@coldjoint,
If this were true, it would be an absolute disgrace! In fact, I'm inclined to believe that it
is true. If it
isn't true, someone needs to present proof to the contrary.
@georgeob1,
To be fair, judging from the close-minded, confrontational attitude of so many of the
longtime members of this forum, I'm sure there were many "tiresome bores" from ABUZZ who ended up here; and I'm referring to individuals on
both sides of the ideological divide. But not necessarily you, georgeob1!
@wmwcjr,
Rather than talking about the people, how about providing an opinion of the topic under discussion, and why you believe your opinion is superior?
Some people always provide opinion without any basis in fact or reliable source.
I'm open to discuss any issue, but not with brainless parrots who repeat nonsense and bull shyt.
@coldjoint,
That would create a very weak Congress where no one understands how it works. You want term limits? Vote your bastard out.
@georgeob1,
You don't know who I am. The point is as vet (something who you think I am couldn't be.- wrong country, wrong continent) I am a member of a single payer plan with VA, and ACA is an insurance scheme administered by private insurance companies. BIIIIIIIG difference.
@coldjoint,
In that you resemble that remark, asshat?
@coldjoint,
Maybe he's as misinformed as you are stupid. Nah. Nobody's THAT misinformed.
Veterans Groups Slam GOP Effort To Tie Iran Sanctions To Their Benefits Bill
Posted: 02/26/2014 6:02 pm EST Updated: 02/26/2014 6:59 pm EST
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WASHINGTON -- Two top veterans groups have come out against a Senate GOP effort to insert an Iran sanctions amendment into an unrelated veterans bill, putting the party at odds with a constituency that leans Republican.
"Iran is a serious issue that Congress needs to address, but it cannot be tied to S. 1982, which is extremely important as our nation prepares to welcome millions of U.S. military servicemen and women home from war," said American Legion National Commander Daniel Dellinger in a Wednesday statement, referring to the veterans benefits measure introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). "We can deal with Iran -- or any other issue unrelated specifically to veterans -- with separate legislation."
Though officially nonpartisan, the American Legion is known for having more-conservative, older members. NPR reported that legion members hearing from Mitt Romney in 2012 were "not an Obama-friendly crowd."
The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America offered a similar sentiment against linking Iran sanctions on Tuesday:
The Senate should not get distracted while debating & voting on the #vets bill. Iran sanctions, Obamacare, etc. aren’t relevant to S. 1982.
— IAVA (@iava) February 25, 2014
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) are leading the GOP push for new Iran sanctions. On Tuesday, Burr said that he wanted to put Iran sanctions language into a Republican amendment to the Sanders bill.
"It's important to Republicans and Democrats to have a vote on the Iran sanctions initiative," Burr said Tuesday.
On Wednesday, he pointed out another reason to add Iran sanctions to the veterans measure. "It happens to be a vehicle that might leave the United States Senate, and therefore it is an appropriate vehicle," he said.
Representatives for Burr and McConnell did not immediately return requests for comment about the veterans groups' opposition.
But Sanders also opposes adding Iran sanctions to his legislation.
"What does Iran sanctions have to do with the veterans bill? And it has nothing to do with the veterans law. That's the simple truth," he said on CNN Wednesday.
News >
Texas News
Some states opting out of federal prison rape law
By REBECCA BOONE, Associated Press | May 23, 2014 | Updated: May 23, 2014 6:41pm
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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Several states are refusing to comply with a federal law designed to reduce sexual assaults in prison, with governors criticizing the decade-old law as counterproductive and too expensive to implement.
The governors of Idaho, Texas, Indiana, Utah and Arizona have informed U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder that they won't try to meet the standards required under the Prison Rape Elimination Act. Governors were required to certify by May 15 that their states either met the standards designed to curb widespread sexual abuse behind bars, or to promise that they were actively working toward that goal.
"Idaho supports the spirit and intention of PREA and the National PREA Standards, but a law with good intent has evolved into a law with too much red tape," Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter wrote in a letter to Holder sent five days after the deadline. It would cost the state millions of dollars to meet some of the standards, Otter said, and he believed the cost would have little ultimate benefit. Besides, the governor said, the state has taken substantial steps to reduce sexual victimization in correctional facilities.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry told Holder in April that his state wouldn't comply because the rules were too costly and violated states' rights. Perry's letter also encouraged other states to reject the federal law, and said that instead, his state would continue the programs it already has to reduce prison rapes. Perry's spokesman Rich Parsons said Friday that Perry sent a subsequent letter last week to Holder, contending that some PREA standards are in conflict with Texas state laws.
Brenda Smith, a former commissioner on the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission which helped create the PREA standards, said the decision by some states to opt out is shameful.
"These are not some high falutin', unreachable standards. These are things that are constitutional, based on best practices that have been determined in the field and in the courts," Smith said. "As a state you can move over to the sidelines, but people in custody don't get to move over to the sidelines. Providing them safety from sexual abuse is the minimum we can do."
At least 10 more states — Alaska, New York, Ohio, California, Washington, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Colorado, Mississippi and Illinois — have said that they can't meet all the requirements yet, but are actively working toward that goal. New Mexico says it's fully compliant with the law.
Leaders of Just Detention International, an organization that works to end sexual abuse in detention facilities, said they were encouraged that most states are working toward PREA compliance.
"We want actual certifications to be meaningful, so states should certify only when they know that they are in full compliance," said the organization's executive director Lovisa Stannow in a prepared statement. "Until then, the Department of Justice must strictly monitor states to ensure that they are using their federal funds appropriately. No state should be meeting its five percent financial commitment by diverting funds away from essential inmate services like rape crisis counseling - doing so would run counter to the intent of PREA."
The Prison Rape Elimination Act was passed unanimously by Congress in 2003. The next several years were spent developing PREA standards, and in 2012 those rules went into effect. The Department of Justice is expected to publish a list of PREA-compliant states by September.
The major provisions of PREA are designed to change the culture of prisons to one that has zero tolerance for sexual victimization; to change prison facilities so that there are fewer opportunities for rape to occur; and to change reporting policies so that inmates have a safe way to report a crime and a safe place to go if they are sexually victimized.
The law's only enforcement mechanism is a partial loss of grant funding. States that don't comply with PREA can lose up to 5 percent of the federal grant money they receive for corrections. States can keep the money if they promise to use it to come into compliance with the law.
The potential human impact is huge: The Department of Justice says that at least 216,000 of U.S. prisoners were raped or sexually abused behind bars in 2011, and cautions that the number is likely low, because prison rapes are seldom reported. The ACLU estimates that about 2 million people have been raped or sexually abused behind bars since PREA was enacted by Congress.
@bobsal u1553115,
I think these Prison Rape Elimination Act standards and perhaps many more need to be enforced.
@RexRed,
And enforced to the letter of the law. Rape is cruel and inhumane treatment, especially if the state raises it hands and say there's nothing they can do about it because the history is they will do nothing about it. And before it was an unofficial over looking of reality, and now its willful and knowing and on purpose. Its a depraved indifference to the victims and the law and the Bill of Rights.
