Congress Recognizes 20th Anniversary Of ADA

By Alexa Gitler - Talk Radio News Service

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa.), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) joined with several other members Monday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act. 

“The ADA has broken down barriers, created opportunities, and transformed lives,” said Harkin. “Today we recognize that people with disabilities like all people have unique abilities, and talents, and aptitudes, and that our nation is better and fairer and richer when we make full use of those gifts.”

The law allows for equal opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. 

Langevin, who is disabled after becoming paralyzed almost 30 years ago, will preside over a resolution in the House of Representatives today as Speaker Pro-Tempore. This is the first time in history this role has been filled by a disabled Member.

“I hope people see my act today [presiding over the House] and realize that all things are possible, that all of us have difficulty and challenges in our lives, but if we have single-minded determination, and with the right tools and support to level the playing field there is nothing we can’t accomplish or pursue,” he said. 

This evening, President Barack Obama will host an event at the White House to commemorate the anniversary of the law.

OPINION: Message To Conservatives: Hold Breitbart Accountable

By Ellen Ratner - Bureau Chief Talk Radio News Service

When I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, I learned that we had trial by jury and that people were innocent until proven guilty. We watched courtroom dramas where people we thought were guilty from all the available facts were proven innocent when the likes of Perry Mason defended them in court. I thought that due process was something that was a hallowed and cherished principle of our American ideals.

That seems to have gone out the window. On radio I am forever defending the right of people to not be incarcerated in Guantanamo without trail. People tell me I am soft on terrorism. No, I am not; I am just in love with what I was taught about real justice.

So, what am I to think when my fellow liberals caved under pressure when the right wing uses viral Internet videos to make a community organization, ACORN, look like it is renting to obvious pimps or racist government employees? I think we have forgotten what we stand for.

The ACORN video was heavily edited to make ACORN look bad and like a criminal enterprise. Whomever edited the Shirley Sherrod video left out the whole story. Sherrod’s whole story was about her personal transformation to being color blind and being concerned about small farmers. It is a great and heartwarming tale.

Later, we learned that her husband was a famous member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, during the early ’60s. When other African-American members of SNCC did not want to take the time to deal with white kids from the North, Ms. Sherrod’s husband did. There is a family history of working with others to achieve equality.

When online editing first came into being, I used to show our interns how you could take any interview and edit individual words to make the speaker say something they did not. The interns learned a lesson about media manipulation. What we have seen in the ACORN and NAACP tape of Sherrod is an example of that kind of manipulation.

The 24-hour news cycle has pulled more reporters off the beat, increased demand for content and made real investigative journalism almost a thing of the past. Organizations simply can’t the luxury of sitting on a story, mulling over its implications has all but gone. No one news organization can be blamed as everyone one of those news organizations has taken some short cuts in pursuit of getting something on the air. It is just the economic state of the news business.

What I do not understand is why conservatives have not held Andrew Breitbart’s feet to the fire for allowing two edited videotapes on his website? How is it that anyone would ever give something he tries to hawk to destroy perceived liberals any credence? It is actually quite shocking that his fellow conservatives have kept their mouths shut.

ACORN shouldn’t have lost its funding. Shirley Sherrod shouldn’t have been fired, even though she was instantly rehired. Due process and innocence before being declared guilty should be the reaction to the media begging for a quick story.

In the future, the fraddy cat liberal Democrats should remember what we were taught grade school: Time and realinvestigation should take place before they take the bait. It may make the right wing think twice before they surface another fake scandal.

Today At TRNS

White House correspondent Victoria Jones will be covering the briefing with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

The Washington Bureau Will Be Covering:

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC); and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is holding a joint meeting to discuss ways to promote investment and innovation in health technology by streamlining government processes, and on the impact on regulation of converged communications and health care devices.

Members of Congress and disability rights advocates is holding events celebrating the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa.), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) will be participating.

The National Urban League is holding a news conference to share their concerns that proposed federal efforts to reauthorize federal education statutes do not go far enough to ensure high-quality and equitable education for students who need it most. Rev. Jesse Jackson, president and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and Rev. Al Sharpton, president and founder of the National Action Network will be participating.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md), Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) and Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) deliver remarks at a reception to mark the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) is holding his weekly pen and pad briefing.

The Commission on Wartime Contracting holds a hearing on “Subcontracting Risks in Combat Zones.” Deputy Assistant Army Secretary for Procurement Edward Harrington; Patrick Fitzgerald, director of the Defense Contract Audit Agency; Cathy Read, director of acquisition management at the State Department; Drew Luten III, acting assistant administrator for management at the United States Agency for International Development; Cheryl Ritondale, global director of procurement and supply management at KBR, Inc.; Norm Powell, vice president and government business acquisition executive at Fluor Corp.; John Supina, senior vice president of business administration at DynCorp International; Chris Taylor, CEO at Mission Essential Personnel, LLC; Fred Brune, president of government facilities and infrastructure at CH2M Hill (subcontractor to DynCorp); Perry Dalby, manager and ethics committee Director at Tamimi Global, Ltd. (subcontractor to KBR); Paul Hinks, CEO at Symbion Power Services (subcontractor to Louis Berger/Black & Veatch); Mark Kleckner, chief operating officer at McNeil Technologies (subcontractor to DynCorp); Marc Krens, chief financial officer at the Diplomat Group (subcontractor to Fluor); and Jerry Torres, president and CEO at Torres Advanced Enterprise Solutions, LLC (subcontractor to MEP) will be participating.

Spill Response Team Preparing For Tropical Storm

by Miles Wolf Tamboli

Tropical storm Bonnie is currently approaching the Gulf of Mexico, at about 18 miles per hour, and according to experts, seems to be headed straight toward the Northernmost region of the Gulf, which has been most affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  Although the storm is not expected to grow in intensity, it will be nearing the Macondo well in the next two days, and  the Deepwater Horizon Response Joint Command is readying operations in the Gulf.

Incident Commander Admiral for the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill Thad Allen held a briefing in New Orleans Friday to provide an update on the preparations currently being made.

“The intention right now is to put the vessels in a safe place so they can return as quickly as possible to resume their operations,” said Allen.  The two rigs drilling the relief wells, which could bring a conclusive end to the spill in the near future, have been detached from their drill sites and will soon be moved out of harm’s way.

Allen described that although the Joint Command is unsure, as of yet, whether they will need to leave the site, crucial surveillance and safety technology will continue monitoring the area for any anomalies, and added, “if we have to evacuate the scene we’re probably looking at a very limited window, something around 48 hours.”

Many question the effect a storm could have on the surface oil in the Gulf, and the former Coast Guard official remarked that the storm may, in fact, “help as the emulsification of the oil and the, and the distribution and biodegradation of the oil,” due to increased surface activity.  

“On the other hand, you have the chance to have a storm surge drive that up into beach and marsh areas where it would not have been driven otherwise,” Allen continued, adding that the response team is prepared to step up its cleanup efforts.

“We would like to get back on team and restart the activity as soon as we can,” Allen added.

Hoyer Pledges Jobs Creation Will Help Americans 'Make It In America'

Robert Hune-Kalter - Talk Radio News Service

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Friday at the Center for American Progress (CAP) that if jobs are created in America, Americans can make it in America and he believes job creation must be part of the American agenda.

“The private sector has added jobs for, as I said, six straight months,” said Hoyer. “By comparison, it took more than two years after the end of the last recession for our economy to return to six consecutive months of job growth in the private sector.”

He was critical of Republicans, accusing them of attempting to “demonize” legislation that has clearly helped the private sector and job growth.

“The House Minority Whip himself, hosted three job fairs ironically featuring employers who have benefited from such federal funds, a policy he voted against,” Hoyer said. “In fact, while all House Republican’s voted against these investments, more than half of the Republicans in Congress have taken credit for them in their districts.”

Hoyer says Republicans want to return to the same failed policies that put America in the current economic recession.

“The chairman of the Republican congressional campaign committee, whose job it is to recruit members to come to Congress to make policy said, and I quote, ‘We need to go back to the exact same agenda’,” said Hoyer.