Monday, July 30, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Phoenix is BIIIIG
The fastest-growing big suburb (with a population of 100,000 or more) is Gilbert, Ariz., outside Phoenix, which expanded from 112,766 people to 191,517.
The Phoenix area saw the greatest positive domestic migration of any American metro last year, with 115,000 more people moving into town than leaving. Affordable housing and a growing economy draw a lot of people to the city.
Rounding out the top 10 fastest-growing suburbs after Lincoln, Calif., were four Phoenix suburbs: Buckeye, Surprise, Goodyear and Avondale.
The Phoenix area saw the greatest positive domestic migration of any American metro last year, with 115,000 more people moving into town than leaving. Affordable housing and a growing economy draw a lot of people to the city.
Rounding out the top 10 fastest-growing suburbs after Lincoln, Calif., were four Phoenix suburbs: Buckeye, Surprise, Goodyear and Avondale.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Doh! Simpsons creator miffed at Vermont choice
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- If you think residents of Springfield, Oregon were miffed when Springfield, Vermont won the right to host the premiere of the movie "The Simpsons," listen to its creator, Oregon native Matt Groening.
Online voters gave the honor to the Vermont town, one of a dozen or so Springfields in the country.
Groening described himself as an outraged Oregonian and asked, "How could they posibly do this to us?"
He says that secretly, he has always believed the Simpsons live in Springfield, Oregon--or maybe Beaverton.
The Simpsons TV show enters its 19th year on the air this fall. It has harvested more than 20 Emmy awards and a Peabody.
The movie opens in theaters today.
Online voters gave the honor to the Vermont town, one of a dozen or so Springfields in the country.
Groening described himself as an outraged Oregonian and asked, "How could they posibly do this to us?"
He says that secretly, he has always believed the Simpsons live in Springfield, Oregon--or maybe Beaverton.
The Simpsons TV show enters its 19th year on the air this fall. It has harvested more than 20 Emmy awards and a Peabody.
The movie opens in theaters today.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Panel calls for improved veterans care
A presidential commission on Wednesday urged broad changes to veterans' care that would boost benefits for family members helping the wounded, establish an easy-to-use Web site for medical records and overhaul the way disability pay is awarded.
The nine-member panel, led by former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., and Donna Shalala, health and human services secretary during the Clinton administration, also recommended stronger partnerships between the Pentagon and the private sector to boost treatment for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
A 29-page report was presented to President Bush in the Oval Office, just after the Senate addressed some of the issues Wednesday morning by passing sweeping legislation to expand brain screenings, reduce red tape and boost military pay.
Only recently, the VA has taken steps to add mental health counselors and 24-hour suicide prevention services at all facilities, after high-profile incidents of veterans committing suicide. In the past, the VA had failed to use all the money for mental health that was allotted to it.
Among the proposals:
Provide better family support, because one-third of injured Iraq war veterans reported that a family member or close friend had to relocate to care for them. It calls for training and counseling for families of service members who require long-term care and improved family leave and insurance benefits for family members.
The nine-member panel, led by former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., and Donna Shalala, health and human services secretary during the Clinton administration, also recommended stronger partnerships between the Pentagon and the private sector to boost treatment for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
A 29-page report was presented to President Bush in the Oval Office, just after the Senate addressed some of the issues Wednesday morning by passing sweeping legislation to expand brain screenings, reduce red tape and boost military pay.
Only recently, the VA has taken steps to add mental health counselors and 24-hour suicide prevention services at all facilities, after high-profile incidents of veterans committing suicide. In the past, the VA had failed to use all the money for mental health that was allotted to it.
Among the proposals:
Provide better family support, because one-third of injured Iraq war veterans reported that a family member or close friend had to relocate to care for them. It calls for training and counseling for families of service members who require long-term care and improved family leave and insurance benefits for family members.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Injured Iraq war veterans sue VA head
AP - Frustrated by delays in health care, injured Iraq war veterans accused VA Secretary Jim Nicholson in a lawsuit of breaking the law by denying them disability pay and mental health treatment.
The lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, filed Monday in federal court in San Francisco, seeks broad changes in the agency as it struggles to meet growing demands from veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Suing on behalf of hundreds of thousands of veterans, it charges that the VA has failed warriors on numerous fronts. It contends the VA failed to provide prompt disability benefits, failed to add staff to reduce wait times for medical care and failed to boost services for post-traumatic stress disorder.
The lawsuit also accuses the VA of deliberately cheating some veterans by allegedly working with the Pentagon to misclassify PTSD claims as pre-existing personality disorders to avoid paying benefits.
The lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, filed Monday in federal court in San Francisco, seeks broad changes in the agency as it struggles to meet growing demands from veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Suing on behalf of hundreds of thousands of veterans, it charges that the VA has failed warriors on numerous fronts. It contends the VA failed to provide prompt disability benefits, failed to add staff to reduce wait times for medical care and failed to boost services for post-traumatic stress disorder.
The lawsuit also accuses the VA of deliberately cheating some veterans by allegedly working with the Pentagon to misclassify PTSD claims as pre-existing personality disorders to avoid paying benefits.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Summer 1999
This is a promotional poster for the 1999 Oregon Brewer's Festival which was one of the very first major social events I participated in days after I made my move to Portland from Phoenix. I volunteered to be a "tapster", meaning I poured beer all day. And... I... drank some of it too.
Man, that was a good summer.
The 2007 event, now in its 20th year, will take place July 26,27,28 & 29.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
VA head quits amid scrutiny on vets care
AP - VA Secretary Jim Nicholson abruptly resigned Tuesday after months of the Bush administration struggling to defend charges of shoddy treatment for veterans injured in the Iraq war.
Nicholson, a former Republican National Committee chairman and a Vietnam veteran, was picked by President Bush to head the Veterans Affairs Department in 2005. Planning to return to the private sector, he said his resignation is to take effect no later than Oct. 1.
Nicholson, 69, is the latest in a line of senior officials heading for the exits in the final 1 1/2 years of the Bush administration.
His resignation comes amid intense political and public scrutiny of the Pentagon and VA following reports of shoddy outpatient care of injured troops and veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and elsewhere.
It also ends a beleaguered two-year tenure in which Nicholson repeatedly fought off calls for his resignation over the VA's unexpected $1.3 billion shortfall in 2005 that put health care at risk; last summer's theft of 26.5 million veterans' personal data in what was the government's largest security breach; and, more recently, the award of $3.8 million in bonuses to senior officials who were responsible for the agency's budget problems.
Walter Reed is a Pentagon-run facility. But charges of poor treatment relating to poor coordination quickly extended to the VA's vast network of 1,400 hospitals and clinics, which serve 5.8 million veterans. The VA also has a severe backlog of disability payments to injured veterans, with overwhelming delays of 177 days that Nicholson has called unacceptable.
"Secretary Nicholson's resignation should be welcome news for all veterans," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "The VA under Secretary Nicholson has been woefully unprepared for the influx of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, consistently underestimating the number of new veterans who would seek care, and failing to spend the money Congress allotted to treat mental health issues."
His departure comes at a critical time. Nicholson most recently headed a presidential task force charged with making immediate improvements to health care in which he pledged to take "personal responsibility."
Democrats quickly called for a replacement who would vigorously look after veterans.
"The fact is, veterans have been right to be disappointed in Jim Nicholson's leadership at VA," said Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and a 2008 presidential candidate, citing in part backlogs of between 400,000 and 600,000 disability claims. "It is clear that Secretary Nicholson is leaving the VA worse off than he found it."
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., who chairs the House Veterans Affairs Committee, cautioned that Democratic lawmakers won't stand for it if Bush tried again to "appoint someone who's a good ol' boy."
Nicholson, a former Republican National Committee chairman and a Vietnam veteran, was picked by President Bush to head the Veterans Affairs Department in 2005. Planning to return to the private sector, he said his resignation is to take effect no later than Oct. 1.
Nicholson, 69, is the latest in a line of senior officials heading for the exits in the final 1 1/2 years of the Bush administration.
His resignation comes amid intense political and public scrutiny of the Pentagon and VA following reports of shoddy outpatient care of injured troops and veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and elsewhere.
It also ends a beleaguered two-year tenure in which Nicholson repeatedly fought off calls for his resignation over the VA's unexpected $1.3 billion shortfall in 2005 that put health care at risk; last summer's theft of 26.5 million veterans' personal data in what was the government's largest security breach; and, more recently, the award of $3.8 million in bonuses to senior officials who were responsible for the agency's budget problems.
Walter Reed is a Pentagon-run facility. But charges of poor treatment relating to poor coordination quickly extended to the VA's vast network of 1,400 hospitals and clinics, which serve 5.8 million veterans. The VA also has a severe backlog of disability payments to injured veterans, with overwhelming delays of 177 days that Nicholson has called unacceptable.
"Secretary Nicholson's resignation should be welcome news for all veterans," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "The VA under Secretary Nicholson has been woefully unprepared for the influx of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, consistently underestimating the number of new veterans who would seek care, and failing to spend the money Congress allotted to treat mental health issues."
His departure comes at a critical time. Nicholson most recently headed a presidential task force charged with making immediate improvements to health care in which he pledged to take "personal responsibility."
Democrats quickly called for a replacement who would vigorously look after veterans.
"The fact is, veterans have been right to be disappointed in Jim Nicholson's leadership at VA," said Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and a 2008 presidential candidate, citing in part backlogs of between 400,000 and 600,000 disability claims. "It is clear that Secretary Nicholson is leaving the VA worse off than he found it."
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., who chairs the House Veterans Affairs Committee, cautioned that Democratic lawmakers won't stand for it if Bush tried again to "appoint someone who's a good ol' boy."
Monday, July 16, 2007
VA vows to expand mental health services
AP - Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson pledged Monday to add mental health services at more than 100 VA medical centers to fight resistance to seeking help for depression and other illnesses.
The VA is being pressed by growing cases of mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury from veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, Nicholson said at a national forum of VA mental health experts. He said the department will work harder to meet the challenge.
To fight stigma against seeking help for anxiety and depression, the VA this year is devoting $37.7 million of its nearly $3 billion mental health budget toward placing psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers within primary care clinics.
The additions will take effect in two-thirds of the VA's 153 medical centers, supplementing mental services already offered at the department's 882 outpatient clinics.
Such a move will help allow the VA to begin testing all veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan for mild to moderate brain injury, an often unseen problem that can emerge months after finishing service. It would also allow for brief treatment for those who may not require specialty care, Nicholson said.
"Given the possible reluctance of some veterans to talk about emotional problems, increasing our mental health presence in primary care settings will give veterans a familiar venue in which to receive care without actually going to an identified mental health clinic," he said.
Other measures now under way:
_Adding 23 new VA-run Vet Centers, which are small, storefront walk-in clinics with a staff of about 5 people, to reach a total of 232 centers nationwide. The centers provide combat stress counseling, marriage therapy, job assistance and medical referrals, although recent congressional surveys found them to be understaffed with long wait times due to increased demand for services.
_Hiring more suicide prevention coordinators for VA medical centers and keeping emergency services for mental health open around the clock, as well as starting a full-time suicide prevention hot line. This comes after the VA inspector general earlier this year found that veterans were at increased risk of suicide because of spotty services in clinics nationwide.
_Hosting state mental health conferences to facilitate collaboration of veterans services on a state, local and community level. Some state officials have complained that the VA needs to do a better job of sharing information about wounded soldiers returning home so states can help.
Monday's VA forum comes amid renewed focus on veterans health care because of the prolonged Iraq war.
Following disclosures earlier this year of shoddy outpatient treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, both the VA and the Pentagon have acknowledged missteps in planning for the surge of injured veterans returning home. That has prompted several reviews by congressional panels and presidential commissions on ways to improve care.
"VA is advancing its mental health program in a full-court press," Nicholson said.
The VA is being pressed by growing cases of mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury from veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, Nicholson said at a national forum of VA mental health experts. He said the department will work harder to meet the challenge.
To fight stigma against seeking help for anxiety and depression, the VA this year is devoting $37.7 million of its nearly $3 billion mental health budget toward placing psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers within primary care clinics.
The additions will take effect in two-thirds of the VA's 153 medical centers, supplementing mental services already offered at the department's 882 outpatient clinics.
Such a move will help allow the VA to begin testing all veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan for mild to moderate brain injury, an often unseen problem that can emerge months after finishing service. It would also allow for brief treatment for those who may not require specialty care, Nicholson said.
"Given the possible reluctance of some veterans to talk about emotional problems, increasing our mental health presence in primary care settings will give veterans a familiar venue in which to receive care without actually going to an identified mental health clinic," he said.
Other measures now under way:
_Adding 23 new VA-run Vet Centers, which are small, storefront walk-in clinics with a staff of about 5 people, to reach a total of 232 centers nationwide. The centers provide combat stress counseling, marriage therapy, job assistance and medical referrals, although recent congressional surveys found them to be understaffed with long wait times due to increased demand for services.
_Hiring more suicide prevention coordinators for VA medical centers and keeping emergency services for mental health open around the clock, as well as starting a full-time suicide prevention hot line. This comes after the VA inspector general earlier this year found that veterans were at increased risk of suicide because of spotty services in clinics nationwide.
_Hosting state mental health conferences to facilitate collaboration of veterans services on a state, local and community level. Some state officials have complained that the VA needs to do a better job of sharing information about wounded soldiers returning home so states can help.
Monday's VA forum comes amid renewed focus on veterans health care because of the prolonged Iraq war.
Following disclosures earlier this year of shoddy outpatient treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, both the VA and the Pentagon have acknowledged missteps in planning for the surge of injured veterans returning home. That has prompted several reviews by congressional panels and presidential commissions on ways to improve care.
"VA is advancing its mental health program in a full-court press," Nicholson said.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Idaho man wants to manufacture underwater hotel in Portland
What: World's first undersea resort
Where: A "mystery" island in Fiji
Cost: $15,000 a week to stay there
Planned opening: Late 2009
Oregon connection: Structure is expected to be manufactured and assembled in the Portland area.
As home to the West Coast's largest ship-repair facility, on Swan Island, Portland has the huge dry-dock, industrial facilities and trained workers to manufacture and assemble the hotel.
Where: A "mystery" island in Fiji
Cost: $15,000 a week to stay there
Planned opening: Late 2009
Oregon connection: Structure is expected to be manufactured and assembled in the Portland area.
As home to the West Coast's largest ship-repair facility, on Swan Island, Portland has the huge dry-dock, industrial facilities and trained workers to manufacture and assemble the hotel.
Shut 'er down part 2
North Korea told the United States it shut down its nuclear reactor, the State Department said Saturday, hours after a ship cruised into port loaded with oil promised in return for the country's pledge to disarm.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Odds are...
Phoenix opened with 7-to-2 odds of winning the 2008 NBA championship last month but has moved to 3-to-1, second to San Antonio (5-to-2) at Las Vegas sports books.
Shazam!
Al McCoy, the longtime Phoenix Suns broadcaster will receive the 2007 Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during Enshrinement festivities September 7-9 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Named in honor of the late legendary sports broadcaster and former Basketball Hall of Fame President Curt Gowdy, the prestigious awards are given annually to one member of the print and one member of the electronic media whose efforts have made a significant contribution to the game of basketball.
“The Gowdy Award presentation is certainly one of the highlights of Enshrinement Weekend, and both Mr. McCoy and Mr. Moran exemplify the true spirit of the award”, said John L. Doleva, Hall of Fame President & CEO, in a statement. “These two men have dedicated much of their professional careers to telling the story of basketball for millions of readers, listeners and viewers, and the Hall of Fame is proud to honor their efforts.”
McCoy, considered by many to be the dean of all NBA play-by-play announcers, will mark his 36th season with the Suns in 2007-08, the longest tenure with any one team among current broadcasters.
Named in honor of the late legendary sports broadcaster and former Basketball Hall of Fame President Curt Gowdy, the prestigious awards are given annually to one member of the print and one member of the electronic media whose efforts have made a significant contribution to the game of basketball.
“The Gowdy Award presentation is certainly one of the highlights of Enshrinement Weekend, and both Mr. McCoy and Mr. Moran exemplify the true spirit of the award”, said John L. Doleva, Hall of Fame President & CEO, in a statement. “These two men have dedicated much of their professional careers to telling the story of basketball for millions of readers, listeners and viewers, and the Hall of Fame is proud to honor their efforts.”
McCoy, considered by many to be the dean of all NBA play-by-play announcers, will mark his 36th season with the Suns in 2007-08, the longest tenure with any one team among current broadcasters.
Shut 'er down
AP - North Korea seemed ready Friday to take a first step toward scaling back its nuclear weapons program, perhaps this weekend, as U.N. inspectors prepared to monitor the shutdown of its sole operating atomic reactor.
After years of tortuous negotiations and delays during which the North argued its nuclear program was needed for self-defense, the reclusive communist regime said last week that once it recieves the oil shipment scheduled to arrive Saturday, it would consider halting its reactor for the first time in five years.
"With the kind of help which we (have received) from the (North) in the past few weeks, we think we will do our job in a successful way," International Atomic Energy Agency team chief Adel Tolba said in Beijing.
After years of tortuous negotiations and delays during which the North argued its nuclear program was needed for self-defense, the reclusive communist regime said last week that once it recieves the oil shipment scheduled to arrive Saturday, it would consider halting its reactor for the first time in five years.
"With the kind of help which we (have received) from the (North) in the past few weeks, we think we will do our job in a successful way," International Atomic Energy Agency team chief Adel Tolba said in Beijing.
Illinois man files suit over lost love
Stealing someone's heart can cost you: Just ask German Blinov.
A Cook County jury ordered Blinov to shell out $4,802 last month after he was sued by a husband from a Chicago suburb for stealing the affections of the man's wife.
Arthur Friedman used a little-known state law to mount the legal attack against Blinov. The alienation of affection law, one of eight across the country, lets spouses seek damages for the loss of love.
"This guy ruined my life — he backstabbed me," Arthur Friedman told the Chicago Sun-Times. "What he did was wrong. And I did what I had to do to get my point across."
Blinov doesn't deny having a relationship with Natalie Friedman while she was married, but he was surprised to learn he could be sued for it.
A Cook County jury ordered Blinov to shell out $4,802 last month after he was sued by a husband from a Chicago suburb for stealing the affections of the man's wife.
Arthur Friedman used a little-known state law to mount the legal attack against Blinov. The alienation of affection law, one of eight across the country, lets spouses seek damages for the loss of love.
"This guy ruined my life — he backstabbed me," Arthur Friedman told the Chicago Sun-Times. "What he did was wrong. And I did what I had to do to get my point across."
Blinov doesn't deny having a relationship with Natalie Friedman while she was married, but he was surprised to learn he could be sued for it.
Only looking for help from enlisted professionals?
Speaking to Congress Thursday, S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, acknowledged that the Army's touted plans to hire 25 percent additional mental health specialists may prove hard to fulfill for awhile because of problems in recruiting and retaining active-duty professionals.
"It's not easy to get people into the military," said Casscells, referring to plans by Army Surgeon Gen. Gail Pollock. "We cannot hire 200 Army psychiatrists, which Gen. Pollock wants to do, we can't do that overnight. So we need everyone to reach out and look out for service members."
"It's not easy to get people into the military," said Casscells, referring to plans by Army Surgeon Gen. Gail Pollock. "We cannot hire 200 Army psychiatrists, which Gen. Pollock wants to do, we can't do that overnight. So we need everyone to reach out and look out for service members."
Pentagon Urges Mental Health Changes
(AP) The Pentagon's top health official, S. Ward Casscells, spoke to Congress Thursday as the military rushes to improve its much-criticized mental health system.
Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs said he wants to see better mental health assessments, stronger privacy protections and a "buddy system" to change the military's stigma against seeking help for anxiety and depression.
Casscells' comments came as the Pentagon and Congress are reviewing 95 recommendations made last month by a task force chaired by Navy Surgeon General Donald Arthur. Issuing an urgent warning, the panel found that more than one-third of troops and veterans currently suffer from problems such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder and urged stronger leadership, more money and a fundamental shift in treatment to focus on prevention and screening.
"We would never blame someone who has broken a leg or got cancer, yet we will blame people who have a natural reaction to an incredibly stressful situation," said Arthur, who also testified Thursday before a House Armed Services subcommittee.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates last month pledged to fix problems and ordered that a corrective plan be finished by mid-September. He is also supporting a plan that would do away with the practice of asking troops about previous mental health treatment when they apply for a security clearance.
A recent Pentagon study found about 38 percent of soldiers and 31 percent of Marines report psychological conditions such as brain injury and PTSD after returning from deployment. Among members of the National Guard, the figure is much higher — 49 percent — with numbers expected to grow because of repeated and extended deployments.
On Thursday, Casscells said his team was still analyzing the recommendations and formulating policy proposals for Gates to review. But he indicated a need for greater privacy, including possibly shielding reports of mental health discussions that service members have from line commanders.
In the meantime, the Army has launched an extensive educational program on the stigma attached to mental health problems to determine whether it can be expanded to the other armed services.
Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs said he wants to see better mental health assessments, stronger privacy protections and a "buddy system" to change the military's stigma against seeking help for anxiety and depression.
Casscells' comments came as the Pentagon and Congress are reviewing 95 recommendations made last month by a task force chaired by Navy Surgeon General Donald Arthur. Issuing an urgent warning, the panel found that more than one-third of troops and veterans currently suffer from problems such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder and urged stronger leadership, more money and a fundamental shift in treatment to focus on prevention and screening.
"We would never blame someone who has broken a leg or got cancer, yet we will blame people who have a natural reaction to an incredibly stressful situation," said Arthur, who also testified Thursday before a House Armed Services subcommittee.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates last month pledged to fix problems and ordered that a corrective plan be finished by mid-September. He is also supporting a plan that would do away with the practice of asking troops about previous mental health treatment when they apply for a security clearance.
A recent Pentagon study found about 38 percent of soldiers and 31 percent of Marines report psychological conditions such as brain injury and PTSD after returning from deployment. Among members of the National Guard, the figure is much higher — 49 percent — with numbers expected to grow because of repeated and extended deployments.
On Thursday, Casscells said his team was still analyzing the recommendations and formulating policy proposals for Gates to review. But he indicated a need for greater privacy, including possibly shielding reports of mental health discussions that service members have from line commanders.
In the meantime, the Army has launched an extensive educational program on the stigma attached to mental health problems to determine whether it can be expanded to the other armed services.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Hill to Valley
Grant Hill has told the Phoenix Suns that he plans to sign with them when the free agency moratorium is lifted Wednesday.Hill chose Phoenix over Detroit, Orlando, San Antonio, Miami and Dallas. Hill heard phone pitches from each team this week, talking to Suns General Manager Steve Kerr and Coach Mike D'Antoni on Tuesday.
A five-time NBA All-Star, Grant Hill has been named to the All-NBA First or Second Team four times and has a 20 point per game career average.
Photo: AP
Smith Seeks Mental Health Parity For Veterans
Oregon's two US Senators heard from veterans Tuesday about mental health care that's available to soldiers returning from war.
The hearing at the Veterans Affairs medical center in Portland gathered testimony for the Senate's committee on aging. Republican Gordon Smith is the ranking member of the panel and Democrat Ron Wyden is also a member.
Smith said he's introducing a bill establishing what he calls a "Hero to Hero" program. It would make mentor among veteran's more systematic. Smith said his ultimate aim is put treatment of mental health on par with physical medicine.
Gordon Smith: "It needs insurance parity. It needs medical school parity. It needs Medicare and Medicaid parity. And this is just one more chapter in that agenda. And that is veterans mental health parity."
Smith plans a similar hearing on Thursday at a veterans clinic in White City, and a third hearing on Capitol Hill later this summer.
Colin Fogarty, OPB News
The hearing at the Veterans Affairs medical center in Portland gathered testimony for the Senate's committee on aging. Republican Gordon Smith is the ranking member of the panel and Democrat Ron Wyden is also a member.
Smith said he's introducing a bill establishing what he calls a "Hero to Hero" program. It would make mentor among veteran's more systematic. Smith said his ultimate aim is put treatment of mental health on par with physical medicine.
Gordon Smith: "It needs insurance parity. It needs medical school parity. It needs Medicare and Medicaid parity. And this is just one more chapter in that agenda. And that is veterans mental health parity."
Smith plans a similar hearing on Thursday at a veterans clinic in White City, and a third hearing on Capitol Hill later this summer.
Colin Fogarty, OPB News
Monday, July 02, 2007
Bush gets Libby out of jail time
Lewis "Scooter" Libby was convicted in March of lying to authorities and obstructing the investigation into the 2003 leak of CIA operative's identity. The former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney was the highest-ranking White House official ordered to prison since the Iran-Contra affair.
"I respect the jury's verdict," Bush said in a statement. "But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison."
Bush's move came hours after a federal appeals panel ruled Libby could not delay his prison term.
Reaction was harsh from Democrats.
"As Independence Day nears, we're reminded that one of the principles our forefathers fought for was equal justice under the law. This commutation completely tramples on that principle," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said through a spokesman.
"I respect the jury's verdict," Bush said in a statement. "But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison."
Bush's move came hours after a federal appeals panel ruled Libby could not delay his prison term.
Reaction was harsh from Democrats.
"As Independence Day nears, we're reminded that one of the principles our forefathers fought for was equal justice under the law. This commutation completely tramples on that principle," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said through a spokesman.
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