News of the Force: Thursday, March 15, 2012 - Page 2
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The four award categories are senior officer, junior officer, senior enlisted and junior enlisted. Individuals will compete in the category that corresponds to the grade held for the majority of the award period.
For more information on personnel services, visit the Air Force Personnel Services web site at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil.
More information on the Civil Air Patrol's Rhode Island Wing commander
"CAP Col. Benjamin Emerick was given an ultimatum to clean up his wing. It is foundering with little to no hope of a quick rescue with Col. Emerick still at the controls," a senior source told NOTF today.
"A little history about this guy. He was a cadet for a very short period of time. His highest award during his tenure as a cadet was the Mitchell award. He transferred to the senior member side when he turned 21 and jumped all the way to captain (this was never fully explained, because the Mitchell does not get you captain on the senior side of the house). He was promoted to major 3 years later, and made the wing commander very soon after," the source, who requested anonymity as he's not authorized to speak to the press, told us.
Sources say he was "pre-selected" to make a splash, as a massive argument had recently erupted inside the CAP because of the lack of younger "blood" in power positions.
"No one in his wing wants to listen to him.
He is so young, has no prior military or leadership experience, and rules with
an iron fist that often comes with youthful ignorance," the source told us.
"Members that have 30 or 40 or 50 years in the CAP feel no need to follow his
commands, and most of his commands make little to no sense. He has lost
squadrons, lost all the wing's aircraft because of lack of use, and is
starting to drive away the membership that has served the CAP for so long. He
has been known to 'troll for salutes' from members of the armed services, and
constantly refers to himself as 'the youngest colonel in USAF history,' which is
a blatant misrepresentation of what he and the CAP are," the source
said.
"I am all for younger people in commander
slots across the nation, but the CAP must be vigilant and unbiased in the
selection of every commander," the source said. "Placing someone so young
and inexperienced in such a privileged position above members who have served in
the CAP longer than the colonel has been alive was a bad call. He is not a bad
person at all; he was just set up for failure by those above
him."
The Rhode Island Wing's apparently official web site at http://www.riwg.cap.gov/ still lists CAP Col. Anthony Gagliardi as the wing's commander. The wing is also apparently on YouTube, and the wing is listed on Manta.com as "the U.S. Air Force in Rhode Island." The wing also has a Facebook page. None of the web sites NOTF has reviewed provide a photo of Col. Emerick.
What would you pay for the Universe?
By U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.
Last week, I chaired a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the priorities, plans and progress of our nation’s space program. It was an informative – and sometimes even entertaining – hearing.
It began with NASA chief Charlie Bolden responding to questions about the $17.7 billion the agency would receive under the president's 2013 budget request. These funds would help commercial companies to get us back and forth to the International Space Station and continue building the heavy-lift rocket we will need to explore deep space. That sounds like an awful lot to do with a limited amount of money, but the committee wants to find a way to move all these important efforts forward.
I also asked Bolden about the NASA inspector general's testimony before the House, where he revealed 48 of NASA’s mobile computing devices were lost or stolen during a recent two-year period. And, foreign intelligence organizations were thought to be behind hackings of NASA computer systems. You can watch the exchange between Bolden and me here:
The hearing continued with Dr. Neil
deGrasse Tyson's testimony, where he noted that support for our nation’s space
program does more than carry astronauts to the moon. "Fully funded missions to
Mars and beyond, commanded by astronauts who, today, are in middle school, would
reboot America’s capacity to innovate as no other force in society can," Tyson
said. "When a nation permits itself to dream big, those dreams pervade its
citizens' ambitions. They energize the electorate. During the Apollo era, you
didn't need government programs to convince people that doing science and
engineering was good for the country. It was
self-evident."
As Dr. Tyson said - and I
couldn't agree more - "As goes the future of NASA, so too goes the future of
this nation."
Afghanistan's president calls for U.S. pull-back
President Karzai is demanding American soldiers be confined to military bases in the wake of the weekend rampage in which 16 civilians were killed by a U.S. soldier.
Marines to cut four battalions, 12 air squadrons
The U.S. Marine Corps said yesterday it would cut four infantry battalions and 12 flying squadrons over the next five years as it shrinks by 20,000 personnel to meet budget constraints and peacetime needs.
Window closing for Iran to act, Obama and Cameron say
By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
Sanctions and diplomatic pressure against Iran are working and need more time, but the window for Iran to act is closing, British and American leaders said at the White House yesterday.
President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron emphasized they are united in the effort to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The men spoke at a news conference after White House meetings.
"We believe there is still time and space to pursue a diplomatic solution," Obama said. Britain and the United States will consult closely with allies as the process moves forward, he added. "Tehran must understand that it cannot escape or evade the choice before it: meet your international obligations or face the consequences," the president said.
Cameron said Obama has taken a "tough, reasonable approach" that has united the world behind the sanctions program. "Britain has played a leading role in helping to deliver an E.U.-wide oil embargo," the prime minister said. "Alongside the financial sanctions being led by America, this embargo is dramatically increasing the pressure on the regime."
The two men reiterated that nothing is off the table regarding the Iranian nuclear program. "That is essential for the safety of the region and the wider world," Cameron added.
Iran's time to act is now, Obama said. "In the past, there's been a tendency for Iran to delay, to stall, to do a lot of talking, but not actually move the ball forward," he said. "I think they should understand that because the international community has applied so many sanctions, because we have employed so many of the options that are available to us to persuade Iran to take a different course, the window for solving this issue diplomatically is shrinking."
Marine Corps, Army to re-start 'forcible entry' drills
As the U.S. looks anew at its interests in the Pacific, the Army and Marine Corps will soon resume joint training aimed at enhancing their forcible-entry capabilities, a top general said yesterday.
Florida veterans outraged over American flag with Obama's image
The veterans’ complaints finally prompted the Democrats to remove the flag from its perch under a customary American flag on the flagpole outside party headquarters in Tavares, Fla.
"It’s absolutely disrespectful," said Jim Bradford, 71-year-old veteran who served during the Bay of Pigs invasion. "It's totally ridiculous. To put somebody’s picture there, to me, it's a disgrace to do that." Bradford sent pictures of the flag to fellow veterans and friends, and he delivered a copy of the federal flag code to Nancy Hurlbert, chairwoman of the Lake County Democratic Party. "We read that to her, but she would not accept that," Bradford said. "The discussion finally got a little bit heated."
Hurlbert later removed the flag, which had been flying for several months without a complaint, and apologized for the incident, but didn't indicate whether she would fly it again.
"What really upsets me is that the flag had apparently been flying for months and no one had done anything about it," Bradford said. "I've got no hard feelings toward Hurlbert, but people will be driving by there to make sure it doesn't go up again."
JFTB hosting Air Force Reserve/Coast Guard emergency response training
The Joint Forces Training Base is one of three Southern California locations being used by the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command for "Operation Patriot Hook 2012" from today through March 18. Patriot Hook is an Air Force Reserve tanker airlift control element exercise.
More Marines will rotate to Japan, general says
The U.S. Marine Corps will increase six-month unit rotations through Okinawa, Japan, a top general said yesterday, even as the service plans to reduce its permanent presence on the island by 8,000 personnel in the coming years.
Mercury spill cover-up alleged at Hill AFB
A whistle-blower says officials at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, ordered workers to vacuum up the hazardous waste. Officials at the base failed to report a mercury spill in 2007 and ordered untrained workers to clean up the mess - with vacuum cleaners.
News from the National Guard
Air Force officials have said they are working on an alternative plan. The nation's governors have been outspoken against proposed cutbacks in the Air National Guard and the relocation of aircraft, including the eight C-130s from Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas.
Over the next 10 years, the Air Force will reduce its personnel numbers by about 10,000 airmen, with reductions affecting both active duty, as well as the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve.
Army National Guard soldiers from New York's 27th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, from Buffalo, finished some hands-on airport security training at Mississippi's Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport yesterday.
About 160 South Carolina Army National Guard soldiers of the 178th Combat Engineer Battalion are preparing for a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan.
Lt. Gen. William Ingram, Jr., the director of the Army National Guard, has been given a tour of the future home of Army family housing on Camp Humphreys, in the Republic of Korea.
New York Army National Guard weapons and equipment will be on display at the Utica Armory on March 21 for the public and those interested in joining the Guard. "The Guard Experience" event will run from 6 to 8 p.m.
The Louisiana Army National Guard has received the 2011 Army best anti-terrorism program runner-up award in the category of deployed unit for its support to U.S. Army South and the U.S. Southern Command during the New Horizons Exercise Task Force Bon Voizen, in Haiti.
The Illinois Army National Guard's Small Arms Team competed in the 2012 U.S. All Army Small Arms Championship at Fort Benning, Ga., Mar. 1 to 10.
While President Obama's proposed budget for next year calls for the loss of 5,100 positions in Air National Guard units across the country, the effect in Peoria might be minimal. The 182nd Airlift Wing, of the Illinois Air National Guard, is projected to lose only seven positions.
Air National Guard members assigned to the Illinois Air Guard's 126th Communications Flight know that reliable communications are essential every day, but become more critical during times of natural disasters or emergencies.
Three National Guardsmen can claim state benefits for injuries they suffered while helping victims of Hurricane Katrina, the Louisiana Court of Appeals has ruled. Michael Parker, Bryce Williams and Peter Reyes were part of a National Guard unit working in Louisiana in a state of emergency as Katrina hit in August 2005 to nearly four months later. After suffering injuries in a Nov. 6, 2005, car accident, the trio filed for workers' compensation. The driver of the other vehicle died in the accident. But a workers' compensation judge denied the claims, agreeing with Louisiana that those in federal service had no right of action to make a claim against the state. Louisiana's Fourth Circuit Appeals Court reversed last week. The three-judge panel explained that the National Guard serves both the individual states and the United States of America as a country. The state argued that the Guardsmen were in federal service because they were activated under federal law and received federal benefits after they were hurt. But the court found that the Guardsmen's actions were nevertheless in the service of the state, as they were wearing their "militia hats," not their "Army hats." "We construe the phrase 'in the service of the United States to mean a National Guard member serving in a purely federal status under Title 10, i.e., wearing an Army hat," Judge Rosemary Ledet wrote for the court. "Because the Guardsmen were not in the service of the United States, they have a state right of action."
U.S. Air Force officials confirmed yesterday they are considering a counterproposal to a plan for cutting 5,100 jobs in the Air National Guard, including 152 at the Fort Wayne's Indiana Air National Guard base.
Secretary of the Army John McHugh has eliminated a years-old recruitment program for the Army National Guard and Army Reserve after an internal audit found widespread fraud - including reported allegations that recruiters were skimming bonus money paid to sign up new recruits. The program paid $2,000 rewards to soldiers and civilians that brought in new recruits to Army National Guard and Army Reserve units.
Arizona's state legislature is one step closer to passing bill which would create and fund a volunteer armed militia to patrol the border for undocumented immigrants.
And an MQ-1B Predator of the Texas Air National Guard's 147th Reconnaissance Wing recently flew the first sortie from the unit's newly assigned operating location on Ft. Polk Army Airfield, La. Since the wing relinquished its F-16 flying mission in 2008, "we have been eagerly awaiting the day we flew our first local sortie in the MQ-1," said Col. Kurt Leslie, the 147th Maintenance Group's commander. According to wing officials, current FAA flight restrictions governing remotely piloted aircraft prevent the unit from operating from its home station at Ellington Field JRB, Tex., outside of Houston. Therefore, the wing set up shop in an Army hangar at Ft. Polk, moving ground control stations, antennas and support infrastructure. This made the first sortie from there possible on Feb. 6. Ft. Polk is home to the Joint Readiness Training Center. Flying from there will allow the Air Guard to train directly with Army units rotating through pre-deployment training, wing officials said.
FBI warns of homegrown violence following Afghanistan massacre
An "awareness bulletin" issued by the FBI says the murder of 16 Afghan civilians could trigger violence inside the U.S.
National Park Service doesn't want to take over Soldier's Memorial in downtown St. Louis
By Jim Corvey, News of the Force St. Louis
The Soldier's Memorial in downtown St. Louis, Mo., does not have enough "national significance" to become a national monument, according to a federal report released yesterday.
Although the ruling is not final - the National Park Service will take public comments until April 13 and could reverse itself - the study says the Soldier's Memorial fails to meet the criteria for inclusion in the park system.
Five years ago, U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay proposed turning the memorial and military-history museum into a national monument, which would relieve the city of its upkeep of the building. The memorial was originally intended to be a memorial to Americans who died in World War I. At Clay's urging, Congress in 2008 ordered the National Park Service to study whether a federal take-over of the site would be worth considering. It isn't, according to a 47-page draft report released yesterday by the service. The report heaped praise on some of the building's architectural elements but concluded that the memorial isn't as impressive as similar monuments in other cities. "As a memorial, it reminds present and future generations of the ideals of service, duty and sacrifice," the report says. "However, its counterparts to the west and east, in Kansas City and Indianapolis, respectively, are appreciably better on those counts, and have national scope and national significance."
Officials with the park service will discuss the report at 5 p.m., tonight at a public meeting at Soldiers Memorial, 1315 Chestnut Street. The meeting will include a lecture on the history of the building, which was completed in 1938. Because the park service concluded that the Soldier's Memorial is not nationally significant, the study did not examine the feasibility or cost of a federal take-over, said Ruth Heikkinen, a planner at the park service's Midwest regional office in Omaha, Neb. Heikkinen estimated that the study cost $50,000 to $75,000.
The city spends about $150,000 a year on staffing at Soldier's Memorial, and officials said the memorial needs $5 million to $10 million in capital improvements. "There is no capital money for anything," said Rich Bradley, the city's chief engineer. "I haven't gotten a nickel for bridges in the last three years. I've had to go find the money." Bradley called the memorial's needs are "tremendous," including windows, lights, central air and roof repairs.
Jeff Rainford, Mayor Francis Slay's chief of staff, said the city never expected the park service to take over the memorial. "The National Park Service doesn't have enough money to take care of what it already has," Rainford said.
Had the park service endorsed Clay's plan, and Congress approved those findings, the Soldier's Memorial could have become a federally administered site, like the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site in south St. Louis County. Similar park service take-overs have been proposed elsewhere in the region. Representatives of the Busch family have met with federal officials to discuss handing over Grant's Farm to the park service, and the service is studying whether to establish a national historic site in the French colonial historic district of Ste. Genevieve, Mo.
Gun, bullet found in Florida student's backpack
An unloaded gun was found in a student's backpack at Kennedy Middle School, in Rockledge, Fla., according to a press release from Brevard County Schools. The student also had one bullet that was separate from the firearm.
U.S. Navy, Coast Guard crews rescue Arabian Gulf mariners
U.S. Navy Ensign Darius Mercer, right, and sailors assigned
to the guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones transferred six rescued
Filipino mariners to U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Baranof in the Arabian Gulf, today.
(U.S. Navy photo)
Crews of the Navy's guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones and the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Baranof rescued 24 Filipino mariners in the Arabian Gulf today, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command officials reported.
The John Paul Jones, assigned to Combined Maritime Forces Task Force 152, responded to a distress call from the Liberian-flagged motor vessel Stolt Valor, operating in international waters 48 nautical miles southeast of Farsi Island, Iran, officials said. When the John Paul Jones' crew spotted one of two life rafts signaling with a small light and launched the ship's rigid-hull inflatable boat to investigate, they found 16 people in the first raft and eight more in the other.
"We were ready to assist, and we were fortunately in the position to help," said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Jon Duffy, John Paul Jones' commanding officer.
The Stolt Valor's master confirmed one crew member died during an explosion. The 24 rescued mariners were in good health and did not require medical help, officials said. Their rescuers gave them food, water and blankets.
"Coming to the aid of fellow mariners in trouble and conducting search and rescues at sea are critical skills that the Navy trains us to get right," Duffy said. "I couldn't be more proud of how our crews reacted from the initial distress call to when every survivor was safe on deck."
At about 7:30 a.m., local time, the 24 survivors were transferred from the John Paul Jones to USCGC Baranof, to be taken to Manama, Bahrain.
The Stolt Valor is a chemical tanker carrying about 13,000 metric tons of methyl tertiary butyl ether, which is used to increase oxygen content in gasoline throughout the United States to reduce carbon monoxide and ozone levels caused by auto emissions, officials said. It is considered soluble, but not biodegradable, they added.
The Combined Maritime Forces' battle watch officer reported the incident to the Marine Emergency Mutual Aid Center, which sent firefighting tugboats to the scene.
The USS John Paul Jones is conducting maritime security operations in the Arabian Gulf. USCGC Baranof is assigned to Task Force 55 and U.S. Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia, supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation in the U.S. 5th Fleet's area of responsibility.
Related site: U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet/Combined Maritime Forces .
The first Super Galaxy squadron
T
he
9th Airlift Squadron, at Dover AFB, Del., became the first all-C-5M Super Galaxy
squadron in the Air Force after flying its last C-5B
sortie.
The C-5B - aircraft No. 86-0020 -arrived home to Dover on Monday from a mission to the Middle East. Water cannons from the base's fire brigade ceremoniously sprayed down the aircraft as it taxied back to its parking slot for a final shutdown.
The base "has largest aerial port on the East Coast; it makes sense to put the most capable, strategic airlifter right next to it, so that we can move more cargo faster," said Lt. Col. Dave Herbison, the 9th AS' operations director, when discussing the new C-5M model.
Upgraded with more efficient engines, a variety of reliability-enhancing modifications, and a glass cockpit, the Super Galaxy "allows us to do more things," he added after the C-5B's "fini" flight.
The Air Force will convert aircraft 86-0020, like all other C-5Bs, to the Super Galaxy configuration.
If at first you fricassee, maybe you can fly again
In his presentation at the recent Civil Air Patrol (CAP) National Board meeting in Virginia, the CAP History Foundation's Len Blascovich indicated there is a problem with the Museum of the U.S. Air Force, and he asked that no one approach the museum except the History Foundation's own Todd Engelman. Fifteen years ago, when the CAPHF was founded, Blascovich and Drew Steketee announced that were going to mount a display on the CAP in the Museum of the U.S. Air Force, but that has never happened. No one from the Museum of the U.S. Air Force was available for comment this morning.
Meanwhile, Jim Shaw, despite having "stepped down" from his position as the executive director if the CAPHF, is apparently still the CAP's Southeast Region historian. He was originally appointed to that position by CAP Col. John Tilton.
Veterans' job prospects brighter, Panetta says
By Karen Parrish, American Forces Press Service
Veterans' unemployment numbers are encouraging, but the need for jobs will increase as the services trim their ranks, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told reporters in Kabul, Afghanistan, today.
The unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is down from last year's high of 12.5 percent to 7.6 percent, below the national rate of 8.3 percent.
Defense budget cuts and a strategic draw-down in Afghanistan, coupled with the recent withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq, will mean more veterans leaving service and seeking civilian employment in the coming years, Panetta said. Panetta cited efforts by President Barack Obama and by Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department officials to champion programs to help veterans find jobs or succeed in school as part of the reason for the improvement in unemployment. And as more departing troops seek to enter the civilian work force, he added, "it's very important that we help give them the ability to find a job, education or start a business."
The key to creating jobs for veterans lies not only in government programs, but also in private-sector initiatives, the secretary said. "I have to commend the private sector, because they really have put together a public campaign" to raise awareness of veterans' employment and create hiring incentives for vets, Panetta added.
The U.S economy is showing improvement, which also helps job-seeking veterans, he noted.
The secretary later left Afghanistan to fly to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), for the last leg of his five-day trip to Central Asia and the Middle East.
NATO initiates measures to keep the Taliban out of Afghanistan's security forces
NATO's governing body has approved measures to reduce the risk of attacks on alliance soldiers by Afghan security forces, officials said yesterday.
F-22 pilot's widow sues Raptors' builders
The fatal crash of an F-22 Raptor preceded a series of events that have left some confusion about the aircraft's life-support systems and more, and have now culminated in a lawsuit filed by the lost pilot's widow.
Anna Haney's lawsuit names Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Honeywell International and Pratt & Whitney, alleging that critical life-support systems aboard the F-22 failed to "safely or properly provide breathable oxygen" to her husband while he flew the aircraft. It also accuses Lockheed of "fraud."
An accident report issued by the Air Force in late 2011 said Capt. Jeff Haney had become preoccupied with the problem and lost control of the jet. Early this month, however, the Air Force chief of staff said the Air Force did not blame Haney for the crash.
(Story provided by AVwebFlash, www.avweb.com .)
UFO news
The "Phoenix Lights" have apparently reappeared there during a Fox 10 live TV traffic report. It happened last Thursday, March 8, only few days away from the 15th anniversary of the famous UFO sightings known as the "Phoenix Lights" - a series of widely sighted unidentified flying objects observed in the skies over Arizona.
A UFO was filmed over Fort Myers Beach, Fla., which seems to expand and grow as it hovers, dipping in and out among the clouds.
And "snowflake" UFOs have fallen on Murmansk, Russia. The unidentified flying objects are far away in a video and show up as little more than tiny, glowing white orbs. As they near the horizon, they seem to wink out, except for the last one on the film, which disappeared behind a distant hilltop.
USS James E. Williams departs Norfolk for fourth
deployment
The Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) departed Norfolk Naval Station on March 12 on the ship's fourth deployment with the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group.
James E. Williams is scheduled to deploy to the U.S. Navy's 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation as part of an ongoing rotation of U.S. forces supporting maritime security operations in international waters around the globe.
"We are a multi-mission platform," said Christopher M. Senenko, the commanding officer of James E. Williams, "and we are extremely flexible in our ability to respond to anything that the regional commanders need us to do."
The ship recently completed a series
of training events and certifications with the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group
during composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) to ensure operational
readiness and cohesiveness.
The operating effectiveness of the destroyer
during COMPTUEX will be fundamental as the ship travels to the 5th Fleet's area
of responsibility (AOR) to work with Allied and partner maritime
forces.
"In a training environment the crew is able to practice procedures and techniques that they may potentially encounter while deployed," said Senenko. "COMPTUEX gave us exposure to multiple mission-sets and taskings needed to execute future operations in the 5th and 6th Fleet AOR."
Beyond mission success, the deployment aboard James E. Williams offers sailors a chance to develop professionally, visit foreign ports, and gain qualifications. "This is a great time for the crew," said Senenko. "They're able to focus on personal growth and achieving the next milestone in the life of this great warship."
USS James E. Williams is slated to begin an extended yard period following the destroyer's return from deployment.
The Enterprise Carrier Strike Group is comprised of James E. Williams, the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), Carrier Air Wing 1, Destroyer Squadron 2, the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69), and the guided-missile destroyers USS Porter (DDG 78), and USS Nitze (DDG 94).
Bill to bar employers' bias against gun owners gets OK from Missouri's House of Representatives
By Jim Corvey, News of the Force St. Louis
Many Missouri lawmakers want to protect gun owners from any threat of work place discrimination, just as state residents currently are protected for race, religion and gender.
Legislation that would make it illegal for employers to discriminate against people because they own or use guns overwhelmingly passed the Missouri House before lawmakers left for spring break.
For bill sponsor Wanda Brown, a Republican from Lincoln, the goal is simple: "We would never consider giving up our First Amendment (free speech) rights for a job. Why should we give up our Second Amendment rights?"
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is pushing similar gun owner discrimination bills in other states, including Alabama and Tennessee, where the proposal has put lawmakers in a crossfire between gun activists and some of the state's largest employers. Some of the state's largest corporations, including FedEx, Bridgestone and Volkswagen, testified against the legislation and companion gun bills earlier this month. They argued that it could make companies more vulnerable to discrimination lawsuits and could hurt the state's job creation efforts.
In Missouri, some lawmakers have questioned whether the legislation is needed. No one has provided examples of an employee facing discrimination over gun ownership. "Does a person carrying a gun really qualify as a class that needs to be protected against discrimination in housing or employment?" said Rep. Mary Nichols, D-Maryland Heights.
Missouri currently prohibits discrimination based on "race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability or age." Some lawmakers said it's more important to add protections based on sexual orientation than gun ownership. "The Missouri House thinks it's more important to protect the right to own a gun than take on real discrimination," said Rep. Mike Colona, a Democrat from St. Louis who is gay. "I could get fired tomorrow because of the person I've spent the past 18 years of my life with."
Brown said she has no examples of employer discrimination against gun owners in Missouri, but she relayed the story of an owner of a Kansas City meat-packing plant. She said the man, whom Brown would not identify, was told that U.S. Department of Agriculture employees would not come back to his plant for inspections if he continued to carry his gun.
Beyond that, Brown said President Barack Obama's decision in 2008 to question potential hires for high-ranking positions in his administration about guns also concerned her. Question 59 on the president's survey read: "Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun? If so, provide complete ownership and registration information. Has the registration ever lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage." The question prompted the NRA to speculate that Obama wanted to exclude gun owners from his administration. The Obama camp said the question was meant to ensure proper registration and wasn't meant to bar gun owners from a job.
"There are people who think you shouldn't have the option to own a firearm," Brown said. Brown says she's not trying to establish new rights for gun owners. She said her goal is to reaffirm rights provided under the Second Amendment, and other lawmakers agree.
"It really disgusts me to hear people say we are carving out a protected class," said Rep. Jay Hougton, R-Martinsburg, a supporter of the bill. "Gun owners are spread across all classes in society."
The NRA did not respond to a request for comment. The group has said the effort will "protect law-abiding gun owners from anti-gun policies by employers across the state, including forced firearm registration, random vehicle firearm searches and 'gun zone' parking lots for gun owning employees."
Brown said she doesn't know what the bill's chances will be in the Senate. It passed the House on a vote of 115-36 - mainly along party lines.
Companion legislation that would allow workers to keep their guns in their cars on company property has not yet come up for a vote on the House floor. Fred Heberer, president of the Second Amendment Coalition of Missouri, said he hopes lawmakers will approve that companion bill. "There's no way to predict between the time you leave your home and the time you leave work whether you will need to defend yourself," he said. If an employer does not allow guns to be kept in locked cars, gun owners have to leave their guns at home all day, he said.
Similar bills also have been part of the NRA's push in Alabama and Tennessee. Sixteen states have adopted similar laws, starting with Oklahoma, where the measure was pushed after a company fired a dozen long-time employees who had guns in their cars. According to published reports, the Weyerhaeuser Co. sent gun-sniffing dogs into the parking lot of its paper mill in Valliant. Several companies opposed the law there, but it eventually was upheld in court.
In Missouri, the bill is part of a shift toward more gun-friendly laws in the state. Missouri voters rejected a 1999 attempt to create a concealed carry permit, but the state Legislature undid the vote four years later - paving the way for concealed firearms. In 2010, lawmakers broadened the state's "castle doctrine," which allows Missouri residents to use deadly force on intruders. The law now applies to any property invasion - not just homes.
The firearms discrimination bill is HB 1621. The guns-in-cars bill is HB 1326.
Summer hire season is just around the corner
With summer just around the corner, now is the time to apply for temporary positions with the Air Force.
Annually, federal agencies post summer opening announcements for positions that range from office clerk to food service worker and more. Participation in the program varies from base to base, but all listings will be posted either at www.USAJOBS.gov or the non-appropriated fund site, https://www.nafjobs.org/default.aspx.
To be considered for a summer position, individuals should check the announcement for "area of consideration," which identifies who may apply, to make sure they are eligible for consideration. Most summer hire positions are open to people eligible for the Student Temporary Employment Program, but some may be open to Veteran Recruitment Appointment, 30 percent or more disabled veterans, reinstatement, military spouse, and disability-eligible applicants, or to the public.
Student applicants must be enrolled in an accredited high school or enrolled/accepted for enrollment as degree-seeking students, taking at least a half-time course load in an accredited technical, vocational, two- or four-year college or university, or graduate or professional school.
VRA applicants must be disabled veterans or veterans who served on active duty in the armed forces during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized, or veterans who - while serving on active duty - participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces Service Medal was awarded, or a recently separated veteran. To qualify under the veterans' 30 percent disabled hiring authority, individuals must have served in the military, be able to produce proof of service and disability (DD Form 214 Member 4 copy and VA Disability Rating), and have a service-connected disability of 30 percent or more.
Reinstatement eligible applicants must have held a federal career or career-conditional appointment at some time in the past. If so, there is no time limit on reinstatement eligibility for those with veterans' preference or who acquired career tenure by completing three years of substantially continuous creditable service. Applicants who do not have veterans' preference or did not acquire career tenure may be reinstated within three years after their date of separation.
Appointment of Certain Military Spouse eligibility refers to active duty military members’ spouses who accompany the military sponsor on a permanent change of station move.
Under the People with Disabilities eligibility, applicants are considered disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Veterans and non-veterans may apply under this authority.
For more information about specific summer hire positions, contact the civilian personnel section at the base advertising the position.
For more information about civilian careers opportunities, go to www.afciviliancareers.com. For information about other personnel issues, visit the Air Force Personnel Services web site at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil.
DOJ blinks in its battle against 'Sheriff Joe'
By Jerome R. Corsi, WorldNetDaily
In its developing battle with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio over alleged violations of the civil rights of Hispanics, the Justice Department appears to have blinked, backing away from an earlier threat to take the Arizona lawman to federal court immediately. Now, the DOJ suddenly wants to talk.
Still, the Civil Rights Division, under the direction of Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez, has made it clear that the DOJ has no intent of proving its charges, as Arpaio has demanded.
In an e-mail sent to WND on Jan. 5, the DOJ stated, "If MCSO wants to debate the facts instead of fixing the problems stated in our findings, we will do so by way of litigation." Yet, in a six-page letter delivered to Arpaio’s office yesteday, Perez appeared to have softened his position by offering to talk, rather than going to court immediately. "We stand ready to meet, answer questions and discuss a resolution with you and your client immediately." Perez wrote to the sheriff’s office’s outside counsel, Joseph J. Popolizio.
In the proposed meetings, nevertheless, Perez made it clear the DOJ has no intent of showing or debating any of its alleged evidence. "The nature and extent of the document request suggests that your real goal is not 'transparency' and 'cooperation,' but rather further delay," Perez wrote.
Arpaio was not amused. "I'll be happy to meet with DOJ anytime," Arpaio told WND. "But I believe we have a right to see the evidence DOJ says they have against us and to defend ourselves against the charges." Arpaio bristled that Perez presumed the charges were valid, simply because the DOJ investigated his office. "What about our right to see the evidence and confront our accusers?" Arpaio asked.
As WND reported, some Arpaio supporters point to evidence that the Obama DOJ has launched a political campaign against the sheriff in retaliation for his decision to constitute a Cold Case Posse to investigate Obama's eligibility for the Arizona ballot this fall.
Before assuming his current position with the DOJ, Perez was a board director for Casa de Maryland, a Hispanic advocacy group affiliated with the radical national organization La Raza. In 2007, as Maryland’s labor secretary, Perez joined students to urge the Maryland legislature to approve a bill granting in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens, according to the Washington Post. La Raza even today holds the extreme view that the United States should, as a minimum, concede back to Hispanic rule major portions of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
WND has also reported that the DOJ appears to be coordinating its actions with Randy Parraz, a California-born activist/attorney who has relocated in Arizona with the announced goal of masterminding a Saul Alinsky series of 1960-styled political protests designed to force the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to ask for Arpaio's resignation. "I have no intention of resigning," Arpaio affirmed to WND. Arpaio has announced his attention to seek a sixth term as Maricopa County sheriff in the upcoming November elections.
Perez asserted in his letter that Arpaio's office "has ample information in its possession regarding the allegations of retaliatory behavior, as well as the additional areas of serious concern that were identified in our report." Perez argues the DOJ provided "specific examples of retaliatory actions in our report. In addition, you are undoubtedly in possession of reports addressing allegations of retaliatory or otherwise unlawful actions by MCSO officials," he said.
In response, Arpaio has repeatedly maintained that at best the DOJ has anecdotal evidence of isolated incidents, not scientifically conducted field studies that prove conclusively with statistical evidence that the MCSO engaged in a systematic pattern of intentional racial discrimination aimed at violating the civil rights of Hispanics. "If DOJ has the proof, what’s wrong with us seeing it?" Arpaio continues to ask.
Moreover, in his letter yesterday, Perez repeated the charge that the DOJ investigation began in 2008, under the administration of President George W. Bush. "Nobody informed us of any investigation in 2008," Arpaio told WND. "The first we heard of a DOJ investigation was 100 days into the Obama administration, when DOJ notified us in writing for the first time that the MCSO was under investigation."
Perez further argued that Arpaio and the MCSO refused to cooperate. "MCSO spent roughly two years stonewalling the investigation and refusing to cooperate," Perez wrote.
Again, Arpaio objected, noting that the MCSO turned over thousands of documents to the DOJ at the agency’s request and spent hundreds of hours in meetings with DOJ officials from Washington. "We’re still cooperating," Arpaio insisted. "If DOJ wants to meet to discuss their charges within the next 60 days, I’m happy to meet with them.'
Even so, it’s not clear what a meeting will accomplish. Perez made it clear the DOJ has no intention of reconsidering its finding that Arpaio and the MCSO are guilty. "MCSO has ample notice of the nature and extent of the problems," Perez insisted in his letter. "It is time to fix the problems, rather than debate the existence of problems."
San Francisco public health official to lead Obama's Office of National AIDS Policy
A top official in San Francisco, Calif.'s
Department of Public Health, Dr. Grant Colfax, was appointed by President
Barack Obama today as director of the White House Office of National AIDS
Policy.
U.S. military leads in brain injury care, specialists say
By Lisa Daniel, American Forces Press Service
Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps medical specialists are working closely together and with civilian experts to develop the best prevention, diagnosis and treatment practices for traumatic brain injuries, service representatives said yesterday.
"The Defense Department is in the lead in making sure we learn all we can about the brain and brain injuries," Maj. Sarah Goldman, director of the Army Medical Specialist Corps traumatic brain injury program, said during a Pentagon Channel panel discussion about military brain injury programs. Goldman, a research specialist with a doctorate in kinesiology in the Army surgeon general's office, was joined by her counterparts representing the other services' traumatic brain injury programs: Cmdr. (Dr.) Jack Tsao, a neurologist at the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery; Maj. (Dr.) Laura Baugh, a neurologist with the Air Force Medical Support Agency; and Navy Capt. (Dr.) David Tarantino, a family practice physician assigned to Marine Corps headquarters. "We have different lenses we bring to the table, and it's that diversity that gives us strength," Goldman said.
The team also works with brain injury experts in academia and civilian medicine to share knowledge and "increase the comfort level" of medical professionals in treating brain injuries, Goldman said. "We want to make sure that with the innovations and practices we identify, we can move forward together," she said.
Service members are more susceptible to brain injuries than civilians, although an estimated 84 percent of brain injuries to troops occur not on deployment, but back home, the panelists said. And most are preventable, they added.
Training injuries, sports injuries and car wrecks cause most brain injuries, Tarantino said. "A lot of TBI is preventable," he said, if people wear protective gear such as helmets and seat belts. The quality of protective gear has come a long way, Tarantino said, "but it only works if you wear it."
With combat-related brain injuries, the services have learned much from 10 years of war, the panelists said. Identification of brain injuries on the battlefield has been "firmly codified," and rest following a brain injury now is mandated, Tsao said.
"We think we have the most effective combat treatment centers in the history of warfare," Tarantino said of the Navy and Marine Corps program. "It starts with self care and buddy care," he explained. After a head injury, a service member assesses himself - or his buddy assesses him - for symptoms of concussion, such as blacking out or dizziness. The service member then is seen by a Navy corpsman, and if identified as having a concussion or worse brain injury, is sent to triage for care, and then may be evacuated for more intensive care, Tarrantino said. Military medical facilities for treating head injuries are located throughout Afghanistan, he noted.
For rehabilitation, the Marine Corps' Concussion Restoration Care Center - an interdisciplinary facility including family, sports medicine and other specialists - has treated hundreds of concussions, with a 98 percent rate of full recovery, he said.
The military's efforts in traumatic brain injuries have benefited from increased awareness about brain injuries inside the Defense Department and in Congress, as well as from attention the issue has been receiving in the National Football League and the National Hockey League, Tsao said. "All of those things have made our jobs easier," he added.
In fact, much of the latest discoveries into brain injuries have happened in the sports world, and the Army and Marine Corps are partnering with the NFL to share information, Goldman said.
The services continue to work against a stigma some service members attach to seeking help, and a new Army policy takes that decision out of soldiers' hands, Goldman said. Anyone involved in a blast or other event causing head trauma must be taken out of the fight and examined, he added.
Other services are following the same mandate, Baugh noted. Service members now recognize the events that cause brain injuries and the symptoms that indicate those injuries, and they know the requirement that they get examined, she said.
Air Force medical officials try to keep TBI patients in the care of their primary physicians, at home and with their families, Baugh said. The Air Force's Echo pilot program uses technology to bring the TBI team's expertise to the service members and their providers.
Tsao said the Navy is working to prevent brain injuries, and to educate sailors and Marines about symptoms, treatment and effects. The most important treatment of concussions is rest, he said, and education is critical. "Telling patients what to expect makes a world of difference," he said.
Symptoms of TBI include temporary loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, and, in severe injuries, long-term memory and concentration problems, panelists said. Most people with mild brain injuries recover within days or weeks, and 85 percent recover within three months, they said.
USS Nitze departs for deployment
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile
destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94) departed Naval Station Norfolk, Va., March
12 for a scheduled deployment.
Nitze,
operating with the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group, is scheduled to
work with Coalition maritime forces focusing heavily on maritime security
operations and theater security cooperation efforts designed to maintain
regional stability.
This deployment comes in the wake of countless hours of training, maintenance and practice. "Our training was meant to closely simulate potential situations as realistically as possible," said Cmdr. John Bub, Nitze's executive officer. "It was meant to force crew members to think through problems and face potential issues."
"Some of the problems the ship faced in training were counter-piracy related, as well as handling surface and air contacts," said Lt. Chris Byrnes, Nitze's operations officer. "It gave the crew a lot of operational experience to make sure they were ready for deployment."
Commissioned in 2005, Nitze has deployed twice to the 5th and 6th Fleet's areas of responsibility and is ready for the challenges they may face on this deployment. "Nitze established a great reputation during previous deployments," said Byrnes. "The commanding officer and the crew expect to meet and exceed expectations placed on them."
"The crew performed above expectations in every aspect of our training," said Bub. "We are more than prepared to face any challenges that come our way during deployment."
For the crew, the deployment will be
business as usual. "I expect the crew to perform in the manner in which they
have been trained," said Bub. "The crew has been trained on every aspect of the
ship and are prepared to use what they know, including the combat systems, if
necessary."
Since returning from a month-long
training exercise earlier this year, Nitze has gotten several new crew
members. "We expect the new crew members to successfully and fully integrate
with the crew," said Byrnes.
Upon arriving in
the 5th and 6th Fleet's areas of responsibility, the crew will be ready to
perform any task asked of them. "When we arrive, we will be ready to go anywhere
and perform any duties asked of us at a moment's notice," said
Byrnes.
The Enterprise Carrier Strike Group is comprised of Enterprise, Carrier Air Wing (CVW 1), Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 2, the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69), and the guided-missile destroyers USS Porter (DDG 78), USS Nitze (DDG 94) and USS Porter (DDG 95).
Panetta: All are united on Afghanistan strategy
By Karen Parrish, American Forces Press Service
His sixth trip to Afghanistan, more so than some others, made him feel there's a "very good chance of succeeding" in the mission and the long war here, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said in Kabul today.
The secretary and Army Lt. Gen. Curtis M. "Mike" Scaparrotti, commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)'s Joint Command, spoke to Afghan and U.S. reporters in Kabul before Panetta left Afghanistan for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for the last stop on his five-day tour to Central Asia and the Middle East.
In previous visits, Panetta said, he was concerned about differences in strategy among military leaders, civilian governors and coalition and Afghan troops. This time, he said, everyone "absolutely agrees" with the strategy planned through 2014. The secretary said over two days in Afghanistan he has met with provincial and national Afghan leaders, Coalition and Afghan troops, and commanders and civil authorities in Helmand Province and in the Afghan capital. All of those groups, and the Afghan people, have been tested by recent weeks' events from the Koran burning to the murders of Afghan villagers and Coalition troops, Panetta acknowledged. But he said he learned during this visit's meetings that "we were also very unified in our focus on achieving the mission" of ensuring Afghanistan never again becomes a terrorist safe haven. That mission will only be achieved when Afghanistan can secure and govern itself, and everyone he spoke with on this visit shares that view, Panetta said.
In a statement following his meeting with Panetta today, Afghan President Hamid Karzai made reference to withdrawing international troops from Afghan towns and villages. A senior defense official traveling with Panetta, who also attended the meeting with Karzai, said the topic had come up and that both men agreed to work together and continue close consultation on such topics as the transition to Afghan security lead continues. The official said he has attended many such meetings with Karzai, and today's session was "very, very positive." Karzai is understandably eager to assume full sovereignty in his country, the official said, and that is what the United States and other coalition partners want as well.
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little, who also attended the meeting, said the Afghans did not ask for any change in the transition timeline agreed to at the November 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal. "The secretary has seen President Karzai's statement," Little said. "He believes it reflects President Karzai's strong interest in moving as quickly as possible to a fully independent and sovereign Afghanistan. The secretary also believes that we have made good progress thus far in both security gains and transition, and that it is important for us to remain focused on those efforts in the months ahead."
Panetta said his visit "really convinced" him Coalition leaders and the Afghan government are responding positively to recent challenges. He added that he commended Karzai, Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and Interior Minister Gen. Bismillah Khan Mohammadi on the order and control they maintained in the face of those challenges. That kind of leadership, he said, is "so important to the future security of this country."
Panetta said as security transition continues through 2012 and International Security Assistance Force troops first step back from a combat role and then largely draw down from Afghanistan in 2014, planning what happens up to and after that milestone is increasingly important.
"In the discussions I just completed with President Karzai and other leaders, we really did focus on strategy for the future" and what needs to happen up to the end of 2014 and beyond, the secretary said.
Both sides agree on the need for ongoing partnership between the United States and Afghanistan, Panetta said. That will require a certain amount of U.S. military support well beyond 2014, he noted: in counter-terrorism, in advising and assisting Afghan forces, and in helping the Afghan security forces maintain their operational skills. The number, placement and tasks those troops will undertake depends on the strategic partnership agreement the two countries are now discussing, the secretary said. In talks with Karzai, he added, both agreed they would like to see that agreement drafted before May's NATO summit in Chicago.
All leaders he spoke with on this visit agreed that levels of violence are down and Afghan army and police are very involved in operations across their nation, Panetta said. The growing strength and capability of Afghan security forces in working effectively and professionally to defend and protect their people is absolutely essential to Afghanistan's ultimate self-governance, he added.
The war and the challenges will continue in Afghanistan over the coming months, as the spring and summer "fighting season" once again takes hold, the secretary noted. The key, he said, is "how we respond, and how we [can] confront those challenges and maintain forward progress."
"Afghanistan needs to be able to govern and secure itself," Panetta said. "We are very close to accomplishing that, but the key right now is to stay on that mission and not allow our frustrations and concerns to undermine the principal goal we're here to achieve."
Ridge endorses Mitt Romney
Former Pennsylvania governor and the first U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005, Tom Ridge has endorsed Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Ridge first endorsed former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman back in December.
DHS says you can count on AT&T when disasters strike
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced that AT&T wireless is America's first carrier certified by the department in the event of any disaster that will be able to resume network traffic and field customers' calls.
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