Westmoreland: IMF loan a poison pill

U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland today regretted that he had to vote against the bill to fund the war effort because Democrats tacked on $108 billion in loan guarantees to the International Monetary Fund. All House Republicans and a handful of Democrats joined Westmoreland in opposition, but the bill passed the House.

“American troops are waging a war that has gone on for years and members of Congress should be able to vote to fund the war with no strings attached,” Westmoreland said. “Instead, we’re getting an alleged war spending bill that actually spends more money on the International Monetary Fund than on the war.”

The legislation provides just under $80 billion for the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan over the next year. It provides additional money for other defense-related funds and Westmoreland voted for a bipartisan troop funding bill earlier this year that didn’t include the IMF funding.

“Americans overseas are fighting for us in wars. And Americans at home are fighting to pay the bills during a time of extraordinary economic difficulty,” Westmoreland continued. “We have the ability to bounce back out of this recession, but we can’t afford to pay for a global bailout – we have more than enough bailouts going on in our own country, thank you very much. The irony of all this is that we have to borrow money from other countries, particularly China, in order to lend money to the IMF, which then lends money to countries that hate the United States.

“I hate to vote against a bill that funds our troops. We in Congress have a duty and a responsibility to them. But today’s bill does them a disservice, because these troops are also American citizens and they’ll come home and have to join all the rest of us in paying off this gigantic debt that the Democrats are running up.”
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Congressman Phil Gingrey in Memory of Specialist Ryan Charles King

Congressman Gingrey delivered the following remarks on the House Floor in memory of Specialist Ryan King, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on May 1, 2009. Click HERE to view a video of Congressman Gingrey's remarks.Remarks by Congressman Phil GingreyIn memory of Specialist Ryan Charles KingMay 12, 2009

Remarks by Congressman Phil Gingrey
In memory of Specialist Ryan Charles King
May 12, 2009

Madame Speaker, today the residents of Northwest Georgia are saying goodbye to a native son who died while bravely serving his nation in Afghanistan. Specialist Ryan Charles King was killed in action on May 1, 2009 in Afghanistan when his unit came under enemy fire while on a night mission.

Last night, I joined Specialist King’s family, friends, and supporters at his visitation to honor the life of this brave soldier.

In speaking with Specialist King’s parents, I found out that he and I have a history together – I actually delivered Ryan King a little over 22 years ago on Veteran’s Day in 1986. How fitting that this brave soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country was born on such a special day. We remember Ryan as a man of the highest character, whose receipt of the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and NATO Medal are testament to the supreme sense of duty he felt to his country and his comrades.

Born in Marietta, Georgia, Ryan attended Faith Lutheran Church for many years. Ryan was a talented and spirited baseball player, leaving his mark on baseball diamonds throughout Canton, Powder Springs, and Dallas, Georgia. A few months after graduating from East Paulding County High School, Ryan King fulfilled a lifelong dream and enlisted in the Army. He went to basic training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, followed by Advanced Individual Training at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. After completing his training, Specialist King was stationed in Korea for a year, where he met his wife, Sergeant Rachel Nicole Smith King. As a member of the Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry, he left for deployment to Eastern Afghanistan in July of 2008 and was scheduled to return to Fort Hood in Texas in June of 2009.

Specialist King leaves behind his wife, Sergeant King, his father, Charles King of Temple, Georgia, his mother, Candice R. King, of Decatur, Georgia, younger brothers, Tyler King of Temple, and Dante Moore of Decatur, grandparents, Dorothea King of Temple and Tommy and Nancy Roberts of Dallas, Georgia, as well as many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Madame Speaker, my prayers go out to his family, and my deepest gratitude goes out to Specialist King for his selfless sacrifice for our nation. I ask all Members to join me in honoring the distinguished memory of Specialist Ryan Charles King, and I yield back the balance of my time.

'We Will Prevail in This Ideological Struggle,' Bush Says

By John J. Kruzel, American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2008 - The U.S. will prevail against extremism by protecting the homeland, staying "on the offense," and replacing hope with despair, President Bush predicted today.
During a speech at the Emerald at Queensridge venue in Las Vegas, Nev., Bush laid out a strategy for winning what he described as an ideological struggle between those who advocate the march of freedom and those favoring chaos through asymmetric war.

"We will prevail in this ideological struggle because liberty is powerful; liberty is hopeful," he said. "The enemy we face can only convince people to join their cause when they find hopelessness."

Describing the second tier of his plan, Bush advocated staying on a daily, relentless hunt "to find (extremists) and bring them to justice." He said conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are not separate, but rather they're part of the same war on terrorism, which must be conducted with fervor.

"It's hard to plot, plan and attack America if you're running and hiding. It's hard to recruit if you're cutting off money. It is hard to spread your poison if other reasonable people join the cause," he said. "And so we spend a lot of time doing everything we can to keep the pressure on these folks, and we got some good people working it."

Before U.S. forces deployed to Afghanistan, Bush said, the Taliban-governed country presented a hopeless life for its residents.

"These thugs didn't believe in freedoms. They didn't believe in women having equal status. They didn't believe young girls should be educated," he said. "And if you dared express your opinion that didn't mesh with theirs, you'd be whipped in the public square or killed."

Bush said Operation Enduring Freedom liberated 25 million people and gave them a chance to realize the blessings of liberty. Since toppling the Taliban and routing al Qaeda from Afghanistan, he said, a safer Afghan populace has voted for a president and a parliament, girls are free to go to school, and highways and health centers are being constructed, Bush added.

"It's in our interest to help them because we believe that liberty is transformative, and a part of the world that was once a safe haven for an enemy to attack us will be a more hopeful place when freedom takes hold," he said.

On Iraq, the president said the decision to remove Saddam Hussein was correct and that the world is better off without him in power. Since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Bush said, Iraqis have written a constitution and participated in democratic elections.

In what he described as a surge by Iraqis, the country's citizens created 100,000 new soldiers and police in addition to 80,000 local citizens who volunteered to help patrol their own neighborhoods.

The original decision to begin military operations in Iraq was a tough one, based not "any Gallup poll or focus group," but on sound judgment from military people and "a lot of folks who were following Iraq."

"It was based upon what was right for the future of the United States, and that is, as opposed to pulling troops out, send more in," Bush told the audience.

Bush noted that the surge, which was initiated in early 2007, marked an influx of forces that included more than just members of the U.S. military. Diplomats and public service officials also surged, he said, improving life in areas where insurgents had been purged.

The president said pursuing enemies requires cooperation by all U.S. assets: sharing information across intelligence communities, applying muscle with military forces, and ratcheting up pressure from allies.

"America must not relent," he said. "If our most important job is to protect the American people, we have got to stay on the offense and defeat the enemy overseas so we do not have to face them here at home."

Bush conceded that there are cynics who doubt freedom's ability to take hold in parts of the world, but said he concluded that "liberty is transformative."

"People want to be free and, if given the chance, will be free, do the hard work necessary to be free. And liberty has got the capacity to transform an enemy to an ally," he said. "Therefore, we ought to have confidence in liberty's power to bring the peace we want, and not shy away from helping people realize the great blessings of freedom."

Military Absentee Voting 'Primary' Concern for Federal Voting Assistance Program

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

For the Federal Voting Assistance Program, getting deployed troops and their families engaged in the current election season is a primary goal.

Ahead of the November general election, FVAP, which fosters voting participation by uniformed and U.S. citizens abroad, is assisting eligible absentee voters who wish to cast ballots in their states' primary election.

"It's important that voters participate in the upcoming primary elections," said Polli Brunelli, the program's chief. "We have over 20 primaries occurring in February, so now is the time, if you've received your ballot, to vote and get it back by the state deadlines."

During an interview yesterday, Brunelli said registering to vote is a simple process. "Absentee voters fill out a federal postcard application form to request a ballot, send it into their local election official where the voter is legally authorized to vote," she said. The ballot will be sent to the voter, who then votes on the ballot and sends it back to the local election office.

Paper copies of the application form are available at military installations, embassies and consulates and from organizations of overseas citizens. Electronic forms are posted online at the Federal Voting Assistance Program Web site, www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefwab.html.

Citizens using this form should vote and submit it immediately using regular mail or, where allowed by state law, by fax or e-mail, to their local election officials. The FVAP's Integrated Voting Alternative Site at www.fvap.gov/ivas/fvap_state_menu.html shows citizens if fax or e-mail alternatives are permitted in their home state.

Voting assistance officers are stationed at military installations abroad to help FVAP implement its program initiatives. Equipped with state-by-state voting assistance guides, the officers are available to assist servicemembers in navigating the registration process and election procedures, and inform voters of relevant deadlines, Brunelli noted.

FVAP carries out the responsibilities of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, which protects the voting rights of active-duty military members, Merchant Marines, eligible family members and citizens residing outside the United States.

Members of the U.S. armed forces traditionally represent an active component of overall voting-age Americans. The total voting participation rate among servicemembers was 79 percent in 2004, compared to the 64 percent rate of the general public, according to figures published by FVAP.

In a memorandum to military secretaries and top commanders sent Nov. 26, 2007, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates underscored the importance of extending voting rights to servicemembers at home and abroad.

"With the calendar of primary elections beginning early and stretching through September, 2008," Gates said, "it is important that the department and the services be prepared to carry out the voting assistance mission to inform and educate U.S. citizens of the right to vote, foster voting participation, and protect the integrity of the electoral process.

"Voting is a both a right and a responsibility of citizens in our country," Gates continued. "(Leaders of the armed services must) do everything we can to encourage participation and ensure that our servicemembers and families are able to exercise their right to vote and have that vote counted."

Related Sites: Federal Voting Assistance Program