Blog Posts By Duane Shank

Quote of the day. “When I say 2.5 million people have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, jaws drop. I know which lines are going to get gasps, and that’s one of them. I don’t think they appreciate how many people have served, and particularly the number who have had repeated deployments.” Paul Rieckhoff, chief executive officer of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. (McClatchy News)

Quote of the Day. "It is a gesture to underline relations which have been developing over the recent years and to express my wish that our friendly ties flourish even more during this new era.” Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, the spiritual leader of the world''s Orthodox Christians, on why he will be the first to attend a papal investiture since the split between the eastern and western churches in 1054. (Associated Press)

Following a three-day visit to Pakistan, Ben Emmerson QC, the U.N.'s special rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights, warned that continuing U.S. drone strikes are a violation of  that country’s sovereignty. According to the Guardian, Emmerson said,"The position of the government of Pakistan is quite clear. It does not consent to the use of drones by the United States on its territory and it considers this to be a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity."As a matter of international law the US drone campaign in Pakistan is therefore being conducted without the consent of the elected representatives of the people, or the legitimate government of the state. It involves the use of force on the territory of another state without its consent and is therefore a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty."Pakistan has also been quite clear that it considers the drone campaign to be counter-productive and to be radicalizing a whole new generation, and thereby perpetuating the problem of terrorism in the region.” 

In an opinion piece this morning, former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta urges President Obama to make available to Congress and the American people the legal opinions governing the targeted drone killing program. Podesta writes:“In refusing to release to Congress the rules and justifications governing a program that has conducted nearly 400 unmanned drone strikes and killed at least three Americans in the past four years, President Obama is ignoring the system of checks and balances that has governed our country from its earliest days. And in keeping this information from the American people, he is undermining the nation’s ability to be a leader on the world stage and is acting in opposition to the democratic principles we hold most important. This is why I say, respectfully: Give them up, Mr. President.”

Quote of the day. "I believe people who are impoverished and can''t afford a lawyer deserve one. If we can''t provide that, then what kind of society do we really have?" Al Flora, Luzerne County, Penna., chief public defender, on the consequence of budget cuts leaving his office overwhelmed with cases. (USA Today)  

As the College of Cardinals begins its conclave today in Rome to select the next Pope, I find myself intensely interested in the outcome. Since I am an Anabaptist, a child of the “radical” Reformation, I’ve spent some time reflecting on why that is so.First, the Roman Catholic Church is an unbroken link to the first century Roman church for all Christians, no matter our denomination. Before the so-called “Great Schism” between the eastern and western church in 1054, the Christian church led from Rome was THE primary Christian church. No matter if we are Eastern or Western Christians, no matter how Protestant or Anabaptist some of us are, the Church of Rome is still in some way our Mother church.Second, it remains the largest Christian tradition in the world.

Sen. Rand Paul’s 13-hour filibuster last week against the administration’s drone policy brought a long-simmering debate to a full public boil. Although some have criticized him for “grandstanding,” the Kentucky Republican did all of us a favor. Issues and questions that had been raised primarily by progressive bloggers and peace groups are now in full public view and debate in the mainstream media.The New York Times carried front page stories both days this weekend. On Saturday, it highlighted the growing opposition to drones from across the political spectrum, writing that Sen. Paul’s filibuster had hit a “bipartisan nerve,” and:“… animated a surprisingly diverse swath of political interests that includes mainstream civil liberties groups, Republican and Democratic lawmakers, conservative research groups, liberal activists and right-wing conspiracy theorists.”

The first reported drone strike in nearly a month is said to have happened Sunday morning in the North Waziristan tribal region of Pakistan. According to The New York Times:“Two people suspected of being militants were killed Sunday morning in the volatile North Waziristan tribal region by what Pakistani and Taliban officials said was a drone strike. … Two Pakistani officials, one in Peshawar and another in the tribal belt, said that missiles fired from a drone operated by the C.I.A. hit the two people in the village of Degan, about 20 miles from Miram Shah, the main town in North Waziristan.”The Long War Journal added:  “The CIA-operated, remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers fired two missiles at a pair of "militants" as they were riding horses in the village of Degan in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan. The two militants and their horses are reported to have been killed.”  

Sen. Rand Paul took the floor of the U.S. Senate Wednesday morning and announced that he was filibustering the nomination of John Brennan as CIA Director. As he began, reported The Washington Post, he said:“I will speak until I can no longer speak. I will speak as long as it takes, until the alarm is sounded from coast to coast that our Constitution is important, that your rights to trial by jury are precious, that no American should be killed by a drone on American soil without first being charged with a crime, without first being found to be guilty by a court.”Twelve hours and 52 minutes later, Paul yielded the floor and the Senate adjourned.

Quote of the day. “I try to live within my means, but sometimes you just can’t.” Crystal Dupont, 25, of Houston, one of about 3.6 million Americans earning at or below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. (NBC News)

Quote of the day. “Arizona's elected leaders should stop wasting the public's time, money, and patience trying to pass and enforce unfair laws.” Betty Guardado, Phoenix, Ariz., secretary-treasurer of Unite Here Local 631, after a three-judge appellate panel unanimously upheld an injunction preventing the state from enforcing a part of SB 1070 that would prohibit motorists from stopping traffic to solicit day laborers. (Chicago Tribune) 1. GOP seeks to smooth roughest cuts. Even as the military would bear a $43 billion cut over just seven months, the new GOP measure released Monday would give the Pentagon much-needed funding for readiness. It would also ease the pain felt by critical agencies like the FBI and the Border Patrol. (Associated Press) 2. Republicans fear fallout of cuts to health programs. Anxiety is rising among House Republicans about a strategy of appeasement toward fiscal hard-liners that could require them to embrace not only the sequester but also sharp new cuts to federal health and retirement programs. (Washington Post) 3. Cabinet picks could take on climate policy. President Obama on Monday named two people to his cabinet who will be charged with making good on his threat to use the powers of the executive branch to tackle climate change and energy policy if Congress does not act quickly. (New York Times) 4. Bipartisan group of senators reaches deal on gun trafficking. A bipartisan group of senators has reached a deal on a bill that would make it a federal crime to buy a gun for someone who isn't legally allowed to own one. (NBC News) 5. Obama pushing to diversify federal judiciary amid GOP delays. The new wave of nominations is part of an effort by Obama to cement a legacy that long outlives his presidency and makes the court system more closely resemble the changing society it governs. (Washington Post) 6. Cardinals move toward selection of new pope. The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church moved deliberately but inexorably on Tuesday toward the selection of a new pope after the resignation of Benedict XVI, meeting for a third time for discussions and to hear speeches — both inspirational and informational. (New York Times) 7. Early Kenyatta lead over Odinga in Kenya election. Kenyans are awaiting results in their country's presidential election, after millions cast their votes on Monday. With over a third of polling stations reporting, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta held an early lead over his main rival, PM Raila Odinga. (BBC) 8. Saudis, IAEA, voice doubt over Tehran's intentions. The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency charged Iran Monday with using delaying tactics to put off inspection of a key military research site — just hours after Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister told Secretary of State John Kerry that Iran’s only interest in nuclear talks is “further negotiation” to give its nuclear program more time. (Christian Science Monitor) 9.  N. Korea vows to cancel Korean War cease-fire. North Korea vowed Tuesday to cancel the 1953 cease-fire that ended the Korean War, citing a U.S.-led push for punishing U.N. sanctions over its recent nuclear test and ongoing U.S.-South Korean joint military drills. (Associated Press) 10. Dozens of Syrian troops killed in Iraq ambush. Armed men from Syria have carried out an ambush in western Iraq killing 48 unarmed Syrian soldiers and nine Iraqi guards, the Iraqi defence ministry said. (Al Jazeera)

Quote of the day. "This is so important to me because I admired those women with their incredible fighting spirit. This is an area that you don't hear much about. We know very little about the role of women in the flight for freedom." Doris Wilkinson, professor emeritus at the University of Kentucky, on an exhibit she created: Warriors in the Shadows: Women of the Underground Railroad. (McClatchy News) 1. Congress heads out as the sequester blows in. One day before automatic spending cuts were due to hit the Pentagon and other federal agencies, Congress on Thursday abandoned efforts to avert the reductions and left town for the weekend. The sequester is here, and policymakers have no plans to end it. (Washington Post) 2. House renews Violence Against Women Act. The House on Thursday gave final approval to a renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, sending a bipartisan Senate measure to President Obama after a House plan endorsed by conservatives was defeated. (New York Times) 3. Senate postpones deliberations on gun bills. Senators working on legislation to curb gun violence postponed consideration of the measures for at least a week, a move that gives a bipartisan group working on a plan to expand the nation’s gun background check system more time to reach an agreement. (Washington Post) 4. Americans had a right to know 'true cost of war.' Bradley Manning, the soldier accused of the biggest unauthorized disclosure of state secrets in U.S. history, has pleaded guilty to being the source of the leak, telling a military court that he passed the information to a whistleblowing website because he believed the American people had a right to know the "true costs of war." (Guardian) 5. Incarceration rates for Blacks have fallen sharply. Incarceration rates for black Americans dropped sharply from 2000 to 2009, especially for women, while the rate of imprisonment for whites and Hispanics rose over the same decade. (New York Times) 6.  Pope Benedict XVI leaves the Vatican. The Swiss Guards vanished into the palace to change out of their colorful garb, their responsibility to protect the pope over for the moment. The papal apartment in the Vatican was sealed. Pope Benedict XVI's retirement had taken effect, propelling the Roman Catholic Church into a highly unusual and uncertain interregnum. (Chicago Tribune/Los Angeles Times) 7. Japan to begin restarting idled nuclear plants. Japan will begin restarting its idled nuclear plants after new safety guidelines are in place later this year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday, moving to ensure a stable energy supply despite public safety concerns after the Fukushima disaster. (New York Times) 8. Iran sees chance to improve ties with U.S. Iran's foreign minister said he sees a chance to improve ties with the United States, despite a longrunning standoff with major powers over his country's disputed nuclear program. (Reuters) 9. Rebel cooperation in Syrian town shows challenge of isolating Islamists. Sophisticated new weapons now in the hands of rebels in north-central Syria underscore how difficult it will be, once more lethal aid begins to arrive, to keep those weapons from Islamist extremists who’ve become key to rebel military advances throughout the country. (McClatchy News) 10. Eurozone unemployment hits 11.9 percent. The rate of unemployment in the eurozone rose to a fresh record high in January, official figures show. (BBC)

Quote of the day. “We lose a piece of history every time we lose one of those guys. The reality of it is, we’re about to lose all these folks.”  Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Museum, on the passing of a generation of African American ballplayers. (Kansas City Star/McClatchy News) 1. Supreme Court conservatives express skepticism over voting law provision. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority strongly suggested Wednesday that a key portion of the landmark legislation protecting minority voting rights is no longer justified and that the time has come for Southern states to be freed from special federal oversight. (Washington Post) 2. Sequester votes expected to fail. Washington’s Great Sequester pregame show ends in the Senate on Thursday with Republicans still divided over how to disarm the doomsday budget machine they built in the previous Congress with Democrats and President Barack Obama. (Politico) 3. Democratic governors fear gun reform moment has passed. Now that expanded background checks seem to be the only initiative that may pass Congress, the most powerful bloc of gun-control proponents in the country is conceding that the gripping sense of outrage following the Sandy Hook massacre has ebbed. (Politico) 4. Civil rights icon Rosa Parks given a place of honor in the U.S. Capitol. Civil rights activist Rosa Parks’ nine-foot bronze statue was unveiled in a ceremony Wednesday that included remarks from President Barack Obama and leaders of Congress, echoing words of her determination and legacy for the future. (McClatchy News) 5. America must not 'dictate' to world. Decorated Vietnam veteran Chuck Hagel was sworn in as U.S. defense secretary on Wednesday after a bruising Senate confirmation battle, promising to renew old U.S. alliances and forge new ones without attempting to "dictate" to the world. (Reuters) 6. Trauma sets female veterans adrift back home. Even as the Pentagon lifts the ban on women in combat roles, returning servicewomen are facing a battlefield of a different kind: they are now the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. (New York Times) 7. $60 million in new aid to Syria opposition. The Obama administration said Thursday that it will provide the Syrian opposition with an additional $60 million in assistance and — in a significant policy shift — will for the first time provide nonlethal aid like food and medical supplies to rebels battling to oust President Bashar Assad. (Associated Press) 8. Two Palestinians held in Israeli jail end hunger strike. Two Palestinian held in an Israeli jail without trial have ended their hunger strike, Israeli officials said. …Two others, Samer Issawi and Ayman Sharawna, are still on hunger strike and are being treated in hospital. (BBC) 9. Fresh violence threatens DR Congo peace deal. Less than a week after the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring African nations signed a peace accord to hold off hostilties, a fresh wave of violence has erupted in the central African nation. (Al Jazeera) 10. Haiti launches 10-year plan to eradicate cholera. The Haitian government's $2.2 billion 10-year plan to eradicate cholera was launched on Wednesday against the backdrop of the United Nation's rejection of a legal claim from more than 5,000 victims. (Guardian)

Quote of the day. "To love the church means also to have the courage to take difficult, painful decisions, always keeping the good of the church in mind, not oneself." Pope Benedict XVI in his farewell speech in St. Peter’s Square. (Associated Press)

Yesterday on MSNBC’s Up w/ Chris Hayes, former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in an interview that when he took that position, he was told not to discuss the government’s secret drone program or even acknowledge its existence. According to Gibbs:“When I went through the process of becoming press secretary, one of the first things they told me was, ‘You’re not even to acknowledge the drone program. You’re not even to discuss that it exists.'” He added:“Here’s what’s inherently crazy about that proposition: you’re being asked a question based on reporting of a program that exists. So you’re the official government spokesperson acting as if the entire program … pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”At this point, after a leaked Justice Department memo, the John Brennan hearings, several ongoing U.N. negotiations, and coverage by most major news organizations, any denial of a drone program is laughable. It does exist, it is not a secret, and it is regularly killing people in several countries. 

With a short note to the Congressional leadership, President Barack Obama announced last week that a total of 100 U.S. troops are now in Niger to “provide support for intelligence collection and will also facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali.”The Washington Post reported:“A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to provide details about military operations, said that the 40 troops who arrived in Niger on Wednesday were almost all Air Force personnel and that their mission was to support drone flights.“The official said drone flights were “imminent” but declined to say whether unarmed, unmanned Predator aircraft had arrived in Niger or how many would be deployed there.”The Predator drones will be unarmed and carry out surveillance missions. But The Post noted that theadministration had not ruled out arming the Predators with missiles in the future.

Quote of the day. "The need is increasing, people don't realize [that]. They think the war is over and there's no servicemembers in the hospital, so there's no more need. But it's our long-term cases that need help forever, and now the returning vets that we find have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and TBI (traumatic brain injury); and many, many, many suicidal situations, which is just a crisis." Susan Rocco, eastern-region case director for the military charity Semper Fi Fund. (USA Today) 1. G.O.P. resists Obama's push for tax rise to head off cuts. House Republicans, shrugging off rising pressure from President Obama, are resolutely opposing new tax increases to head off $85 billion in across-the-board spending reductions, all but ensuring the cuts will go into force March 1 and probably remain in place for months, if not longer. (New York Times) 2. VAWA reauthorization will be taken up by House Republican leaders. House Republican leaders are ready to move forward on legislation reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act as soon as next week, a GOP source familiar with the plans told The Huffington Post. (Huffington Post) 3. Fla. Gov. Scott supports Medicaid expansion. Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday he supports expanding Medicaid and funneling billions of federal dollars to Florida, a significant policy reversal that could bring health care coverage to 1 million additional Floridians. (Miami Herald/McClatchy) 4. Some citizens detained at immigration officials' request. Local law enforcement officials detained more than 800 U.S. citizens at the request of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over a four-year period, according to an analysis of ICE statistics released by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse on Wednesday. (Chicago Tribune/Los Angeles Times) 5. Closing education achievement gap: blue-ribbon panel offers blueprint. Better teacher training, accessible early-childhood education, and school-finance reform are key components to closing the achievement gap between minority and white students, says a report. (Christian Science Monitor) 6. Activist investors put climate-change issue up for vote at PNC. Activist investors have succeeded for the first time in placing a shareholder resolution on the risks of greenhouse-gas emissions up for a vote at a major bank, a step toward making climate change an important consideration for corporations. (Los Angeles Times/McClatchy) 7. U.S. senator says 4,700 killed in drone strikes. A U.S. senator has said that an estimated 4,700 people have been killed in America's secretive drone war, the first time a government official has offered a total number of fatalities caused by nearly a decade of drone strikes, local media reported. (Al Jazeera/AFP) 8. Chinese plan to kill drug lord with drone highlights military advances. China considered using a drone strike in a mountainous region of Southeast Asia to kill a Myanmar drug lord wanted in the murders of 13 Chinese sailors, but decided instead to capture him alive, according to an influential state-run newspaper. (New York Times) 9. Taliban vow to keep targeting Afghan officials. The Taliban vowed Thursday to target government employees and other Afghan civilians they consider linked to the U.S.-led coalition despite a warning from the United Nations that such killings may violate international law. (Associated Press) 10. Syrian opposition says Assad cannot be part of deal. The opposition Syrian National Coalition is willing to negotiate a peace deal under U.S. and Russian auspices to end the country's civil war but President Bashar al-Assad cannot be a party to any settlement, a communique drafted for an opposition meeting says. (Reuters)

Quote of the day. "Typically, over the last couple of decades, when Americans moved, they moved to improve their lives. This is the shock: For the first time, Americans are moving for downward economic mobility. Either they lost their house or can't afford where they're renting currently or needed to save money.” Michael Stoll, chairman of UCLA's public policy department and author of a new report on changes in American society. (USA Today) 1. With cutbacks days away, Obama tries to pressure G.O.P. Days away from another fiscal crisis and with Congress on vacation, President Obama began marshaling the powers of the presidency on Tuesday to try to shame Republicans into a compromise that could avoid further self-inflicted job losses and damage to the fragile recovery. (New York Times) 2. Choices loom for Obama on climate change. President Barack Obama is talking about climate change like it was 2009. The president, who rarely uttered the words "climate change" or "global warming" during the second half of his first term and during the re-election campaign, has re-inserted it boldly back into his lexicon. (Associated Press) 3. Justices to hear appeal of individual donation limits. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to consider taking another step toward dismantling campaign finance laws, potentially freeing wealthy donors to give as much as they want in any election cycle and raising the possibility that it could overturn limits that apply to individual candidates as well. (Los Angeles Times) 4. Obama reaches out to Republican senators on immigration. Facing criticism for failing to reach out to Republicans negotiating an immigration overhaul, President Obama placed phone calls Tuesday afternoon to three GOP senators involved in an eight-member bipartisan group working on the issue. (Washington Post) 5. U.S. Catholics urge cardinal to skip papal vote. A U.S. Catholic group has called for an American cardinal accused of covering up sexual abuse by priests not to take part in electing a new pope, saying he would taint the new pontiff with the same scandal that dogged Pope Benedict XVI. (Al Jazeera) 6. Georgia inmate granted stay of execution 30 minutes before lethal injection. Warren Hill, an intellectually disabled prisoner, had been spared the death chamber just 30 minutes before he was due to die by lethal injection in Georgia despite a U.S. supreme court ban on executions of people with learning difficulties. (Guardian) 7. U.S. drone strikes in Afghanistan rose sharply last year. The number of U.S. drone strikes in Afghanistan rose sharply last year compared with 2011, the United Nations said Tuesday. The increase was a sign that drones are taking a greater role as Americans try to streamline the fight against insurgents while preparing to withdraw combat forces in less than two years. (Guardian) 8. Palestinians in prisons refuse meals in protest. Hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli jails refused meals on Tuesday in solidarity with four hunger-striking detainees, and supporters held protests in the West Bank, as the Palestinians sought to pressure Israel before President Obama’s visit to the region next month. (New York Times) 9. Greeks strike, march in protest against austerity. Tens of thousands of anti-austerity demonstrators took to the streets of Athens on Wednesday as unions staged a general strike to protest government spending cuts and tax hikes, which some predict will push unemployment to an alarming 30 percent. (Associated Press) 10. Russia warns of 'mutual destruction' in Syria. Russia has urged the warring sides in Syria to halt their almost two-year conflict and start talks, warning that both sides risk "mutual destruction." Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said on Wednesday that Moscow was working to encourage dialogue between the rebels and the regime of president Bashar al-Assad. (Al Jazeera)

Dennis Sadowski at Catholic News Service has a good summary of the moral and ethical concerns about drone warfare from a workshop at the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering. One participant, Charles Camosy, assistant professor of Christian ethics at Fordham University, suggested that it should be viewed as a pro-life issue:"It involves violence and violent killing. It involves the killing of the innocent in a way that doesn't follow the church's teaching. It's an exercise of raw violent power in a way that I think should get pro-lifers really, really upset," Camosy explained to CNS.“Marie Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi International, suggested that drones have led to 'a battlefield without borders.' "We have a global battlefield, which completely undercuts any possibility of talking about just war. There are no boundaries on this thing," she said.”As the drone debate continues, it should go deeper into these concerns rather than only discussing legalities.     

The U.S. killing by drones in countries other than war zones is run by the CIA. This leads to the secrecy of the program, one of its controversial aspects. Now, according to Ken Dilanian in the Los Angeles Times, it may change. “Facing growing pressure to lift the veil of secrecy around targeted killings overseas, the Obama administration is considering shifting more of the CIA's covert drone program to the Pentagon, which operates under legal guidelines that could allow for more public disclosure in some cases. John Brennan, whom President Obama has nominated to run the CIA, favors moving the bulk of drone killing operations to the military, current and former U.S. officials say.” Some think this would result in less secrecy, as the Pentagon has already acknowledged its use of drones. Others think it would prove more difficult in causing problems for nations that secretly host U.S. drone bases. Whatever the perceived problems may be, if a change leads to a more open and accountable program, it’s a good thing.

Quote of the day. "The pressure of One Billion Rising is forcing these people to have to say they''re going to do something about it. … I think we all know that we''ve reached a moment where it has to stop." Eve Ensler, whose V-Day organization led One Billion Rising yesterday, with thousands of events in 205 countries to end violence against women and girls. (Associated Press)

As the drone debate continues, the Senate Intelligence Committee is delaying a confirmation vote on John Brennan as CIA Director. Brennan most recently was President Obama’s counter-terrorism advisor, and in that capacity the administration’s point person on drones. The Washington Post reports:“A Senate confirmation vote on John O. Brennan as CIA director has been postponed for at least two weeks as lawmakers step up pressure on the Obama administration to provide more information about its drone campaign against terrorism suspects.“In particular, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that she is seeking seven Justice Department memos related to the administration’s targeted killing program, in addition to four the committee has been allowed to view.”

Like former Sen. Chuck Hagel, Richard Lugar is a moderate-to-conservative Midwest Republican. Lugar was defeated in a primary election last year by a tea party candidate, and this week gave his first public speech since leaving office in January. According to the Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette, he spoke of the out of control partisanship that now controls Washington politics, specifically noting  the “politicization of national security policy” in the debate over Hagel’s nomination as Secretary of Defense. “Hagel’s “main transgression is that he is a Republican who has questioned policies that are sacred among most conservative senators,” Lugar said. “These include whether the surge in Iraq was worth the lives lost, whether the current high levels of defense expenditures make strategic sense, whether nuclear forces can be reduced further and whether there are non-military options in dealing with Iran.”

Quote of the day. “Even though older people are less likely to be homeless than other people because they have more of a safety net, because there are more and more older people in general, we are going to have more and more elderly people vulnerable to homelessness.” Nan Roman, president and chief executive of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, on the growing number of elderly people who are homeless. (Wichita Eagle/McClatchy News)