Torrey Thompson_Marine needs support

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-- The following e-mail comes from one of our sponsoring advertisers. Through their support, GOPUSA can continue to bring you the best array of conservative news, information, commentary, and discussions. A Decorated Marine needs your support more than ever. Torrey Thompson is in danger of serving time in jail for a crime that he did not commit. Thompson is a former police officer of DeKalb County, Georgia and a Marine Corps veteran. This dedicated man does not deserve to be convicted all for doing his job; enforcing the law and protecting the public. Torrey Thompson is charged with felony murder, manslaughter and aggravated assault arising out of an incident which occurred on September 12, 2006. Thompson was called for back-up along with two other officers in an apartment complex in Decatur, Georgia. The two officers that called for back-up were Officers Knock and Mondesir. They were investigating a stolen vehicle in the apartment complex, which had been identified in a hit and run incident earlier that day. When Officer Knock stopped the vehicle, the occupants jumped and fled on foot. Knock and Mondesir contacted the owner of the vehicle who informed them that the vehicle had been stolen. The owner identified one of the occupants to be Lorenzo Mathews. Mathews was already wanted in connection with a shooting earlier in the month. Knock and Mondesir were given permission to search the second floor of the apartment building where they believed Mathews to be hiding. Thompson was then called for back-up along with Officer Nunn and Sergeant Berg. Officers Knock and Mathews positioned themselves at the rear of the apartment on the ground floor. Officer Thompson positioned himself next to Officer Knock at the base of the stairwell. As the Officers entered the building, Mathews was standing in the kitchen area. Mathews fled out the back and down the stairs while Officers Thompson and Knock proceeded to yell “STOP, GET TO THE GROUND” and then ordered Mathews to “SHOW YOUR HANDS”. Matthews refused the orders and ran down the stairs pointing what appeared to be a gun at Officer Thompson. Mathews then pointed the item at Knock. Officer Knock then yelled “SHOW YOUR HANDS”, “STOP”, “DROP YOUR WEAPON”, and “GIVE UP”. Once again, Mathews ignored Knock’s commands and lunged towards him. Officer Knock fired his 9-millimeter Beretta four times hitting Mathews once in the chest. Officer Knock did not think that he hit Mathews because he then jumped over the railing of the staircase and ran towards Officer Thompson. Officer Knock did not fire again because Thompson was in his line of fire. Knock yelled to Thompson to “shoot him”. Observing something dark in Matthews hand and believing it to be the butt of a pistol, Officer Thompson shot his 9-millimeter Beretta twice. Mathews jumped the backyard fence and fled the scene towards a wooded area behind the apartment building. Officer Thompson chased Mathews and yelled for Mathews to “STOP” as he chased him through a parking lot towards the wooded area. Mathews turned and Officer Thompson fired his Beretta four times because he feared that Mathews was armed and would take an offensive position against him as he entered the woods. As Mathews entered the woods he stopped and looked at Officer Thompson. Officer Thompson proceeded to fire four more times. Mathews ran through the woods and jumped over a fence into a shopping center. When the K-9 unit arrived, they found Lorenzo Mathews located dead in the shopping center. A large knife was found at the shopping center fence where Mathews had climbed over. Officer Torrey Thompson is now being charged with felony murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, and violation of oath by an officer. These outrageous charges against Thompson are completely unjust. Officer Thompson was performing his job the way he was trained to do. He knew that Lorenzo Mathews was a dangerous felon who had earlier demonstrated a willingness to place others in harms way to avoid arrest. Thompson took the necessary actions to keep this criminal off the streets of the community he was trying to protect. Officer Thompson was indicted in July 2008, almost two years after the incident occurred. It is not fair that this dedicated officer could spend time in jail for protecting the public. LELDF is assisting to help Officer Torrey Thompson with his expensive legal fees and expert witness testimony, but we need your support. But, we cannot do it alone. Thompson needs to know that his fellow Americans support the job he does and that we appreciate his bravery. LELDF is a non-profit organization founded to support and defend police officers from unfair charges for actions taken in the line of duty. This Decorated Marine has four letters of commendation and has never been disciplined. This is not a police officer who deserves to spend any time jail for a crime that he did not commit. The two Officers, Knock and Thompson, both believed that their lives were in danger. Mathews was a dangerous suspect who was making aggressive moves towards the officers. They believe that they were justified in the actions they took. Why should Torrey Thompson, a dedicated Police Officer and Decorated Marine, have to endure the consequences of these charges because of this criminal? You can help Officer Thompson obtain justice by showing your support as a fellow American who respects the sacrifices he makes for his community. LELDF is asking you to make a contribution of $25, $50, $100, or any other amount that you can afford. Your tax-deductible donation will make a huge impact on Officer Torrey Thompson’s life. We thank you for your support. Sincerely, David H. Martin Chairman GOPUSA Friends E-mail List The content of this e-mailer does not constitute an endorsement by GOPUSA. This message was sent to GOPUSA subscribers on behalf of a sponsor. For questions regarding the content of this e-mailer, please contact the advertiser directly. Please note that this list is different than our daily news and commentary list. For more information about the GOPUSA Friends List, please click here. ++ Follow this link if you no longer wish to receive GOPUSA Friends e-mailers. ++ Need to change your e-mail address? Click here. Copyright © 2000-2009, GOPUSA.com A division of Endeavor Media Group, LLC P.O. Box 891354 Houston, TX 77289 ++ Contact Us

Letter to Obama VA Health Care Buget

Stand Up for Veterans Updatehttp://www.fundingforvets.org/PartnershipLetterObama.pdf The Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget Reform Representing America’s Veterans The Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget Reform ■ P.O. Box 71084 ■ Washington, DC 20024 The American Legion 1608 K Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20006 (202) 861-2700 www.legion.org AMVETS (American Veterans) 4647 Forbes Blvd. Lanham, MD 20706 (301) 459-9600 www.amvets.org Blinded Veterans Association 477 H Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001 (202) 371-8880 www.bva.org Disabled American Veterans 807 Maine Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20024 (202) 554-3501 www.dav.org Jewish War Veterans of the USA 1811 R Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20009 (202) 265-6280 www.jwv.org Military Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A., Inc. 5413-B Backlick Road Springfield, VA 22151 (703) 642-5360 www.purpleheart.org Paralyzed Veterans of America 801 18th Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20006 (202) 872-1300 www.pva.org Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States 200 Maryland Avenue, N.E. Washington, DC 20002 (202) 543-2239 www.vfw.org Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. 8605 Cameron Street, Suite 400 Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301) 585-4000 www.va.org January 9, 2009 The Honorable Barack Obama President-elect of the United States Presidential Transition Office Washington, DC Dear President-elect Obama: On behalf of the eight million veterans represented by the nine national veterans service organizations in The Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget Reform, we are writing to urge you to recommend passage of advance appropriations legislation for the FY 2010 appropriations cycle in your first budget request and legislative program. We were pleased to read recent news accounts reporting Veterans Affairs Secretary-designee Eric Shinseki’s support for the advance appropriations proposal. The inclusion of this proposal in your first budget submission would send a strong signal to the leadership of the 111th Congress and the veterans’ community of your firm commitment to change the funding process for veterans’ health care. Notwithstanding the recent achievements of the 110th Congress for veterans, VA has received its annual funding for health care programs late in 19 of the last 22 years. Over the past seven years, VA received its final budget an average of three months after the start of the new fiscal year. Not knowing when or what level of funding will be approved from year to year hinders the ability of VA officials to efficiently plan and responsibly manage this exceptional health care system. Compounding the problem are new demands placed on the VA system: over the past decade the number of veterans treated at VA facilities has almost doubled and the newest generation of wartime veterans has increasingly complex mental and physical health care needs that may require a lifetime of care. The Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget Reform remains committed to fundamentally change the way veterans’ health care is funded. While mandatory funding has been the focus over the past several years, The Partnership developed an alternative approach to achieve the same critical goals as mandatory funding – sufficient, timely and predictable funding – which is embodied in the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform Act (S. 3527 / H.R. 6939) introduced last year by Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka and House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner, respectively. This legislation would authorize Congress to approve appropriations for veterans’ health care one year in advance of the start of the fiscal year, and add greater transparency and integrity to VA’s internal budget process to ensure sufficient funding levels are ultimately approved. President-elect Barack Obama January 9, 2009 Page 2 The Veterans Health Care Budget Reform Act received strong bipartisan support from leaders in the 110th Congress, including you, Sen. John McCain and others. Along with The Partnership , the legislation has also been endorsed by The Military Coalition, comprised of 35 organizations representing more than 5.5 million members of the uniformed services – active duty, National Guard, Reserve, retired, former officers, and their families – and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). In addition, a growing list of more than two dozen former highranking VA officials, including medical center directors, regional health care network directors, Under Secretaries, Assistant Secretaries, and Secretaries, have joined together to support this commonsense funding reform. A national survey commissioned by Disabled American Veterans (DAV) last year also showed that more than 80% of the American public supports reforming VA health care funding through an advance appropriations process. Mr. President-elect, we agree with your statement that it is time to, “… end the unpredictability and inadequacy of VA’s discretionary funding process and instead, use an advance appropriations process that would allow Congress to provide VA health care dollars in advance and allow for improved planning and predictability.” As you and your transition team continue developing your first budget request and legislative program, we urge you to include clear language requesting advance appropriations for VA medical care accounts. We stand ready to work with you, VA Secretary-designee Eric Shinseki, OMB Director-designee Peter Orzag, and others in your transition team and incoming Administration to ensure that this vital budgetary reform is enacted into law early in the 111th Congress. Respectfully, JOHN SOMMER JAMES B. KING Executive Director Executive Director The American Legion AMVETS (American Veterans) THOMAS MILLER DAVID W.GORMAN Executive Director Executive Director Blinded Veterans Association Washington Headquarters Disabled American Veterans HERB ROSENBLEETH JOHN P. LEONARD, III National Executive Director Acting National Adjutant Jewish War Veterans of the USA Military Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A., Inc. President-elect Barack Obama January 9, 2009 Page 3 HOMER TOWNSEND ROBERT WALLACE Executive Director Executive Director Paralyzed Veterans of America Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States RICHARD F. WEIDMAN Director of Government Relations Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. c: Veterans Affairs Secretary-designee Eric Shinseki OMB Director-designee Peter Orzag Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell House Speaker Nancy Pelosi House Minority Leader John Boehner Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Burr House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Steve Buyer Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Jerry Lewis Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Judd Gregg House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt House Budget Committee Ranking Member Paul Ryan More Info DAV and Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget Reform Call on Obama to Change VA Funding Process In a letter sent this week to the President-elect, DAV, along with the eight other VSOs comprising the Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget Reform, called on Obama to fulfill his campaign promise to change the way veterans’ health care is funded. The Partnership reminded the President-elect that under the current appropriations process, VA has received its annual budget for health care beyond the start of the new fiscal year in 19 of the last 22 years. During the campaign, Obama wrote that the time has come to “…end the unpredictability and inadequacy of VA’s discretionary funding process and instead, use an advanced appropriations process that would allow Congress to provide VA health care dollars in advanced and allow for improved planning and predictability.” The Partnership asked President-elect Obama to include advance appropriations for VA medical care in his first budget request. VA Secretary-designee Shinseki Endorses Advance Appropriations in Run Up to Confirmation Hearings A pair of news stories published this week discussed VA Secretary-designee Gen. Eric Shinseki’s support for advanced appropriations for VA health care as well as other issues he will be asked about during his Senate confirmation hearing on January 14. The Associated Press (“Shinseki Pledges to Fix Gaps in Veterans’ Care”) reported about the contents of a questionnaire completed by Shinseki in which he “urged Congress to set VA funding a year in advance to minimize political pressures” because the current VA funding system “created ‘significant management difficulties’ that delayed medical care.” Congressional Quarterly ("Common Threads in Questions for Shinseki") suggested that Shinseki-confirmation hearings would likely include questions about the Secretary-designee’s support for VA health funding reform. The article also discussed expectations that Shinseki’s questioning would include a discussion of his ideas about how to better treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). About the Stand Up for Veterans Initiative Stand Up for Veterans is an initiative of the Disabled American Veterans, an organization of 1.4 million disabled veterans who are focused on building better lives for disabled veterans and their families. The initiative seeks to find public policy solutions for all veterans, particularly those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, who have incurred devastating injuries and disabilities, including traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological wounds of war. Please visit www.standup4vets.org to learn more about this effort. Stand up for veterans. They stood up for us.

CAVC Docket 03-0639 Sharon L. Anderson 10/31/2003 8:11 AMhttp://www.angelfire.com/mn3/andersonadvocates/PDF/USCAVCDocket030639Sharo.pdf

http://www.vetapp.gov/docket/docket.asp?id=03-0639&submit1=Search+for+Docket+Number

Page 1 of 2

Home Court

U. S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

Sharon L. Anderson,

V.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs,

Pro se: Appellant Appearances for Appellee

Sharon L. Anderson

1058 Summit

P.O. Box 4384

St. Paul MN 55104-0384

651-776-5835

Ari Nazarov, Esq.

202-639-4848

BVA Information

BVA Decision Mail Date: 12/4/02

Date Explanation Received

3/28/03 FEE CVA $50.00

Date Filings and Proceedings

3/28/03 FILED:US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims' Filing Fee - $50.00 (Not Assigned)

3/28/03 Notice of Appeal (MOFFEG) (DESHAP)

4/3/03 Notice of Docketing for bva dec by 5-5-03; dr by 6-2-03 (DESHAP)

4/4/03 Copy of BVA Decision (MOFFEG) (M - 4/4/03) (TOBESS)

4/7/03 RECEIVED: Correspondence from appellant (M - 4/9/03) (TOBESS)

6/2/03 Appearance of Ari Nazarov, atty for the appellee (M - 6/2/03) (TOBESS)

6/2/03 Designation of Record (MOFFEG) (M - 6/2/03) (TOBESS)

6/3/03 Notice to Counter-Designate Record by 7/8/2003 (TOBESS)

8/6/03 Record on Appeal (M - 8/6/03) (TOBESS)

8/6/03 Notice to File Brief 10/6/2003 (TOBESS)

8/18/03 RECEIVED: Returned mail, appellant's notice to file brief; resent 8/20/03, appellant's brief due 10/20/03

(TOBESS)

10/30/03

ORDERED that, by 11/19/2003, the appellant must explain why the Crt should not dismiss this appeal because

of the appellant's failure to comply with the Crt's rules; proceedings are stayed until further order of the Court.

(TOBESS) (SMT)

End of Docket

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USCAVC Docket 03-0639 Sharon L. Anderson 10/31/2003 8:11 AM

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