Despite the international outrage they provoke, genocides have flourished since World War II, when the term was first coined.

"Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Sudan offer contemporary examples of a practice that is one of the most aberrant examples of human behavior," says Renata Reinhart, author of In the Course of My Life (www.rexvita.com), a fact-based novel that recounts the little-known Soviet genocide of 2 million Eastern Germans in 1945.

"Many of these ethnic cleansings, including the slaughter in East Germany, don't come to the public's attention because they're kept secret or denied," she says. "In the case of East Germany, both England and the United States were complicit, so it's not a story they're eager to tell.

"But if history is written by the victors, then we have an obligation to get it right -- the best predictor of future genocide is denial of a past genocide."

One phenomenon that helps perpetuate the practice is psychic numbing - a person's inability to feel compassion for large numbers of people, Reinhart says.

"In a recent experiment, psychologists asked Americans to contribute money to a starving African orphan, and about half were willing. But when two orphans were presented, far fewer Americans were willing to contribute," she says.

Neuroscientific research has found evidence of psychic numbing, says Reinhart, who thinks it may be the response of an overwhelmed brain.

"We can easily conceive of helping one person, but any more than that and real help can seem implausible," she says.

However, she adds, when people are aware of trustworthy organizations making a positive impact, they're more likely to offer their own help. She recommends these:

• Genocide Watch: Dr. Gregory Stanton, president of the charity organization aimed at preventing genocide, recently published a two-pronged approach to turn the tide of mass murder, which is occurring in several hot spots throughout the world today. One prong includes compassion and awareness from the global community, and the other is an institution or institutions to track and prevent genocide, or at least hold leaders responsible.

• Women for Women International: "The cure for poverty has a name: The empowerment of women," said by the late world-renowned journalist and public intellect Christopher Hitchens. This charity is a humanitarian organization that provides emotional and financial support to women survivors of war. Job training and business development are just a few of the programs that assist impoverished populations, a preemptive measure against vulnerability, war and mass murder.

• CARE: This is another international group focused on women because, as its mission statement reads, "equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty." The organization's efforts includes the prevention of spreading disease, improved basic education, increased access to clean water and sanitation, and increased economic opportunity.

• Africare: The oldest and largest African-American led organization in the interest of aiding the continent; the group's initiatives include agriculture, micro enterprise, health, environment and women's empowerment.

• International Peace Institute: IPI is an independent, not-for-profit think tank with qualified staff representing 20 different nationalities, located near the United Nations in New York City.

"There are plenty of impactful charities that can be easily reviewed online," Reinhart says. "The events of genocide tend to begin from a chain of prior states, especially poverty and ignorance. My message is an educational effort, and I hope I contribute to the solution."

About Renata Reinhart

Renata Reinhart is the pen name of the author, a scholar of World War II history who spent years researching the Red Army's march across Eastern Europe in 1945. While the book is fictionalized as a memoir, the historical elements are accurate and based on numerous documented sources.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Grassley Objects to Two Treasury Nominees over IRS Whistleblower Office Concerns

WASHINGTON - As promised, Sen. Chuck Grassley is formally objecting to Senate consideration of two Treasury nominees until the Treasury and IRS provide responses to his latest letter on the IRS whistleblower office.  The nominees are Mark J. Mazur, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and Matthew S. Rutherford to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury.

"The IRS could and should be doing a lot more to stop big-dollar tax cheats," Grassley said.  "Progress on the whistleblower office is critical for tax compliance."

Grassley's notice of intention to object from the Congressional Record follows here.  The text of his June 21 letter is available here.  A press release describing Grassley's history on the issue is available here.

INTENTION TO OBJECT -- (Senate - June 27, 2012)

[Page: S4668]

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I intend to object to proceeding to the nominations of Mark J. Mazur, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and Matthew S. Rutherford to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury.

My support for the final confirmation of these nominees will depend on both Treasury and Internal Revenue Service responses to questions I have posed regarding their implementation of the tax whistleblower program. I rewrote the statute in 2006 to encourage whistleblowing on big-dollar tax cheats. However, nearly six years since those changes were enacted, Treasury has yet to issue much needed regulations and IRS has paid less than a half dozen awards under the new program.

I have sent several letters to Secretary Geithner and Commissioner Shulman to get to the bottom of this. Our staffs have been meeting, including most recently on June 26, 2012. I understand that Secretary Geithner and Commissioner Shulman intend to provide written responses to my questions. Until I receive those responses, I will object to proceeding with the nominations of Mr. Rutherford and Dr. Mazur.

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Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack recently met with leaders of the Veterans Administration (VA) and told them the concerns he heard firsthand from Iowa's Veterans, military family members, and Veterans service providers.  Last week, Loebsack hosted a series of Veterans Forums across Iowa in order to give Veterans an opportunity to speak with the Congressman and seek assistance from his office.  In a meeting with Ms. Joan Mooney, Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs and Mr. Danny Pummill, Executive Director, Compensation & Pension Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, Loebsack presented them with a letter to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki of the top concerns he heard from Iowa Veterans, including disability claims, VA health care and job training.  A copy of the letter can be found here.

"Last week, I met with Iowa Veterans, military family members, and Veterans service providers across eastern and southeastern Iowa," Loebsack wrote. "I strongly urge you to take my constituents' concerns into account as you work to improve VA services.  I look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure that every person who has served our nation in uniform receives the care, benefits, and respect they deserve."

This week, two pieces of legislation, which directly impact Veterans and their families, passed the House of Representatives with unanimous bipartisan support.  Loebsack was a strong supporter of both the Veterans COLA and Veterans Skills to Jobs Acts.  The Veterans COLA Act increases the amounts paid for veteran's disability compensation and to their survivors for dependency and indemnity compensation by the same amount as the Social Security cost of living adjustment.  The Veterans Skills to Jobs Act requires federal departments to help Veterans transition to the civilian workforce by taking the skills and experience they acquired through their military service into account when determining what training and certification requirements they must meet for federal licenses.

CAMP RIPLEY, MINN. (07/11/2012)(readMedia)-- Soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Bartonville participated in squad live-fire exercises at the Infantry Platoon Battle Course as part of the eXportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC) program July 9 at Camp Ripley, Minn.

"This training is the culmination of what we have been doing over the last year," said 1st Lt. Chris K. Rodgers of Macomb, battalion liaison officer of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment. "This is a validation lane for what we are going to be doing July 12. There the companies will run through platoon-size, live-fire exercises."

As with much Army-based training, a crawl, walk, run approach was used. Soldiers were briefed they were in a reconnaissance patrol, came upon enemy contact and had to destroy the enemy with their weapons, clearing the way for future movement.

"It's a real slow pace right now as we're learning," said Spc. Waylon S. Holland of Columbia, Mo., with Company A. "We spent a lot of time with rehearsals trying to better fit each other. I think this will be foundational and a crucial part to our XCTC experience."

During the rehearsals each squad moved tactically until engaged by pop-up targets and then responded with blank-round ammunition. Soon after, the squads repeated the movement with live rounds.

"This training is simulating (received) contact on a dismounted patrol," said Pfc. Collin A. Watts of Plainfield, with Company A. "We're practicing bounding techniques, which are basic movement techniques within a squad."

Although the movements are basic infantry tactics, the importance of knowing and employing them are vital to mission success and Soldier safety.

"Every infantryman will know this ... this is as basic as it gets," said Cpl. Paul A. Minder of Roanoke, team leader with Company A. "This is something they have to practice; they have to know."

The acknowledgement of risk and the seriousness of the exercise was expressed by others as well.

"It comes down to knowing who's on your right and left, knowing how to communicate and knowing how to give and follow orders," said Capt. Nick P. Camardo of Rockford, Company A commander. "It's essential they know how to take the proper steps and keep the weapon pointed down range and at the enemy. It's important for them to continue to train like this and I'm confident they will be good to go by the end of the day."

Company A made safety a priority and took the necessary precautions to ensure the Soldiers stayed safe throughout the exercise.

"There will be one range personnel, one medic, and two internal company safeties who will walk with every squad," said Rodgers.

After Camardo validates squads, the battalion commander will validate the platoons and then Company A can be validated and complete a large portion of their pre-mobilization tasks.