2007.10.11: October 11, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Ethiopia: Politics: Boston Herald: Tsongas the pick for Fifth District
Peace Corps Online:
Directory:
Ethiopia:
Special Report: Ethiopia RPCV, Senator and Presidential Candidate Paul Tsongas:
February 9, 2005: Index: PCOL Exclusive: RPCV Paul Tsongas (Ethiopia) :
2007.10.11: October 11, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Ethiopia: Politics: Boston Herald: Tsongas the pick for Fifth District
Tsongas the pick for Fifth District
The late Paul Tsongas wrote the book on using the levers of power in Washington to reshape the community he lived in and represented. Lowell’s renaissance was directly traceable to Tsongas’ ability to leverage funds and to bring local people to the table to use those funds effectively. Niki Tsongas, who following the death of her husband continued to play a role in Lowell’s redevelopment, shares that vision. She deserves an opportunity to follow through as the next congresswoman from the Fifth District. The late Paul Tsongas, Senator from Massachusetts and candidate for President in 1992, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia in the 1960's.
Tsongas the pick for Fifth District
Tsongas the pick for Fifth District
By Boston Herald editorial staff
Thursday, October 11, 2007 - Updated 1d 23h ago
EmailE-mail PrintablePrintable Comments(14) Comments LargerSmallerText size ShareShare Rate(1) Rate
The Fifth Congressional District has been fortunate in recent years to have been represented by men who understood its needs and to put those needs at the top of their list of priorities.
Marty Meehan, who recently resigned the seat, certainly got that. His return to the district (as opposed to, say, some Washington, D.C., lobbying job) to lead the University of Massachusetts/Lowell is testament to that.
The late Paul Tsongas wrote the book on using the levers of power in Washington to reshape the community he lived in and represented. Lowell’s renaissance was directly traceable to Tsongas’ ability to leverage funds and to bring local people to the table to use those funds effectively.
Niki Tsongas, who following the death of her husband continued to play a role in Lowell’s redevelopment, shares that vision. She deserves an opportunity to follow through as the next congresswoman from the Fifth District.
“The cities of the Merrimack Valley need an engaged partner,” she told members of the Herald’s editorial board. “That’s what Lowell has been about. It was a long partnership.”
Tsongas has spent a considerable amount of time during her campaign getting a handle on the character, the different needs and the resources of the three major cities in the district and on the industries which can jump-start their economies - robotics, life sciences, defense-related research and development.
It’s not sexy stuff, like vowing to bring the troops home from Iraq. It just needs to be done, and Tsongas knows full well that at the end of the day that’s something she can actually do.
OK, so there will be votes on the war and troops. There will be resolutions, and Tsongas will vote for them. But foreign policy isn’t made on the floor of the U.S. House - for which we are increasingly grateful.
Tsongas is a solid supporter of immigration reform along the lines of the Kennedy-McCain bill - a well-structured combination of border security and a path to citizenship for the more than 12 million illegal immigrants estimated to have settled here. The Fifth District is among the most diverse in the state - a place where wave upon wave of immigrants have settled.
“You can rail against all the illegal immigrants who are here, but if you don’t do something it’s de facto amnesty,” she said. “It solves nothing.”
Tsongas has also vowed to “change the tone” of political debate in Washington, to maintain that level of civility that her immediate predecessor and her late husband were known for - and that is a good place to start.
The Herald is pleased to endorse her candidacy
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: October, 2007; RPCV Paul Tsongas (Ethiopia) ; Figures; Peace Corps Ethiopia; Directory of Ethiopia RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Ethiopia RPCVs; Politics; Massachusetts
When this story was posted in October 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| Senator Dodd's Peace Corps Hearings Read PCOL's executive summary of Senator Chris Dodd's hearings on July 25 on the Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act and why Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter does not believe the bill would contribute to an improved Peace Corps while four other RPCV witnesses do. Highlights of the hearings included Dodd's questioning of Tschetter on political meetings at Peace Corps Headquarters and the Inspector General's testimony on the re-opening of the Walter Poirier III investigation. |
| What is the greatest threat facing us now? "People will say it's terrorism. But are there any terrorists in the world who can change the American way of life or our political system? No. Can they knock down a building? Yes. Can they kill somebody? Yes. But can they change us? No. Only we can change ourselves. So what is the great threat we are facing? I would approach this differently, in almost Marshall-like terms. What are the great opportunities out there - ones that we can take advantage of?" Read more. |
| Paul Theroux: Peace Corps Writer Paul Theroux began by writing about the life he knew in Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His first first three novels are set in Africa and two of his later novels recast his Peace Corps tour as fiction. Read about how Theroux involved himself with rebel politicians, was expelled from Malawi, and how the Peace Corps tried to ruin him financially in John Coyne's analysis and appreciation of one of the greatest American writers of his generation (who also happens to be an RPCV). |
| Dodd issues call for National Service Standing on the steps of the Nashua City Hall where JFK kicked off his campaign in 1960, Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd issued a call for National Service. "Like thousands of others, I heard President Kennedy's words and a short time later joined the Peace Corps." Dodd said his goal is to see 40 million people volunteering in some form or another by 2020. "We have an appetite for service. We like to be asked to roll up our sleeves and make a contribution," he said. "We haven't been asked in a long time." |
| Public diplomacy rests on sound public policy When President Kennedy spoke of "a long twilight struggle," and challenged the country to "ask not," he signaled that the Cold War was the challenge and framework defining US foreign policy. The current challenge is not a struggle against a totalitarian foe. It is not a battle against an enemy called "Islamofascism." From these false assumptions flow false choices, including the false choice between law enforcement and war. Instead, law enforcement and military force both must be essential instruments, along with diplomacy, including public diplomacy. But public diplomacy rests on policy, and to begin with, the policy must be sound. Read more. |
| Ambassador revokes clearance for PC Director A post made on PCOL from volunteers in Tanzania alleges that Ambassador Retzer has acted improperly in revoking the country clearance of Country Director Christine Djondo. A statement from Peace Corps' Press Office says that the Peace Corps strongly disagrees with the ambassador’s decision. On June 8 the White House announced that Retzer is being replaced as Ambassador. Latest: Senator Dodd has placed a hold on Mark Green's nomination to be Ambassador to Tanzania. |
| Peace Corps Funnies A PCV writing home? Our editor hard at work? Take a look at our Peace Corps Funnies and Peace Corps Cartoons and see why Peace Corps Volunteers say that sometimes a touch of levity can be one of the best ways of dealing with frustrations in the field. Read what RPCVs say about the lighter side of life in the Peace Corps and see why irreverent observations can often contain more than a grain of truth. We'll supply the photos. You supply the captions. |
| PCOL serves half million PCOL's readership for April exceeded 525,000 visitors - a 50% increase over last year. This year also saw the advent of a new web site: Peace Corps News that together with the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps serve 17,000 RPCVs, Staff, and Friends of the Peace Corps every day. Thanks for making PCOL your source of news for the Peace Corps community. Read more. |
| Suspect confesses in murder of PCV Search parties in the Philippines discovered the body of Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell near Barangay Batad, Banaue town on April 17. Director Tschetter expressed his sorrow at learning the news. “Julia was a proud member of the Peace Corps family, and she contributed greatly to the lives of Filipino citizens in Donsol, Sorsogon, where she served,” he said. Latest: Suspect Juan Duntugan admits to killing Campbell. Leave your thoughts and condolences . |
| He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor. |
Read the stories and leave your comments.
Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.
Story Source: Boston Herald
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Ethiopia; Politics
PCOL39374
69