Griffin graduates from war college
WASHINGTON — Lt.Gov. Tim Griffin graduated from the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pa., Friday, earning a master’s degree in strategic studies.
The school, 100 miles north of Washington, has a long list of illustrious alumni, including President Dwight Eisenhower, Gen. George Patton, Gen. Omar Bradley and Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf.
Griffin, who was designated a distinguished graduate, earned the degree over a 27-month period. The Little Rock Republican spent roughly a month on campus; the rest of the studies were accomplished via distance learning.
In addition to holding elected office, Griffin serves in the U.S. Army Reserve and has attained the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Like most of the other graduates, he was wearing his uniform when he received his diploma.
“There are a few civilians that come from government primarily [and] a few international fellows, but by and large you’re talking about lieutenant colonels and colonels from all the different services,” Griffin said.
Griffin, who has served in the Reserve for two decades, served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division. The former congressman is also a former member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee.
The degree increases the chances of advancement, he said.
“You have to have this sort of education or its equivalent to be promoted to one-star general. That is a requirement. As a practical matter, it is often really needed to make full bird colonel. I’m lieutenant colonel and I’m trying to make it to the next rank and so this was really important for me as a part of that journey,” he said.
Cotton voices Iran ire, Israel support
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton gave two speeches recently. On July 22, he spoke at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.
On Tuesday, he addressed members of Christians United For Israel in Washington, D.C.
On both occasions, he denounced the government of Iran. During the latter speech, he expressed steadfast support for Jerusalem.
“We have a special friendship with Israel that is no accident of history and is not a mere alignment of interests. There’s a reason the largest Jewish metropolitan area in the world outside Tel Aviv is New York. There’s a reason the Pilgrims called America the new Zion. Both of our nations are beacons of freedom in a dangerous world,” the Republican from Dardanelle said.
The Christians United For Israel event drew a large contingent from Arkansas, including residents of Van Buren, Lavaca, North Little Rock, Bonnerdale, Little Rock and Paragould, Cotton’s office said.
Many of the participants from Arkansas later visited with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
The Rev. Randy Caldwell, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in Arkansas’ 4th Congressional District, was also part of the assembly.
Hill berates Indian Education Bureau
U.S. Rep. French Hill has given his latest Golden Fleece Award to the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Education, alleging that it failed to fix problems at a New Mexico school despite receiving $7.5 million from the government to address the issues.
The Pine Hill Schools are on the Navajo Reservation in western New Mexico.
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., held a round-table meeting earlier this month to discuss problems with infrastructure at that school and others that serve American Indians.
Pointing to Pine Hill Schools, Udall said, “Unacceptable doesn’t even begin to describe the department’s lack of performance here.”
In a letter to Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Tony L. Dearman, Hill pointed to additional problems that had been detailed in a report by the Department of Interior’s office of inspector general.
“I am astounded at the lack of concern demonstrated by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE),” Hill wrote. “For over five years, the BIE shirked their responsibility to protect students from possible harm. They neglected these students by not using the money given to them to maintain the school’s damaged facilities, including the broken fire alarm and suppression systems. This kind of performance from the BIE is unacceptable and must be rectified immediately.”
The late U.S. Sen. William Proxmire, D-Wis., was the creator of the Golden Fleece Award, using it to highlight government spending that he considered wasteful.
After Hill’s election to Congress in 2014, he resurrected the award.
Planning to visit the nation’s capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or flockwood@ arkansasonline.com . Want the latest from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Washington bureau? It’s available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank.