* Carol Shea-Porter teamed up with Rep. Patrick Kennedy (RI-01, Ted Kennedy's son) on an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would make getting access to behavioral health for veterans easier (email release):
"This provision will connect our Reservists with the behavioral health care they need and deserve," said Shea-Porter, a member of the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee. "This new pilot program fulfills a promise we have made to servicemembers and their families. I am proud to stand with Congressman Kennedy in offering this amendment."
The Kennedy/Shea-Porter amendment requires the Secretary of Defense to create and implement a program to provide a hotline -- open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - to help service members locate behavioral health care providers and schedule appointments within the TRICARE Reserve system.
As someone who knows of a vet dealing with PTSD and the byzantine nature of military red tape, this is welcome news.
* DiStaso says that Daphne Kenyon, who announced a bid for Bob Letourneau's SD-19 seat, is "described as a 'Lynch Democrat'". I think that's an uneccesarily divisive term, and I hope that's not something being promoted by Democrats. I think it's pretty clear that I'm not a fan of Gov. Lynch's solution to the education funding problem, and from the looks of our poll and from many discussions I've had with Democrats for a couple of years now, I'm not alone, by a long shot. But on a host of other issues I'm right there with the Gov, and one only has to whisper the name "Benson" to get some much needed perspective on how important it is to be unified come election time, even for the gubernatorial race. Which, right now, looks like smooth sailing.
* Speaking of DiStaso's column, I found this part of a Sununu story, about his returning some money from a supporter with possible ties to terrorist organizations, puzzling:
Sununu chief of staff Paul Collins said yesterday, "We were not made aware of Mr. Altalib's previous position, and given that there is an open investigation we have given the contribution to charity.
I know it's not uncommon for CoS's to become campaign managers and vice versa, but you can't have it both ways. Why are our tax dollars going to a Senate staffer who is talking to the press about his boss' campaign activities? Sununu's got 4 million cash on hand, but he's happy to use government resources for as long as possible in a kind of proxy campaign mode grab for free media. Yet we are treated endlessly to right-wing vapors over Hodes' legal and franked mailers.
* While most of the state blogs credentialed for the DNC convention are great - and more importantly, appropriate - picks, some of the ones left out (like Blue Jersey, The Albany Project, Left in Alabama), defy common sense. Kos has been on this story, and the long and short of it is that from the best that we can piece together, it may have been those blogs' willingness to criticize their own party that caused the state parties to, apparently, nix them in favor of blogs with lesser traffic and content, and in some bizarre cases, non-progressive blogs. I bring this up because I'd like to make something crystal clear here: while I'm thrilled to see state party chairs and staff past and present participate on this site, we admins and front pagers are, and have been, willing and able to criticize Democrats and the party whenever we are moved to do so. The fact that that is true, and that Blue Hampshire has been happily issued a credential to the convention, is a testament to both the toughness and big-tent nature of the NH Democrats. So thanks, NHDP.
* The Tibetan Freedom Torch made its way up Mt. Monadnock on Monday (h/t MBH).
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