2008.12.31: December 31, 2008: Headlines: Figures: COS - Fiji: Politics: Congress: Greenwich Citizen: Himes Asks Obama to Make Shays Peace Corps Director
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2008.12.31: December 31, 2008: Headlines: Figures: COS - Fiji: Politics: Congress: Greenwich Citizen: Himes Asks Obama to Make Shays Peace Corps Director
Himes Asks Obama to Make Shays Peace Corps Director
In this high-pitched time of "Peace on Earth," Himes, in a stunning turn of events, in a letter signed by Connecticut's Congressional delegation on Dec. 18 asked President-elect Obama to consider making Shays Peace Corps Director.
Himes Asks Obama to Make Shays Peace Corps Director
Himes Asks Obama to Make Shays Peace Corps Director
By PATRICIA McCORMACK
Updated: 12/31/2008 03:41:20 PM EST
'Tis the season to puff on peace pipes, bury hatchets and nurture peace around the globe, kitchen tables and hearths.
That's happening in a touching drama unfolding under our noses in Greenwich during this holiday season. The event hatched here by Congressman-elect Jim Himes, D-4, stretches to Washington. If successful, it will lead to defeated Congressman Chris Shays guiding the nation's effort to sow peace seeds around planet earth.
Here's the cast in this seasonally appropriate drama:
Greenwich's Jim Himes, the Democrat who in November's election successfully ousted Republican incumbent Congressman Shays from an office held for two decades.
President-elect Barack Obama.
Shays plus the Connecticut Congressional delegation - 100 percent Democratic - consisting of Rosa L. DeLauro, John B. Larson, Christopher S. Murphy, Jim Courtney and Congressman-elect Himes.
The backdrop:
In this high-pitched time of "Peace on Earth," Himes, in a stunning turn of events, in a letter signed by Connecticut's Congressional delegation on Dec. 18 asked President-elect Obama to consider making Shays Peace Corps Director.
Here's what Himes and his Connecticut colleagues said in the letter to the President-elect.
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"Congratulations once again on your historic victory in November. We look forward to hitting the ground running alongside you in January as we address critical national objectives - getting our economy back on track and helping working families, moving toward energy independence for our country, and restoring our nation's standing in the world.
"Toward the goal of restoring American leadership and moral standing in the world, you have proposed a substantially larger role for the Peace Corps during your first term.
"President Kennedy founded the Peace Corps with precisely this vision in mind.
"We write today to recommend a colleague for your consideration as the Director who can lead the Peace Corps toward your expanded vision.
"At this uniquely challenging moment for our nation abroad, we need the very best and most qualified personnel in all of our foreign service leadership positions, regardless of party or ideology. For this reason and others, we believe that Congressman Christopher Shays would be an outstanding Director of the Peace Corps.
"Congressman Shays lives out the values that the Peace Corps embodies.
"He has spent the last 36 years in public service, a road that began with two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji, 1968-70. As a member of Congress, Mr. Shays has traveled extensively, meeting frequently with foreign leaders around the globe, and working with American resources on the ground abroad. He is known as a careful and responsible leader who respects the cultures and priorities of other nations.
"Our common experience with Chris Shays suggests that he would be a unifying leader for the Peace Corps. None of us are members of Mr. Shays' party; one of us ran against him in a hard-fought race; the rest of us have served across the aisle from him in the House (of Representatives) for years. Yet all of us respect his integrity and his commitment to peace and American moral leadership in the world.
"Strengthening the Peace Corps will not be easy. The next Director of the Peace Corps will need to have a keen sense of both the organization's mission and the multifaceted needs of the countries in which it operates.
"The Peace Corps would benefit from the leadership of a director who is capable of both embodying its values and echoing President Kennedy's formative vision that there is no higher calling than public service.
"In short, we believe that Congressman Shays would be an exemplary Director of the Peace Corps. We encourage you to give him your most careful consideration for this position."
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: December, 2008; RPCV Chris Shays (Fiji); Figures; Peace Corps Fiji; Directory of Fiji RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Fiji RPCVs; Politics; Congress; Connecticut
When this story was posted in December 2008, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
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Story Source: Greenwich Citizen
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Fiji; Politics; Congress
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