“My first wish… is to see the whole world at peace, and its inhabitants as one band of brothers, striving  who should contribute most to the happiness of mankind.”  

George Washington, 1785

 

 

 

 

 

“We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain–that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom–and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg

“If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional.  Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.”   

Martin Luther King, Jr. 1957

Through Congressman Jim McDermott’s staff assistant Haig Hovsepian we received a family tour of our nation’s Capitol and got to see democracy in action.  Haig was a stellar host, spiriting us through tunnels and security checks and giving us the inside scoop on some of the Capitol’s more intriguing historical legends.

A special treat was our meeting with Ramon Zertuche, Staff Director for the House Foreign Affairs Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, who showed us the Foreign Affairs hearing room and talked about his role; a role similar to one which Chris’ sister, Deb Hauger, had when she worked for House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Lee Hamilton in the early 1990’s.