Frank Urges House Committee To Support Anti-Discrimination Bill

John DuBois, University of New Mexico - Talk Radio News Service

The House Committee on Education and Labor held a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which was introduced by U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) in June of this year.

The bill, known as H.R. 3017, would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

During the hearing, Frank implored his colleagues in the House to support the legislation.

"Let me just say to my colleagues. There's nothing to be afraid of. These are our fellow human beings. They're not asking you for anything other in this bill, for the right to earn a living. Can't you give them that. If you don't like them and don't want to be friends I think your missing on something, but that's your choice," Frank said.

According to Frank, the bill will provide more job opportunities based on a candidate's skill, work ethic and experience, rather than his or her sexual orientation.

Military Leaders Aim To Lower Post-Deployment Psychological Issues

Annie Berman - Talk Radio News Service

“The hardest thing about deployment is coming home,” said Rep. Patrick J. Murphy (D-Penn.), an Iraq War Veteran who served in Iraq in 2003, at a hearing Wednesday before the House Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

In an effort to ease the process of coming home from deployment, the military has developed a number of programs aimed at combatting military suicides. The Marine Corps in particular has developed a “family readiness” program that is intended to help soldiers and their families cope with all of the stages of serving in the military, from basic training to deployment, to coming home.

As the number of military suicides continues to rise, leaders in the armed forces have grown frustrated with programs that have been put in place to lower this figure.

“The reality of it is, the target for [these programs] needs to be the assimilation of those who have served back into the general population dealing with the day to day whether it’s families, their kids, their education, their bills, and the relationship stressors associated with it,” said Admiral Patrick M. Walsh, Vice Chief of Naval Operations at the U.S. Navy.

General Peter W. Chiarelli, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, explained that it’s not necessarily a matter of whether or not the programs are working, but rather a matter of finding ways to best match a specific program with an individual service member's needs.

The U.S. Army has commissioned the National Institute of Mental Health to conduct a study entitled: “Collaborative Study of Suicidality and Mental Health in the U.S. Army," a study that Chiarelli believes will help him and his colleagues understand what causes soldiers to commit suicide.

“[This is] the largest study of behavioral health ever undertaken by the Army.....[it] will examine behavioral health, psychological resilience, suicide risk, suicide-related behaviors, and suicide deaths across the active and reserve components over all phases of a soldiers career,” he said.

Another initiative to helping soldiers cope with the stresses of deployment and coming home is a web based program that would provide online counseling via video, email, live chat, or instant messaging.

“[There is] a stigma of seeking mental health help. We’re trying to do everything possible to try and get rid of that stigma...It’s been done in Australia. They’ve had tremendous success. The people have been more willing to open up online and that gets the geographically separated people who don’t have the cocoon of the military post,” said Chiarelli.

Rep. Kline longs for the Democrats

"I wish the Democrats were here", said Rep. John Kline during a speech today on the floor of the House of Representatives, in which he expressed his desire for the Democrats to return to Congress for a vote on energy legislation. He and other Republican members of the House continued their call for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to call an emergency session of Congress.

Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) agreed with Kline, though also pointing out that any new endeavors to procure new energy can take a considerable amount of time. However, he remained confident that the United States could see a substantial change in oil prices in less than ten years. He compared the quest for new sources of energy to the lengthy construction time of the United States Capitol.

Last night on CNN Speaker Pelosi said she was open to a vote on energy legislation containing offshore drilling. However, some Republican speakers expressed concern that Speaker Pelosi would not follow through on her commitment.