Sequestration in Florida: Caught Off Guard

Published: Friday, July 12, 2013 at 12:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, July 11, 2013 at 11:59 p.m.

Gov. Rick Scott has warned President Barack Obama that plans to temporarily lay off employees of the Florida National Guard could jeopardize the state's ability to prepare for and respond to hurricanes.

Scott and two other Gulf Coast Republican governors asked Obama on Monday to exempt military technicians from furloughs that are part of budget "sequestration."

The governors' concerns may be valid, but their warnings appear to be misdirected.

The president and his administration sounded alarms about the dire consequences of sequestration long before this fiscal year's $85 billion in across-the-board federal budget cuts began on March 1.

On the other hand, many of the governors' fellow Republicans, especially in the U.S. House, seem just fine with sequestration. Few of them expressed any concerns beforehand, or regrets afterward, about the impacts of the cuts.

In fact, on March 1, the day sequestration kicked in, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, told reporters in Sarasota that the cuts were needed.

"Families and small businesses and every business in this region that I know of, most of them have had to make a lot more than a 2 percent cut, and that's what we're really talking about," said Buchanan, who represents Sarasota County and most of Manatee.

Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., the House Transportation Committee chairman, who joined Buchanan that day for a town hall meeting, called the White House warnings "scare tactics" designed to win headlines.

Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees homeland security, recently told The Washington Post that the Obama administration would have difficulty persuading Congress that a balance of new revenue and budget cuts is needed to avoid another round of sequestration.

"They're going to have a hard time doing that," Duncan said, "when they had their doomsday scenario and the sky didn't fall."

SOME CONSEQUENCES AVOIDED

It's true that many of the dire predictions did not come true, as The Post pointed out in a June 30 article. In some cases, such as the planned furloughs of air-traffic controllers, Congress found programs to cut. In other cases, federal agencies decided they could make do without certain funds.

In other cases, the budget cuts have been as painful as expected or more so. The furloughs at the Florida National Guard, coming during the height of hurricane season, might be among them.

Under the budget cut, about 1,000 employees of the Guard must take a furlough day each week, starting Monday of this week and continuing through Sept. 30, the end of the federal budget year.

The military technicians and civilian employees affected help maintain equipment and facilities, provide medical support, and help with contracting and financial management in addition to other duties.

Scott and the other governors, Louisiana's Bobby Jindal and Mississippi's Phil Bryant, stated in their letter that, because of the layoffs, "equipment readiness ... will be increasingly degraded."

MOSTLY WRONG

Scott voiced similar concerns last month in a letter to Florida Sens. Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson. Rubio told a reporter there was not much he could do about the budget cuts short of raising taxes, which he opposes.

Nelson wrote back and said, in part, that if Scott called out the National Guard "in anticipation of a federal disaster, the state's costs, including the cost to recall any furloughed guardsmen, will be fully reimbursable" by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

That, according to the Tampa Bay Times PolitiFact service, is "mostly false."

Scott has a right to be worried about sequestration's impact on Florida's hurricane preparedness. But his concerns should have been directed at Republicans in Congress before the budget cuts were allowed to go forward.

And, with another round of sequestration possible for the next federal fiscal year, beginning Oct. 1, he should join Obama in urging Congress to take a balanced approach to the next budget.

Scott should tell his fellow Republicans that, while the sky may not be falling in Washington, it'll get pretty dark over Florida if a hurricane hits.

Source: http://www.theledger.com/article/20130712/edit01/130719825

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The toll of growing up in a religious cult

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Children who grow up in religious cults face diffiulties not only during their childhood, but also after leaving the group.

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Pope's legal changes respond to globalization of crime :: Catholic ...

Professor Giuseppe Dalla Torre and Father Federico Lombardi (L to R) present the changes made by Pope Francis July 11, 2013 to the Vatican's criminal code. Credit: David Uebbing/CNA.

Vatican City, Jul 11, 2013 / 07:45 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis took a step forward in modernizing the Vatican?s legal code today by explicitly listing certain acts as crimes ? such as child abuse and genocide ? and enabling the Holy See to prosecute any of its officials who commit crimes outside its walls.

?In our times, the common good is increasingly threatened by transnational organized crime, the improper use of the markets and of the economy, as well as by terrorism,? Pope Francis said in the opening line of his July 11 Motu proprio declaration.

?It is therefore necessary for the international community to adopt adequate legal instruments to prevent and counter criminal activities, by promoting international judicial cooperation on criminal matters,? the first Motu proprio of Francis? pontificate says.

In addition to updating the laws, the pontiff also made them applicable to both the Vatican City State and the Holy See, which respectively operate under civil law and canon law.

The effort to update the legal framework of the Vatican City State was begun by Benedict XVI in 2010 as he sought to make its laws compatible with the challenges presented by modern society and the evolution of crime.

?These laws,? explains a July 11 communiqu? from the Vatican press office, ?have a broader scope, since they incorporate into the Vatican legal system the provisions of numerous international conventions.

The topics of those conventions include: the conduct of war and war crimes, the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination, the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and the rights of children.

The new regulations also cover the crimes of torture, genocide, and apartheid, and give more specificity to the description of crimes against minors. In particular, they mention ?the sale of children, child prostitution, the recruitment of children, sexual violence and sexual acts with children, and the production and possession of child pornography.?

Perhaps the most interesting facet of the new changes is the Pope?s decision to expand the prosecution of crimes by Vatican employees or representatives beyond the geographical confines of Vatican City, thus acknowledging how globalization has made crime more mobile.

Prior to the updating of the legal code, Vatican officials or employees who committed crimes outside of Vatican City could only be charged by the State in which the offense was committed.

But the new regulations make it possible for criminals to be indicted both by the Holy See and the country where the violation took place.

Besides spelling out offenses with greater precision, Pope Francis also defined who is considered a ?public person,? that is someone who falls under the new regulations.

The list includes ?members, officials and personnel of the various organs of the Roman Curia and of the Institutions connected to it,? papal diplomats and their staff, managers or directors who work for the Vatican, and ?any other person holding an administrative or judicial mandate in the Holy See.?

Another topic the new laws addressed ? which will surely remain in the headlines in the coming months ? was money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

The Vatican?s press office director, Father Federico Lombardi, told the media July 11 that ?there are other laws in preparation ? more specifically, a law that responds to the requests of Moneyval.?

Moneyval, the Council of Europe?s anti-money laundering committee, has been working with the Vatican since March 2011 to help it conform with international standards on money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

Professor Giuseppe Dalla Torre, who also serves as the head judge of the Vatican?s Tribunal, mentioned to the press at today?s briefing that he expects a further reform of the Vatican?s finances in relation to the Moneyval process to take place in September.

Tags: Vatican Finances, Roman Curia, Pope Francis

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Source: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/popes-legal-changes-respond-to-globalization-of-crime/

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Pentagon eyes cuts in danger pay

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Pentagon is eyeing plans to eliminate danger pay for service members in as many as 18 countries and five waterways around the world, saving about $120 million each year while taking a bite out of troops' salaries, The Associated Press has learned.

Senior defense and military leaders are expected to meet later this week to review the matter and are poised to approve a new plan. Pentagon press secretary George Little declined to discuss details but said no final decisions have been made.

Senior military leaders came up with the proposed list of locations in their regions that no longer were perilous enough to warrant danger pay, including several countries in the heart of the tumultuous Middle East, such as Jordan, where hundreds of troops have recently deployed because of the bloody Syrian civil war on its border.

Defense officials said the proposal would strip the stipend ? which can be up to $225 per month ? from as many as 56,000 service members, including thousands stationed in Kuwait, which was a key hub during the Iraq war. It also would affect thousands of sailors who routinely travel through the Persian Gulf region on ships or airmen who fly over the Gulf.

The $225 monthly cut in pay would come regardless of the service member's base salary, which can range from a low of roughly $18,000 a year for a brand new recruit to a high of nearly $235,000 a year for a four-star general with more than 40 years in the military. Troops also can receive a variety of other allowances for housing, clothing or job specialties.

Defense officials described the proposal on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about it.

Under the plans being discussed, troops would still receive the extra money if they serve in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen and in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. The U.S. does not have any military members now serving in Iran.

Some of the countries that could likely be dropped from the list include Bahrain, where the Navy's 5th Fleet is located; Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Liberia, Haiti and several former Soviet republics.

Officials have argued that if service members are allowed to bring their families with them for assignments in places like Bahrain, then it is difficult to argue that they should receive danger pay.

The list has routinely evolved over many years, with countries added as they became more dangerous hotspots. And military leaders do periodic reviews of the list.

While the changes are based solely on the security review, the cuts also come as the Pentagon is under growing pressure to slash its budget, and as more than 650,000 civilians began taking the first of their 11 required days off without pay through the end of this fiscal year on Sept. 30.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said earlier this week that the fiscal pressures and congressional gridlock have led to far more abrupt and steeper cuts than expected. He noted that if Congress does not find a way to avoid the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration, the department will have to find $52 billion in additional savings next year.

So far, the danger pay decision does not affect the tax-free status of service members' pay when serving in those countries or on ships in the Gulf region.

Under existing Defense Department rules, military troops serving in as many as two dozen different nations as well as the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden have been able to receive the imminent danger pay. Until early 2012, they received the full monthly amount ? $225 at the time ? for any complete or partial month they served in any of the qualifying areas.

Beginning Feb. 1, 2012, troops received pro-rated payments of $7.50 for each day they were on official duty in one of the areas.

The total cost has been about $500 million per year.

Officials also said the proposed changes do not affect hostile fire pay. Service members who are exposed to a hostile fire or hostile mine explosion event are eligible to receive a full monthly payment of $225. But they can't receive both danger pay and hostile fire pay for the same month.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-newsbreak-pentagon-eyes-cuts-danger-pay-175804478.html

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Ortiz said ?other football players? used the Hernandez apartment

Yesterday, 09:52 PM ? #6

Addicted to the light

?

Join Date: Feb 2005

Location: City of Blinding Lights

Posts: 7,327

---

Quote:

Yes This the same Hernandez who everyone tells us never ever hung around with other Pats players? FL team mate Spikes once or twice excepted.

I immediately thought of Odin Lloyd's teammates as well.

That BETTER be it, anyway. I suppose Spikes is the one I wonder about the most.

I really, really hope nothing else comes of that little statement. But Hernandez can't not socialize teammates and have them over at his bachelor hole in the wall at the same time. That's somewhat comforting.

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9 amateur players killed in South Africa road accident, 3rd football tragedy in 9 months

9 players killed in South Africa road accident


Associated Press - 11 July 2013 12:12-04:00

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? The South African Football Association says nine amateur players were killed in a car wreck in the Eastern Cape province on Sunday.

SAFA sent condolences to the families and named the players, who were members of four different clubs and were traveling back from a game in the town of Jamestown.

Regional official Beja Maphelo said the players were "good role models to other youngsters. They always took football seriously and were eager to excel."

South Africa has a poor road safety record and football has experienced similar tragedies recently. In October, national team assistant coach Thomas Madigage was killed in a car accident in the northern Limpopo province. A month later four players from South Africa's second-tier league died when their minibus crashed in the same region.

News Topics: Sports, Automotive accidents, Accidents, Soccer, Men's soccer, Transportation accidents, Accidents and disasters, General news, Transportation, Men's sports People, Places and Companies: South Africa, Southern Africa, Africa

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. This article is published under the terms of the News Licensing Group, LLC. privacy policy, in addition to the terms of use and privacy policy for this website.

Source: http://www.neurope.eu/news/wire/9-amateur-players-killed-south-africa-road-accident-3rd-football-tragedy-9-months

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Metals - Brazil - Iron ore swaps gain traction on hope of Chinese stimulus measures

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