• 2006.03.07: March 7, 2006: Headlines: COS - Niger: COS - Morocco: COS - Paraguay: Speaking Out: Ashland Daily Tidings: Niger RPCV Amy Wilson writes: Many of the sentiments expressed by Mr. Volkart reflect a spirit of generosity and eagerness to serve. However, his negative rhetoric demonstrates a lack of sensitivity to the goals of Peace Corps.  Tuesday, March 13, 2007 - 9:49 am [1]

• 2006.08.10: August 10, 2006: Headlines: COS - Paraguay: Protest: Speaking Out: Environment: Ashland Daily Tidings: Invitee Derek Volkart arrested while taking pictures of police arresting protestors  Monday, February 12, 2007 - 9:33 am [1]

• 2006.05.20: May 20, 2006: Headlines: COS - Morocco: Protest: Speaking Out: FOIA: Freedom of Information: Journalism: Ashland Daily Tidings: Peace Corps offically denies appeal on FOIA request, Newspaper disappointed but not interested in pursuing the matter legally  Sunday, May 21, 2006 - 9:38 pm [2]

• 2006.04.11: April 11, 2006: Headlines: COS - Morocco: Protest: Speaking Out: FOIA: Freedom of Information: Ashland Daily Tidings: Peace Corps stonewalls on Volkart information  Wednesday, April 26, 2006 - 10:36 am [5]

• 2006.03.18: March 18, 2006: Headlines: COS - Morocco: COS - Paraguay: Protest: Speaking Out: Ashland Daily Tidings: Invitee Derek Volkart reverses stance, takes new assignment in Paraguay Wednesday, May 03, 2006 - 11:43 pm [3]

• 2006.03.02: March 2, 2006: Headlines: COS - Morocco: Protest: Speaking Out: Ashland Daily Tidings: The Ashland Daily Tidings has issued a request for all internal and external Peace Corps communication pertaining to the service, or lack thereof, of Derek Volkar  Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 11:03 am [1]

• Response: Re: Reassigned PCV Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 12:34 am [29]

• Inaccuracy in article Monday, March 13, 2006 - 10:36 am [1]

• 2006.02.28: February 28, 2006: Headlines: COS - Morocco: Protest: Speaking Out: Ashland Daily Tidings: Derek Volkart removed from Peace Corps assignment after making inflammatory remarks about U.S. policy  Thursday, April 06, 2006 - 3:04 pm [9]

• 2006.03.10: March 10, 2006: Headlines: COS - Morocco: Ashland Daily Tidings: Lew Nash says: I too was a kid outraged by the military-industrial complex and cold-war blindness when I joined the Peace Corps in 1962 and volunteered two years in Morocco  Thursday, May 04, 2006 - 12:07 am [5]

Derek Volkart takes out his anger through helping others in Morocco



His decision to join the Peace Corps in “response to our current fascist government,” doesn’t initially make sense. And still, serving as an environmental volunteer in Morocco, a Muslim country with a constitutional monarchy, doesn’t distress Derek. “I told my parents that if they helped to re-elect George Bush, I would leave the country,” he says.

Derek Volkart takes out his anger through helping others in Morocco

Taking out his anger through helping others

By Erin Halcomb
Tidings Correspondent

Caption: Ashland painter and carpenter Derek Volkart’s decision to join the Peace Corps as an environmental volunteer in Morocco was cemented by the U.S. government’s policies both at home and abroad. Photo: Orville Hector | Ashland Daily Tidings

One month before his Peace Corps commitment begins, Derek Volkart casually sands cabinets. He wears paint-caked overalls and rubber-palmed gloves. In his small workspace of buckets and brushes, he quotes Mark Twain.

Derek’s gentle manner of sweeping away dust and preparing cabinets for painting belies his frustration with America’s state of democracy. His decision to join the Peace Corps in “response to our current fascist government,” doesn’t initially make sense. And still, serving as an environmental volunteer in Morocco, a Muslim country with a constitutional monarchy, doesn’t distress Derek.

Instead he says, “I might prefer a monarchy that honors and adheres to its constitution.”

Plus, Derek’s keeping a promise. “I told my parents that if they helped to re-elect George Bush, I would leave the country,” he says. His intense dark eyes, framed in a trimmed brown beard, hint at his depth of opposition.

The oppression he feels from the current administration has motivated him to “serve somewhere else in the world.”

“I actually had a choice between a Marine Conservation nomination in the Pacific Islands, where I’d be scuba diving every day,” he says, “and I chose Morocco.”

The Kingdom of Morocco has welcomed 4,000 Peace Corps volunteers in 42 years. But the U.S. war in Iraq threatens civilities. Although Morocco is a U.S. ally, more than 200,000 people gathered for an anti-war protest in the capital of Rabat. In 2003, five bombs in Casablanca killed 33, wounded more than 100, and compelled the Peace Corps to temporarily withdraw volunteers from the country.

The U.S. State Department announced after the bombings: “The potential for violence against U.S. interests and citizens as a result of the military action in Iraq, and for transnational terrorism, remains high in Morocco and other countries in the region.” Fighters in the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group trained in Afghanistan. The State Department says these fighters possess the goal of “establishing an Islamic state in Morocco and supporting al-Qaida’s jihad against the West.”

After deliberation, the Peace Corps re-entered Morocco in June 2004. Aware of these hostilities, Derek asserts the National Call to Service Program, which enables military personnel to fulfill part of their obligation by serving in the Peace Corps, further endangers volunteers.

But Derek is not focusing on the danger of his service commitment.

“I’m about to have my mind blown,” he says. “It’s easy not to worry when you can’t imagine what will happen.”

And last year, while caught in an avalanche, Derek realized “how tenuous this life is.” This experience — having his ears and mouth stuffed with snow — as much as his desire to appease political frustration and to grow both personally and professionally, motivates him to act.

Although Derek’s motives are clear, he admits he has no idea what he’ll learn. In his first 11 weeks he will learn Arabic, the Berber language dialects of Tashelhit and Tamazight, and cross-cultural communication skills. The other details of Derek’s community forestry position will be determined during the three-month training. Derek hopes to be placed in the mountains.

“I’m excited about the Atlas mountains,” he says, “the tallest peak is over 13,000 feet.”

“I’m excited about living with one of the oldest cultures in the world, the Berbers,” and re-emphasizing his mission, he continues, “I’m excited about sharing with Islamic culture that the U.S. government and the American people can be very different when it comes to war and peace.”

Environmental volunteers serve in Morocco’s National Parks and ecological reserves. They have worked to enhance eco-tourism and environmental awareness. Derek’s degree from the University of Montana in Resource Conservation will serve him, as will his experience with the Forest Service monitoring soil compaction, and his coordination of Headwaters’ conservation efforts.

Now he employs his carpentry skills because “I burned out,” he explains, “fighting all the violations against environmental law, and all the undermining of the law through rule changes.”

But he still participates. He attends public meetings. He writes letters to the local editors and to elected officials. He serves on the board of the Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center.

Derek credits KS Wild and other conservation groups struggling with the Bush administration’s cutbacks. “These are very tough times to be protecting the environment,” he says.

He admits his decision to join the Peace Corps is both a fight and a flight response. He flees his government, and fights to turn his negative emotions into positive outcomes.

Luckily, he chides, “there’s no law that says I have to agree with my government to do this. They’re still drafting that legislation.”

Derek takes his tasks seriously, as many first-born do. Today, he sands splinters. Not far from tomorrow he will teach and learn about Moroccan forestry. He leaves on March 3. He’ll be leaving his paint-caked overalls, buckets and brushes.

“I’ll be leaving behind a good community of friends, and a girlfriend I really care about,” he says. But, he’ll return to Ashland in 2008 — before the next presidential election.

When this story was posted in February 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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Top Stories: February 2, 2006 Al Kamen writes: Rice to redeploy diplomats 20 Jan Peace Corps mourns the Loss of Volunteer Tessa Horan 1 Feb RPCV pursues dreams in America's Heartland 1 Feb Sargent Shriver documentary to be shown in LA 30 Jan W. Frank Fountain is new board chairman of Africare 27 Jan Abbey Brown writes about acid attacks in Bangladesh 26 Jan Christopher Hill Sees Ray of Hope in N.Korea Standoff 26 Jan Jeffrey Smit writes on one man diplomatic outposts 25 Jan Joe Blatchford's ACCION and microfinance 24 Jan James Rupert writes: A calculated risk in Pakistan 23 Jan Sam Farr rips conservative immigration bill 21 Jan Americans campaign for PC to return to Sierra Leone 20 Jan Kinky Friedman supports Gay Marriage 20 Jan Margaret Krome writes on Women leaders 18 Jan James Walsh leads bipartisan US delegation to Ireland 17 Jan Mark Schneider writes on Elections and Beyond in Haiti 16 Jan Robert Blackwill on a "serious setback" in US-India relations 13 Jan Kevin Quigley writes on PC and U.S. Image Abroad 13 Jan Emily Metzloff rides bicycle 3,100 miles from Honduras 9 Jan Charles Brennick starts operation InterConnection 9 Jan Lee Fisher tells story of Pablo Morillo 7 Jan Nancy Wallace writes: Was PC a CIA front after all? 4 Jan

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RPCV admits to abuse while in Peace Corps Timothy Ronald Obert has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor in Costa Rica while serving there as a Peace Corps volunteer. "The Peace Corps has a zero tolerance policy for misconduct that violates the law or standards of conduct established by the Peace Corps," said Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez. Could inadequate screening have been partly to blame? Mr. Obert's resume, which he had submitted to the Peace Corps in support of his application to become a Peace Corps Volunteer, showed that he had repeatedly sought and obtained positions working with underprivileged children. Read what RPCVs have to say about this case.

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Military Option sparks concerns The U.S. military, struggling to fill its voluntary ranks, is allowing recruits to meet part of their reserve military obligations after active duty by serving in the Peace Corps. Read why there is opposition to the program among RPCVs. Director Vasquez says the agency has a long history of accepting qualified applicants who are in inactive military status. John Coyne says "Not only no, but hell no!" and RPCV Chris Matthews leads the debate on "Hardball." Avi Spiegel says Peace Corps is not the place for soldiers while Coleman McCarthy says to Welcome Soldiers to the Peace Corps. Read our poll results. Latest: Congress passed a bill on December 22 including language to remove Peace Corps from the National Call to Service (NCS) military recruitment program

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Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject.

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PC establishes awards for top Volunteers Gaddi H. Vasquez has established the Kennedy Service Awards to honor the hard work and service of two current Peace Corps Volunteers, two returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and two Peace Corps staff members. The award to currently serving volunteers will be based on a demonstration of impact, sustainability, creativity, and catalytic effect. Submit your nominations by December 9.

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Robert F. Kennedy - 80th anniversary of his birth "Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change the world which yields most painfully to change."

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Peace Corps at highest Census in 30 years Congratulations to the Peace Corps for the highest number of volunteers in 30 years with 7,810 volunteers serving in 71 posts across the globe. Of course, the President's proposal to double the Peace Corps to 15,000 volunteers made in his State of the Union Address in 2002 is now a long forgotten dream. With deficits in federal spending stretching far off into the future, any substantive increase in the number of volunteers will have to wait for new approaches to funding and for a new administration. Choose your candidate and start working for him or her now.

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The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

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Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong 170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community.

Read the stories and leave your comments.

By Larry Kaye (246-78-212-66.spl.org - 66.212.78.246) on Monday, March 13, 2006 - 9:17 pm: Edit Post

This letter is in regards to the article about PCV nominee Derek Volkart. As the writer acknowledged, it doesn't make sense that he would serve the Peace Corps in Morocco and tacitly serve his own country (the USA), that which he (Mr. Volkart) believes is "a fascist government".

Hmm? I am beginning to tire of the many volunteers' rants about this administration (and others). It always struck me as extraordinary that there were and remain so many left-of-center and virulently anti-American vols. This orthodoxy is unsettling. Can't there be several sides represented of this great demographically diverse and widely opinionated nation?

During my service in Cameroon, I believe I was only one of two vols in country that were Republicans (Yes, there are such things!). My Cameroonian colleagues and friends were delighted that I actually voted for George Bush (I). Not that they endorsed him but that they could hear an alternative viewpoint. They knew America had different opinions, they just rarely heard them.

Mr. Volkart might want to be aware that calling the present government fascist is certainly allowed in the USA. But, he might want to exercise political restraint while in Morocco. It will serve no one in country calling the USA fascist while serving the USA & Morocco at the same time. Mr. Volkart you're in for a real learning experience.

Larry Kaye
RPCV Cameroon 89-92'

By Free Speech (ca208-ch01-bl01.il-chicago0.sa.earthlink.net - 207.69.137.6) on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 10:18 pm: Edit Post

Thanks Larry for your input and telling us your opinion.

At least Derek has the guts to speak his mind as a volunteer serving in a "so called" a political organization. Congressmen serve their country everyday and express themselves nearly as harshly as he has. Good for him and his rights to speak and utilize our first ammendment or are you for fascism?

Good for you Derek and good luck with your work.

By Al Bentley (cpe-72-177-126-114.austin.res.rr.com - 72.177.126.114) on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 6:39 pm: Edit Post

I am curious as to how Derek Volkart defines the word "fascist". It seems to me that he may not know what he is talking about it. A simple look at the dictionary can verify this.

It has always baffled me why people who do not know how to corectly express themselves get so much notoriety.

Al Bentley
RSVP India-25