The end of “the war to end all wars
Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislation that was passed in 1938, November 11 was "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.
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LITHUANIA |
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LATVIA |
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KOSOVO |
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STEVE BANNON |
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REICHERT: PICK UP THE PACE ON BILATERAL DEALS: After
the W&M subcommittee hearing, Chairman Dave Reichert told reporters he had
no idea whether Trump would follow through on his frequent threat to withdraw
from NAFTA. But without getting into specifics, the Washington Republican said
he did share the business community's concerns about some of the Trump
administration's proposal for revising the pact. "Some of the concerns I think are
legitimate concerns and need to be evaluated," Reichert said, adding that
he and his staff are in regular conversations with U.S. Trade Representative
Robert Lighthizer about the direction of the talks. Reichert used the hearing to highlight the
need for Trump to start making good on his promise to negotiate bilateral trade
deals, especially in the Asia-Pacific, where the United States risks falling
behind to trading partners such as the EU, Canada and Mexico, which are
actively pursuing deals in the region.
"We cannot allow much more time to lapse in creating opportunities
to have other agreements, and especially when you look at Japan," Reichert
said. "Also, looking at Vietnam, we've got to move forward quickly on
these bilateral agreements so that our industries ... have the opportunity to
compete fairly across this world." [POLITICO's Morning Trade,
October 12, 2017]
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U.S. MILITARY |
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TRUMP |
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WHIMSEY |
TRUMP CALLS FOR WILDFIRE FUNDING (AT LEAST FOR 2018): The
White House formally requested nearly $30 billion in
disaster funding on Wednesday afternoon, including $576.5 million to help USDA
combat the wildfires across the West. House and Senate appropriators released
statements of support and pledged to act quickly - but that won't solve the
Forest Service's problems for long. USDA spent more than $2 billion in fiscal
2017 fighting more than 80 fires across the West and Great Plains, making it
the most expensive year on record for the Forest Service. Fire suppression
spending has reached 55 percent of the Forest Service's budget, up from 15
percent in past years.
Good for Peter: House Agriculture
Chairman Mike Conaway backed the move on Wednesday,
saying that with the money, "we won't be, in fact, robbing Peter to pay Paul."
The Paul problem: But the emergency
package is a one-time payment for wildfire funding and doesn't solve the
broader problem that the Forest Service's fire suppression budget, which is
based on 10-year averages, hasn't kept up with the increase in both the
occurrence and severity of wildfires. Lawmakers have been trying to address the
issue for years, but have been unable to reach a deal to change how to best
fund fire suppression. [POLITICO's Morning Agriculture, October 5,
2017]
HOUSE PASSES FOREST SERVICE BILL: The
House of Representatives passed a bill that would help address fire funding
issues and change Forest Service processes in a 232-188 vote Wednesday evening.
The Resilient Federal Forests
Act of 2017, H.R. 2936 (115), aims to
address fire-borrowing, streamline environmental review processes and minimize
litigation in the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. It also seeks
to address a long-standing fire-funding problem: When Forest Service runs out
of its fire-suppression budget, the agency is forced to tap into money for fire
prevention and other programs.
The bill, sponsored by
Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.),
the only forester in Congress, told MA that the bill was an effort to increase
the pace and scale of management and restoration projects, while also working
toward a bipartisan solution for fire-suppression funding. The bill, he said,
seeks to adjust FEMA's budget cap formula, which would provide for disaster
relief in the event of future wildfires.
The Wilderness Society,
National Parks Conservation Association, and numerous environmental protection
and conservation groups rallied against the bill, emphasizing that it would
reduce opportunities for public input and environmental reviews.
Perdue applauds House
passage: USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue has repeatedly urged for a
funding fix as wildland fire suppression costs exceeded $2 billion in
fiscal 2017, making this the most expensive year on record for the Forest
Service. Perdue called the House vote on Westerman's bill an "important
step toward better management of national forests," paving the way for a
better funding solution.
The future remains
unclear: Westerman emphasized that given the number of large-scale
wildfires this year, he believed that "Democrats and Republicans alike in
the Senate will take action on it." While on the House floor, he urged the
House to help in collaborating to "work out the differences" and
create a workable solution that President Donald Trump would sign. But in 2015,
Westerman sponsored a similar bill of the same name, H.R. 2647 (114), that
passed the House, but was not taken up for a Senate vote. [POLITICO's
Morning Agriculture, November 2, 2017]
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FREE SPEECH |
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ACTIVITIES, GAMES, TOYS, ETC. |
NOTE: The news sources here vary. Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here. This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased. Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value. Thank you
NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as a "community service" announcement. These again are shared for their varying perspectives.
Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post. Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse. They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended
NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as a "community service" announcement. These again are shared for their varying perspectives.
Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post. Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse. They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended
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