How do We Memorialize Responsibly?

A few weekends ago, my Dad came to visit me in Washington D.C. We did a number of the free touristy things that make DC such a great place to visit, including the Native American Museum, the temporary Solar Decathlon and the World War II Memorial. The WWII Memorial is one of the newest additions to the Mall and it sits in a prominent position between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.

There are always many visitors at the Memorial and it conjures up a feeling of grandeur when one enters because it is set down below the level of the reflecting pool so that a visitor looks up at the pillars that encircle it. The design is reminiscent of the United Nations building and assembly hall, a positive development out of the ruins of the war, but as I stood there observing other people experiencing the Memorial and taking stock of my own reaction I couldn’t help but feel a dilemma about the act of commemorating a war at all.

I understand that many people have loved ones who fought in WWII (my grandfather) and even more who have fought and died in wars since then. It is logical to me that people want to commemorate those lives and the sacrifice they represent. And yet there should be a way to do that without glorifying the war itself. Maya Lin’s design for the Vietnam Memorial is probably the best example of a national memorial to a war that doesn’t glorify the war itself, but rather strikes a thoughtful note about the lives lost. And yet her design was hugely controversial when it was first chosen (If you are interested in the background of the design, the controversy and how they eventually decided to compromise, check out a great documentary called A Strong Clear Vision by Freida Lee Mock). I have heard many say that the Vietnam Memorial is the most emotionally touching memorial; and yet I still wonder how the physical construction of a memory in the nation’s capitol warps its intention and instead embeds war into our nation’s psyche.

At various times in my life, and even more since I have started working at FCNL, I have wondered why our nation constantly seems to hunger for war. Maybe a deeper exploration of what it means to memorialize might begin to touch on a possible answer. People don’t want to believe that lives were lost in a mistaken war, or even a war that wasn’t as altruistic as was once thought. No average U.S citizen wants to admit that a loved one might have died to protect the right for wealthy people to become even wealthier. It is far easier to tie war to more lofty ideals like “democracy,” “freedom,” and “victory”. But that rhetoric places our nation in the impossible position of constantly validating war in order to redeem the past.

The WWII Memorial in particular catalyzed these thoughts for me because there seems to be a nostalgia among many Americans for that kind of war—a war between distinct nations and one with a moral imperative. Recently, a former Marine serving in Afghanistan as a Foreign Service Officer resigned his post because of a fundamental opposition to our presence there. His resignation has caused an uproar; the Washington Post hosted a live blogging session where people could ask him questions. One question reflects a clear desire for the old kind or war, the kind that people understand:

Cumberland, Md.: Don't you think that our over-emphasis on collateral damage and nation building is harming our effort to wage war effectively as we did in WW II?

Matthew Hoh: This isn't WWII and there shouldn't be a comparison. No one can kill better in this world than the US military, however, if killing was the means to victory we would have "won" this years ago. This is primarily a political fight.

To read Hoh’s resignation letter click here:
To read the question and answer session click here:

This brings me back to the difficult question of how to commemorate lives lost without memorializing and thus venerating war itself. Like Matthew Hoh said, WWII is in the past and Afghanistan and Iraq are totally different beasts. Looking to the past won’t give us a blueprint for the conflicts of today.

I would be interested to hear what others think about the difficulty of remembering without venerating an institution with which there is a moral conflict. Is this something that can be done on a national stage? Or should remembering necessarily be done in private to prevent such cooption? I still grapple with this question, as you can see. What do you think?

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A Report from Last Week's Survey

This past week we sent out a survey to people who receive our weekly E-News. This survey was similar to one FCNL sent out at the start of the Obama administration, but instead of asking about the ever-important, first 100 days, this time our questions focused on the first 9 months. Here's a summary of the results so far.

You're less happy with the Obama administration than you were in April: While more than 74% of the people who responded to our last survey were very happy or happy with the Obama administration's first 100 days, about 54% of the more than 800 respondents to last week's survey were 'very happy or happy' with the first 9 months of the administration. This represents about a 20% drop in approval among FCNL constituents - but, still, more than half of you that responded approve of the administration. Of course "happy" and "very happy" are not the only ways you might describe your reactions.

The top policies respondents have been pleased with the administration's progress on include:

62.6% (Improving diplomacy with Iran)
58.4% (Banning torture)
50.6% (Banning nuclear weapons)

Click here for a large view of the graph.

The top policies respondents have been displeased with the administration's progress on include:

63.9% (Bringing peace to Afghanistan)
43.3% (Ending the war in Iraq)
39.3% (Improving health care)

Click here for a large view of the graph.

Here at FCNL we're very interested in what people around the country are thinking when they read our E-News or Action Alerts. Although we don't set our legislative priorities and policy positions based on opinion polls, how you understand what is happening here in Washington helps us figure out what information and tools would help you work to change federal policy to advance the world we seek.

What was most apparent to me, however, was that when asked how efforts to influence your elected officials in the first 100 days of the administration compared to efforts during the first 9 months, more than half the respondents said they were doing about the same. It is often difficult to judge how much we at FCNL can ask you to do, especially via email, when everyone's in-boxes seem to grow larger every day - but the reality is, the change we seek will only occur if we all take at least some action to move towards the kind of world we want. (See how you can get involved in FCNL's work by visiting our website.)

Obviously, a lot of people (FCNL supporters included) were excited for the possibility of change when the Obama administration began 9 months ago, and many are still excited by this prospect. Excitement and belief that we have a president who is saying promising things about change will not be enough though - for one of the beauties of the United States is that however small we might think our opinion is to those 'decision makers' in the marble halls of Congress, they won't know what we're thinking unless we tell them - and we actually have the right to do so!

In peace,
~Rachael

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Not All Doom and Gloom in the Mideast

After returning from upstate New York this weekend where I had marveled at breathtaking views of fall foliage and enjoyed a calm, restful visit with friends, I was bombarded by the terrible news emanating from the Middle East over the last few days.

In Iraq, the horrible double car bombing that killed over 150 people was the most devastating attack to occur for two years and has analysts questioning whether the U.S. should keep to the troop withdrawal agreement. Iranian officials seem to be hesitating over the latest diplomatic proposal coming out of negotiations that occurred in Europe over the last month—leading to highly inflammatory language in the U.S. and Israel regarding crippling sanctions and military options. The Afghan opposition candidate, Abdullah Abdullah has threatened a boycott of the runoff election between him and current President Hamid Karzai because of alleged bias in the electoral commission. Riots erupted near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Old City Jerusalem over fears that Jewish groups were attempting to pray at the Muslim site. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is said to be considering resigning in pessimism about the peace process.

With the depressing stories mounting, I often find it difficult to escape the gloomy mentality that seems pretty consistently present when discussions of the Greater Middle East arise. Yet, at FCNL, there are in fact several indicators that give us some reason to expect some positive policy and political changes.

* The U.S. has so far been keeping up on its end of the deal to withdraw troops according to the agreement it made with Iraq. David Ignatius of The Washington Post writes today that the latest violence has spurred Iraqi resolve to maintain their own security.

* Reports seem to favor the probability that Iran will accept the UN proposal to ship Iranian uranium outside the country to be enriched elsewhere for their medical reactor—minimizing fears of it being used for weapons. This, analysts believe, will encourage further negotiation and diplomatic recourse.

* Peace groups have united to oppose a troop increase in Afghanistan at noescalation.org and Congressional leaders continue to show skepticism about possible escalation.

* Israel is considering an inquiry into the Gaza war last winter in order to respond to claims of war crimes made by the UN commissioned Goldstone report. Also, an alternative “pro-peace, pro-Israel” lobbying group, J-Street, is holding its first conference in Washington, D.C. FCNL staff is attending.

My recommendation for when you get the news blues? Get involved. The best way to prevent despair from setting in is to see all the ways you can make a difference by contacting your senators and representatives. Visit FCNL’s website to learn more.

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Climate Conflict Nexus

I came to FCNL from a brief but formative year working at a Philadelphia non-profit that focuses on energy policy and weatherization of low-income housing. I learned some scary facts about where our world is headed there and I came out on the other side with an enduring commitment to energy policy and conservation (it just makes so much sense). I was very excited to learn that FCNL was willing to support me in those interests by allowing me to do some independent research on the ways that climate change will affect future conflicts. Whether or not the U.S is able to pass a climate change bill that will demand quick and deep emission cuts, we will see the negative effects of climate change this century. I went to a hearing chaired by Senators Feingold and Corker on ways that communities that are already vulnerable to the effects of climate change can adapt to rising sea levels, increased desertification and the possibility of uprooting entire societies in order to keep them safe. Experts from the evangelical Christian community, Oxfam, Action Aid and an ex-General testified about how bad it might be for many people around the world and the creative projects that can be implemented to help people cope.

I found the General's testimony particularly telling, and he was not the first of his group who I have seen speak at climate related events. Their coalition has done studies and has concluded that climate change should be factored into any long term planning the military conducts, and that furthermore the military itself should be looking carefully at their own carbon footprint and dependency on fossil fuels if they want to survive in a future with severely limited resources. This perspective from a military man marks a departure from the traditional line. He was very candid about the military's role in U.S foreign policy citing the military as first responders to humanitarian crises like floods and earthquakes. I could see the wheels in his head turning as he calculated the cost of responding to more frequent crises, not to mention the instability and unrest that such devastating events inevitably incite. Perhaps the General and I are arriving at the need for climate change legislation in different ways, but in this instance we seem to have synergy of purpose. I hope to explore how our similar conclusions might strengthen any argument I make about why it is of utmost importance that the U.S Congress pass a climate change bill that FCNL would be willing to support.

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Here's to Sunny Skies Again

While we're lucky not to have the snow that northern climates have been getting already, it's been pretty drab and dreary in D.C. the past couple of days and we're excited that the sun's out again! It's even more exciting because the power's back on!

No, not the regular electricity, that never went out. I'm talking about the solar-powered models that have been built on the National Mall! The U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathalon just announced its winners of a competition to design and build the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house. (Team Germany was the winner, by the way).

The twenty models in the competition were available for locals, tourists, and green-architecture buffs to admire on the Mall for the past two weeks. In case you didn't make it there yourself, click here to take a look at a few of the entries (courtesy of the DCist blog).

And here is Team Germany's short video clip of their winning project:

Now, as you probably know, FCNL has a green building - and not just any green building, but the first green building on Capitol Hill. If you're in the area, feel free to stop by for a tour! In addition, if you go to our website, you can even see the live webcast of our green roof - in case you have the time to sit and watch the grass grow. We're honored to be briefly joined by these twenty models of zero-energy construction.

Legislation on climate change is making its way through Congress, but there are plenty of steps that can be taken even without the passage of new bills. The Solar Decathalon is just the most recent of many examples of how you can make changes, both small and large, to make your home more energy-efficient and reduce your carbon footprint.

Good thing it's sunny outside!

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We're all immigrants & sometimes we remember to celebrate that!

Last night, while avoiding the chilly rain, Becca & I stumbled on a PBS program In Performance at the White House: Fiesta Latina (check out this link for video of the event). We both thought - how cool is this, to be in DC & be able to watch things that are going on right here - only a few blocks away from work.

After watching the performances of so many talented artists, it was also clear how cool it is to live in a country that while it's not always perfect in doing so, does celebrate its diversity as a unifying factor. Such events are reminders that we're all immigrants (or are decedent of immigrants) and each of our stories and cultures is important to the fabric of this nation. I hope to find more ways to take advantage of all the opportunities to connect with cultures different from my own & to share my own experiences. This is all part of what makes 'America,' so I challenge us all to question what we think we know of others.

Don't forget to check out the Immigration Blog: It's Our Community where Becca is keeping up to date on the latest developments on immigration issues.

In peace,

~Rachael

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A New Way to Think About Peace

Just a quick note to share the new "One Minute for Peace" website from the American Friends Service Committee. Check it out and see what's going on every minute - it's pretty amazing when you think about how much could happen for peace if we all thought about things in these terms.

Hope you enjoy it & please pass this on to others!

In peace,

~Rachael

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Words and Deeds:

As Inez talked about in her earlier blog post, Columbus Day is certainly one of the stranger 'celebrations' here in the United States. Here we are, a nation that claims such high (& real) accomplishments in a relatively short amount of time (when compared to other nations around the world) and yet we still celebrate someone who set off one of the largest genocides the world and certainly the North and South American continents have ever known.

It is interesting however, as Inez mentioned, that there has been a recent recurrence of the senate's attempt to pass a bill officially apologizing to Native Americans. And it is completely understandable why many Native Americans refuse to accept such an apology until the government works to change some of the results of those past wrongs.

Other nations have dealt with similar issues in recent years, and whether one way is right and the other wrong is difficult to tell, and certainly not the 'job' of (in this case) non-Native Americans. But this issue certainly begs consideration for what needs to happen in the United States for our nation to begin to move beyond the wounds of the past and into a future where all of citizens are treated as equals.

Perhaps a good start would be replacing Columbus Day with a holiday celebrating some of the native cultures and peoples of America which so many Americans know so little about? For more on this idea, read a blog from a past Program Assistant for the Native American Program who writes about South Dakota's celebration of Native American Day on October 13th - mark your calendars and find out something new about native cultures and peoples!


Some other things to consider:

November 2008: The National Park Service promoted National American Indian Heritage Month

October 12, 2009: The National Park Service also participates in the Columbus Day Celebration (claiming that Columbus Day is also Native American Day -- What???)
Oh & this happens right here in Washington, DC at the Christopher Columbus Statue in Columbus Circle outside Union Station (just a few blocks from FCNL's office). I would say that sends a bit of a confusing message…

February 2008: Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made an official apology to the Aboriginal peoples of Australia

Kevin Rudd's national apology to Stolen Generations

June 2008: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper officially apologized for government sponsored Indian residential school programs that resulted in the loss of native cultures in Canada.

It's all certainly worth considering on this Columbus Day 'holiday.'

In peace,
~Rachael

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[Happy?] Columbus Day

Image from here

Today is Columbus Day, which FCNL doesn't celebrate on principle. Columbus Day marks the beginning of the greatest genocide and mass relocation and land theft our country has known. It is fitting, then, that this is the day on which I should receive this article in my inbox. It discusses an amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill called the Native American Apology Resolution. In short, the Senate wants to say "We're really sorry for everything the US Government has put you through" to Native Americans. It also asks the President to "acknowledge the wrongs of the United States against Indian tribes."

By further coincidence, a response was forwarded to me a couple hours later. In this open letter, the Indian Law Resource Center says "no thanks" to the official apology. They say that for the apology to be real and true, the government would have to stop doing the things for which it apologizes. However, the letter says, the government continues to take land and money from Native Americans.

On this national holiday, I encourage everyone to think about the other side of the Columbus Day coin.

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Protesting Policy: Time for Change

As we approach the beginning of the United State’s ninth year in Afghanistan, groups of activists from different perspectives converged on the White House, expressing everything from concern to disgust.

It is hard to believe that eight years have passed since former President Bush launched the Global War on Terror and Al Qaeda; yet after hundreds of billions of dollars and untold loss of life, what can we identify as “success?”

Perhaps we can say there has not been another attack in the United States. But have the extreme voices in the Middle East not been emboldened and empowered by the military actions which have devastated multiple countries?

Despite any grievances—right or wrong, valid or invalid—that have been expressed by these extreme voices, the United States has not made itself safer as a result of the multiple, simultaneous major theater wars it is now engaged in; rather, these wars have divided the country, indebted its people, and discredited its sound international reputation.

The United States has a long and tumultuous history in the Middle East: the 1953 overthrow of the democratically elected President of Iran, Mohammed Mosaddeq, support of Saddam Hussein and the Mujahedeen in the 1970s and 1980s, the Iran-Contra scandal in the 1970s, the 1991 Iraq War and over ten years of sanctions which followed, to the present campaigns, to name just a few instances. One cannot help but observe that after all this involvement, the United States seems less poised to have favorable relations with many of these governments than ever before.

This begs the question: if what the U.S. has done has not improved its standing, why, then, does it continue the same egregious and ignominious policies of years past?

Military actions in the name of “American Interests”—which seem to create hostility toward America—have only deteriorated U.S. standing in the Middle East, hence it is time for a policy change.

The protesters who came together at the White House yesterday understand this, though they all have different ways of expressing it. The way of the Friends Committee on National Legislation is to say, “War Is Not the Answer.” But FCNL doesn’t stop there. The next message is to engage Congress and tell them to change policy.

Civil disobedience is effective in its own way, but without pressure on the legislative branch, it is difficult to keep government accountable and responsive. Elected officials need to hear logical arguments—even if they do not agree with them—so that it is clear where their constituents stand. After all, it is the principle concern of a member of Congress, second only to making law, to get reelected, which would not be possible without the votes of valuable constituents.

Do not hesitate. Tell Congress enough is enough and it is time for a policy change in the Middle East. More troops will not translate into more stability in Afghanistan. There are ways to stabilize Afghanistan without increasing U.S. military presence there. Check out these points: FCNL's Afghanistan De-escalation Flyer.

Let us see then what diplomacy can do.

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A Good Movie for a Rainy Day

I seem to hear from more people each day who were deeply touched by the movie "The Visitor," a film that follows a college professor on his journey as he meets a young immigrant couple and learns first-hand the impenetrable nature of the immigration detention system. This fictionalized account does a good job exploring the emotional experience that many families go through when their loved ones are detained and deported.

Matt and Rachael and I have each watched it, and just the other day my aunt was going on and on about it, and today - if that's not already endorsement enough for you - the clerk of FCNL's field committee also spoke highly of the film. I hope you'll take the time to watch it and share it with your friends and family.

For more information about the current U.S. immigration detention system, visit "Immigration: It's Our Community" where on Friday I'll be starting a six-part blog series examining different aspects of detention and exploring possibilities for humane reforms.

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Lessons from Last Minute Lobbying

Last week we had the opportunity to get further insight into two very important aspects of our work: how Congress works (and doesn’t work) and the role of last-minute phone calls in lobbying.

Lora Lumpe, the highly esteemed expert on cluster bombs who used to work at FCNL and now works for Open Society Institute, called on Monday of last week to say that we had the opportunity to finally pass the ban on cluster bombs. She got word that Sen. Feinstein was going to be offering the cluster bomb ban legislation, the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act (S.416), as an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill. We thought the vote on this legislation was going to be in the next couple days.

So the first day I (Stephen) called some key constituents in PA, MI, and NJ--states where one of the senators was crucial to getting the amendment passed. I asked them to call their senator’s office and encourage their networks of friends to do so as well.

The next day Lora sent out a list of senators who had cosponsored S.416 but hadn’t cosponsored the amendment. So we, along with a couple other program assistants, made phone calls to these senators’ offices asking them to cosponsor the amendment. And then on Thursday, Lora sent another list of senators who she thought would vote for the amendment. So we recruited our Thursday volunteer, Merilee Janssen, and we called lots of offices. In total, we called over twenty-five Senate offices.

We would call into a senator's office and ask to speak with their military legislative assistant (LA) or their foreign affairs LA. Almost every time the person who would initially pick up the phone would be a young woman, or an occasional young male who sounded almost the same age as us interns. The phone conversations I (Lizzie) had with these young staffers made me realize that I am not that different. One or two of the staffers said things like “Oh that LA isn’t here right now, can I give you his phone number….o wait, I can’t do that….I can give you his email address…..o wait I don’t know that…..Can I leave a message for you?” These unsure, youthful voices, made me chuckle. They are similar to my first week experiences, where as the front desk person here at FCNL, I received a couple calls that I did not always know what to do with. The phone conversation was one intern to another, which helped me to realize how much young employees and interns really do make the Capitol Hill world go ‘round. Eventually, we would leave voicemails and send in an email follow-up (always important when doing any kind of lobbying!).

In the end, the amendment isn’t going to come up for a vote. However, we still had some great successes:

Some offices we called and left messages for called or emailed us back to ask about the amendment. Merilee reported excitedly that a member of Sen. Specter’s staff said he would vote for the amendment. A great organizer in MI who has worked to get Sen. Levin to cosponsor the cluster bomb ban bill talked to Levin’s chief of staff about the legislation. Many other members of our network became more engaged in the work to end these deadly weapons. And many senators’ offices heard why they should support the ban.

One lessen we learned from this experience was how you measure success. Sometimes success is the passage of a bill. While other times success is one more senator agreeing to vote for legislation, one more member of our network calling their members of Congress, or one more connection with a senator’s staff.

-Lizzie and Stephen

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Meeting Important People

Bridget and I sent out our new Kenya brief to anyone we thought would read it late last week. A few hours later I received a call from the State Department inviting us to a lunch with State officials working in East Africa on Monday.

Many other well known NGOs were invited to this lunch, which was meant to facilitate communication between the State Department and people working on the ground in the Horn of Africa. I felt totally out of my league since FCNL does not claim to be experts on Kenya and our purview is more building structures for peace, with Kenya as a prime example of where such a strategy could be successful. During the meeting, I mostly sat and listened to the conversations happening around me, which were in many ways a wake-up call. Given the recent change of Administration, most of the State Department officials present had no experience in East Africa. They had been pulled from other assignments in parts of the world completely unrelated to the particular issues at play in the Horn of Africa and were being asked to implement policy towards places they had never been. On the flip side, the NGOs present knew the reality of the countries they discussed intimately, and I commend the State Department for calling the meeting and recognizing that they should partner with those who know more. However, when I sat back from the meeting and looked at the scene more objectively, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable about the way that 20 people seated around a table on K Street were discussing an entire region of Africa. It was as if Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Uganda, and Kenya were just puzzle pieces to be shuffled around by people in power suits.

I understand that it is important to think regionally about these issues and that the dynamics between countries affect the viability of stability in the region; but I felt like I got a big dose of Washington ego at that table. The State Department officials had never been to the region and the NGOs thought they knew it all. Is that any way to effectively encourage stability and peace in another country? Bridget's response to my reaction was an interesting dose of pragmatism. She said that even as much as U.S. policy makers want to believe that the U.S can decide everything, local players are equally or more important. Take a look around the world-it's easy to spot a dozen examples of leaders doing whatever they want regardless of the U.S. I guess those puzzle pieces don't slide so easily after all.

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