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Member Comments, Views, Procedures, Policies, etc.
Local-District-State-National
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Send to== amlegion@hutchtel.net or Post Home
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TO:=Berkeley City Council:-
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Item #106
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Legion Rules- concerning = POLITICS- -( Source- Legion Dispatch- National)
As the political campaigns continue on the local, state and federal levels, Legionaires across the country will be invited to candidates ' fundraising dinners or rallies. As individuals, that's great. As veterans, that's great. But as representatives of the American Legion, it's a violation of our constitution and for good reasons.
Two easy rules to remember.
1. Don't wear your Legion cap to election rallies or functions that support one candidate over another. A red, white or blue Legion cap at a political function can easily be misconstrued as an endorsement of a candidate.
(Your are considered in uniform when you are wearing your Legion Cap and are therefore representing the Legion.)
2. Keep your post hosted political debates fair. If you invite a candidate from one party to your post to speak, you need to make the same offer to opposing candidates.
The Legion supports the democratic process, not the Democrat or Republican party, nor any other particular party or organization. If they support our position on an issue, that's their individual choice. If we support their candidacies, that, too , is an individual choice, not the Legion's.
Get out the Vote: ( Source- Legion Dispatch- National)
Americans should remember that good government is established when concerned citizens participate in the electoral process. They should also understand what is expected of them, and they must know clearly and simply how to go about doing it. The American Legion "Get Out the Vote" program strives to do just that. Download the American Legoin "Get Out the Vote" guide at
TRAVEL NURSE CORPS( Source- Legion Dispatch- National)
To deal with a nationalwide shortage of nurses, and to improve the quality of care for veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs has created a "Travel Nurse Corps" that enables VA nurses to travel and work throughout the departments medical system.
Under the program, participating nurses may be temporarily assigned to distant medical centers and clinics to help nursing staffs that have vacancies, to reduce wit time or the reliance upon contrctors, or to maintain high-skill services and procedures. Travel nursers are compensated.
Why do I have to swear on the Bible in court when the Ten Commandments cannot be displayed outside?
Remember: life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
Offensive art exhibit: Care to trample on Old Glory?
A university student's controversial art exhibit left out one important variable: resistance from a determined Legionnaire.
Susan Crane, a 40-year-old education major at the University of Maine at Farmington, displayed a series of U.S. Flags last week on the floor of a student-center hallway.
"My purpose was to figure out how people felt about the flag and (I) gave them a choice to walk around it," she said.
Enter Vietnam War veteran Charles Bennett. The American Legion commander of Maine's District 4 tried to remove the flags from the floor, but university officials threatened to arrest him. Bennett held his ground as he stood in front of the flags, discouraging many students from stepping on them. Even so, some students chose to walk or stand upon Old Glory.
"I am protecting them," Bennett said of the flags. "I am stopping people from walking on them. It is against the law to put the flag on the floors."
While the U.S. Flag Code does not carry criminal penalties, flag-desecration laws were overturned by the Supreme Court's dubious Texas v. Johnson decision in 1989. The American Legion and the Citizens Flag Alliance have been working tirelessly ever since to pass a flag-protection amendment that would give Congress the authority to protect the U.S. Flag from desecration. The measure fell only one vote short of the needed two-thirds majority in 2006, the last time the Senate voted on it.
Currently, the proposed flag amendment sits in the U.S. House of Representatives, where Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., is the sponsor of H.J. Resolution 12, which is supported by The American Legion.
Back in Farmington, the offensive "art" exhibit has been removed before its intended deadline, not because of bad taste but because a local fire official deemed the display a safety hazard.
American Legion News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, January 31, 2008 -
Berkeley City Council Resolution, which tells the Marines that they are not welcome there. "Disgraceful, disloyal, ungrateful
American Legion Commander to Berkeley City Council:-- Marines are not the enemy.
"Osama bin Laden couldn't have said it better," American Legion National Commander Marty Conatser said of the Berkeley City Council Resolution, which tells the Marines that they are not welcome there. "Disgraceful, disloyal, ungrateful. These words are too kind in describing the actions of the public officials in Berkeley, who voted for this disgrace. Nonetheless, our Marines continue to bravely serve and in so doing, allow Americans to spout such foolishness. The American Legion not only strongly condemns this action by the City Council but also believes that a sincere apology is in order to all Marines, past and present."Conatser, the leader of the nation's largest veterans organization, was referring to a measure passed by the Council 6-3 Tuesday, that tells the U.S. Marine Corps that one of its recruiting stations is "not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do as uninvited and unwelcome intruders."The City Council marched in complete lock-step with radical anti-war group Code Pink in attempting to drive out Marine recruiters from its San Francisco suburb. The City Council also voted 8-1 to give Code Pink a free parking space in front of a recruiting station, along with a free sound permit for protesting once a week. Marine recruiters at Berkeley have faced harassment from protestors who regularly block nearby sidewalks, generate excessive noise and disrupt business."I have been a recruiter in the National Guard and I know that it's tough duty, with long hours," Conatser said. "What these recruiters do is essential to our national security. Without recruiters we have no military. And I don't think we can count on the flower children from Berkeley to protect this nation when it comes under attack. They have to remember that Marines are not the enemy; the terrorists are."Conatser pointed out that The American Legion strongly supports the war on terrorism, passing a national resolution of its own. "Resolution 169 was passed unanimously by The American Legion in 2005 and it has been re-affirmed every year since. It reminds Americans that you can not separate the war from the warrior and that the American people should stand united in support for our troops who are engaged in protecting our values and our way of life."With a current membership of 2.7-million wartime veterans, The American Legion, www.legion.org, was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans affairs, Americanism, and patriotic youth programs. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through more than 14,000 posts across the nation.
Item #106
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May 2008
From : Clark Dyrud Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs-
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With the close of the 2008 Legislative Session, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our dedicated service organizations, Governor Tim Pawlenty and the Minnesota Legislature. Our state leaders have made it clear that veterans and their families are a priority in Minnesota.There were many important veteran-related provisions signed into law this session. Here are a few highlights:
Governor Pawlenty and legislative leaders agreed to invest $10 million in bonding for the replacement of Building 9 at the Minneapolis Veterans Home. Earlier this year residents were evacuated from Building 9 after it was condemned due to structural deficiencies. We will keep you informed as we move forward with planning for the demolition and reconstruction. The Minneapolis home also received bonding dollars for asset preservation.
The Veterans Home in Silver Bay received funding to complete construction and the Fergus Falls Veterans Home received partial funding for an Alzheimer's and Dementia unit.
The State Soldiers Assistance Program received additional funding of $2.5 million in FY 09 and $1.5 million each year thereafter. With the recent increase in applications for SSAP assistance, this funding came at a crucial time.
Funding was provided for a new caseworker program and our Claims and Outreach Department will now be able to hire a full-time Women Veterans Coordinator.
Tax relief for veterans includes a property tax exclusion for the homesteads of the Minnesota veterans with service-connected disabilities of 70 percent, a tax credit of up to a $750 for disabled veterans or military members with at least 20 years of service, and a doubling of the Military Combat Zone tax credit. In addition, military pay for training and drills will no longer be counted as taxable income.
As many of you know, MDVA has undergone tremendous growth in the last two years, and the confidence placed in our agency is humbling. Your support of our mission to help veterans and their families is essential to our work. On behalf of Deputy Commissioners Michael Pugliese and Gil Acevedo and our entire staff, thank you for your confidence and committed support to our agency.
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www.mdva.state.mn.us www.mvh.state.mn.us www.minnesotaveteran.org 1-888-LinkVet (1-888-546-5838)
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IRAQ INFORMATION- JUNE 2008
#107
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It is too bad that the American public has never seen any of this info instead of the daily picture of the same bomb crater.One issue that doesn't fit the 'what you don't know, can't hurt you' category.I didn't know! You didn't know! How could we know?
Did you know that 47 countries' have reestablished their embassies in Iraq ?
Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people ? Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 new schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been completed in Iraq ?
Did you know that Iraq 's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, allcurrently operating?
Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2005 for the re-established Fulbright program?
Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational ? They have 5 -100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment
.Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operational squadrons, which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transportaircraft (under Iraqi operational control) which operate day andnight, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 Bell Jet Rangers ?
Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?
Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?
Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produceover 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?
Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on inIraq ? They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69electrical facilities.
Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?
Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?
Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraqand phone use has gone up 158% ? Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?
Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?
Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential election hada televised debate recently?OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW! WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW? YOUR NEWS MEDIA REFUSES TO TELL US!
Instead of reflecting our love for our country, we get photos of flag burning incidents at Abu Ghraib and people throwing snowballs at the presidential motorcades. tragically.
.All the above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense web site.'http://www.defenselink.mil/ <http://www.defenselink.mil/>
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." Thomas Jefferson______
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