Where’s the Outrage?

So, let me see if I have this correct, troops fighting in Iraq who got wounded were asked for their signing bonuses back. Why? Because they were unable to complete their obligation. That is our government at work.

TCR has the story -

Following up on an item from yesterday, news that injured U.S. troops were being asked to return bonus money from the military spread very quickly, putting the Pentagon in a very awkward position. The good news, the practice apparently won’t happen any more.

To briefly recap for those just joining us, a CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh reported this week that the Pentagon is “demanding that thousands of wounded service personnel give back signing bonuses because they are unable to serve out their commitments.” Troops get up to $30,000 enlistment bonuses, but in thousands of cases, soldiers seriously wounded during their deployments have been ordered to pay back some of the money.

In particular, the report focused on Iraq war veteran Jordan Fox, who was seriously injured when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle, causing back injuries and blindness in his right eye. He was sent home, unable to complete the final three months of his military commitment. Last week, the Pentagon sent him a bill: Fox owed the government nearly $3,000 of his signing bonus. (more…)

TPM has the follow up on this story. The bonuses will be paid in full to the injured soldiers. At least, the Army is trying to fix its mistake. Still it is unclear how something like this would ever happen.

 

 World's Worst - Pentagon [2:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Countdown, Domestic Issues by ecthompson
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The next round of media consolidation has begun. Now, the FCC wants to allow the same company who owns your local radio or television station to now also own your local newspaper. One of the problems with modern media is consolidation. We hear the same recycled talking points from every direction. There has to be an independent voice somewhere. Bill Moyers does a great job at presenting the people’s interest side of this story.

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From Seattle Times:

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to eliminate a ban on radio and television broadcasters owning newspapers, but only in the nation’s largest media markets, including Seattle.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin opted to focus on the newspaper ban only and declined to act on other media-ownership rules up for consideration. The proposal requires a full vote of the commission to be adopted.

“I think this is both a moderate and a fair proposal,” Martin said Tuesday. He said he is optimistic there will be a vote Dec. 18. There are five members on the commission, two Democrats and three Republicans, including Martin. (more…)

 

 FCC offers more consolidation [8:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Bill Moyers, Bush Administration, Media by ecthompson
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I thought that this was going to be one of those games that sneak up on a good team. I thought that the Dallas Cowboys would come out flat against the New York Jets. This was the perfect “gotcha” game. The Jets have not really looked that good in any of their wins (all 3 of them). Next week the Cowboys play the Green Bay Packers. So, the Boyz could have been caught looking ahead.

In spite of parity, the league has settled into top tier, a middle tier and the bottom. While there can be a little discussion about where a particular team is in this classification, most teams will fit neatly into one category or the other. Therefore the league isn’t quite as exciting … I’m not sure that exciting is the right word. Unpredictable. That’s better. The Colts, Cowboys, Packers and Patriots are clearly the best teams in the league. [Read more →]

 

 Cowboys roll over the Jets [2:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Sports by ecthompson
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