radicalization. we really have to understand for whom the idea might actually be applicable, and the third broad point to what to raise for our concern is the reason we need to the game focus on terrorist behavior is that we are dangerously lacking in some knowledge of critical stages in the ark of terrorist involvement, and i mean the trajectory fed take someone from becoming involved in terrorism to remaining involved in terrorism. in our preoccupation with radicalization, we know far less about recruitment than we should now. we know virtually nothing on the social dynamics. moving further down the different amalgam of frameworks and processes we have, we see

some of the problems on the other end of the spectrum -- a focus on with all of the night expectations ago along with that, i think we have lost some things with the reality of terrorism. they recruited the terrorist movements -- but they may believe terrorism behind. -- perhaps an announcement of the fact that it is much more difficult and challenging. in conclusion, none of what i

just said should be interpreted as to ignore the process to give rise to this. i am not suggesting that we have wasted our efforts. the problem i have is a social scientist looking at these issues, making problematic assumptions that we draw on a on a daily basis. i do think that we should focus on terrorism.

>> are you left to pick up the pieces now? >> thanks, to everybody that is here today. i thought i would channel al qaeda in this conversation. one of the most insights i have had over the past 10 years is i do not know about it as much as they know about al qaeda -- one person put out a major book in

2005. we finally got around to reading it around 2007 or 2008. we said it is redundant, but this guy is pretty smart. we were not seeing a lot of influence, we just knew he was smart. over the past few years, he has become influential. i thought i would try to answer his questions by channeling the story. imagine you have a vacuum cleaner. it is hard wired to except 120 volts of electric current. i do not know what that means. let's say the country upgrades. do still have the same vacuum cleaner. it works. when you plug it in, you burn

out the motor. this is what is going on with the methodology. our methodology is we have sought to recruit people to come fight in an open conflicts around the world. the problem is the world has changed around them. we keep trying to plug this vacuum cleaner into a socket that he is burning a cell. we need to figure out how to move forward. the only way to tweak its, we can try to use adopters and things. but unless we go back to the foundation, the way we understand what the issue is, the problems, who the enemy is, where the challenges are, we will not be as successful. we have a series of work on this topic. for him, the problem with the global gm had a movement is --

jihad -- you should not want to be a member of al qaeda. it is about mobilization, giving you the proper knowledge about what is going on in the world. you go through the 1600 book, radicalization does not appear once. it is about education, globalization. we have all of these spots reactions, tactical operations. we are missing a strategic framework. it can only come if you design a system that transcends itself, al qaeda. on 912, -- 9/12, a global

resistance movement, you have done the worst thing possible. you have made it about a man, a set of individuals. when bin laden died, some were probably happy to some degree. it allows al qaeda to start transcending itself. this recent strike has awoken everybody. maybe it is possible to destroy the senior leadership. i have been skeptical. some are saying we have to rethink what al qaeda looks like. al qaeda has been aware of this. he said we have a tax outside

the headquarters. these were not al qaeda attacks, but that is precisely what al qaeda is. they did not radicalized. they just heard what was gone on in the world around them. people came to afghanistan for all different reasons. some people were true believers. some were really smart and wanted to read thousand page books. others just wanted to kill. we created a system that was inclusive enough to bring people together. al qaeda was built to be an

exclusive, elitist organization. organizations get built on a higher bracket tendencies. we need to deal with these global, social movement. it is too exclusive, turned people away. we need to open our homes and make this a global, inclusive movement. >> if we borrow every word 10 years ago, how would you assess that?

>> 2001, two dozen to, as be decimated their training camp structures, they migrated out of necessity. it was at the same time with the rise of these discussion forums started coming. it is one more suppository of information. you can talk to people, build communities, network relations. you saw and massive -- loading up the web sites with all the literature we have ever written. let's consolidate our corporate -- make the online community as

robust as possible. they have technical manuals that they have stolen from us, bomb manuals. the movement has been there and done that. they have all of the books in their head. how do we get people to actually do something. we all understand that we are in this together. we are too scared to go out there and act. it is not necessarily about radicalizing you, but prompting in selling the action. that is why the story has appeared. and the grand architect of mobilizations. >> before i open questions from

the audience, some more questions for you. is it the term radicalization you object to? or what is associated with the term? a lot of what you're talking about, [unintelligible] >> i am not saying we should not be startling -- studying. like terrorism, we will always have those issues. violent extremism is becoming the new radicalization. the problem is that -- the

process that governs the acquisition of extremas them -- we are far too implicit in what we are suggesting to policymakers. the question is what are we actually trying to do? are we trying to prevent people from acquiring the belief? maybe we can bring that process under control. if that is the case, i can understand that. that assumption and the logic can help much of the radicalization.

>> what would you say -- >> they study for generations. they cannot necessarily predict behavior. they have identified what those circumstances are. attitude is a positive evaluation and has to be translated into a personal goal. it can provide radical behavior. a professional development work career, or family -- these goals

can be enhanced. the path pursuing the goal of terrorism -- to summarize, it is important behavior. these goals have to be important enough to override other concerns. you both agree that behavior is grounded -- one does not behave

-- one has reasons to engage in actions. when you talk about a globalization, -- it is a good thing. embracing these police and to think clearly. it is grounded in attitude by pursuing others. >> thanks.

it is not only important to understand the actual engaging of a violent, -- violence, they support terror in other ways. they cannot exist without the broad base of support. transportation, finances, the attitude of the community that provides that kind of positive out reach for violence would never be possible. >> he does not necessarily have to have radical beliefs.

do you disagree with that? >> the question is what do you mean by radical beliefs? if it is a philosophy or ideology or extensive knowledge q'uran, then i believe. it can serve the cause, but i venture to say that every person that commits to a suicide mission believes in something, that this is an important single. the respect of the community. this is what i mean by radical beliefs. >> i am not worried about anyone

with radical believes. my focus is on what goes on there. -- i think we have lost priority about what it is we actually want to do. let's focus on what we are specifically trying to do, which is making that distinction more clear between a person that is requiring radical beliefs or expressing them in many different ways. but i am interested in trying to display is to move into

political violence. >> let me ask this and then i will open it up to questions. in following a lot of these discussions, some employ more than 10,000 people. most of them are what we call cognitive radicals. they have extreme attitudes. in your experience, what about those that go further or those that trip over into real-world violence activism? do you have a personal theory? >> i have been trying to find this magical rhythm. it just does not work like that. usually, you do not know the extreme name of the user until later in communication.

if you are looking for that magic moment, and you do not find it -- to me, you remember this position, a triple agent, everyone in the forums knew him as a writer, on the top-10 list of every major form. this guy was legendary online. -- after he had completed this operation, it was announced -- the movement freaked out. there were so excited, because someone finally looked and smelled like them on the forum. it went out and crossed the line of operation. the whole mood of the form change.

there is not a dimension to the form. things like this letterman threat -- you have a random poster making with this scary arabic language saying, i will cut out his tongue, or you better shut up, a dream -- every major news outlets covered it for days. the form looked at it and said, maybe we do not need to actually go out and do something. maybe we can just post a scary threat, because they take it seriously now that we have gone out and done something. how did you get more people more invested in more ways? you show them it is possible with even more avenues of entry with lower test ways.

i think that is where the forums are headed. >> thanks. we will take as many questions as we can and try to answer. >> at tennessee state university. in his model begins with moral outrage. what the doctor is saying is, it is essential to get radicals to change their -- to engage a certain things. [inaudible] [unintelligible]

is the necessary coverage for both. i think moral outrage may lead to radical believe, kosinski, mcveigh, they are totally pragmatic. the state sends work is very good year. you cannot think of a terrorist, who is not morally outraged. the question is, what are the roots of the muslim rage? a big question, and for you,

doctor, i love your work a lot. i respectfully disagree that we should not address the borough propaganda that is used to incite on the bases a fabrication. when you look at how iraq was used, or somalia, 1 million dead, 2 million dead, these have never been countered officially with facts. moral outrage is a crucial variable. >> it is very important. moral outrage is very important. moral outrage is grounded in belief that the justice has been done.

when you talk about moral outrage, it is the emotion and consequence of realizing that something has happened that is unjust, unfair. it is this kind of globalization that can override concerns and have a supportive attitude into a personal goal. i am going to do something about it. >> we should be paying attention. you cannot allow these things to go unchecked. the crucial evidence tells us that there are very different kinds of things that happened in terms of how moral outrage becomes important as a behavior- controlling and -- device for the individual. some individuals require moral outrage first. they have to seek out opportunities to get involved in

a terrorist group. for most, it is not actually the case. for most, if you want to stick to mark's work, it is very powerful here. the risk factors are starting to get a handle on. the acquisition of those kinds of beliefs, follows involvements, hanging around with people, the exposure to some of the more inner circle. it is an attempt to justify thing levels of activity up to the point. it comes back to the same issue with believe and behavior. one sometimes precedes the other, but not necessarily. there are examples of people,

across the board, people with -- disengage in terror -- engage in terrorist activity, without necessarily having to change their core beliefs. >> we will take another question. >> with your permission, why is it that radicalization or the term is rarely if ever used for terrorist other than al qaeda or islamic related terrorist movements, for lack of a better word? there seems to be a term only applied to one type of terrorist. >> who wants to respond to that?

>> it has to do with economic involvement. in retrospect, the same town. not for any profound reason, other than terminology to focus on this. >> i have a theory. it is a new term. you will not find a lot of literature on radicalization before 9/11. i think it has come up in the context of 9/11 and al qaeda. we were using different words on

how people would become involved. it would cause -- i am pretty sure that with the revival, some type of tax in europe, we will have some kind of radicalization. i think it is a function of time, perhaps. >> it is over from today. >> i have given up on youtube. much of it has to do with hypocrisy and the ability with resilience, which we will talk about later. this becomes so politicized,

that it becomes dangerous in kinds of ways that affect our ability to bounce back from the smallest kinds of events. we are seeing and -- a resurgence right now. no one is talking about radicalization. children being groomed for activity in these new kinds. if you talk about radicalization in northern ireland, people would laugh at you. these are deeply problematic issues with why we are associated with a kind of group. it is an announcement of implicit favor that we lack the ability to make informed judgments that have taken refuge in trying to address the one

thing that is practical. look at the expression of the belief and tried to explain that. all somali, that is where our problems have started to come from. >> more questions. can you stand up so we can renew the microphone? we will take you right after. >> from the university of maryland, from india. my question involves a combination of what the professor said. when the u.s. department and policy makers -- they talk about a force of terror. whether it is in india or indonesia, we can demand and are

sorry about it. various kinds of terrorism. >> we take the other question in the back. >> i am a doctoral student at george mason university. >> do not hunt me down now. [laughter] >> hopefully this will be a challenging one for you, peter. i think we agree that there is a bigger topic here. we're talking about terrorism. it is not how the west is in africa or ignoring violence

while sighting -- saudi troops enter it. isn't the bigger topic political warfare? and the elephant in the room? why do we applaud the failure of gaddafi on one hand, but on the other hand, we forgot he is supporting the african union troops in somalia that are fighting against -- >> i am not entirely sure that we can get to the bottom of these local questions. >> you can tell us something about how the recent events in libya is putting this on the jihadist forum. >> to prominent libyan leaders, one just killed, and they have

been quiet for a wild -- all hands -- have been quiet for a while. we have guys on the ground, jihadist brigades there. there was kind of a collective let down. is petering out almost. there is a lot of us -- there is a lot of excitement. this is our chest -- a chance. i guess not. people waiting for expectations,

hopes will be dashed. trying to consolidate strength. build a weapon caches, we will get there. i think there is a collective letdown. >> let's get a response from the two evie especially on the first n.estion is there a al qaeda fatigue? people sensing this is declining? other movements in the future, maybe other parts of the world? >> they were interested in charges globally. for two basic reasons. one is, if we are to understand

terrorism, we have to understand the political manifestations across the stage. the second is it seems to be the case some general principles are emerging. when a look at the words mentioned on radicalization, there were examples from a spectrum, from russian anarchy's in the 19th century that went underground in the united states and so forth. this will resonates with the pra. there seems to be an emerging of a settled principle. it was committed from the very beginning to understand terrorism. it is a glorious manifestation.

>> maybe you have a time for a couple of more questions. we will start with you, sir. maybe not. john. >> turning to your point about a model, it reminds me a lot of leader list in the 1960's. have we learned anything? is it a blast from the past? to what extent have we learned -- we talk about moral outrage and other positions.

trying to resolve the problem, we have seen in our own history -- can you comment on the level of is this anything new, or have we learned from the past regarding preexisting conditions? >> can you pass the microphone to this guy in a purple shirt? >> john, this is from you, the question is some of your unease about radicalization be directed towards how it might obscure context? you can think of an -- a situation where you have a republican view. you do not trust the police or the troops. all of the second, violence makes sense. you may not be radical, but the violence makes sense. you trust the police, your police have not changed.

all of the sudden, you are not a radical anymore. is it privileged psychology over context? in the past, you have events and so on. part of your concern, might it obscure context? >> called for one second. we have two more questions on this table. >> i am angela king, a speaker. i am a consultant, correspondent. maybe we need to redefine or focus our efforts and thoughts -- given our age of technology, special networking, how technology is being utilized by different people, terrorists, radicals, i am wondering if some

of this redefining, to be quite frank and with all due respect to all of the academics here, there is a wealth of resources out here that can be tapped into, that can give us new information that you are not going to find in a book. i am speaking about the defectors. what i am looking for is some kind of opinions on utilizing some of that knowledge to move forward. >> can you give it to your neighbor? >> if you were participating in a government conversation, about more aggressively shutting down sites and a chat rooms, civil issues aside, what would you say?

>> not everyone has a minute or so to respond to these questions. we will start with john. -- a focus on individualized jihad -- one of his -- it is a place where people can march under the banner of the profit. you can smell the must in the air from all of the guys getting together. it was a great social event. it was really good. there is the sense that we have to all be together. they were saying, you can do

this from the company of your own home. you do not have to go meet anybody. it is kind of a lonely enterprise. that is some of the most difficult things culturally. i totally agree with you. -- they have that kind of a new ones in knowledge. it drives some of the wall. he knows his body had dirt on him like no one else. in terms of shutting down sites, that was my only window.

they blew steam, when you have to register for a new one. it is painful for them. i think there is some futility -- utility in shutting the whole thing down. they are in a moment of panic about what the future is like. i think shutting them down, selling season distressed, they have your password and e-mail -- [laughter] [unintelligible] >> it is new and different.

risk assessment must change. opportunities are formulated. it is for people to engage in different kinds of ways. context is absolutely everything. there is a sense in which the context changes much faster than the perspectives on the problem. we do need -- we do not do enough as academics. on the issue on the factors, it is people but have disengage, whether they have defected or not. i have been speaking with former terrorists for 15 years now.

the fact that i have been able to distinguish between this engagement vs. radicalization -- i have realized they have a very low risk of read-engagement for those individuals. -- re engagement for those individuals. there is quite a lot of work on that right now. i think academic experiences have shown it is not just possible to do this, but more importantly from our perspective as academics, you can do it effort leave -- effortlessly. we can do things that 15 or 20 years ago, we would not have dreamed of.

is there a very clever retreats where there was an organization behind it? having organization with finances, training camps, is the precondition for launching sophisticated operations. in a sense, this idea of the jihad, success on the war of terror, retreating propaganda for various individuals. it cannot be totally individualized. in instances, you have the unabomber. they are affected by the social realities around them. they are affected by the leaders.

may be trying to replace bin laden as the leader, behind the ideology of. to think that it will be totally individualized is in the face of understanding what the social process is all about. context is very important, but i do not think context is a principal and understanding of the psychological or social understanding. the question is, how will these profound general principles play out in a specific context? i could not agree more with john at least once. there is a great deal of work done now.

we have done 9000 interviews with former tigers. we engage in as deep cutting into research in order to understand them in our own words and context. we are aware to get it done in the week. >> thank you. and thanks to the other two panelists. these 60 minutes cannot give you more than a small window into what we have learned over the past 10 years. i encourage you to look these guys up and read some of their ridings. i think it is really worthwhile. i cannot agree more with the

them -- one of the most academic caps of an extremist is [unintelligible] he will tell us a little bit about his experience and a good friend of the glass co bombers. that is something to look forward to. you'll have a coffee break of 20 minutes. at 10:50, i will -- other people will be on the panels. we will continue these conversations. thank you very much. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] --2011]

on the u.s.rougcracks more now response to terrorism from an inside view with former radicals, as a share would they learned. this is about one hour and 10 minutes.

>> if everyone can take their seats. we will conclude with the last event of the afternoon. i am sure everybody is anxious to hear the results of their highly technologically voting for today. the numbers are way up. it was quite close. the winner at 56%, is peter. he beat a very respectable 44% from the debate. with that, we will turn to the last major event of the afternoon. we have the pleasure of introducing martha crenshaw. she will moderate this last panel. she is the senior feller for the national security and cooperation. i am proud of the fact that she is a founding member.

i will turn it over to her for our last panel. >> thanks for being here and in advanced thanks to our panelists. i would like to introduce everybody very briefly. i want to pose a set of questions for the panelists, which they will all have a chance to answer. then we will open it up for questions from the audience. then i will have something for the panelists. we hope this will be conversational, very informal. to give you the full benefit of the people with the experience, we talked about radicalization, .eradicalization we talked with some that have

left radical organizations. they will talk about their experiences. i will talk about introducing billy hutchinson. welcome. he is in belfast. thanks to the wonders of technology, we are able to communicate with him. difficulties prevented him from coming to the united states. also the former leader of the islamic fighting group, and joins us as well. we are very pleased and we think it is going to work very well. the other panelists include, to my right -- to my left, katharine who is a native of colorado. she is a member of the anti- vietnam war. i imagine everyone here knows of her, because you are very well known.

she was wanted by the fbi after participating in an armed robbery in which a policeman was killed. she then lived for 23 years without being detected by the fbi until she voluntarily turn yourself in. she served six years in prison and now works with complex resolution -- conflict resolution. she has a master's degree from oregon state. next to her is angela king, who is from south florida. she joined a racist skinheads underground organization when she was young. they all have in common that they joined these organizations and movements when they were very young.

in this underground movement, she became involved in crimes. she was arrested in 1998 and spent six years in prison for a part in an armed robbery. you were released early in 2001, and has since gotten a master's degree from the universal -- university of central florida in orlando, florida. she works as an advocate for change. our last panelist, we want to thank him for standing in, although i do not think you have a lot in common with him. he spoke. he was a member of an organization that is not a violent with many of the same

long-term objectives of al qaeda. it is banned by a number of western democracies. he left the organization in 2005 as we pointed out, voluntarily abandoned the organization, and having been a journalist and a researcher, is a student working at king's college under caesar newman. welcome to all of you. i will start right away with the first question. it has to do with, was there anything in your childhood or up screaming, the circumstances of your early background that you think expose to you or made you successful or vulnerable to the kind of trajectory that you later embarked on? i will oppose it first to bill hutchinson to see if you can hear us and you can hear -- and

we can hear you. >> my mother and father both had a different opinions. one was for social inequality -- social equality. the organization i joined [unintelligible] >> thank you.

>> i would say certainly, there were things in my childhood that were used that made it more likely that i may take extreme action. one is i grew up in a family with values that said you had -- you really have to live what you believe. the concept is the same. different from other people, a high value. the other is psychological, familiar stuff. i have a compulsive rebelliousness said that no authority was legitimate in my eyes. >> a trait shared by many members of your generation, i might say, which is also my generation. >> i would definitely say there were several things in my childhood. my parents, during my early

years, their rich elite religious. there was alcoholism. it eventually became a broken home. as an adolescent, i suffered an acute identity crisis and questioned everything from the way i looked, to where i came from, to where i was going. >> i grew up in saudia arabia in and spent several years before moving to britain. i would not have identified myself as a muslim.

willing to make -- correct my mistakes. you will see these core values

at work in our day the business system. it is an educational process. but we are working velasquez education discussions now. it is not a one week initiative or one month party. it is a routine continuous education process remembers of the work force will revisit why these values are the ones we settled on and what it means on serving veterans. every new employee will go through the same training program. you have my assurance that we have embraced these promises with serious dispatch. with your help and support, we have had to. five good years for veterans. there is much more to be done. we will not fail to honor the dedication and selfishness -- selflessness of men and women

that served. one was severely wounded when an iraqi grenade exploded and damaged his right leg and did extensive damage to the right side of his body. doctors did not expect him to walk without support ever again, let alone return to the regiment as a squad leader. most of us to not fully appreciate iron will. in one person's words, i do not like people telling me i cannot do something. when he was injured, in 2005, three years later, he was on his fifth combat deployment. after multiple surgeries, slowly regaining the use of his right arm and injuring unmentionables

-- unimaginable pain in his right leg, he had his right leg amputated below the knee offering for more comfort with a prosthetic. five months later, he was running. then he joined the ranger operation where you have to show the right stuff to show you can handle the regiment. a 5 mile run in the 12 mile road march. one year after surgery, he became the only abt to assume combat duties in the ranger regiment. [applause] he would be a great recruit for the legion.

he has been promoted to platoon sergeant. he saved, but that was severely wounded. he is the member of the 9/11 generation that the president spoke to you about yesterday. 3 million joined after 9/11 knowing full well they probably would be going to combat. there accomplishments are asher ordinary. and delivering justice to osama bin laden, training iraqi and afghanistan forces defending their own country so our kids can go home. many children have lived in a country of war since their birth. more military women have served in combat than ever before. thousands of troops have been

deployed multiple times and have a heavy burden that they bear. despite the enormous strain of a five years of continuous operations, our military remains as strong as it has ever been. i used to watch this quite closely. the 9/11 generation is defined as the generation before it. they have been defined by selfless service, sacrifice, and devotion to duty. these men and women that served and hopes serve our the flesh and blood of american exceptional lissome. it is a term you hear a lot. my definition is for those that have served and serve today. the loving and, breathing

embodiment of our national values resides with all of you. we are blessed to have you and your time. god bless our men and women in uniform. now what does all of our efforts and continue to bless this wonderful country of ours. thank you very much. [applause] ♪ ♪ [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] --2011] [unintelligible] >> at this time, i want to present a diamond lapel pin to the secretary of the dnva.

here is our newest member of the american legion. [applause] >> thank you very much. it is an honor for me to be here. i appreciate your service to the american legion auxiliary. it is a group i know that the

legion depends on a lot. to the secretary, thank you for your leadership over the last year and a half. it has been an honor to work with you and call you a friend. i am honored to be here among youth for the 93rd annual convention of the american legion. i appreciate the invitation. thank you so much for the warm welcome this morning. two weeks ago, two days after one of our helicopters had been shut down in afghanistan, i stood on the tarmac at the air force base in afghanistan for a battlefield memorial. i witnessed what is perhaps one of the most solemn ceremonies in

the military. 40 souls were honored that night, all died fighting a hero's fight. i stood shoulder to shoulder with members of our formed forces -- armed forces to pay final respects to those servicemen and women as they prepared for their final journey home. we stood united in our grief, our pain and our anger over such a horrific loss of life, and as we watched, i reflected on one truth that we must always remember. these heroes died for a nation they love doing a job that they love, knowing that their

sacrifice would advance the cause of liberty. no one should ever lose sight of that dedication, duty. later that night, our military with infinite to resolve continued the mission on behalf of their fallen comrades. this is what they do day in and day out. as a service men and women have done since early days in lexington and concord. our military in view, our veterans are truly america's heroes. we recommit ourselves and shared a gratitude to serve those that

have served us. it is impossible to put a price tag on freedom. we all know the cost of war is all too apparent. our men and women, a home, sometimes carrying the lasting effects of war, once that are visible and invisible. some have had difficulty adjusting to a civilian life. some come back and cannot find employment in today's tough economic climate. just as on the battlefield, these men and women continue to put others before themselves to ensure lives are made better and the ideals that they fought for in a land far away are still cherished here at home.

it is that simple and often forgotten concept that is at the heart of the american legion. it is would you, its members stand for, and more importantly would you fight for on behalf of your fellow veterans. thankfully america realized long ago that those people are now -- are allowed not only a debt of gratitude but should have full support when they return. after each war and conflict, we revaluate programs and services to make sure they not only meet the needs of today's veterans, but that we are also keeping the promise for past and future generations for veterans. a promise that has not always been kept. today we find ourselves a new

era. washington has a spending problem it is not something that happened overnight. it is not news, and it does not surprise anybody. we need to cut up the credit cards and put america back on the path to fiscal sanity. [applause] this summer, there has been much debate on just how to accomplish that. we have taken the first difficult step toward fiscal responsibility. elected representatives all across the country needed to recommit themselves to the job we were elected to do. we need to recommit ourselves to

the job we were elected to do and that is to serve the american people. that is exactly the message that we intend to bring back to the capitol when we return next week. our constitution is pretty clear. it is pretty clear on what we are supposed to be spending our money on. this is not a new revelation. the constitution provides for spending and providing for the welfare of our citizens. funding for american veteran programs i believe is a critical element to the common defense of this nation. you will see that reflected in the spending priorities of this congress. while tightening our belts, let us not remember that we are

still engaged in two wars and we have conflicts around the globe. veteran benefits and services were not affected. every veteran should still be receiving their check and veteran affairs hospitals are operating as normal. with a new select committee that has begun its work, will have to trim a minimum of $1.20 trillion out of our budget. we are out of options. let me again state very clearly, funding for our military and veterans' will remain one of this nation's highest priorities. [applause] this is a joint select committee

established for a specific purpose for a specific amount of time. the deficit reduction program is similar in structure to the intelligence committee i have served on, which is a temporary committee of members of the house and senate brought together to reconcile differences in legislation that has passed both chambers. while this committee has received more press than any select committee, it has no special powers than any has. the joint committee is comprised of 12 members of congress, all members of congress in the house into the senate. the american people will still have an opportunity to play a role in the committees and the process. all recommendations will have to pass both the house and the senate and be signed by the

president before it comes into law. coming to an agreement will not be easy. you will hear a lot of rhetoric from the media and other special interest groups. as chairman of the house veterans' affairs committee, had promised to you that i will not only fight for america's veterans, but i will ensure that america's veterans are not used as political pawns in this process. [applause] we intend to be proactive keeping our veterans informed as we go back -- go about its work. just as important as getting our fiscal house in order is putting our american veterans back to work.

every veteran in every state across this country deserves better than to stand in unemployment lines. i have pledged to help reduce unemployment in our veteran communities by half, lowering the unemployment in the next two years. a rate we have not seen since 2007. to do this, i have introduced a comprehensive jobs legislation bill. that was back in july. it is the veterans opportunity to work act.

our service men and women face higher unemployment than the national average upon returning from service. in total, 1 million -- nearly 1 million of veterans are out of work. i am sure you agree with me that that number is unacceptable. our committee has focused on that issue for much of this year. i was like to commend the president for joining us in this fight for making veteran employment a priority. the act has five pillars. first, we must enhance the transition assistance program, which provides career counseling.

we will make sure it is meeting the needs of our veterans for the 21st century. education is one of the keys for success. 48% of the veterans using the gi benefits are enrolled in four year colleges and universities. we need to make sure that our vietnam, cold war veterans also have opportunities to advance in the workplace. under this act, up to 100,000 veterans can receive up to one year of montgomery gi bill benefits to retrain for careers in this new and ever changing marketplace. third, members of the national guard and their call of duty -- their employer must keep their

position open until they return and must not discriminate against them based on their reserve status. too often, this has not been the case. we will strengthen the protection provided by uniformed services employment in reemployment act rights. we must be willing to defend a veteran rights, even when others are unwilling to do so. despite america's military having the best trained professionals in the world, the inability to be licensed in their equivalent civilian fields when they return home prevents these men and women from obtaining meaningful and gaining full -- and gainful employment in their area of expertise. some include medics, truck drivers, air traffic technicians. our state's hold the key to

breaking down this barrier. i have been working with several governors and governors associations along with the department of labour to create uniform standards to ease this transition from acting -- active duty to civilian life. a combat medic that has seen the worst of war in iraq or afghanistan is qualified to be an emt here at home. [applause] i have introduced a bill to provide meaningful task assistance to provide capital for businesses that spur growth, but protect veterans from being a tax break tire, a trick that we often see.

as important as its other features, it does not increase the deficits one penny. i would like to thank the legion for their support of this legislation. many of these proposals are supported by the economic division. we would not be where we are today without having their help. as the dannell, and as i know, and as the president knows, the government's role is not to create jobs. what the government can do is create the right environment for the job market itself to flourish. we do this by reducing the burdens of overreaching regulations that encumber america's small businesses, the

engine of our economy. your government needs to get the hell out of the way and let the engine roar. [applause] the time to talk is over. we have to act quickly. i encourage each of you to take an opportunity to read the bill available on our website. let your elected officials back home know what you think. i look forward to the president signing it into law as soon as possible. do not forget the suffering with

the available loans of four. these can be the hardest ones to treat. we can and we will help these men and women get on a path to recovery. it was and still is the mission of the va. to heal and provide them with the support necessary to lead a full and productive lives. today we face a choice. either we take action to address the deficiencies in the current system, which many opt out of before receiving treatment, or maintain the status quo. the status quo with a rising suicide rate is not an option. it is unacceptable. this summer, a veteran of the

marine corps testified before the full committee and told us he took the money that he was receiving from veteran of fans -- veteran affairs and spent it on alcohol and other vices. it was not until he hit absolute rock bottom that he reached out to somebody for help. instead of going to the veteran affairs, he turned to a private organization right here in minnesota. in 15 months, he had his life back and courageously fought his demons and came back a stronger marine. we have to find a way to reach these men and women and provide them with the support they need. we need to transform the culture of va so all veterans feel welcome. it is not an easy task.

i believe it can and must be done. it is incumbent upon all of us to reach out to all of those in pain. we also have to get them as well as possible and to stop masking the symptoms with the drugs. each of us has the ability to help in our own communities. the american leader in -- legions washington team is one of the finest. he should be proud of the work done on the behalf of the nation's capital. this year, our committee intends to continue aggressive oversight to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent

wisely and on veterans' needs, not on bureaucracy. we must also turn the corner on the shameful compensation benefits backlog. for too many years we have heard too many promises. this congress will turn the corner and make the a accountable to ensure accuracy for the first time a claim is submitted. who want to hear from some veterans just like you all over to help us find solutions to problems within the system. we want to hear from each of you, whether it is visiting our office worsening as an e-mail or reaching out to us on facebook. the issues are not partisan issues. they are better in issues.

that is exactly the way it should be. one secretary stated quite bluntly in 1947, we are dealing with the veterans. with their problems, not ours. i promise to each one of you here today, i will not let bureaucracy, red tape stand in the way of caring for america's veterans during my tenure. you are my priority. this country's commitment to our veterans will never waver. i applaud each of you for your service to our country into the american legion. thank you for the invitation. may god bless you and the american -- united states of america.

[applause] >> it today on c-span, a series of town hall meetings. jobs and the economy dominated much of the discussion at these events around the country. >> there are nine pieces of job promoting legislation. it passed as early as march of this year. nine pieces of legislation. action versus and action. we must focus on the jobs across america. president obama will talk about that next thursday in his joint

session. i hope the republicans are focused on everyone's job. right now they are focused on one person's job in the white house. >> we will show you these and more town hall meetings throughout the day today on c- span starting at 10:00 a.m. eastern. on tuesday, republican presidential candidate mitt romney will announce his job plans at a company in las vegas. his speech comes two days before president obama's address. live coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. on c-span. .-span.orgio, and c-span >> track the latest campaign contributions and news at

campaign 2012. it has the latest polling data and links to the c-span media partners. c-span.org/campagin2012. >> president obama was in missouri to cede some of the storm damage first hand. thousands had to flee because of flooding from the river. these and other northeastern states are major disaster areas, making them eligible for federal assistance. he was accompanied by the famous director and others. while walking in the neighborhoods, he met with some of the neighbors affected by the flooding and spoke to reporters. >> how are you? are you ok? [unintelligible]

you have some really big dogs around year. we will work on that. [laughter] [unintelligible] gregg's everything is good except for the floor. -- >> everything is good except for the floor. >> thank you so much. good luck to you.

[unintelligible]

>> this is the worst it has ever been. >> yes. [unintelligible] thank you. [unintelligible] thank you. absolutely. hang in there.

we will do everything we can to help. crags visiting paterson, many of these syringing -- >> visiting paterson, and many of these surrounding areas, gives a sense of the states affected by hurricane irene. i want to thank the governor, the mayor, the entire congressional delegation that has coordinated to try to deal with this crisis.

i am very happy to coordinate with fema and the people on the ground. i want to thank the red cross for their extraordinary response. we have seen an outpouring of volunteers trying to do what they can to help the communities that have been hard hit. the main message for our residents and those affected by the destruction hurricane irene is that the entire country is behind you. we want to provide all of these services necessary to help these communities rebuild. i know there has been some talk about whether there will be a slowdown about getting funding. i want to make it very clear that we will meet our federal

obligations. we are one country. when one part of the country is affected, whether it is a tornado in joplin, missouri, or a hurricane that affects a shreveport, we come together as one country to make sure they get the help they need. residents of a vermont and others do not need politics getting in the way to prevent us from doing what we can to help. i want to thank federal, state, local officials that have worked around the " clock and responded. it could have been worse, but we should not underestimate what is going through a lot of these communities and affecting these families. we will make sure that fema and

federal officials continue to work to make sure we are doing everything we can. thanks very much, everybody. we will make sure that the resources are here. >> you can see president obama again in detroit like today where he is addressing a labor day rally. he will talk about efforts to create jobs and strengthen the economy. on thursday, we will have live coverage of the president speaking to a joint session of congress. that will be seen on c-span as well. >> good things come in tate's -- to use.

-- twos. c-span to has nine fiction books. -- c-span2 has nonfiction books. it is washington your way with the c-span. >> created by cable provided as a public service. >> army chief of staff peter guerrilla give the keynote address and recognize -- gave the keynote address and this is about 15 minutes. [applause]

most recently as a commander in iraq -- i first met the general and he was commanding a personal group in iraq in 2004. of the combat leaders i have known throughout my career, i would say he is one of the finest. he is the kind of hearing professional combat leader i would want my son or daughter to serve under during the time of war. he is truly a soldier's general. one of the combat captains that has come out of this conflict. in spite of all of his

accomplishments on the battlefield and off the battlefield, i believe his most significant contribution to our farming has come as vice chief of staff for the army. for nearly three years, he has led an effort to address what he calls the signature wounds of this war, post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. he is taking on a very difficult plight, making progress, but there is much left to be done. we salute him for what he has accomplished with this serious injury coming out of war. it is an honor to have him here today to honor our will war veterans and their families. the vice chief of staff, ladies and gentlemen,.

[applause] >> good morning and thank you for that kind introduction. it was really something special. i am truly honored to be part of this very special ceremony to commemorate the 66 anniversary of the ending of the second world war. everyone associated and at the national memorial, veterans of current and past wars, spouses, a very special welcome to soldiers of the eighth infantry division, the fighting blue devils. you honor us by your presence. what a spectacular sight here at this beautiful memorial with the

washington monument before me into the reflecting pool and the lincoln memorial in the distance. it is a fitting tribute to the brave and selfless women and men that gave some much of themselves in service to our nation in the cause of freedom. i will admit, a special section for the generation that fought family in the second world war. my dad served with a battalion and saw action in africa, italy, france, germany. my dad was referred to as a butcher by trade. during the war, he earned a silver star, our nation's highest award for valor.

as a kid, i often ask him to tell me more about exploit. he would always change the subject. he never talked about his experiences on the battlefield. soldiers are typically humble people. when asked for details, the usually respond with a simple explanation that they were just doing their job. many do not speak of their experiences out of respect for those that did not make it a home. for well over a half century, the generation of he was have thought about their daily lives. with their personal accounts of tragedy and triumph in europe and the pacific during the second world war, it is only known by a few. a great example of one division.

i consider myself a history buff, but i was unfamiliar with the story of the blue devils and their story in the second world war. it was overshadowed by more publicized events in europe and the pacific front. i thought about it. unbelievable stuff. every account of the divisions actions, it reads like a war novel. some intense fighting, here is a, crucial victories won. their story may be less well known as compared to men and women that fought at iwo jima.

the blue devils feet was equally remarkable. it was no less critical than the outcome of the war. critical accounts provided by the army historical foundation, 1942, the then president of the veterans' association challenged several hundred soldiers to gather around the main flagpole to take up the job they did not get done in the first world war. in response, a major general john sloan commanded a newly activated division, "the glory of the colors will never be shown as long as one man of the 88 still lives." such an austere beginning.

the dow made that today by general sloan was embraced by the soldiers of the new division and truly reflects the out chopstick attitude of that generation -- how altruistias ac attitude of that generation. over the next several months, the men trained and prepared for battle before heading to north africa in late 1943. in february, they advanced a field, becoming the first division to enter a combat zone in the second world war. in early march, the division began. they engaged in intense fighting, quickly earning a

reputation as a force to be reckoned with. the division battle like blue devils, hence the nickname. they broke through a line, capturing a number of german strongholds. in the subsequent weeks, they face heavy fighting. -- [unintelligible] after a brief respite, they continued their journey.

they stopped the enemy at every turn, winning crucial battles. two of the battles received the distinguished unit citation. the village of belvedere. they forced an enemy to surrender unconditionally. the war in europe ended a week later. the 88 spent more days in combat. an impressive amount of military awards and decorations including the two medals of honor, two distinguished service medals, over five items over stars. amazing.

their achievements were truly extraordinary. major-general scholz of the first parachute division, pride , holding interrogators. "the 88 division is the best division we have ever fought against." this is high praise from a worthy and humble opponent. suffice it to say, the brave men in the blue devils division, with us here today, plan a most decisive role in the defeat of the german army in italy. to some, it may seem odd to recount the endeavors in europe. however, i believe it is most important. in reply to different enemies,

but to secure peace around the globe. their efforts were linked. victory would have to be one on all fronts. there could be no compromise. the second world war was fought with allied positions against global world powers. when german forces surrendered due in large part to members of the 88 division, ending the war in europe, it relieved the pressure in the pacific. american allies returned their attention. it asserts -- it led to japan officially syringing. gathering at this memorial, the most fitting tribute of men and

women that fought in the second world war. we listened to the important stories that i shared and we marveled to the service of the entire generation. men and women from all over this great nation left behind their families to join a military unit and overseas. many were 17, 18, 19 years old. they had never been away from home. suddenly, they found themselves advancing across north africa, and the pacific. they were gone for months or years at a time. they anxiously awaited orders to go ashore or in in a cramped best -- cramped vessels. seeing a val of devastation and death around them almost on a daily basis.

to read in the accounts of the second world war, is it to be absolutely amazed and humbled as well as inspired. back then, men and women, young and old all did their part in ways big and small to keep a struggling nation together during an incredibly difficult day. they selfishly fought, volunteered and a sacrifice until the war was one and the very last soldier returned home safely. they did not talk about what they had done. they simply resumed their lives to quietly mourned those left behind. unfortunately, there are some

that served that are still with us today. many have passed on, but they are not forgotten. their memory and those that came before them remind us that each day, the responsibility that every generation can repay the debt owed it to them from the previous generation. i can assure you this same sense of duty is never far away from the men and women serving from around a world today. just over one week from now, our nation will mark the 10 year anniversary of september 2001. as we look back, we have much to be product. the service men and women have accomplished much around the world. i truly believe they represent

the next greatest generation. [applause] war is a terrible thing. that said, in every conflict, amidst the darkness in tragedy, routinely emerge as the most talent, sacrifice. that is what we remember as we look upon this beautiful memorial and pause briefly on occasions like this to recount the tale of soldiers, airmen, marines, and coast guard. senator bob dole, an army veteran of world -- of the second world war, in a ceremony of may, 2004, said, what we

dedicate to did -- today, it is a tribute to the physical and moral courage that makes heroes and inspires americans and every generation to lay down their lives for people they will never meet, for ideals that make life itself worth living. [applause] that is what we are called to do in our profession. to carry on the peace won by past generations. to preserve it for our children and our children's children, while passing a sense of duty and a selflessness that ensures they will do the same for future generations. thanks to all of you for your

service on behalf of our nation. your continued in strong support of men and women serving around the world today and their families. may god bless the united states of america. army strong. >> today on "washington journal" jeffrie buchanan talks about recent attacks and insurgents. after that, president of the national right to work committee talks on his group to fight -- efforts to fight legislation on the federal level. that is noon eastern here on c- span. on tuesday, republican presidential candidate mitt romney will announce his jobs plan at a truck company in las vegas. his speech comes two days before president obama is addressed to a joint session of congress on the economic proposal.