Identity Capital

It's been a couple months since my last blog post. I'd like to say that this is because I have been spending all my time doing something life changing, but it's really just because nothing too exciting has happened.

The shutdown... ok, that was pretty exciting. But other than that?

My boss asked me yesterday if I had decided that working on the Hill was something I was going to pursue after my stint here so far. I replied, "I don't know. I don't think so..."

He then went on to tell me how he always knew he wanted to end up in DC, and asked if there was anywhere I knew I wanted to be.

Again, I don't know.

Right now, I want to go everywhere. I want to live in LA again, spend a few years living in the bayou of Louisiana, maybe become an expat in Paris. But settling down? That seems ridiculous to me.

But the truth is, I am in my twenties. Decades before me, people would be married and starting families by the time they reached my age. And here I am, halfway through college, not even sure if I'm majoring in the right thing. I like to think my situation is unique, but there are a lot of people like me out there.

Then yesterday, I decided to pick up a book specifically about people like me. It is called The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter by Meg Jay.

A lot of people my age dream about "wanderlust" and traveling to Europe or Africa to discover themselves. But as I'm reading this book, I'm learning that a lot of people my age are wasting time and just delaying things like starting families and getting married. Granted, some people don't want that at all, but still.

The author talks about "identity capital," which is our personal assets, or "investments we make in ourselves, the things we do well enough, or long enough, that they become a part of who we are."

Our twenties are about getting as much identity capital as we can, so we can use it to develop a stable life. As fun as traveling around Europe to discover ourselves may sound, we can't really use that on our resumes. (I'm not saying you shouldn't do it- by all means, travel away. But then come right back and get down to business.)

I don't know what I want to do with my life, but I recognize the value in trying different things until I find one job that I really like. I may not want to end up on the Hill when I graduate, but who can say "U.S. House of Representatives" won't look good on my resume?

Land of the Oppressed

I am a young Republican female. We are the minority of the minority. I am used to feeling opposition from Dems every day. But opposition from my own party?

It has been brought to my attention that the Republican party is turning on itself.

I have been receiving calls all day from constituents on the ground level feeling disgruntled and dissatisfied with Republican leadership. This I can understand. Not enough Congressional support has been given to the bills by Lee, Cruz, and Paul to defund Obamacare. But then the constituents go as far as telling me that they will “never again vote for a Republican.”

What exactly do they think this will do?

Perhaps people don’t understand that one Congressman cannot singlehandedly defund a law or impeach a president. It takes a united effort to affect change. Abandoning the cause will absolutely NOT help.

I have heard talk of “revolution” among constituents as well. While this is an interesting idea, I highly doubt the Republican Party could muster the numbers to enact such an event.

So what can we do?

Voting Republicans into as many offices as possible is a step that every citizen can take at the local level. Little by little we can strive to take back this country from the corrupt leadership currently in control.

Voting for Republican Senators in 2014 is perhaps the most important thing we can do in coming years. With a Republican House and a Republican Senate, we could finally pass some of the bills to defund Obamacare.

Remember our Republican values.  Engage a liberal in a debate. Let them know that the GOP is still here and is still fighting for what is right.

The point is, the GOP cannot give up. We are all aware of the unconstitutional actions of the Executive Branch today and we cannot sit back and let it happen. America is a DEMOCRACY. We stand on the principles that founded our nation and will not fall victim to a presidency that is rapidly evolving into a dictatorship.

America is the land of the free, not the land of the oppressed.

D-Day Disgrace

While answering emails and letters from constituents at my job on Capitol Hill, I came across one email that particularly concerned me.

The email was from a man in Missouri writing to his congressman (whose office I work for) regarding this year's D-Day ceremony in Normandy, France.

He informed me that on June 6, 2013, American Legion National Commander James E. Koutz attended the ceremonies in Normandy as a representative of all veteran of the United States. At the ceremony, he was showered with gratitude from the nation the American troops had liberated. What shocked me was the news that followed: Commander Koutz was in a minority of just a handful of Americans represented at the ceremony.

In years past, it has been customary for American military fly-overs of the Normandy American Cemetery, where 9,387 American soldiers are buried. It has been a time for a president to give a speech in honor of the sacrifices made on June 6, 1944. Reagan's 1984 speech is considered one of the greatest speeches in history. What did Obama do to recognize the anniversary this year?

There was not a peep from the White House on June 6, 2013. The president didn't so much as tweet an acknowledgement of the day.

President Reagan's words are dripping with respect for the troops he stood to honor. "You risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love."

Doubtless the veterans of World War II were honored beyond belief at hearing these words from their president.

How was Commander Kountz honored this year?

Uniformed military units from the Netherlands, France, and even Germany attended the ceremony to honor the shared moment in history. A handful of US troops stationed in Europe had taken personal leave to make it to the ceremony.

The Commander was informed that many US troops stationed nearby had wanted to attend the ceremony, AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE, and were encouraged not to do so, as it would
"project a negative image of the nation in times of budget trouble."

Perhaps they were underestimating the negative image projected by a complete lack of American military presence.

The decision to abandon the tradition of attending the ceremony was reportedly due to the sequester, which in March 2013 made $500 million in cuts to the military. The military leaders have had little flexibility in deciding where the cuts are to be made, and unfortunately travel expenses have taken a hard hit.

Meanwhile, President Obama is busy spending taxpayer money on his many vacations. This month, he will return to Martha's Vineyard.

Commander Koutz has written multiple letters to the President on behalf of the veterans of the United States, merely requesting assurance that U.S. military personnel will be in Normandy next year for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. As many of the veterans of World War II are in their nineties, we do not have many more years to be able to show them that their sacrifices will never be forgotten.

The media has failed completely to cover this story, so I am here to get the word out myself.

Let us not forget the words of President Reagan. Let us not forget what America stands for.

"Let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: ``I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.'' Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their value, and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died."

the lone traveler finds a new home

It has now been about a month since I arrived in our nation's beautiful capital.

My first week was spent suffering through a sweltering heat wave in an apartment with no air conditioning. I learned to use my resources during the hot afternoons- hopping from Smithsonian to Smithsonian to take advantage of the free air conditioning. I learned quickly to avoid the National Mall on weekends, when they became tourist mob attractions. I learned that the Metro was going to run me dry if I didn't find a job soon...

So week two was spent hopping from job interview to job interview. I finally landed one at a restaurant that was so enamored of me, they hired me within hours (and though my interviewer was a male... I like to think they were just thrilled for someone so qualified).

Amidst all the clamoring for employment, I was able to immerse myself in a bit of culture as well. My roommate is a "Middle East Enthusiast," describing herself as "obsessed". She recently returned from a year-long sojourn to Egypt and is in DC working for the Middle East Institute. Through her and her friends, I found myself experiencing more of Middle Eastern culture than I ever thought possible in such a short period of time.

Now, being a typical white American, my knowledge of the Middle East was limited to what I saw on the news- most recently conflict in Egypt. But in these past few weeks, I have heard Arabic spoken among new friends, experienced my first iftar (the breaking of fast after sundown during Ramadan), received my first belly dance lesson, and met amazing, optimistic people hoping to change the stereotype of Middle Easterners in America.

While I am not suddenly going to become an enthusiast myself, I have to say that my experiences have vastly changed my outlook. I have a newfound respect and interest in Middle Eastern culture. And though I may not be jumping at the next chance to travel to Egypt (though my roommate keeps encouraging me to do so), I am considering the idea of one day truly immersing myself in the culture.

And to think, all that in one month?! I am excited to see what the next five have in store...