US House Passes Health Care Bill Nov 7 2009

And here we sit on a Saturday night waiting to see if Americans will gain a National health care coverage package or if we will end up with forced health care coverage.

The US House of Representatives has gone to final vote on the bill.

Earlier today President Obama spoke from the Rose Garden at the White House:







The Vote has now passed the House.

The final count at 11:14 the vote is a near tie at 220 yea and 215 nay votes.
219 Democrats voting yea and 39 vote nay.

176 Republicans voting nay and 1 voted yea.


The one Republican voting yea? Joseph Cao from Louisiana.

And now on to the Senate for more head scratching and finger pointing.

Who will be the winner and who will be the loser in the end?

Presidential Weekly Address November 7 2009

In the opening moments of this weekly address, President Barack Obama acknowledges and expresses his personal sadness for the victims of the Fort Hood tragedy. He also gives praise to the selfless valor of those who came to the aid of the injured.

The full text of the Presidents speech is below the video.




Remarks of President Barack Obama
As Prepared for Delivery
Weekly Address
Saturday, November 7, 2009

I’d like to speak with you for a few minutes today about the tragedy that took place at Ft. Hood. This past Thursday, on a clear Texas afternoon, an Army psychiatrist walked into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, and began shooting his fellow soldiers.

It is an act of violence that would have been heartbreaking had it occurred anyplace in America. It is a crime that would have horrified us had its victims been Americans of any background. But it’s all the more heartbreaking and all the more despicable because of the place where it occurred and the patriots who were its victims.

The SRP is where our men and women in uniform go before getting deployed. It’s where they get their teeth checked and their medical records updated and make sure everything is in order before getting shipped out. It was in this place, on a base where our soldiers ought to feel most safe, where those brave Americans who are preparing to risk their lives in defense of our nation, lost their lives in a crime against our nation.

Soldiers stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world called and emailed loved ones at Ft. Hood, all expressing the same stunned reaction: I’m supposed to be the one in harm’s way, not you.

Thursday’s shooting was one of the most devastating ever committed on an American military base. And yet, even as we saw the worst of human nature on full display, we also saw the best of America. We saw soldiers and civilians alike rushing to aid fallen comrades; tearing off bullet-riddled clothes to treat the injured; using blouses as tourniquets; taking down the shooter even as they bore wounds themselves.

We saw soldiers bringing to bear on our own soil the skills they had been trained to use abroad; skills that been honed through years of determined effort for one purpose and one purpose only: to protect and defend the United States of America.

We saw the valor, selflessness, and unity of purpose that make our servicemen and women the finest fighting force on Earth; that make the United States military the best the world has ever known; and that make all of us proud to be Americans.

On Friday, I met with FBI Director Mueller, Defense Secretary Gates, and representatives of the relevant agencies to discuss their ongoing investigation into what led to this terrible crime. And I’ll continue to be in close contact with them as new information comes in.

We cannot fully know what leads a man to do such a thing. But what we do know is that our thoughts are with every single one of the men and women who were injured at Ft. Hood. Our thoughts are with all the families who’ve lost a loved one in this national tragedy. And our thoughts are with all the Americans who wear – or who’ve worn – the proud uniform of the United States of America; our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and coast guardsmen, and the military families who love and support them.

In tribute to those who fell at Ft. Hood, I’ve ordered flags flying over the White House, and other federal buildings to be lowered to half-staff from now until Veterans Day next Wednesday. Veterans Day is our chance to honor those Americans who’ve served on battlefields from Lexington to Antietam, Normandy to Manila, Inchon to Khe Sanh, Ramadi to Kandahar.

They are Americans of every race, faith, and station. They are Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and nonbelievers. They are descendants of immigrants and immigrants themselves. They reflect the diversity that makes this America. But what they share is a patriotism like no other. What they share is a commitment to country that has been tested and proved worthy. What they share is the same unflinching courage, unblinking compassion, and uncommon camaraderie that the soldiers and civilians of Ft. Hood showed America and showed the world.

These are the men and women we honor today. These are the men and women we’ll honor on Veterans Day. And these are the men and women we shall honor every day, in times of war and times of peace, so long as our nation endures.

Unemployment Growing as jobless rate hits 10.2 percent

In a country that has not seen so much unemployment since the great depression many are stunned to see the jobless rate continue to climb to levels that were once thought unattainable.

The decades of American prosperity seem a distant memory now. People who were once gainfully employed and looking to a bright future that held untold wealth and a way to an easier life in lifestyles that were unreachable by there parents are now fighting with state agencies to hold onto an average of $300 a week. Far below what many with or without children can live on.

A country and lifestyle may have changed for generations to come.

People who sensed that the company they were working for were spiraling down into a layoff and decided to make an effort to put a more stable work situation before themselves are being penalized if the company they moved to hit a road block and committed layoffs after they arrived at there new employers.

Benefits are being denied to those who switched jobs and were laid off after making the switch. I know, I am one of those who has been denied benefits. I voluntarily left my former employer to take a position with a new firm, moving and relocating my family at a great expense only to be laid off 5 weeks later. Though I increased my salary by 20% by making the switch and the company I left behind had performed so many layoffs that they were running on a skeleton crew, I was denied since I voluntarily left that company.

How many more are not being counted in the unemployed and jobless ranks?

How high would the jobless rate be if the denied were counted along with the approved?

How many of those unemployed have fallen off the list and remain unemployed?

7,000 people lose their unemployment benefits every day.

How long will this continued downturn last?

Some reports state that about a third of the 15 million people that are out of work, have gone at least six months without a job.

At least six months.

It is hard enough to regain ground once a single month's worth of payments have been missed for one reason or another, how hard will it be for a country of previously employed citizens to catch up after living on $300 a week for six months or more?

President Barack Obama is currently poised to sign an additional $24 billion economic stimulus bill. This bill is designed to provide additional tax incentives to prospective home-buyers as well as extending the previous home-buyers incentives and extending unemployment benefits to the longtime jobless who have been left behind as the economy starts to lean toward recovery.

The extension to the $8,000 first time home-buyer credit was originally set to expire at the end of October. The extension will make the first time home-buyer credit available through April of 2010 with an additional 90 days for closing purposes. A buyer must sign a binding contract for the purchase of a home by the end of April to gain the credit.

The home buyer credit now will include a $6,500 credit for existing homeowners who buy a new home after having lived in their current residence for a minimum of five years.

The addition of the new $6,500 tax credit is an obvious attempt to help reduce the stock pile of homes that are clogging the market and slowing home builders and other forms of business that are heavily reliant on the housing market to spur them on.

This new bill, H.R. 3548 was sponsored by Rep Jim McDermott, and co-sponsored by 49 others. The bill was introduced on September 10th 2009 and presented to the President on November 5th.

In the end, is this to little too late or is this just another drop in the bucket for what is needed to right our country and attempt to put our faltering economy back on the proper track?

I never thought that "Change we can count on" meant the penny's left in our pockets.

The day after the Fort Hood shootings and few questions have been answered

The day after the shooting spree on the largest US Military base in the world, Fort Hood soldiers and families in Texas are still asking the same question.

Why?

Soldiers who witnessed the shootings at Fort Hood have reported that the suspected gunman Major Nidal Malik Hasan shouted "Allahu Akbar" before opening fire. Allahu Akbar translates to "God is great". The cry can be used to express cheer and delight or it can be used as battle cry.

Islamic Groups through out the United States have quickly prepared for the pending public backlash that will undoubtedly erupt since it has been reported that Maj. Hasan was a Muslim.

The backlash will of course be based on speculation and conspiracy theory.

The truth to the reasons behind the attack may take a long time to come to the surface. Speculation seems to be running in every direction and we here at 1461 are not going to point at any one suspected fact about the alleged shooter and draw a conclusion. We will wait for the investigation to draw the conclusions as to why this happened.

How this happened however we will attempt to cover.

The reports that are coming out show us more or less, what happened though they seem to change from hour to hour.

according to reports around the net I have pieced the following together:

The alleged gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a 39 year old Army psychiatrist at Darnall Army Medical Center whom was recently promoted to the rank of Maj. in May and transferred to Fort Hood in June, walked into the Fort Hood Soldier Readiness Center, walked behind a desk and pulled two hand guns. He then allegedly began firing on soldiers as that were being prepared to deploy to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Hasan was shot four times by a civilian police officer and remained hospitalized on a ventilator. The female civilian police officer Kimberly Munley, who shot and wounded Hasan was hospitalized in stable condition.

The picture above is from Officer Munley's Twitter account which has been posted to only 3 times, the most recent of which was on July 6th of this year. If she is the one who brought down the alleged single gunman then her Twitter bio reads as a good prediction. Her bio reads "I live a good life....a hard one, but I go to sleep peacefully @ night knowing that I may have made a difference in someone's life."

1461 Days has watched her followers list jump from just a handful to over 100 in less then 20 minutes.

You can jump on the band wagon and wish her a speedy recovery by clicking the following link.

Officer Munley's Twitter

If she is the one who brought down the actual shooter and brought an end to the shooting spree, we would like to say - Nice Shot! and well done.

FBI agents are searching Maj. Hasan's apartment in the nearby town of Killeen Texas for clues to what may have led to the shooting spree.

Maj. Hasan is a 1997 graduate of Virginia Tech. He was an ROTC member, and received his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. He completed his residency at Walter Reed Medical Center where he was stationed up until his transfer to Fort Hood in May of this year.

Specialist Keara Bono, 21, of the Army Reserve, called her mother from a hospital and said she had been shot in the back. Spec. Bono had arrived at Fort Hood just one day prior to being shot. She was scheduled to deploy to Iraq on December 4th.

It is being reported that Spec. Bono was on the phone with her husband during the shooting and he heard shots and shouting before the line went dead.

19 year old Amber Bahr, was shot in the stomach at Fort Hood but was in stable condition. I have no information on her rank or deployment schedule.

Corporal Nathan Hewitt was shot once in the hip and once in his calf. The 27 year old is a 2000 graduate of Jefferson High School in Lafayette Indiana. He was at Fort Hood waiting to be deployed to Afghanistan. He has already served a tour in Iraq. Corp Hewitt says he doesn‘t remember much about what happened.

21 year old Pfc. Michael Pearson of Bolingbrook, Illinois has been reported as killed in the shooting spree. He had joined the Army just over a year ago.

The Huffington Post and Chicago Breaking News are reporting that 21 year old Francheska Velez of Chicago had just returned from Iraq. She was reportedly 3 months pregnant. She joined the Army in February of 2007. Velez had only been back on base for 3 days and was in the building filling out paperwork related to her pregnancy at the time that she was killed. I have no reported rank for Francheska Velez.

You can visit her FaceBook page here.

The military has still not confirmed the names of the 13 people killed.

Fort Hood shootings an "isolated and tragic case"

According to Military officials the mass shooting at Texas Army base Fort Hood was an "isolated and tragic case".

They stated that they were unaware of any increased security measures at other military bases.

12 people, including the gunman were killed and at least 31 others were injured.

A recently promoted US Army Major is suspected of opening fire Thursday in a soldier Readiness Center. The shooting is reported to have began around 1:30 p.m. All the casualties were confined to the base's Soldier Readiness Center where soldiers who are about to be deployed or have returned from active duty oversees undergo medical screening.

The main suspected gunman has reportedly been identified as Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan. He was shot to death by authorities.

**UPDATE** 11:01 PM - Maj Hasan is reportedly in custody and in a stable condition, not dead as was previously reported. There is little explanation as to why the suspect was believed to be dead, only that there was confusion at the hospital.


The suspected gunman who was promoted to the rank of Major in May of this year had recently transferred to Fort hood in July of this year from Walter Reed were he had been stationed for six years before being transferred. It is being reported that he was an Army Psychiatrist at the Darnall Army Medical Center on the base.

Ten of the dead were soldiers. One of the victims was a civilian police officer who was contracted to work on the base.

There are reports that suggest that more than one gunman were involved in the shooting.

Two soldiers are currently being held as suspects and there is another gunman whom is believed to be among those killed.

There are currently no reports to suggest that the shootings were terrorism-related and no links to a plot against the Fort Hood installation have been suggested.

The motive for the attack remains unclear at this point. It is reported that Maj. Hassan had been made ready to deploy to Iraq.

Below are comments from President Obama from MSNBC.com on the Fort hood shootings.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Presidential Memorandum: Tribal Consultation

Review the full list of President Obama's Memorandum here.

THE WHITE HOUSE - Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release: November 5, 2009

MEMORANDUM FOR:
THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

SUBJECT: Tribal Consultation

The United States has a unique legal and political relationship with Indian tribal governments, established through and confirmed by the Constitution of the United States, treaties, statutes, executive orders, and judicial decisions. In recognition of that special relationship, pursuant to Executive Order 13175 of November 6, 2000, executive departments and agencies (agencies) are charged with engaging in regular and meaningful consultation and collaboration with tribal officials in the development of Federal policies that have tribal implications, and are responsible for strengthening the government-to-government relationship between the United States and Indian tribes.

History has shown that failure to include the voices of tribal officials in formulating policy affecting their communities has all too often led to undesirable and, at times, devastating and tragic results. By contrast, meaningful dialogue between Federal officials and tribal officials has greatly improved Federal policy toward Indian tribes. Consultation is a critical ingredient of a sound and productive Federal-tribal relationship.

My Administration is committed to regular and meaningful consultation and collaboration with tribal officials in policy decisions that have tribal implications including, as an initial step, through complete and consistent implementation of Executive Order 13175. Accordingly, I hereby direct each agency head to submit to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), within 90 days after the date of this memorandum, a detailed plan of actions the agency will take to implement the policies and directives of Executive Order 13175. This plan shall be developed after consultation by the agency with Indian tribes and tribal officials as defined in Executive Order 13175. I also direct each agency head to submit to the Director of the OMB, within 270 days after the date of this memorandum, and annually thereafter, a progress report on the status of each action included in its plan together with any proposed updates to its plan.

Each agency's plan and subsequent reports shall designate an appropriate official to coordinate implementation of the plan and preparation of progress reports required by this memorandum. The Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and the Director of the OMB shall review agency plans and subsequent reports for consistency with the policies and directives of Executive Order 13175.

In addition, the Director of the OMB, in coordination with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, shall submit to me, within 1 year from the date of this memorandum, a report on more (OVER) 2 the implementation of Executive Order 13175 across the executive branch based on the review of agency plans and progress reports. Recommendations for improving the plans and making the tribal consultation process more effective, if any, should be included in this report.

The terms "Indian tribe," "tribal officials," and "policies that have tribal implications" as used in this memorandum are as defined in Executive Order 13175.

The Director of the OMB is hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. Executive departments and agencies shall carry out the provisions of this memorandum to the extent permitted by law and consistent with their statutory and regulatory authorities and their enforcement mechanisms.

BARACK OBAMA

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