Money for Tubman.
Back in May 2002, a group of 7th and 8th-grade students lobbied Sen. Clinton on the granite steps outside the U.S. Capitol to pay federal veteran widow's pension benefits to Underground Railroad organizer Harriet Tubman. One of the teachers told reporters that "Hillary Clinton looked the kids right in the eye on the Capitol steps, told them she took the issue seriously and that she'd do everything in her power to make sure justice was served and the money was paid." Recently, Hillary managed to secure $11,750 for the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn, N.Y., the amount of which was the calculated portion of a widow's pension never paid to Tubman, whose husband, Nelson Davis, served in the Civil War. Said Hillary: "I was so impressed with those students from the Albany Free School who brought the matter to my attention. . . . We were able to find a partial remedy thanks to the injustice the students uncovered in their research." The students weren't quite satisfied, thinking that the $11,750 is nice, but considering the federal budget is $2.23 trillion, Tubman deserved a bit more. "We certainly appreciate Sen. Clinton's fortitude in staying on this issue to reconcile her widow's pension," said a representative of the liberal school, "But we'll continue to work to resolve the issue of Harriet Tubman's own outstanding pension" from her time in service to the Union. For her part, Hillary said she wouldn't stop trying, either. "I presented all of the evidence, but only persuaded the committee this time to remedy part of the injustice," she said. "I don't want the students to give up, and I look forward to their continued encouragement."
Sign of Contradiction.
Hillary told her colleagues at a Senate hearing that the anti-Semitic indoctrination of children by the Palestinian Authority (PA) must stop, denouncing recent broadcasts on the Palestinian Authority's state-controlled television station that feature ordinary children expressing their support for terrorism and declaring their desire to become martyrs as an "horrific abuse of children." She said she supports conditioning aid to the PA on a "cessation of propaganda and hateful rhetoric" in textbooks and the media, and that she has written to President Bush urging him to demand an end to official Palestinian anti-Semitism and the promotion of terrorism as a pre-condition to resuming Middle East peace talks. According to Sen. Clinton, she and her colleagues "were focused not so much on the legalistic aspects of this as on the moral and ethical issue of how any society can condone this kind of behavior and permit young children to be interviewed on television about their desire to die. That is just beyond the pale." She continued: "How can you think about building a better future, no matter what your political views, if you indoctrinate your children to a culture of death?" Of course, around the same time Hillary had spoken against President Bush's signing of the partial-birth abortion ban into law, a bill that sponsors point out helped further a culture of life right here in the United States.
Sergeant Clinton.
As the newest member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hillary has been trying to show that she is a friend of the military. For example, on Veteran's Day a story ran that she "is leading an effort to stop the Department of Veterans Affairs from closing underused and outdated hospitals." Hillary has joined with some of her colleagues to call for hearings and she has accused VA planners of not spending enough time studying veterans' long-term care and mental health needs or weighing the impact on rural veterans. "Veterans' health care is too important an issue to require an adherence to artificial deadlines and hasty recommendations," said Sen. Clinton in a letter to Senate colleagues. The American Legion supports Sen. Clinton's efforts, but another group, the Disabled American Veterans, has asked her to drop the proposed amendment. "We are concerned your amendment may completely stall the CARES (Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services) process and prohibit VA from making the necessary changes to improve its health care system and services for veteran patients," said David Gorman, DAV executive director. Hillary also wants to hang a medal on the men and women who stood guard during the Cold War, telling reporters on Veteran's Day that "Our victory in the Cold War was made possible by the millions of Americans in uniform to stand prepared against the threat." The Pentagon has already awarded a certificate to tens of thousands of veterans who served after World War II through Dec. 26, 1991, but Hillary wants to do more. "There's just something about a medal. It's a very emotional recognition for most people," she said.
