Understein and Morihiro, 1973

It’s with that lens that Bob Understein sees the work we do. Bob traveled on his first ACYPL program in 1973, visiting a Japan that still had great strides ahead of it in its path towards economic prosperity. His tenure with ACYPL brought him to several intersections with history: Australia during a flashpoint debate, East Germany under the Iron Curtain, and to the Brussels headquarters of NATO in its tensest hours.

Bob’s a great example of why we care so much about what we do. He’s the kind of guy that would have gone on to be an effective businessman and political leader irrespective of his participation in our programs. But by taking part in an ACYPL exchange during his formative years, Bob learned lessons he never would have sought out on his own. He gained a perspective that’s unique to his experience on his political delegations. And, at the end of the day, we know that that gave him an outlook that not many of his colleagues share.

In Japan, Bob had the honor of meeting personally with a man named Morihiro Hosokawa. On their first encounter, Morihiro seemed like many of the other Japanese legislators they had met – polite, intelligent, and insightful. Bob was certainly as impressed as he was with all their hosts to that point, but he wasn’t prepared for what came next.

Knowing that Morihiro’s family was a political dynasty of sorts, he casually asked, “How long has your family been in politics?” Morihiro, in a similarly casual fashion, replied, “About 600 years.” Morihiro then described to Bob how his ancestry included two emperors and three prime ministers, a lineage that prompted the delegates to start calling him “The Japanese JFK”.

Bob’s travels with ACYPL also took him to a Germany still divided along Cold War lines. Upon crossing the infamous Checkpoint Charlie, he describes the ominous feeling of moving from a land of prosperity into one of hardship. Even the riflemen manning the wall were a herald of the change, as the group noticed that they were walking past a series of loaded barrels pointed directly at them.

The opportunities to experience a variety of different cultures don’t end there, though. Often delegations are given seats to watch history in the making. Upon visiting Australia in 1983, Bob was party to a milestone in that country’s electoral history. During a visit to the offices of the president of the Senate, the group was cordially invited to watch a debate taking place that night, seated alongside some of Australia’s most prominent political figures. The debate, which featured Prime Minister Bob Hawke and a relatively unpopular Andrew Peacock, proved to be a flashpoint for Australia when Peacock outgunned Hawke and won a surprising victory. The delegates were privy to the first conversations in the moments following the debate, when Australians themselves were grappling with what to make of the event.

It’s these moments that Bob remembers as he thinks back on the impact ACYPL has had on his life. Not only were they instructive, but Bob recounts to me that his path in life was shaped and transformed by the experiences he had interacting with political figures of all stripes in various societies. Without that perspective, he says, his image of the world would be colored in less vivid tones. His pride in these memories is evident as he relates one last story. As we were finishing up our interview, he pulled out a note he received some years ago.

“This is from Morihiro,” he says. “He sent it to me when he became Prime Minister of Japan in 1993.”

 The letter:

Morihiro's letter to Bob in 1993

I would picture myself in a huge, fluffy white dress, something between Disney’s Cinderella and a baked Alaska. Instead of a church, I would walk down an aisle of flowers through a formal garden. There would be arches of white roses, butterflies darting through the air — again, very Disneyesque. When it came to who I was marrying the fantasy got somewhat murky. Some nameless, faceless Ken doll? Later on at about 15 years old, when I realized I was gay, the wedding dreams essentially stopped. Feeling sure marriage was something that would never be available to me, I basically replaced the fantasy with decorating an apartment with a sassy lady named Naomi. We’d share the same-sized jeans, dye each other’s hair, and listen to Dinosaur Jr.

Last week I had the great honor to meet Louisa Wall, a member of New Zealand’s Parliament from the Labour party and sponsor of the bill before the New Zealand house to legalize same-sex marriage. The bill is scheduled to have its third reading on Wednesday and is expected to pass by an overwhelming majority.

This is the first time that Parliament has considered marriage equality. There has been an active grassroots campaign, but unlike states in the US where campaigns are huge undertakings with hundreds of paid staff, pollsters, media consultants and budgets in the millions, New Zealand’s has been completely organic. Talking points have been straight-forward and fact-based. TV has been in the form of public service announcements. This is in stark contrast to the US where the GLBT movement has used “heart” messages and stories of real families experiencing harm due to discrimination to connect with undecided voters on an emotional level.

Following with the general belief of Kiwis that everyone deserves a “fair go”, a civil unions law already on the books has helped older New Zealanders warm to relationship recognition for gays and lesbians, and now New Zealand is once again proving to the world how socially progressive it can be — and fast.

Meeting Louisa Wall was mind-blowing for me. As a lesbian who has been in leadership in the GLBT rights movement in Maine, it felt like meeting an international celebrity, not to mention that Ms. Wall is a young, gorgeous, Maori netball champion. Despite my starstruck demeanor, she was warm and friendly during our meeting, telling our delegation all about GLBT history in New Zealand and her quick campaign and eagerly answering all our questions.

Next week we won’t be back in Wellington on Wednesday, so we’ll be unable to watch the vote in person, but I’m going to try and watch it on TV. Last year in Maine, marriage for same-sex couples became a reality and my partner, Lauren, and I are planning our wedding for next year. Once again, I’m dreaming of my own wedding, but this time with a more sensible dress and in our own back yard. No animated blue birds either. Next Wednesday, GLBT New Zealanders will be able to make their dreams a reality too.

And my partner and I, on different continents, will celebrate our 10 year anniversary of the day we first met — April 16th, 2003. Indeed, politics has a tendency to insist on being personal.

Wednesday night I’ll raise a glass to not only my own love, but the love all New Zealand couples will be able to celebrate. Kia Ora New Zealand!

1. What has been the most instructive experience of the program thus far?

We had a meeting with Robert Peden of the Electoral Commission, which gave us great insight into the process of governance here. Governments in New Zealand are formed differently than in the US. 

Candidates “stand” for election as either “electorate” or “list” candidates. Electorate candidates run in and represent a specific district. Running as a list candidate is more akin to running as an at-large candidate in the U.S. The total number of list seats per party are determined on the basis of the percentage of the popular vote won by each party. 

Voters cast two distinct votes on the ballot: one for their favored electorate, or district, candidate and one for their party preference, i.e. National, Labor, Maori, Green etc.

2. What has been the most significant difference between the US and New Zealand in terms of politics and governance?

Again, the party system is a great example. Political parties tend to move in lockstep because the candidates only represent the party, even though they’re tied to certain districts as well. As a consequence, there is no winner-take-all system here either. They have a mixed-proportional system, which allows parties who get a minority of the vote to get an equivalent amount of representation in Parliament. It’s also been interesting to see how the people trust their government. In America you often find that people have an inherent suspicion of what their government is doing, but it’s not the same here.

They also claim to have no need for a single constitution, preferring instead to rely on a set of laws that more or less lay out the structure of the government (even though not everyone agrees on exactly which laws those are). Their government is more heavy-handed, but since there’s a trust that the government is doing right by the people, there is less suspicion about institutions like schools and police being overseen and administered only at the federal level.

We’ve also noticed that campaigning is more organic, and the conversations tend to be more sincere than what we’ve seen in the US.

3. What do you see as being the central theme of US-NZ relations?

There are some trade issues, but mostly the relationship is characterized by strong, enduring friendship. New Zealand, however, is very intent on asserting its independence as a nation. This was most notable in 1984, when the government barred all ships transporting nuclear material from entering any NZ harbor. It was seen by the people as a strong stand against nuclear proliferation and remains a point of national pride, since the United States was seen as being the main target of the new policy. 

There’s also been a lot of talk about what New Zealand’s role will be in the coming years, especially as China’s influence grows and new international partnerships are established in the region.

4. What opinions or beliefs have changed for you as a result of spending time with your fellow delegates and your New Zealand hosts? Have you achieved a better appreciation of “the other side”?

Well, we’re not as opposed to the Queen (laughter). But really, we’ve gotten a much broader sense of how democracy can function outside of the US. The idea of localism vs. federalism is very strange to the Kiwis – they trust their national government, so they don’t balk at the idea of the national government handling local issues. Our impression is that the national government is the force that’s really having a major impact on the average person’s life, much more so than local governments are.

Also, as New Zealand comes to engage more with the Pacific Rim, we’d like to understand the role they’re going to play from a foreign relations perspective.

 5. Which meeting or cultural experience are you looking forward to the most?

(each answered individually)

-          Louisa Wall is going to be a good one. She’s the MP who recently introduced a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in New Zealand. I’m really looking forward to that.

-          The District Council meeting, since it’s the closest equivalent to our county governments.

-          I’d really like to know a bit more about the import-export process, and how that affects New Zealand’s foreign policy with other nations in the region.

-          We’re going to visit the Ministry of the Environment in Christchurch, which is responsible for IT. There’s a bill proposed in Parliament that deals with broadband in New Zealand, and I’d like to know more about it.

 6. If you could change anything about this program, what would it be?

Make it longer! But seriously, we’ve loved the program so far. It would be interesting if we had the chance to meet with the judiciary, but overall, it’s been a great experience.

Recently, we finished the final touches on our video retrospective of the experience. Take a minute and check it out.

Active Citizen Summit 2012

The day we flew out of D.C. and began our trek to Tunisia and Egypt, I knew I was going to have an unforgettable trip.  However, I was not prepared for the fact that this would also be a life-altering and eye-opening experience that I will not soon forget. 

While in Tunisia, we met with students at the South Mediterranean University/Mediterranean School of Business.  During our meeting a student asked us how they can make a difference in their country when they have no one to represent them, no one to be their voice.  How is it possible that this student did not know the answer to her own question?  It was the highly educated, unemployed youth that sparked the revolution in Tunisia, had successfully overthrown their oppressive government regime, and demanded their freedom and a democratic government.  How can she not understand that she is her own voice; and that it was her voice, multiplied by the voices of others like her, that have made it possible for her country to now be in the midst of developing a democratic government?

The following week, we met with the Egyptian Democratic Academy, whose mission is to bring varying faiths and political parties together and encourage healthy discourse.  One of our delegates asked the students to briefly describe the dreams they have for themselves and for Egypt. One of the female students was clearly uncomfortable with the question.  She told us that it was not fair of us to ask her this question, because she didn’t know she had the right to dream for herself.  She said she had never before even been asked such a question and has never been allowed to give way to such thoughts.  I sat there in stunned silence with tears welling up in my eyes. 

I constantly thought about these two moments throughout the remainder of the trip…trying to digest and understand what these two women were really sharing with us…trying to grasp the reality of their comments.  Finally, aboard my flight home from the trip, it hit me like a ton of bricks…the gravity of it all. 

Just as my plane was beginning to taxi out onto the runway, the flight attendant made the announcement that we were in the company of many of America’s great heroes as they head home to their families in Arizona for the Holidays.  I looked around and realized I was surrounded by U.S. Military members from the Air Force, Army, and Navy.  Everyone on the plane gave hearty cheers and resounding claps of joy in support for our military heroes…and it was in this exact moment that all the pieces of the puzzle that I had been collecting over the past two weeks formed to make a most incredible realization. 

I visited two countries that were only just beginning to realize the full meaning of freedom, the ability to dream, and to be able to act on those dreams thereby making a difference in the world.   Yet, I found myself in disbelief of being asked how one can make a difference without someone else representing them and being their voice.  I watched a young female struggle to answer the simple question of what dream she has for herself.  She struggled, not because she couldn’t make up her mind as to which dream she wanted to share with us; but because she had never been allowed the freedom to dream, nor had she ever been asked such a question.  In the U.S., not only are we asked that question frequently; but are habitually advised, encouraged, and inspired to pursue our dreams.  We are taught to speak for ourselves and for what we believe.   

“In the U.S…”  As I looked around at our U.S. Heroes, my head being flooded with the above thoughts, these three words gave me pause, and with it, clarity.  I have always been so proud of the fact that I do not take my freedom for granted.  Yet, the fact that I struggled to understand the realities being presented in Tunisia and Egypt proves that I am guilty of doing just that!   

It is impossible to put a market value on all that is gained through one’s travels as an ACYPL delegate.  I learned far more than imaginable about the culture, history, socioeconomic environment, and the quest for democracy in two very different countries in a short period of time.  Yet, the reason I will treasure this experience above all else, is the fact that I discovered even more about myself. 

This trip came on the heels of me losing my re-election and finding myself unsure of what I was going to do next.  However, as I sat on the plane, surrounded by the very individuals whom safeguard that all-too-precious freedom for every U.S.citizen, I found my answer.  ACYPL has added even more fuel to the already roaring fire I have in my heart and soul to continue working towards ever improving our great country.  I can not imagine a reality in which I am denied the ability to pursue my dreams…and that is because our veterans have a way of reminding us, as they did me this day, that freedom is not free!

A facet of the trip that I found to be most memorable (and fortunate) was that of the functional construction of the governments of both Vietnam and Thailand, as they relate the United States, for the purposes of our engagement with officials and private sector leaders in both countries.  As one of the few remaining communist nations, Vietnam is seeking political stability in a rapidly changing world, while simultaneously attempting to manage a growing and unpredictable market economy.  Thailand, on the other hand, is one of the United State’s oldest allies, and is trying to balance an increasingly tenuous political situation as the constitutional monarchy’s reigning royalty succession questions present an increasing sense of unpredictability to this nation’s political future.  The differences between the two nations approaches to political, cultural and economic questions are magnified both in comparison to each other and that of the United States; these extreme differences made the trip a true learning experience and emphasized the unique and necessary work of the United States Department of State as the world becomes smaller, but the complexities become magnified and present more pressing concerns for all countries to manage.

I am also grateful for the ability to have conversed and learned from our Department of State, both in Washington D.C., as well as in both Vietnam and Thailand. From Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City (more familiar to me as Saigon, as I found the locals still call it), and from Bangkok to Krabi, the Embassy staff was incredibly knowledgeable, skilled, and perceptive, and made our trip an unforgettable learning experience.  The work done by this group of amazing people on behalf of the American people is truly inspiring and will remain a personal point of inspiration for the rest of my life. 

Finally, a tremendous thank you to ACYPL and my fellow travelers for making this trip a true “once in a lifetime” experience – I cannot say this enough.  I was fortunate to have traveled with some of the most intelligent, interesting, and intellectually curious people I have ever met – and for this I will remain eternally grateful.  From our outstanding escort to my counterpart travelers, the trip was completed by those who attended, and the organization is due a great deal of credit in this regard.  We received much support from those who remained in Washington DC, and I thank them as well – we couldn’t have made the trip without all of you.

In conclusion, the trip has solidified what I felt upon being selected – a sense of honor for being able to represent our country to those abroad, learn from able and dedicated colleagues, and further understand the cultural, political and economic dynamics of the world’s states.  It is through this learning process that we advance peace and prosperity both at home and abroad, and thus fulfill the amazing and necessary global leadership mission undertaken by the United States of America. 

Prior to the trip, I was very excited to learn more about Thailand’s relatively new system of universal health care coverage, and our delegation’s meeting with former Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva did not disappoint.  Mr. Abhisit, the current opposition leader in the Thai Parliament, spent an hour with our delegation amid more flashing cameras and TV and radio microphones I have ever seen in a press briefing.  Shortly after meeting with the ACYPL group, Mr. Abhisit reported to the Department of Special Investigation (Thailand’s FBI), to face murder charges – heavy stuff regardless of your political leanings, and certainly the key reason for the intensity of the press coverage.  Throughout out meeting, Mr. Abhisit, one of the youngest political officials every elected in Thailand, deftly rolled through deep topics ranging from his own fate as a politician and an individual, the future of Thailand’s constitution, to the nuance of developing a sustainable benefit scheme for Thailand’s current universal access health system developed under his leadership. Mr. Abhisit understood in great detail the technical happenings here in the US around ObamaCare, and acknowledged that the hardest part of developing a system of care and coverage is to decide what health services are considered essential, a debate that continues today in US health policy.  My  mental vignettes from our meeting with Mr. Abhisit will not soon be forgotten, and the front page news story the day after our meeting with him will remain in my office as a source of inspiration for years to come.

My father fought in the war, and was near DaNag in 1967.  He never spoke of his service much, so I have very little understanding of what he did or where he was.  It was just a subject that wasn’t really discussed in the household.  He died a day before his 66th birthday from lung cancer; while in Vietnam he was sprayed with Agent Orange.

After his death, as my brother and I were looking for paperwork needed for the VA, we stumbled upon a massive collection of letters that he wrote home, pictures he took, and stories and poems he wrote while in the VA Hospital.  My mother told us, that he often said he would like to take us here one day.

And now I find myself here, with a little trepidation as to how you approach a subject, like the war, with the other side.

It was very enlightening for me to hear Mr. Vu Xuan Hong, president of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, discuss the issue quite bluntly.  In Vietnam’s long history, they have been occupied many times.  But it is also in the Vietnamese nature to forgive, not to forget the past, but to move on.

Now the relationship between the US and Vietnam flourishes through trade and dialogue.  Vietnam’s open door policy has been a positive development.  They have opened their doors to international investment, tourists, and various exchange programs, ACYPL being one of them.

Vietnam also has a very young population, who didn’t live through the war, they have no recollection, and they are mostly interested in learning about American culture, and do so through the internet.  We learn that in the short 15 years that Vietnam has had the internet, they have the 8th highest usage among countries.

And as we talk about US-Vietnam relationships, Mr. Hong brings up the legacy of Agent Orange, and how it is still impacting Vietnam.  It is an issue that has to be faced and dealt with, not only has the usage of this chemical contaminated the country side, but it has had impact on its citizens, in certain situations it has also cause genetic health issues for 3rd or 4th generations.  Mr. Hong makes a very resilient point that if the family loses the son to health issues, that family’s future is over.

He makes a strong case that Vietnam is not looking for restitution, but rather for humanitarian aid to deal with this lasting war “relic.”

I am looking forward to going back to the states and connecting with NGOS to learn more about how I can get involved.

For any questions or requests for information, please contact Brad Meehan by email or by phone at 202-448-9328.

We wish them luck as they navigate the arduous task of planning a rally concert featuring Alicia Keys!