Bank Overcharged Military Families On Mortgages - Tamara Keith, NPR News, Washington

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JPMorgan Chase admitted to overcharging more than 4,000 active-duty military personnel on their home loans and said it foreclosed in error on 14 of them. The company will send out $2 million worth of refunds to 4,000 active-duty customers who were affected.

The banking giant JP Morgan Chase has admitted that it overcharged more than 4,000 active duty military personnel on their home loans. As first reported by NBC News, the bank also says it mistakenly foreclosed on the homes of 14 soldiers.

As NPR's Tamara Keith reports, members in the military have special protections, but in this case, they didn't work.

TAMARA KEITH: Julia Rowles and her husband Marine Captain Jonathan Rowles have been fighting with Chase bank for years - basically ever since Captain Rowles was commissioned as an officer in 2006.

Ms. JULIA ROWLES: They would say, we will take your house. We will report you to the credit agency. This is a bad situation that you don't want to be getting into. Pay us today. They were harassing us for money that we did not owe them.

KEITH: Her husband once got a collection call at 3:00 AM. And none of that was supposed to happen. Under a federal law called the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, most troops can get their mortgage interest rates reduced to six percent while on active-duty and foreclosures aren't allowed. Rowles says her husband, who is now overseas, was granted the lower interest rate, but Chase didn't adjust its records.

Ms. ROWLES: They kept still charging us nine and 10 percent and we were paying upwards to $2,000 when we should have only been paying $1,400.

KEITH: This week, Chase said it would be sending out $2 million worth of refunds to 4,000 active-duty customers like the Rowles, who were overcharged. It also admitted wrongfully foreclosing on 14 homes, and said all but one of those cases has been resolved.

Bank officials declined an interview request, but in a statement said quote, while any customer mistake is regrettable, we feel particularly badly about the mistakes we made here.

But attorney Dick Harpootlian in Columbia, South Carolina isn't ready to accept the apology. He's one of the lawyers representing the Rowles family in what he hopes will become a class action lawsuit against Chase.

Mr. DICK HARPOOTLIAN (Civil Attorney): I was a prosecutor for 12 years, everybody that got caught taking money that wasn't theirs always said they were sorry, offered to give it back and call it even and that's just not what ought to happen in cases like this.

Ms. ELIZABETH WARREN (Assistant and Special Advisor to the President): This latest incident is further proof of why we need a strong consumer financial protection agency.

KEITH: That's Elizabeth Warren, a special assistant to President Obama. She's putting together the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It was created by Congress to look out for consumers in the wake of the financial crisis and will also focus on protecting military families.

Ms. WARREN: We need a cop on the beat. The laws are in place but there's no one to enforce them and no one to speak up for these families, this is just wrong.

KEITH: Warren says the laws exist so service members can concentrate on doing their jobs.

Ms. WARREN: Not be worried about paperwork and bills and whether or not a loved one is being harassed for money that's not even owed.

KEITH: Yesterday, Warren visited Lackland Air Force Base in Texas to talk to military families about their financial concerns. She was joined by Holly Petraeus, the wife of General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Mrs. Petraeus was one of the first hires for the new consumer bureau.

Ms. HOLLY PETRAEUS (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau): I really can't think of anything better to be doing while my husband is deployed forever than, you know, working on a project like this.

KEITH: She'll head the office of Service Member Affairs - an office that will be on the lookout for issues like those at Chase.

Eisenhower Warns Us of the Military Industrial Complex - YouTube

It was 50 years ago today (January 17,1961) that President Dwight D. Eisenhower in his farewell address to the American people warned us of the dangers of the military industrial complex.

Pres. Eisenhower: "A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be might, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction. . . . American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. . . . This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. . . .Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. . . . In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

Senator Gillibrand: Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell " Will Increase America's Strength Both Militarily and Morally

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the U.S. Senate voted to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” ending 17 years of injustice in America’s armed services. Senator Gillibrand, who helped lead the fight in the Senate to end the corrosive policy, issued the following statement:

“The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is wrong for our national security and wrong for the moral foundation upon which our country was founded. For nearly two decades this corrosive policy has required service members to lie about who they are. We've lost more than 13,000 of our best and brightest to this unjust and discriminatory policy. By repealing this policy, we will increase America's strength – both militarily and morally.

“I want to thank the service men and women who have been victimized by this disastrous policy, but have bravely fought back, and every senator who stood up today and did what was right. I am confident we will proceed with repeal of this discriminatory policy in a way that ensures that the U.S. military continues to be the best fighting force in the world."

Gays Call "Don't Ask, Don't Rell" Repeal a Civil Rights Milestone | Video | 7online.com

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"Gays call 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal a civil rights milestone
Kemberly Richardson reports"

Senate Repeals ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ by Carl Hulse - NYTimes.com

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Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senator Carl Levin made their way to a press conference after the Senate advanced the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

The Senate on Saturday struck down the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military, bringing to a close a 17-year struggle over a policy that forced thousands of Americans from the ranks and caused others to keep secret their sexual orientation.

By a vote of 65 to 31, with eight Republicans joining Democrats, the Senate approved and sent to President Obama a repeal of the Clinton-era law, known as “don’t ask, don’t tell,” a policy critics said amounted to government-sanctioned discrimination that treated gay and lesbian troops as second-class citizens.

Mr. Obama hailed the action, which fulfills his pledge to reverse the ban. “As commander in chief, I am also absolutely convinced that making this change will only underscore the professionalism of our troops as the best led and best trained fighting force the world has ever known,” Mr. Obama said in a statement after the Senate, on a 63-33 vote, beat back Republican efforts to block a final vote on the repeal bill.

The vote marked a historic moment that some equated with the end of racial segregation in the military. It followed a review by the Pentagon that found little concern in the military about lifting the ban and was backed by Pentagon officials as a better alternative to a court-ordered end.

Supporters of the repeal said it was long past time to end what they saw as an ill-advised practice that cost valuable personnel and forced troops to lie to serve their country.

“We righted a wrong,” said Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, the independent from Connecticut who led the effort to end the ban. “Today we’ve done justice.”

Before voting on the repeal, the Senate blocked a bill that would have created a path to citizenship for certain illegal immigrants who came to the United States at a young age, completed two years of college or military service and met other requirements including passing a criminal background check.

The 55-41 vote in favor of the citizenship bill was five votes short of the number needed to clear the way for final passage of what is known as the Dream Act. The outcome effectively kills it for this year, and its fate beyond that is uncertain since Republicans who will assume control of the House in January oppose the measure and are unlikely to bring it to a vote.

The Senate then moved on to the military legislation, engaging in an emotional back and forth over the merits of the measure as advocates for repeal watched from galleries crowded with people interested in the fate of both the military and immigration measures. “I don’t care who you love,” Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, said as the debate opened. “If you love this country enough to risk your life for it, you shouldn’t have to hide who you are.”

Mr. Wyden showed up for the Senate vote despite saying earlier that he would be unable to do so because he would be undergoing final tests before his scheduled surgery for prostate cancer on Monday.

The vote came in the final days of the 111th Congress as Democrats sought to force through a final few priorities before they turn over control of the House of Representatives to the Republicans in January and see their clout in the Senate diminished.

It represented a significant victory for the White House, Congressional advocates of lifting the ban and activists who have pushed for years to end the Pentagon policy created in 1993 under the Clinton administration as a compromise effort to end the practice of banning gay men and lesbians entirely from military service. Saying it represented an emotional moment for members of the gay community nationwide, activists who supported repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” exchanged hugs outside the Senate chamber after the vote.

“Today’s vote means gay and lesbian service members posted all around the world can stand taller knowing that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ will soon be coming to an end,” said Aubrey Sarvis, an Army veteran and executive director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona and his party’s presidential candidate in 2008, led the opposition to the repeal and said the vote was a sad day in history. “I hope that when we pass this legislation that we will understand that we are doing great damage,” Mr. McCain said. “And we could possibly and probably, as the commandant of the Marine Corps said, and as I have been told by literally thousands of members of the military, harm the battle effectiveness vital to the survival of our young men and women in the military.”

He and other opponents of lifting the ban said the change could harm the unit cohesion that is essential to effective military operations, particularly in combat, and deter some Americans from enlisting or pursuing a career in the military. They noted that despite support for repealing the ban from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, other military commanders have warned that changing the practice would prove disruptive.

“This isn’t broke,” Senator James M. Inhofe, Republican of Oklahoma, said about the policy. “It is working very well.”

Other Republicans said that while the policy might need to be changed at some point, Congress should not do so when American troops are fighting overseas.

“In the middle of a military conflict, is not the time to do it,” said Senator Saxby Chambliss, Republican of Georgia.

Only a week ago, the effort to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy seemed to be dead and in danger of fading for at least two years with Republicans about to take control of the House. The provision eliminating the ban was initially included in a broader Pentagon policy bill, and Republican backers of repeal had refused to join in cutting off a filibuster against the underlying bill because of objections over the ability to debate the measure.

In a last-ditch effort, Mr. Lieberman and Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a key Republican opponent of the ban, encouraged Democratic Congressional leaders to instead pursue a vote on simply repealing it. The House passed the measure earlier in the week.

The repeal will not take effect for at least 60 days while some other procedural steps are taken. In addition, the bill requires the defense secretary to determine that policies are in place to carry out the repeal “consistent with military standards for readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention.”

Because of the uncertainty, Mr. Sarvis appealed to Mr. Gates to suspend any investigations into military personnel or discharge proceedings under the policy to be overturned in the coming months.

Mr. Lieberman said the ban undermined the integrity of the military by forcing troops to lie. He said 14,000 members of the armed forces had been forced to leave the ranks under the policy.

“What a waste,” he said.

The fight erupted in the early days of President Bill Clinton’s administration and has been a roiling political issue ever since. Mr. Obama endorsed repeal in his own campaign and advocates saw the current Congress as their best opportunity for ending the ban. Dozens of advocates of ending the ban — including one wounded in combat before being forced from the military — watched from the Senate gallery as the debate took place.

Senator Carl Levin, the Michigan Democrat who is chairman of the Armed Services Committee, dismissed Republican complaints that Democrats were trying to race through the repeal to satisfy their political supporters.

“I’m not here for partisan reasons,” Mr. Levin said. “I’m here because men and women wearing the uniform of the United States who are gay and lesbian have died for this country, because gay and lesbian men and women wearing the uniform of this country have their lives on the line right now.”

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader and a crucial proponent of the repeal, noted that some Republicans had indicated they might try to block Senate approval of a nuclear arms treaty with Russia because of their pique over the Senate action on the ban.

“How’s that’s for statesmanship?” Mr. Reid said.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: They've Done the Job Abroad But Can't Find a Job at Home - The Huffington Post

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Today, as we honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, we must recommit ourselves to providing economic opportunity for our brave veterans once they return home.

Each day in Washington, I work to make sure that our troops and veterans receive all the benefits they have earned - from first-rate health care at the VA, to an affordable college education, low interest loans to buy a home and good opportunities for a new job when they've returned home to their families. It's the least we can do to repay the debt we owe them.

But these days, when our troops return from Iraq and Afghanistan, so often they are coming home to a country far different than the one they left. Many of the businesses they once knew and worked at are gone. Jobs have disappeared by the millions and are only very slowly starting to return.

As a result, more than 1 in 5 veterans today are unemployed. It is simply unacceptable that these hardworking, devoted men and women, who have done their job for America abroad, cannot find a new job back home.

It is time to get serious about creating jobs for these brave men and women who are ready to work.

So last week, I was proud to announce the Veterans Employment Act of 2010 -- landmark legislation that takes a comprehensive approach to addressing the skyrocketing unemployment rate among veterans. I believe our veterans are uniquely qualified to succeed in the 21st century economy and this bill will help veterans translate their military skills to the workplace, assist veteran-owned small businesses and provide the training and education -- as well as increased opportunities -- our vets need to succeed at the jobs of tomorrow.

Specifically, this legislation:

· Establishes a Veteran Business Center Program within the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide critical entrepreneurial training and counseling to veterans.

· Expands the Post-9/11 GI Bill to allow returning veterans to use the benefit for apprenticeship and worker training programs that will help them acquire the skills they need to find stable, family-wage jobs in their communities.

· Creates pilot programs to test ways transitioning service members can build on the technical skills learned in the military and better market those skills in the civilian workforce.

· Establishes a Veterans Conservation Corps Grant Program and a Veterans Energy/Green Jobs Grant Program to connect veterans with the green jobs market of the future.

Additionally, The Veterans Employment Act also takes steps to make current job assistance programs work better for veterans.

· Examines the expansion of the National Guard Employment Enhancement Project (NGEEP), which would provide transition assistance to National Guard members.

· Requires the Department of Defense and the Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Service to examine the Transition Assistance Program for active duty servicemembers and recommend how to update and upgrade the program to meet the needs of today's veterans.

New York has a long, proud tradition of answering the call of service. Our state is home to more than 1 million veterans, and over 60,000 servicemen and women serving today. All have answered a call above and beyond any other, and we owe them a debt of gratitude for their service and sacrifice.

As I said in my acceptance speech at the NYS Democratic convention last week, we have a moral obligation to provide for our veterans when they return home. This is about fairness and opportunity and that's why I'm committed, not just today, but every day, to make sure our veterans can provide for themselves and their families when they return home from serving their country.

Spectators Suffer Minor Injuries in S.I. Helicopter Mishap by Tim Minton and Michael Clancy - NBC New York

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Ten people were injured, including seven transported to the hospital, when an Osprey military aircraft performing a Memorial Day demonstration in a Staten Island park knocked down tree limbs onto spectators.

The Osprey MV-22 aircraft was landing at Staten Island's Clove Lakes Park around 9 a.m. Monday as part of Fleet Week when it blew down a number of tree limbs. Video captured by an overhead chopper filming the demonstration shows spectators scrambling for cover as the powerful helicopter - which combines airplane-like wings with rotors that let it take off and land vertically, like a helicopter -- kicked up a terrible wind.

"It was like two tornadoes with the propellers," eyewitness Keith Carlsen told NBCNewYork. "They got low and everything started flying. I was walking 300 yards away and it was still amazing."

Onlookers first scrambled for cover and then rushed to clear fallen branches to see if people were trapped beneath them. Parents snatched up small children and carried them out of harm's way. One tree lost all its branches on one side, photographs from the scene show.

ed, including seven transported to the hospital, when an Osprey military aircraft performing a Memorial Day demonstration in a Staten Island

park knocked down tree limbs onto spectators.

The Osprey MV-22 aircraft was landing at Staten Island's Clove Lakes Park around 9 a.m. Monday as part of Fleet Week when it blew down a number of tree limbs. Video captured by an overhead chopper filming the demonstration shows spectators scrambling for cover as the powerful helicopter - which combines airplane-like wings with rotors that let it take off and land vertically, like a helicopter -- kicked up a terrible wind.

"It was like two tornadoes with the propellers," eyewitness Keith Carlsen told NBCNewYork. "They got low and everything started flying. I was walking 300 yards away and it was still amazing."

Onlookers first scrambled for cover and then rushed to clear fallen branches to see if people were trapped beneath them. Parents snatched up small children and carried them out of harm's way. One tree lost all its branches on one side, photographs from the scene show.

"The wind was unbearable," recalled eyewitness Anita Muriale. "People were falling. Trash was going all over the place. Trees was flipping -- I ran!"

Ten people suffered minor injuries in the mishap. Seven people taken to Richmond University Hospital and three people on the scene refused treatment, according to the fire department.

The MV-22 is a Marine Corps version of the V-22, which combines airplane-like wings with rotors that let it take off and land vertically. It "stirs up a lot of wind, and that's apparently what did it," Marine Corps spokesman Lt. Josh Diddams said.

"We came in over the trees and the next thing I see is a Tennessee Titans blanket blowing up in the air and so that made me think something was below us," Capt. Mike Henson told NBCNewYork. "And I turned down and looked and there's some people walking away from the downed tree."

A joint venture of Boeing Co. and Textron Inc.'s Bell Helicopter, the V-22 is designed to carry 24 combat troops and fly twice as fast as the Vietnam War-era assault helicopters it was designed to replace.

The Osprey program was nearly scrapped after a history of mechanical failures and two test crashes that killed 23 Marines in 2000. But development continued, and the aircraft have been deployed to Iraq.

While the General Accounting Office questioned the V-22's performance in a report last year, the Marine Corps has called it effective.

In hindsight things would be done differently but every precaution had been taken, the Marine regiment commander in charge of the operation said.

"All i can tell you is we hit all of the safety parameters as far as distances," Col. Eric Smith said. "So the people were as far back as they should have safely been. But that tree limb obviously was not something we anticipated snapping."

Sign Petition to Rethink Afghanistan - Brave New Foundation

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News reports indicate that in the next few weeks, President Obama plans to announce his decision to send up to 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

If he does so, he will be making the biggest mistake of his presidency.

Sign the petition to send a clear message to President Obama: Do not send more soldiers into this quagmire:

http://rethinkafghanistan.com#petition

An Afghanistan War veteran will travel to D.C. to deliver this message to the White House. Make sure your voice is heard.

Text of Petition:



Dear President Obama,

News reports indicate that you plan to send between 34,000 and 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

We urge you to reconsider this decision.

Expanding the war in Afghanistan will make Americans less safe, not more so.

Less than 100 members of Al Qaeda remain in Afghanistan. The Karzai government we once supported is controlled by warlords and is riddled with corruption. Pakistan’s stability will be gravely imperiled by an expansion of the war. Hundreds if not thousands of troops will be killed, along with countless civilians. Anti-American sentiment throughout the Muslim world will be inflamed by civilian bloodshed, facilitating recruitment by terrorist organizations.

The war will cost billions of dollars when we can least afford it, and will stymie your domestic agenda.

The cost of sustaining a military force in Afghanistan is $1 million per soldier per year – that’s close to $100 billion dollars annually with the troop increase. With the economy in shambles, the deficits generated by these enormous costs will compromise your domestic legislative agenda both fiscally and politically.

The United States has no vital interest in Afghanistan. If you choose to further escalate troop levels in Afghanistan, you will be making the biggest mistake of your presidency.

Please reject General McChrystal’s troop requests and begin the process of exiting U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

Sign Petition Now...

Sen. Addabbo Honors New York's Veterans as Nation Marks 90th Observation of Veterans Day and Local Flag Dealer Boosts Our Veterans on November 11th..

As the nation prepares for its 90th Veterans Day observance, we should remember the contributions of the men and women of our armed services every day, according to State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., who serves on the Senate’s Veterans, Homeland Security & Military Affairs Committee.

"New York’s one million veterans and all the men and women who have served in uniform deserve our thanks on Veterans Day and every day," said Senator Addabbo. “They put protecting our country ahead of protecting their personal safety. As our end of the bargain, the people of the State of New York have made a continuing commitment to our veterans.”

New York’s one million veterans are eligible for a number of benefits and programs, including property tax exemptions, tuition education assistance, job training, employment placement assistance and counseling.

This year, the state Senate, working with the governor, increased funding for veterans’ service agencies and enacted additional property tax exemptions for veterans. The Senate’s Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee will be bringing together returning veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars with representatives of the Building Congress, the Building and Construction Trades Council and other potential employers of veterans.

For more information on benefits available to veterans, visit the State Department of Veterans Affairs Web site at http://veterans.ny.gov/, or call 518-474-7606 or 212-564-8414.

This year, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki and the Veterans Day National Committee have designated New York City’s Veterans Day Parade as an official regional Veterans Day observance.

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I, and became a national holiday in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954 changed the name to Veterans Day to honor those who served in all American wars.

For more information, call Senator Addabbo’s office at 718-738-1111.

Glendale Flag Dealer Boosts Our Veterans on November 11

At this 90^th anniversary of the holiday, during a time of growing support for the men and women of our Armed Forces, online flag dealer FlagsExpo.com, with a flag store in Queens, NY, announced that it will give away free USA flags.

FlagsExpo.com has been giving away free American flags for a long time, and on this Veterans Day, the tradition continues. The flags can be claimed on November 11, 2009, (one to a customer, walk-ins only) from 9 AM - 5 PM, at 6524 Myrtle Avenue, Glendale, NY, while supplies last. The free American flags being distributed by FlagsExpo.com are 12” x 18’’ on the staff and are made in the USA.

“Our flags fly in government agencies, churches, community organizations, schools and colleges. Our customers are from all over the USA and we are proud that our flags are flying on military bases in Afghanistan and Iraq,” adds the flag company president Fred Vaynman, whose business operates in the heart of Senator Addabbo’s 15th Senate District in Glendale.

About Delta Signs & Flags Co.

Delta Flags Co. has been in business since 1979, has a flag store in Queens, New York, and a FlagsExpo.com Web site offering USA, military, religious, state, world, pet flags, flagpoles & flag accessories. For more information, contact FlagsExpo.com or Delta Signs & Flags Co., 6524 Myrtle Avenue, Glendale, New York 11385, 718-418-3705, deltaflags@yahoo.com or signs718@yahoo.com.