the ndaa delivers on that promise. modernizing the military health system is part of the ndaa's focus on sustaining the quality of life of our military service members, retirees and their families. the ndaa authorizes a 1.6% pay raise for our troops and reauthorizes over 30 types of bonuses. the legislation restructures and enhances leave for military parents to care for a new child and it provides stability for families of our fallen by permanently extending the special survivor indemnity allowance. no widow should have to worry year to year that she or he may not receive the offset of the so-called widow's tax. if this ndaa becomes law, he or she will never have to. the ndaa also implements the recommendations of the department of defense military justice review group by incorporating the military justice act of 2016. the legislation modernized the military court-martial trial and appellate practice, incorporates best practices from federal criminal practice and procedures and increases transparency and independent r

satisfy the ndaa repost the ndaa work has provisions for monsters under this appropriations bill that further dependence on the russia. by allow that to be extended, the defense department would be required to achieve assured access to space without the use of rocket engines designed or manufactured in russia. the testimony before the committee as secretary of defense rector of national intelligence and secretary of the air force each confirmed that the united states can meet its assured access to space requirements without the use of russian rocket engines. we do not have to rely on russia for access to space. given the urgency of eliminating reliance on russian engines, the ndaa would allow half the funds for the development of replacement launch vehicle of a propulsion system to be made available for offsetting anyt potential increase in launch costs as a result of prohibitions on russian rocket engines. $1.2 billion budgeted over theig next five years can cover the cost of any reliance on russia will develop in next generation of americans space-bar b capabilities. finally, the le

president, on monday, i came to the floor to speak about the important provisions of the ndaa. sweeping reforms to the organization of the department of defense, to the defense acquisition system and to the military health system. but i noted that there was one challenge the armed services committee could not address in the ndaa. the dangerous mismatch between growing worldwide threats and arbitrary limits on defense spending in current law. this mismatch has very real consequences for the thousands of americans who are serving in uniform and sacrificing on our behalf all around the nation and the world. from afghanistan to iraq and syria, from the heart of europe to the seas of asia, our troops are doing everything we ask of them, but for too long we in congress have failed to do everything we can for them. shamefully, our military is being forced to confront growing threats with shrinking resourc resources. this year's defense budget is more than $150 billion less than fiscal year 2011 before the budget control act imposed arbitrary caps on defense spending. over the last fiv

the ndaa also requires a review of d.o.d.'s strategy and capabilities for countering cruise and ballistic missiles before they are launched. and it directs the m.d.a. to conduct a flight test of the g.m.d. system at least once each fiscal year. the bill provides funding above and beyond the president's budget request for our collaborative missile defense programs with israel, including iron dome, david sling and arrow. given the threat posed by iran's growing ballistic missile arsenal, i believe these programs require additional funding, particularly for procurement-related to david sling and the arrow systems. these programs are more important than ever and have my full support. in the area of space, the ndaa addresses a number of important issues related to our critical satellite-based capabilities. this week we commemorated the 72nd anniversary of d-day. anyone who knows the history of the normandy invasion knows how kreurlt a role whether -- critical a role weather forecasting can play in the success or failure of a missio

because in this ndaa, we start to address the problem. just like we did in last year's ndaa, we start to lay the foundation of having a strategic vision of what's going on in the arctic, the way the russians are, and we're being prepared in an area of the world that is absolutely critical to the united states security. so provisions include the first steps to build up an appropriate strategic arctic port. we will also build up our arctic domain awareness, and we will have a much better sense of what is going on in this region, not only with regard to the russians but the chinese are doing in this critical area of the world. mr. president, make no mistake, america is an arctic nation. we're an arctic nation because of my state, the state of alaska. this ndaa begins the important process to start addressing the strategic concerns we're seeing in the arctic and securing our nation in a way that's important for all of us. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: after some discussion with the senator fro

my goal for the ndaa is simple.we need to make sure our military is strong, our homeland is secure and our interests abroad are protected. the ndaa shouldn't be a vehicle to further an agenda that has nothing to do with actually defending america. on the senate armed services committee, i was proud to work with my colleagues, both republicans and democrats, in introducing and getting adopted 12 amendments, 12 amendments that were included in this legislation that covered the range of policy issues from strengthening our ability to protect ourself through missile defense to improving our ability to stand with allies, such as the nation of taiwan, to improving our ability to deal with the growing threats from nations like russia and china to prohibiting joint military exercises with cuba, to preventing the transfer of terrorists from guantanamo to nations that are on the state department's watch list. all of those were done working closely with colleagues, republicans and often many democrats, and yet there are still

the ndaa before us will stop u. attempts to transfer these terrorist to the united states and it will be on its way out the door. we don't need to close a secured detention center. we need to make sure the right people are protected. passing a legislation before us represents an important step in that direction. i want to thank good members.

the ndaa passed in 2012 or 2013 during the conference process. at the time some opponents of the amendment were under the impression that it would extend due process protections to u.s. citizens apprehended outside the united states, but that, mr. president, is undeniably false. the due process guarantee amendment applies only to u.s. citizens and lawful permanent residents who are apprehended on u.s. soil. it has been four years since that misunderstanding prevented congress from passing this commonsense, bipartisan reform. that is more than enough time for this institution to gain clarity on what this amendment does do, and just as importantly, on what this amendment does not do. and so i.t. time, mr. president, that we finally pass this amendment. and i urge each of my colleagues to do so. mr. paul: will the senator yield for a question? mr. lee: yes. mr. paul: four years ago we passed legislation under the defense authorization that allows the american government to detain an american citizen without a trial. think about that. one of our basi

we have just passed off the senate floor the ndaa. does the funding and end strength and policies contained in the ndaa that we passed, will that enable you to stay on that same track? not that that track is so great. 2020 mid or late. but does the ndaa we passed enable you to stay on track? >> it does. and the number one issue if that's the limitter booyond producing it for what we consume is man prour. and specifically maintenance man power. so your support for our increase in man power is the number one issue for us. and every service creates and sustains readiness differently. for an air force there are five key elements that we have got to keep in balance and any one of them can be a limitter. the first is the critical skills and it is beyond the pilot. it is the maintainers, the traffic controllers the munition specialists. amount folks who have fingerprints on an airplane before it takes off. the second is weapons systems sustainment and it is all the required maintenance that keep the airplane sustained. and the third is the f

the ndaa bill funded the o.c.o. only to the level of $35.7 billion instead of the $58.6 billion in this bill, and there's already been acknowledgment there probably will be a supplemental appropriations bill to be passed before may 1. afghanistan was referred to by the general petraeus who is respected by many as the grave yard of empires. it is ruled by tribes and village warlords, and the threats from radical islamic terrorists to the u.s. are much greater. for almost every other country and even here at home. the average income there is about $667 a year. with the $3.5 billion in this bill for afghanistan, we could put almost every leader there on the u.s. payroll and give them big raises. my amendment has been endorsed by the fiscally conservative taxpayers for common sense. i commend the subcommittee leadership for already having a small cut in this bill for afghan funding from $3.65 billion to $3.45 billion. this seems to me to at least a partial admission that most on the committee agree with me. i just belie

the ndaa is clearly one of the most important pieces of legislation we take up in congress because it authorizes vital programs designed to keep our nation secure and our people safe. we have worked very hard to make sure that the bill upholds the nuclear missions at our missile bases as well as unmanned arrow systems. the u.a.s. missions that have emerged as a vigorous part of our nation's defense. i want to commend the chairman and the ranking member for their good work in bringing this bill to the floor. it's a massive undertaking, and in particular i want to thank them for their support on some important priorities. this bill fully authorized programs to sustain our strategic forces, including plans to upgrade the minuteman 3 icbm, the b-52 bomber and our nuclear cruise missiles. the bill also fully authorizes the global hawk program which is proving its worth every day and demonstrates the value of unmanned aircraft in performing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. as you know, the appropriations committee on which i serve approved the national defense appropr

it does a terrific job -- ndaa -- about is the coming.i told him because he knew my uncle mo udall companies are together in the house and i said i hope you will do this, do it for mobile. and he just got a great big smile on his face because he spent so much time speed with the senator yield speak with yes, i will yield spent i said one of the best for last andinh: that's alex, neglected tohe mention him. i yield. >> of course, alex, thank you. thank you. when the house and the senate, e would just ask used enough time year to just get through myhrouh think use, ask consent for that. the house and senate passed bills come and we didn't actually go through a conference committee but we really worked hard on those differences from late december through just a few weeks ago. we face challenges working out a final agreement with the house. we have two very different bills. fix all that bond -- broad bipartisan support but it took very different paths to fix her broken chemical safety program. but we worked through those issues, and to this,

the president must sign the ndaa, because it will bolster our national defense and equip our military with the resources it needs. --the same time, it inspired it reminds us what inspires our brave men and women to serve. that's the freedom and democratic principles we cherish , and our enemies fear it. announcer: on american history tv on c-span3, sunday morning, we will simulcast open washington journal" live from 10:00 a.m. -- 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. eastern. the whiteon road to house: rewind, the 1976 republican national convention, and a close race between gerald ford and ronald reagan for the nomination. speech, andceptance a response by ronald reagan. >> i believe the republican party has a platform that is a pattern of old colors and pastel shades. announcer: at 6:00 on "american visit the women's equality national monument in washington, d.c. and see the work of cartoonist nina allender. >> she creates a useful, invigorated, intelligent woman. in this image, she is very slender. ankles,t was above her which is also different at that time. you can see that changing taste of fa

so what you did in the ndaa to support or increase in people is critical. open then we will manage the time based on the tempo and the demands on the air force. >> one of the points you mentioned was my next question. the maintainer shortfall. the instrength on active that you're currently working with is 317,000. it's larger when you add reserve to it. but just because the end number might be okay that doesn't mean that within the number there aren't some disparities. talk to us about the maintainer shortfall and what are the plans you would have as the chief to deal with that issue. >> we project we have 4,000 maintainers short of what we need. a significant amount of manpower is going to go into maintenance. >> maintenance is layered between active guard and reserve. >> it is. >> you do a good job of having -- it's a real seamless separation. >> it's that same way across the force. if you go to the cockpit and ask who is active, who is guard and reserve, all three hands will go up. we're truly one air force. >> we're bringing the maintainers in to make s

i think ndaa, the national district attorneys' association, has been forward-thinking in accepting in almost every circumstance a warrant based on probable cause is the way to go. but this is a huge change. it's a very complicated bill, and we're asking that the senate give due diligence and go through it and understand not just civil liberties arguments, but also the arguments of law enforcement. we don't use this type of information, at least at the state level, to investigate pet the city crimes. we use the information that we obtain from these types of records in combating multistate drug trafficking organizations, human trafficking organizations. i know i've done that a couple of times just in the city of alexandria over the past couple of years, and homicides as well. so you do have real, serious concerns here about both the level of crime and the safety of human beings at issue. we want to make sure those concerns are adequately addressed by the amended legislation. >> host: well, joining our conversation is amir nasr of the morning consult. he coffers technology for that publi

the ndaa before us will stop u. attempts to transfer these terrorist to the united states and it will be on its way out the door. we don't need to close a secured detention center. we need to make sure the right people are protected. passing a legislation before us represents an important step in that direction. i want to thank good members. >> assistant democratic leader. >> mr. president, do the math. several prisoners held in a federal prison today cost us about $30,000 a day. many are put in supermax facilities for $86,000 a year. that is the cost. not a single prisoner has ever escapeed from a super-max facility in the united states. 30,000 for routine prisoners and $86,000 for the most dangerous. what does it cost us to keep one detainee each other at guantanamo bay? $5 million a piece. $5 million for each detainee. the budget to keep guantanamo bay open is about $500 million a year and we have fewer than a hundred detainees there and there is a request for another 200 million in guantanamo bay. when senators

guest: this language was offered in the report accompanying the house ndaa.ot a lot of buzz about it. it was slipped in. host: travis is up next. good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for having me. host: go ahead. i'm an hvcu college student majoring in music education. these bands are essential. the travel is very important especially for students who have not tapped into his musical abilities they are not even aware of. if they findalents out that they have potential or these talentsc, often affords students careers and even education when they are allowed to see the bands that come and perform at their schools or perhaps they go to a parade and they see the bands in the parade. it's really important. even in college. we have had several bands come to our school and perform. it's just an enriching experience. especially in rural areas like the area that i'm from. they don't know what they are good at. host: what school do you go to? that's elizabeth city state university in elizabeth city north carolina. go back to our line for members of the milit

the house passed the f.y. 2017 ndaa. it doesn't include privatization language. the senate version has the same language as last year that would authorize a pilot program to privatize five commissaries on five major military bases, but only yesterday we received the report from the secretary of defense that we have not yet received the comptroller's review. now, congress asked for this study because of concerns about the impact that privatization could have on our service members and the commissary benefit. it seems like we are taking away benefits, we are working these guys and gals harder than we ever have before, and this is one very significant benefit that is there. senator mikulski and i along with -- it's now 38 cosponsors. let's see. last year, it was 25. and with the support of 42 outside organizations are offering a simple amendment that strikes the privatization pilot program allowing congress to receive and vet the secretary of defense report and the report of the valuation of the comptroller. it's not the first time this was done. in 1915, in january

. >> the president must sign the ndaa. it will equip our military with the resources it needs. >> it may not matter, though. the white house has promised to veto the bill. that's largely over a provision preventing the guantonomo bay cuban detention facility. >> we just need congress to get out of the way. they have time and time again included all these restrictions that have prevented the administration from doing what is necessary to protect the american people. >> the senate is expected to vote on and pass the bill late monday. between now and then, lawmakers can add on other amendments as well. >> garrett, thank you so much. >> my pleasure. >>> this debate comes just as the muslim holiday of ramadan begins. terror groups launch newer attacks. partly because they promise martyrs extra graces in heaven. i know, we will discuss. we'll start with the defense authorization bill that we have been hearing. do you think lindsey graham and john mccain are right that this really puts our nation's defense, our national security

i would hope that such micromanagement will not be a feature of any enacted ndaa. we all play a role in ensuring the success of the national security mission. for those interested in follow-up -- foreign policy and national security, a lot of problems to work on. it is also true for those interested in technology. the intersection of the two is truly an opportunity rich, and very fulfilling environment. i want to thank you all for being here today. for considering the words of the forward thinking individuals from government, business, and academia who have shared their thoughts with you. my pledge to you is that you will always have a strong and willing partner in america's department of defense. we may not know how to do it, but we are trying to do it -- we might not do it perfectly, but we are always trying to do it better. helping defend your country for you, helping defend your country, and make it a better world is one of the noblest things a business leader or entrepreneur or young person can do with their life. i we are grateful to all of you here for the p

that they understand some of those deficiencies being considered in the current -- and the current ndaa will begin to create a condition in the armed forces, not just the army, but the armed forces where it is death by 1000 cuts. a little cut here, little cut there, what is 1% here. it all adds up. the bottom line is, what has enabled us to be the trusted professionals that we are today is this great all-volunteer force that we had built. that all-volunteer force, as you know, emerged from the post- vietnam era and has become a the professional envy of the world. and we need to be very, very, very deliberate in adjustments that we make and ensure that in pursuit of $1 million here or $1 million there, we are not destroying the very trust that enables us to continue to bring great patriots to serve in our armed forces. and i will tell you, if there is what i believe to be a national concerned that is not been fully addressed, it's a small percentage of the current 18 24-year-old population in america that can serve in the military. the last survey that was done was about 360,000 american

the language in the ndaa would strip this ability to use that rocket. our amendment, the nelson-gardner amendment, would allow us to use the commonsense approach to use that plain sense that i talked about. michael griffin, former nasa administrator, weighed in on the issue, "a carefully chosen committee chosen by howard mitchell, united states air force retired, made two key recommendations in the present matter. one, proceed with all deliberate speed to develop an american replacement for the russian rd-1 engine and we agree. and while that development is being carried out, buy all the rd-180 we can to ensure there is to gap for national security payloaded. i see that reason to alter those recommendations," he goes on say. we're talking about a hard stop of 2022 so we can replace the rocket with our own. but, in the meantime, let's use some common sense. let's make sure that we're saving the taxpayer dollars. let's make sure that we are not putting an additional cost, pulling $1.5 billion out of our defense budget to cover something that we can alread

authorized ndaa and continues to provide assistance to our navy as they pursue high tech game-changing weapons systems across the fleet. we must not leave our sailors high and dry on technology that we promised, one that is critical to the future of our military and promises to change the landscape of our missile defense capabilities at sea. thank you, mr. chairman. and i would like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. conaway. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. con mr. conaway: i rise in support of a an amendment for the directed energy and rail gun. if this funding production is left in place and contracts will have to be renegotiated and those result in higher funding later on, we will lose a work force that has been built and crafted over a long period of time. that would require additional years getting back to this. this is about defending in many instances surface combatants, the current opportunities are expensive with a laser or rail gun, the cost per shot are less and are try to defend these assets as they move forward. in my view, mr. speaker, these cut

i believe in the ndaa we expanded that program a bit and added more slots. is that program -- so take, for example, the sony case where there were issues in the sony technology that made it easier or less difficult to attack the sony technology, whether it's the silos of the various businesses within sony or whatever it is. there are issues in the private sector that are different from dod sector and federal sector, and they're diverse. it depends on the industry and what they do. so is the purpose of the information of the technology exchange program to help to put in place people into the private sector directly torque help them with that, and then vice versa, to deal with those threats, and then vice versa, to -- if there's somebody in the private -- if i understand this, in the private sector, we have someone who's really exemplary or efficient in the cyber security that we can bring those people in on a temporary basis to address those issues that we see. is that -- is that essentially what we're doing here? >> sir, i'll have to take that question. i'm

we just passed the ndaa, we're going to commerce justice state which funds the fbi, and we're going tocontinue down the road of dealing with these national security and terrorism issues. and with that, i'm going to turn over the chairman burr. >> thank you, leader. let me just say i hope that all americans will allow the fbi to continue this investigation no matter how long it takes, because the importance thing is -- important thing is for us to identify the facts in this. america is an open society. we value our freedom and diversity. isil has leveraged those freedoms to their advantage to attract misguided individuals who or carry out acts of hate. isil has created a global battlefield, and many of you have asked is this inspired, is it enabled or is it directed. there is no differential today. global, a global battlefield is what isil has been able to create through the use of social media. and now individuals around the world, not just here, are targets of that

on the night of june 17th, 2015 i was here in washington, much like this week, debating the ndaa, our military priorities. but in charleston, there was a bible study. sanders, daniel simmons, shirrando coleman singleton, myra thompson, marisha sanders and her beautiful five year old grand daughter, and my friend revland clemente pickney gathered for a bible study at emanuel. a young man among them was new to the church and they welcomed him in with love. why they didn't see the darkness in his heart, they showed him the loving nature of their own hearts. so much so he later told police he almost, almost, did not go through with this vicious attack because everyone was so nice to him. but tragically almost was not enough. the horrors unleashed by this young man changed south carolina forever. i remember getting a phone call at 9 p.m. that wednesday night from one of my friends at the sheriff's office about the shooting at mother emanuel. i text my friend hoping he would respond me and tell me what is going on at the church. looking at my text from june 17th, 2015 at 10:31 p.m. i asked

broadly speaking, the reforms of the 2017 bill, which is known as the ndaa, will be con convince yal for years to come. wesley in maryland from silver spring, maryland, on our independent line. caller: good morning. thank you so much for taking my call. so my thoughts are that the military budget, it should either stay the same or decrease. the purpose of the military is to be a deterrent to other nations from attacking that country. what we've seen, though, is that we've been embroiled in two wars, and yet we've still seen the budget increase. i feel that the budget could go -- the money allocated should go toward more preemptive units within the military, such as the nay seals, and stopping these wars from even starting. you know, targeting high-value targets and going on specific personnel, from outside forces. now, the other thing is that the money needs to be -- there needs to be more -- more of an oversight as to how the money is being spent. what the military is really guilty of is a lot of fraud, waste, and abuse. there have been previous investigations, where billions of dol

i believe in the ndaa we expanded that program a bit and dded more slots. is that program -- so take, for example, the sony case where there were issues in the sony technology that made it easier or less difficult to attack the sony technology, whether it's the silos of the various businesses within sony or whatever it is. there are issues in the private sector that are different from dod sector and federal sector, and they're diverse. it depends on the industry and what they do. so is the purpose of the information of the technology exchange program to help to put in place people into the private sector directly torque help them with that, and then vice versa, to deal with those threats, and then vice versa, to -- if there's somebody in the private -- if i understand this, in the private sector, we have someone who's really exemplary or efficient in the cyber security that we can bring those people in on a temporary basis to address those issues that we see. is that -- is that essentially what we're doing here? >> sir, i'll have to take that question. i'm

we tried to get this into the ndaa. >> i want to be clear because that was the question asked would ask. is this into agency for interagency task forces? how well are you working with other -- >> what i'm referring to is intra- spent to what extent are you going to be on that in terms of working within other federal agencies and local law enforcement? >> since i've been secretary and given my familiarity with the dod we stepped up our relationship with both northern command and southern command. i work with joe kelley a lot. -- general killey and his successor. we are always interested in doing more with the department of justice both in terms of border security and dealing with our counter-narcotics mission. dhs has a mission. >> and seven issue on so now you would use it all and then it evaporates pretty quick as i'm going to go to a completely different subject but i do want to submit for the record bigger the latest data on the number of people estimated come across board or other than mexican. it's my understanding its the majority of those coming across the border. i will submit t

in the ndaa. we had an amendment that talked about giving the guard leader shship to list on case by case basis the reimbursement cap of travel for guard members in rural areas to travel to their destination for training. the cap is $300. for a lot of reserve and guard members in different states, that can be just a fraction of the cost that they actually have to incur just to go train. i was wondering if you had seen that amendment and if you think could it help with training in different parts of the country, particularly as it relates to these men and women in rural areas, who are great, great members of the military. but often can't afford to go do the reserve duty because the costs are so prohibitive. do you see that as a positive development? where you'll have your leadership will have that discretion on a case by case basis to lift that in terms of recruitment and retention? >> yes, i do. i see the alaska environment is distinctly unique. >> not just alaska. i know. >> but places where they

most concerning of all is that nowhere in this bill or in the ndaa states this program is limited to training and equipping only those who are fighting against isis and al qaeda. our strategy against isis and al qaeda in syria right now is not working. we're waging two wars in syria, providing arms and support to groups who have opposing objectives. the first war is a counterproductive one, to overthrow the syrian government of assad which needs to end. and the second is to defeat isis, al qaeda and other jihadist groups which we must win. by helping groups fight to overthrow assad, we're essentially helping isis and al qaeda achieve their objective of taking over all of syria. some may argue this program is the only tool we have to fight against isis and al qaeda in syria. this is false. . in this amendment is passed, we continue to trust people on the ground who have proven their effectiveness and commitment to our shared objective of defeating isis and al qaeda through other counterterrorism authorities and funds. i ask my colleagues to support this amendment and vote yes on gabba

. >> on a different topic, the other day your statement of a message policy on the ndaa, the language on the get-go provision is a little stronger than usual, and it said that the president -- that the white house would treat those provisions as consistent with the president's constitutional authority. should we interpret that to say that, no, we'll just ignore them? >> i haven't had a detailed conversation with our lawyers about that language, so why don't we take a look at that and we'll follow-up with you. i want to make sure i give you a good steer. i suspect the language was chosen quite carefully for a reason i just want to make sure i can help you understand that correctly. john? >> josh. >> nice to see you, thank you. >> following up on carol's issue of fighting on. bernie sanders wants to continue fighting for his principles in philadelphia. >> i'll let senator sanders explain it but secretary clinton has indicated that the she believes those are priorities worth fighting for as well and i'm not sure the republican nominee has indicated as much. so, i -- again, i think the ca

not the gutting of it that is contained now in the ndaa before us. some have called the fair pay executive order one of the most important advances for workers achieved by this administration, and it is. according to the department of labor, one in five americans are employed by companies that do business with the federal government, an enormous source of leverage requiring compliance with federal protections not just in letter, but in spirit. we must, very simply, allow for consistent and appropriate application of this executive order to ensure that workers for contractors under the defense laws have the same protections as other workers. and the ndaa provision that guts this executive order must be removed at some point. it may not happen in our considering of this measure now, but my hope is that we can work with colleagues and overcome the potentially harmful effects of this provision. i look forward in fact to a collegial effort to make sure that we provide long-term protection to american workers through this executive order. thank you, mr. pr

on the night of june 17, 2015, i was here in washington, much like this week, debating the ndaa, our military priorities. but in charleston, there was a bible study. cynthia hurd, suzy jackson, ethel leighlands, tawanza sanders, daniel simmons, soranda coleman singleton, myra thompson, felicia sanders and her beautiful 5-year-old granddaughter polly shepard and my friend reverend calendar clee pinkney gathered together for a bible study at mother emmanuel. among them was a young man new to emmanuel, a young man they welcomed into their presence with god's love. and while they did not, could not possibly see the darkness in his heart, they showed him the loving nature of their own hearts, so much so that he later told police that he almost, almost did not go through with his vicious, vile attack because everyone was so nice to him. but tragically, almost was not enough. in an instant, the horrors unleashed by this young man changed south carolina forever. i remember getting the phone call about 9:00 p.m. on that wednesday night when one of -- from one of my friends at the sheriff's of