Controversies

West Point Cadet Quits over Overbearing Religious Atmosphere

A Humanist and president of West Point’s Secular Student Alliance, Page said he witnessed routine prayers at mandatory events for cadets and rewards to students who participated in religious retreats and chapel choirs. Page served two years in the Army as an enlisted soldier before entering West Point, where he majored first in chemical engineering and then in management. read more

Senate Report on CIA Torture Techniques May Remain Secret

The 6,000 page report is said to conclude that “enhanced interrogation” techniques—including waterboarding, sleep deprivation, forced nudity and physical abuse—contributed little or no intelligence that could not have been obtained legally. Waterboarding used to be called “water torture,” and the U.S. hanged Japanese interrogators who used it on American POWs during World War II. read more

State Dept. Considering Pre-Clearance of Employee Tweets and Blog Posts

Under the new rules, the State Department would get 48 hours to review Twitter posts and five days to approve a blog entry, speech, or remarks prepared for a live event. The agency also would require 30 days to examine manuscripts before books go to print. read more

Pentagon to Study Whether Generals and Admirals Need More Ethics Training

Dempsey suggested that the Joint Chiefs review the staffing, travel privileges and other perquisites provided to senior officers, who often travel in corporate-style jets and have their own cooks, drivers and dozens of aides who perform personal errands. Such cushy treatment can be addictive, leading to a sense of personal superiority and entitlement. General Ward, for example, is accused of assigning staff to run errands for him and his wife. read more

Family Planning Budget Cuts in Texas Lead to Increase in Poor Women having Babies

Republican lawmakers shifted $73 million from family planning services to other programs so that Planned Parenthood clinics, which offer abortions, had less money to work with. But the move could result in nearly 24,000 more babies being born to low-income women during 2014-2015 due to reduced access to state-subsidized birth control. In FY2011, the state family planning services helped 202,968 people. In FY2012 that figure dropped to 75,160. read more

Supreme Court Rules Federal Government is Liable for Arkansas Forest Damage

From 1993 to 2000, the Army Corps of Engineers released more water than planned from the Clearwater Dam in Missouri. But federal attorneys claimed other factors may have caused the trees to die off. The ruling clears the way for the Arkansas commission to be reimbursed for the flood damage. read more

Sioux Tribe Buys Back Sacred Land from Private Owners

Known as Pe’ Sla, the land is considered sacred by the Sioux, who objected to the owners, Leonard and Margaret Reynolds, selling off the 1,942 acres to another private party. The public outrage convinced the Reynolds to cancel the auction and sell the land back to the Sioux tribes for $9 million. The U.S. government seized the Black Hills in 1877 following battles between the Sioux and the American cavalry. read more

Patients Not Allowed Access to Data Collected by Implants in their Bodies

Companies like Medtronic, which make defibrillator implants for adjusting a person’s heartbeat, provide information collected from these devices to doctors, but not to patients. The only way a patient can obtain the data about their own heart functions is through their physician. Medtronic is considering selling the aggregate data collected from the implants to health systems or insurance companies. read more

Pentagon Refuses to Pay for Horse-Riding Therapy for Disabled Daughter of Navy Officer

Kaitlyn Samuels, 15, was born with a rare neurological disorder similar to cerebral palsy that, without effective physical therapy, will eventually result in her own body crushing her internal organs, resulting in death. Spending twice a week atop a horse proved effective for Kaitlyn, as the riding helped stretch her muscles and straighten her spine. Hippotherapy is covered by Medicaid. read more

Coating May Undermine Aspirin’s Ability to Prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania studied 400 healthy people and did not find a single person whose body was resistant to aspirin. But they did find that the coating on the pills that is meant to help protect the stomach might interfere with the body’s ability to absorb the aspirin. read more

Atheists May Not Perform Marriage Ceremonies, Federal Judge Rules

The judge insisted the First Amendment ensures the right of priests and ministers to perform marriages. If CFI wants to marry people, it must register itself as a religious organization, according to Barker’s ruling. “If we would declare ourselves a religion, then we could do it,” Reba Boyd Wooden, executive director for the Indiana CFI chapter, told the Indianapolis Star. “But we’re very adamant we’re not a religion.” read more

Vietnam Vets Who Suffered PTSD to Sue Armed Forces over Less-than-Honorable Discharges

The Yale team says 154 Vietnam-era veterans petitioned the U.S. Army to upgrade discharges because of PTSD from 2003 to 2012, but that only two were successful. The Army Board of Corrections for Military Records, meanwhile, has been more generous in granting upgrades, at a rate of nearly 50%, according to the plaintiffs’ lawyers. They also claim that more than 250,000 Vietnam vets were discharged under other-than-honorable conditions, and that thousands of those probably had PTSD. read more

Fracking Companies Clash with Grain Shippers and Army Corps of Engineers over Use of Missouri River Water

The continuing drought of 2012 may soon prevent barge traffic from navigating the critical 180-mile stretch of the Mississippi River between the confluences of the Missouri River near St. Louis and the Ohio River at Cairo, Ill., along which river depth is 15 to 20 feet less than normal. At the same time, oil companies conducting fracking operations in North Dakota are demanding immense quantities of Missouri River water be diverted to them, further threatening levels on the Mississippi. read more

In 35 Years, Kennedy Center has Honored Only One Hispanic American…Chita Rivera

In 35 years of handing out awards to singers, musicians and actors, the center has recognized only one Latino American: actress Chita Rivera in 2002. Rivera’s father was Puerto Rican. Advocates have repeatedly called upon the Kennedy Center to recognize more Hispanics, citing many examples of deserving artists: Anthony Quinn, Celia Cruz, Desi Arnaz, Rita Moreno, Edward James Olmos, Joan Baez, Carlos Santana and many others. read more

Latest Victims of Mortgage Modification Crisis…Widows

For many of these women, they are caught in the middle of a Catch 22 mess: they don’t qualify for mortgage modifications unless their name is on the loan, but many lenders won’t add them to the note until they pay any amounts that are past due. As a result, many women 50 and older are losing their homes because they are outliving their husbands while being unable to cope with pension cuts and rising medical expenses. read more

Private Prison Company Muscles into Law Enforcement, Creating Occupants for Its Prisons

Under Arizona law even the two students found with a joints’ worth of pot face possible prison time because they were apprehended on school grounds. They are exactly the kind of low risk, minimum to medium security prisoners off of which CCA makes much of its profits. This constitutes a clear conflict of interest read more