"How Firm Thy Friendship..."

The Washington Academic Internship Program provides students with an incredible opportunity to do things not possible in a traditional classroom setting. For example, I walk by both the Capitol and the Supreme Court every day to and from work, pay a visit to “Abe” (the Lincoln Memorial) on an almost daily basis, sang Carmen Ohio with the “Archie” (two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin) in front of a host of Ohio congressmen, met the Australian Ambassador to the United States, and met “John” (Speaker of the House John Boehner). Although each of the experiences listed above is tremendous, the most rewarding aspect of WAIP is the bonds the participants form with one another. Despite having been complete strangers just four weeks ago, four of us spent last Sunday—Easter Sunday—together. (The fifth understandably went home to share the holiday weekend with loved ones). For many of us, it was the first time we had spent Easter away from our families, so we decided to have our own dinner with our new “family”—our WAIP family (or team or wolf pack).

As pictured below, the four of us colored eggs together.

While waiting on the eggs to dry, a couple of us played an Easter memory matching game. As some can attest, this game further exemplified the time-tested truism that life is not always fair. Some people just happen to be better at certain things—things like Easter memory matching games.

After numerous failed attempts to at least win one game, one person suggested we move on to something more suitable to the group’s skill set: cooking. The four of us—yes, FOUR—made steaks, oven-roasted potatoes, green bean casserole, and brownies. Contrary to popular belief, we did not almost burn down the building in which we are living. The food turned out amazing. The best part about the dinner was not the tastiness of the food; rather, it was the cooking process itself. After studying the relatively new field of managerial science, we decided to put it to the test in our cooking operation. As the lead dog in our four-person wolf pack (again, we were down a person last weekend), I volunteered for the role of supervisor of Operation Easter Dinner. I find that I learn best by doing, so after studying management science last week, I thought it appropriate to attempt to apply Dr. Kolson’s teachings in a real world setting. With each young lady handling a different dish, it was important that I ensure high quality across the board. If just one dish failed to turn out correctly, the entire meal could have been compromised. I’m not usually one to take credit, but I was able to take three—how should I say this—“inexperienced” cooks and create an Easter dinner that would have made Spike Mendelsohn proud.

Unfortunately, the feel-good evening came to an abrupt end when it came time to settle on a movie for us to watch as the evening came to a close. I guess you could say there was a mutiny of sorts, as the three girls insisted that we watch a romantic comedy called Definitely, Maybe. Naturally, these were the first 25 movies on my list: http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2010/08/top_25_manliest_movies_of_all_time.php#the_terminator_1984

Living in “The District,” it is impossible not to be reminded on a daily basis of the democracy in which we live. There is strength in numbers, and in this case—much to James Madison’s chagrin—the three girl majority outnumbered my brave, lonely soul. Perhaps this suggests I’m not quite the leader I previously thought. Maybe that is why management science is such a difficult subject. In theory, it is rather straightforward and makes perfect sense. The trouble comes in its application. Theories are often constructed in a vacuum, and whenever humans are involved, “opinions, passions, and interests” can interfere with the decision-making process. The girls’ majority opinion outweighed my dissent, so I had to “muddle through” a chick-flick.

We love Dr. Kolson.

Despite the discoloration, "John" loves him some Mike McCandlish.

THE Ohio State University!

Pink sparkles!

Smiles all around!

The Ideal Lawyer: Is it a Realistic Goal for Future Lawyers of America?

“When you think of the ideal lawyer, whom do you think of?” This was the question that 5 panelists, comprised of lawyers, authors, professors, and former state Supreme Court justices sought to answer at a program held by the American Bar Association. The program was called, “The American Lawyer Ideal: from John Adams to Atticus Finch to …” and was put on as a part of the Leon Jaworski Public Program Series at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Thanks to Leah’s boss at AFJ, we attended the event together after a long day of work.

The panelists were incredibly interesting and came from a variety of backgrounds in the legal field. All had different “ideal lawyers” in their heads. President Lincoln, Thurgood Marshall, John Adams, Abigail Adams, Atticus Finch, and Sandra Day O’Connor were all mentioned and discussed, idealized for the way they sought through adversity, their strong legal minds, and their integrity as attorneys. The panelists discussed many other attorneys, both contemporary and historical that were not as well known. Overwhelmingly, these attorneys were ones who worked as public defenders, in legal aid, or in relative obscurity until they “made it big” when they argued in front of the Supreme Court.

There were so many thoughts that were popping into my head while I was listening to the panelists. One was who I would say is my “lawyer ideal.” First I thought, Justice Antonin Scalia. I feel like I have a particular connection to Justice Scalia, first for the fact that he is an Italian-American like myself. Second, his way of being brutally honest with the way he views the law and not being afraid to say it is also extremely admirable to me. Then I thought, Sandra Day O’Connor. I’ve always enjoyed reading her Supreme Court opinions because of the way she reasons. I feel as though I will be more like her when I’m on the bench because I believe she sees the merits of both sides of an argument and weighs them thoughtfully in a way that brings law to the forefront, rather than person opinion (it’s good to have lofty ambitions, right?).

However, I had a hard time listening to the panelists at the same time I enjoyed their discussion. Every panelist had graduated from an Ivy League law school, and many of the “lawyer ideals” that were discussed were also Ivy League educated. I couldn’t help but wonder: what about your average, everyday lawyer? What about the lawyer that couldn’t afford an Ivy League education or didn’t have the right credentials that would admit him or her to such a school? As a student that may not be able to get in to one of these schools, this fact bothered me. Perhaps this is my “quarter life crisis” speaking. With law school applications looming in the near future, I could feel myself stressing out.

The other thought that I couldn’t get out of my head was the fact that all of these lawyers were not lawyers in big law firms or in corporations. They were public defenders and attorneys working with legal aid and non-profit organizations. These lawyers are some of the worst paid lawyers in the business. What struck me is that the discussion left out an entire class of lawyers that many aspiring attorneys long to be. Apparently I wasn’t the only one thinking of this, because a lawyer in the audience asked a question that dealt with this subject to the panelists. It is a tough reality for me to try and grapple with: I would love to work in the public sector, or as a public defender or legal aid, but I’m going to have tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars in debt for law school, in addition to undergraduate loans.

While the discussion left me with some heavy questions about the “logistics” of my future legal education, I still felt inspired and remembered why I wanted to be a lawyer in the first place. President-elect of the American Bar Association, Stephen N. Zack, put it best. He described his own experience in growing up in Cuba. He remembers how the old Cuban Constitution was extremely similar to that of the United States and how so quickly the liberties it described was taken away in the communist revolution. He reminded us that if there are not lawyers defending these liberties how quickly they could be taken away. Lawyers and judges are the defenders of liberty, and the champions of justice. This is why I want to be a lawyer.

House Ways & Means

I realize I'm a little late posting this, but during the first week of my internship on the Hill, I was fortunate enough to observe a mark-up of a piece of legislation in the House Ways and Means Committee, of which my Congressman is a member. This committee handles all legislation concerning taxes and other revenue-raising methods, and also handles issues like Social Security, Medicare reform, trade agreements, etc. For those of you not familiar with a mark-up, it is the hearing during which the members debate and propose amendment to various pieces of legislation. The hearing I attended was a mark-up of H.R. 3, which would prohibit the use of tax-payer dollars to fund abortions. Chairman Camp was quick to point out to the entire committee and to the observers that this piece of legislation was something that would be controversial and that as a committee, Ways & Means is always hesitant to discuss and review legislation concerning social issues, since it usually focuses solely on issues of taxes and revenue. He instructed the committee to view H.R. 3 from a revenue standpoint and avoid including their social beliefs about abortions into the debate. However, I noticed that just a few minutes into the hearing that this would not be the case, and the debate turned from the issue of taxpayer funds for abortions to just the issue of abortion, making it obvious where the party lines fell.

During the debate and amendment process, I was able to observe how the format and seating arrangements of the Committee. The Chairman sat in the highest row in the exact center, with the most senior Republican committee members to his right and the most senior Democrat members to his left. The members sat in order of seniority spanning outward, with the most junior members sitting in the lower row. I thought it was interesting to see how here, much like at the Supreme Court, the seating was based on seniority (although it did not alternate sides, sticking straight to party lines).

I was reminded of this experience (and to blog about it!) after reading the first few chapters of this week's assignment, The Broken Branch: How Congress is Failing America and How to Get it Back on Track by Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein. The authors discussed the histories of both the House and the Senate, and I was drawn to a section detailing the various reforms made to committees during the 1970's, focusing my attention to the reforms made specifically to the Ways & Means committee. Several freshmen members targeted Ways & Means because it was extremely powerfull and had a jurisdiction over very important policies, even extending to social issues (H.R. 3) if they involved revenue. The Democratic caucus expanded the committee from twenty-five to thirty-seven members, spreading out the power and giving the majority ten more positions on the committee. Ways & Means was also forced to create subcommittees, again diluting the concentration of the power of the committee, effectively reducing its status as a "super-committee." However, after observing the committee in action last week, Ways & Means still appeared to me as a one of the most powerful committees in the House.

ED

Oil Spill? That look is SO last year...

I have always been deeply touched by the rally of American support and patriotism after a disaster, man-made or natural, in the spirit of helping fellow citizens in need. We saw it after 9/11 shook not only New York City, Pennsylvania and, Virginia, but our entire nation: we saw it after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast: and we saw it yet again after the catastrophe that was "Bottle-Gate 2011". Okay, so maybe not "Bottle-Gate" but if that incident would have occurred at a national level than I imagine fellow citizens would provide similar support to those affected by such a disaster. Or at least buy them a drink.

One year and one day ago the nation rallied once again in support of the Gulf Coast during the tragedy that is now known as the BP oil spill. Unleashing around 80,0000 barrels a day of oil into the Gulf the BP oil spill quickly became the largest oil spill in our history. Support came pouring in to help those along the Gulf Coast, but once the spilling stopped so did large spread cover and support. Was this because all is well along the Gulf Coast? Was it because those affected by the spill don't need our help? Was it the Obama's Florida vacation that convinced us that everything is okay now? We may think everything is squeaky clean along the coast, but the truth is it is far from it.

With new issues arising everyday it is easy to forget about things that don't directly affect us in places like Washington D.C. or Columbus, Ohio. This doesn't make the problem any less real. There are ongoing efforts to help clean up the Gulf Coast and restore the lives and businesses of its residents- it just isn't enough. I'm not asking you to quit your job, jump in your car, and skip over every BP station between here and the Coast. On the one year anniversary of the spill I just ask you to remember that clean-up is a continuing effort- one that deserves our attention.

Check out AFJ's First Monday award winning film Crude Justice about the effects of the spill on the Gulf Coast.

Farewell DC

What is there to say? The ten weeks is up, DC is now 8 hours away, and my baby girl - a goldendoodle named Macy - is happy I have returned home. It was a glorious winter quarter, for all of us. So where is this blog going? I don't know - a reminiscence of the Glenn Fellows conquering of DC? A tear jerking story of ten individuals that arrived as strangers and left as friends? Or perhaps one Dr. K might be wanting and hoping to read, a profound dictation of the experiences and opportunities that were presented to us and how we grabbed them by the horns and held on until we drained from them every ounce of knowledge we could?
But if I am going to give a fair and accurate represntation of what happened inside and outside the walls of The Congressional, and speak not only for myself but for the group as a whole (which I am bound to do throughout this blog), then I must admit - this past ten weeks was all of the above.
We conquered DC with our historic endeavors during the day and our rambuxious adventures of the night. We became friends by enduring the struggles of being grown-ups and setting priorities together. Oh our hate-love relationship with the academic part of the John Glenn Washington Academic Internship Program. Our hate for the homework, but our love of Friday morning "bonding" sessions with Dr. Kolson. We each found our own opportunities and we each have our own expereinces that made this program more thany any of us ever imagined.
The endless inspiration our dear neighbor Mr. Lincoln was always willing to give with open doors any time of day or night, working under the leaders of today and working with the leaders of tomorrow, knowing justice lived across the street, each day being a brand new adventure and another opportunity within itself to grasp knowledge not yet known to us. These are some of the things I am sure we will all miss.
I will not allow myself too much justice by going into brief descriptions of each of us, or humerous tales that could go on and on, but I will say thanks to this experience I have made quite the number of new friends and some everlasting relationships. Thanks to this program I have managed to do A LOT.
So it has been a while since my tale of a "new" me discovering DC and learning to dress up, not just because Mother made me do so. Perhaps this should not only be my second blog, but my ninth or tenth. I apologize for this Dr. K. The purpose for the blog is to allow those not within the program to see what it is this program is all about. For us as Glenn fellows to blog weekly and tell of all our cool and exciting tales. These weekly blogs would attract the future Glenn fellows and popularize the program. And this is an area where I, as well as all the other winter fellows, have failed in. But I believe two blogs is all that is needed to show how truly incredible the John Glenn program is. An entry and an exit blog. Every ounce of excitment I had when I arrived lasted with me every minute of every day, even now. The people I was able to hear speak, the sites I got to see, the history in the making I got to experience first hand, and the knowledge, both life and academic, I gained will stay with me for a very long time.
I will miss DC. I will miss being a part of this program. So this is it, I may have dragged on, so now I will keep it short. Goodbye Blog.

First Supreme Court Oral Argument

On January 11th, I attended the Supreme Court’s oral argument on the J. McIntyre Machinery, LTD v. Nicastro case. This was my first oral argument, although I had toured the Supreme Court before. I heard that attending arguments is sometimes quite difficult, but there was no problem getting in.

I didn’t really know what to expect. Since the Supreme Court is not televised, one most resort to the print industry to keep abreast on current opinions. However, I quickly became fascinated with the judiciary.

According to the Cornell University Law School’s website, the issue presented in the case read, “Where a foreign manufacturer has an exclusive distribution agreement with an independent company in the United States, does national distribution provide sufficient contacts to subject that manufacturer to personal jurisdiction in a products liability suit in a state the defendant does not explicitly target as a market for its products?” I did no research on the case prior to attending, and in hindsight, it probably would have been beneficial. I immediately became lost as the court started its proceedings.

What I will comment on are my reactions while observing. I thought Justice Breyer asked the most pointed questions. Justices Sotomayor and Kagan also contributed substantially in the questioning. I was particularly interested in hearing what Justice Alito had to ask, and he did pose a question toward the end of the argument. However, noticeably silent was Justice Thomas. I kid you not, he appeared to be sleeping most of the time! Subsequent research has found that Justice Thomas has not asked a question in several years.

I can’t back this up with much reasoning, but I thought the defendants presented their arguments better. Attending this oral argument has increased my curiosity toward the judicial branch. Until now, my entire focus has been solely on the legislative branch. It is now time to learn more about the United States Courts. And I’ll be eagerly awaiting the court’s opinion on J. McIntyre Machinery, LTD v. Nicastro!

---JGY

Restaurant Week, Georgetown, Gallavanting

This weekend, my fellow partners in crime did a little D.C. exploring--namely, to Georgetown, and the Spanish restaurant, Jaleo. Both excursions allowed us to understand a bit more about the diversity of D.C., in terms of food at least.

Miss Meghan Gannon introduced me to Georgetown on Saturday, and I am thankful that she did. It is such a cute little town! And it has a J.Crew store! I own a hat from there, and it is my pride and joy. However, the highlight of our Friday afternoon was not J.Crew, but going to D.C. cupcakes. That place is so stinking cute. We each ordered a cupcake. Mine was delicious, but Meghan wouldn't let me have any of hers. ;) After going to D.C. cupcakes, I have made a promise with myself to try at least two more dessert stores. I am thinking a crepe place, and Hello, Cupcake. I am open to any suggestions.

At work last week, I asked a couple people at work who live in D.C. about their favorite places to eat. As luck would have it, my supervisor is a restaurant connoisseur. Score! She suggested Jaleo for some Spanish cuisine, and so Jaleo it was. "Jaleo" is a Spanish term that speaks to all WAIP fellows, anyway. It means "A celebratory racket." So fitting. Our party of eight enjoyed a four-course lunch meal for $20 on Saturday, courtesy of Restaurant Week. I think everyone who came with us can agree, that was $20 well spent.

Yet again, another fun weekend in D.C. Now, bed. G'night! -JDC

Middle East Policy with Meghan and Joe: An Adventure

On Wednesday, January 12th we attended a think tank discussion held by the World Affairs Council of Washington, DC. This discussion was a part of the "FOREIGN POLICY SERIES" the council has been holding throughout the year. The topic was Formulating a New Security Environment: US Engagement in the Middle East. The three distinguished panelists provided very informative insight on the future of American grand strategy in the Middle East. First was Matthew Hoh, a director at the Afghan study group and retired combat veteran of the Afghan War. Next, was Hon. Robert E Hunter, former NATO Ambassador and expert American diplomat. Finally, our favorite panelist, Steven Clemens (a.k.a. Steve) founder of the American Strategy Program at The New America Foundation. The talk was very educational and thought provoking. It gave us much new insight on the "sexy" Middle East/US relationship.

Meg: I was very interested in the discussion because of a class I had taken previously at OSU. I, personally, feel that the U.S.'s foreign policy in the future will greatly determine how we are perceived globally. EVERYONE should learn more about this region and what we are doing there. One of the most interesting topics was the problem with Iran. Clemens stated that the reason why we are in this situation today is because of our invasion into Iraq. I completely believe this claim and agree that we did not have a real reason to go into Iraq. He also talked how we will not be able to "fix" the Israel problem until we resolve our issues with Iran. In a foreign policy simulation, I represented the US and I can attest to the many complicated problems in resolving the Israel issue and Iran was one we had to overcome to succeed. Finally, he said that we couldn't live with a nuclear Iran. I disagreed with this because of the theory called Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). This says that if everyone (or the most influential countries) has a nuclear weapon, no one will use it due to retaliation. I really enjoyed this discussion and look forward to others like it.

Joe: Similar to Meghan, I really enjoyed this panel discussion. All three of the panelists gave a lot of great insight and policy suggestions for the US. The overall consensus was American grand strategy needs to change and adapt. Their critiques were very thoughtful and well delivered. I particularly enjoyed Steve's discussion, and after the discussion I approached Steve. I introduced myself because I'd be working for the same think tank department that he founded. He was very approachable and told me to call him Steve, rather than Mr. Clemens. I hope to attend more think tanks sessions in the future and I look forward to working with Steve more!

Much Love from WAIP,

Meghan Gannon and Joe Sadek

A new me ... scary!!!

Washington D.C., oh where do I start? As I sit here after our Friday morning class, still in my dress apparel - which is all still an adaptation within itself, I am finding time to reflect back on the last two weeks and how in just such a short period of time I Mark Hudak may for the first time in my life have grown up a little bit. Oh how that last drawn out sentence would make my mother smile.

The reality of it all did not honestly hit me until day 1 of the internship. The flight into D.C. from Columbus, the train ride from BWI to Union Station, the hike from Union Station to the John Glenn WAIP office in an unknown city dragging along my fully stuffed suitcase, packed full bookbag, and rather heavy garment bag; until I finally stumbled across a familiar face from our WAIP orientation earlier on in the quarter, Jake Giovonni Young - and then ... relief. I had finally made it. I had some how managed to get myself to D.C. in one piece and with all my belongings and the brilliant smile that greeted me on the face of Jake Giovonni Young was the first bit of comfort I felt in this new city.

Still, even with the meetings and greetings of what would soon come to be, my D.C. family, my mind could not wrap itself around everything. Here I was, living in a glorified dormitory with a bunch of people that are indeed strangers. 22 years old and I feel like an 18 year old freshman in college all over again. Move in day trucked along and everyone eventually appeared out of the fog, all except for my roommate. "Doug" was all I knew. His name would tell me nothing. Was my shared living experience going to be an enjoyable one, or did I get paired with a kid that I would have to put up with for ten weeks. Then, after everyone had already been bonding for quite some time, the mysterious man presented himself. That was when the thought hit me, "Oh man, why am I worried, this kid is in for one heck of a grandiose time living with me!"

Monday came along as well as our first class meeting and first class tour. Friendships blossomed. Our first metro trip, our first family photos, the construction of a seven foot arch, and our first voyage around D.C. The history, architecture, and art were nothing short of inspiration for us.

Then it came, the first day of the internship. Tuesday, January 4th. My nerves were on edge. Thanks to my mother and brother for helping me out with an entirely new dress wardrobe, I at least knew I looked good which stirred up enough confidence to get me through the first day. The first work week ended and we reflected back on it in our Friday morning session. Mine went rather well. the people in my office were all extremely nice, helpful, encouraging, and young!

Getting use to the 6 hour desk job days is still a bit of a hassle for me, but I am trucking along. I was able to release some of the pent up energy of that first week once it was over. The Eastern Market and the D.C. Zoo made last weekend one worthy of memory. Not to leave out the friends we all made through out the Congressional. Everyone from the Aussies to the Irish seem to have came to D.C. with us, which made for a good night of karaoke.

I promised I would not steal Kelsey Poole's thunder about the D.C. Zoo - so here I will reference a blog of hers that will surely be coming soon about the zoo. So stay tuned, it will be a heartfelt diary about the finding of a little girls love.

The second week went by rather smoothly and now we are back to where I am now, Friday morning, still in my dress apparel and about to head out to give my fellow Glenn mates a tour of the Capitol and tour some more of D.C. Until next time my friend Blog, I hope the other Glenn mates are able to keep you busy and full of exciting new posts.

-Mark H

My First Day Wearing Business Professional

No, Head of the EPA, Lisa Jackson, did not come to visit the DfE. Actually, I wore business professional because I attended the 7th Annual State of the Energy Industry Forum at the National Press Club. I took a day off from my unpaid internship to listen to representatives from various private-sector energy companies, as they hoo-hah'ed and boasted their respective energy sources. I heard from the natural gas, oil, nuclear, wind, and solar energy industries throughout the afternoon. I was especially interested and enlightened by the natural gas industry.

Renewable energy was mentioned quite frequently as well, but their disadvantage in terms of energy output and competition against existing energy fuels (i.e., coal, oil, and natural gas), was made quite obvious. Most representatives from the latter industries acknowledged the importance of renewable energy, and were willing to see the advancement of newer technologies. Mostly all energy sectors realized that a cleaner energy future relies on feeding off, instead of competing against, each other. I personally look forward to a future of energy diversification, instead of energy monopolization.

I am really looking forward to attending the next energy forum, which focuses on clean coal, in early February. I do not know much about it, but always see billboards for it on Insterstate-80.