In addition to a speaker from Traveler's Aid at Dulles airport to help us develop our thinking on changing the experience of foreigners entering the United States, an officer from USIP (United States Institute of Peace) will attend our meeting on Sunday to talk to us about future collaboration. We will also announce later today a specific joint meeting with USIP in June on the Somali pirate crisis; but Mary Hope Schwoebel, will be with us on Sunday to discuss projects beyond the June effort, Please bring something to drink to the event on Sunday. Feel free to bring food as well. We will have the grill going, so if you want something in particular to be grilled, we will be happy to grill it.
Larry Roeder, Facilitator
www.foreignpolicyforchange.org
This is a reminder to come to the meeting of the foreign policy working group 9now called Foreign policy for Change on May 31. 1pm This will be a bar-b-que. Feel free to bring food for the grill, salds, anything you want. Details are at http://www.foreignpolicyforchange.org/FrgPolicy2009MeetingsAgendamay31.htm. The agenda is as follows. Please do attend. We need you. We are also looking for fresh foreign policy topics to discuss and possible guest speakers. To confirm, send an email to roederaway@yahoo.com or tt his mobile at 703-867-2056. The address is 26128 Talamore Drive, South Riding (Chantilly). Many of you will remember this as the location for Obama operations in the Dulles district of lLudoun County.
Introductions and Agreement to the Agenda. Larry Roeder
2. Pilot Project Involving Dulles Airport. The Working Group has been exploring how to enhance America’s image abroad, including a pilot project at Dulles Airport to improve the experience of entering foreigners.. Larry Roeder and Tim Buchholtz are managing this project and need volunteers for what is expected to be an expanding project. Speaking at the event will be Sally Harvey of Traveler’s Aid, a possible partner agency.
3. Update on the Somalia Project: The Working Group has been discussing a joint project with USIP, the United States Institute for Peace in Washington which will involve two joint-events. Separately, there have also been discussions about doing a Peace Rally in 2009 or next summer. The later idea has political, financial and legal implications which need to be fully understood before we move forward. Mustafa Omar and Larry Roeder will lead this part of the agenda so that the entire Working group is aware of what has been happening explore where the Working Group wants to go in the future.
4. Future Topics: Led by Larry Roeder, Bring recommendations on future foreign policy topics, e.g .Afghanistan, .climate change, human rights, the spread of democracy. All topics are open. As an example, Basant will now focus her attention on opportunities for local civic projects that relate to foreign affairs. This will be an entire new project to be discussed in the June member’s meeting.
5. Update on the Working Group website. Per the request of the working group, we have migrated our website to a dedicated url called www.Foreignpolicyforchange.org. Before coming to the meeting, please study the content. This agenda item will take place indoors. Larry will discuss the history of the website, its content and links to MBO and NING. Before moving forward, we want to determine the Working Group’s views on the existing website to determine which content should remain as part of the existing website and, going forward, the new website" We also want to know what would be in the public area and what in the internal area. It was agreed at the last member’s meeting in April that Aaron Edlow would coordinate a new look and feel for the site and add new functionality. This will be the topic of a separate discussion at the June Members’ meeting. In the mean time, Aaron will announce the creation of a webteam in May and needs volunteers to join. As with all of the teams, Larry will continue to act as overall working group coordinator, in order to make sure the different teams fit together in a strategic way. Some issues will be coordinated with him, others with the working group as a whole.
6. Venue and time of the June Meeting. Let's also discuss possible topics.
I realize that Virginians are facing the toughest economic times since The Great Depression. Because the nation's economic downturn has taken it's toll on Virginia's workers, I support President Barack Obama's recently passed Stimulus Package (Congress' American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). I support it because it provides Virginians with $4 billion to improve it's state infrastructure while it puts more Virginians back to work. The bill also allows for $125 million in assistance to extend insurance benefits and provide retraining assistance to unemployed Virginians. Given the opportunity to serve Virginia as the 35th District Delegate, I would not elect to send the Stimulus funds back to Washington. Instead I would support Gov. Tim Kaine's statement that an additional $4.50 per worker annually is manageable for Virginia's employers.This is particularly true since the additional $4.50 per worker would only be paid for those Virginians still unemployed 2 years after the Stimulus funds have taken their effect on Virginia's economy. This is a relatively small price to pay to avoid a worsening middle class economic meltdown that would otherwise translate into more suffering for our Virginia neighbors across the board. I would instead seek to provide immediate relief for unemployed Virginian workers to help them manage their financial affairs during what is the worst economic crisis they have suffered since The Great Depression.Looking ahead, I see Virginia's 35th District as a vibrant, diverse, and progressive community with much untapped economic potential. I would seek to help generate more "green" jobs to lead Virginia towards a renewable energy economy while we respect and protect Virginia's natural beauty and environment. I would also seek to invest more funds for providing greater internet access to further develop Virginia's electronic infrastructure. Additionally, I would support more research and development funding for Virginia's universities. This would encourage a Virginia economy based on "the best and the brightest" it has to offer it's citizens. Expanded funding for small business and entrepreneurship programs will also help Virginia continue as a national leader in job innovation.With your help, I will be able to help Virginia's citizens heal their economy as I represent it's 35th Delegate District. I will work to have Virginia's General Assembly consider policies that will encourage even greater opportunities and prosperity for Virginia's businesses and workers as we strive for a complete and full economic recovery. Help me be Virginia's next 35th District DelegateTo GET INVOLVED! To Contribute
Together, we can!Esam
When I came to the United States as an ESL student, I chose to apply myself academically in order to meet my personal goals in life. I realized that to make my dreams of being both a doctor and a public servant in America come true, I would need to work extra hard to learn English as well as all other required high school subjects. Despite the great language challenges that I faced, I was able to excel at school. I graduated from Fairfax County's J.E.B. Stuart High with honors and a perfect 4.0 grade point average.I have appreciated from an early age the opportunities that hard work combined with a quality education can provide to anyone living in America. I pursued my education with a double major in Biology and Government at Georgetown University, making the Dean's List each year. I then completed my schooling at The Georgetown School of Medicine. With the support of my nearby parents and siblings, I was proud to become the first doctor ever in the Omeish family.I am now raising the next Omeish generation as students of the same Fairfax County public school system that I attended. As the beneficiary of a system nurturing academic excellence, I would like my children to have the same quality education I was fortunate enough to have available growing up. I will work hard to preserve the same high standard of education I benefited from as a Fairfax County student for my own children as well as for all of the students of Virginia.With your help, I would like to represent Virginia's citizens on education issues as Virginia's 35th District Delegate. I will work to have Virginia's General Assembly consider policies that will encourage even greater opportunities for our next generation of students. I know that the brightest future possible for Virginians will only be through a Virginia education system that provides our youth with a solid foundation critical for it's success.
GET INVOLVED! Help me be Virginia's next 35th District Delegate
Omeish For Delegate Web siteContribute
I received this update from a Senior official in the Seychelles government. Note, there is now worry that the Somani pirates may begin to attack tourists on remote islands.
"The latest is that an Indian warship has arrived in Seychelles to join the French warship and surveillance plane already there in patrolling our waters together with our own coast guard.
Today, as Virginians and residents of the 35th District celebrate Earth Day, it’s a great opportunity to take this time and reflect where we are and where we are going in terms of responsible, renewable green energy that both protects our environment and provides jobs for the Commonwealth. As we look to the future of our families, community and Commonwealth, we can all agree that strengthening Virginia’s economy, protecting our precious natural resources and building an exciting, renewable energy future will be the key to ensuring a healthier community in which to live and work. The future of our environment is an issue which transcends politics. However, as delegate it would be my responsibility to fight for policies which protect our environment, strengthen our economy and compliments the efforts people make on a daily basis to make Virginia a better place. According to a recent poll, 76% of Virginians think that global warming is real and will adversely affect our environment. Capitalizing on alternative energy sources and investing in smart, green technology that taps into local talents and resources will help ensure Virginia becomes and remains a leader in the stewardship for a better community for us all.
The campaign could use your help so please sign up today to volunteer! Any amount of time will help us reach our goal. After all, TOGETHER WE CAN!
Esam
Click here to sign up with Esam Omeish For Delegate Click here to contribute.
The other shoe dropped today. Those who formulated the torture memos might be prosecuted. Clearly that includes Cheney. Good for the President. What the Bush administration did to the rule of law was repugnant.
Lawyers and politicians who violate our constitutional rights need to be investigated. What bothers me is that CNN likes to say this decision was based on pressure from the left. How about pressure from those us who believe in the rule of law? Since when did that make you left of center?
Now is definetly a time for us to stand up for our President, let him know we support him. I recommend we all write letters of support to the President on this issue, congratulate him on showing what happened in the last administration and for allowing investigations to move forward, if Congress and the Attorney General feel the facts deserve it.
If an attorney that works on human rights issues doesn’t know the proper answers to those basic questions, then small wonder West Virginia reservists were confused when aberrant intelligence officers claimed that the rules of war changed after 9/11 and therefore their “high-value” prisoners had no rights. Of course, unknown to both of us was a memo from Justice which contends that the president isn’t bound by laws prohibiting torture and that government agents who might torture prisoners at his direction can’t be prosecuted for doing so."
With a year of publishing that article, I left government service and shortly after was working for Mr. Obama in order to bring justice and honor back to America.
Again, write to the President. Let him know that old ways of politics are over the America we fought for in our revolution is back, a land of ethics and the rule of law.
Larry Winter Roeder, Jr. speaking for myself
Foreign Policy Working Group -- Meeting Number Four
Dear Collegues,
I'd like to explore the you the idea of mounting a pro-Stimulus Package Demonstration as a way of showing support for our President. This would be on the Elipse on saturday the 14th of February. We will need a permit from the Park Service; but first I'd like to know that folks are interested. We could stage a planning committee here at my house in Virginia during the week and then do the demonstration.
Larry Winter Roeder, Jr.
Recent polls show us down by 1 point. We have VA within our grasp. I've been out every weekend canvassing neighborhoods in western FFX county.
Where have you been? Please help us all by donating a few hours of your time. We've got offices in every nook and cranny of NoVA.
I just found out today that an Obama campaign office has opened less than a half mile away from me. I am very excited about this, as I will have many opportunities to volunteer.
I signed up for a voter registration even this Saturday, and plan on trying to get over there every weekend until the election.
I don't know how I missed the news about the office opening, guess I was just out of the loop. But its only been open for 2 weeks, and I have a lot of time to make an impact.
For anyone who wants to join me, it is located at 14260 Centreville Sq., Centreville VA.
Well we are 98 days away from election day and we have learned serveral things that we can not make light of or simply ignore.
First, we know that the media is not going to get it right. The media is going to continue to push the notions that the electorate believes. We know some are just not going to vote for Barack. But there are some who are thinking about it, but just don't see a black man as there commander in chief. But the media wants to give voters a word for it so they call it "risky" or say he is "exotic". I am sorry but that is code for black. Let's have an honest and open discussion about why they don't see a black man in that role. What we are witnessing is on a grand scale what black men go through often when applying for jobs. People just don't "see" them in certain positions. But on its face that is slightly fair because they HAVEN'T! That is ok. But then let's go to the notion that someone has to be first and someone has been first and they usually do well. First students to integrate schools, first student to be accepted to a white university, first major league baseball player, etc. I could go on an on. We do just fine! The bottom line is that Barack is qualified for the job he is applying for, the constitution says so! Don't put fake rules on him now. The biggest concern at one point was his foreign policy credibility. Didn't he blow that argument away last week? But oh, this week I heard he looked too presidential. Again, the media is funny. We can't depend on them to analyze this fairly. So let's continue to work and basically ignore the pundits.
The second thing we have learned is that polls can't measure the work we are doing on the ground. The newest USA Today/Gallop poll presented conflicting data based on likely and register voters. One poll had Barack up and one had McCain up. What the poll fails to consider, and we in the Obama camp have been saying it for a while, is that the likely voter is not the same as it was in 2004. How many of us know someone who is excited about voting and either they were not consistent in voting or have never voted in the past? That number of people is scary to the Republicans. If we continue to get our people registered and turned out to vote on election day, we will be happy on Nov. 5! People want to be a part of this historic event. Young people, African Americans, Latin Americans, and new people to the process, they are not being polled. That is what we said during the primary and we can say the same things now.
The third thing we learned is that the McCain camp is going to lie, distort, flip-flop you name it, just like they always do. The recent commercials from the Mccain camp, not 527's, but his own campaign prove that point. So Barack needs to decide what he is going to do. Will he attack or simply hope it goes away? I am torn, but sometimes an interview response is not as powerful as a commercial response that will loop. But I will not second guess the campaign. They have made all the right choices thus far so I know they are working on it. But the other side is playing dirty so now we know.
Last and most definitely not least I know I love Barack Obama! Seeing him last week with such poise, grace, confidence, and brilliance made me so proud of him. If I thought he could handle the world stage I now know for sure he can! As he has said before, with him as President, we can say, America is back and that was truer than ever last week.
Keep working, keep fighting and keep believing. We can do this! Yes We Can!
"The time to hesitate is through."
Spoken through the immortal genius of The Doors, of course, but it applied to us as well!
We have a great chance to turn Virginia Blue for Barack Obama in the fall by uniting our party, healing wounds, and registering more voters than ever before.
Please take the time to sign up for a voter reg event, or email me at chrisimwest@gmail.com to be added to our Northern VA Voter Registration List.
Encourage your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and fellow Obama AND Clinton supporters to come together to help change this country.
It's about change, and it's about time!
Yes we can!
Chrisi
Alexandria 4 Obama
Mark the day, June 3, 2008, Barack Obama became the first African American to lead a major party as it nominee for the President of the United States. America took a fabulous step toward realizing Dr. King's dream last night. This is big, and the country as a whole should be proud. The Obama campaign, volunteers, staffers should all be proud. People should be able to take a day or two to relish the moment. The media should allow them that. But what did I see and hear last night and this morning, the media talking about Hillary Clinton. What does she want? Will she be chosen as VP? How will Barack get her supporters? America, focus on what is important. Don't do this to him! Don't do this to this country! We should not be talking about that now. At least not today. Can I hear someone talk about what this historic occasion means to them? What it means for the country? Are we so wrapped up in the politics and drama that we can't focus on the beauty? This country never ceases to amaze me. Just when I think we are about to do some good, I wake up to this!
Most of my friends and family who know how invested I have been in the campaign have all asked how I feel. I should be on cloud nine, but yet I am not because on a day when I should be happy to watch a little coverage I am bombarded still with negativity. I am bombarded with Hillary this and Hillary that. America, this is not about her! Don't make a big mistake and misst he moment. Even though she could not show grace and integrity can the rest of the world do the right thing? Can America please focus on what is important here? Can the media get it right? Can Hillary supporters recognize it is over and we all need to be proud of the Democratic party? We need to get to work for the Democratic platform that Obama is about to layout, most of which Clinton agrees with. We need to unite. We can do it if we use the example of Al Gore. When he lost a contested and yet questionable race, specifically in Florida, he did the honorable thing and put his party and country before himself. Can Hillary Clinton do that? Can the country relish the moment? Even McCain used politics to describe the moment saying that party leaders and pundits have chosen the democratic opponent. Please America, rise up and focus on what is important!
Dear Mr Dean,
Its with shock that I heard of the comment of Sen Clinton on the Assassination of RFK as a reason for continuing her campaign. This outrageous. Mrs Clinton is never short of tortured explanation for her outrageous comments and I am sure she will have one for this too. I am a precinct captain for the Democrats in the Centre Ridge Precinct in Sully District of Virginia. Someone needs to stop this thing, I mean the racist and disgusting statements, coming primarily from the Clinton campaign. People I speak to who are independents are shocked that the party is allowing this to happen. It does not reflect well as they make the assumption that things will be equally distasteful if we win, that's not a winning trend. We in Virginia are working hard to make the state BLUE this year, these kind of stuff is not helpful, so is the comments dealing with voters and candidates on racial lines.Someone needs to state clearly and forcefully on behalf of the party that the comments of Mrs Clinton do not have any place in our Body Politic.
John Cyrus
Ok, let me begin by saying that I am a black female. Now that I got that out in the open I will continue. So I woke up this morning happy that Obama my get the majority of pledged delegates and I decided to turn on the Today Show. I saw Meredith interviewing Geraldine Ferraro and Rachel Madow. Three strong, educated, professional women. And what where they talking about, sexism.
I watched and became more and more upset. Basically Ferraro felt that Clinton is losing because she is a woman. Rachel barely got a word in, I believe out of respect. But come on, can we honestly say Clinton lost do to sexism? Can't we say that it was because she ran a poor campaign? Or that people are tired of Clinton? Or because Obama is a good candidate for the right time who ran a good campaign? Women, in calling the gender card at this time don't we sound like weak women as opposed to strong women in politics that understand, you win some and you lose some? Aren't we kind of whining?
Meredith asked Ferraro to sight times when Obama was being sexist toward her. These were her examples. 1. At an early Philadelphia debate, all the boys were ganging up against Clinton and attacking her. My question, isn't that because she WAS the front-runner? You attack who is in the leading. That is when she played the gender card calling herself a girl. 2. When Obama brushed his shoulders off after the tough debate he had, Ferraro said it was a gestrue dismissing Clinton. Hey, Ferraro you may be too old to know this, but that is a very popular hip-hop gesture referring to a Jay-Z song, "Get the Dirt off your Shoulers." In other the words, brush off the negativity that was thrown at him. 3. When Clinton started talking about guns and growing up using them, Obama called her Annie Oaklely. Why, because we all knew that was political pandering in it's highest degree. She has just as tough a record on guns as Obama does. So don't act like you go out on the range and shoot em up all the time.
I have to say, that if women cry foul on this race I am disappointed. Women, Clinton lost a campaign do to her own problems. Let's be real women and take it and move on. We are stong. We are smart. We can handle defeat with the same confidence, grace and self-respect that we started with. I am tired of the conversation between women and African-Americans. Who has had it worse? Who still has it worse? They are all so stupid and quite frankly a waste of time. Who cares!! They both suck! Let's work together to end sexism and racism, both of which we know sadly still exist. Did folks not vote for Clinton because she was a woman, of course. Did folks not vote for Obama because he was black, of course. But based on the fact that both are on top, can we really point to either problem as a significant factor in how folks voted overall? I am not so sure.
Clinton supporters, when the dust has settled, and you have accepted the defeat with the dignity and grace I know you posses, I ask you to honestly look and reflect on both campaigns and decide who ran a better campaign. Also, thoughtfully evaluate the issues from the right and determine what a McCain presidency might mean for women. Put your anger and disappointment aside and think about the country as a whole. African-americans and women need to come together and not be divided. Women, I ask, are you up to the challenge?
Hey, I'm just sending this post out to see who it reaches. If you read it, could you comment on it saying so? I have some other interesting posts up too, if you want to continue on to read those.
Thanks!
-Tkn15
