Internship Journal #17

Hello to all…the previous Jefferson quote was also quoted by George McGovern, during a question and answer briefing by a group of about 20 members of Congress. Senator McGovern was not alone at the table on one side of him was sitting Michael Isakoff and on the other sat Bob Woodward, next to Woodward sat Ron Suskind. Each of these men has written books about how the United States got into the democracy business and into the Iraq war. I appreciate what each had to say to the members of Congress. Suskind said, the Iraq war is a, “global experiment in behavior modification.” I found this statement quite intriguing…why would we as a country try to modify the behavior of an entire religion? Have we as a country become so engrossed in how “extraordinary” we are that we no longer believe in the rights of other countries to live in the manner in which they choose? Have we become King to the rest of the world? I certainly hope not…it remains to be seen. Chairman of the Judicial Committee, John Conyers asked several questions... (this was the week following Rep. Kucinich read a resolution to impeach the vice-president) the resolution was sent to the Judicial Committee for further study. Conyers asked the men if they would impeach the vice-president. Three of the men refused to answer the questions. But George McGovern was happy to say this Congress has more evidence against this administration than they did during the impeachment of Richard Nixon. Bob Woodward explained the lack of answering this question by saying that he is the person that investigates and reports; and the Congress are the ones that impeach. Certainly Woodward would know best, when it comes to investigating and reporting on impeachable offenses. This event was not required and I enjoyed every minute in this room. I listened to investigative journalists explain the background of Colin Powell telling the U.N. about Weapons of Mass Destruction and an Admiral that had written about the five countries we should be most concerned about in the world and Iraq was not even on this list, along with a myriad of other investigative insights. The beginning of the week we met with the Honorable Lee Hamilton. He was an exceptional speaker. I enjoyed listening to his insights as well. He said, “The greatest indoor sport these days is taking pot shots at the Congress.” Funny, huh? I certainly believe this statement is fact most of the time, I hear many people complain every day about how the Congress is doing nothing, and this, once again, comes down to the closeness of the margin in the Congress. I hope people get out and vote next November, it certainly would even be better if they got up and voted in the primaries -- that would be amazing. I enjoy answering constituent phone calls and many appreciate the fact I know where they live. The guy from Elk was very surprised that I had eaten in his town. The guy that lives on Patrick’s Point Drive said that the walk down the cliff to the beach isn’t so bad…well…the beach is spectacular, but coming back up to the campground is hell. Whew!!! The calls are all over the board most of the time, but some days the phone rings off the hook and every call is the same. These days we create a list and at the end of the day compile them into a stack and then we count the number of calls about that particular topic. This has occurred several times and the cynicism I was feeling has faded because of one of these days. I know that the congressman did not vote the way he wanted, he voted the way his constituents told him to vote. I don’t know how often this occurs, but I now know that it does and the people still have a vote. I am really tired from my week, so I will close for now. Until next time, Eliza

Internship Journal #16

Hello, to all…I would like to tell you all about my surroundings in my room. I am staying at the Hawthorn Suites and am in an efficiency apartment. I have a desk, and a lounge chair, as well as a kitchen (no oven), but it has a dishwasher…I have a king size bed and a flat screen television. The room also includes a DVD player and two closets. My room is on the fifth floor, front side…located within close proximity of the hotel is some sort of fire station. Fire trucks and such are traveling this road on a regular basis and the sirens blare as they go down the road. I did not however hear the sirens as much this past week…Charlie was here and I had my best friend to chat with, the sirens faded into the background. Charlie arrived on Saturday morning and we were very happy to see one another. Having someone that loves me, is wonderful. I was thankful this week for having the one I love next to me, as we experienced some marvelous things together. Charlie’s favorite thing was going to the Capitol. The Staff Assistant in our office is a spectacular tour guide and I asked him if Charlie and I could go on his tour on Monday afternoon. Since the House was on Thanksgiving break, the office was very slow and I hoped we would have plenty of time to get the upgraded tour. We did…our guide told us all the interesting stories. One of the tales was about Andrew Jackson beating with his cane the man who attempted to assassinate him in the Rotunda of the Capitol. Our guide led us into the Speaker’s Lobby…this is where the word lobbyist came from, people advocating for a bill would stand outside the floor of the House of Representatives (in the lobby) and speak with the members on behalf of their bill. We were then taken onto the floor of the chamber. I could not believe that Charlie and I were sitting together on the floor of the chamber of the House of Representatives, our guide let us know that the seats we were sitting in were reserved for the Justices of the Supreme Court, during the State of the Union Address. The tour was spectacular…seeing Charlie’s reaction when he saw the painting on the top of the Rotunda, I placed my hand on his back, because I knew he would lean back too far…he did. He so admired the artisanship of the carpenters and painters and the masons who built this wondrous Capitol. We went to the Lincoln Memorial in the evening and it was a perfect night. The leaves on the trees were burnt red and orange, the grass was green and the reflection pool was beginning to reflect the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building. The men in the Korean War Memorial had just been lit and the soldiers looked as if they were returning from a difficult fight. Seeing Lincoln in the twilight was extremely inspiring. Seeing Charlie being moved by this memorial was a wonderful sight as well. We spent so much time walking and talking…it was over in just a moment and he was on a plane home. I now have less than two weeks until I return to my home. I am thankful for this experience, but I am looking forward to returning home to my husband and friends and mentors and dogs and fish and Jaymi…

Thomas Jefferson,

“I tremble for our Country, when I reflect that God is just.”

Until next time, Eliza