Alabama teen arrested for destroying Vietnam Monument

Teen arrested for vandalism
by Phil Johnson
July 25th, 2012

A Uriah teen was arrested for the July 17 destruction of a Vietnam veterans monument in Uriah. The monument was part of the memorial to all veterans who had served their country.

Dakota Bailey, age 18, surrendered to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office July 19. He has been charged with criminal mischief first degree, and is being held on a $100,000 bond in the Monroe County Correctional Facility.

The destruction to the monument was discovered early Wednesday morning by Albert Hollinger, the man who gave the land and headed up the drive to have it built. He was making his usual 6 a.m. trip to a local café for coffee, which took him right past the memorial park.

The park consists of a large central monument surrounded by individual monuments dedicated to the service people from the Uriah area who served in each war. When Hollinger passed by Tuesday morning, he saw that a granite sheet that contained the names of those who died in Vietnam had been pushed over and shattered.

“There are a lot of mad people in this community,” Hollinger said. “I don’t know why anyone would do this.”
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Chino man charged in theft from veteran's daughter during funeral

Chino man charged in theft from veteran's daughter during funeral
By San Gabriel Valle
July 24, 2012

GLENDORA -- The District Attorney's Office filed charges Monday against a man accused of stealing from a Vietnam veteran's daughter during her father's funeral.

Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the DA's Office, said Jose Abrajan, 31, of Chino, was charged with grand theft of personal property, identity theft and second degree commercial burglary.

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Man allegedly steals purse at Vietnman vet's funeral, caught in picture

Senate GOP vote against 99% on tax cuts

This just goes to show all of us that when it comes to the class warfare in this country, the majority usually don't matter because with this congress, money talks.

Senate passes Democratic tax plan, rejects GOP version
By Ted Barrett and Alan Silverleib
CNN
updated 6:47 PM EDT, Wed July 25, 2012

The Senate passed a Democratic plan to extend Bush era tax cuts and rejected a Republican proposal Wednesday.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Obama praises Senate vote while top Republicans blast it
Senate passes a Democratic tax plan while rejecting the GOP alternative
GOP wants to extend Bush-era tax cuts for all; Democrats want $250,000 income ceiling
Neither plan is expected to win full congressional approval

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed a Democratic plan to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for middle income Americans while rejecting a Republican alternative to continue all of the cuts -- twin votes that help to crystallize the position of the two parties on a critical issue heading into the fall campaign.

The Democratic proposal passed in a sharply polarized 51-48 vote, while the Republican plan was defeated 45-54.

Vice President Joe Biden, the constitutional presiding officer of the Senate, was on hand to cast a tie-breaking vote if necessary.

Strategists on both sides of the aisle acknowledge that neither plan has a chance of passing both the Democratic-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. GOP leaders in the House have indicated they have no intention of bringing the Democrats' plan to a vote.
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26,456 cases awaiting a decision today in VA-DOD IDES

VA, DoD short on results, lawmakers say
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Air Force Times
Posted : Wednesday Jul 25, 2012 11:32:24 EDT
A joint congressional committee focused Wednesday on missed deadlines and delayed improvements that prevent the Veterans Affairs and Defense departments from providing a promised smooth transition to civilian life for separating service members.

While not questioning the objectives of the two agencies, lawmakers from the House armed services and veterans’ affairs committees focused on results of many initiatives that have yet to pan out.

A prime example is the joint VA-DoD Integrated Disability Evaluation Systems, or IDES, that was supposed to streamline the medical and bureaucratic process for those with service-connected disabilities who are preparing to leave the military.

There are 26,456 cases awaiting a decision today — 17,719 in the Army alone — for a process that is taking an average of 427 days in the Army, 406 days in the Marine Corps, 373 days in the Navy and 349 days in the Air Force.
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New website will aim to deter military fakers

President: New website will aim to deter fakers
By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer
Army Times
Posted : Tuesday Jul 24, 2012

The Defense Department plans to unveil a new website listing high-level military honors in an effort to deter military fakers, President Obama said Monday.

The president, speaking to the annual convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Reno, Nev., said the site, which will be posted this week, is an effort to honor those who serve.

Obama’s announcement comes just weeks after the Supreme Court struck down a 2006 law making it a crime to lie about receiving some military honors, ruling that the law violated the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. “It may no longer be a crime for con artists to pass themselves off as heroes, but one thing is certain — it is contemptible,” Obama said.
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Fort Bragg Soldier killed in crash with ambulance

Motorcycle accident kills Ft. Bragg soldier
By: NBC17 STAFF
MyNC
Published: July 24, 2012

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.

A Fort Bragg soldier was killed Monday after his motorcycle collided with an ambulance.

The accident happened shortly before 8 p.m. at the intersection of Owen Drive and Eastern Boulevard in Fayetteville.
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Veteran's office pleads for more funding in South Carolina

Veteran's office pleads for more funding in Williamsburg County
By: MATT MCCOLL
SCNow
Published: July 24, 2012
KINGSTREE, S.C.

With less than a year left on the job before he retires, Gusta Ganes, the Williamsburg County Veteran’s Affairs officer, gave one last plea for more county funding with backing from the county’s state delegation.

Currently, the Williamsburg County Veteran’s Affairs Office is allocated $72,586.05 through the county’s budget, with $55,827.52 going to Ganes and an assistant’s annual salary.

Ganes wasn’t there to plead for a raise, though. He said he would prefer if the county could help the office facilitate more of a marketing and advertising campaign when the office has a veteran’s event.

With two events headlining the office’s programs, Ganes said it’s often difficult to find sufficient funding to not only facilitate the events, but also to get the word out to the more than 3,000 veterans that reside within the county.

“Since I’ve been here, we’ve been with basically that same budget, except for maybe a two percent or three percent raise,” Ganes said. “I don’t have any money for advertising or marketing… I’ve got to pay to get a good speaker [for our programs].”
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Veteran Skills To Jobs Act Signed Into Law

POTUS Signs Walz’s ‘Veteran Skills To Jobs Act’ Into Law
CBS Minnesota
July 24, 2012

WASHINGTON D.C. (WCCO) — President Barack Obama signed the bipartisan Veteran Skills to Jobs Act — introduced partly by a U.S. Representative from Minnesota — into law Monday.

The bill makes it easier for veterans to find jobs using skills acquired through military training. It was introduced by U.S. Representatives Tim Walz (D-Minn.) and Jeff Denham (R-Calif.)
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Marine Corps Mocks Soldier in Election PSA

Marine Corps Mocks Soldier in Election PSA
A Marine Corps-produced graphic mocks a soldier who publicly supported Ron Paul.

Last week, the Marine Corps yanked an ad featuring a Camp Pendleton Marine.
By Daniel Woolfolk
July 24, 2012

Fort Lewis Army Ranger turned himself in after threat

Wanted Army Ranger turns himself in at base
by Jaryd Wilson
KXRM
Posted: 07.24.2012

FORT LEWIS, WASH. -- Colorado Springs Police officers said an Army Ranger who threatened is ex-fiance's life has turned himself in at his Washington base.

Officers said Joshua Daner got a text message from his fiance in Colorado Springs saying she was calling off the wedding and ending the relationship. Daner, who is stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington, replied by saying he was going to come to Colorado Springs to kill her, her boyfriend and himself.
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