The Massachusetts National Guard soldier from Quincy who died Friday in Afghanistan asked her relatives to press for answers if anything happened to her while she was deployed, according to her family.
"She did say to us that she had concerns about things she was seeing when she was over there," Ciara Durkin's sister, Fiona Canavan, said in an interview with WGBH-TV. "She told us if anything happened to her, that we were to investigate it."
Questions surrounding Durkin's death prompted US Senators John F. Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy and US Representative William D. Delahunt yesterday to call for the Defense Department to thoroughly investigate the death of Durkin, a Quincy resident.
In a letter, Kerry urged Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates "to deploy your staff on this matter immediately, so that the answers and circumstances around Specialist Durkin's death are uncovered, expeditiously and thoroughly."
Delahunt, a Quincy Democrat, said his staff met yesterday with Army officials to find out how Durkin died. Kennedy's office said he had spoken to Army Secretary Pete Geren yesterday to relay the family's concerns.
The Defense Department says it is investigating Durkin's death, which it described as a "non-combat-related incident." Durkin's family says Army officials have told them she was found with a single bullet in her head, lying near the church where she worshipped on the secure Bagram Airfield.
The Army has not publicly disclosed whether a weapon was found near her body.
The Massachusetts National Guard initially reported that Durkin was killed in action, though a Guard spokesman later said the term meant only that Durkin was serving in Afghanistan at the time.
One man come in the name of love One man come and go One man come, he to justify One man to overthrow
In the name of love What more in the name of love In the name of love What more in the name of love
One man caught on a barbed wire fence One man he resist One man washed on an empty beach. One man betrayed with a kiss
In the name of love What more in the name of love In the name of love What more in the name of love
(nobody like you...)
Early morning, April 4 Shot rings out in the Memphis sky Free at last, they took your life They could not take your pride
In the name of love What more in the name of love In the name of love What more in the name of love In the name of love What more in the name of love...
You will never be forgotten Rev. King. You were taken from us much too early, but your message and spirit lives on
After we were in the air, the pilot announced that the Navy captain on board was escorting home the body of a soldier who had died in Iraq. When we landed at Logan Airport, the pilot made another announcement. Don't be alarmed by the flashing lights, he said. He explained that the Logan Fire Department had formed a color guard to honor the soldier.
I witnessed the Navy captain crying as he received an ovation from the passengers on Flight 1220. I witnessed outside my window the slow process of ensuring that the body of the fallen soldier was treated with the respect he deserved.
On most flights, as soon as that bulkhead door opens, there is a scramble to get off the plane. On Flight 1220, even though the door was open, an entire planeload of adults sat silently, waiting for the body to be removed. I witnessed the flag-draped coffin of one of our finest slowly carried away by six Navy officers.
I did not witness a single dry eye on the plane. I heard a woman nearby say, "Why must America's most honorable die for a decision made under less than honorable pretenses?"
I will never forget what I saw that night: real pain and sorrow from average Americans for a young soldier whom none of us have ever met.
Somewhere out there are this boy's parents, deeply mourning their loss. Sadly, our government's efforts haven't just insulated the public from the mounting losses; the families of the soldiers are unable to see and feel the people who mourn alongside them.
The leaders on Capitol Hill continue to fight about if and when to bring our troops home from the Iraqi debacle. But until they make the correct decision, our soldiers will continue to come home one by one -- in the cargo holds of planes just like Delta Flight 1220.
For the first time, the federal government is denying death benefits to the spouse of a congressman because he is gay.
Former Rep. Gerry Studds, D-Mass., who became the first openly gay member of Congress when his homosexuality was exposed during a teenage page sex scandal, died early Saturday. He was 69. In 2004 Studds married Dean Hara, 48, after gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts.
Hara, unlike the spouses of other members of Congress who have died, won't be receiving any portion of Studds' estimated annual $114,337 pension. The 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act blocks the federal government from recognizing the 2004 marriage between Studds and Hara.
Peter Graves, a spokesman for U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which administers the congressional pension program under federal law, said same sex partners are not recognized as spouses for any marriage related benefits.
He said Studds is the first case of its kind as far as the office could determine. "Our office could not think of a similar situation having occurred," he said.
Graves said Studds had other options. He could have had an insurable interest annuity, similar to buying an insurance policy, which is allowed under both the civil service and federal employee retirement system and does not come under the restrictions of the Defense of Marriage Act. Graves said he didn't know if Studds used that option.
Here's the DU thread for those that missed it. Joe Lieberman said that rape victims can find another hospital if they are denied emergency contraception. These are his exact comments:
Lieberman said he believes hospitals that refuse to give contraceptives to rape victims for "principled reasons" shouldn't be forced to do so.
"In Connecticut, it shouldn't take more than a short ride to get to another hospital," he said.
We're talking about someone who has been RAPED, the last thing she needs to be shuttled around trying to find a hospital that will give her a legal medication to which she is entitled. These comments by Joe are so freakin' heartless. The National Organization for Women endorsed Lamont yesterday due to this.
“This endorsement means a great deal to me,” said Lamont. “Public officials need to understand the need to defend complete reproductive freedom. Anything less is a huge step back for women and simply not acceptable.”
At the press conference, NOW displayed maps depicting the “short car ride to another hospital” mentioned by Senator Joseph Lieberman as he explained his support for the right of hospitals to refuse to provide emergency contraception to rape victims. “Lieberman said he believes hospitals that refuse to give contraceptives to rape victims for ‘principled reasons’ should not be forced to do so. ‘In Connecticut, it shouldn’t take more than a short care ride to get to another hospital,’ Lieberman told the New Haven register (3/13/06).
That comment for Joe put me over the edge and I decided to contribute to his primary opponent. Won't you join me?
Your group's attack on Michael Schiavo is not only disgusting, but it's incredibly hypocritical. You say real men don't kill their wives? Well, Tom DeLay did the EXACT SAME THING to his OWN FATHER in 1988:
"In 1988, Tom DeLay's 65-year-old father, Charles DeLay, suffered catastrophic brain damage and went into a coma. He had no hope of recovery but evidently reacted when his son entered the room. Although Charles DeLay had no living will, his family concluded that he would be better off dead and wouldn't want to go on living this way. Tom DeLay joined other family members in deciding to withhold dialysis. His father died."
Real Christians don't tell lies and smear innocent people. You make me sick. I would like to know how the "Reverend" Euteneur can cast these stones at Mr. Schiavo when Tom DeLay made the exact same decision in regards to his father. What does your "pro-life" group think of Tom DeLay's decision to pull the plug on HIS OWN FATHER???
After Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) refused to debate her primary challenger, state Rep. Bob McEwen, in front of a Cincinnati-area Republican club, the club invited comedian Rachel Dratch of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” to stand in for Schmidt at the event. Dratch portrayed the controversial congresswoman on the show last fall after Schmidt’s infamous “cut and run” comment about Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) on the House floor.
The Anderson Township Republican Club scheduled the debate for April 19. According to club spokesman Duffy Beischel, Schmidt had agreed to a debate, but her campaign later notified the club that she would not be taking part.
Lest the event become a “McEwen monologue,” said a release, the club started looking for alternatives. “Some of our club members suggested to me that we invite ‘Saturday Night Live’s’ Rachel Dratch to take Mrs. Schmidt’s part in the debate,” said Beischel. “I thought that was a great idea, so invitations were sent” to Dratch and producer Lorne Michaels.
“If Ms. Dratch is able to accept our invitation, she would articulate the positions as submitted in the response Mrs. Schmidt gave on a questionnaire the club prepared for all candidates prior to the last primary debate,” said club President Russ Jackson.
Casey Sheehan grew up in a devout Catholic home. He served as an altar boy and then as a key member of his church's youth group for years.
When he was old enough, Casey joined the Boy Scouts, becoming the very second Eagle Scout out of his troop.
He enlisted in the Army when he was twenty years old. He decided to be a mechanic. He would undergo Combat Lifesaver training - a class on how to give IVs and treat trauma only second in intense learning to combat medic training. He was also certified to assist with giving communion to soldiers while in the field.
-snip-
Casey Sheehan's Sergeant asked for volunteers. Sheehan had just returned from Mass. After Sheehan volunteered once, the Sergeant asked Sheehan again if he wanted to go on the mission. According to many reports (and according to his own mother), Casey responded, "Where my Chief goes, I go."
The QRF was launched. Not long after entering the Mahdi area, the QRF was channeled onto a dead-end street where the roofs were lined with snipers, RPGs, and even some militia throwing burning tires onto the vehicles. The Mahdi blocked the exit and let loose with everything they had.
Sheehan's vehicle was hit with multiple RPGs and automatic-weapons fire.
Specialist Casey Sheehan and Corporal Forest J. Jostes were killed.
A second QRF was formed - all volunteers - to go rescue the first. Specialist Ahmed Cason was hit in the second QRF - but kept fighting until he bled to death.
Seven men died with Casey Sheehan on Sunday, April 4th, 2004.
They were Spc. Robert R. Arsiaga, Spc. Ahmed Cason, Sgt. Yihjyh L. "Eddie" Chen, Spc. Stephen D. Hiller, Spc. Israel Garza, Cpl. Forest J. Jostes, and Sgt. Michael W. Mitchell.
It was Palm Sunday.
Palm Sunday commemorates the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem. Back then, the palm frond was a symbol of victory - laid beneath the feet of those of the highest honor and triumph. Some believe it was this honor fit for a king that forced Jesus's enemies to act and crucify him.
In recognition of Casey, the Catholic Chapel at Fort Hood, Texas (where Sheehan was stationed) named the Knights of Columbus chapter the "Casey Austin Sheehan Council".
Casey also received the Bronze Star for his Valor that day.
Palm fronds for the most honored.
This was posted last year but it still leaves me with a lump in my throat. As a side note, that is from a right-leaning site, so ignore the comment section, way too much bile directed at Cindy. I thought this was fitting tribute on this 2nd anniverary of his death.
On the April 3 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio program, Neal Boortz issued an apology for his remarks about Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), stating, "I've known Cynthia McKinney for a long time, and there is no way in the world that that word should be used to describe her or her hairdo or any woman." As Media Matters for America noted, Boortz said that McKinney, "looks like a ghetto slut" during the March 31 broadcast of his radio program, and later added that he didn't "blame them for stopping" McKinney during a March 29 incident at the Capitol because she had a "ghetto trash" haircut and "looked like a welfare drag queen was trying to sneak into the Longworth House Office Building." In issuing the apology, Boortz added that it "won't mean anything to people who consider any negative comment or criticism of any type at any time about anybody who is not white to be racism."
To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."
"Roosevelt in the Kansas City Star", 149 May 7, 1918
A Vermont dairy farmer was herding his cows in a remote pasture when suddenly brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the farmer "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?"
The farmer looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?"
The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his AT&T cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite navigation system to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.
The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany. Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.
Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech,miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the farmer and says, "You have exactly 1586 cows and calves."
"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says the farmer. He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.
Then the farmer says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"
The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"
"You're a consultant for the National Republican Party ." says the farmer.
"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"
"No guessing required." answered the farmer. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked; and you don't know anything about my business........ Now give me back my dog."
You just can't make this stuff up folks! 
