Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution

UPDATE: It occurs to me that this article proposed something that is popular with the American people -increased accountability among our elected officials. I posted this from another website as indicated above, but after checking FACT CHECK, I’m reminded it is … just an idea! While bits and pieces of this have been proposed by various members, nothing significant has happened yet! The popularity of this article on various websites is proof it carries some measures that might actually improve our government on every level. I would suggest, if you like these ideas, that you send them to your Senators and Representatives. Let’s push it and make our “Representative”government work in our behalf!

I challenge you to read this and NOT have the will to pass it on to all your friends!

No one has been able to explain to me why young men and women serve in the U.S. Military for 20 years, risking their lives protecting freedom, and only get 50% of their pay. While Politicians hold their political positions in the safe confines of the capital, protected by these same men and women, and receive full pay retirement after serving one term. It just does not make any sense..

Monday we learned that the staffers of Congress family members are exempt from having to pay back student loans. This will get national attention if news networks will broadcast it. When you add this to the below, just where will all of it stop?

This will take less than thirty seconds to read. If you agree, please pass it on.

This is an idea that we should address.

For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed while citizens must live under those laws. The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform… in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn’t seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don’t care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop.

If each person that receives this will share it, in three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message.. This is one proposal that really should be passed around.

Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution: “Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States .”

By: Patrick J Hunt

Advertisement

“Band of Brothers” – American Sheriffs

Tags

American Sheriffs

Girl Draws Toy Gun, Dad Arrested

Tags

2nd Amendment rights

2/25/12

A four year old girl draws a picture of a toy gun at school. And her 26 year old father, Jessie Sansone, was arrested.

Why? Here is what the Family and Children’s Services said:

“any child drawing a picture of guns and saying there’s guns in a home would warrant some further conversation with the parents and child.”

Here is what Sansone said.

“To be honest with you, I broke down…My character got put down so much. I was actually really hurt, like it could happen that easy. How do you recognize a criminal from a father?”

The police asked the father to grant them permission to search his house. He did not have to sign it, I guess he did so out of fear or felt pressured to do so.

The girl attends Forest Hill public school. The family lives in Kitchener near Waterloo, Ontario.

Canada supports big brother government that takes care of you. Big brother does not trust you to take care of yourself. They assume the worst of everybody. They think that if a child is drawing a gun that somehow the daughter has access to it. But parents that own guns are wise enough to protect their children from it. MORE HERE

We need to protect our 2nd Amendment rights
here in the United States.

Buy a weapon and learn how to use it responsibly!

Obama’s Support Group

Good to know he has such an illustrious, level-headed support group, huh? Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!

Share this:

Haven’t you wondered how 26 of our elite SEALS were mysteriously herded onto one slow moving Chinook and then promptly shot down? All way too convenient, to my mind.

Drawdown lowdown: 9 things you need to know

By Jim Tice and Lance M. Bacon – Staff writers
Posted : Sunday Feb 19, 2012 9:37:41 EST

The drawdown looms large. While the Army is being cagey about exactly how it will shrink to pre-9/11 size, several things have become crystal clear. There is a target list and it’s not as benign as you might think — or hope.

Among those with targets on their backs:

• 4,000 master sergeants and sergeants major.

• Practically everyone who’s been in trouble since entering the Army.

• “Terminal” NCOs.

• Anyone who is overweight or can’t pass the PT test.

Soldiers will be subjected to:

• Reclassification or discharge for soldiers in over-strength military occupational specialties.

• Sharply reduced recruiting missions.

• Fewer re-up options and bonuses.

And it starts March 1.

In a letter to Army leaders, Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno, Army Secretary John McHugh and Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond Chandler announced the Army is “fundamentally” changing the active-component retention program. As a result, “some fully qualified soldiers will be denied re-enlistment.”

In a separate letter to enlisted leaders, Chandler was more specific: “The program will shift from retaining as many soldiers as we can to retaining only those soldiers with the greatest potential.

“We are changing the program to ensure we retain an Army that is dominant, fully capable and composed of absolutely the very best; that re-enlistment is a privilege not afforded to all; and that we must shape our Army to meet future requirements,” Chandler wrote.

How will this play out?

Tanks waiting at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait, ready to be shipped home as part of the United States military’s drawdown from Iraq.

It will start in the spring with a series of boards that will take a cold, hard look at personnel files, job performance and MOS quotas.

The fact is, even those soldiers who have performed exceptionally well could be done in by the MOS quotas.

Chandler said the Army will look at every retirement-eligible soldier to identify those who need to stay in uniform. Some will be forced to retire, though they may have years remaining on their current contracts. This careful consideration will begin with the sergeant major board in June.

Here are the details, as announced to date:

1. ENLISTED TENURE RULES
The Army has been tightening the retention control points that determine how long enlisted soldiers can stay in service without being promoted.

The most recent changes reduced the retention control points to these levels:

Privates and privates first class: From eight to five years.

Specialists: From 10 to eight years.

Promotable specialists: From 15 to 12 years.

Sergeants: From 15 to 13 years.

Promotable sergeants: From 20 to 15 years.

Staff sergeants: From 23 to 20 years.

The changes as of last June apply to about 400,000 soldiers of the regular Army and active Guard and Reserve who serve under the Title 10 provisions of federal law.

Retention control points for National Guard soldiers serving in the Title 10 AGR program are:

Sergeants and below: 20 years of service.

Staff sergeant: 23 years.

Retention control points for the senior ranks have been adjusted to support changes in the professional development timeline for senior NCOs:

Promotable staff sergeants: 26 years

Sergeants first class: 26 years

Master sergeants: 29 years

First sergeants: 29 years

Promotable sergeants first class: 29 years

Command sergeants major: 32 years

Sergeants major: 32 years

Extensions out to 35 years are available to command sergeants major who serve in nominative positions under a general officer commander.

2. FEWER ENLISTED PROMOTIONS
The total of active-component soldiers expected to move up in the NCO ranks this year is 6 percent below last year.

In Kuwait, American forces exiting an aircraft newly arrived from Iraq. They were en route to the United States.

A projected total of 44,141 active-component soldiers are to advance to the ranks of sergeant through sergeant major in 2012. That is 6 percent below last year’s total of 47,129 soldiers.

Despite the drawdown, no major personnel authorization changes are planned for 2012, which means there will not be a big slowdown in promotions.

NCO promotion requirements are driven by losses such as retirements and separations in the various specialties of the enlisted personnel system, and pull-through from each lower grade to the next higher grade.

3. NEW RULES FOR SENIOR NCOS
New rules that apply to senior NCO boards that meet this year and for the remainder of the drawdown set increased time-in-grade and time-in-service requirements for promotion, while increasing service obligations for promotions to sergeant major, master sergeant and sergeant first class from two to three years.

The time-in-grade and time-in-service changes are:

• The TIG requirement for primary zone consideration for sergeant first class and master sergeant in the regular Army and active Guard and Reserve (Army Reserve) has increased from three to four years, and the secondary zone window has increased from two to three.

• The TIG requirement for sergeant first class, master sergeant and sergeant major promotion eligibility in the non-AGR categories of the Army Reserve has increased from two to three years.

• The minimum TIS requirement in the non-AGR categories of the Army Reserve has increased from 11 to 12 years for master sergeant consideration, and from 13 to 17 years for sergeant major consideration.

The promotion service obligation applies to soldiers of the regular Army, National Guard and Army Reserve.

Because the time-in-grade and time-in-service changes will reduce the number of soldiers considered annually for promotion to master sergeant and sergeant first class, officials expect select rates for these two ranks could increase to 18 percent and 40 percent, respectively.

Key elements of promotion policy during the drawdown are the Army’s strong commitment to the NCO Education System, and a hard-and-fast rule requiring soldiers to complete military schooling before they can be promoted.

The policy requires that soldiers must complete:

• The Advanced Leader Course to be considered for promotion to sergeant first class.

• The Senior Leader Course for promotion to master sergeant.

• The Sergeants Major Course for promotion to sergeant major.

4. PROMOTIONS FOR SERGEANT, STAFF SERGEANT
Promotion-point adjustments as of Jan. 1 put more weight on military education for more than 30,000 specialists, corporals and sergeants on the Army-wide sergeant and staff sergeant selection lists.

The Promotion Point Worksheet is revised so that 40 percent of the points soldiers can earn for military education are related to NCOES achievements such as graduation from the Warrior Leader Course and Advanced Leader Course.

NCOES credits previously were capped at 35 percent of the total score for promotions to sergeant, 32 percent for staff sergeant.

Under the previous scoring system, many soldiers were maxing out the military education section of the worksheet by avoiding NCOES and loading up on correspondence courses and computer-based training.

5. EARLY OUTS FOR ENLISTED
Regular Army enlisted soldiers could be discharged from active duty up to one year before the end of their enlistments under a provision included in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act.

Under previous law, early outs could occur no earlier than 30 months before the end of a soldier’s enlistment.

Soldiers who receive early outs are not entitled to pay and allowances for the period of enlistment they did not serve, but will qualify for normal separation benefits.

Noting that the legal change was requested by the Defense Department, Congress said the early-out authority should be used to reduce service strength in a responsible manner during the coming drawdown.

At press time, the Army had not indicated if, or when, it plans to exercise the early-out authority.

6. TOUGHER OFFICER PROMOTIONS
After a decade of record-high selection rates, the Army will scale back officer promotion opportunities, returning to levels seen before the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Those selection opportunities are:

Promotion to captain: 90 percent.

Promotion to major: 80 percent.

Promotion to lieutenant colonel: 70 percent.

Promotion to colonel: 50 percent.

“In some instances, we may see promotion rates below these targets to correctly size and shape year groups,” Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno said in a recent memo to senior leaders.

Selection opportunity, as defined by the legal statute governing officer management, is calculated by dividing the number of primary-zone candidates by the total number of above-zone, primary-zone and below-zone officers selected by a board.

From 2001 through 2010, selection opportunity averaged 64 percent for colonel, 100 percent for lieutenant colonel and 108 percent for major.

Basic-branch selections for captain typically hovered near 100 percent for lieutenants receiving their first O-3 promotion review.

Odierno’s memo focused on the Army Competitive Category, but any changes for the special branches and warrant officers largely will be influenced by the structure requirements of a small Army, according to Lt. Col. Cape Zemp, chief of Army officer selection board policy at the Pentagon.

“It’s possible that because of adjustments to the structure, selection opportunity — like the basic branches — could decrease for the special branches and warrant officers,” he said. READ MORE

The results of all this means:

1. A drastic increase in the number of unemployed vets infused into an already dying economy

2. Serious questions of morale within an already-stretched-too-thin military now serving in way too many places that our President (or the MSM) doesn’t see fit to share with the American people.

3. Realistically, jeopardizes National Security by reducing ready strength to pre-WWI levels.

It’s one thing if he making cuts across the board, but this is so he can activate another round of bailouts to “Green” entities while refusing genuine opportunities like Keystone pipeline!

United States military vehicles at a storage yard in Kuwait, where they were being prepared for the next stage of their journey.

VFW: Benefits cuts could force return of draft

Men line up in Chicago in 1950, for physical exams after the military draft was renewed.

By Rick Maze – Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Feb 23, 2012 16:36:34 EST

“The nation’s largest organization for combat veterans said the Obama administration’s plans to cut military pay and benefits could force the return of a military draft.

“In a statement that ratchets up the rhetoric over proposed pay-raise caps, higher out-of-pocket medical and prescription drug costs and reform of military retired pay, the national commander of the 2 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars said “messing with military pay and benefits is a clear signal to the troops and their families that the budget is more important than people.”

“That is going to seriously hurt recruiting and retention, and potentially end the all-volunteer force, because nobody wants to work for an ungrateful employer in a vocation as inherently dangerous as ours,” said VFW leader Richard DeNoyer, a Vietnam combat veteran and retired Marine.

“The Defense Department and White House have targeted military personnel programs as an area ripe for cuts because of how much they have grown over the last decade, due to efforts to improve basic pay and housing allowances and an expansion of health care benefits, especially for Medicare-eligible retirees.

“Senior officials have tried to downplay the cuts, saying that current service members and their families would be largely exempt, although that is not completely true. The Pentagon is planning to limit military pay raises to 0.5 percent in 2015; there will be prescription drug fee increases as early as next year for active-duty and retiree families; anyone who retires from the military would face higher out-of-pocket costs for health care; and the force will shrink by more than 100,000 service members, DeNoyer said.

“Any proposal that negatively impacts any quality-of-life program must be defeated,” DeNoyer said.

“Other military and veterans groups have complained about the proposed cuts, but they have not gone as far as the VFW in claiming these initiatives could spell the end of the all-volunteer force that replaced the Vietnam-era draft in 1973.” READ MORE

I’m not sure re-initiating the draft would be such a horrible thing given the economy as it is and the culture itself. It might even things out a little bit, give opportunity to grow up and learn discipline and glean a little maturity along the way for our young men and women. Might help get some off the unemployed lists and teach them a marketable skill? Just sayin …

2 advisers shot inside Afghan ministry building

Afghans burn tires during an anti-U.S. demonstration over burning of Qurans at a US military base, in Muhammad Agha, Logar province south of Kabul,

By Amir Shah and Rahim Faiez – The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Feb 25, 2012 9:19:20 EST
KABUL, Afghanistan — A gunman killed two American advisers inside a heavily guarded government compound in Kabul on Saturday, officials said, as protests against the burning of copies of the Muslim holy book roiled the country for a fifth day.

U.S. officials said the assailant remained at large as neither an apology from President Obama nor gunfire from Afghan police could quench public outrage over what NATO insisted was an inadvertent desecration of the Quran.

Two Afghan officials said the ministry shooting did not involve any Afghans. They spoke anonymously to discuss a NATO incident. One of the officials noted that the shooting occurred inside a secure room at the ministry that Afghan staff do not have access to.

NATO confirmed that two service members were killed, but spokesman Lt. Col Jimmie Cummings said “initial reports say it was not a Western shooter.” He declined to provide further information.

A U.S. official in Washington confirmed that the two killed were American. The official spoke anonymously to discuss information that had not been publicly released.

“The assailant is unknown, and an aggressive search is underway to determine who is responsible,” Pentagon press secretary George Little said.

NATO forces have advisers embedded in many Afghan ministries, both as trainers and to help manage the transition to Afghan control and foreign forces prepare to withdraw by the end of 2014. The Afghan Interior Ministry oversees all of the country’s police, so has numerous NATO advisers.

Saturday’s attack comes as tensions between the Afghans and the Americans are high following the burning of copies of the Muslim holy book at a U.S. base that sparked days of deadly protests

In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the gunman was an insurgent named Abdul Rahman. He said an accomplice inside the ministry helped him get inside the compound. He said the killings were a planned response to the Quran burnings.

“After the attack, Rahman informed us by telephone that he was able to kill four high-ranking American advisers,” Mujahid said. The Taliban frequently exaggerate casualty claims.

At least 25 people have been killed and hundreds wounded since Tuesday, when it first emerged that Qurans and other religious materials had been thrown into a fire pit used to burn garbage at Bagram Air Field, a large U.S. base north of Kabul.

Among those dead were two U.S. soldiers who were killed by one of their Afghan counterparts while a riot raged outside their base.

Obama and other U.S. officials apologized and said the burning of Qurans was a terrible mistake, but the incident has sent thousands to the streets in this deeply religious country. READ MORE