Military to Investigate Leave Granted to Missouri Republican Lawmaker

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGANL2GUIKD.html

Military to Investigate Leave Granted to Missouri Lawmaker Who Cast Deciding Vote on Guns

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The U.S. military will investigate whether regulations were violated when a Missouri state senator was granted leave from duty in Cuba so he could return home to cast the deciding vote to override a veto of concealed guns legislation.

State Sen. Jon Dolan, a Republican and a major in the Army National Guard, had been serving at Guantanamo Bay for only two weeks, and military regulations say a newly deployed soldier must be on duty at least two months before getting a leave.

Lt. Cmdr. Barbara Burfeind, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said Friday that the matter will be investigated by the U.S. Southern Command in Florida, which oversees Guantanamo Bay, where Dolan is stationed as a public affairs officer.

U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., sent a letter Friday to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld seeking an investigation into why Dolan was granted a six-day leave to cast his vote Thursday. The override of Democratic Gov. Bob Holden's veto gave most Missourians the right to carry concealed guns.

more

[demsrule4life]

1. If he had an approved leave form

he has nothing to worry about, the person that approved that leave form is the one who will end up having to answer the questions why.

[TacticalPeek]

10. "nothing to worry about"?

"Also at issue is whether Dolan violated federal law and military regulations by performing duties of his political office while on active military duty. The rules apply to a reserve officer serving on active duty under a call to active duty of more than 270 days.

Dolan said military lawyers told him before he left Cuba that because he hadn't served 270 days of his tour, the rule didn't apply to him."

True, he may skate with the "JAG made me do it" or whatever. But there's potential, multiple misuse-of-office style sleaze here. Investigations sometimes have unintended, unexpected consequences. I can always hope and pray.

[punpirate]

2. Missouri? Don't think Rumsfeld is going to be much help...

... Missouri Repugs and/or the NRA call Ashcroft, Ashcroft calls Rumsfeld, Rumsfeld delegates to Army Chief of Staff, and voila!, there's a plane waiting for the major.

I wonder what the good state senator's military occupational specialty might be, such that he found himself in Guantanamo in these perilous times?

[TacticalPeek]

7. zero-two kilo?

[Timefortruth]

12. What are you suggesting?

Republican law maker getting preferential treatment by other Republicans!

Visualize this: A Missouri Democrat being called to active duty then needed to come back to vote to over ride the veto of a Republican Governor. Would he:

a. Be impossible to locate since his assignment was to go in unarmed and search all the caves along the Afghan/Pakistan boarder for Osama.
b. Be unable to vote because his assignment was to guard the Israeli embassy in downtown Baghdad without body armor along with the other military Democrats.
c. Be unavailable to vote because he is quarantined in a SARS unit in Singapore with out a mask to provide intelligence regarding “survival rates of exposed troops.”
d. Be returned quickly to cast his vote from a safe cushy assignment on the beach in Cuba where his PR insights aid the “War against Terror” immeasurably.

[catmandu57]

3. Right now we're so fucked in this state

the devil has us by the throat, and the devil is our elected representatives. They've overturned three vetos in the last two days, pertainting to abortion rights and guns. I don't know of anything that can be done to reverse this until the people wake up, and get rid of these fools.

[graphixtech]

9. amen to that sentiment

freddie.
The Repugs seem to be hellbent on destroying the social fabric of Missouri, in several different areas. Things would be even more dire had not Holden shown courage and stood his ground with some issues.

This blatant act of bringing this representative home from active duty to (illegally?) vote on a pet issue does point to one clear conclusion:

The Republicans CHEAT to win.
The Republicans CHEAT to win.
The Republicans CHEAT to win.

Someone should be court martialed for this.
In a sane world, our representatives would turn in their resignations immediately.

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(Another example of their corruption is the upcoming 30-40 percent increase in natural gas prices that KC area residents will soon be hit with. Indications are that the citizen's interests were flagrantly sold out to the gas co., by our "elected" representatives.)

[w13rd0]

4. Good...

...this was front page here, and frankly, we could do with far fewer Republican state congressmen...

[BiggJawn]

5. Why is Dolan different than Buyer?

Congressman Steve Buyer (R-IN)got into some "tepid water" recently when it was revealed that he really wasn't in peril of "going active" when he asked for (and was granted) a Leave of Absence from The House.
The Army said "we don't deploy members of the Congress, whether they're Reserves or not." Guess the same "courtesy" isn't extended to State Legislators?

Of course, nothing will come of this because it's Indiana, and Buyer's a ReTHUG. Had it been a Democrat, the "Great Hoosier Daily" (IndyStar) would be screaming for his head on a daily basis....

[MrBenchley]

6. The corrupt gun industry

and the scummy GOP working together again....

By the way, Missouri voters REJECTED the CCW law that this crook pushed through.

[TacticalPeek]

8. Definite anti-democratic methods and goals

spilling out of the repuke black bag recently. FL, TX, CA, et al.

I fear the apocalyptic stench is strong on them.

[short bus president]

11. Please

Identify the "gun industry" corruption in this story.

[Judi Lynn]

13. Apparently these brain stems imagine they struck a blow for buttheads

everywhere by choosing 9/ll/03 as the day they dropped their CCW bomb.

Concerning the Missouri NRA:

(snip) The National Rifle Association hailed the vote.

"Governor Holden's indifference on the issue of self-defense and the right of Missourians to protect themselves and their loved ones outside of the home was careless," NRA lobbyist Chris Cox said in a statement. "The big winners today are the law-abiding citizens who will reap the benefit of this Right-to-Carry law." (snip)

Missouri voters voted specifically AGAINST carrying concealed weapons legally in a recent referendum. One would normally have assumed this referendum vote represented their true beliefs on the subject.

It would be absolutely silly to try to dare people to imagine the NRA wasn't the moving force in this nasty business.

[graphixtech]

14. 'Violation of separation of powers in CONSTITUTION' ?

Who paid for the dime for his political leave?
Let's RECALL the bastards.
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This from the KC Star today:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/6759167.htm

Military examines whether state senator's vote violated protocol
By TIM HOOVER
The Kansas City Star

(text).........
Dolan confirmed that he was under investigation for his actions. He said one of his commanding officers in Cuba had called him Thursday night after he voted on the bill to discuss the situation.

"It's very clear he is very upset, and that I face some kind of disciplinary procedures," Dolan said.

He blamed the investigation on Holden, whose political adviser, Roy Temple, made his leave of duty an issue before the vote on concealed weapons. Dolan said Holden's office had directed Missouri Adjutant Gen. Dennis Shull, a Holden appointee who commands the state National Guard, to produce an opinion that Dolan had violated the directive.

(more....)

Dolan confirmed he was under scrutiny because of a Defense Department directive that says an officer "may not hold, or exercise the functions of" a political office while on active duty. The rules apply to "a reserve officer serving on active duty under a call or order to active duty for a period in excess of 270 days."

The regulations stem from the doctrine of separation of powers in the Constitution, which mandates civilian control of the military. While those in reserve positions can hold elected office, they are prohibited from exercising political functions or engaging in politicking while on active duty.

(more...)

Shull confirmed that the governor's office had called him to inquire about Dolan's leave status and about who had authorized it. Shull said he then informed officials in Holden's office that military regulations prohibited Dolan from performing political duties.

Shull said he contacted Dolan on Thursday morning before the vote and informed him of the military regulations governing political activity.

"I felt obligated to the young man," Shull said.

Dolan said he told Shull that he did not believe the regulation applied to him since he had not served 270 days of active duty yet.

(more)
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Another KC Star columnist shares opinions on these (unrepresentative) politicians:

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/6758294.htm

Posted on Sat, Sep. 13, 2003
BARBARA SHELLY: Legislators shoot down gun election

JEFFERSON CITY - Just like that, Missouri is a concealed carry state.

It happened without much fanfare, without another huge cash outlay from the National Rifle Association, without a second public vote. Missouri became a state where people can legally tote around concealed weapons because its political power base has tilted just enough in favor of conservative and rural interests.

By overriding Gov. Bob Holden's veto of a bill passed earlier this year, the legislature overrode the will of 52 percent of the people who voted in a 1999 statewide election on the concealed carry issue.

The action is outrageous, though only to those of us in the 52 .
(more....)
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edit: typo

[oneighty]

15. another reason

to never visit Missouri.

Ed