HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE AND IRS IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

FROM:  CONGRESSMAN DAVE CAMP, CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE

Boustany Opening Statement: Hearing on IRS Implementation of the Democrats’ Health Care Law
Good morning and welcome to today’s hearing on the Internal Revenue Service’s implementation and administration of the President’s health care law.

Before we begin this morning, it is appropriate to recall that eleven years ago, almost to the hour, our nation was savagely attacked. After these 11 years, each of can recall exactly what we were doing at that time. The horror of the day should make us resolve to continue doing our business and demonstrate that we won’t be intimidated or deterred. More than a decade has passed, but the attacks of that day still outrage, the tragedies still overwhelm, and the heroism still inspires us. We still mourn those lost on that day, and all those that have given their lives since in defense of liberty. And we are thankful for those who continue to stand and volunteer to serve our country both at home and abroad.

The Internal Revenue Service has enormous responsibility – it is tasked with administering our convoluted tax system and a tax code that has changed nearly 5,000 times in the past ten years alone. The agency is charged with collecting roughly two and a half trillion dollars, distributing hundreds of billions of dollars in tax credits, and enforcing 4,000 pages of tax laws and 80,000 pages of tax regulations.

The agency’s core revenue collection function has increasingly been crowded by its responsibility to administer many social programs. Through the years, Congress has sought to advance a multitude of non-revenue objectives through the tax code – energy policy, housing policy, and of course health care policy. Making the IRS both revenue collector and administrator of these activities has diverted IRS resources from its central mission and can diminish taxpayer service.

In 2010, the Congress passed President Obama’s health care law. Spanning nearly 1,000 pages and passed "so you can find out what is in it," in the famous words of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the health care law contained 47 separate tax provisions and charged the IRS with vast new responsibilities. These included the implementation and administration of the largest entitlement created in more than a generation, new penalty taxes on individuals and employers who fail to buy or provide government-approved health insurance, the need quickly create vast new information technology systems, and the list goes on and on.

The President’s health care law has put the federal government in charge of approving health insurance plans, subsidizing them, punishing those who do not buy government-approved plans, and many other aspects of our health care system. And the Internal Revenue Service has been saddled with the responsibility of carrying out many of these new federal activities.

More than creating new burdens on the Internal Revenue Service, the President’s health care law has led to new tax rules and regulations that will pose significant challenges to both individuals and job creators. The Administration’s own documents state that the compliance burden of the new rules it has thus far written to pursuant to the President’s health care law will add nearly 80 million man-hours each year to individuals and job creators. 80 million hours that won’t be spent creating new wealth, providing health care, or doing anything productive. 80 million hours simply complying with new rules from Washington. This is the burden from just the IRS’s new rules, when you add the new regulations from HHS, the Department of Labor and other agencies, the burden on our sluggish economy goes still higher.

As a former surgeon and owner of a small medical practice in Louisiana, I know first hand how taxes, rules, and regulations from Washington can impede not only a small business, but also patient care, so I am especially interested in hearing from the IRS and our witnesses today about the how the new law will operate in the real world.

The object of this hearing is to assess the IRS’s efforts to administer the law, including its effect on the Service’s core mission, and how the decisions made now to implement it will affect both the agency and taxpayers as the law’s provisions continue to come into effect. This is also not a hearing to beat up on the IRS – an agency run by good men and women, dedicated public servants who have an incredibly difficult job. The agency did not write the health care law – the previous Congress did. They passed it, and now we are finding out what is in it and what it means for the country, for the Internal Revenue Service, and for taxpayers.

PENTAGON 9-11 COMMEMORATION AND REMEMBERING ONE OF THE HEROS LOST

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Secretary Leon E. Panetta, left, and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in rendering honors as the national anthem plays during the ceremony to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon, Sept. 11, 2012. DOD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

At 9/11 Service, Dempsey Memorializes a Hero Among Many
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2012 - Thousands of heroes died during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, many while helping others in the chaos around them, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said today during a remembrance service at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial.
Dempsey took the stage with President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta before an audience of military and civilian officials that included family members and friends of the nearly 200 people who died 11 years ago today after hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the west side of the Pentagon.
"Sept. 11 will always stand apart from other days," Dempsey said, "not because of what we say up here about service and sacrifice, courage and character -- of course, it's all of those things -- but also because of what those things say about all of us, all Americans."
Today, he added, "as we remember the 184 lives that ended here and all who perished in New York and in Somerset County, Pa., let us commit ourselves to the ideals for which they lived and in which they believed."
The chairman also honored the generation inspired by those who died on 9/11 to step forward and defend the nation, he said, "a generation who fought in Iraq and who still fight in Afghanistan."
The Pentagon Memorial captures the moment of the attack -- 9:37 a.m. -- and each victim's age and location at the time. Each unit is a cantilevered bench, a lighted pool of flowing water and a permanent tribute, by name.
At today's ceremony, Dempsey welcomed the families and friends of those lost on the grounds of the Pentagon on 9/11 and highlighted the life and death of one of them: Army Chief Warrant Officer William Ruth.
"His memorial bench of granite and steel sits in the last row in front of me, seventh in from the far right," the chairman said. "Bill served as a Marine in Vietnam, flying helicopters. After the war, he became a social studies teacher and joined the Army National Guard, serving in the first Gulf War as a medevac pilot."
Ruth was loved by his students, Dempsey added, who were "proud of his service and moved by his deep commitment to them and to our nation."
"One student said, 'He opened up my eyes and my heart to the world.' Many others, inspired by his example, became teachers, nurses [and] firefighters, and several followed him into the life of the military," the general told the audience.
Ruth retired from the classroom after nearly 30 years and returned to serve in the Pentagon, the chairman said.
"There is no doubt among his colleagues that he lost his life that fateful morning because in the middle of the chaos he stopped to help somebody," Dempsey added. "There were thousands like Bill that day. They remind us that life takes on meaning only as the causes to which we attach ourselves have meaning -- that in the end, we become what we are through some cause we make our own."
Dempsey called upon all at the ceremony to rededicate their lives to the cause of giving back to the nation, and ended by quoting Panetta:
"The strength of our democracy has always rested on the willingness of those who believe in its values and in their will to serve to give something back to this country."

SENATOR DEBBIE STABENOW'S STATEMENT ON THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND BUSINESSES

Map:  Afordable Health Care Plan Implimentation.  Credit:  U.S. HHS
FROM: U.S. SENATOR DEBBIE STABENOW'S WEB SITE
Affordable Health Coverage for Michigan Businesses
Affordable Coverage for Michigan Businesses
132,000 small businesses in Michigan may be eligible for the new small business tax credit that makes it easier for businesses to provide coverage to their workers and makes premiums more affordable. Small businesses pay, on average, 18 percent more than large businesses for the same coverage, and health insurance premiums have gone up three times faster than wages in the past 10 years. This tax credit is just the first step towards bringing those costs down and making coverage affordable for small businesses.

From 2010 through 2013, businesses with fewer than 25 full-time employees that contribute at least 50% of the total premium will be eligible for tax credits of up to 35% of the employer contribution. The full credit will be available for businesses with fewer than 10 employees averaging less than $25,000 annual wages, and phase out at $50,000. Nonprofit organizations will qualify for tax credits of up to 25% of the employer contribution during this time period.

Beginning in 2014, eligible small businesses purchasing coverage via an exchange will receive tax credits of up to 50% of the employer contribution if the employer provides at least 50% of the premium cost. Nonprofit organizations will qualify for tax credits of up to 35% of the employer contribution during this time period. Seasonal employees will not be counted when determining eligibility. A business can claim the credit for any two years in the future.

Employer Responsibility
Employers will not be required to offer health insurance. Only those employers with more than 50 employees who don't provide coverage will have to contribute toward the cost of covering the employee if the employee qualifies for a tax credit.

Employers with more than 50 employees who don't offer coverage and have at least one full-time employee who receives a premium tax credit will have to contribute $2,000 per full-time employee. No contribution is required during an employee's waiting period to qualify for health care (up to 60 days). Part-time employees are counted differently from full-time employees.

There is a transition provision that subtracts the first 30 employees (e.g., a firm with 51 workers that does not offer coverage would pay an amount equal to 51-30, or 21, times the applicable per-employee payment amount).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

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HHS SAYS AFFORDABLE CARE ACT SAVED CONSUMERS $2.1 BILLION ON PREMIUMS

Photo Credit:  U.S. Navy
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health care law saved an estimated $2.1 billion for consumers

The health care law – the Affordable Care Act – has saved consumers an estimated $2.1 billion on health insurance premiums according to a new report released today by the Department of Health and Human Services. For the first time ever, new rate review rules in the health care law prevent insurance companies in all states from raising rates with no accountability or transparency. To date, rate review has helped save an estimated $1 billion for Americans. Additionally, the law’s Medical Loss Ratio (or 80/20) rule is helping deliver rebates worth $1.1 billion to nearly 13 million consumers.

"The health care law is holding insurance companies accountable and saving billions of dollars for families across the country," Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. "Thanks to the law, our health care system is more transparent and more competitive, and that’s saving Americans real money."

Beginning Sept. 1, 2011, the health care law implemented federal rate review standards. These rules ensure that, in every state, insurance companies are required to publicly submit for review and justify their actions if they want to raise rates by 10 percent or more.

To assist states in this effort, the Affordable Care Act provides states with Health Insurance Rate Review Grants to enhance their rate review programs and bring greater transparency to the process. 42 states have used their rate review grant funds to make the rate review process stronger and more transparent.

These rules have brought more transparency and accountability to our health insurance marketplace and saved money for consumers. The report released today shows that because of rate review, consumers saved approximately $1 billion in premiums in the individual and small group markets.

This initiative is one of many in the health care law aimed at saving money for consumers and specifically works in conjunction with the 80/20 rule, which requires insurance companies to generally spend 80 percent of premiums on health care or provide rebates to their customers. Insurance companies that did not meet the 80/20 rule will provide nearly 13 million Americans with more than $1.1 billion in rebates this year. Americans receiving the rebate will benefit from an average rebate of $151 per household.

SECRETARY OF HHS KATHLEEN SEBELIUS ANNOUNCES $12.5 MILLION FOR AGING AND DISABILITY RECOURCE CENTERS

FROM: U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

New resources help older Americans and people with disabilities maintain their independence

Seniors, people with disabilities and their families get assistance from local resource centers
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced $12.5 million in awards to Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) to support older Americans and people with disabilities stay independent and receive long-term services and supports.

These grants, funded by the Affordable Care Act and the Older Americans Act, support counselors who help individuals and their caregivers identify and access long-term services and supports, regardless of income or financial assets.

"Whether someone is in the hospital and ready to be discharged, or living at home but needing additional care, an options counselor can help them evaluate their needs and sift through the options available in their community to create a plan that meets their needs," Secretary Sebelius said.

ADRCs are "one-stop shops" for older adults, people with disabilities, their caregivers and families to get the information and services they need as their health and long-term care needs change.

ADRCs offer a single, coordinated system of information and access for people seeking long-term services and supports and help consumers and their families identify options that best suit their needs.

ADRCs also make it easier for state and local governments to manage resources and monitor program quality through coordinated data collection and evaluation efforts.

The ADRCs are made possible through a collaborative effort led by the Administration on Community Living and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), both agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Veterans Health Administration, an agency of the Department of Veterans Affairs, is a key partner.

Currently, all 50 states and four territories are operating or are in the process of implementing an ADRC.

Two different types of grants are being announced. Part A is for states or territories receiving an initial ADRC grant for an Enhanced ADRC Options Counseling Program. Part B is for states and territories receiving continuation funding.

NARCOTICS AND THE SEMI-SUB



Caption: PLUTO seen during tests in San Diego, CA.

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Surrogate semi-submersible engineered to mimic the design of the "dark vessels" being used to bring narcotics and other illicit cargo into the United States.
With low profiles and low radar reflectivity, stealthy, drug-running semi-submersibles, "narco subs," built in southern jungles cut through the ocean at wave height and are nearly impossible to detect. DHS' semi-submersible mimics them so that a variety of sensors can be tested in the battle against illegal drug-running.

The erstwhile planet Pluto (now officially an asteroid) was known for decades as a small, dark planet—hidden, difficult to spot, and on a quiet, determined course all its own. And so, when the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) needed a target semi-submersible to detect the hidden but determined maritime smuggling operations of the South American drug cartels, it created its own vessel and called it "PLUTO," after the planet that is so difficult to spot. S&T’s PLUTO is a small, semi-submersible that is representative of what are popularly called "narco subs," and serves as a realistic practice target for the detection systems of DHS and its national security community partners.

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

Photo:  U.S. Navy Seals.  Credit:  U.S. Navy.
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Forces Confirm Deaths of 2 Taliban LeadersFrom an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 11, 2012 - Afghan and coalition forces today confirmed the death of two senior Taliban leaders, including the suspected mastermind of an August 2008 ambush that left numerous French soldiers dead and 21 wounded, military officials reported.

The Taliban leaders -- Mullah Hazrat and Shakir -- were killed in a precision airstrike Sept. 9, officials said, when Afghan and coalition forces positively identified a group of armed insurgents in the Alisheng district of Laghman province and engaged them.

Hazrat is believed to have planned and directed the Aug. 18, 2008, ambush, 40 miles east of Kabul, which resulted in a two-day running battle between coalition and Afghan security forces and more than 100 Taliban insurgents, officials said.

In the years since, Hazrat was promoted to serve as the Taliban leader for the Alisheng district, officials said. He is believed to have ordered several attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in recent months, including the use of suicide bombers in Kabul. He also coordinated the movement of foreign insurgents from Pakistan into Afghanistan.

Shakir, also known as Attullah, was one of Hazrat's associates and is believed to be responsible for several ambushes and attacks throughout western Laghman province, officials said. At the time of his death, Shakir was suspected of attempting to recruit foreign insurgents to rebuild his attack cell.

In operations in Afghanistan today:

-- A combined force detained numerous suspects and found and destroyed a Taliban weapons cache in the Pul-e Alam district of Logar province. The cache contained several rocket-propelled grenades and RPG components, grenades, heavy and small-arms ammunition, a firearm and bomb components.

-- A combined force killed an armed insurgent and detained several suspects during a search for a Taliban leader in the Khugyani district of Nangarhar province. The security force also seized and safely destroyed multiple assault rifles, several grenades and grenade components, and some illegal narcotics and homemade explosives.

-- A combined force detained two suspects during a search for an improvised explosive device facilitator in the Talah wa Barfak district of Baghlan province. The facilitator is believed to coordinate the movement of IED components throughout the district for insurgent attacks.

In operations yesterday:

-- A combined force discovered and cleared 31 IEDs in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province during a two-day operation. In total, the discovered IEDs consisted of more than 200 pounds of homemade explosives.

-- Coalition patrols seized more than 1,600 pounds of opium and detained two suspected narcotics smugglers in the Dishu and Nawah-ye Barakzai districts of Helmand province. In both incidents, the units investigated the area after observing suspicious activity through aerial surveillance. The seized opium was destroyed.

Farm Bill Now

President Obama’s Message to the Arab Forum on Asset Recovery | The White House

President Obama’s Message to the Arab Forum on Asset Recovery | The White House

US Navy Videos: Navy Station Becomes More Energy Efficient

US Navy Videos

WINTER SNOW MAKES GREENESS GROW

FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Study Ties Forest "Greenness" in Western U.S. to Snowpack Extent

Results of a new study tie forest "greenness" in the western United States to fluctuating year-to-year snowpack extent.

The results show that mid-elevation mountain ecosystems are the most sensitive to rising temperatures and to changes in precipitation and snowmelt.

University of Colorado-Boulder scientist Noah Molotch and colleagues used satellite images and ground measurements to identify the threshold at which mid-level forests sustained by moisture change to higher-elevation forests sustained by sunlight.

A paper reporting the results was published yesterday in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Molotch is the lead author. Co-authors are Ernesto Trujillo of the University of Colorado-Boulder and Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland; Michael Golden and Anne Kelly of the University of California, Irvine; and Roger Bales of the University of California, Merced.

"The research demonstrates yet another complexity in the response of mountain ecosystems to increasing temperatures," says hydrologist Tom Torgersen, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Earth Sciences, which funded the research. "High-elevation mountain forests are typically temperature-stressed and low-elevation mountain forests are often water-stressed.

"At mid-elevations, 'everything is just right'--until it goes wrong." Torgersen says, "Higher temperatures lead to reduced snowpack and reduced water availability, leaving trees at mid-elevations more stressed and more prone to fires."

The ability to identify this "tipping point" is important, Molotch says, because mid-level forests--at altitudes from roughly 6,500 feet to 8,000 feet--are where many people live and visit. They're also linked with increasing wildfires, beetle outbreaks and rising tree mortality.

"These results provide the first direct observations of snowpack-forest connections across broad scales," says Molotch.

"Finding the tipping point between water-limited [mid-elevation] forests and energy-limited [high-elevation] forests defines the region of the greatest sensitivity to climate change--the mid-elevation forests--which is where we should focus future research," he says.

Although the research took place in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, it's applicable to other mountain ranges across the West.

Climate studies show that the snowpack in mid-elevation forests in the western United States and other forests around the world has been decreasing over the past 50 years because of regional warming.

"We found that mid-elevation forests show a dramatic sensitivity to snow that fell the previous winter in terms of accumulation and subsequent melt," said Molotch, also a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

"If snowpack declines, forests become more stressed, which can lead to ecological changes in the distribution and abundance of plant and animal species, and to more vulnerability to fires and to beetle kill."

Molotch says that about 50 percent of the greenness seen by satellites in mid-elevation forests is linked with maximum snow accumulation from the previous winter, with the other 50 percent related to soil depth, soil nutrients, temperature and sunlight.

"The strength of the relationship between forest greenness and snowpack from the previous year is very surprising," Molotch says.

The researchers initially set out to identify the various components of drought that lead to vegetation stress.

"We went after mountain snowpacks in the western U.S. because they provide about 60 to 80 percent of the water in high-elevation mountains," says Molotch.

The team used 26 years of continuous data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, a space-borne sensor flying on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite, to measure the forest greenness.

The researchers compared it with long-term data from 117 snow stations maintained by the California Cooperative Snow Survey, a consortium of state and federal agencies.

In addition, the scientists used information gathered from "flux towers" in the southern Sierra Nevada mountain range. Instruments on these towers measure the exchanges of carbon dioxide, water vapor and energy between the land and the atmosphere.

Instruments on the towers, which are some 100 feet high, allowed scientists to measure the sensitivity of both mid-level and high-level mountainous regions to both wet and dry years--data that matched up well with the satellite and ground data.

"The implications of this study are profound when you think about the potential for ecological change in mountain environments in the West," says Molotch.

"If we look ahead to the time when climate models are calling for warming and drying conditions, the implication is that forests will be increasingly water-stressed in the future and more vulnerable to fires and insect outbreaks."

In the context of recent forest losses to fire in Colorado and elsewhere, the findings are something that really deserve attention, Molotch says.

"This tipping-point elevation is very likely going to migrate up the mountainsides as climate warms."

The research was also funded by NASA.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ASSESSES PENALTY FOR MINOR'S INJURIES

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Nebraska auction company assessed more than $46,000 in penalties for child labor violations after underage worker suffers serious injury while herding cattle

VALENTINE, Neb. — The U.S. Department of Labor has assessed a total of $46,602 in civil money penalties against Valentine Livestock Auction Co. in Nebraska after a 15-year-old employee was crushed against a metal gate by a stampeding calf while herding cattle in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act's child labor provisions.

The injured minor was pinned against a fence by the animal, estimated to weigh between 600 and 700 pounds, before being knocked to the ground and trampled, resulting in multiple injuries. She was airlifted to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where she remained for 40 days.

An investigation by the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division found a total of 26 violations of the FLSA's child labor provisions, including of occupational standards for allowing five minors to work herding cattle; employing three youths under the legal age of employment; employing minors outside of allowable time standards; and failing to record birth dates for 10 minor employees. Additionally, the division found one violation of Hazardous Occupations Order No. 2, which generally prohibits minors from operating motor vehicles, and three violations of Hazardous Occupations Order No. 5, which prohibits minors from operating power-driven woodworking machines.

"This case is another clear example of why it is critical for employers to keep minors safe on the job by learning and complying with America's child labor laws," said Michael Staebell, director of the Wage and Hour Division's Des Moines Area Office in Iowa, which conducted the investigation. "The protection of our working youth is paramount. Employers need to take their responsibilities under the law very seriously. No monetary penalty can undo an injury to a child, but the penalties assessed in this case demonstrate that the Labor Department will use every enforcement tool available to ensure compliance with the regulations we enforce."

The company erroneously believed it was classified as an agricultural employer and thus subject to the FLSA's child labor in agriculture regulations, rather than the regulations pertaining to nonagricultural employers. After the division informed the employer of its status as a nonagricultural employer, the company took steps to comply and to ensure that future violations would not take place. Managers have been trained in child labor regulations, and the company has committed to additional ongoing training. The company also pledged to only allow 14- and 15-year-old employees to perform office work. The civil money penalties assessed have been paid in full.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA CALLS FLIGHT 93 MEMORIAL HALLOWED GROUND

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Panetta Calls Flight 93 Memorial 'Hallowed Ground'
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service

SHANKSVILLE, Pa., Sept. 10, 2012 - On the eve of the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta toured the Flight 93 National Memorial here and called the passengers and crew of the ill-fated plane American heroes.

The plane, which took off from Newark, N.J. destined for San Francisco, crashed after passengers and crew members, aware of the attacks in New York and at the Pentagon, overpowered hijackers to prevent them from reaching their target. The 9/11 Commission said the terrorists most likely wanted to crash the plane into the White House or the U.S. Capitol.

"[They] responded with selflessness, determination and tremendous courage. And at the cost of their own lives, they made the fateful decision to fight back," Panetta told reporters while touring the memorial, laying a wreath to honor the victims and speaking with relatives of those who perished on that day 11 years ago. "Their example continues to inspire and to strengthen our nation."

Since 9/11, Panetta said, millions of young men and women have been inspired by their sacrifice to step forward and serve the United States.

"And like the heroes of Flight 93, they put their lives on the line for our country," he added. "For more than a decade, they have fought to ensure that such an attack would never happen again."

Panetta said the visit was an opportunity to renew the nation's pledge to the victims of 9/11, their families and to all Americans to "remain forever vigilant against threats to our homeland."

The nation has accomplished many things since the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, he said. "We have brought [Osama] bin Laden to justice, we've decimated the leadership of al-Qaida, [and] we have seriously undermined their ability to plan and conduct an attack similar to 9/11.

"Our troops are still fighting to deny safe haven to al-Qaida and to their extremist allies in Afghanistan," he continued. "We are continuing to fight them in Yemen, in Somalia and in North Africa. Make no mistake -- we will pursue and we will fight them wherever they go. There is no place that will be safe for them to hide from justice."

The United States is stronger and safer as a result of the sacrifices in Shanksville, he said, and as a result of the "tremendous sacrifice of those who have served this nation over these last 10 years."

"As I've often said, one of the toughest jobs I have is to write notes to the families of those who have been lost in battle," he said. "With each note, I express the tremendous sorrow that we all have for their loss, but I also say that they gave their lives for all they loved.

"They gave their lives for the families they loved and for the country they loved, and there is no greater sacrifice than to do that," Panetta continued. "That's what these heroes did here. As a result, they are forever American heroes. This is hallowed ground. This is hallowed ground because this is the final resting place of American patriots."

U.S- SIERRA LEONE RELATIONS AND A NEW OPEN SKIES AGREEMENT

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

United States and Sierra Leone Sign Open Skies Air Transport Agreement
Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
September 10, 2012
On September 10 in Washington, DC, Under Secretary Robert Hormats and Sierra Leone’s Minister of Aviation and Transportation Vandi Chidi Minah signed an Open Skies air services agreement that will formalize the liberalization of our bilateral aviation relationship. The United States and Sierra Leone initialed the agreement in June 2012, and it has been applied via comity and reciprocity since that time.

The Open Skies Agreement entered into force upon signature.

The Open Skies Agreement establishes a liberalized aviation relationship between the United States and Sierra Leone. It creates opportunities for strengthening the economic partnership between the United States and Sierra Leone through closer links in transport and trade.

Open Skies agreements permit unrestricted air service by the airlines of both countries between and beyond the other’s territory, eliminating restrictions on how often the carriers fly, the kind of aircraft they use and the prices they charge. This agreement will allow for the strengthening and expansion of our strong trade and tourism links with Sierra Leone, benefitting U.S. and Sierra Leonean businesses and travelers by expanding opportunities for air services and encouraging vigorous price competition by airlines, while preserving our commitments to aviation safety and security.

The United States has over 100 Open Skies agreements with partners around the world and at all levels of development.

　

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON SIERRA LEONE

U.S.-SIERRA LEONE RELATIONS
The United States established diplomatic relations with Sierra Leone in 1961, following its independence from the United Kingdom. U.S.-Sierra Leone relations are cordial. About 2% of Sierra Leone's population are Krio, the descendants of freed slaves who returned to Sierra Leone beginning in the late 1700s from Great Britain and North America and from slave ships captured on the high seas. Many thousands of Sierra Leoneans reside in the United States.

Sierra Leone's brutal 1991-2002 civil war destroyed infrastructure and truncated political, social, and economic development. The country has made substantial progress in transitioning from a post-conflict nation to a developing democracy that has made notable economic gains. It also is emerging as one of the most stable countries in a volatile region. Most notably, it now contributes significantly to United Nations peacekeeping operations, including the UN Mission to Darfur (UNAMID). It will deploy a U.S.-trained battalion to the AU Peace Support Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) later this year. The government also has passed one of Africa’s toughest anti-corruption laws, made high-profile arrests, and secured convictions in a majority of its prosecutions. Despite this, Sierra Leone continues to grapple with entrenched corruption, poor health conditions, weak governmental institutions, high unemployment, slow economic growth, abject poverty, and inadequate social services. The next presidential and parliamentary elections will be held November 17, 2012.

Sierra Leone relies on significant amounts of foreign assistance, principally from multilateral donors; the United States is among the largest bilateral donors. The United States is the largest single donor to the Special Court for Sierra Leone, which has pursued cases against those most responsible for violations of humanitarian law during the country's civil war.

U.S. Assistance to Sierra Leone
U.S. development assistance programs seek to support elections and political processes, create livelihood opportunities, improve food security and nutrition, augment civic participation, and build capacity for both rural and urban health service delivery. U.S. security assistance aims to help Sierra Leone build a more professional and apolitical Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces that will also be capable of supporting peacekeeping in Africa as well as fighting drug trafficking and smuggling.

Bilateral Economic Relations
U.S. exports to Sierra Leone include transportation equipment, agricultural products, machinery, and chemicals, while its imports from Sierra Leone include minerals, metals, machinery, and agricultural products. Sierra Leone is eligible for preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The two countries do not have a bilateral investment treaty or taxation treaty. On June 26, 2012, negotiators for both countries initialed the text of a new air transport agreement that, upon entry into force, will establish an Open Skies aviation relationship.

Sierra Leone's Membership in International Organizations
Sierra Leone and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.

PRESIDENT PROCLAIMS 9-11 TO BE PATRIOT DAY

Photo:  World Trade Center.  Credit:  U.S. Navy 
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
President Proclaims Patriot Day, Day of RemembranceAmerican Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2012 - President Barack Obama today signed a proclamation designating tomorrow's 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States as Patriot Day and National Day of Remembrance.

Here is the president's proclamation:

On September 11, 2001, a bright autumn day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. Thousands of innocent men, women, and children perished when mighty towers collapsed in the heart of New York City and wreckage burned in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon. They were family and friends, service members and first responders -- and the tragedy of their loss left pain that will never fade and scars our country will never forget.

More than a decade later, the world we live in is forever changed. But as we mark the anniversary of September 11, we remember what remains the same: our character as a Nation, our faith in one another, and our legacy as a country strengthened by service and selflessness. In the spirit that moved rescue workers and firefighters to charge into darkness and danger that September morning, we see the same sense of moral responsibility that drove countless Americans to give of themselves in the months that followed. We offered our neighbors a hand and lined up to give blood. Many helped our Nation rebuild and recover long after the dust had settled, donating and volunteering and helping survivors who had borne so much. We were united, and the outpouring of generosity reminded us that, through challenges that have spanned from acts of terrorism to natural disasters, we go forward together as one people.

Today, as we remember the victims, their families, and the heroes who stood up during one of our country's darkest moments, I invite all Americans to reclaim that abiding spirit of compassion by serving their communities in the days and weeks ahead. From volunteering with a faith-based organization, to collecting food and clothing for those in need, to preparing care packages for our men and women in uniform, there are many ways to bring service into our everyday lives -- and each of us can do something. To get involved and find a local service opportunity, visit www.Serve.gov, or www.Servir.gov for Spanish speakers.

Even the simplest act of kindness can be a way to honor those we have lost, and to help build stronger communities and a more resilient Nation. By joining together on this solemn anniversary, let us show that America's sense of common purpose need not be a fleeting moment, but a lasting virtue -- not just on one day, but every day.

By a joint resolution approved December 18, 2001 (Public Law 107-89), the Congress has designated September 11 of each year as "Patriot Day," and by Public Law 111-13, approved April 21, 2009, the Congress has requested the observance of September 11 as an annually recognized "National Day of Service and Remembrance."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 11, 2012, as Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance. I call upon all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States to display the flag of the United States at half-staff on Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance in honor of the individuals who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. I invite the Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and interested organizations and individuals to join in this observance. I call upon the people of the United States to participate in community service in honor of those our Nation lost, to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities, including remembrance services, and to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time to honor the innocent victims who perished as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

BARACK OBAMA

GETTING THE BEST RATES FROM SHIPPERS

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSEMilitary vehicles at Fort Hood, Texas are loaded onto DODX and commercial flat cars for transport to locations within the United States. DOD photo
Branch Helps DOD Shippers Get Best Rates
By Mitch Chandran
Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill., Sept. 7, 2012 - Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command's special requirements branch here is a one-stop shop for finding the right rate and transportation mode for Defense Department shippers who need to move specialized and large volume cargo domestically.

The branch -- part of the command's strategic business directorate -- can help DOD shippers with special shipping requirements to find cost-efficient transportation solutions.

It specializes in arranging transportation for oversized, overweight and volume cargo movements.

Dora Elias and her team of 11 transportation experts partner with commercial truck, rail, barge and pipeline carriers daily on behalf of shippers to secure special rates for agencies such as Defense Contract Management Agency, Tank-automotive and Armaments Command and Defense Logistics Agency, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the White House Communications Agency, among others.

"As an example," Elias said, "Defense Contract Management Agency would come to us with a volume move of a few dozen mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles. We, in turn, have the avenues and would find the best domestic rates to accommodate their move, which in the long run helps them save money."

Richard Cody, the branch's lead traffic management specialist, said the process for shippers is simple. "A shipper calls us and gives us their requirements – delivery date, weight, dimensions, volume, etc.," he explained. "We'll draw up the request letters and send them to various carriers, detailing a shipper's requirements, to obtain their rates. Once we get responses back, we'll offer our recommendations back to the shippers and go from there."

Elias said the branch is exploring more commercial rail options to offer shippers.

"So far, within the last five months, our branch has helped DOD shippers save $4.6 million by using rail for a majority of domestic movements," she said. "We deal with a lot of the volume move requests, and across the board savings really add up quick. If more organizations come to us for help with their transportation needs, I'm confident we would realize even more cost-savings."

The branch also can help local transportation offices to help themselves in meeting customer requirements, Elias said, and is challenging some industry partners to set more competitive rates.

Though commercial freight cars are always an option to consider in moving cargo, branch officials said, the industry does have weight and size limitations. When DOD shipping requirements exceed commercial freight car limits, they added, Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command has an in-house solution.

The command's Defense Freight Railway Interchange Fleet comprises of more than 2,000 DODX-marked flat and special purpose railcars of varying length and weight capacities to accommodate most cargo the department needs to move. The fleet is made up of chemical tank, refrigerated and box cars, along with heavy duty flat cars boasting a weight capacity of up to 300 tons.

"Owning this rail fleet provides DOD with immediate accessibility for moving volume and overweight cargo," said George Gounley, chief of the command's rail fleet management branch.

In July, the special requirements branch was involved in arranging transportation for a large volume of oversized cargo: Bradley fighting vehicles and M1 Abrams tanks, shipped from Fort Hood, Texas, to multiple locations around the country.

For this mission, the command used both commercial and DODX rail cars to move all the vehicles. Renee Roper, transportation assistant for the Fort Hood transportation office, worked through the special requirements branch to arrange this movement.

"It makes more sense any time we can get two huge vehicles onto one railcar versus one vehicle per truck," Roper said. "Arranging the transportation for all these vehicles is very easy for us. We simply fill out the paperwork with the details, send it to SDDC, then they pretty much arrange the rest and make it work. It's really painless for us."

The streamlined shipper's request process, she added, allows her to devote more time to other aspects of her job.

"As long as we can find out our shipper's requirements a little in advance, then we can start scheduling transportation to meet their needs," Elias said. "Also, we can set up long-term options and provide consistent rates to our customers."

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR SEPTEMBER 10, 2012

Photo:  Afghanistan.  Credit:  U.S. Marines. 
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSECombined Force Kills Insurgents in Laghman ProvinceCompiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2012 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed several armed insurgents during an operation to arrest a Taliban attack commander in the Alisheng district of Afghanistan's Laghman province today, military officials reported.

The insurgents were killed by return fire after they fired on the security force as it cleared the Taliban commander's suspected compound and secured the area.

The security force detained several suspected insurgents in the operation.

Also today, a combined force in Ghazni province's Waghaz district detained several suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest a Taliban leader who is believed to be responsible for transporting and equipping foreign insurgents for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

In operations yesterday:

-- A combined security force in the Kandahar district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province arrested a Taliban attack coordinator who is suspected of planning and directing multiple attacks throughout central Kandahar and is believed to have also plotted several assassination attempts against Afghan officials. At the time of his arrest, officials said, he was believed to be planning an imminent suicide attack against Afghan security forces. The security force also detained another suspected insurgent in the operation.

-- A combined force in Helmand province's Now Zad district detained numerous suspected insurgents and more than 25 pounds of illegal narcotics during an operation to arrest a Taliban leader who is believed to be responsible for equipping insurgents with mortars and heavy weapons for attacks against Afghan and coalition security forces.

-- Afghan and coalition forces in Laghman province's Alisheng district killed numerous armed insurgents during a security operation to arrest a Taliban leader. During the operation, Afghan and coalition forces identified multiple insurgents armed with assault rifles and a heavy machine gun maneuvering near their position. After ensuring that no civilians were in the area, the security force engaged the armed insurgents with a precision airstrike. A post-strike assessment determined no civilian property was damaged and no civilians were harmed.

In Sept. 8 operations:

-- Afghan and coalition security forces detained a suspected suicide attack facilitator in Nangarhar province's Jalalabad district. At the time of his arrest, he was believed to be involved in planning an imminent suicide-bomb attack in the region.

-- In Helmand province's Nahr-e Saraj district, security combined force arrested a Taliban improvised explosive device cell leader who is suspected of directing attacks against Afghan and coalition convoys. In the weeks prior to his arrest, the Taliban IED cell leader is believed to have conducted an attack that wounded several coalition security force members.

-- A combined force found and destroyed a Taliban weapons cache and detained several suspected insurgents in Sar-e Pul province's Sar-e Pul district. The cache included assault rifles and grenades, explosives, ammunition and bomb components.

-- In the Kunduz district of Kunduz province, security combined force detained several suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan facilitator suspected of providing money, ammunition and explosives to insurgents.

In other news, an Afghan special police unit and coalition forces recovered narcotics, weapons and explosives, including more than 500 pounds of heroin and 600 kilograms of opium, during a three-day operation that began Sept. 6 in Helmand province's Washir district.

During the operation, the combined force came under small-arms attack and killed several insurgents with return fire. Afterward, the combined force found pressure plate bombs and components, homemade explosives, rocket-propelled grenades, small arms and ammunition.

U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL'S MESSAGE ON THE DEFENDING CHILDHOOD INITIATIVE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
A Message from the Attorney General on the Defending Childhood Initiative
September 4th, 2012 Posted by

Since the launch of the Defending Childhood Initiative in 2010 the Justice Department has been working with leading researchers to take an in-depth look at the problem of children exposed to violence. What we have learned has been a wake-up call, and warning bell, for all of us. We found that the majority of our kids – more than 60 percent – have been exposed to crime, abuse, and violence — many in their own homes. Ten percent of children in the United States have suffered some form of abuse or neglect; one in sixteen has been victimized sexually. And both direct and indirect exposure to violence is having a profound negative impact on the mental and emotional development of young people across the country.
I am happy to tell you that we have now, through the work of the Attorney General’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence, reached an important milestone in the fight to prevent and reduce children’s exposure to violence in the United States.

Over the last year, the task force has traveled the country, listening to practitioners, policymakers, academics, concerned citizens, and victims. Its goal was to find out how violence and abuse are affecting our kids and our communities. The task force has now completed its fact-finding phase and is compiling a report to be issued late this fall, 2012. The report will be a blueprint for actions we can take to prevent children’s exposure to violence and mitigate its effects.

The task force heard personal testimony from 65 people from 27 states and the District of Columbia. These included survivors of violence, young people, social service providers, medical personnel, researchers, practitioners, advocates, tribal and local officials, private foundation representatives, and community residents. The four public hearings were held in Baltimore, Albuquerque, Miami and Detroit and the three listening sessions in Anchorage, Oakland and Joint Base Lewis-McChord outside Tacoma, WA. The variety of sites gave the task force members the big picture of violence in America. They learned that violence is more than an urban problem; it is pervasive throughout our nation. And they learned that in rural and tribal areas the damage is often compounded by the difficulty of getting resources for victims.

The problem of children’s exposure to violence is an urgent one, one we can’t afford to ignore. Nor is it an issue the Department of Justice – or any one agency or organization – can take on alone. It will take all of us, working together. And with the momentum we’ve generated through our Defending Childhood Initiative, the information and insights we’ve gained through the task force, and the tremendous support and leadership shown by everyone here, I know we will find a way to make America safer for our children.

A MARINE'S COMMUNICATION SKILLS AT CAMP LEATHERNECK AFGHANISTAN

 FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE By Cpl. Ed Galo
Regimental Combat Team 6
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan , Sept. 7, 2012 - Standing over six feet tall, Lance Cpl. Justin Nobles can look pretty intimidating. But anyone who spends a few minutes talking to him quickly finds a soft-spoken guy with a country accent.
Nobles, a radio technician assigned to Regimental Combat Team 6 here, said he grew up living mostly with his father, who worked long hours to support his son. The Marine, from Petal, Miss., said is how he learned to work hard himself.
"I've always looked up to my father," Nobles said. "He always worked shift work, ever since I can remember. He would sometimes work 12- to 18-hour shifts to provide for me."
While his father worked, Nobles said, he spent time with his grandparents.
"They were like a second set of parents," he added. "My grandfather is a real great man - he even started the school system where I [grew up]. He definitely taught me how to be a man."
While Nobles was very family-oriented, he admits he made the wrong friends for a while. He said it took a near-death experience to make him consider the Marine Corps.
"Where I come from, people either do the right thing or the wrong thing," he said. "I got kicked out of school several times; I just couldn't get my head on straight. I was making some bad choices and some bad friends. It felt like a bad streak a mile wide."
Things changed one day, Nobles said, while he was relaxing in a canoe on a river near his hometown. Suddenly, a boat in front of him got stuck and the two vessels collided. Nobles' canoe flipped upside down and he was pinned underwater while the canoe was wedged against the boat.
"I just thought to myself 'Well, this is it, this is how it's going to end,'" he said.
Nobles said as his life flashed before him, he realized he hadn't done much with it. He said he felt God was giving him a wake-up call.
Nobles managed to get his footing and stand up underwater, he recounted, pushing the canoe out of the way and dislodging it from the boat.
"I really felt like if I died then, I wouldn't have done anything with my life," he said. "That next day I went to the Marine recruiter's office."
Nobles said he chose the Marine Corps over the other services because of a cousin who fought in Desert Storm.
"I just had so much respect for him growing up that I guess it just translated into respect for the Marine Corps," he said. "Once you get the mindset that you want to be a Marine, settling for anything else isn't something you want to do."
"I honestly didn't choose my [military occupational specialty]," Nobles said. "I thought I was coming in as infantry. I didn't even know the Marine Corps had a job like this."
Considering he didn't get the job he wanted, Nobles said, he couldn't have gotten a better one.
"I love fixing all these radios; it's just like a big puzzle and you have to figure out which piece is missing or broken," he said with a smile while updating the software on some radios. "My job is almost like being a redneck. Rednecks fix everything that's supposed to be broken, you know."
Nobles said one of his fondest memories is of when he went to Forward Operating Base Delhi to fix a radio. When he arrived, he said, he was told to rest because he had arrived late at night. But Nobles had a broken radio and a mission to accomplish.
"That particular one had been broken since August of 2011," Nobles said. "(Third Battalion, 3rd Marines), (3rd Battalion, 5th Marines) and RCT-5 all tried to fix it, but no one could. I fixed it in five hours. I was worried there for a minute, because I thought I wasn't going to be able to fix it."
Watching Nobles on the job, it's easy to see his work ethic.
"It's really just a pride thing," he said. "There's no sense in doing something half (way). It's all about being a man and taking pride in what you do. That's why I try so hard to learn new things about my MOS and try and better myself."