2000 Pres Medal of Freedom honorees. Mildred "Millie" Jeffrey (a women's labor and Democratic Party activist- first female to direct a department of the United Auto Workers. Worked for UAW from 1945 to 1976)-- curtsies after receiving her Medal from President Clinton. Other honorees applaud her (McGovern, Moynihan, Gen Wes Clark, Admiral Crowe, etc). Simon Weisenthal was also honored on the same day but was unable to attend the ceremony.

Labor leaders, military leaders, ministers, activists--recipients who reflected the interests and politics of the departing president and the first lady, who happens to be running for the New York Senate seat vacated by Moynihan.

"Day in and day out," Hillary Clinton told the honorees and about 200 people in the audience, the 15 recipients "have widened our horizons and opened our minds and our hearts."

In his remarks, the president emphasized the first lady's role in choosing the honorees:

"Some of them reflect, now that we've been here eight years and been involved in public life for nearly three decades, a lot of personal experiences that we have had, and we had a lot of good times talking about who should be here today."

Text of the citation

GENERAL WESLEY K. CLARK, USA (Ret.)

Respected for his military expertise, keen intellect, and diplomatic skill, General Wesley Clark has distinguished himself as a soldier, scholar, and statesman. Graduating from West Point at the head of his class, he set a standard of excellence that has been his lifelong benchmark, whether serving in Vietnam; as a key negotiator of the Dayton Peace Accords; or as head of the U.S. European Command. As Supreme Allied Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, he led the 19-member alliance to a historic victory in Kosovo in NATO's longest and most difficult military campaign. For his outstanding leadership and dedicated service, General Clark has earned the respect and admiration of a grateful Nation.

President Bill Clinton on General Clark:

"In March of 1999 as Slobodan Milosevic unleashed his army and police on the people of Kosovo, Gen. Wesley Clark, NATO's supreme commander, was given the first military mission of its kind, directing the forces of a 19 nation alliance to end a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing," President Clinton said. "The stakes were monumental.

"Almost a million people had been driven from their homes solely because of their ethnic and religious background. Success would save lives, strengthen NATO, advance the cause of freedom, democracy and unity in Europe. Failure would leave much of the continent awash in a sea of refugees and end the 20th century on a note of helpless indignation in the face of evil."

"Wes Clark well understood the perils of the Balkans for he had already played a vital role in ending the war in Bosnia and beginning the long process of building a stable, multi- ethnic democracy in that country. He summoned every ounce of his experience and expertise as a strategist, soldier and a statesman to wage our campaign in Kosovo. He prevailed miraculously without the loss of a single combat casualty."

"At the apex of a long and distinguished military career that goes back to his outstanding performance as a cadet at West Point over 30 years ago, he was assigned a challenge many experts thought was mission impossible. Instead, thanks to Gen. Clark, we now can declare it mission accomplished."

http://www.medaloffreedom.com/15Americans.htm

.

My kind of gal.

I think this woman is my hero and I didn't even know it! Just read about her after seeing the pic with Wes. What a lady!! Read this, her NYT obituary write up from April 2004.

Mildred Jeffrey, who for seven decades was an influential behind-the-scenes combatant in the women's, labor and civil rights movements, died on March 24 in Detroit. She was 93.

Mildred McWilliams, known as Millie, was born on Dec. 29, 1910, in Alton, Iowa, the eldest of seven children. Her grandmother, a widow, ran a farm and raised 16 children by herself. Her mother, who was the first woman to become a registered pharmacist in Iowa, in 1908, raised seven children on her own after her husband left the family.

With the passage of laws promoting labor unions, she became an organizer for the Amalgamated Clothing Workers in Philadelphia and later the education director of the Pennsylvania Joint Board of Shirt Workers.

As a student at the University of Minnesota in the early 1930's, she and an African-American classmate helped integrate restaurants in Minneapolis. Decades later, she marched in the South with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1936, she married another Amalgamated organizer, Homer Newman Jeffrey. They organized workers in the South and the East, taking mill jobs and rushing to unionize factories before management fired them for their activism.

In 1944, she moved to Detroit when the Reuthers (UAW) offered her the job as head of the union's new Women's Bureau. She organized the U.A.W.'s first women's conference when a flood of returning veterans resulted in the large-scale postwar layoffs of women from factory jobs.

After helping create the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971, she became a leader on the Democratic Party committee that ensured that half the delegates to its 1980 convention were women. (Thank you Millie!) She helped propel the careers of many women in politics, including the governor of Michigan, Jennifer M. Granholm, a Democrat.

She was a founder of the National Women's Political Caucus and was the unofficial head of a group of women who helped persuade Walter F. Mondale to name Geraldine A. Ferraro as his running mate on the 1984 Democratic ticket.

Ms. Jeffrey ran for only one office, when she was elected in Michigan to the board of governors of Wayne State University in Detroit. She served on the board for 16 years, including three years as its chairwoman.

She played a major role in many groups, including the Coalition of Labor Union Women, Emily's List, Americans for Democratic Action, the National Abortion Rights League and the American Civil Liberties Union.

In 2001, Ms. Jeffrey told a University of Minnesota magazine: ''My underlying goal was always to empower women. Get them to learn their rights, and to exercise them!''

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9906E0D71139F936A35757C0A9629C8B63&fta=y
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Part of me is saddened that she didn't live to see Hillary run and the other part of me is relieved that she was spared what has been done to Hillary and Ferraro whom she had helped to run as VP earlier.

RIP Millie... She'd have been a huge Hillary supporter had she made it this long.

In an interview after receipt of her Medal of Freedom:

"I will retire," she says flatly, "when I die."

Millie 'retired' four years later in March 2004....

http://www.medaloffreedom.com/MildredJeffrey.htm

"You never win freedom permanently. You have to win it time after time ... whether it's union rights, civil rights, or equality for women. We have to keep at it and at it." ~ Millie Jeffrey

thank you MS.... what an inspirational woman.

The timing in a stroke is so critical to prevent damage.... how sad. For so many years I have thought he looked so unhealthy... Wishing him all the best-- light to Massachusetts....

that kept Senator Obama out of KY, and with senate.gov, it's so easy now!!

-----------------------------------------

Here's one last week for veteran's education that Obama was unfortunately NOT present to vote on- He coulda been in Kentucky instead!:

Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 4763 to H.R. 980

Vote Date: May 14, 2008, 02:50 PM

Statement of Purpose: To improve educational assistance for members of the Armed Forces and veterans in order to enhance recruitment and retention for the Armed Forces.

Vote Counts:
YEAs 55
NAYs 42
Not Voting 3

Not Voting Obama, Clinton, and McCain

-------------------------------------------

He also didn't vote on a few agricultural bills or a tax increase bill on May 15th.

He wasn't there to vote on Barbara Boxer's motion on China which narrowly passed by 15 votes.

He missed the Republican Discretionary Spending bill which was rejected-- but by only ONE single vote!

____________________________________________________________

So what DID Obama vote on last week you ask-- that he regretted he would have to bypass campaigning in Kentucky for?

What pieces of legislation did Obama feel were so compelling, that needed his vote to pass or be blocked that he would forego the good people of Kentucky, hillbillies though they may be?

Well here you go:

...

MAY 13, 2008- Obama votes YEA...along with 96 other senators A real squeaker...

Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 4737 to S.Amdt. 4707 to S. 2284 (Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007)

Vote Counts:
YEAs 97
NAYs 1

and in a similar measure:

Measure Number: H.R. 3121
(Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007 )

Measure Title: A bill to restore the financial solvency of the national flood insurance program and to provide for such program to make available multiperil coverage for damage resulting from windstorms and floods, and for other purposes.

Vote Counts:
YEAs 92
NAYs 6

----------------------------------------------

And lastly he voted YEA on this one:

Measure Number: H.R. 980
(Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2007 )

Measure Title: A bill to provide collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or their political subdivisions.

Vote Counts:
YEAs 69
NAYs 29

Which passed by... 40 votes.

So had he skipped the votes and campaigned... the results would have overwhelmingly been... exactly the same.

Tell it to the voters in Kentucky. Axelrod doesn't think we all know how to use this nifty Google feature.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_110_2.htm

This is what we should be seeing in the media. You are a better investigative reporter than any of those a*****es on the networks and the papers. Wish we could get this kind of news out to a bigger crowd. You should post this at Taylor Marsh's blog too, they get a lot of traffic.

my old wrist injury from overblogging that Wes UCLA event is acting up again. Carpal Crap!

I am about to put on the brace and take a quick hike before sundown. So HOT here! We will be dining on the patio tonight.

Feel free if anyone wants to post it around. No problem! :)

I think it's funny that they think we can't look this stuff up because they are so accustomed to a lazy a** press.

at Taylor's with your permission. This is too good to not share.