Month: July 2006

This came via e-mail. Snopes has a some clarrifications (see below).

1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the Tomb of the Unknowns and why?
21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why?
21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1

3. Why are his gloves wet?
His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.

4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time and if not, why not? He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb.
After his march across the path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.

5. How often are the guards changed?
Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to? For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5′ 10″ and 6′ 2″ tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30.” Other requirements of the Guard: They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in any way. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their
lives or give up the wreath pin.
The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt.
There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror.
The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are: President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame.
Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.
In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington, DC, our US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, “No way, Sir!” Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.

Corrections from Snopes:

From 1926 through 1937, the Tomb was guarded only during daylight hours. Ever since 1937, the Tomb has been continuously guarded 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Tomb guards are changed every thirty minutes between 8 AM and 7 PM during the period from early Spring to early Autumn (April 1 through September 30), and every hour between 8 AM to 5 PM the rest of the year. At all other times (i.e., while the cemetery is closed), the guard is changed every two hours.
Even the Old Guard doesn’t regulate the off-duty lives of its members so stringently!
Sentinels at the Tomb do not have to commit to serving there for any fixed period of time, and the average tour of duty is only about half the two year period claimed here. Like most servicemen, Tomb guards may live either on-base (at nearby Fort Myer) or off-base in housing of their choosing. There are no restrictions on guards’ off-duty drinking.
The Tomb Guard Identification Badge, first awarded in 1957, is a honor for which a guard qualifies by “flawlessly performing his duty for several months” and passing a test, not something simply handed out to everyone who serves for a given period of time.
The 500th Tomb Guard Identification Badge was awarded in early 2002, and the total number of recipients is now about 525. The award is, as its name states, a badge worn on the pocket of a uniform jacket, not a pin worn in the lapel.
Although the claim that guards “cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives” is fallacious, there is some truth to the notion that the Tomb Guard Identification Badge can be taken away, even after the recipient has left the service.
A Tomb guard’s behavior is not so stringently regulated that he is prohibited from speaking to anyone for a full six months (someone seems to have confused the Old Guard with a monastery!), and guards may do whatever they want (including watching TV) during their off-duty hours. But since any soldier wishing to become a sentinel must undergo rigorous training, including several hours a day of marching, rifle drill and uniform preparation, and every tomb sentinel is expected to be completely versed in the history of both the tomb and of Arlington National Cemetery (including knowing how to find the graves of all the prominent person buried in the cemetery), they don’t necessarily have a lot of free time to devote to recreational activities.
We close here with a bit of trivia suggested by the above item:
Although serving as President of the United States qualifies one to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, only two former Presidents are interred there — William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy.

From Chris Bell’s campaign blog:

Last week here in Austin, all four major gubernatorial candidates made their education pitch to the Texas Classroom Teachers Association. As is indicated by recent news stories like this, and this, the message being broadcast throughout Texas is becoming clear: Earth to Captain Rick. You’re so unbelievably far out of touch with the teachers in this state, you might as well be seeking re-election as governor of the asteroid belt.

The entry goes on to cite a blog entry by a Waxahachie ISD world geography teacher.
I think most will tell you the teachers aren’t too happy with the current state of the state’s schools and of course that makes Perry the whipping boy — whether he’s really at fault or not. But if the teachers and educators turn against you, you’ve lost a HUGE portion of the voting public. I believe Eric has said the school system is the largest employer in the state and 1 in 20 people are or have been employed in public education.

We are about to begin an expensive experiment here in Texas, an experiment that will eventually prove that business-style economic incentives for teachers, which are tied to students’ performance on TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) tests, create more problems than they solve. Governor Rick Perry, a politician who, as far I can determine, has never spent a day in a classroom as a teacher, has long advocated merit pay for teachers. Now it’s a done-deal. He is convinced, according to a Dallas Morning News article dated June 12, 2006, that this merit-pay program will push Texas to the forefront of national educational standards. But, if only teachers in Texas could vote in the upcoming gubernatorial election, I personally doubt that he could be reelected.

Yesterday I wrote a campaign watch that talked about Carole Strayhorn receiving the endorsement of Independent Texans, a group organized to represent independents in the state.
Today, the Houston Chronicle has reported that from July 1, 2005, and March 1, of the $20,649 raised by Independent Texans, $15,000 of it came from Friends of Carole Keeton Strayhorn.

Strayhorn endorsed by Independent Texans

Independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Strayhorn received the endorsement of Independent Texans Wednesday.
The group is the only political organization representing independent voters in Texas.
“Independent Texans is a ‘fusion outfit,’ Independent Texan founder Linda Curtis said.
“We support candidates of any party affiliation that we believe will recognize the state’s 4.2 million independent voters and the fastest growing voting block”
Strayhorn received an overwhelming 87 percent of Independent Texans’ votes for endorsement.
“We are with Carole not simply because we like her, but because we like that she is preparing with us for a durable long-term movement to clean up and open up Texas politics,” Curtis said. “What’s more, Carole has demonstrated, for several years now that she knows who we are because she’s one of us. We are not just swing voters with no particular overriding concerns. In fact we are united to put an end to the petty partisanship which is killing American democracy.”
Strayhorn said she was pleased to receive the groups’ endorsement.
“I am honored to receive the endorsement of Independent Texans,” Strayhorn said. “I pledge to put principles above politics and people before parties and to help Texans win their most powerful political reform tool — statewide initiative and referendum. In addition, as an independent, I continue to challenge all the candidates running, in all races, to support initiative and referendum along with an independent redistricting commission. Our political leaders need to be independent and to focus on the state’s real critical issues of our children, our elderly, education, health care, and fiscal responsibility rather than partisan power struggles. For too long, Texans have made it clear they want real concerns solved not studied, and they want the opportunity to make them the law of the land.”
Initiative and referendum, the right of the citizenry to override their legislature through petitioning for a vote of the people, has been enjoyed by citizens in 24 mostly western states for over a century.
Texans have I&R rights only at the municipal level.
Along with Strayhorn, independent candidate Kinky Friedman received 9 percent of the support of Independent Texans.
Libertarian James Werner received 2 percent and the remaining 2 percent abstained in the endorsement vote.
Although Rick Perry and the Democratic nominee, Chris Bell were on our ballot, neither received any support.

Kinky to speak at Equity Center

Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman is scheduled to speak at the 6th Annual Seminar on School Finance and Legal Issues on July 21-22 at the Austin Marriott North in Round Rock.
According to a spokesman for the seminar, “this seminar has consistently broken the mold for financial and legal conferences by providing attendees with not only captivating and knowledgeable speakers, but solid, personalized, hands-on information that can be utilized immediately upon returning to the district.”

Bell criticizes Perry for ignoring Texas veterans

At the 86th Annual State Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars last week, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Chris Bell criticized Gov. Rick Perry for failing to provide tax relief to more than half a million disabled and elderly veterans and refusing to fund stem cell research while Texas veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from brain and spinal cord injuries.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are around 1.7 million veterans in Texas, including 558,787 veterans who are senior citizens and therefore ineligible for the property tax relief promised by Perry. This omission disproportionately harms Texas’ veteran population, since the number of veterans over 65 is expected to double over the next 10 years.
“The lobbyists for the oil and gas companies and the utilities got a $400 million tax holiday on top of all their property tax cuts—but my dad and the other half million or so veterans over 65 didn’t have a lobbyist, so they didn’t get a tax cut,” Bell said. Bell is the son of a disabled World War II veteran. “When I’m governor, my dad and any one of you won’t need a high-dollar lobbyist. And you’ll get the property tax cut you deserve.”
Bell has joined State Rep. Elliot Naishtat in calling for a state constitutional amendment providing proportionate tax relief for all Texans and protecting the tax freeze granted to seniors and the disabled.
In his speech, Bell continued his call to end Rick Perry’s embargo on stem cell research in Texas.
According to Bell, stem cell therapy has emerged as the most promising treatment for the increasing number of brain and spinal cord injuries in soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
The National Naval Medical Center reported that 83 percent of wounded Marines and sailors suffer from some sort of brain damage; the highest incidence was among 21-year-olds.
“It is not enough save the life of a soldier if we don’t do everything we can to restore the quality of that life. And stem cell research is offering these brave men and women new hope,” said Bell. “When Jesus healed the lepers, he didn’t call a pollster. I believe that God gives us science and technology to help our fellow man. When it comes to getting a veteran out of a wheelchair, finding a cure for Parkinson’s, the disease that took my mother, or discovering new treatments for cancer, which almost took my wife, there is nothing I won’t do to promote stem cell research right here in Texas.”
Bell has also announced plans to make state paid life insurance premiums for members of the Texas National Guard serving in active federal duty in combat zones a top priority of his administration, providing soldiers with $250,000 in federal life insurance benefits.

Perry announces funding to help crime victims

Gov. Rick Perry announced this week funding $26.7 million to help crime victims.
The grants are awarded under the federal Victims of Crime Act fund (VOCA), which supports programs that address family violence, child abuse and sexual assault, and provide support services to help victims recover from the effects of crime through counseling, advocacy and intervention.
“These funds will support programs that protect victims, administer justice, and provide a safer living environment for all residents of Texas, particularly our most vulnerable citizens and Texas youth,” Perry said.
Programs receiving VOCA funds provide services to crime victims in an effort to restore their mental and physical health.
For example, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs throughout Texas will receive $4.4 million to support efforts to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the foster care system.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) will receive $1.6 million to provide services to victims of drunk driving across the state, including referrals to support groups, legal advocacy, accompanying victims to the hospital or to court, and providing assistance with crime victims’ compensation applications.
The grants are administered by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division (CJD).
Each year, the Office of the Governor awards more than $113 million in grants for a variety of juvenile justice, criminal justice and victim services programs.

Strayhorn endorsed by Independent Texans

Independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Strayhorn received the endorsement of Independent Texans Wednesday.
The group is the only political organization representing independent voters in Texas.
“Independent Texans is a ‘fusion outfit,’ Independent Texan founder Linda Curtis said.
“We support candidates of any party affiliation that we believe will recognize the state’s 4.2 million independent voters and the fastest growing voting block”
Strayhorn received an overwhelming 87 percent of Independent Texans’ votes for endorsement.
“We are with Carole not simply because we like her, but because we like that she is preparing with us for a durable long-term movement to clean up and open up Texas politics,” Curtis said. “What’s more, Carole has demonstrated, for several years now that she knows who we are because she’s one of us. We are not just swing voters with no particular overriding concerns. In fact we are united to put an end to the petty partisanship which is killing American democracy.”
Strayhorn said she was pleased to receive the groups’ endorsement.
“I am honored to receive the endorsement of Independent Texans,” Strayhorn said. “I pledge to put principles above politics and people before parties and to help Texans win their most powerful political reform tool — statewide initiative and referendum. In addition, as an independent, I continue to challenge all the candidates running, in all races, to support initiative and referendum along with an independent redistricting commission. Our political leaders need to be independent and to focus on the state’s real critical issues of our children, our elderly, education, health care, and fiscal responsibility rather than partisan power struggles. For too long, Texans have made it clear they want real concerns solved not studied, and they want the opportunity to make them the law of the land.”
Initiative and referendum, the right of the citizenry to override their legislature through petitioning for a vote of the people, has been enjoyed by citizens in 24 mostly western states for over a century.
Texans have I&R rights only at the municipal level.
Along with Strayhorn, independent candidate Kinky Friedman received 9 percent of the support of Independent Texans.
Libertarian James Werner received 2 percent and the remaining 2 percent abstained in the endorsement vote.
Although Rick Perry and the Democratic nominee, Chris Bell were on our ballot, neither received any support.

Kinky to speak at Equity Center

Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman is scheduled to speak at the 6th Annual Seminar on School Finance and Legal Issues on July 21-22 at the Austin Marriott North in Round Rock.
According to a spokesman for the seminar, “this seminar has consistently broken the mold for financial and legal conferences by providing attendees with not only captivating and knowledgeable speakers, but solid, personalized, hands-on information that can be utilized immediately upon returning to the district.”

Bell criticizes Perry for ignoring Texas veterans

At the 86th Annual State Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars last week, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Chris Bell criticized Gov. Rick Perry for failing to provide tax relief to more than half a million disabled and elderly veterans and refusing to fund stem cell research while Texas veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from brain and spinal cord injuries.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are around 1.7 million veterans in Texas, including 558,787 veterans who are senior citizens and therefore ineligible for the property tax relief promised by Perry. This omission disproportionately harms Texas’ veteran population, since the number of veterans over 65 is expected to double over the next 10 years.
“The lobbyists for the oil and gas companies and the utilities got a $400 million tax holiday on top of all their property tax cuts—but my dad and the other half million or so veterans over 65 didn’t have a lobbyist, so they didn’t get a tax cut,” Bell said. Bell is the son of a disabled World War II veteran. “When I’m governor, my dad and any one of you won’t need a high-dollar lobbyist. And you’ll get the property tax cut you deserve.”
Bell has joined State Rep. Elliot Naishtat in calling for a state constitutional amendment providing proportionate tax relief for all Texans and protecting the tax freeze granted to seniors and the disabled.
In his speech, Bell continued his call to end Rick Perry’s embargo on stem cell research in Texas.
According to Bell, stem cell therapy has emerged as the most promising treatment for the increasing number of brain and spinal cord injuries in soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
The National Naval Medical Center reported that 83 percent of wounded Marines and sailors suffer from some sort of brain damage; the highest incidence was among 21-year-olds.
“It is not enough save the life of a soldier if we don’t do everything we can to restore the quality of that life. And stem cell research is offering these brave men and women new hope,” said Bell. “When Jesus healed the lepers, he didn’t call a pollster. I believe that God gives us science and technology to help our fellow man. When it comes to getting a veteran out of a wheelchair, finding a cure for Parkinson’s, the disease that took my mother, or discovering new treatments for cancer, which almost took my wife, there is nothing I won’t do to promote stem cell research right here in Texas.”
Bell has also announced plans to make state paid life insurance premiums for members of the Texas National Guard serving in active federal duty in combat zones a top priority of his administration, providing soldiers with $250,000 in federal life insurance benefits.

Perry announces funding to help crime victims

Gov. Rick Perry announced this week funding $26.7 million to help crime victims.
The grants are awarded under the federal Victims of Crime Act fund (VOCA), which supports programs that address family violence, child abuse and sexual assault, and provide support services to help victims recover from the effects of crime through counseling, advocacy and intervention.
“These funds will support programs that protect victims, administer justice, and provide a safer living environment for all residents of Texas, particularly our most vulnerable citizens and Texas youth,” Perry said.
Programs receiving VOCA funds provide services to crime victims in an effort to restore their mental and physical health.
For example, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs throughout Texas will receive $4.4 million to support efforts to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the foster care system.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) will receive $1.6 million to provide services to victims of drunk driving across the state, including referrals to support groups, legal advocacy, accompanying victims to the hospital or to court, and providing assistance with crime victims’ compensation applications.
The grants are administered by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division (CJD).
Each year, the Office of the Governor awards more than $113 million in grants for a variety of juvenile justice, criminal justice and victim services programs.