Ex-leader of Liberia charged with stealing $1.3 million

Source: CNN.

MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — The former president has been charged with stealing more than $1 million from Liberia’s coffers while in office, government officials said Wednesday.

Gyude Bryant, who led the interim government from October 2003 until current President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf took office in January 2006, had previously been accused of embezzlement in a report issued by the Economic Community of West African States.

Police had questioned Bryant in recent months as part of a wide anticorruption campaign, and government officials said they finally had enough information to issue charges.

“Mr. Bryant has been formally charged with theft of property,” Information Minister Laurence Bropleh said, adding the figure of $1.3 million “could go higher.”

Bryant took office as the country emerged from civil war and totalitarian rule by Charles Taylor, who fled into exile in Nigeria in August 2003 and is awaiting trial for war crimes in a U.N.-backed court for atrocities committed by his forces in neighboring Sierra Leone.

Liberia is still recovering from more than a decade of war and unrest, with limited electricity even in the capital, poor roads and wrecked industries. Sirleaf has spent much of her first year in office leading a crackdown on government corruption that Liberians have applauded.

Bryant declined to comment on the charges. One of his lawyers said they were awaiting the government’s proof.

“If you make a charge, make sure you can support the charge,” Samuel Clark said. “It is just not fair to make allegations when you have no proofs of those allegations.”

Bryant had said earlier that he believed he would be protected by immunity given to sitting heads of state.

Bropleh said the former president would be held accountable.

“Unfortunately, when the action is criminal and you are former transitional head of state, you don’t have that immunity. You have to account for your actions especially when it has to do with theft of government’s resources,” Bropleh said.

Bropleh said a court date has yet to be set for Bryant’s case.

Drudge Report on suicide attack during VP’s visit: Bagram 2/27/2007

‘I HEARD A LOUD BOOM’ VP POOL REPORT
Tue Feb 2007 11:19:01 ET
Filed By Mark Silva, White House Correspondent
Chicago Tribune

The vice president left Kabul wearing a black suit and shiny dark cordovan cowboy boots – having just become the highest-level Bush administration official to have spent the night in a war zone – the unscheduled overnighter at Bagram Air Force Base. The vice president spoke on the record with the pool about the attack — speaking, seated on a desk, in his Airstream, silver-skinned on the outside and leather-seated and wood-paneled on the inside, cabin set up inside the C-17 military cargo transport that had ferried him to Pakistan and Afghanistan and out as well.

He suggested that he never felt threatened, and that no policy of the US ought to be affected by such actions aimed at shaking the stability of the Pakistani govt.

There will be a transcript. The following is from my tape, but I caution that it was loud inside that C-17 – we sat out in the cargo bay with the rest of the administration, military and Service – so I’ve related the comments from tape and notes I feel most certain about, which is all of the substance of it:

“I was provided quarters overnight,” he said of his Bagram stay. “It seems to me it was 10 occlock in the morning. I heard a loud boom… The Secret Service came in and told me there had been an attack on the main gate.”

He was moved “for a brief period of time” to one of the base bomb shelters near his quarters, the VP said. “As the situation settled down and they had a better sense of what was going on, I went back to my room.”

Asked about Taliban claims of responsibilty, he asked who said that, what did they say. Told that a Taliban was quoted by name as saying Cheney was the target, and asked what this sort of activity says of the overall situation there – and if it might be a way of playing to Taliban tactics of bolstering its own standing among the people, the vice president said, slowly, and calmly: “I think they clearly try to find ways to question the authority of the central government” there. “Striking at the Bagram (base) with a suicide bomber, I suppose, is one way to do that… It shouldn’t affect our behavior.”

Pooler’s notes:

For whatever claims the Taliban spokesman may be making about having targeted the VP with the bombing at the gate at Bagram, the VP and his retinue were a long way from that gate, well inside that massive base. Take that for whatever it’s worth.

The first we heard of the attack was the sirens of the base fire trucks leaving from their station, which was pretty close to the hub of the VP’s activities there, including the military transport that he had used to fly in and out of Islamabad and Afghanistan – see the special-edition commemorative pool report on “The Spirit of Strom Thurmond.”

The VP was preparing to leave Bagram this morning when the attack occurred, and the Service certainly picked up its step on our staging and sweeps as the base went to code red after attack.

On the flight out of Kabul, a senior administration official spoke to the pool insisting upon anonymity but allowing tapes – and there will be a transcript of that as well.

The president wanted the VP to make this trip because of “the continuing threat that exists in this part of the world,” the sao said.

“I’ve seen some press reports that Cheney went in to beat up” on Karzai, the sao said. “That”s not so.” The idea of going in and threatening someone “isn’t valid.”

There have been successes, more al Qaeda killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan than anywhere else.

“That doesn’t mean there’s no threat. That doesn’t mean a rosy scenario. There’s a lot of work to be done.”

At Cheney’s luncheon with Karzai, the Afghan leader told a story of meeting with tribal leaders and trying to get them to cooperate. “The only question they wanted to ask me, was, ‘Is the United States with you?” Karzai said, according to this account.

People are concerned about the US commitment to the region, and Democrats in DC talking about withdrawal from Iraq make them concerned – though that debate back home had no bearing on the VP’s decision to come here, sao said. “That would have devastating consequences to what we’re trying to do” in this part of the world.

Karzai was reportedly “upbeat” – with all the money and troops that the US is committing to Afghanistan, the sao said, “It’s all taken as a sign” of commitment.

“They worry about that… If they see weakness on the part of the US… They worry about our commitment.”

The proposals of people in the US to withdraw from Iraq have “consequences in this part of the world,” the official said. “The al Qaeda strategy is based on the notion that they can break the will of the American people.”

Asked about Cheney’s suggestions that talk of withdrawal lend comfort to the terrorists, in the context of his comments last week in the Pacific and his remarks about Speaker Pelosi, the official said no, what was meant was, “It would validate the al Qaeda strategy.” Not aid and comfort them.

It was an 18-minute flight from Bagram to Kabul, landing there at 12:19 pm, and the VP was there for a little over two hours. See the Kabul pool, but we had been told the VP would meet with Afghan Pres. Hamid Karzai for about an hour – and it seemed to last a little longer, though we were outside holding.

At 2:13 pm local, the armored dust-covered motorcade of the VP left the grounds of the palace and sped through the slalom of cement and sandbag barricades that line the approach, and he boarded the C-17 under partly sunny skies.

END

Liberian official resigns in ‘Knucklegate’ sex scandal

Source: CNN.

MONROVIA, Liberia (Reuters) — Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf accepted the resignation of her chief of staff, Willie Knuckles, after he was photographed having sex with two women, tarnishing a government campaign for moral probity.

Johnson-Sirleaf, a longtime campaigner for women’s rights, said Knuckles had not broken the law but the scandal threatened to derail efforts to combat sexual abuse and raise standards in Liberia’s public life after a brutal 1989-2003 civil war.

Knuckles, who is also minister of state for presidential affairs and is married with children, has accused opposition lawmakers of trying to use the photographs to blackmail him.

“The behavior of Minister Knuckles, while not illegal, is improper and inappropriate for a public servant,” Johnson-Sirleaf said in a televised address late Monday.

“I accepted his resignation. … Those who sought to use this unfortunate situation for blackmail should probably review their own moral probity,” she said.

Liberia’s irreverent media have had a field day with the “Knucklegate” scandal, piling pressure on Johnson-Sirleaf to enforce the high moral standards preached by her government.

Johnson-Sirleaf, who took office as Africa’s first elected female president last year, has launched a fight against widespread prostitution and sexual abuse in the impoverished West African state.

Rape became a weapon of war during Liberia’s civil war, which devastated the infrastructure of Africa’s oldest independent republic. More than 200,000 people were killed as roaming gangs of drugged child soldiers terrorized the country.

Knuckles, a prominent Liberian businessman, has accused a female opposition legislator married to former parliamentary Speaker Edwin Snowe of circulating the photos. He has denied the two women involved in the threesome were prostitutes.

Snowe, former son-in-law of ex-dictator Charles Taylor, was forced to resign as speaker this month after a majority of legislators opposed his tenure. Snowe had tried to blackmail Knuckles into supporting him in office, the ex-minister said.

Knuckles has publicly apologized to his wife of 37 years, his family and friends, and his pastor and fellow churchgoers. He said he did not know how the graphic photographs were obtained.

North Korea probe turns to banks

Source: CNN.

HONG KONG, China (AP) — A U.S. Treasury Department delegation worked Monday to resolve sanctions against a Macau bank accused of helping North Korea launder money — a key condition in the North’s agreement to give up its nuclear weapons program.

The meeting with Macau officials came about two weeks after North Korea agreed in six-nation talks to take initial steps to abandon its nuclear weapons program in return for aid. Washington agreed on the meeting’s sidelines to settle the financial sanctions by mid-March.

On Monday, Dale Kreisher, spokesman at the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong, declined to say whether Washington was ready to lift the sanctions on Banco Delta Asia, accused of helping North Korea’s money laundering and counterfeiting.

But Kreisher, whose office is responsible for Macau, told The Associated Press, “Discussions (with North Korea) along with the U.S. investigation have brought Treasury to the point where they think they can begin taking steps to resolve the BDA matter.”

Washington slapped restrictions on Banco Delta Asia in 2005 and put it on a money-laundering blacklist. This prompted Macau to freeze about US$24 million at the bank. Consequently, banks worldwide shunned North Korean business for fears of losing access to American markets.

Many believe the sanctions dealt a severe blow to cash-strapped North Korea, which denied the allegations and boycotted the six-nation nuclear talks over the issue for a year.

Banco Delta Asia has said that money might have been laundered at the bank, but added there is no evidence the institution was aware of it. The bank said it is small, family-owned, and didn’t have the technology to check big batches of U.S. currency for fake bills.

The bank also said it used a dated computer system and that it didn’t pay enough attention to maintaining its own books. It has also said the bank didn’t have adequate written anti-money-laundering policies for its staff.

Macau was a Portuguese enclave before it returned to Chinese rule in 1999. The territory — the only place in China where casinos are legal — recently displaced the Las Vegas Strip as the world’s most lucrative gaming center.

Legislative Updates: 2/23/2007

What’s Happening In Congress?

Reducing Reserve Retirement Age.
Two bills have been introduced in the 110th Congress to amend Title 10 to reduce the eligibility age for National Guard and Reserve retirees to receive military retirement pay. Congressman Jim Saxton (NJ) introduced H.R. 690 which would simply lower the eligibility age to 55 years. Identical Saxton bills introduced in previous sessions failed to pass because of their estimated cost. Senator Saxby Chambliss (GA) has introduced S. 548 which would reduce the eligibility age below 60 years by three months for each aggregate of 90 days of active duty performed by a member of the Ready Reserves after September 11, 2001with the eligibility age not to be reduced below 50 years. Under the Chambliss bill, active duty service qualifying for the reduction would include orders for active duty in support of a contingency operation during a war or national emergency under sections 101(a) (13((B) and 12301(d) title 10 or section 502(f) of title 32. Chambliss’ office estimates that this bill, if passed, would cost $400 million over five years.

What’s Happening At NGAUS?

Leg Alert Out on TRICARE Fees.
In an effort to avoid a proposed increase in TRICARE enrollment fees, deductibles, and pharmaceutical co-pays for all members of the National Guard, NGAUS has posted Legislative Alert #07-01. This is a grass roots lobbying technique we use to raise the awareness of the issues important to constituents in every Congress member’s district. Make sure to visit www.NGAUS.org and use the “Write to Congress” feature to communicate this message to your Senators and Representatives. Also, pass along this information to fellow guard members, family members, and friends. They too can use our website to express their disappointment in the proposed healthcare increases to the Armed Forces. NGAUS will track the number of messages sent on this issue and report the results in next weeks LEGIT.

Seeking Legislative Analyst.
The National Guard Association of the United States is seeking a legislative analyst. The ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree, a general understanding of the United States Military, and the ability to analyze and interpret issues and language related to the National Guard as found in the Congressional process. In addition, the candidate must possess strong information technology skills, and will be responsible for managing and updating the legislative portion of the NGAUS website at www.ngaus.org. Competitive salary and benefits. Please submit resume to Brig. Gen. Richard Green (ret), NGAUS Legislative Director. Fax – 202-682-9358 or e-mail to Richard Green.

What Can You Do?

Congressional Caucuses.
A Congressional caucus is a group of members of the United States Congress which meet to pursue common legislative objectives. Formally, caucuses are organized Congressional Member Organizations (CMO).

There are two Congressional caucuses that support the National Guard. The U.S. Senate “National Guard” Caucus is co-chaired by Senator’s Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-MO) and currently has 84 members. The House of Representatives “Reserve Component”Caucus (181 members), is co-chaired by Representatives Gene Taylor (D-MS) and Steve Buyer (R-IN), and is organized slightly different in that it includes all reserve components.

Caucuses are very important to the National Guard because they serve as a “focal point” for introducing legislation and garnering support for issues of importance to the National Guard.

Recent examples of this support include the National Guard Empowerment Act of 2007, introduced as S.430 in the Senate and H.R.718 in the House of Representatives by National Guard and Reserve caucus leaders; which, to date, has resulted in 24 co-sponsors in the Senate and 33 in the House.

Members of Congressional caucuses are also leading the way to enhance National Guard readiness with efforts such as repealing the changes made to the Insurrection Act in the FY07 Defense Authorization bill, equipment reset, reducing the age reserve component members receive retirement pay and much more.

If your elected officials have already joined one of these caucuses, express your thanks. However, if they haven’t signed up yet, encourage them to do so to demonstrate their support for the citizen soldiers and airmen who are serving our country and readiness of the National Guard.

CACO Hotels.
The Phoenix Park Hotel is booked full for the CACO Conference time frame. The extended cut-off date for group reservations was February 9th. If you have not reserved your room yet there are a number of other hotels in the area. Two hotels close by that you can stay at are the Holiday Inn on The Hill and the Hyatt Regency on New Jersey Ave. NW. Both of these hotels are located just blocks from the NGAUS Memorial Building.

Published by the NGAUS Legislative Staff:
Brig Gen (ret) Richard M. Green, Director
Pete Duffy, Deputy Director
Chris DeBatt, Army Programs
Emily Breitbach, Air Programs
Bernie Phelps, Senior Legislative Analyst

For more information on NGAUS, check out our website: www.NGAUS.org.

President Pat Toomey Interviewed

Growing The Club

Q & A: Pat Toomey
Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007

The Club for Growth has waged some high-stakes, high-publicity campaigns the past two election cycles. In 2004, the Club fueled Rep. Pat Toomey’s challenge against Sen. Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania Republican primary; and two years later, it tried to take out Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island. In both cases, the Club lost, but it also cemented its reputation as a group that would aggressively try to enforce the ideals of “economic freedom” within the Republican ranks.

Moderate Republicans and GOP campaign committees have called the Club an obstacle to retaining seats. Democrats seem to expect attacks as well, although the Club surprised many political observers by supporting a candidate in a Democratic primary in Texas in 2006. What’s clear is that in its eight year existence the Club has become a major player in promoting right-of-center economic principles.

In a recent interview with NationalJournal.com’s Patrick Ottenhoff, Toomey, now the Club’s president, discussed the Club’s campaign philosophy, President Bush’s economic record and more.

Q: You wrote a 2006 Wall Street Journal column in which you said that the Republican Party needs to return to the principles of Reagan. Yet one of Reagan’s core principles was the so-called Eleventh Commandment, “Thou shall not speak ill of fellow Republicans.” How do you square the Club for Growth’s recent primary challenges against Republicans with Reagan’s Eleventh Commandment?

Toomey: You may recall in 1976, Ronald Reagan challenged an incumbent Republican president, in a Republican primary — the kind of thing that gets a lot of feathers ruffled. But he understood that that was necessary to recapture the purpose and commitment of limited government that had to be at the core of the Republican Party.

I think that that example of Ronald Reagan’s leadership in 1976 — his willingness to run against Gerald Ford in a Republican primary, setting the stage for what became his stunning victory in 1980 and two enormously successful terms — I think that’s the legacy that I look to, and that I think that people who believe in Reagan’s message should look to.

That speaks to the way Republicans who are committed to conservative principles need to react when Republicans in office abandoned those principles.

Q: Gerald Ford went on to win the nomination. Is the Club’s goal to win races or to just shake things up?

Toomey: Let me back up for a second, because you asked — you said, is it the Club’s goal to do “a” or “b.” So, let me tell you what the Club’s goal is,[because] it’s neither “a” nor “b.”

What we’re all about is advocating policy that’s going to lead to maximum economic growth. What we want to see is the kind of policies from the federal government that can produce the strongest sustainable economic growth, create the most opportunity and raise wages and standards of living as much as possible.

We don’t have those kinds of policies in Washington now. Our economic growth, while strong, is far less than it could be. Our vision is to see the day come when Congress is so committed to powerful economic growth and elevating the quality of life for American citizens by enabling that powerful economic growth. That’s what we strive to do.

So we do it through a variety of means and tactics. We try to persuade members of Congress of what the right policy is, both directly and indirectly through the media. We hold members of Congress accountable. We have scorecards, and we keep track of who’s voting to encourage greater prosperity and who’s voting against that prosperity.

And then of course we have a political arm, so to speak — we have a [political action committee]. The PAC helps to elect candidates who believe in limited government and economic growth through economic freedom.

And so we use all of those tools to advance the policies that we know will lead to greater prosperity.

Q: When you engage in campaigns, is it a “play to win” mentality, or can there be victory in defeat where you’re at least sending a message?

Toomey: When our PAC gets involved in a race, it is with absolutely every intention of winning the race.

And furthermore, we won’t endorse a candidate if we don’t think the candidate has a very real chance of winning. The candidate doesn’t have to be a front-runner. In fact, most of the candidates we support are underdogs, but we won’t endorse a candidate if we don’t think the candidate has a very good chance of winning the primary and the general.

To give you some facts that I think illustrate that, if you look at the 2006 election cycle, the Club for Growth PAC endorsed 11 House candidates in their respective primaries. Of the 11 that the Club endorsed, eight won their primaries, and of the eight who won their primaries, seven went on to win their general elections.

I think that’s an extremely impressive record, especially in what was a very, very bad Republican year. And it’s all the more impressive when you consider that many of the candidates that we supported were underdogs going into the race and were not the first choice of much of the Republican establishment.

So that’s a long way of saying it’s not about sending a message, it’s about winning.

Q: How much do you think President Bush has adhered to the principles of Reaganomics, both on the tax side and the spending side? How happy are you with his record?

Toomey: I would throw another category into it also, which is the trade side, and I would say that the president’s record has been mixed.

On tax policy, the president’s record has been outstanding. The 2003 tax cut package were a terrific combination of supply-side tax cuts that had exactly the intended effect of tremendously accelerating economic growth, creating the opportunity for Americans to build wealth, actually generating more revenue for the Treasury than was being generated prior to the tax cuts.

So, on any meaningful level, the tax cuts were enormously successful. President Bush deserves all the credit in the world for really the first substantial supply-side tax cuts in 20 years.

On the spending front, we’re disappointed. The president clearly throughout his six years so far has not demonstrated a strong commitment to the limited government model that Reagan advocated.

He signed a farm bill into law that moved us away from market-based farm policy and toward the more command-control, bigger government approach. He advocated a huge new entitlement to Medicare. He pushed for an education bill that expanded the government’s role in education. He accepted a transportation bill that grew spending enormously and had an enormous number of earmarks.

So in a variety of ways I think it’s clear that the president chose not to commit a lot of resources to fighting for less government. So in that respect we’ve been disappointed.

But the third thing I wanted to mention is the trade policy; and this is very, very important to the well-being of our economy. It’s no coincidence that we have the freest global trading environment in 100 years, maybe ever, and we also have the strongest economy in a very, very long time, and have had a very long, sustained economic expansion.

It’s in part because of the expansion of trade that’s occurred under both Democrat and Republican presidents. But this president in particular has been a very strong advocate for continuing trade, and that will be part of his pro-growth legacy.

Q: Who would you put the most faith in to bring a philosophy of economic freedom to the White House, whether that person has any intention of running or not?

Toomey: I can’t say right now. We’re still evaluating the candidates who have indicated an interest in running. We’re doing our research on all of them and it wouldn’t be fair for me to come to a conclusion until we’ve gotten that process done.

Q: But you seem to have singled out candidates you don’t want in the White House, such as Huckabee…

Toomey: We haven’t said anything about who we want, or who don’t want. What we’ve done, and what we’ll continue to do is, we’ve begun the process of issuing a series of presidential white papers, where we do a pretty thorough analysis of the candidates’ actual records on economic growth issues.

As it happens, Governor [Mike] Huckabee [R-Ark.] is the first candidate for whom we’ve released a paper. And the fact is, Governor Huckabee on balance, raised taxes quite substantially and increased spending quite substantially while he was governor of Arkansas.

So we laid that out. We present the facts and a bit of analysis of the facts, and the context. But we haven’t come out and endorsed anybody and we haven’t come out and said we opposed anybody.

Q: Will the fact that there is a Democratic Congress give the Club a greater fundraising potential and more traction because there will be a clear platform to rally against?

Toomey: That’s entirely possible. Fundraising is off to a terrific start in 2007, but we also had a great year in 2006 and a great year in 2005. So I think it’s not entirely clear yet. We’re still a young organization and so we’ve never been through a period of time when control of Congress has switched hands.

So we’re going to have to see but I will have to tell you all indications point to our membership growing in number and remaining very enthusiastic about our mission to help encourage pro-growth policy.

Q: What has been more professionally fulfilling for you, serving as a U.S. congressman or leading the Club for Growth?

Toomey: That’s a great question and it’s actually a hard one to answer. I thoroughly enjoyed my six years in the U.S. House. There were moments of great frustration but there were also moments of great satisfaction. We had our small victories here and there.

But I’m equally enjoying the Club for Growth. It’s just a fantastic organization. We have a terrific team in Washington and just absolutely wonderful members all across the country — so dedicated to the principles of freedom and stronger prosperity.

So, I’ve only been at the Club for a little over two years, so I think I have to answer that question maybe a couple years from now when I have a better perspective.

(The current Club for Growth is a new entity operating under Section 501(c)(4) of the tax code. It purchased the assets and name of the old organization, which operated under section 527. The new Club for Growth expects to be even more effective in promoting pro-growth policies.”)

Hat tip: The Club for Growth.

NGAUS Notes: 2/23/2007

Insiders Say Panel to Recommend Guard Four-Star.

The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves will announce Thursday that it supports elevation of the Guard Bureau chief to four-stars, according to a CongressDaily story yesterday based on comments from House and Senate aides familiar with the report.

But the commission’s full recommendations will fall well short of endorsing the NGAUS-supported Guard empowerment bill, which includes a Guard seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

Congress introduced the legislation last year to provide the Guard more input into final Defense Department deliberations.

Instead, the commission—comprised of several with strong ties to the Pentagon—prefers designating the NGB chief as an adviser to the Joint Chiefs chairman.

The recommendation resembles parts of a compromise the Senate approved as an amendment to its fiscal 2007 defense authorization bill.

House and Senate representatives negotiating final bill language eventually referred the matter to the commission last year.

Guard supporters on Capitol Hill have since reintroduced the bill.

The commission will reportedly also reject a provision to give the Guard its own budget authority.

In addition, the commission will suggest the Guard route its homeland security requirements through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to the Pentagon.

DHS officials are not currently part of the Guard’s budget process.

The story also said the commission favors creating a 10-governor advisory council to “report directly to the defense and homeland security secretaries, the White House Homeland Security Council and the National Governors Association.”

Congressional aides believe this panel would actually erode the NGB’s power.

DoD Highlights Military Diversity Initiatives.
Clarence A. Johnson, civilian equal employment opportunity director at the Defense Department said yesterday that DoD policies that promote diversity for all service members and civilians have helped make the U.S. military a force to be reckoned with.

At a DoD-sponsored African-American History Month symposium in Washington, he said it’s true because DoD has policies and programs that ensure all military and civilian members are treated fairly.

African-Americans traditionally have looked at military service as a way to serve their country and to get ahead, added Joyce M. Jarrett, provost for Hampton University. And, through the years, “the armed forces took the lead and convinced the nation to be inclusive,” she said.

Joseph Guzman, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for strategic diversity initiatives, said the Air Force has made progress, but it still needs more African-Americans to fill senior military officer and civilian leadership positions.

Maj. Gen. John R. Hawkins III, Army deputy chief of staff for mobility and reserve affairs, said the Army has a plethora of professional positions to offer young college graduates, and ROTC remains a strong program for commissioning junior officers as they graduate from a college or university.

Paul Bowes, a Hampton University graduate, businessman and Vietnam-era Army veteran pressed a proposal for a pilot program that would have non-tactical military vehicles use non-foreign-oil sources of fuel, such as biomass products like ethanol.

“Me being here, communicating and setting up relationships with historically black colleges and universities, is part of it,” Mr. Bowes said.

Negative Media Reports Prompt Renovation Effots at Walter Reed.
Army officials continue recovery efforts at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington after a damning series of articles in The Washington Post outlined serious outpatient facility and care problems this week.

Post reporters Dana Priest and Anne Hull spent four months investigating the center without Water Reed officials’ knowledge or permission.

“Disengaged clerks, unqualified platoon sergeants and overworked case managers fumble with simple needs: feeding soldiers’ families who are close to poverty, replacing a uniform ripped off by medics in the desert sand or helping a brain-damaged soldier remember his next appointment,” they wrote.

The two also highlighted facility problems, such as an injured Army specialist’s room with part of a wall “weighted down with black mold,” in a facility that screams of neglect with “mouse droppings, belly-up cockroaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses.”

On Monday, Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters that the care of the soldiers is tantamount but admitted shortcomings at the center. He also said DoD leaders werejust made aware of them.

Many critics blamed a cumbersome bureaucracy.

Yesterday, Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, Army surgeon general, said the Army is attacking the problems at the facility, particularly Building 18, the focus of much of the Post’s story.

Officials also allowed media to tour that building and another outpatient facility at the hospital yesterday as contractors repaired plumbing and painted walls.

General Kiley said some problems are systemic across the Army and DoD but said he would call on service officials and Congress—if needed—to fix the problems.

Legislative Staff Seeks Analyst.
NGAUS is seeking a legislative analyst to work at association headquarters in Washington.

The ideal candidate will: have a bachelor’s degree; be familiar with the congressional process and the military; and be able to analyze Guard-related issues. The candidate must also possess strong computer skills and be familiar with Web content management software.

The association offers a competitive salary and benefits. Interested candidates should submit a resume to retired Brig. Gen. Richard Green, NGAUS legislative director, via fax: 202-682-9358 or e-mail: Richard Green.

NGAUS History.
The NGAUS Executive Council voted overwhelmingly to forward a set of revised grooming standards to the secretary of the Air Force in spring of 1974, which better reflected some of the public’s grooming approaches.

Standards would permit Air Guardsmen to grow hair to touch the ears, but not cover any part of the ears when groomed; allow hair to extend on the back of the head to the middle of the collar; permit hair to grow two inches in bulk; allow sideburns to extend to the lowest part of the ear lobe and to a width not exceeding one and one-half inches at the widest point; and allow mustaches to extend horizontally beyond the corners of the mouth.

The proposed changes were pulled together by a special NGAUS committee that reported its findings during the council’s January meeting.

This Week in Guard History.
Feb. 24, 1991: —The ground offensive of Operation Desert Storm starts with an overwhelming assault across the Saudi desert to outflank the Iraqi forces trapped in Kuwait. Among the field artillery brigades supporting this advance are Arkansas’142nd and Tennessee’s 196th, the only two Guard combat units to fight in the war.

After nearly six weeks of aerial attacks, the Iraqi Army is heavily damaged—its communications and supply lines cut. As the American and Allied armies move into Iraq, Guard units support their efforts by making or repairing roads and by moving fuel to keep the tanks rolling.

In all, 297 Army Guard units, consisting of 37,848 soldiers, serve in the operation.

Produced weekly by the NGAUS communications department. Comments and questions should be directed to NGAUS. NGAUS members can sign up for electronic delivery of NGAUS NOTES at www.ngaus.org.

A World Without America

Well. You say America is the cause of ALL the problems in the world today? This is what those of us who know better have to say to you from 18 Doughty Street:

Well done.

Patrols doubled, attacks reduced–ISF, MNF presence provide stability

Feb. 17, 2007.
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
By Master Sgt. Dave Larsen
1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Security patrols doubled over the past week and the effects of violence in Baghdad was reduced as Iraqi security forces and the Multi-National Division – Baghdad implement Operation Fardh Al-Qanoon, (translated, it means “enforcing the law”), MND-B senior officials noted this week.

“Nearly 20,000 security patrols were conducted this week,” said MND-B spokesperson Lt. Col. Scott R. Bleichwehl. “Since the operation started, there has been a reduction in the number of attacks across the Iraqi capital.”

At a Pentagon press briefing conducted via satellite, Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Fil, Jr., also pointed to the relative calm across Baghdad Feb. 16.

“Heading over here (to the press briefing), we’ve only had 19 attacks against our forces,” Fil told the assembled media members. “None of them were effective.”

Bleichwehl said Iraqi police and national police patrols accounted for more than 11,000 of the total patrols mounted from Feb. 10-16.

“We are out in the communities, conducting our clearing operations and meeting with local residents across the city to improve the security situation here,” Bleichwehl said. “The Iraqis are playing a huge role in the day-to-day security operations.”

During the week of Feb. 10-16, 51 operations, at company-level or higher, were conducted in and around the Iraqi capital. Twenty-four of the company-level operations were jointly conducted with Iraqi security and coalition forces working together. More than 600 joint patrols were executed throughout the city.

The increase in operations netted 15 weapons caches during the week, with the largest coming south of Baghdad during Operation Algeria II.

During that operation, conducted Feb. 11, four separate caches were discovered and three dozen insurgent suspects were detained.

The 2nd Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division, a supporting Military Transition Team, air support from 4th Squadron, 227th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion and paratroopers from 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division all combined to locate four IEDs and one vehicle-borne improvised explosive device during the joint operation. The 36 suspects were also detained for further questioning.

In all, the operation involved more than 400 Iraqi Army troops aimed at helping Iraqi forces establish security in the northern portion of Babil province.

Another major security operation in eastern Baghdad kicked off this week, as Iraqi security forces and MND-B troops continue clearing operations in Adhamiyah. Dubbed Operation Arrowhead Strike VI, the ongoing operation began Feb. 14. Thus far, Bleichwehl said the operation has netted three weapons caches and detained five suspects, further emphasizing the fact that there will be no safe havens for extremists organizations in the Iraqi capital.

Legislative Alert #07-01

The Issue: A DOD PROPOSAL TO INCREASE TRICARE ENROLLMENT FEES, DEDUCTIBLES AND PHARMACEUTICAL CO-PAY FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL GUARD.

Immediate Action Required: Contact your members of Congress and urge them to oppose administration proposals to increase TRICARE deductibles, enrollment fees and pharmaceutical co-pays.

During the FY07 defense budget process, the Department of Defense (DOD) proposed to triple TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Standard fees for military retirees under the age of 65. It would also have increased retail pharmacy fees for all TRICARE beneficiaries by almost 70%! Thanks to a full-court press by NGAUS and other veterans associations, Congress prohibited any increases in TRICARE enrollment premiums under TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Reserve Select, and prohibited any increase in co-payments for pharmaceuticals dispensed through the TRICARE retail pharmacy program in FY2007.

The Administration is at it again and has upped the ante by proposing to increase TRICARE fees even more for FY2008. Although the Pentagon hasn’t published any “specific” plan for fee increases, claiming they are waiting on the results of the DoD-appointed Task Force on the Future of Military Health Care, the Defense Budget submitted to Congress in early February assumes a $1.8 billion savings from TRICARE fee increases.

NGAUS strongly opposes these TRICARE fee increases that are nothing more than an attempt to free-up funds for other uses on the backs of retired members and families who have earned this health care benefit with their service and sacrifice.

We need your help now to ensure TRICARE costs do not increase. Contact your members of Congress and alert them to this situation and urge them to support legislation (S.604) introduced by Senator’s Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Chuck Hagel (R-NB), “The Military Health Care Protection Act.” It would place reasonable and affordable caps on enrollment fees, deductibles, and pharmacy co-pays for military retirees. This legislation would also establish that the percentage increase in retiree’s health care fees in any given year should not exceed the percentage of increase in their compensation.

Similar legislation (H.R.579) has been introduced in the House by Representative’s Chet Edwards (D-TX) and Walter Jones (R-NC) that would not only stop any fee increases, but also remove the authority from DOD, shifting that responsibility to Congress. Act now to ensure military retirees will continue to have access to “affordable” health care!

TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTION:

By using the “Write to Congress” feature on the NGAUS Web site at www.ngaus.org, you can IMMEDIATELY e-mail your elected representatives. A sample letter is included in our “Write to Congress” feature. You can e-mail the pre-written message or edit the sample letter as you desire. This is the quickest and most effective method of expressing your views to Congress. Also, contact your friends and family and urge them to “Write to Congress” as well. For more in-depth information and background visit our web site at www.ngaus.org. Please direct any questions concerning this issue to Pete Duffy, NGAUS Deputy Legislative Director at 202-454-5307 or via email: pete.duffy@ngaus.org.