Great Americans are being remembered today.

Senator Lautenberg and Secretary Salazar at the dedication of one of the newest National Parks, Paterson Great Falls NHP (click here).

I suppose this is to be expected with persons his age,but, it is quite a shock actually. All anyone had to do was to look at Senator Lautenberg's Facebook Page and realize how active he was in securing the nation from harm.

He was a strong supporter of environmental concerns, gun rights and violence prevention, violence against women, recovering from Superstorm Sandy and a redress of the laws governing the problems faced by persons living near chemical plants as the one in Texas.

I would expect any of his successors to pick up on his work where he left off. Senator Lautenberg left no stone unturned. He loved this country and it's people and worked endllessly to bring about their best interests.

He will be missed. He is one of a kind. Sincere sympathy to all those that surrounded his life. 

Senators Lautenberg and Vitter Reach Groundbreaking Agreement to Reform Nation's Chemical Laws (click here)

Bipartisan Legislation Would Protect Americans From Risks Posed by Exposure to Chemicals

Lautenberg Press Office, 202-224-3224
Wednesday, May 22, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and David Vitter (R-LA) announced a groundbreaking, bipartisan agreement to modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and ensure the safety of everyday consumer products to better protect American families.  Their legislation would significantly update and improve TSCA, which has proven ineffective and is criticized by both the public health community and industry. The Lautenberg-Vitter legislation would, for the first time, ensure that all chemicals are screened for safety to protect public health and the environment, while also creating an environment where manufacturers can continue to innovate, grow, and create jobs....

There is also a very dear lady being remembered today. She carried my values and was an outspoken critic of the extremists her party had fallen to.

I am quite sure she and Betty Ford knew each other and admired the same life goals and values. She stood up for women's issues and environmental concerns. She is missed and her memory serves our nation well.

Helen Milliken

By Tim Skubick | Politics Columnist for MLive.com 
on June 03, 2013 at 6:46 AM, updated June 03, 2013 at 6:47 AM

...In fact it was 10 years (click here) after Bill Milliken became governor that she tried her hand at advancing the women's rights movement. It was her daughter who nudged her into this. "You can make a difference, Mom," Elaine advised her. As the only woman in a law school class of all men at the U of M, she had felt the sting of discrimination. Soon Mom would, too.

As Gov. Rick Snyder, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and hundreds of others remember the impact the First Lady had on both the state and national scene, everyone will also remember the woman who was gentle, considerate of others yet not so much so that she pulled her political punches.

During her last statewide Public TV appearance in 2006, when asked about the environmental record of then President George Bush administration, she did not flinch: "The worst I have seen."

When Mrs. M. complained about the religious right having too much swagger in her Republican Party, she conceded the point that they had a right to participate - but "not the right to tell me what to believe."

She bemoaned the mixture of politics and religion and her husband, sitting next to her, nodded in agreement. They were a dynamic team yet humble to the nth degree.

Now that she has departed, there are still warm memories of all those interviews, private conservations, and her emergence as a political force of her own....

Americans that made the needs of our country their own. I thank them.