesting if not seen yet:

Mental Health Exams for GI’s?

All U.S. troops would receive a comprehensive mental health evaluation before they are deployed to a war zone, and those with signs of psychological problems would be seen by a mental health professional, under legislation proposed Thursday by U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Joseph I. Lieberman, D-Conn. VFA’s Steve Robinson said the legislation will help “ensure that the military in its combat operations has the healthiest warrior available on the battlefield.”

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Helping war veterans heal, mind and body: Center checks for unseen wounds before it’s too late

While these innovations help, they do not reach into enough aspects of veterans’ lives, according to Paul Sullivan, director of programs for Veterans for America. He believes today’s veterans need the kind of comprehensive help World War II veterans received immediately.

“In contrast, we waited more than 12 years to care for our Vietnam War veterans, and five years to care for our Gulf War veterans,” he said. “We cannot be slow to respond again because during the waiting periods of the past, lives were lost or ruined.”

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* Did the Pentagon Lie About Why it Barred Journalists from Guantanamo Bay
Days After Prisoner Suicides? *
The U.S. has barred journalists from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay.
We speak with Los Angeles Times reporter Carol Taylor, one of three
journalists forced off the island last week as well as British journalist
and author David Rose, who had his military clearance to Guantanamo suddenly
revoked.
Listen/Watch/Read

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* Paul Krugman on The New Class War in America *
Award-winning New York Times columnist Paul Krugman addressed a packed crowd
in Manhattan last week at an event titled “The New Class War in America.” We
play an excerpt of his address.
Listen/Watch/Read

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The Guantánamo Peril
by Aziz Huq, TomPaine.com
     What calling the Guantanamo suicides a “PR stunt” reveals about the Bush administration.

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GI SPECIAL 4F17 “They Are Grumbling”.pdf  
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These next two are Very Important, on the VFA Action Please Participate, and Pass Both On to Interested Parties:

June 19, 2006

Veterans for America – Action – Participate and Pass On

Our military and our veterans need your help today to fix some very serious problems.

Veterans for America (VFA) recently posted several disturbing news articles about veterans committing suicide and other serious mental health problems among soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Clearly, VA and the military are failing to respond to this growing crisis.

A phone call or faxed letter from you today sent to your U.S. Senator can help soldiers and veterans now, before the situation gets worse.

Here’s how you can help right now. The U.S. Senate is debating next year’s military budget. The bill is called the National Defense Authorization Act of 2007, S. 2766. During the debate, several pro-service member and pro-veteran amendments are expected to come up for separate votes. You can read the statement by Bobby Muller, VFA director HERE.

Veterans for America has learned while there are several pro-veteran amendments being considered during debate on the issue, there are two in particular that deserve our immediate attention and support.

First, there are growing concerns about service members redeployed from the U.S. back to Iraq for a second tour after being diagnosed with a serious mental health problem, and some have committed suicide. That is why we ask you to urge the Senate to adopt an amendment sponsored by Senators Barbara Boxer and Joe Lieberman requiring a credentialed mental health professional to sign off before a service member diagnosed as having a duty-limiting (or serious) mental health condition can be ordered into a war zone.

Second, we are troubled by reports of veterans who are not aware of government benefits and services. That is why we urge you to ask the Senate to adopt an amendment sponsored by Senators Russ Feingold, Patty Murray, Barack Obama, Ted Kennedy and Jack Reed requiring the military to provide comprehensive Transition Assistance Program briefings about healthcare, employment, and other benefits so veterans don’t miss out on benefits with time limits, such as healthcare and educational assistance.

Please contact your Senator today, by phone or by fax, and ask them to vote YES on all veteran-friendly amendments and in particular these two amendments. Using our fax system is simple and easy, and we’ve prepared a sample letter for you.

Thank you,

Charles Sheehan-Miles
Associate Director
Veterans for America

Veterans for America
1025 Vermont Ave NW 7th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
202-483-9222

Please Pass This On To Any Young Veterans You Know:
National Symposium for the Need of Young Veterans, Chicago, Ill., October
18-21, 2006

Hosted by AMVETS

Q: What is the purpose of the Symposium?
A: The Symposium is intended to engage veterans in a series of discussions
about new ways the veterans benefits system can be modernized and enhanced.
In some respects the Symposium is picking up where the Congressional
Commission on Servicemembers and Veterans Transition Assistance Report left
off in 1999. To summarize one of the Transition Commission’s key findings,
the veterans benefits system has not been significantly updated or changed
since World War II. The Symposium will bring together a diverse array of
veterans to solicit their opinions and ideas on how the benefits system
should be changed to meet the needs of veterans today and especially younger
veterans.

Hotel Information
The Veterans National Symposium is being held October 18-21, at the
Hyatt Regency O’Hare, just
five minutes from the Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The hotel is
situated close to the Rapid Transit Train to downtown Chicago.

The Hyatt Regency O’Hare offers complimentary airport shuttle service to and
from the O’ Hare International Airport at fifteen- to twenty-minute
intervals, from 5am to midnight. The hotel shuttle will be at Ground
Transportation outside of baggage claim. Call the hotel for pickup from the
courtesy phone in the baggage claim area from midnight to 5am.

Complete the survey to help guide the issues:

Issues Committee:
<mailto:jdoran@amvets.org> Jim Doran, Chair jdoran@amvets.org

The Issues Committee will play a significant role in determining the
Symposium agenda and format. This will include helping to decide the key
benefit issues that will be addressed:

Benefits
. Claims processing
. Education including vocational rehabilitation
. Appeals process

Employment
. Veteran hiring preference
. Transitional Assistance Program (TAP)
. Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP)

Healthcare
. Access
. Quality

Homeless Veterans
. Compensation claims
. Health care
. Employment
. Families

Registration Information
Please call the toll-free reservations line at 1-888-421-1442 and refer to
the AMVETS Veterans National Symposium during October 18-21.

You can get involved with the National Symposium! We’re currently forming
committees, taskforces and workgroups, and also need assistance in specific
areas. Please send an e-mail to <mailto:symposium@amvets.org>
symposium@amvets.org if you’re interested in sharing your ideas and time in
any of the following areas:

• General volunteer (please provide areas of interest)
• Share your story
• Serve on

a committee

• Report on events
• Work on newsletters
• Donor or

Sponsor
* Identifying
issues

• Speaker
• Logistical work during Symposium