Tag Archives: Democratic Party (United States)

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Help break the silence

08/02/2013 Nativegrl77

“My supervisor told me not to tell my commanding officer. … When a report was made, they tried to keep it as quiet as possible.” — Jimmy Coats, who served in the Navy for eight years
The accounts by survivors of sexual assault recently detailed in The New York Times are exactly why real reform is needed in the military justice system. There were an estimated 26,000 cases of sexual assault last year, but only 3,000 were reported.
And when a survivor does file a complaint, the commander in charge has the ability to set aside guilty verdicts, return the attacker into the ranks, and in some cases even promote the attacker.
We need your help to change the system right now. Tell your Senators you won’t accept anything less than a strong solution for military survivors of sexual assault.
While your Senators are home and looking to hear from their constituents, they need to hear that you support legislation, introduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, which takes the decision to prosecute these cases out of the chain of command and puts it where it belongs — in the hands of trained independent military prosecutors. We’re almost there, and you can help push this through.
Help us stand up for service members everywhere by writing your Senators and telling them you support the Military Justice Improvement Act.
This legislation transcends party politics — with Republicans and Democrats signing on to support the bill. They understand that our service members deserve better, and they’re willing to work together to make it happen.
We need to keep up the pressure on our Senators to support this legislation. And we need your help to do it.
Tell your Senators you won’t accept anything less than a strong solution for military survivors of sexual assault.
Sincerely,

Nancy Duff Campbell Co-President National Women’s Law Center

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Veteran’s Support Congressman Enyart

08/01/2013 Nativegrl77

VoteVets.org

In 2012, Major General (Ret.) William Enyart answered the call when health concerns forced the Democratic nominee for the House of Representatives in IL-12 to withdraw from the race.

With the support of VoteVets members, he won a close contest and has gone on to serve as a tireless advocate for veterans in the House. Earlier this year, Representative Enyart sponsored the “Veterans Backlog Reduction Act” that would ensure disability claims are handled expeditiously.

It wasn’t clear whether or not he was going to run for re-election, but thankfully he’s decided to continue his service.

Will you join VoteVets and send a strong message to everyone watching that we’ll stand with veteran members of Congress who stand with us? Contribute to Congressman Enyart’s campaign here:

http://action.votevets.org/enyart

Just this week, a strong Republican challenger jumped into race to challenge Congressman Enyart.

The next few days are going to set the tone for the rest of the race.

Let’s get this done,

Jon Soltz
@jonsoltz
Iraq War Veteran and Chairman
VoteVets.org