Our Heroes Are All Around Us

 Posted by LTC Jason Dempsey on July 12, 2011 at 07:20 PM EDT

Today the President awarded the Medal of Honor to Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry. Sergeant Petry is thesecond living Medal of Honor recipient to have earned the award for service during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was an incredible event.

Sergeant Petry, an Army Ranger, was honored for his actions during a deployment to Afghanistan in 2008. While on a high-risk daytime mission, Petry and two of his comrades were injured by enemy fire. Despite his wounds, Petry continued to lead his soldiers, dragging one who had been injured to cover. When an enemy grenade landed near him and his comrades, Sergeant Petry moved toward the grenade and picked it up to throw it back – saving the lives of his fellow Rangers. As he cocked his arm to lob the live grenade away, it exploded. Petry lost his hand, but did not give up the fight. He tied a tourniquet around his own bleeding arm and continued to direct the operation, working to ensure the safety of his comrades until the end of the mission.

President Barack Obama places the Medal of Honor around the neck of Army Sergeant First Class Leroy Arthur Petry, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, July 12, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Sergeant Petry’s heroism has earned the admiration of us all. But as the President observed at the award ceremony, Petry is also a reminder that heroism is alive and well in America. We can find examples almost everywhere we look:

Our heroes are all around us. They’re the force behind the force—military spouses like Ashley, who during Leroy’s many deployments, during missed birthdays and holidays, has kept this family Army Strong.  They’re military children, like Brittany, Austin, Reagan and seven-year old Landon, who at the end of a long day is there to gently rub his dad’s injured arm.

Sergeant Petry was in training to become a Ranger on the morning of September 11, 2001. Upon hearing the terrible news that America had been attacked, he and his fellow trainees were told to “keep training - you might be going to war.” Months later, Petry landed in Afghanistan on the first of seven deployments. Petry’s service to his country and to his comrades has been outstanding, and he’s not done: Though he could have retired and received full benefits, Sergeant Petry chose to re-enlist. 

In his selfless service, Sergeant Petry is an example for all Americans. And he is just one of thousands of young people who lined up to defend this country after we were attacked, and who continue to do so. Through ten long years of war, our men and women in uniform have served selflessly, sacrificing more than many of us can imagine – sometimes sacrificing all. In the words of the President, they “have earned their place among the greatest of generations.” They and their families deserve our admiration and respect for all they have given us.

Our heroes are all around us. We owe it to them to make sure that we provide them with the benefits and opportunities they have earned. To show your gratitude, visit joiningforces.gov. You can volunteer to help veterans and their families, send a note of thanks to our troops, or share a personal story.

Secretary Sebelius on Whether Seniors Should Control Their Healthcare Decisions

Uploaded by HouseBudgetCommittee on Jul 12, 2011

Rep. Paul Ryan asked Secretary Sebelius, who is in charge of Medicare, what she thought of Medicare Part D's choice and competition model and whether seniors should have these kinds of options.

Sessions: Debt Limit Progress Requires President To Give Up Gimmicks

by Jeff Sessions on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 5:06pm

“Enough empty promises… We need a seismic restoration of responsibility—and it will not happen unless, for the first time since taking office, President Obama puts a credible budget plan on paper.”

            WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today after learning that the White House’s publicly claimed spending cuts from closed-door meetings rely heavily on gimmicks and accounting tricks:

“News that the cuts offered by the White House are not real, but instead rely on gimmicks and tricks, is upsetting but not surprising; this has been the scheme all along. The president offered a budget in February that would double our nation’s debt while declaring that it would ‘not add more to the debt.’ He delivered a speech in April saying that he had a new deficit reduction plan to reduce our debt by $4 trillion while, in reality, his plan would grow the debt $2.2 trillion beyond the CBO baseline over the next ten years. Democrats in Washington have shut down the entire budget process and failed to put an honest plan on paper.

Enough empty promises. We’re projected to spend $46 trillion over the next ten years—a 57% increase between 2011 and 2021. But all the president and Senate Democrats have been willing to do is offer the appearance of savings while fighting to preserve a spending path that will bankrupt the greatest nation on Earth. It is time to bring this process into the light of day. I have introduced a measure, along with my Republican colleagues, requiring that the legislative text of a debt bill be made public at least 7 days before any vote is held.

We need a seismic restoration of responsibility—and it will not happen unless, for the first time since taking office, President Obama puts a credible budget plan on paper.”

How Concerned Are You That an Agreement to Raise the Debt Ceiling Might Not Be Reached By August 2?

Opinion

By You Decide

Published July 12, 2011

| FoxNews.com

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• Congressional leaders once again head to the White House on Tuesday to try to hammer out a deficit-reduction plan that can pass both houses. Neither side, however, seems willing to budge from their positions on cutting entitlement spending or raising taxes. How concerned are you that an agreement might not be reached by the administration's August 2 deadline to raise the debt ceiling 

Share your thoughts, answer our question then click "Leave a Comment."

 

How concerned are you that an agreement might not be reached 

to raise the debt ceiling by August 2?

Not at all -- Neither side wants to be blamed for killing the economy, so something will get done.Somewhat -- My primary concern is how the stock markets will react.Very -- Both sides are digging in, and American taxpayers once again are going to pay the price.Undecided -- It's all too confusing.Other (post a comment).

View Results
Share ThisPolldaddy.com

This is not a scientific poll.

Debt Ceiling is Obama's Problem, GOP Says

By Susan Davis and Ben Terris

Updated: July 12, 2011 | 3:21 p.m. 
July 12, 2011 | 12:19 p.m.

House Republican leaders head back to the White House on Tuesday carrying a message they heard earlier from their Conference: “Mr. President, what’s your plan?” And the demand comes with a reinforced pledge: "Still no new taxes." House Republicans huddled on Tuesday and showed no signs of yielding to Democrats’ demands that revenues be part of a deficit reduction package tied to the pending debt ceiling increase.

If anything, the rank-and-file’s message to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., who are taking that message to the White House, is that Republicans do not view the debt ceiling as a problem they created, but rather one they are willing to help the president resolve if he is willing to bend to their terms.

(RELATED: Charlie Cook—Get Out of the Comfort Zone)

From National Journal:
PICTURES: Six Consequences of Not Raising the Debt Ceiling 

PICTURES: Betty Ford Through the Years 

VIDEO: Planned Parenthood Challenged on State Level 

End of Shuttle Launches New Mission 

Boehner's Backpedal Moves D.C. Closer to the Brink

“Where’s the president’s plan? When’s he going to lay his cards on the table? This debt limit increase is his problem, and I think it’s time for him to lead by putting his plan on the table, something that Congress can pass,” Boehner told reporters.

It was a message that juiced Republicans in Tuesday’s meeting, who are increasingly defiant towards Obama on the question of whether the debt ceiling is a shared problem. “This is mostly debt we didn’t run up. We didn’t vote for the stimulus bill. We didn’t vote for the health care package; we didn’t vote, for the most part, for the higher discretionary spending,” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. “Look, we recognize we’re all in the same country, we all have an obligation here. But there these were mostly Democratic spending plans, and the idea that we would raise taxes to pay for programs we voted against? That’s a pretty hard sell.”

(RELATED: Politics of Austerity Look Better Than Its Economics)

Leaders briefed members on the proposed spending cuts outlined by Cantor that the GOP believes will save just over $2 trillion in 10 years, although the White House believes those savings are closer to $1.8 trillion. But spending cuts are only one part of an agreement required to secure the votes of their Conference. Members like Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., who is running for governor, said his vote is contingent on sending a balanced budget amendment to the states, although it is unlikely both chambers could secure the two-thirds majority required for that to occur. Other members are equally resistant to any package that does not enact statutory budget caps to draw down spending levels. There is unanimity in opposition to tax increases.

While there was no indication that Republicans were any closer to a deal with the White House, the mood at Conference was described as positive, according to lawmakers in the room. Cole expressed confidence that a deal was reachable. “There is sufficient movement that we can get the votes that we need once we get the deal in front of us,” he said, noting that lawmakers are mindful of the consequences of default. “I don’t think many people want to run that risk,” he said.

(RELATED: Boehner Says Taxes Still a Stumbling Block in Talks)

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., was incredulous at the Republican argument that their big give in the negotiations would be voting to raise the debt ceiling at all. “I reject out of hand, categorically, and emphatically that somehow they are giving us this,” Hoyer told reporters. “For Mr. Cantor to say that it was a major concession by the Republicans to sit down at the table to discuss getting to an agreement is an extraordinary comment to be made in a democracy.”

Markey reviews new GOP flick 'Arsenic and Old Waste'

July 12, 2011:

Statement by Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) Amendment to H.R. 2273: Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act House Energy and Commerce Committee  July 12, 2011 “Today, we are here to discuss yet another Republican bill whose premise is to prevent EPA from following the scientific evidence.   “This bill says that no matter what EPA learns about the sludge that comes out of coal-fired power plants, no matter how high the concentrations of poisonous arsenic, mercury or chromium, and no matter what EPA learns about how these materials find their way into our drinking water – EPA is forbidden from classifying or regulating it as hazardous waste. It is a green-light pass for utility companies to dispose of their waste without regard to public health or the environment.   “It turns out that Republicans are not alone in this conclusion. Mercury, a major component of coal ash, was a common cure-all for many 19th century ailments. Do you have a toothache? Just rub a little mercury on it.  “In the 1800’s, arsenic, another large component of coal ash, was sold by pharmacists everywhere as a soap to rid the skin of liver spots, blotches, wrinkles and other signs of aging. Turns out you never have to worry about aging if you rub arsenic on your face every day.  Of course, the ads didn’t mention that using this product could also lead to premature death, so one could actually avoid the aging process altogether. “Last year, in a hearing I chaired, the Republican witness Dr. Donald McGraw even said he would be happy to sprinkle arsenic-laced coal ash on his cereal.  Perhaps next week, the Subcommittee will make a new space on the food pyramid for coal ash. Or maybe it will be in a containment pond next to the pyramid.  “The Republican bill takes us back in time to the era of magic tonics and medical quackery passed off as legitimate medicine. “The problem with continuing to push 19th century technology like traditional coal is that you apparently also have to continue 19th century attitudes about health and the environment.  “Instead of allowing the coal industry and Republicans to transport our country’s environmental and public health standards back to the era of Charles Dickens, we should hold these industries to ‘Greater’ Expectations. “This bill denies the public a role in permitting decisions that intimately affect local communities in the 42 states in which coal ash disposal occurs. “It denies communities a voice in decisions about waste sites that may be hundreds of acres in size, receive millions of tons of waste, and which may be in operation for decades.  “Absent public participation, we could easily see a disproportionate number of waste facilities being sited in low income communities or communities of color.  “My amendment is simple and straightforward. It ensures that there are opportunities for public participation in the permitting process by:  •    allowing for a public hearing before a State adopts a plan for handling coal combustion wastes,  •    allowing for public comment on the standards that are applied to the establishment and expansion of waste impoundments and landfills, and  •    allowing any affected person to seek judicial review of EPA decisions regarding State plans.  “The amendment also ensures that when EPA notes deficiencies in a State program that the notice it issues is made available to the public and not hidden behind a cloak of secrecy. Results from groundwater monitoring would also be made public.  “Public participation is an essential cornerstone of permitting in every environmental law that this Committee has put on the books – the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, known as RCRA. “Ensuring that the needs of communities are considered in permitting decisions results in the best and safest permitting decisions and engages residents in a process that may literally occur in their backyards.  “I urge support of this important amendment.”

 

Mr. President, Keep Your Word

Uploaded by SenatorSanders on Jul 12, 2011

As high-stakes deficit talks resumed Tuesday at the White House, Sen. Bernie Sanders prodded President Barack Obama to keep his 2008 campaign promise not to cut Social Security. "If you told the American people you're not going to cut Social Security, then don't cut Social Security. Keep your word," Sanders said in a Senate floor speech.

July 16th Day to Volunteer

In order to re-elect the President and win new majorities in Congress, we have to lay the groundwork for victory now. That means getting started with good, old-fashioned organizing.

Watch the video from our new Chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and then sign up for the July 16th Day of Action using the form at right.

Michigan Woman Faces 93 Days in Jail for Planting a Vegetable Garden

 

 By Colleen Vanderlinden

 170 COMMENTS

This is not some gated community with HOA regulations. This is an ordinary, working class neighborhood in Oakland County, Michigan.

It just doesn't get more ridiculous than this.
Julie Bass of Oak Park, Michigan -- a mother of 6, law-abiding citizen, and gardener -- is facing 93 days in jail after being charged with a misdemeanor.
Her crime? Planting a vegetable garden in the front yard.
Bass says that she planted the garden after her front yard was torn up for some sewer repairs. Rather than wasting the opportunity to start with a clean slate by planting a lawn, she decided to really put the area to use, and plant a vegetable garden.
Her garden consists of 5 raised beds, where she grows a mix of squashes, corn, tomatoes, flowers, and other veggies. Bass received a warning from the city telling her to remove the vegetable garden, because it doesn't adhere to city ordinances (more on that later.) When she refused, she was ticketed and charged with a misdemeanor. Her trial, before a jury, is set to begin on July 26th. If she is found guilty, she can be sentenced to up to 93 days in jail.
About the City Ordinance
Supposedly, Bass is in noncompliance with a city ordinance that states that only "suitable" plant material is allowed on the lawn area of residences. When local media asked city planner Kevin Rulkowski what that meant, he said suitable means "common:" lawn, nice shrubs, and flowers. However, the city ordinance does not specifically state that those are the only allowed plant materials.
About Oak Park
This is not some gated community with HOA regulations. This is an ordinary, working class neighborhood in Oakland County, Michigan. Like nearly every other city in my home state right now, Oak Park is facing financial issues. Here at home, people are amazed that a cash-strapped city has the resources to investigate, charge, and prosecute a resident for something as innocuous as planting a vegetable garden.
What's Being Done
This story is gaining traction all over the web. Gawker covered it this morning. There are Facebook pages devoted to supporting Mrs. Bass and her family during this ordeal. Will social media help change the city's mind? That's what many of us are hoping. Local television affiliates for ABC and Fox news have already covered the story, and media attention continues to grow.
How to Help
If you want to help support a gardener's right to grow food for her family (even if it is -- gasp -- in the front yard!) there are several things you can do:
1. Email or call officials for the city of Oak Park. Mrs. Bass has listed contact information for the mayor, city manager, and other city officials in the sidebar of her blog.
2. "Like" the Oak Park Hates Veggies Facebook Page. 
3. Spread the word via Facebook and Twitter. By gaining attention to this particular issue, with this particular homeowner, the hope is that other cities will reconsider before they harass another homeowner for something like this.
What do you think? Should a front yard vegetable garden be a crime

No "Compromise" Between Life and Death

 

 

 

by Alan Grayson on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 7:37pm

Here is Alan Grayson, telling it like it is, talking about Social Security and Medicare and announcing his candidacy on national TV last night:

Ed Schultz:  Let’s bring in former congressman Alan Grayson, who has been a fighter for the left since he got on the national scene. Congressman, good to have you with us tonight.  Alan Grayson, you have been a man known for unvarnished opinion. If you were in the Congress today, what would be your advice, how would you handle this?

Alan Grayson:  I would not vote for any cuts in Medicare, I would not vote for any cuts in Social Security, and I’d be grabbing everybody else by the collar telling them to do the same. Look, you know the Republicans have been saying now for months that we need to cut $2 trillion out of the budget over the next 10 years, without ever saying what they would cut. They got a free ride for the past two months or three months, talking about all these wonder cuts that are going to reduce the deficit, reduce the debt, without ever saying what they are. Now I know a way to cut $2 trillion out of the deficit in the next 10 years. You could end the wars. You could end the war in Afghanistan. You could end the war in Iraq and Libya. Those wars cost us $157 billion last year, and the cost is going up, not down.  If you want to save $2 trillion, how about peace? Why don’t we give that a try?

Schultz:  Social Security is even a bigger deal, it seems like. Although Harry Reed was on "Meet the Press" I think a couple of months ago, said we didn't have a problem. But I guess now the president wants to put it on the table. The president has acknowledged it’s not part of the deficit problem and I think that’s starting to sink in with Americans.  So if it is not the source of the problem, why the hell do we have to address it now? What do you think?

Grayson:  Because Washington is now divided between the “Meanies” and the   “Weenies.”  That’s the real two-party system today in Washington, the Meanies and the Weenies. The Meanies want to take Social Security and Medicare away from Grandma and Grandpa, and the Weenies are quite willing to go along with it and “compromise.”  Well, people need Social Security and Medicare to live. And there is no compromise between life and death. There is no middle ground. The average person who retires in America today has less than $50,000 in savings. That’s good for one, maybe two years. And those people live for close to 20. There is no way anybody in America can get by without Social Security and Medicare, and that’s what the right wing in America wants to take away. I say, “No. No compromise.”  We need to strengthen Social Security and Medicare. I want to see Medicare cover dental work. I want to see Medicare cover hearing aids. I want to see Medicare cover actual medical needs.

Schultz: Is this President weak? Why isn't he saying what you’re saying? Why does he throw $4 trillion out on the table, when he knows that’s an unrealistic number? He’s just trying to prove a point that the Republicans are never going to deal with him. Hell, anybody could have told him that last week. 

Grayson: He’s my President. He’s the leader of my party. So I don't know exactly what to say. But I do know this. All of this compromise hasn’t accomplished anything useful for anybody on our side. It hasn’t done any good at all. The President should be saying to people: “The Republican Party is cruel.”

Schultz: Yeah.

Grayson: “The Republican Party is bigoted. The Republican Party cares only about tax breaks for the rich.” If that were the case…

Schultz: Congressman, there are a lot of people that need your voice. Are you ever going to get back into this race, back into this political arena?

Grayson: Ed, I announced today that I am running for Congress again. And already at our website “congressmanwithguts.com,” hundreds of people have made a contribution. So yes,I’m back.

Markey: Congress Sees the Light on Energy Efficient Bulbs

July 12, 2011:

Increased Lightbulb Standards Preserved, Legislative Standards Lowered During Frivolous Debate, Says Congressman WASHINGTON (July 12, 2011) -- For the first 188 days of this session of Congress, House Republicans have yet to bring a single jobs bill to the House floor. And then, on the 189th day, they let there be a vote…on light. The attempted GOP repeal of a bipartisan bill signed into law by President Bush in 2007 that sets minimum energy efficiency standards on light bulbs failed today in the House of Representatives. As a result, families will still save $12 billion, or about $100 per household from the energy bill savings resulting from the standards. Consumers will still have several new choices in lighting from the innovation resulting from the standards. And 30 new coal or nuclear power plants will still not have to be built due to the energy savings resulting from phasing out energy wasting old light bulbs. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the Ranking Member of the Natural Resources Committee and a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement: “Fortunately, the Republican attempt to repeal minimum efficiency standards for light bulbs failed, but it is reflection of how radical the House Republican majority has become that a bipartisan, common-sense provision supported by both industry and environmentalists was threatened with repeal, and that the House wasted its time on such a matter when we have much more important work to do to create jobs and reduce the deficit. “My only hope is that when House Republicans were up on the ladder trying to change everybody’s light bulbs, they saw the light on the debt ceiling and will now start working for the American people, not the special interests. “I know some of my Republican colleagues have been burning the midnight oil in these debt negotiations. I hope they know it doesn’t actually mean we have to go back to burning midnight oil, and can instead use these new money- and energy-saving bulbs to show us the path forward on more serious issues.”