KANSAS CITY, Mo. Oct. 28, 2010 — American military servicemen and women exemplify the characteristics of heroes every day. This year, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Foundation and the Kansas City Chiefs are joining forces to ask fans to “return the favor” to our troops for their service on Military Appreciation Day.
The celebration will take place as part of the October 31 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills. Chiefs fans will have the opportunity to say thanks to soldiers and their families through a day-long series of special events with players and team personnel. The event will recognize and raise funds for the VFW Foundation’s “Return the Favor” campaign, which supports a variety of programs and services that fill in governmental assistance gaps for active-duty troops abroad, deserving military families and our veterans.
“The Chiefs have a long-standing commitment to honoring the men and women in our armed forces. We proudly join the VFW Foundation in saluting their bravery and dedication,” said Mark Donovan, the Chief Operating Officer for the Chiefs. “Our troops always step up when needed. Now, we are encouraging Chiefs fans to do the same and join us as we ‘return the favor’ to those who have served and are serving our country worldwide.”
More on VFW Foundation "Return the Favor" campaign.
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Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Military Absentee Voting Acts Need Accountability and Enforcement
WASHINGTON, October 28, 2010 — The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act was enacted in 1986 to protect the rights of military servicemembers to vote in federal elections regardless of where they were stationed. The passage of the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act of 2009 was meant to provide even greater protections to those serving, their families, and other Americans overseas.
So why after the military absentee voting debacles of the past few elections cycles are a number of states still failing their servicemembers, and why is the Department of Justice more interested in cutting deals than hitting these states where it would hurt — with fines?
Richard L. Eubank, national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. and its Auxiliaries, said the problem boils down to accountability and enforcement.
"The law requires absentee ballots to be mailed a minimum of 45 days before a federal election, which should give ample time for standard mail to make a roundtrip from overseas areas," said Eubank, a retired Marine and Vietnam combat veteran from Eugene, Ore. "Yet 12 states requested waivers from the Defense Department this year because they were unable to meet the Sept. 18 deadline to mail election material. That is absolutely unacceptable in the year 2010."
According to the Pew Center on the States, the main problem is federal laws have to be implemented by the states, which in this case results in a patchwork of inconsistent state laws and absentee ballot procedures that are impediments to overseas voters. Pew said a heavy reliance on a slow delivery system, late ballot mailings and early return deadlines simply does not provide overseas voters enough time to vote.
Eubank is now asking his 2.1 million members who may reside in those problem states to reach out to their elected leaders and demand why their election officials and/or state laws have failed to serve military voters. Eubank also wants the Justice Department to put teeth into the law by levying heavy fines where appropriate.
"The 14th Amendment came about by American patriots who left towns and farms to fight for everyone's freedoms," he said. "They didn't do anything the easy way, and nor should governments and employees when it comes to ensuring a fellow American's right to vote."
For a list of problem states and Justice Department actions, go to http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/October/10-crt-1212.html.
So why after the military absentee voting debacles of the past few elections cycles are a number of states still failing their servicemembers, and why is the Department of Justice more interested in cutting deals than hitting these states where it would hurt — with fines?
Richard L. Eubank, national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. and its Auxiliaries, said the problem boils down to accountability and enforcement.
"The law requires absentee ballots to be mailed a minimum of 45 days before a federal election, which should give ample time for standard mail to make a roundtrip from overseas areas," said Eubank, a retired Marine and Vietnam combat veteran from Eugene, Ore. "Yet 12 states requested waivers from the Defense Department this year because they were unable to meet the Sept. 18 deadline to mail election material. That is absolutely unacceptable in the year 2010."
According to the Pew Center on the States, the main problem is federal laws have to be implemented by the states, which in this case results in a patchwork of inconsistent state laws and absentee ballot procedures that are impediments to overseas voters. Pew said a heavy reliance on a slow delivery system, late ballot mailings and early return deadlines simply does not provide overseas voters enough time to vote.
Eubank is now asking his 2.1 million members who may reside in those problem states to reach out to their elected leaders and demand why their election officials and/or state laws have failed to serve military voters. Eubank also wants the Justice Department to put teeth into the law by levying heavy fines where appropriate.
"The 14th Amendment came about by American patriots who left towns and farms to fight for everyone's freedoms," he said. "They didn't do anything the easy way, and nor should governments and employees when it comes to ensuring a fellow American's right to vote."
For a list of problem states and Justice Department actions, go to http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/October/10-crt-1212.html.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Statement from VFW National Commander on the PAC situation
As you know, in light of the VFW- PAC endorsements I, along with my leadership team, clearly expressed our deepest concerns to the PAC regarding the negative impact its recent endorsements were having on the organization. We expressed our grave concerns relating to the selection process that, in our opinion, were unintentionally biased toward the incumbent and as a result, patently unfair.
Although the VFW PAC Board of Directors was aware of the magnitude of outrage their decision process had produced among VFW members and supporters, they failed to acknowledge the urgings made by VFW leadership and disregarded the request to rescind all current political endorsements.
In the end, the process and decisions made by PAC failed to represent the best interest of VFW members. The decisions of a relative few have significantly failed the organization and could ultimately hinder the ability of the VFW to fulfill its mandate of service to our nations’ veterans, service members and their families.
For many generations the VFW and its many missions of service have withstood the sands of time. What our members have accomplished for so many years for many people has never been predicated upon loyalty to any political party, persuasion or philosophy. The VFW does not and will not enter the political arena nor embroil itself in partisanship by providing endorsements for political candidates.
Consequently, I have expeditiously moved forward during this critical juncture and have taken significant steps to correct the negative impact this situation is having on the Veterans of Foreign Wars and to regain the trust of our loyal members and supporters. As Commander-in-Chief, I propose to offer a resolution to amend the by-laws at the 112th National Convention for the purpose of dissolving the PAC. Meanwhile, under the authority granted to me as Commander-in-Chief in section 619 of the VFW National By-Laws and under section 620 of the Manual of Procedure I have withdrawn all PAC appointments effective October 15, 2010, thus effectively rendering the PAC inoperable.
The VFW- PAC was created by VFW members and not by VFW national leaders. This is exercised through the VFW convention as the governing body of the organization. As such, it is only the delegates at the convention that can determine the continued existence of the PAC.
Sincerely,
Richard Eubank
VFW National Commander
Although the VFW PAC Board of Directors was aware of the magnitude of outrage their decision process had produced among VFW members and supporters, they failed to acknowledge the urgings made by VFW leadership and disregarded the request to rescind all current political endorsements.
In the end, the process and decisions made by PAC failed to represent the best interest of VFW members. The decisions of a relative few have significantly failed the organization and could ultimately hinder the ability of the VFW to fulfill its mandate of service to our nations’ veterans, service members and their families.
For many generations the VFW and its many missions of service have withstood the sands of time. What our members have accomplished for so many years for many people has never been predicated upon loyalty to any political party, persuasion or philosophy. The VFW does not and will not enter the political arena nor embroil itself in partisanship by providing endorsements for political candidates.
Consequently, I have expeditiously moved forward during this critical juncture and have taken significant steps to correct the negative impact this situation is having on the Veterans of Foreign Wars and to regain the trust of our loyal members and supporters. As Commander-in-Chief, I propose to offer a resolution to amend the by-laws at the 112th National Convention for the purpose of dissolving the PAC. Meanwhile, under the authority granted to me as Commander-in-Chief in section 619 of the VFW National By-Laws and under section 620 of the Manual of Procedure I have withdrawn all PAC appointments effective October 15, 2010, thus effectively rendering the PAC inoperable.
The VFW- PAC was created by VFW members and not by VFW national leaders. This is exercised through the VFW convention as the governing body of the organization. As such, it is only the delegates at the convention that can determine the continued existence of the PAC.
Sincerely,
Richard Eubank
VFW National Commander
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