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Monday, March 26, 2012. Chaos and violence continue, Michael Ratner
explains that the US is -- for all intents and purposes -- conducting a secret
trial currently, Barack has a new nominee for US Ambassador to Iraq, Amesty
International issues a new report which finds Iraq ranking near the top --
sadly, it's not a list you want to be on, preparations for the Arab League
summit continue to dominate Baghdad, and more.
"If you have to say something about the trial that's significant, the one
thing you would say is that we have a secret trial going on right now in which
the press and the public and lawyers for WikiLeaks and Julian Assange are not
getting access." That's Michael Ratner.
What's he talking about? Bradley Manning's court-martial.
Monday April
5th, WikiLeaks released US
military video of a July 12, 2007 assault in Iraq. 12 people were
killed in the assault including two Reuters journalists Namie Noor-Eldeen and
Saeed Chmagh. Monday June 7,
2010, the US military announced that they had arrested Bradley
Manning and he stood accused of being the leaker of the video. Leila Fadel
(Washington Post) reported in August 2010 that Manning had
been charged -- "two charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The
first encompasses four counts of violating Army regulations by transferring
classified information to his personal computer between November and May and
adding unauthorized software to a classified computer system. The second
comprises eight counts of violating federal laws governing the handling of
classified information." In March 2011, David S. Cloud
(Los Angeles Times) reported
that the military has added 22 additional counts to the charges including one
that could be seen as "aiding the enemy" which could result in the death penalty
if convicted. The Article 32 hearing took place in December. At the start of February, the government
announced there would be a court-martial.
Michael Smith: I want to ask you about Bradley Manning. I know
you've been down in Fort Mead observing the proceedings -- the legal proceedings
that the US military is using against him. Give us an update on
that.
Michael Ratner: Last week, I again went to some of the hearings
regarding Bradley Manning. There's been no trial scheduled yet. They're
thinking of a trial in August. I think it will much more likely be in the fall.
As our listeners know, Bradley has been indicted on 22 charges or charged in the
military on 22 charges including aiding with the enemy. I did my usual trying
to get to Fort Mead. But of course it was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Thursday.
I had to get on a train that night, then get on a car to get to Fort Mead. And
when you get to Fort Mead, of course, they practically tear your car apart
looking for who knows what? Explosives or something else. You get in, they
then make you wait for about an hour before you go through a trailer where you
go through one of those metal detectors. You're not allowed to bring into the
courtroom any cell phones, any way of communicating other than a pencil and a
paper. The court room is small. There's only about 20 of us in the court
room. The media is in a separate media room where they can have their computers
-- nothing with the internet, but they can at least use a computer. So in any
case, I went to Bradley Manning's hearing. It was Thursday and Friday. It was
quite extraordinary. Michael and I have always talked about the expression
"Military justice is to justice as military music is to music." Well it's even
worse than that. I mean, this was ridiculous. I mean, that they are trying
probably the most well known case in the country on aiding the enemy or really
what amounts to -- according to the government -- a sort of espionage case, in
this two-bit little court room with military prosecutors that the defense runs
circles around. David Coombs is actually doing a very good job. It's amazing.
I'll just relate a couple of stories. The first thing that happens is the
defense counsel asks for what's called a bill of particulars. In criminal
cases, that's "Please tell the defense counsel more about the charges you have
against my client Bradley Manning. Give a few specifications." And the first
one they asked about is: What do you mean by aiding the enemy? He says to the
prosecutor -- of course, it's all done on paper but he says it in court as well.
And the prosecutor then says, "Well, aiding the enemy? The enemy is al Qaeda
and al Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula." Well that just sounds ridiculous.
Bradley Manning -- who supposedly, allegedly, uploaded various documents
regarding the killing of Retuers journalists, 15,000 Iraqi civilians who were
killed which the US hadn't recorded, many, many War Crimes like that -- is
accused somehow of aiding al Qaeda or al Qaeda on the Peninsula. Well you
think, what is it? Is it because it embarrassed the United States that we're
aiding them? What is going on here? So then the defense counsel continues,
"Well aiding al Qaeda and al Qaeda on the Peninsula, how did he aid them?" And
then the prosecutor gave one of the shallowest, stupidest answers you want to
hear: "Well he aided them by uploading the documents onto the WikiLeaks
website." I mean, it's not the trial yet so the defense counsel just says,
"Okay," and we move on from there. But you're sitting there in the audiences
saying, "This is crazy. This 22-year-old, now 24-year-old, kid has supposedly
aided al Qaeda by giving documents about War Crimes to WikiLeaks?" That's
nonsensical. It'll never stand up. Most commentators think that charge in
particular, which is the most serious charge -- it's life imprisonment, death
penalty possibly, prosecutors said they won't ask for a death penalty but llife
in prison, and I think the judge could even give the death penalty -- that
charge I don't think will hold up. But the interesting part then happens next.
Three weeks ago, when I was at the court, the prosecutor complains that he is
not getting any of the e-mails sent by defense counsel or by the judge. And
those are obviously important e-mails. The defense counsel is responding to
motions and arguments, sending briefs. The court is sending scheduling orders,
etc. And the prosecutor three weeks ago says, "Well I haven't gotten anything
so I can't respond to those." Sounds pretty bad. Fishy. But then the
prosecutor says, "We will fix it in three weeks from now." And that's when I
was there last week. And the prosecutor gets up and says, "Well up until March
10, we didn't figure it out." Just a few days before the Bradley Manning
hearing. "And we found it out, here's the answer: Many of the e-mails from the
court and the defense counsel are going to the prosecutor but they're going to
the spam section of the computer. They're being filtered out as spam." Let me
just say, this is the most important single military courts-martial case they've
had probably in the last 50 years, maybe 100 years. And the e-mails from the
court and the defense counsel are going into the spam of the prosecutor? I
mean, this is just Mickey Mouse or worse. So they said, "What we're doing now,"
the prosecutor says, "is, because they're going into spam, every morning at
10:00 a.m., I'm checking my spam folder to see what e-mails have come in." So
I'm sitting there in the audience saying, "Why are they checking their spam
filter? Why aren't they just fixing the problem?" And then, a half an hour
later, the defense counsel gets up and, in speaking about many issues, he
addresses why the e-mails haven't gone to the prosecutor. And he said they
didn't go to the prosecutor because any e-mail with the word "WikiLeaks" in it
anywhere -- subject matter, in the substance [body of the e-mail], anywhere in
an e-mail from the defense counsel or the court that says "WikiLeaks" is
automatically spammed by the prosecutor's filter on his computer so he doesn't
see them. And you say to yourself, "Wait a second, this entire case is about
Bradley Manning allegedly uploading documents to WikiLeaks. If the prosecutor,
government computers, are using that as spam, this is ridiculous. This is not a
trial, this is just a charade." And then you realize, taking another step back,
that most likely every government computer in the United States and in the world
spams anything to do with WikiLeaks because the fact that many of our listeners
out there, you and I, Michael, the New York Times, and everybody in the world
looks at WikiLeaks documents and the government still considers them to be
stolen documents, still classified and no one in the government should ever be
allowed to see them. So here they go, they're doing this entire investigation
of WikiLeaks and everything is treated as spam. So that's just one of the
oddities of what they're calling a trial, etc. Two other points -- and we'll be
talking about this as I continue to monitor that trial for WikiLeaks and Julian
Assange, the Center for Constitutional Rights represents them, both WikiLeaks
and Julian Assange for purposes of monitoring the Bradley Manning case -- two
other interesting things came out. One is the access to documents. Now this is
supposedly a public trial, by law it's a public trial, the First Amedment
requires it to be a public trial. You and I, the press, the spectators, are all
allowed to go in the court room to watch the trial unless there's some section
that's classified. And normally in a trial -- as you know, Michael, being a
lawyer -- that when you file papers, they go into a court docket and you can get
access to those papers whether they be motions or briefs or whatever you file.
And, of course, that's what happens in this case, at least the first part, you
file papers or the prosecution files papers, defense counsel files papers,
decisions are made -- but nobody has access to those papers [in the Bradley
Manning court-martial] except for the counsel. I can't get those papers as a
lawyer. The press can't get those paper, No one can see the motions or
anything else. So you're sitting in the court room and they're arguing about
various documents which have been filed and you feel like you're going in
completely blind. You don't understand half of what's going on because you
can't read the papers. It's like being in Plato's cave where you only see the
shadows on the wall and not the actual substance so we've been making an effort
over the last few weeks, how do we get these papers? And we know that ultimately
we'll get them. We'll have to have a system set up with the clerk where they
give press and WikiLeaks and Julian Assange and the public access to public
motions that were filed but we're probably going to have to wind up going to
federal court to get them. I mean, it's horrendous. This is ridiculous.
Michael Smith: It's like state secrets.
Michael Ratner: It's like state secrets except they haven't claimed
state secrets.
Nobel Peace Prize nominee Bradley Manning's next appearance in
court will take place April 24-26 at Ft. Meade, MD. At the previous hearing on
March 15th, Bradley's lawyer filed a motion to dismiss all charges based on the
government's failure to present evidence as requested. Additionally, a broad
coalition of media groups filed a complaint because documents from the court
proceedings have been mostly shielded from the public's view. (Read more about
the failures of the military to provide due process in this case here.)
We are calling for conscientious citizens everywhere to organize in
support of Bradley Manning during his next hearing. Our demands include the
following: drop all charges against Bradley Manning, and punish the war
criminals, not the whistle-blowers. Join us in the Washington DC area if you
can. Otherwise, host or attend a solidarity event in your community. Ideas for
local events include: town square vigils, community forums, concerts, and house
party fund-raisers.
Planned events:
Tuesday, April 24 – 11am – 2pm -Occupy the
Department of Justice (Washington DC)
Join the "Free Bradley Manning"
contingent at Occupy the Justice Department The DoJ is a leading collaborating
agency involved in the prosecution of accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower US Army
PFC Bradley Manning. 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC – at the
Department of Justice
* "Free Bradley Manning and all political
prisoners"
* "End solitary confinement and stop torture"
Wednesday, April 25 – 8am – Stand with Bradley inside and outside
the courtroom (Fort Meade MD)
Join the all-day vigil for Bradley Manning at
the Fort Mead Main Gate, 8am-5pm (Maryland 175& Reece Rd, Fort Meade, MD
21113). We'll be holding signs and banners throughout the day. Supporters are
also encouraged to attend the courtroom proceedings for all or part of the day.
We are currently investigating chartering a bus that would leave from Washington
D.C.
Supporters are encouraged to attend Bradley Manning's court martial
motion hearing at Fort Meade on Tuesday, April 24. This hearing is scheduled for
April 24-26, beginning at 9am daily. To attend, go to the Fort Meade Visitor
Control Center at the Fort Meade Main Gate (Maryland 175 & Reece Rd, Fort
Meade, MD 21113). We suggest arriving when the visitor center opens at 7:30am
(if you arrive late, you should still be able to get into the courtroom later in
the morning).
Supporters are also encouraged to attend the courtroom proceedings
for all or part of the day on Thursday, April 26.
For more information about organizing an event in your community
April 24-26, please contact emma@bradleymanning.org
for ideas and resources.
Yes, Iraq has found a way to stand out. As the report notes, "In 2011,
Amnesty International recorded executions in 20 countries compared to 23 in
2010. Last year, 676 executions were recorded, an increase from 2010 and
largely attributable to a significant increase in executions in three countries
-- Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia." Hoshyar Zebari must be so proud. And fitting
in with the region, "Nine of 22 Member states of the League of Arab Nations
carried out executions in 2011: Egypt, Iraq, Palestinian Authority, Saudi
Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen." Approximately a
third of the League of Arab Nations practiced execution last year and Iraq was
one of them.
But that's not really fair to the Iraqi government, burying it in the group
like that. The government of Iran executed at least 360 people in 2011 which
allowed it to come in first with the most executions. What an honor. And
nipping at its heels, first runner up, was Saudi Arabia with 82 and just behind
it? Iraq with 68. Third. They came in third. What a great moment for the
country. It's method of choice for the 68 executions? Hanging.
68? Iraq even beat out the United States which shamefull executed 43 people
in 2011.
As you read through the report, you see Iraq stands out time and again,
such as in this passage:
Amnesty International remained concerned that, in the majority of
countries where people were sentenced to death or executed, the death penalty
was imposed after proceedings that did not meet international fair trial
standards, often based on "confessions" that were allegedly extracted through
torture or other duress. This was particularly the case in Belarus, China,
Iran, Iraq, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia. In Iran and Iraq, some of these
"confessions" were then broadcast on television before the trial took place,
further breaching the defendants' right to presumption of
innocence.
Or there's this:
The government of Iraq rarely discloses information about
executions, especially names of those executed and exact numbers. According to
Amnesty International information, at least 68 people were executed in Iraq,
including two foreigners and three women. Hundreds of people were sentenced to
death; 735 death sentences were referred to the Iraqi Presidency for final
ratification between January 2009 and September 2011, of which 81 have been
ratified. Most death sentences were imposed, and executions carried out, on
people convicted of belonging to or involvement in attacks by armed groups,
including murder, kidnapping, rape or other violent crimes.
On 16 November, 11 people, including one woman, convicted of
terrorism-related offences, were reported to have been executed in al-Kadhimiya
Prison in Baghdad. Among the executed men were an Egyptian and a Tunisian
national, Yosri Trigui, who was arrested in 2006 by US forces for his alleged
involvement in terrorism-related acts. He was sentenced to death by the Central
Criminal Court of Iraq (CCCI) for his alleged involvement in a bomb attack in
Samarra the same year, in a trial that did not appear to meet international
standards. The intervention of Tunisian Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi had
initially led to a short postponement of the execution.
Trial proceedings before the CCCI were very brief, often lasting
only a few minutes before verdicts are handed down. Defendants in criminal
cases often complained that "confessions" are extracted under torture and other
ill-treatment during pre-trial interrogation. They were often held
incommunicado in police stations or in detention without access to their legal
representatives or relatives, not brought before an investigative judge within a
reasonable time and not told of the reason for their arrest. The "confessions"
extracted from them are often accepted by the courts without taking any or
adequate steps to investigate defendants' allegations of torture. The
"confessions" are also frequently broadcast on the Iraqi government-controlled
satellite TV Al Iraqiya, which undermines the presumption of innocence.
For an overview of the report (HTML format) click here.
The new report is yet another reality that could detract from Nouri
al-Maliki's attempts to portray a new Iraq via the Arab League Summit. Another
bit of reality? The latest charge against his government, of torturing someone
to death. Iraq's political crisis finally got the world's attention when Nouri
charged Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi with terrorism -- it's not every day
that a vice president gets charged with anything. More recently, Amir Sarbut
Zaidan al-Batawi has died in the midst of months of being held by Nouri's
security forces. He was al-Hashemi's bodyguard and al-Hashemi states he was
tortured to death. Human Rights Watch has called for an investigation
into the death. AFP reports he gave a speech
today:
"I ask all human rights related
organisations in Iraq to take urgent actions by sending (a) neutral and
specialised committee to examine the body medically and to identify the cause of
death," Hashemi said in a televised speech delivered in English."I also ask security and judicial authorities in Iraq
to provide an explanation for what happened."He said his lawyers had not been allowed to witness
investigation hearings, and when they were given access to minutes of the
hearing, judges barred them from taking notes or making copies."I beseech (the) international community to take rapid
action to rectify (the) disastrous situation and status related to human rights,
as the situation in Iraq has become intolerable," Hashemi said.
The Associated Press
observes, "Al-Hashemi's timed his speech for the arrival in Baghdad
of dignitaries, journalists and political observers for the annual Arab League
summit in the Iraqi capital this week. Arab League Secretary General Nabil
Elaraby flew into Baghdad on Sunday and was meeting Iraq's leaders." And the
questionable death seems all the more questionable as a major human rights
organization notes Iraqi 'justice' and forced "confessions."
Nouri's gone on a spending spree in an attempt to make the summit a
success. Over the weekend, AFP noted
that Iraq has now spent (in US dollars) $450 million on the summit. Al Mada observes that
Baghdad hosted the summit in 1978 and in 1990 but that didn't prepare for today
where already the streets are full of security forces and the people are barely
present, giving it the appearance of a ghost town. Al Rafidayn
explained the summit means the Iraqi theatre will be closed, TV shows wills
top filming, that the Iraq stock market will shut down (Sunday through
Wednesday), that cultural meeting places in Baghdad will be vacant, that the
Iraqi Federation of Football has had to postpone games, that printing press will
be closed -- making newspapers near impossible and that the media will have a
very hard time covering the summit and that the Iraqi people will have an even
harder time finding Iraqi coverage of the summit. Today Al Mada reports the
Prepatory Committee selected whom they wanted to credential for the conference
and many Iraqi journalists are upset by the process which has excluded so many
of them. Over the weekend, Lara Jakes (AP) observed, "As it prepares for the
estimated $400 million pageant, downtown Baghdad looks little like the
battle-ravaged capital it has been for years. Freshly planted flowers adorn
squares and parks across the capital. Roads have been repaved, trash swept up,
buildings repaired and painted, and brightly colored lights drape trees and
streets." Today Jack Healy (New York
Times) adds that "just beyond the cement walls and freshly planted
petunias of the International Zone lies a ragged country with a bleaker view.
Out in the real Iraq, suicide bombings still rip through the streets. Sectarian
divisions have paralyzed its politics and weakened its stature with powerful
neighbors like Saudi Arabia and Iran, who use money and militias to aggressively
pursue their own agendas inside Iraq. Despite its aspirations to wield influence
as a new Arab democracy, Iraq may well remain more of a stage than an actor."
Qassim Khidhir (Kurdish Globe) reveals, "On the road from
Baghdad International Airport to the city of Baghdad, Turkish laborers work
feverishly to pave the road, build roadside parks and plant palm trees. They
have until March 29, when Baghdad hosts the Arab League Summit."
Already noted last week was that the security measures in Baghdad was
making travel throughout the city cumbersome and lengthy and that this had led
to an increase on produce and goods sold in the local markets. The prices only
continued to increase as the goods continued selling despite the high prices. Dar Addustour
noted that the goods sold better than usual due to people attempting
to stock up ahead of the summit when mobility will be even more limited. Alsumaria TV explains many shops have had to
close down and shop owners fear a recession as a result of the summit.
All of which may explain Al Mada encountering a
lack of enthusiasm (at best) and hostility (at worst) from Iraqis when they try
to gauge reaction to the planned summit. The people feel it is a show for the
leaders and may allow certain countries to get certain things but that it will
mean little for Iraq and that it means even less to their own lives. As Sheikh (Dar
Addustour) notes the summit measures cost the citizens and that this
is as easy way of providing security -- stopping all movement in society -- not
a way to provide longterm security. Alsumaria TV reports that the Security and
Defense Commission of Parliament has stated that approximately 100 combat
airplanes and helicopters are being used to protect Baghdad. Not stated in the
article but there is a good chance that the air coverage includes assistance
from the US -- including US personnel.
While the US military will probably be taking part, Al Mada notes that KRG
President Massoud Barzani will apparently not be attending the summit and that
his statements ( Tuesday he gave a speech in which he decried the
authorative drift in Iraq and the consoldiation of power by Nouri) resulted in
Talabani pressing to set a date for the national conference. Meanwhile Trend News Agency reports, "Turkish officials said on
Monday that Nechirvan Barzani -- Massoud Barzani's nephew and a senior official
in the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) -- will make his first diplomatic visit
to Ankara after being elected prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan regional
government for the second time, Today's Zaman reported. Nechirvan Barzani took
up the position for the second time on Feb. 17, after Berham Salih resigned
earlier in the month."
On the summit, the Washington Post's Liz Sly Tweeted:
We'll note two other journalists. McClatchy Newspapers' Hannah Allem's
summit tweets included:
The Associated Press' Lara Jakes Tweeted:
Al Sabaah notes Jalal
Talabani has declared that the national conference to resolve the political
crisis will be held April 5th. In the elections, Iraqiya won more votes than
Nouri's State of Law. Al Mada reports that
Ayad Allawi-led Iraqiya has stated that they may change their alliances after
the summit.
Still on Iraq, today the White House issued the following:
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 26, 2012
President Obama Announces More Key
Administration Posts
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent
to nominate the following individuals to key Administration
posts:
- Brett H. McGurk – Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq, Department of
State
- Michele J. Sison – Ambassador to the Democratic Socialist Republic
of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives, Department of
State
President Obama said, "Our nation will be greatly served by the
talent and expertise these individuals bring to their new roles. I am grateful
they have agreed to serve in this Administration, and I look forward to working
with them in the months and years ahead."
President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following
individuals to key Administration posts:
Brett H. McGurk, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq,
Department of State
Brett H. McGurk is currently senior advisor to the U.S.
Ambassador to Iraq. Previously, he served as a senior advisor to Ambassadors
Ryan Crocker and Christopher Hill in Baghdad. From 2005 to 2009, Mr. McGurk
served on the National Security Council, initially as Director for Iraq and
later as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq and
Afghanistan. Prior to 2005, he was a legal advisor to the Coalition Provisional
Authority and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. He also worked as an International
Affairs Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a Fellow at Harvard
University's Institute of Politics. From 2001 to 2002, he served as a law clerk
for Chief Justice William Rehnquist of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Previously, Mr. McGurk was a law clerk for Judge Dennis Jacobs of the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for Judge Gerard Lynch of the U.S.
District Court for the Southern District of New York. He received a B.A. from
the University of Connecticut and a J.D. from Columbia
University.
Ambassador Michele J. Sison, Nominee for Ambassador to the
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives,
Department of State
Ambassador Michele J. Sison, a career member of the
Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, is currently the
Assistant Chief of Mission for Law Enforcement and Rule of Law Assistance in
Baghdad, Iraq. From 2008 to 2010, she was Ambassador to the Republic of
Lebanon. She was Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates from 2004 to 2008 and
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South Asian Affairs from
2002 to 2004. Ambassador Sison's prior assignments include: Deputy Chief of
Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan; Consul General in Chennai,
India; Consul General in Douala, Cameroon; and Director of Career Development
and Assignments in the Department of State's Bureau of Human Resources.
Additional overseas assignments include roles at the U.S. Embassies in Côte
d'Ivoire, Benin, Togo, and Haiti. Ambassador Sison received a B.A. from
Wellesley College.
From the Congress to diplomacy, Laura Rozen (Yahoo's The Envoy) reports that
Brett McGurk is being whispered to be the new nominee for US Ambassador to
Iraq.
For those keeping track, McGurk would become the fourth US Ambassador
to Iraq since Barack was sworn in. US Ambassador Ryan Crocker was already in the
spot in 2009 but agreed to stay on while they scrambled to find a replacement --
that they had to scramble demonstrates how little Iraq ever really mattered.
They manic depressive Christopher Hill was next. Third was the present US
Ambassador James Jeffrey. For those wondering, no that is not normal. Some would
even make the case that it's unacceptable and that the post needs stability not
constant fluxuation.
Senator Patty Murray is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee
and her office notes an event tomorrow:
FOR PLANNING PURPOSES
Monday, March 26, 2012
CONTACT: Matt McAlvanah (Murray) -- (202) 224-2834
Jesse Broder Van Dyke (Akaka) -- (202) 224-7045
Julie Hasquet (Begich) -- (907) 258-9304
TOMORROW: CHAIRMAN MURRAY, SENS. AKAKA, BEGICH; VETERANS FROM
ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO INTRODUCE GI BENEFIT WATCHDOG BILL
Bill will provide servicemembers and veterans using the Post-9/11
GI Bill and other VA education programs with an ONLINE GUIDE to help them judge
a school's performance with other veterans, among other resources
New tools will help root out poor performing schools and
questionable practices to help protect taxpayer money and give our veterans the
best opportunities for success in school and in the job market
(Washington, D.C.) -- On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Patty Murray,
Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, will join with Iraq and
Afghanistan veterans from across the country to introduce legislation that will
give servicemembers and veterans using the GI Bill and other VA education
benefits access to information that would help make informed decisions about the
schools they attend sot hey get the most out of the benefit. This bill would
also require that VA and DoD develop a joint policy to curb aggressive
recruiting and misleading marketing aimed at servicemembers and veterans using
the GI Bill.
WHO: U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
U.S. Senator Mark Begich (D-AK)
Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director, Iraq and
Afghanistan Veterans of America
(IAVA)
IAVA Veterans from across the country
WHAT: Press Conference on GI Bill Consumer Awareness Act of
2012
WHEN: Tuesday -- March 27th, 2012
12:00 NOON EST
WHERE: Senate Vistors Center -- SVC 215
###
Matt
McAlvanah
Communications Director
U.S. Senator Patty Murray
202-224-2834 - press office
202--224-0228 - direct
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Liz Sly 
Hannah
Allam 
Lara Jakes