Archive - September 23, 2021

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Clare Shea (Ethiopia 1965-67) U.S. Special Envoy for Haiti Daniel Foote (Bolivia 1992-94) has handed his resignation to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, saying he “will not be associated with the United States’ inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees and illegal immigrants to Haiti” from the U.S. border. Foote, a career diplomat, said the U.S. policy approach to the country is deeply flawed, and that Haitians shouldn’t be sent back to “a country where American officials are confined to secure compounds because of the danger posed by armed gangs in control of daily life.” In his resignation letter, Foote criticized the Biden Administration, writing “I will not be associated with the United States’ inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees and illegal immigrants to Haiti, a country where American officials are confined to secure compounds because of the danger . . .

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Michael Varga (Chad 1977-79) The world has changed. Should the Peace Corps? Youth participate in a camp organized by the Peace Corps in Ghana in 2015 designed to empower girls and teach boys how to respect others. September 22, 2021 By Ryan Lenora Brown Staff writer Nick Roll Correspondent The Peace Corps took Patricia Smith, like nearly a quarter-million volunteers before her, far from home. Every morning, she rose early to walk the mile to her job, dodging cars on roads without sidewalks to make it to the public health site where she volunteered. The sun came up earlier in her host community than it did at home in Oregon, which required some adjustments. And sometimes, the culture and rhythms of life in her new environment felt very different from home. But none of that bothered Ms. Smith. In fact, it’s why she joined the Peace Corps . . .

At the close of this historic day marking the 60th Anniversary of the signing of the Peace Corps Act into law, California Representative and Ethiopia RPCV John Garamendi issued an urgent appeal to the Peace Corps community.  Please review his two requests, take action, and share with others! 1)  IMMEDIATE PHONE ACTION NEEDED: On Thursday, the House of Representatives will continue its work on the National Defense Authorization Act. A passionate opponent of nuclear weapon proliferation, Garamendi has an amendment (House Floor Amendment 38) to slow the development of the Ground Base Strategic Deterrent (GBSD). According to Garamendi, this program is an unnecessary and costly mistake at the expense of the U.S. taxpayer, and further precipitates the modern nuclear arms race between the United States, Russia, and China. “I believe our current nuclear arsenal exceeds our deterrence requirement, and this is only going to worsen if we proceed with the planned modernization programs. . . .