I do not know if this is valid, or not, but my friend sent this e-mail to me, and I'd like to see if anyone else heard about this, or if they can find more accurate info. Thanks in advance!


ISSUE: According to the New York Post (nypost.com), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
has single-handedly killed a bill, passed in the U.S. House of
Representatives by a 409-0 vote, to award the Presidential Medal of Valor to
firefighters and policemen who responded to the 9-11 attack last year.

Leahy, the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee, pulled the plug on
legislation to bestow the medal on public-safety workers who perished in the
terror attacks.

The new medal, which is the nation's highest public-safety award, was created
about a year ago, and the 9-11 heroes were set to become its first recipients.

Nearly 400 NYPD and Port Authority cops, firefighters and other emergency
personnel lost their lives in the collapse of the Twin Towers, and Leahy's
move has many lawmakers fuming.

"This is really frustrating," said Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Queens, NY), whose
firefighter cousin died on 9-11.

"This is a no-brainer. Those guys knew what was facing them, and still they
put that frickin' gear on and raced up the stairwells. If that's not heroism,
I don't know what is," Crowley said.

Proponents even talked of melting scrap metal from the trade center to create
the medals.

The bill was sent to Leahy's committee in the Democrat-run Senate after it
passed the House. As chairman, Leahy has decided not to bring the measure to
a committee vote, effectively killing it. Now we'll never know what the
entire Senate thinks, because this single action blocks the bill from
reaching the floor of the Senate where all members could vote on it.

It also leaves many of the heroes of September 11th without a Medal of Valor
that the entire House of Representatives, the President, and possibly a
majority of the Senators in the U.S. Senate would like to bestow upon them.

ACTION ITEM: Contact Sen. Leahy at senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov or Click
Below to send him a pre-written message through our Contact Center, and
demand that he reverse his decision to kill this attempt to honor these
heroic public servants:

<A HREF="http://www.conservativehq.com/041702.htm">
http://www.conservativehq.com/041702.htm</A>

NOTE: Please forward this email to everyone you know that believes that the
brave men and women who rushed in response to the terrorist attack DESERVE a
Medal of Valor. Thank you!

Office of Sen. Patrick Leahy Statement on New York Post Article
U.S. Newswire
12 Apr 10:31
Office of Sen. Patrick Leahy Statement on The New York Post Article About Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Awards
To: National and City Desks
Contact: David Carle of the Office of Sen. Patrick Leahy, 202-224-3693

WASHINGTON, April 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a statement by David Carle, spokesman for Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, on The New York Post article about Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Awards:

"The New York Post story is inaccurate and highly misleading.

"The New York Post asked whether the resolution would be voted on by the Judiciary Committee, and the Post's reporter did not return a call to hear the answer.

"The non-binding resolution that has passed the House and that is pending in the Senate is likely to be considered in the Senate
Judiciary Committee this month.

"The issue is not whether awards should be given to fallen
firefighters, police and other public safety officers involved in
the September 11 attacks, but how to do it in a way that makes this award one that is as credible and as meaningful as possible.

"In setting up the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Award
nearly a year ago, well before the terrorist attacks, Congress and
the President decided that the award would have the most meaning, endurance and credibility if firefighters and police and other public safety officers themselves -- the peers of those who will be honored -- made the selections of candidates. Congress and the White House decided that this arrangement was better than for Congress itself to make the decisions. Further, the New York Post says only five awards can be given in any year. The Post is wrong, failing to report that the very next line in the law says that the attorney general can increase that number, without limit, at his discretion, in extraordinary cases. No one can argue that September 11 was not an extraordinary case.

"In the long term, it will be best for the medal's credibility if
the award returns to a peer-selection process so that firefighters,
police and other public safety officers themselves select
candidates. But because of the extraordinary circumstances of
September 11, Congress may itself choose to step into the process this year, and if that is the will of the Senate as well as of the House, Sen. Leahy will support that step. In the meantime, Sen. Leahy -- longtime champion of firefighters and police and public safety officers in Congress -- has been leading every effort
underway in Congress to offer tangible help to them after September 11, including increases in public safety officer death and disability benefits, grants for bulletproof vests and creation of the September 11 Victims Compensation Fund."

http://www.usnewswire.com

Originally posted by Snouter
WASHINGTON, April 12 /U.S. Newswire

Looks like old news...what's actually going on?

After his performance leaking virtually every detail about our moves in Afghanistan (and thereby jeopardizing the lives of american servicemen/women) I wouldn't trust this @#%&* to watch my houseplant overnight.

This is apparently a real story and I couldn't find anything on Snopes about it being an internet-circulated myth.

The original New York Post article was April 12.

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/41385.htm

Then I am not sure I see the relevance of the first article...

Any follow ups? Was there a vote?