TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2010


KLMNO THE FED PAGE


List of military bands plays on (and on, and on, and on)


WALTER PINCUS Fine Print


funds Defense Department per- sonnel far more easily than it does State Department employ- ees. “There are about 6,000 FSOs,”


D


or Foreign Service officers, he told an audience in San Fran- cisco this month. He drew laugh- ter when he added that former secretary of state “Condi Rice used to say, ‘We have more peo- ple in military bands than they have in the Foreign Service.’ She was not far wrong.” Well, maybe Gates should take


a closer look at those military bands during his campaign to trim defense spending. My inter- est was triggered by a new field manual for Army bands, released last month, that Steven After- good first noted on his Secrecy News Web site. You may be aware of the Army Band, known as “Pershing’s Own” — based in the Washing- ton area — which, according to the manual, is authorized to have 250 officers and enlisted men. Then there is the Army’s Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, West Point’s Military Academy Band, and the Army Field Band, located at nearby Fort Meade, Md. These are known as the Army’s “special bands.” But there are also three large


Army bands: the Army Training and Doctrine Command Band, at Fort Monroe, Va.; the Army Ground Forces Band, at Fort Mc- Pherson, Ga.; and the U.S. Army Europe Band and Chorus, sta- tioned at Heidelberg, Germany. In addition, there are 28 other regular Army bands in this coun- try and abroad, 18 Army Reserve bands and 53 Army National Guard bands. Beyond that, al- most every regular Army band has “music performance teams” (or MPTs) that can be “employed separately from the band head- quarters in support of specific musical missions,” according to the manual. The Army Band, for example, has a ceremonial trum- pet group, the Herald Trumpets; the Army Chorus; the Army Blues, a large, popular music group; a smaller pop group, Downrange; and a string ele- ment, the Army Strings. Other bands also have smaller


groups. The purpose of Army bands, and others run by all the military services, as described in the field manual, is to “provide music throughout the entire spectrum of operations to instill in our forces the will to fight and win, foster the support of our citizens, and promote America’s interests at home and abroad.”


Solid and reasonable aims, but how many do we need to accom- plish those missions, because, of course, the Navy, Marines and Air Force cannot be outdone by the Army? The Washington-based Navy Band, with 105 members and a 24-person support staff, has eight chamber music ensembles, plus the Commodores, a 19-per- son jazz ensemble; the Sea Chanters, a chorus of 23; the sev- en-person country bluegrass group Country Current; and a pop entertainment ensemble, the Cruisers, with two vocalists and six instrumentalists. In addition, there are two


Navy bands in Japan and Italy, one in Hawaii and eight across the U.S. mainland. For example, there is the Navy Band New Or- leans, which has not only a cer- emonial/marching unit but also the Express (top 40/variety); Navy Showband South (show/ dance); and the Crescent City Brass Quintet Brass Band (tradi- tional New Orleans), according to its Web site. Located in Washington, the


Air Force Band has 180 musi- cians along with it own “staff of music arrangers, composers and copyists who create many of the works performed by the band,” according to its Web site. It, too, has a number of ensembles, in- cluding the Singing Sergeants and its newest group, Max Im- pact, “four of the Air Force’s most dynamic vocalists and sup- ported by a hard-hitting five- piece rhythm section,” its Web site says. The Air Force Academy Band has a marching band of 60; a concert band of 45; the Falco-


efense Secretary Robert M. Gates frequently makes the point that Congress


JAHI CHIKWENDIU/THE WASHINGTON POST The Army Band and the Army Military District perform “1812.”


2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


10


THE INFLUENCE INDUSTRY Tim Farnam


Campaign cash: Who’s spending the most on the midterms Watch this space every Tuesday through Election Day for a weekly Top 10 list showing the outside organizations spending the most to support or oppose House and Senate candidates across the country — and which party is benefiting from the largess.


— T.W. Farnam PARTISANSHIP Full breakdown, go to http://wapo.st/bB891F


RANK 1


Previous rank


evious rank


1 GROUP


American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees


American Crossroads Club for Growth


3 4


Our Country Deserves Better (teapartyexpress.org) Defenders of Wildife Action Fund Arizonans Working Together Coalition to Protect Seniors Inc.


Service Employees International Union American Future Fund Louisiana Truth PAC


SOURCES: Federal Election Commission, staff reports


AMOUNT SPENT LAST WEEK


$760,890 $454,342 $297,661 $297,240 $125,000 $44,590 $42,834 $42,000 $34,750 $28,204


TO DEMS TO GOP 100%


100% 100% 100%


100%


100% 100%


100%


100% 100%


THE WASHINGTON POST


S


A13


Hatching guidelines ERIK DE CASTRO/ASSOCIATED PRESS An Army brass band performs at a U.S. military camp in Baghdad.


With the primaries looming in the District and Maryland and social media tools such as Twit- ter and Facebook engrained in the American psyche, the Office of Special Counsel has decided to let federal employees know what they can do without run- ning afoul of the Hatch Act. Federal Diary, B3


Pentagon surveys spouses


The Pentagon sends a survey to about 150,000 military spouses asking them about “don’t ask, don’t tell.” B3


Judge prohibits NIH funding of embryonic stem cell research


stem cells from A1 IRWIN FEDRIANSYAH/ASSOCIATED PRESS Members of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Rock Band perform in Indonesia.


nairs, an 18-member jazz ensem- ble; the eight-member Blue Steel pop/rock/country group; the five-man Wild Blue Country group; and five other subgroups. In addition, there are 11 other


active-duty Air Force bands, plus 11 Air National Guard bands. Nine active-duty Air Force bands tour in their own geographic areas in the continental United States while one is in Europe and another — the USAF Band of the Pacific — is stationed in Alaska, with elements in Japan and Ha- waii. The Marine Corps Band has about 160 members. Its ensem- bles include a Marine Chamber Orchestra, the Marine Jazz Or- chestra and its country music group, Free Country. Pay and benefits are worth


noting, particularly in compari- son with the Foreign Service. A beginning Foreign Service officer can expect pay in the $45,000-to- $50,000 range. Becoming a member of the military’s “special bands” — which beyond the four Army bands include the Navy Band, the Naval Academy Band, the Air Force Band, its Academy Band and the Marine Band (“The President’s Own”) — gets you a ranking of staff sergeant or the equivalent and an annual salary of $51,000 for single people and $58,000 for married ones. The


Coast Guard Band provides a ranking but slightly lower pay. Then there is the assignment.


Take the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, for example. All members over their four-year enlistment period have “a stabi- lized assignment at Fort Myer, and enjoy full military benefits including medical and dental care, group life insurance cover- age, 30 days of annual paid vaca- tion, Post Exchange and Com- missary benefits, and education- al benefits,” according to its Web site. In the Navy bands, as their


Web site notes, “Your full time job will be to play your instru- ment, but as you advance in rank you may be assigned with a col- lateral duty to help manage daily operations of the band.” The opposition Gates has re- ceived for his budget plans so far probably would intensify were he to go after military bands. For example, a question was posed on the Naval Institute Web site: “With a budget squeeze looming . . . is it time to shrink the Navy Chaplain Corps?” One answer: “Had you been in


the Navy you’d know that the personnel program of choice, when one is tilting windmills, is the Navy Band . . . not the Chap- lain Corps.”


pincusw@washpost.com


Zilch...Nada...Nothing...Zippo That’s what you need to Lease aBMW.


VOBBMW


which prohibits federal funding for “research in which a human embryo or embryos are de- stroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death greater than that allowed for research on fetuses in utero.” In 1999, Harriet S. Rabb, a law- yer for the Department of Health and Human Services, concluded that the NIH’s support of embry- onic stem cell research did not violate the amendment if the funds were used only for experi- ments involving the cells — not to procure them. The cells them- selves are not embryos, she said. Said Sean Tipton of the Amer- ican Society for Reproductive Medicine: “NIH carefully de- signed polices to allow federally funded scientists to explore the potential of human embryonic stem cell research without vio- lating Dickey-Wicker. The NIH policies on stem cell research make it clear that federal funds can be used to investigate cells and tissues created from human embryonic stem cells, but not to create them.” Lamberth rejected that dis-


tinction. “The language of the statute


reflects the unambiguous intent of Congress to enact a broad pro- hibition of funding research in which a human embryo is de- stroyed,” he wrote. “This prohibi- tion encompasses all ‘research in which’ an embryo is destroyed, not just the ‘piece of research’ in


which the embryo is destroyed,” as the Justice Department ar- gued.


On Aug. 9, 2001, President


George W. Bush limited federal funding to 21 colonies of existing human embryonic stem cells to prevent taxpayer money from funding the destruction of more embryos to obtain additional cells. Critics of the research praised Bush’s move, saying that destroying embryos to advance academic study is immoral and that alternative approaches, such as using stem cells derived from adults, were equally if not more promising. But many scientists con- demned the restrictions, saying they were hindering research that could lead to cures for Alz- heimer’s disease, diabetes, paral- ysis and other ailments. Embry- onic stem cells, which can morph into many different types of tis- sue, are able to do things that other cells cannot, proponents argued. No new therapies, how- ever, have been developed. Soon after taking office, Presi- dent Obama announced that he was lifting his predecessor’s re- strictions and ordered the NIH to develop new guidelines ad- dressing the ethical issues in- volved. Last summer, the NIH is- sued detailed guidelines and be- gan authorizing new colonies of cells eligible for funding. Sev- enty-five colonies have been ap- proved so far. Monday’s ruling was in re-


sponse to a lawsuit filed by James L. Sherley and Theresa Deisher, researchers who study other types of human stem cells. The pair argued that the new ad- ministration’s guidelines would “result in increased competition for limited federal funding,” hin- dering their plans to seek money for other research. Lamberth initially threw out the case, but the U.S. Court of Ap- peals for the D.C. Circuit ruled June 25 that the researchers had legal standing to bring a suit. Several other plaintiffs were dropped, including the Christian Medical Association, Nightlight Christian Adoptions and two couples seeking to “adopt” un- used embryos. The original suit also contended that the policy would limit the number of em- bryos available to people seeking them. Lamberth’s injunction does not prevent the government from taking the case to trial. However, the judge wrote that the claim was strong enough to bar federal authorities from “tak- ing any action whatsoever” to implement funding guidelines pending trial. “The Court finds that the like- lihood of success on the merits, irreparable harm to plaintiffs, the balance of hardships, and public interest considerations each weigh in favor of a prelimi- nary injunction,” he wrote. steinr@washpost.com hsus@washpost.com


www.vobbmw.com 301-984-8989


The Ultimate Driving Machine®


DONATE YOUR CAR * 100% Tax Deductible * Free Pick-Up


0DownPayment andNoSecurity Deposit or


0.9%Financing 2011 328i 4dr Sedan Lease for $399/mo.* 2010 X3 xDrive30i Lease for $529/mo.*


The Most Extensive Inventory On


The East Coast. Support www.HelpOurVeterans.org


Our Veterans 1-800-Help-Vets


2011 328 xDrive 4dr Sedan Lease for $418/mo.*


2010 328i Convertible Lease for $559/mo.*


VOBBMW Experience The VOBBMWDifference


*LeaseTerms: 36mo/10k miles. Leases require 0(none,zilch,nada)cap reduction. Just applicable taxes, tags & 1st Payment due at lease signing. MSRP/Incoming unit: 2011 328i Sedan $35,900/A442767, 2011 328i 4dr XDrive $37,400/#141708, 328i Convertible $47,750/#142045 and 2010 X3 SAV $40,575/141417. For very well qualified buyers approved through BMWFS. Vehicles shown are for illustrative purposes only and may not represent exact vehicle. Vehicles subject to prior sale. All offers end August 31, 2010.


1300 Roc kville Pik e Rockville, MD 20852 301-984-8989 VOBBMW .com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56