Napolitano Apologizes to Vets for Report

And group has no intention of ceasing its use: rep

(NEWSER) - The VFW is stirring up quite a bit of controversy—no, not Veterans of Foreign Wars, but Veterans for Weed. In addition to co-opting the VFW acronym, the pro-marijuana-legalization group also uses a logo that looks like the POW/MIA icon, except with the soldier smoking a joint. The real VFW has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the group, and because "VFW" is copyrighted, the tokers may have to comply with the acronym part. But it has no intention of ditching its controversial logo, Military Times reports. More»

Discrimination case a 'witch hunt': lawyer

(NEWSER) - Arizona's embattled Sheriff Joe Arpaio is hitting back at Justice Department allegations that his office shows "a pervasive culture of discriminatory bias" against Hispanics. "Don't come to use me as a whipping boy for a national, international problem," he told reporters, saying he has "an idea of the politics involved in law enforcement," CNN reports. "I don't want to say it's all politics, but everyone I'm talking about happens to be Democrats," he said. His lawyer called the case a "witch hunt." More»

Another 1 in 3 disagree: Pew Research Center poll

(NEWSER) - Friday marks the 10th anniversary of the US invasion of Afghanistan; with an eye on the decade-long effort, the Pew Research Center asks veterans: Were the Afghanistan and Iraq wars worth it? Just 34% of post-Sept. 11 veterans say yes, while another 33% say no (Afghanistan is considered slightly more worthwhile than Iraq, according to the poll). Even so, 96% say they are "proud" of their military service, and 82% say they would advise young people to enlist, Politico reports. More»

Numbers are up as more go on foot patrols

(NEWSER) - A new Pentagon report has some rough stats, mostly from the Afghan war:

• The number of troops who have had amputations rose from 86 in 2009 to 187 last year. The pace continues this year, with 147 so far.
• The number of troops who lost two or three limbs rose from 23 in 2009 to 72 last year; the figure is already 77 this year.

Janet Napolitano says the end to the annoying practice is nigh

(NEWSER) - Rejoice, Americans: Just as you admitted that you would be willing to do away with your freedoms in exchange for security ... freedom! Janet Napolitano today said that air passengers will soon be able to inch their way through security with their shoes on, reports Politico . "We are moving towards an intelligence- and risk-based approach to how we screen," she explained. "I think one of the first things you will see over time is the ability to keep your shoes on." More»