Camp Lejeune

Book to atone for war vote, says Jones

lbonner — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:38:58 -0500

U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, the conservative Republican who turned against the war in Iraq, is writing a book called called "My Daddy's Not Dead Yet" which he hopes will atone for his vote to go to war, according to Congress Daily.

The title of the book was inspired by a visit in 2007 to a classroom at Johnson Elementary School at Camp Lejeune, in which a little boy expressed the fear that his father would be killed in Iraq, Rob Christensen reports.

Jones said his vote to authorize the war in Iraq has left him with deep guilt. "I profess to be a man of faith," Jones told Congress Daily," but I didn't vote my conscience."

Jones said any proceeds from the book will be donated to help treat the wounded. He said the Iraq experience is making him take a hard look at President Barack Obama's request for more troops for Afghanistan.

"We're trying to police the world," Jones told George Wilson. " Every great nation prior to America that tried to police the world has failed economically. That's why I tell people that I'm a Pat Buchanan American. I want to stop trying to take care of the world and fix this country. Our problems are so deep that there is no easy way to fix them."

Dome Memo: Weight, time management

bniolet — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:20:12 -0400

BY THE POUND: The State Health Plan sent information to its 660,000-plus members giving details on its plans to hike rates for smokers and obese people. The mailing probably prompted a series of early New Year's resolutions.

BAD WATER=GOOD POLITICS: U.S. Sens. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, and Richard Burr, a Republican, have been pushing for benefits for Marines and their families who were exposed to toxic tap water at Camp Lejeune in the 1980s. Before long U.S. Rep. Brad Miller, a Democrat, was ready to introduce a House version of the bill.

NOT NOW: Gov. Beverly Perdue was one of six Democratic governors who did not sign a letter urging health care reform. Turns out there wasn't an ideological reason. Perdue was too busy on a business recruiting trip to give the letter a read.

IN OTHER NEWS: A conservative advocacy group is copying the Amway business model. U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell gets a fundraising boost from Vice President Joe Biden. John Edwards' name causes an awkward moment at the U2 concert in Raleigh.

Hagan: Marines deserve answers

bniolet — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:06:45 -0400

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan says the government owes Marines who are suffering health problems that are possibly related to contaminated tap water on Camp Lejeune.

Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, was quoted in a CNN segment about the health problems, which include as many as 40 cases of men with breast cancer. Hagan's office has been pushing the issue in recent weeks. She is a co-sponsor of a bill with Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, of a bill that would extend Department of Veterans Affairs benefits to anyone affected by the water.

"I think they have worked their entire careers, successfully completing the mission that they were asked to start. And I think it should be our mission to give them complete answers on the water contamination issues. And if we stop now, our mission will not be accomplished," Hagan said.

Miller joins Burr on tainted water

bniolet — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:55:10 -0400

U.S. Rep. Brad Miller is introducing a bill that would give Department of Veterans Affairs benefits to anyone exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

Miller's bill would be a companion to one already filed by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, the AP reports.

Miller, a Raleigh Democrat, has held hearings on the issue.

Health officials say it is impossible to know how many people would qualify. They think as many as 1 million people may have been exposed to the toxins before tainted wells were closed 22 years ago.

Previously, Burr and Sen. Kay Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, amended a defense spending bill with a provision that would prevent the Navy from ending claims about the contamination until the health consequences are fully studied.

Sens. want slower Navy on toxic water

bniolet — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:18:02 -0400

U.S. Sens. Kay Hagan and Richard Burr are pushing a measure that would force the Navy to hold off on disposing of claims about water contamination at Camp Lejeune.

The amendment to a defense appropriations bill must still survive a conference with the House.

From 1957 to 1987, the water at Lejeune was contaminated with toxins at concentrations up to 280 times what is currently considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency and may have contributed to health problems faced by Marines and their families, according to Hagan's office. As many as 1 million people may have been exposed to tainted water.

The bill would halt efforts to dispose of claims filed by those families until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention completes studies of the health effects of the water contamination.

"Our amendment makes the desire of the Senate perfectly clear: the Navy should not dispose of claims until the scientific studies are complete,” said Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Marines and their families, who were exposed to dangerous chemicals in the Camp Lejeune drinking water over several decades, deserve to know how that exposure impacted their health.”

In July, Burr and Hagan introduced a bill that would open access to Department of Veterans' Affairs health care for veterans and their family members that lived on the base during the years of water contamination.

Senators to discuss water at Lejeune

bkrueger — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:46:08 -0400

U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Kay Hagan plan to meet Wednesday with top Navy and Marine Corps officials to talk about the decades-old controversy surrounding contaminated water from Camp Lejeune.

Thousands of Marines and their families stationed at Camp Lejeune in the 1970s are thought to have been exposed to well water that contained chemicals called trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene. Many of those exposed – some of the children at the time – have been diagnosed with a variety of ailments, including cancer.

Burr, a Republican, and Hagan, a Democrat, were disappointed at a National Academy of Sciences report released in June that gave inconclusive information about the impacts of the tainted water on families, reports Barb Barrett.

The study listed 14 health conditions and diseases that could potentially be linked to exposure from harmful chemicals at Camp Lejeune. At the time of its release in June, Burr argued that more investigation was needed.

Hagan to spend holiday with Marines

bkrueger — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:39:45 -0400

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan is going to celebrate the Fourth of July at Camp Lejeune.

Hagan, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, will join Marines at the base for holiday festivities Saturday evening.

A release from Hagan's office notes that her father-in-law is a retired two-star Marine general.

Hagan: Lejeune water study not valid

janestancill — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:14:03 -0400

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan says she can't stand behind the recent National Academy of Sciences study on water contamination at Camp Lejeune.

In a statement today, the Democrat said the study, released over the weekend, neglects key historical document and "severely downplays the established links between adverse health effects and exposure to [volatile organic compounds] that were present in the water at Camp Lejeune."

Hagan called for a hearing to explore the topic. "Former personnel and residents of Camp Lejeune need closure on this issue and one way to help facilitate that is through a hearing in the Armed Services Committee," her statement said.

She continued, "The time has come for Congress, the Department of the Navy, and the Marine Corps to work together to develop a plan to resolve the longstanding issue of water contamination at Camp Lejeune."

Hagan and Republican Sen. Richard Burr sent a letter last week to the Navy asking detailed questions about whether officials knew of contamination before wells were shut down. The two senators will meet with Navy Sec. Ray Mabus this summer.

N.C. delegation's favorite words

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:23:00 -0400

What does North Carolina's delegation talk about in Congress?

The Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on government transparency, has created a fun new way to answer that question.

The Capitol Words project uses speeches recorded in the Congressional Record to measure the frequency of specific words used by each member of Congress.

Some results from the past year are obvious. Reps. G.K. Butterfied, Mike McIntyre, Heath Shuler, Howard Coble and Bob Etheridge basically said "North Carolina" the most.

Sen. Richard Burr, who is the ranking member of a Veterans Affairs committee, said the word "veterans" the most — some 277 times.

Rep. Walter Jones, who represents Camp Lejeune, said "Marine" 98 times, while Rep. David Price, who chairs an Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security, said "security" 48 times.

Other results were a bit surprising. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican, said the word "Democrats" some 428 times — the most of any word used by the delegation.

To see North Carolina's words by year, month and session, click here.

Pig Book finds $228m from N.C.

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:11:30 -0400

A watchdog group found $228 million in earmarks from last year.

Citizens Against Government Waste highlighted 173 earmarks from North Carolina's representatives and senators in its annual "Pig Book" of Congressional appropriations today.

The list ranges from $50,000 for gang prevention in Charlotte to $57.9 million for a hospital renovation at Camp Lejeune. Many of the earmarks have also been requested in this year's budget.

The advocacy group ranked North Carolina 34th in "pork per capita," with $24.72 per resident. That was up from 39th place the previous year.

It also criticized $11.6 million for a Fort Bragg chapel requested by Rep. Mike McIntyre, $2 million for textiles research and $167,000 for the Morehead Planetarium from Rep. David Price, and $475,750 for the automotive research from Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

In the upcoming budget, North Carolina's House members have requested 545 earmarks totaling $1.5 billion. The Senate has not yet released its requests.