Friday, March 30, 2012

Honor, Not Law: Rules of engagement are only a small part of battlefield discipline

Armed Forces Journal published a very interesting article entitled
"Honor, Not Law: Rules of engagement are only a small part of battlefield discipline"
"...The military can and should do a better job teaching troops the law of armed conflict, but this would not have prevented civilian deaths in Haditha nor the abuse of enemy corpses in Afghanistan.
The problem of battlefield discipline goes beyond the law of armed conflict. The law is society’s response to undisciplined or unethical conduct. It does an OK job of sorting out the aftermath of an incident and categorizing the participants as either guilty or not guilty. But the law often falls short as a catalyst for ethical behavior, especially on the battlefield.
Law is the judgment of the community at large, but the impetus for ethical conduct among warriors must come from other warriors. The real challenge for commanders is not just to teach their troops about the law of armed conflict but to inculcate in their troops the ethos of the professional warrior — to instill an abiding sense of honor.
It is not enough for soldiers to know the rules, or even to follow them. Without deep reserves of character and psychological strength, troops in high-stress battlefield situations may fall prey to undisciplined impulses. Honor, not law, is the key to battlefield discipline...."
Read the whole article. We who are civilians may be thankful if we never need to understand the subject in practical terms, but when we, the civilian population, give directions to our military "Go there, do that!" we need to understand this stuff.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Apr 25/Web: Ending Homelessness: How Banks Can Finance Permanent Supportive Housin

A joint webinar co-hosted by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness will provide an overview of bank financing of permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness. The speakers will provide background information on the characteristics of homelessness especially chronic homelessness and its high cost to communities around the country. They will address how banks can finance more permanent supportive housing by investing in low-income housing tax credits and investing in pre-development loan pools. Speakers will also address CRA consideration for bankers providing financing to developers of permanent supportive housing.
Title:
Ending Homelessness: How Banks Can Finance Permanent Supportive Housing
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EDT Note Time Zone!
Webinar Registration
Speakers:
U.S. Interagency Council of Homelessness' Executive Director Barbara Poppe
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's Deputy Comptroller for Community Affairs Barry Wides
Corporation for Supportive Housing's President and CEO Deborah De Santis
Managing Director at the Huntington National Bank Joseph Molnar.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Scholarships to Student Veterans Offered by Google and SVA

Student Veterans of America Announces:
"Google’s support of SVA and student veterans is one of the first of its kind and comes on the heels of their Google for veterans and families program.
"Student Veterans of America is excited to offer these scholarships to student veterans nationwide that are pursuing some of America’s most in-demand degrees,” said Michael Dakduk, SVA’s Executive Director. "These scholarships are a huge financial boost and will encourage student veterans to excel in a very challenging STEM program.”
Applications will be accepted until March 15, 2012 and finalists will be notified by the end of April. Recipients will also be invited to attend a scholars’ retreat at Google Headquarters during the summer."
More:
http://www.studentveterans.org/news/82656/Google-and-SVA-Partner-to-Offer-Scholarships-to-Student-Veterans.htm

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Deportation of Veterans: Is This Not Shameful?

The Valenzuela Brothers
There are numerous accounts of veterans being deported from our United States. In at least some cases, this seems to be because they came here as children of illegal immigrants or because their was a paperwork error in their residency paperwork.
It seems to me that honorable service in our armed forces should come with permanent residency. But you'll have to decide for yourself.
Here's a few stories:

Monday, March 12, 2012

Free Legal Research Tools - an On-Demand video from CALI!

This video is aimed at law students, but its tips are helpful for lawyers and non-lawyers alike, who may be trying to look up the relevant law. Enjoy it - it's free!
Title:
Free Legal Research Tools
Speaker:
Sarah Glassmeyer
    Attorney Sarah Glassmeyer Director of Content Development / Law Librarian, CALI
    Topic:
    Attorney Glassmeyer walks you through the world of free legal research tools, with about 30 minutes of helpful examples and practical tips. This won't make you a research ace by itself, but it'll point you to the runway!
    Cost:

    Free.
    Host:
    The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI)
    is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit consortium of over 200 US law schools. Non-US
    law schools, law firms, business schools, paralegal programs and
    individuals can also join CALI to support its mission. More information
    about CALI membership: http://www.cali.org/faq/8054.
    Register and see "Free Legal Research Tools" Now!


    More:
    There's a lot more videos on legal education at
    http://4freecle.blogspot.com/p/cle-anytime.html

    Sunday, March 4, 2012

    Apr 27/Miami - Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Training - apply now!

    4freeCLE (the free CLE newsletter) reports:


    Training for the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program is open for applications now! One all-day training will be held in Miami, Florida on April 27, 2012, and can lead not only to a large amount of free CLE, but a career-changing opportunity to "do well by doing
    good".
    Title:
    2012 Training Seminar
    Date/Time/Place:
    April 27, 2012
    9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
    Greenberg Traurig LLP, Miami, FL Office
    Sponsor:

    Greenberg Traurig LLP and the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program

    Registration:

    In order to attend the training, you must complete the application form, which is available here. You would be wise to register early; earlier programs have filled up quickly!

    The Program provides training free of charge to attorneys who agree to
    represent a veteran/VA claimant or family member before the Veterans
    Court. As well as receiving the day-long training, attorneys who
    participate are assigned a case that has been screened for merit and
    provided a screening memo outlining the issues in the case. Volunteers
    are also assigned a mentor (a practicing veterans’ law lawyer or
    practitioner) to give advice and share sample pleadings. Attorneys also
    receive the Veterans Benefits Manual (VBM) and other resource materials.
    • Malpractice insurance is provided.
    • CLE credits are available.
    Learn more at:
    http://www.vetsprobono.org/volunteer-today/training-dates-for-volunteer-attorneys/
    More:
    4freeCLE publicizes this and more CLE in service to Veterans at http://4freecle.blogspot.com/p/veterans.html