North Carolina and Florida Soldiers Killed in Afghan Explosion!

Published: Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 11:04 a.m. Last Modified: Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 11:04 a.m. "FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say two soldiers have died in Afghanistan after their vehicle was hit by an explosive device. "The Department of Defense said 29-year-old Staff Sgt. Brandon Eggleston of Candler and 31-year-old Sgt. Dick Lee Jr. of Orange Park, Fla. Were killed in the April 26 blast in Ghazni province. "Eggleston was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, N.C., while Lee was assigned to the 95th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command in Sembach, Germany." Kenneth Stepp salutes Staff Sgt. Brandon Eggleston, 29, of Candler, North Carolina; and Sgt. Dick Lee, Jr. 31, of Orange Park, Florida, killed in the April 26 blast in Ghazni Province Afghanistan, in the War in Afghanistan--the longest war in U.S. History, lasting more than ten years so far. Let's show proper respect for the soldiers by bringing them home alive. Kenneth Stepp.

Stepp Supports 346 Ship U.S. Navy!

A recent editorial "The Seas Are Great but the Navy Is Small" at p. A15 in the Friday, April 27, 2012 Wall Street Journal by John Lehman noted, "... the bipartisan Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panel led by Stephen Hadley and William Perry last year concluded that the Navy should have at least 346 vessels." The editorial notes, that with the current Hal Rogers Republican Majority House of Representatives, "Currently the Navy has 286 ships." It is time for America to withdraw from the "feel-good" wars which serve no useful purpose in Afghanistan and Iraq. Kenneth Stepp supports a U.S. Navy of three hundred forty six (346) ships. Kenneth Stepp is probably the only candidate for U.S. House KY-05 with any U.S. Naval experience, which includes five years of service in the United States Navy, including a tour as an officer in the Weapons Department of the USS Blakely (Destroyer Escort 1072)> Kenneth Stepp knows the importance of sea power, and of having the number one Navy, and will vote for the best interests of Kentucky and the United States when in Congress.

"Jonathan P. Walsh, Kennesaw soldier, killed in Afghanistan

"Jonathan P. Walsh, Kennesaw soldier, killed in Afghanistan By Ernie Suggs The Atlanta Journal-Constitution First Lt. Jonathan P. Walsh, 28, who grew up in Kennesaw, was killed Sunday in Afghanistan when a truck in which he was riding struck an improvised explosive device. Department of Defense 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Walsh was killed Sunday in Paktia, Afghanistan, after enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. "On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced that Walsh was one of two paratroopers, stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C.,, who died in the blast, along with 22-year-old Pfc. Michael J. Metcalf from Boynton Beach, Fla. Walsh’s family members declined to comment when reporters visited their home. Walsh, who graduated from Kennesaw State University, had joined the army in March 2010. He had worked in financial services before enlisting. According to The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, Walsh and Metcalf were assigned to the 2nd Battalion of the 504th Infantry of the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division in August 2011. Walsh, a platoon leader, died on the scene. Metcalf, who was an infantryman in Walsh's platoon, died from his injuries after being evacuated to a hospital. Along with his parents, Carolyn and Paul of Kennesaw, Walsh is survived by his wife, Debra, and a son." Kenneth Stepp salutes First Lt. Jonathan P. Walsh, who gave his life for the United States. Let's bring the troops home now!

Deer on the Doorstep.

Kenneth Stepp salutes American Soldier killed by Afghan "ally"!

"Official: Afghan soldier kills U.S. servicemember "Updated 9h 39m ago Comments "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – An Afghan soldier has fatally shot an American servicemember and a local interpreter in southern Afghanistan, the latest in a string of attacks against U.S. and other foreign forces by their Afghan partners. Sponsored LinksAlso Thursday, three U.S. servicemembers were killed in a bomb attack in the country's east, according to NATO and a U.S. official. The official confirmed the nationalities on condition of anonymity because the information had not yet been publicly released. Further details were not immediately available. In the insider attack in southern Kandahar province, an Afghan soldier opened fire with a machine gun from atop a building, killing a U.S. soldier and an Afghan interpreter and wounding three other coalition service members before he was gunned down, a senior U.S. defense official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the details. The U.S. military officially confirmed only that a man wearing an Afghan army uniform turned his gun on coalition service members late Wednesday, killing one. The incident was under investigation, the military said. Since the beginning of the year, there have been at least 16 such attacks against American and other international troops. The U.S.-led coalition is trying to mentor and strengthen Afghan security forces so they can lead the fight against the Taliban, and foreign troops can go home by the end of 2014. That mission, however, requires a measure of trust that has been repeatedly undermined by the deaths of coalition troops at the hands of their Afghan partners. In one of the highest-profile attacks, a man working as a driver at the Afghan Interior Ministry shot dead two U.S. military advisers at close range in March. That incident alone led the U.S. military to temporarily pull all its advisers out of Afghan ministries. U.S.-Afghan ties have also been under strain following Quran burnings at a U.S. base and the killing spree allegedly by an American soldier in the south in recent months. Relations appeared to be shifting back on track, with Washington and Kabul agreeing to a long-awaited deal earlier this week on a strategic pact to govern the U.S. presence in Afghanistan till 2024. The U.S. military chooses its language carefully in describing insider shootings because of the possibility that assailants may be insurgents disguised in Afghan army uniforms and not actual members of the Afghan security forces. Such uniforms are easily available in markets in Afghanistan, and the Taliban have used them to mount previous attacks on international or Afghan military installations. Since 2007, more than 80 NATO servicemembers have been killed by Afghan security forces, according to an Associated Press tally, which is based on Pentagon figures released in February. More than 75% of the attacks have occurred in the past two years. Also Thursday, three Afghan women were killed in the crossfire of a battle in the east. A mortar fired during the fighting in Wardak province hit a house, killing the women inside, said Shahidullah Shahid, a spokesman for the provincial governor The battle began when Taliban fighters ambushed a NATO convoy, Shahid said. Both sides used heavy weapons, but it was not immediately clear who fired the mortar, he said. NATO forces spokesman Capt. Justin Brockhoff said reports indicate it was a joint Afghan and international patrol that came under fire. He said they were looking into reports that "civilian casualties may have been caused by the engagement." Last year was the deadliest on record for civilians in the Afghan war, with 3,021 killed, according to the United Nations. Taliban-affiliated militants were responsible for more than three-quarters of those deaths. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved." Kenneth Stepp salutes the American Soldier gunned down by our "ally". Enough is enough. Let's bring them all home. Let's bring the American soldiers home from the Asian wars.

Hal Rogers' Panel to cut Social Program Spending and increase Defense!

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VA Watchdog Today Washington Whispers Subscribe Select ... RELATED LINKS 2Chambers 44 Checkpoint Washington Election 2012 The Fed Page In the Loop Federal Diary The Fact Checker The Fix Post Tech Who Runs Gov Recent Posts GSA becomes election issue House appropriations committee proposes funding The federal government’s no-fly zone New DoD policy encourages telework VA exempt from automatic cuts, White House says Entries By Category About the Blog Administration Agencies and Departments Budget Congress Eye Opener From The Pages of The Post Government Shutdown Health Care Military Miscellaneous Oversight Postal Service Revolving Door The Federal Eye Tracking the Stimulus Video Report Workplace Issues Stories By Date Full Monthly Archive "Posted at 03:56 PM ET, 04/24/2012 House appropriations committee proposes funding By Timothy R. Smith The House Appropriations Committee released allocation targets that the 12 subcommittees should work toward. The appropriations committee has proposed a $1.028 trillion discretionary spending target for fiscal 2013, a figure proposed by the House budget committee in March. If agreed to, the allocations would eventually impact funding to federal agencies. Last week, the Senate proposed a $1.047 trillion discretionary spending target set by the 2011 Budget Control Act, which concluded last year’s debt ceiling crisis. “The levels provided for each of the 12 Appropriations bills will continue to demonstrate how seriously this House takes its charge to rein in extraneous and unnecessary spending,” said Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), chairman of the panel. The proposal includes $519.2 billion in defense spending, an $8 billion increase over the Senate proposal, as well as cuts to social programs. “These subcommittee numbers are based on an overall allocation that reneges on our hard-fought agreement for discretionary spending in the Budget Control Act,” said Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), the committee’s top Democrat. Appropriations has proposed the following allocations to its subcommittees (with Senate proposals in parentheses): ●Agriculture – $19.405 billion ($20.8 billion) ●Commerce/Justice/Science – $51.1 billion ($51.9 billion) ●Defense – $519.22 billion ($511.2 billion) ●Energy and Water Development – $32.1 billion ($33.4 billion) ●Financial Services and General Government – $21.15 billion ($23 billion) ●Homeland Security – $39.1 billion ($39.5 billion) ●Interior, Environment – $28 billion ($29.7 billion) ●Labor, Health and Human Services – $150 billion ($157.7 billion) ●Legislative Branch – $4.3 billion ($4.4 billion) ●Military Construction/Veterans Affairs – $71.7 billion ($72.2 billion) ●State/Foreign Operations – $40.1 billion ($49.8 billion) ●Transportation, Housing and Urban Development – $51.6 billion ($53.4 billion) The committee will vote on the proposal Wednesday. Dicks will ask the committee to reject the figures." Kenneth Stepp would vote to bring the troops home and increase social spending such as SSI, Social Security, and Medicaid. Elect Democrat Kenneth Stepp to the U.S. House KY-05.

Idaho Soldier Killed in Afghanistan!

"Idaho Soldier Dies in Afghanistan Posted by George Prentice on Sat, Apr 21, 2012 at 9:24 AM "The Pentagon has identified an Idaho man as a victim in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. "Chris Workman, a 33-year-old native of Rupert and recent resident of Boise, was killed Thursday with three other soldiers when their Black Hawk helicopter, responding to a call to evacuate Afghan police officers, went down in the Gamsir District of Helmand Province. The New York Times reports that four Afghan police officers were killed and seven others wounded in a suicide attack at a police checkpoint, and that the American helicopter was flying to the scene to take the wounded to a nearby hospital. "The exact cause of the crash has not been released, but military officials speculated that weather conditions may have been responsible. "According to the Times, Garmsir had been a troubled district with a heavy Taliban presence that was greatly reduced by the surge. The main town, also called Garmsir, has become safer, but insurgents have never been completely driven from the district’s rural areas." Kenneth Stepp salutes Chris Workman for giving his life for his country. Let's really help our troops by bringing them home from Afghanistan before Christmas!

Saturday Campaigning

Today I went campaigning with family members. We went first to Hillbilly Day in Pikesville, Kentucky--a strong Democratic County. Next we were campaigning in Letcher, Harlan, and Bell Counties. It was a full day and I met a lot of people on the campaign trail. Kenneth Stepp.

Black Belt

Hi Blog Readers, Earlier this week on Monday April 16, 2012, Conrad Stepp passed the remainder of his Black Belt tests and was awarded his Black Belt in Karate. Congratulations Conrad! Kenneth Stepp.

Obama warns House GOP he won't sign spending bills that break debt deal By Erik Wasson - 04/18/12 05:24 PM ET The Obama administration on Wednesday stated for the first time that the president will not sign any 2013 spending bills until the House abandons the spending levels in Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget. That budget cuts spending next year by $19 billion compared to the August debt-ceiling deal. Factoring in an increase in defense spending, the Ryan budget cuts domestic programs by $28 billion. The deal struck last August sets the budget at $1.047 trillion. Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget makes deeper cuts and comes in at $1.028 trillion. Acting White House Budget Director Jeff Zients wrote to the heads of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on Wednesday to lay down the threat. “Until the House of Representatives indicates that it will abide by last summer’s agreement, the President will not be able to sign any appropriations bills,” the letter states. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers's (R-Ky.) office said the "hollow" threat would not deter the committee and said refusal to sign spending bills would mean Obama was choosing to shut down the government. "Both the Republican-led House and the Democrat-led Senate support completing Appropriations bills to fund the federal government in a responsible and timely manner. The Chairman is committed to carrying out this essential work, which has already begun, and will not be the least deterred by hollow press releases in the guise of ‘official’ correspondence," spokeswoman Jennifer Hing said. "This year, when Appropriations bills pass both the House and the Senate, the President can choose to sign them, or else he can choose to shut down the federal government, put our people at risk, and imperil our economic recovery." Rogers started this week to move his 12 bills based on the Ryan budget number of $1.028 trillion in overall discretionary spending. First out of the gate was a relatively non-controversial energy title that actually increased spending. The White House made clear that this funding for the Department of Energy would not be allowed to go forward until all the spending levels of all 12 bills are restored to the levels in the August deal. “Unfortunately, the House Budget Resolution for FY 2013 breaks our bipartisan agreement and proposes $28 billion in new cuts in annual non-defense spending — exactly the area where we have already cut the most,” Zients writes. “The result is that the resolution’s framework allows only two options: every appropriations bill will provide inadequate funding, or some bills will provide adequate funding so that other bills will face even deeper, more problematic cuts. Both approaches break last summer’s agreement, and neither is acceptable,” Zients said. The Senate is producing bills based on the August debt-ceiling deal. Unless Congress can agree on 12 annual spending bills, the government will need a stopgap spending bill after Sept. 30 to avoid a shutdown on the eve of the election. Rogers and other appropriators tried to get the GOP to stick to the August debt deal in the Ryan budget but failed in their effort in the face of pressure from conservative members." Rogers won't stick to the August debt deal. Elect Kenneth Stepp to the U.S. House KY-05. Kenneth Stepp would vote to stick to the August debt deal rather than shutting down the government!

Blackfoot Warrior and others killed in Afghanistan!

2nd Fort Bragg soldier killed in Afghanistan recently; Montana tribe mourns loss of soldier killed Friday

Spc. Antonio "Tony" C. Burnside
"Burnside
By Drew Brooks
Staff writer
"A Fort Bragg soldier killed in Afghanistan almost a week ago has become the fourth soldier to die in Afghanistan in two weeks, and the sixth to die there since the beginning of March.
"The Department of Defense's announcement late Monday night of the April 3 death of Staff Sgt. Tyler J. Smith, 24, of Licking, Mo., comes on the heels of Sunday's announcement that Spc. Antonio "Tony" C. Burnside died there Friday.
"Smith died of wounds suffered when he was attacked with an enemy improvised explosive device in Kandahar province. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.
"Burnside, 31, of Great Falls, Mont., died of injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.
"He also was a member of the Blackfeet Nation, tribal officials said Monday. Burnside was a part of the Many Hides family, one of the largest within the tribal community.
"Burnside was killed a day before his recently deployed unit took control of the area in Afghanistan from NATO troops. Officials said he was part of a team of soldiers conducting a route clearance mission when insurgents attacked using small arms.
"The mission was one of the first for his unit in Afghanistan's Ghazni province. The 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team deployed to Afghanistan in late March and took control of the southern part of Ghazni following a ceremony Saturday with Polish troops, who previously patrolled the area.
"Burnside, 31, of Great Falls, Mont., died the day before the ceremony, according to the Department of Defense.
"All Blackfeet hearts are broken today as we learn we must bury one of our warriors whose life was tragically cut short on the far side of the world," said Blackfeet Chairman T.J. Show. "We are reminded how inadequate our words are when a warrior has made the ultimate sacrifice. Tony represents the best among us and our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they struggle to deal with the shock of this terrible loss."
"Burnside's remains arrived in the United States on Monday, and a ceremony was held at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
"He will be buried on the Blackfeet reservation in northwest Montana, according to the tribe. Details about the service and burial have not been decided.
"The Blackfeet Nation is assisting the family in any and every way we can to honor our heroic warrior and ease the family's grief," said Keith Heavy Runner, Blackfeet veterans affairs officer.
"The Blackfeet are the largest Indian tribe in Montana and one of the largest in the U.S. with nearly 17,000 enrolled members.
"Traditional dancer
"The tribe described Burnside as an active member in tribal life. He was a traditional dancer and grass dancer and participated in ceremonies, sang with the Gray Horse Singers and studied Cree.
"Tribal officials said Burnside served with pride, dignity and integrity.
"His relatives on the reservation include a tribal councilman, Willie A. Sharp Jr., who said Burnside will be remembered and celebrated for his service and sacrifice.
"This tragic loss of our heroic warrior underscores that we must never forget the high price of freedom," he said.
"Burnside was a member of the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion and was promoted posthumously to corporal. Route clearing missions are routine for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. They involve checking roads for improvised explosive devices and other dangers.
"Burnside is survived by his wife, Christine; daughters, Ariana, Heartlynn and Angel; and son, Tony Jr., according to officials.
"The Burnside family is extremely grateful and honored by the outpouring of support and condolences from across the state and nation in response to their loss," Maj. Tim Crowe, a National Guard spokesman, told Montana media.
"The Montana National Guard released the statement on behalf of the Burnside family.
"Antonio was proud and honored to serve his country and chose to do so as a member of the airborne community within the United States Army," Crowe said. "He served with great pride, dignity and honor. We welcome Antonio home."
Ghazni base
"Paratroopers with the 1st Brigade Combat Team arrived in Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base late last month and pushed out to Forward Operating Base Warrior in Ghazni province shortly thereafter. The unit took over authority for the southern part of the province from Polish forces, who will move north to the provincial capital.
"Ghazni province is roughly the size of New Jersey and is between Kandahar and Kabul. Its population of about 1 million is spread throughout several thousand farming villages.
"Information on the military backgrounds of both Burnside and Smith was not immediately available Monday. Soldiers on Fort Bragg had the day off for the Easter holiday, and officials with the 82nd Airborne Division could not be reached.
"Less than two weeks ago, Spc. David W. Taylor, 20, of Dixon, Ky., died in Kandahar province during his first deployment from injuries suffered in an accident at an ammunition supply point. The March 29 accident remains under investigation.
"Taylor was assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.
"Spc. Johnathon F. Davis, 20, of Griffin, Ga., also was killed March 29 in Kandahar by enemy small-arms fire. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division.
"Staff Sgt. Jordan Bear, 25, of Denver and Spc. Payton Jones, 19, of Marble Falls, Texas, both infantrymen with the 82nd Airborne's 4th Brigade Combat Team, died March 1 at the Sang-e-Sar outpost in Kandahar.
"Staff writers Jackie Torok, Andrew Barksdale, Paul Woolverton and Alicia Secord contributed to this report.
Staff writer Drew Brooks can be reached at brooksd@fayobserver.com or 486-3567."
Kenneth Stepp salutes Staff Sgt. Tyler J. Smith, 24, of Licking, Mo.; Spc. Antonio "Tony" C. Burnside" the Blackfoot Warrior; Spc. Johnathon F. Davis, 20, of Griffin, Ga., Staff Sgt. Jordan Bear, 25, of Denver; and Spc. Payton Jones, 19, of Marble Falls, Texas all brave soldiers of the U.S.A. who recently were killed in the undeclared war in Afghanistan. The best way to honor these brave soldiers who gave their lives for you and for me is to bring our troops home from Afghanistan before Christmas.

Texas soldier Specialist Phillip C.S. Schiller, 21, killed in afghanistan April 11, 2012.

Afghanistan
by WFAA.com
"Posted on April 13, 2012 at 6:40 PM
"Updated yesterday at 6:41 PM
"THE COLONY -- Specialist Phillip C.S. Schiller, 21, is the latest Texas soldier killed in action.
"Schiller graduated from The Colony High School, north of Dallas, where he participated in ROTC, three years ago. Right after graduation, he joined the army.
"He was deployed in December and was on his first tour of duty.
"On Wednesday, he was killed in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. The military said his unit, the 3rd Striker Brigade, was attacked by enemy forces with small arms fire.
"Schiller received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star."
Kenneth Stepp salutes Army Specialist Phillip C.S. Schiller, 21, killed in Afghanistan--America's latest undeclared war. Let's honor Specialist Schiller by bringing all the American Troops home from Afghsnistan before Christmas. As your Congressman, I pledge to vote to bring them home alive. Kenneth Stepp. Candidate U.S. House Ky-05 Democrat.

One killed, four injured: Americans in Afghan blast!

"Hernando family more optimistic after meeting wounded soldier
"Hernando family more optimistic after meeting wounded soldier
"By Tony Marrero, Times Staff Writer
"In Print: Wednesday, April 11, 2012
"Dave and Jan Pardue wanted to believe their son when he told them they shouldn't worry. Speaking by phone last week from a hospital bed in Germany, U.S. Army Spc. Seth Pardue had assured his parents that the burns on his face and hands were not as bad as they looked.
Until the Pardues saw Seth in person, though, they wouldn't know for sure whether the 22-year-old was downplaying the injuries he had sustained in Afghanistan. While he patroled in Khost province, near the Pakistan border, an improvised explosive device detonated under the armored truck he was traveling in with at least five other members of the 501st Airborne Infantry Regiment. One soldier was killed; Seth and four others were wounded.
On Easter Sunday, the Pardues and Seth's fiancee, Megan Rosas, flew to Texas, where he is recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston.
They walked into the hospital room fearing the worst. Then tears of joy started to flow.
"We found Seth in a lot better condition than we'd hoped for," Dave Pardue, longtime pastor at Christian Church in the Wildwood near Weeki Wachee, told the Times by phone Tuesday. "God's been good to us."
Seth was standing in the truck's gun turret when the explosive went off under the 36-ton truck, detonating the gas tank. He was attached to a harness and had to remove his gloves to free himself, he told his family.
His face does look horrible, but the burns don't appear severe enough to result in much, if any, permanent scarring, his father said. The third-degree burns on his hands will require skin grafts and are more likely to leave scars, but shouldn't permanently affect his dexterity. His dislocated shoulder also might need surgery, and his legs were battered by the explosion, but not broken.
Seth was wearing fire retardant clothing at the time.
"I can't imagine what he would be like without that," Dave Pardue said.
The family's sense of relief and gratitude is compounded by the reality of what happened to some of the other men in the truck.
Spc. Jeffrey L. White Jr., 21, of Catawissa, Mo., was killed, according to the Department of Defense. Three other men were flown to Brooke, including Seth's sergeant, who suffered severe burns over much of his body and is now in a bed near Seth's.
The men are not saying much to their families or to each other about the incident or the toll it took on the team.
"There's that feeling of responsibility," said Dave Pardue, who served as member of the Special Forces during the Vietnam War.
Still, there are blessings to be thankful for beyond Seth's fair condition. One of the injured men was able to stay abroad and is already back with the unit. One of the four flown to Brooke has been released.
Three months into his first tour of duty, Seth will likely be in Texas for several weeks and is frustrated by the fact that he will probably miss the rest of his unit's yearlong deployment.
"If there's a part of his team there, he wants to be there," Dave Pardue said.
U.S. Rep. Rich Nugent, R-Spring Hill, called the family to wish them well.
"Our prayers are with them," said Nugent, who has three sons in the Army, two of them with multiple tours under their belts. "We just want to let them know they're not alone in this."
Pardue said his son wasn't up to talking to a Times reporter. Seth doesn't think he's worthy of the attention, his father said, when men like White have given their lives. There are also soldiers and Marines recovering at Brooke who are learning how to live without limbs.
Seth will have to prepare for some additional recognition, though. Military officials have told the family that he and his wounded comrades will receive the Purple Heart.
Tony Marrero can be reached at (352) 848-1431 or tmarrero@tampabay.com."
Kenneth Stepp salutes the brave American soldiers wounded in that blast and the soldier killed in that blast. The best way to show our appreciation to our soldiers is to bring them all home and end the American participation in the war in Afghanistan. Kenneth Stepp.

3 Soldiers From Ohio Killed in Afghan Attack

"3 soldiers killed in Afghan attack were from Ohio
"By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS and JOHN SEEWER | Associated Press – Thu, Apr 5, 2012...
"COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Three U.S. soldiers killed in a suicide attack this week in Afghanistan were from Ohio, as were several others seriously wounded in the bombing, the Ohio National Guard said Thursday.
"The soldiers killed in the attack Wednesday in Maimanah, the capital of Faryab province, were from the Guard's 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, according to the Ohio Adjutant General's Department.
"The brigade is based in Columbus but includes soldiers from across Ohio, the Guard said.
"The Department of Defense identified the Ohio victims as Sgt. 1st Class Shawn T. Hannon, 44, of Grove City; Capt. Nicholas J. Rozanski, 36, of Dublin; and Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey J. Rieck of Columbus.
"Hannon also worked as chief legal counsel for the Ohio Department of Veterans Services.
""Shawn felt it was a privilege to serve his country and did so honorably for almost 20 years. He was proud to be a soldier and all who loved him knew it," his family said in a statement released to media. Survivors include wife and their 9-month-old son.
"Hannon joined the state veterans agency last year after working for a Columbus law firm.
"He was one of the most well respected guys I ever met," said Steve Palmer, a lawyer who worked with Hannon. "If somebody in the world needed help, he'd be there. He believed in what he was doing over there."
"The attack, by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle, killed at least 13 people Wednesday at a park in a relatively peaceful area of northern Afghanistan. It was part of an increase in violence at the start of the spring fighting season.
"The Taliban has claimed responsibility. The bomber's target was unclear.
"The attacks appear to be part of an increase in violence. The Taliban are targeting Afghan and NATO security forces as they fight to assert their power and undermine U.S. efforts to try to build up the Afghan military.
"This week, gunmen also attacked an outpost of a government-sponsored militia and killed 10 members of the security force, and another suicide bomber killed two people and wounded 16 others Thursday.
"The Ohio infantry brigade has six battalions, with four based in Ohio and two in Michigan. It sent 3,600 soldiers to Afghanistan last summer for what was scheduled to be a yearlong deployment.
"It was the largest mobilization for the 37th since the Korean War, according to the Ohio National Guard. The soldiers were sent to help with counter-insurgency operations and work with Afghan security forces.
"In 2005, Lima Company, a Columbus-based Marine reserve unit, lost 22 Marines and a Navy Corpsman in Iraq, including nine in one bombing. Fifteen of the 23 were from Ohio.
"Another Ohio soldier was killed this week by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
"Staff Sgt. Christopher Brown, 26, of Columbus, died Tuesday, the Department of Defense said Thursday. Brown was serving his second tour of duty in Afghanistan, after spending nearly year in Iraq."
Kenneth Stepp salutes Staff Sgt. Christopher Brown, Sgt. 1st Class Shawn T. Hannon; Capt. Nicholas J. Rozanski; and Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey J. Rieck. The best way to honor those fallen heroes is to end the carnage of American troops by bringing our troops home now. Let's bring them home.

You have a Happy Easter and a Great Passover!

"Sat Apr 07, 2012 at 07:30 AM PDT.
"President Obama offers an Easter and Passover greeting
"by Barbara MorrillFollow for Daily Kos.
"President Obama sets aside politics this week for an Easter and Passover message to Christians and Jews:
"For millions of Americans, this weekend is a time to celebrate redemption at God’s hand. Tonight, Jews will gather for a second Seder, where they will retell the story of the Exodus. And tomorrow, my family will join Christians around the world as we thank God for the all-important gift of grace through the resurrection of His son, and experience the wonder of Easter morning.
"After recounting the Christian background and meaning of Easter, Obama includes all Americans in the lessons that can be taken from this day:
"Christ’s triumph over death holds special meaning for Christians. But all of us, no matter how or whether we believe, can identify with elements of His story. The triumph of hope over despair. Of faith over doubt. The notion that there is something out there that is bigger than ourselves.
These beliefs help unite Americans of all faiths and backgrounds. They shape our values and guide our work. They put our lives in perspective.
"So to all Christians celebrating the Resurrection with us, Michelle and I want to wish you a blessed and Happy Easter. And to all Americans, I hope you have a weekend filled with joy and reflection, focused on the things that matter most. God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America."
There's not much I can add to that. I hope you have a Happy Easter, and a Happy Passover, also. Kenneth Stepp

Support higher governmental support of education!

"KENTUCKY, STOP THE LARGEST EDUCATION FUNDING CUTS EVER!
"Tell Mitch McConnell: No more cuts! Unless Congress acts, on January 2, 2013, education funding in Kentucky will be slashed by $57 Million, the largest education cuts ever! Services to 97,762 students will be cut and 1,472 educator jobs will be lost.
"Kentucky’s students, educators, schools and colleges are already coping with layoffs, larger class sizes, narrowing of the curriculum, elimination of after-school programs, and rising tuition.
"Yet, the need to increase the federal investment in education has never been greater. Jobs and the economy are directly linked to such investments. Both unemployment rates and lifetime earnings are based on levels of education attainment.
"Both K-12 and higher education programs have already suffered significant harmful cuts at the federal level. And now we face the biggest threat ever! It is time to tell our elected officials no more cuts! Instead, Congress should be investing in education to help students succeed and increase high school graduation, college attendance and completions rates and insure our country’s next generation is well prepared to enter the workforce.
"We urge you to say “NO” to sacrificing the future of our students. Our children deserve to have their potential and our nation’s future strengthened, not eliminated!
"Sign here to tell Mitch McConnell to stop the largest education cuts ever!"
You could tell Hal Rogers, too. The best way is to send a message to Washington by sending Kenneth Stepp to Washington as your Congressman from KY-05. Kenneth Stepp supports improving education and increased Federal funding of higher education and secondary education.

Arriana Huffington on Afghanistan!

"Arianna Huffington
"Campaign 2012's Biggest Disconnect: Americans Want Out of Afghanistan, Candidates Would Rather Ignore It
Posted: 04/ 4/2012 5:53 pm
"You'd think a ten-and-a-half year war would be a major issue in a presidential campaign -- especially a war going as badly as the one in Afghanistan. And especially in the wake of Sen. Jay Rockefeller publicly urging President Obama to speed up the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Maybe if the administration proposed funding a Planned Parenthood clinic in Kandahar, the war might get the place it deserves in the national conversation.
"Our political and media establishments seem to regard being in a constant state of war as simply part of the "new normal" (to go along with over 8 percent unemployment). Things continue to go from bad to worse, yet we continue to be wedded to plans for a gradual withdrawal that will leave troops in Afghanistan until some point in 2014.
"But even though our leaders don't seem to feel any sense of urgency, plenty of others here at home do -- indeed, the vast majority does. There are, of course, many issues on which our leaders are out of sync with the country at large (too big to fail, punishing those who caused the economic crisis, continued tax breaks for the rich, etc.), but this one is especially egregious, given the toll it continues to take in terms of lives lost, money squandered, and Afghan hatred of us increased.
"According to a recent New York Times/CBS News poll, support for the war has hit a historic low, at 23 percent, with 69 percent saying we should no longer be in Afghanistan. And the sentiment that the war is going badly is one of the few bipartisan things in this campaign: 68 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of Republicans say the war is going somewhat or very badly. What is more, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, 60 percent of Americans believe the war has not even been worth fighting.
"Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta's response to this turning of public sentiment against the war? "We cannot fight wars by polls," he said. "If we do that we're in deep trouble." Of course that's true, and nobody's asking him to "fight wars by polls," but what he can do is use the same common sense that underlies those polls. We're over ten years in -- these aren't snap judgments. And the fact that we're in "deep trouble" in Afghanistan has nothing to do with our leaders being overly responsive to the public's wishes.
"Of course, the war was back in the news most recently because of the horrific killing of seventeen Afghan civilians, allegedly by Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales. This grotesque act of violence was both an aberration and not an aberration. It was an aberration in the sense that it in no way represents the behavior of the over two million men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11. But it was not an aberration in the sense that war is indeed hell, and atrocities -- even by the best-trained armed forces, and ours is certainly that -- are inevitable in prolonged conflict. That's why prolonging wars a second more than necessary is so deeply immoral. But does anybody sense that kind of urgency?
"As Mark C. Russell, a retired U.S. Navy Commander and military psychologist, wrote on HuffPost, the military calls atrocities "misconduct stress behaviors," which always occur in war, "even at the hands of otherwise decent people." While noting that, of course, blame should fall foremost on the perpetrator, Russell believes that the circle of responsibility should be drawn considerably wider:
"Bales and his family are just the latest of a long string of members of the warrior class that have unjustly born the burden of fighting an 11-year war. For instance, more than 107,000 military personnel have been deployed at least three times.
"Bales, by the way, was on his fourth combat tour. Robert H. Scales, a retired Army major general and former commandant of the Army War College, put it this way: "I think if someone wants to place blame, it should be on a succession of national leaders who fail to recognize that combat units, particularly infantry, just wear out."
"The sort of warfare the U.S. is fighting in Afghanistan, which exposes soldiers to "the horrors of intimate killing, along with other factors such as fatigue, thirst, hunger, isolation, fear of the unknown and the sight of dead and maimed comrades," writes Scales, "all start a process of moral atrophy that cannot be reversed."
"So beyond Bales, says Scales, "the real institutional culprit is the decade-long exploitation and cynical overuse of one of our most precious and irreplaceable national assets: our close combat soldiers and Marines."
"And though the Bales case is one of the most sensational, that cynical exploitation has resulted in plenty of others. Just last month, Der Spiegel published photos of two U.S. soldiers posing with the corpses of Afghan civilians in 2010. The two were convicted of murdering those civilians, including a 15-year-old boy, last year, and were also the centerpiece of a Rolling Stone piece on U.S. war crimes called "The Kill Team."
"But the danger is not just the odd overextended U.S. soldier breaking down. Last week an Afghan police officer shot nine of his fellow officers, then fled in a government car loaded with AK-47s and ammunition. Earlier the same week, a U.S. soldier was killed by another Afghan police officer, and two British soldiers were killed by an Afghan soldier.
"According to the Washington Post, the "apparent surge in such incidents" has "raised concerns about the state of the war effort." Indeed, these incidents are becoming so common they're called "green on blue" killings. And Pentagon numbers show that 75 percent of the deaths since 2007 have occurred in the last two years. As the Independent wrote, "the deaths raise fresh questions" and "deepen concerns... "
"Over ten years in, isn't it time we stop raising questions and deepening our concerns? How deep do the concerns have to be before we act on them? How many fresh questions have to be raised until we start responding with the obvious answers?
"And it's not just the war that's going wrong. As the New York Times reported last week, more and more Afghans are fleeing the country, with over 30,000 applying for asylum in other countries last year, the largest number in a decade. At the same time, only 68,000 Afghans returned, down sharply from the 110,000 who came back the previous year, or the 1.8 million who returned in 2002. And a sum of cash representing a quarter of Afghanistan's entire annual GDP was "physically carried" out of the country last year, raising more "fresh questions."
"Even though over two-thirds of Americans want to end the war, the GOP candidates (with the exception of Ron Paul, of course) haven't exactly seized the issue. Certainly not the way they've latched on to the burning issue of contraception. Instead, they've mostly attacked the president for daring to have announced a timeline for withdrawal. "It's unthinkable that you say, 'Here's the date we're gonna leave, regardless of the circumstances,'" Mitt Romney said, adding: "Before I take a stand on a particular course of action, I want to get the input from the people who are there."
"This obligatory "listening to the generals" approach ignores that the generals' job is to accomplish the mission they're sent on. It's not their job to decide what that mission is, what its scope should be, and whether it's worth committing U.S. blood and treasure to. That's the job of the civilian leadership, aka the president.
"As for Rick Santorum, his answer, in response to the Bales incident, was actually closer to the truth: "Given all of these additional problems, we have to either make the decision to make a full commitment, which this president has not done, or we have to decide to get out and probably get out sooner given the president's decision to get out in 2014."
"Given that doubling down for a full commitment (Another decade? Two decades? Or should we aim for a full century?) without a clear mission would be doubling down on insanity, the answer has to be: "get out sooner."
"The only GOP candidate who has had a consistently clear position on the war is Ron Paul. "The truth is, I'm trying to save the Republican Party from themselves because they want perpetual wars," he said on Face the Nation. "It was a waste, there's not gonna be a happy ending, and I think the Republicans have dug a hole for themselves because they're trying to out-militarize the president, say 'we should do more.' Yet 75 percent of the American people say 'we've had enough.'"
"And yet even though, as Paul notes, he's the one in agreement with the vast majority of the country, the media mostly treat his foreign policy views as something your crazy uncle might say after one too many drinks.
"Surely we can all agree that the first rule of military action should be: do no harm to your own national security. But right now we are doing a lot of harm, losing hearts and minds every day and making our country ultimately less safe as a result.
"So, this war is not just a tragic waste of lives and money, it's also weakening our national security by strengthening the resolve of those who will stop at nothing to harm us. And it's deepening our involvement in a civil war that is never going to be resolved while we're in the mix.
""War is destructive of the human spirit," said Vietnam vet and military scholar Andrew Bacevich in an interview with Bill Moyers. "War compromises our humanity."
"This one is now compromising our humanity, our national security, our standing in the world, and our claim to the moral high ground.
"Add your voice to the conversation on Twitter: twitter.com/ariannahuff"
You can also make a comment here! Let's bring home the troops now! We don't have to wait until after the election. Congress can shut down the war by defunding it--but I don't expect Hal Rogers to do this. You'll have to wait on Kenneth Stepp to be in Congress for us to withdraw from these Middle East Wars. Bring the troops home now!

No to torture! No to roving bands of assassins! No to warrantless wiretaps!

"New Bush-Era Torture Memo Released, Raises Questions About What Has Changed And What Hasn't
"Posted: 04/ 6/2012 3:40 pm
"WASHINGTON -- A six-year-old memo from within the George W. Bush administration that came to light this week acknowledges that White House-approved interrogation techniques amounted to "war crimes." The memo's release has called attention to what has changed since President Barack Obama took office, but it also raises questions about what hasn't.
"The Bush White House tried to destroy every copy of the memo, written by then-State Department counselor Philip Zelikow. Zelikow examined tactics like waterboarding -- which simulates drowning -- and concluded that there was no way they were legal, domestically or internationally.
"“We are unaware of any precedent in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or any subsequent conflict for authorized, systematic interrogation practices similar to those in question here," Zelikow wrote. The memo has been obtained by George Washington University's National Security Archive and Wired's Spencer Ackerman.
"On his second full day in office, President Barack Obama formally disavowed torture, banning the types of techniques Zelikow had objected to so strongly in his memo.
"But while Democrats are using the memo as evidence of a new post-torture era under Obama, human rights activists, civil libertarians and opponents of excessive secrecy say they see many ways in which the country's moral compass is still askew -- and in some ways even more so than before.
"If your baseline is the Bush years, it's night and day," said Tom Blanton, director of the National Security Archive. "If your baselines are a set of first principles, as the ACLU calls for, or as us openness advocates call for, then your situation is: Is the glass half full or the glass half empty?"
"Obama has refused to pursue legal action against those who may have engaged in law-breaking under his predecessor's watch -- saying he prefers to "look forward instead of looking backward." To some, this indicates there is little assurance that the U.S. won't torture again in the future.
""The administration has clearly disavowed torture, and that is an important and welcome thing," said Jameel Jaffer, a national security expert at the American Civil Liberties Union.
"But they're steadily building a framework for impunity."
"When it comes to issues like warrantless surveillance, "continuity is the rule and not the exception and in fact in some very important areas this administration has gone even farther than the Bush Administration did," Jaffer said.
"Most alarming, says Jafeer, is the issue of the targeted killing of American citizens who are terrorism suspects.
"Jaffer said the idea that the government can mark an American for death without any judicial oversight is something the framers of the Constitution "would have found totally foreign to the project they were engaged in."
"I think there are many Democrats out there who are quiet because they trust President Obama," Jaffer said. But, he added, "there's no doubt that the power we're giving President Obama will be available to a future president.""
Jaffer noted that another way things may be worse today than during the Bush era is that at least back then, many people thought things would change dramatically once Bush left office, and that his actions wouldn't establish legal precedents.
""We didn't worry so much about that because the Bush Administration was seen as an outlier and an aberration, and the Bush precedent wouldn't have been seen as weighty," Jaffer said. By contrast, "It's not at all difficult to imagine [future presidents] citing President Obama in their defense of carrying out more targeted killings of American citizens."
""Now we're making many of these emergency powers permanent ... and bipartisan. We're enshrining these things into our permanent law."
"Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies, sees some good and some bad in terms of where the government stands on national security issues today. "The Obama Administration has made significant and substantial changes to counterterrorism policy as it relates to human rights and civil liberties -- for example, in their detention policies and their recognition of the limits of military power and the importance of following traditional laws of war in an armed conflict," she said.
"And yet, she said: "The administration has done much less to fix the problems of too much surveillance, without enough good reasons, of too many people."
"Transparency about what the administration is doing and why "is mixed," she said, with both "important disclosures and inexplicable withholdings."
"Blanton, director of the National Security Archive, said he doesn't think it is all Obama's fault. He blames congressional Republicans for blocking Obama's attempts to close the Guantanamo prison, for instance, and the intelligence agencies for much of the rest.
""The intelligence agencies are at the front of the resistance," Blanton said. "They're resisting accountability for what they themselves did."
"Ten months into Obama's presidency, White House Counsel Greg Craig resigned, a move some saw as a purge and grim sign for any hope that the president would keep fighting on these issues. Craig is known to have advocated strongly for Obama to hold fast to the principles that he has espoused in regards to dealing with torture suspects -- regardless of the immediate political consequences.
"Where does that leave us? "I wouldn't call us an outlaw nation," Blanton said, "but I don't think we've come to terms with our gang period."
GANG PERIOD? WHAT ABOUT THE GANG OF FOUR? It's time for the United States to ban torture and assassination. While we are fighting to preserve Western Civilization, we should act civilized and be civilized. No to torture! No to Roving gangs of assassins! Kenneth Stepp.