US Military
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Retired military officers issue an order: improve school lunches!
Now that guys like these are demanding significantly more funding for school lunches, will Congress and the President listen? School lunch advocates have found a new — and certainly unexpected — ally in the battle for school lunch reform: retired military officers. A group called Mission: Readiness is holding an event today in Washington, DC […]
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Christian Coalition backs Sen. Graham on climate legislation
Since coming out in support of climate legislation in October, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has faced a lot of vitriol from groups on the right, including Tea Party activists in Charleston. This criticism culminated in a formal censure from Charleston County that lambasted Graham for subverting “Republican leadership and party solidarity for […]
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How many Venezuelan soldiers does it take to change a lightbulb?
An entire army, apparently. El Presidente of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, put in big orders for energy efficiency when he commanded the country’s lightbulbs get swapped for CFLs. Why the power play? A drought of hydropower has the nation in energy crisis and the military armed with efficient lightbulbs, laying waste to every wasteful incandescent in […]
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Iraq veterans: Support troops by passing clean-energy bill
The Operation Free tour brought U.S. veterans Matt Victoriano (left), Robin Eckstein, and Patrick Bellon to Seattle last week to call for clean-energy legislation.Grist photo/Jonathan HiskesAs a tanker driver in Iraq, U.S. Army veteran Robin Eckstein saw firsthand the risk that fossil-fuel dependence posed to American troops. She drove a water truck in convoys with […]
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Iraq veterans hit GOP for aiding terrorists with oil money
Cross-posted from Wonk Room. In a series of hard-hitting television ads, a liberal veterans advocacy organization challenges Republican lawmakers for blocking clean energy legislation that would cut oil funds to terrorists. As part of a $2 million television ad campaign, VoteVets has released a national spot as well as ones targeting Senate Minority Leader Mitch […]
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Pentagon: ‘Climate change, energy security, and economic stability are inextricably linked’
Cross-posted from The Wonk Room. For the first time, the Pentagon’s primary planning document addresses the threat of global warming, noting that it will accelerate instability and conflict around the globe. Former Senators John Warner (R-Va.) and Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) added language requiring the department to consider the effects of climate change on its facilities, […]
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Water, conflict, and security on the banks of the Hudson
The lecture was only a few hours away. Chuck Norris was pitching his new book on post at the same hour. In desperation, I turned to Facebook. “I’ve got just 50 minutes with the cadets at West Point today to talk water, conflict, and cooperation. What are the most compelling examples you would use to […]
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Veteran wins groundbreaking claim for Agent Orange exposure at Georgia military base
A U.S. veteran living in Tennessee has won what’s thought to be the first Veterans Administration claim for exposure inside the continental United States to Agent Orange, an herbicide that was used by the military to clear jungles during the Vietnam War. Agent Orange — which got its name from the color of the barrels […]
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The U.S. military’s battle to wean itself off oil
Don’t ask what kind of mileage it gets.In the summer of 2006, Marine Corps Major General Richard Zilmer sent the Pentagon an unusual “Priority 1” request for emergency battlefield supplies. Stationed at a temporary base in Fallujah, Zilmer was commanding a force of 30,000 troops responsible for protecting Al Anbar, the vast territory in western […]