tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297823062009-07-01T15:09:59.962-05:00Reflections, interpretations, and observations of living in DC, interning on Capitol Hill, and the glories, mundaneness, challenges and humor in contributing to FCNL's mission.alexandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990689643329509783noreply@blogger.comBlogger326125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-29090844563931445592009-07-01T15:03:00.004-05:002009-07-01T15:09:59.970-05:00

Did you know? Today is Canada Day. According to my Canadian sources, the celebrations in Ottawa are similar to those in Washington DC for Independence Day -- fireworks, barbecues, and general summery revelry.You know what else those sources tell me? That Canada has a health care system that resembles pretty closely what FCNL would like to see in the States.And to close, a fun Canada fact. Did

Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389025262956656076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-70128784050991978562009-06-25T15:57:00.002-05:002009-06-25T16:29:47.206-05:00

Today, eight former Secretaries of State from both parties urged Congress to fully fund President Obama's request for increased U.S. diplomatic and development personnel in his fiscal year 2010 budget. The coalition of former chief diplomats connected the dots between increased funding for diplomacy and development to improved efforts to prevent deadly conflicts:"Some will say that we cannot

Trevorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16998351398771723064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-45050242059825905152009-06-24T15:55:00.003-05:002009-06-24T17:31:16.059-05:00

Yesterday, the House appropriations committee approved the Fiscal Year 2010 State Department funding bill, providing funds for key diplomatic and foreign assistance programs, including U.S. annual contributions to international organizations, such as the United Nations.FCNL's Bridget Moix testified before the State and Foreign Operations subcommittee in March. FCNL also submitted a more

Trevorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16998351398771723064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-8374413688890729242009-06-22T16:10:00.004-05:002009-06-22T17:00:23.799-05:00

This time last year, the U.S. was nearly $2 billion in debt to the United Nations (UN), making the U.S. the largest debtor to the UN in the world. In a visit to Washington this past March, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon called the U.S. "the biggest deadbeat" donor in the UN system, and was slapped on the wrist by Republican lawmakers. Now the U.S. is poised to completely pay down all U.S.

Trevorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16998351398771723064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-63255680090123906822009-06-22T16:09:00.003-05:002009-06-22T16:17:21.175-05:00

As a white male, I haven't had the experience of dealing with prejudice, racism or sexism that many people face every day. While I certainly try to understand how they feel, I have not been able to really know the struggles of women or people of color because I haven't experienced it myself.I have also not truly felt the effects of laws that have been changed or created in order to create more

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04881714556661834994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-20481504639791349062009-06-22T13:38:00.003-05:002009-06-22T13:52:02.430-05:00

Just want to recommend two sites to keep up with the quickly changing events in Iran. The National Iranian American Council is live blogging, with many powerful stories submitted by their members, many of whom have family in Iran.The Huffington Post's Nico PitneyGiven the U.S. history of overthrowing Iran's first democratically government, backing a dictator who ruled Iran (along with his

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301619459531198216kate.e.gould@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-81611221390614512672009-06-22T11:25:00.011-05:002009-06-22T13:31:14.892-05:00

Yes friends, substitute Bush for me and substitute the background to that of AEI--that was mePaul Wolfowitz wrote an op-edentitled "No Comment is Not an Option" protesting the Obama administration’s “no comment” response to the election unrest in Iran. As Christopher Preble from the CATO Institute points out in his brilliant commentary here, Obama did condemn the brutal crackdown of Iran’s

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301619459531198216kate.e.gould@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-84418844894255010152009-06-16T12:20:00.005-05:002009-06-16T12:51:14.856-05:00

And he's right (this time)!Iranians are suffering quite enough amidst their political turmoil--I mentioned before that the last thing they need is for the U.S. to show favorites. Iranians have suffered quite enough from a previous U.S. "favorite" dictator (the Shah) who ruled their country with an iron fist for a quarter of a century. The U.S. installed him in full control of Iran after the U.S.

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301619459531198216kate.e.gould@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-45496752332115812342009-06-16T11:16:00.009-05:002009-06-16T13:39:23.701-05:00

ALL WALKS OF LIFE: Tens of thousands of supporters of the opposition candidate in Iran turn out in Tehran's Freedom Square to protest the result of Friday's presidential election.(Washington Times)Q. Who really won the Iranian elections? Amidst all the controversy as the heartbreaking events unfold—there is one answer to this question that really merits all of our profound respect….A. The Iranian

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301619459531198216kate.e.gould@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-25912689414534156022009-06-15T14:58:00.002-05:002009-06-15T15:02:03.367-05:00

If a bill the house passed last week goes through the Senate, an expanded foreign service presence in neglected parts of the world as well as many other delights might become a reality. Find out more in this chat Maggie and I had with Trevor: Email the Author | Del.icio.us | Digg | function fbs_click() {u=location.href;t=document.title;window.open('http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u='+

Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389025262956656076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-54361235862149443862009-06-11T13:44:00.008-05:002009-06-11T15:45:05.633-05:00

So let's say you do really care about something and want to be heard by your congressional office on this issue (just theoretically speaking--not like I work for a lobby or anything).How do you get your voice heard through the hundreds upon hundreds of letters, emails, and phone calls processed each week?WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR IN YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER!In every congressional office in DC,

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301619459531198216kate.e.gould@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-78353849215212489042009-06-11T09:47:00.002-05:002009-06-11T09:50:17.934-05:00

How did the young people working at FCNL respond to president's speech last week? Find out in this podcast: Email the Author | Del.icio.us | Digg | function fbs_click() {u=location.href;t=document.title;window.open('http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u='+encodeURIComponent(u)+'&t='+encodeURIComponent(t),'sharer','toolbar=0,status=0,width=626,height=436');return false;}Facebook

Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389025262956656076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-84012271234006179572009-06-10T10:05:00.008-05:002009-06-10T10:51:06.386-05:00

As the State Department re-authorization bill, HR 2410, heads to the House floor today, it is worth noting that funding will be tighter at the State Department next year. Yes, that's right, the State Department will receive less money in fiscal year 2010 than received in fiscal year 2009.This gets a bit dicey, but I will explain. Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee released it's

Trevorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16998351398771723064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-31068191288717094092009-06-05T10:35:00.007-05:002009-06-05T11:01:58.458-05:00

Did you see it? Maggie and I are going to sit down with Kate and (hopefully) Trevor next week to hash out what the president said, but in the meantime you can read our analysis. Or, if you're in a rush, you can simply chew on Kate's response to my request for her to talk with us:"THIS IS THE BEST US PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH EVERI mean it. (I mean sure man on the moon speeches are good too but they

Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389025262956656076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-30660060163080490002009-06-03T09:12:00.005-05:002009-06-03T09:25:10.002-05:00

Ahead of President Obama's speech tomorrow in Cairo I read this short piece on the United States' messed up relationship with the Muslim world. I think the image below (credit: Wolfensohn Center for Development at Brookings) says it all -- that the vast majority of what we give to the middle east is military aid. You should read the article for yourself however, and tune in tomorrow to see what

Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389025262956656076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-77480144294401874982009-05-29T16:06:00.002-05:002009-05-29T16:29:35.351-05:00

Today is International Day of UN Peacekeepers, a day to honor the more than 100,000 military and civilian personnel serving in 16 UN peacekeeping missions around the world. From Haiti, to Liberia, to Darfur, to East Timor, UN peacekeepers are restoring peace, protecting civilians and preventing deadly conflict.The Better World Campaign, one of FCNL's colleague organizations, has set up an email

Trevorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16998351398771723064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-35347421941537104072009-05-29T13:24:00.002-05:002009-05-29T13:30:11.233-05:00

Ok, so Maggie and I recorded this podcast with Trevor over week ago, and here it finally is. Sorry for the delay! In it we discuss the war supplemental, as well as the pragmatism that is necessary for working with Congress.The good news is, Congress hasn't taken much action since we recorded it (they have a week off for Memorial Day while the rest of us have one day), so it's still fresh.Enjoy.

Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389025262956656076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-43540078424754715772009-05-27T08:52:00.002-05:002009-05-27T09:09:49.088-05:00

Did you know that last month the International Monetary Fund released its World Economic Outlook report? What am I thinking? Of course you did. I bet you marked on your calendar, as I did, right next to the release of Twilight on dvd.In this scintillating report, between catastrophic news about Russia, Lativa, Japan, and most of Western Europe, did you notice the bit about China? As this

Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389025262956656076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-82578457512432032032009-05-26T09:16:00.012-05:002009-05-26T11:08:17.999-05:00

“Investing resources now to help prevent conflict and failed states is much more cost-effective than providing massive amounts of humanitarian relief, funding peacekeeping operations, or, in the most extreme circumstances, putting U.S. boots on the ground."~ House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Howard Berman.Good things are happening on Capitol Hill! The Administration and now a key House

Trevorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16998351398771723064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-64787315985864976932009-05-22T09:54:00.002-05:002009-05-22T09:58:31.555-05:00

Hi all, as you may have guessed, the blog won't be updated over the holiday weekend.Next week we will be posting a new podcast about the war supplemental that passed the Senate yesterday, and which will be passing out of conference committee after the Memorial Day recess.As you enjoy your grills, parades, and open swimming pools, think about what our work in Congress could do to ensure that we

Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389025262956656076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-63980569389333499392009-05-21T15:44:00.011-05:002009-05-26T10:16:02.637-05:00

In the last few weeks, climate change, energy and the environment have been front-and-center in the news. While the climate change bill that is moving through the House is not as good as it should be, there has been progress on a couple other key related issues.A couple weeks ago, on May 14th, the House passed a "Green Schools" bill to provide $6.4 billion annually for the next five years to fund

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04881714556661834994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-89315913815339294252009-05-20T15:35:00.002-05:002009-05-20T15:45:00.417-05:00

A major energy bill is beginning to rumble in committee over at the House of Representatives. To me it seems like a major (and reckless) disappointment, and FCNL says that it needs to be strengthened. Greenpeace has said they can no longer support it.Here are a couple of more (mainstream) voices on the debate:from Paul Krugman (you know, the nobel winning economist)from David Sokol (Energy

Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389025262956656076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-60934854461301831732009-05-19T08:31:00.004-05:002009-05-19T08:46:02.256-05:00

Last week, I discovered a very favorable review of our report "The Responsibility to Prevent," in the University of Denver's Journal of Human Rights and Human Welfare. The author of the review, Kyle Matthews, is working on a report on mass atrocity prevention with Romeo Dallaire -- the infamous head of the peacekeeping mission in Rwanda just before the genocide. Check out the review.Email the

Trevorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16998351398771723064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-57089264565520969072009-05-18T10:46:00.004-05:002009-05-18T10:54:36.988-05:00

That's right. A lot of what I learned in my almost two years at FCNL is that the problems facing Native Americans in the United States are pretty ridiculous. Take health care for instance. Or public safety. Basically, in the 19th century, our government committed genocide, and now we're falling back on the weak promise that were made to native american communities. But I'm getting ahead of

Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389025262956656076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29782306.post-75265096944018040632009-05-14T11:12:00.005-05:002009-05-14T11:38:10.710-05:00

Over the past few weeks I've been ruminating more and more about how I would like to live in another country, one of those socialist ones, where I would have health care paid for (this longing largely sprung out of a struggle to pay for wisdom teeth extraction -- even with health insurance!!), and things like this would happen:Voters in British Columbia have reelected Gordon Campbell, who

Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389025262956656076noreply@blogger.com1