Published: 2/8/2013 by the Augusta Free Press

Published: 2/12/2013 by the Capital Times

Published: 2/14/2013 by the Great Falls Tribune

Valentine’s Day was taken over long ago by cards and flowers, candy and dinners. It is now a cash cow holiday for merchandisers. In addition, for many, it has become a day to honor women and girls in a fresh way. V-Day, introduced to the world by Eve Ensler in 1998, demands an end to violence against women and girls.

Ask anyone and they would no doubt admit that they would love to be loved every day of the year, not just on one day. Ask anyone if they think violence is a way to show love and the answer would be no. Yet one in three women on the planet will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. That amounts to more than 1 billion women and girls.

This Valentine’s Day, the V-Day movement is sponsoring ONE BILLION RISING to spread awareness. One suggestion for all those participating in this V-Day Rising is to send a letter to lawmakers demanding that they prioritize legislation that protects women and girls from violence.

Congress determines how our tax dollars are spent. President Obama, in his inaugural address, exhorted, “You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course. You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time — not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.”

You might be weary of the sequester, fiscal cliff, deficit and debt palaver. But this is your chance to have a say in what you want saved in the federal budget. Many programs that protect women and girls are in that budget. Right now, the Violence Against Women Act is being debated. VAWA programs have enhanced federal, tribal, state and local responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking, and other laws support lifesaving emergency shelters and services for domestic violence and other crime victims.

Does anyone doubt that domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, children’s services, prevention, community outreach, and other state and local programs that provide services for victims and families are needed? Does anyone think that states or charities alone can organize, pay for and deliver all these services? In fact, states and communities depend on the federal funds to help support their local efforts. All of this is on the chopping block.

If we could end violence against women and girls, that would eliminate the need for these services and their costs. Even Obama’s budget for 2012-13 is $26 million less than is needed to cover the needs, according to the Campaign for Funding to End Domestic and Sexual Violence.

For every service and cost today, there must be a reduction in spending or a new tax. A new tax is unlikely at best, but reductions are possible. The Pentagon has made headlines for being out of control in its spending habits: cost overruns are legendary; a lack of an audit is incredible; unneeded weapons systems astonish us; high ranking military with huge staffs loom over the needs of veterans and force structure.

The problem is that Pentagon contractor lobbyists and CEOs are protecting their own oversized incomes and driving dollars to be spent on costly Cold War era weapons that even the Pentagon and military leaders dismiss as outdated and unnecessary. Instead, we need a smart defense that is sustainable and addresses 21st century security needs. With this smarter, fiscally responsible approach at the Pentagon, we could save dollars we need to invest in ending violence against women and girls.

On Valentine’s Day, I’ll join with the 1 billion people around the world, men and women, boys and girls, raising our voices against violence. I’ll also be calling on my congressional representatives to make responsible budgeting choices that support 21st century security needs including an end to violence against women and girls.

Click here or here to see WAND staff celebrating One Billion Rising!

The event both celebrated the progress that has been made integrating the U.S. NAP into the efforts of the State Department, U.S. AID, and the Department of Defense, and the sharing of knowledge and  experience between civil society organizations and government agencies. Particularly evident was the government-wide commitment to implementation of the women, peace, and security agenda. The event was also used as an opportunity to honor Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer, who will transition from the Administration back to civil society as the new Director of Georgetown’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security.  Ambassador Verveer’s persistence, professionalism and profound effect on the lives of women and girls all over the world were echoed by many of her colleagues and friends.  At the event, the Ambassador also announced that President Obama had committed to making the Ambassador of Global Women’s Issues a permanent position within the State Department, securing U.S. efforts to ensure the progress and protection of women and girls globally.

WAND’s work to secure full implementation of the U.S. NAP through its policy and advocacy efforts, and partnership with David Cortright, director of Policy Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, to promote the inclusion and protection of Afghan women through the withdrawal of U.S. troops, was highlighted at the U.S. CSWG Open House and Reception following the event.  Along with its 20+ U.S. CSWG partner organizations, representing a broad range of expertise, WAND hosted a resource table and shared information about our women, peace, and security work with representatives from government agencies, policymakers and congressional staff.

WAND Senior Public Policy Director Kathy Crandall Robinson manning the WAND table at the USIP Reception

WAND Public Policy Director Tanya Henderson with Ambassador Verveer

On that day in 2009 few foresaw just how serious and deep a recession we were entering. State budgets were slashed just as more and more people needed services to prevent economic catastrophes in their own lives. Congress engaged in heated debates about spending, and almost allowed the government to shut down. We at WAND were pleased to see that after a decade of unchecked growth in the Pentagon budget, there was finally some action in Congress to limit Pentagon spending, but there is still much more to be done. We will continue to work with members on both sides of the aisle to bring fiscal discipline to Pentagon spending. We cannot afford to spend money on weapons we don’t need and pad Pentagon contractors’ pockets. We must fight for investments in the things that make us strong here at home and counter the influence of Pentagon lobbyists.

President Obama campaigned for an end to the Iraq War and he quickly followed through on that promise. He is also bringing an end to the war in Afghanistan. Yet we know that even as our troops come home, we must ensure that women and children in Afghanistan do not lose the gains they have made. We must continue to work for political, not military, solutions to the conflict in Afghanistan. We can
also do more to ensure the rights of women all over the world with ratification of CEDAW, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and passing legislation in support of the National Action Place on Women, Peace, and Security.

Successful, bipartisan ratification of the New START Treaty (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) was a huge victory in December 2010. We will continue to push for ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. President Obama’s speech in Prague in the spring of 2010 was a reminder that while we may have a long road ahead of us, a world free of nuclear weapons is a goal worth working for. First up, we must stop pouring billions of dollars into maintaining and modernizing these Cold War-era relics. WAND has been working for a world safe from the threat of nuclear weapons for over thirty years. We’ll continue this fight in the next four years of President Obama’s administration.

Finally, how could we not celebrate the record number of women entering Congress this year? We are eager to get to work with returning champions on our issues and bring newly elected women into critical debates about our national security and budget priorities. This year’s Inauguration Day falls on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. As he so powerfully said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” We may be starting this term with less unbridled optimism, but we know that our priories are worth fighting for and we will continue to work hard with all of our WAND members for a better country and a better world.

61 women in the House Democratic Caucus

On Thursday, January 3, 2013, new and returning members were sworn in to the 113^th Congress of the United States, including 81 women in the House of Representatives and 20 women in the Senate. Ten of these women were endorsed by WAND: Tammy Baldwin (WI-Sen)*, Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09)*, Julia Brownley (CA-26), Elizabeth Esty (CT-05), Lois Frankel (FL-22)*, Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Tammy Duckworth (IL-08), Ann Kuster (NH-02), Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01), and Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01). Thirty-nine of the women previously endorsed by WAND will also return to Congress next year.

WAND is excited to celebrate another “year of the woman” as a historic number of women take their seats at the table of power. We still have a long way to go before political parity is reached but we know that these new and returning women will be great champions for women and WAND’s issues. We can’t wait to get to work with them!

You can read more about the newly elected women, especially New Hampshire’s all-woman delegation, in this great New York Times article! http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/us/politics/from-congress-to-halls-of-state-in-new-hampshire-women-rule.html

Many of the new members of Congress held open houses and receptions to welcome the public into their new offices and introduce themselves to Washington, D.C. WAND/WiLL staff members attended many of these events hosted by new WAND/WiLL Women in Congress:

Rep. Cheri Bustos (IL-17)

Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02)

Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01)

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09)

Senator Elizabeth Warren  (MA)

WAND Executive Director Susan Shaer and Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02)

WAND/WiLL Program Manager Maureen Campbell and Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-02)

But hang on for the ride – there will be a few more fiscal “cliffs,” “curbs,” “mudslides,” “berms,” or whatever bumpy metaphor you might like to use. Decisions about spending cuts of the so-called “sequestration” were not part of this deal. Instead they were passed off to the next Congress being sworn in on January 3, 2012 to figure out with a new March 1 deadline. And by the way, the budget for Fiscal Year 2013 was never completed. Instead Congress passed a stop-gap Continuing Resolution funding the government until March 27. We need a deal by then to keep the government running. In addition, we are reaching the debt ceiling. Without congressional agreement to raise the debt ceiling, we risk government shutdown, defaulting on loans and economic disasters.

Ready for more? In the midst of this roller coaster start to 2013, there will be plenty of need to raise the issue of budget priorities. We cannot afford to make cuts to everything else while letting the bloated Pentagon budget escape fiscal discipline. Fortunately, some new voices are starting to recognize this, too. Conservative leader of Americans for Tax Reform, Grover Norquist, says that, “Serious conservatives need to declare that they, that taxpayers, are looking at the entire budget and saying, ‘where can we be more efficient and more effective?’ We have a rather large Pentagon budget, larger than most of the other countries in the world that have armies, navies, and air forces combined.”

Nevertheless we know well that the defense industry lobbyists are ready to make the case for more nuclear weapons, more F-35s, maybe even more bayonets and a cavalry, too.

We hope you are as ready as those lobbyists – ready to make the case for budget priorities that will lead us to safety, strength and prosperity, even if we have to make it through a few bumps and spins to get there.

Published: December 4, 2012 by The Hill's Congress Blog

Republished: December 22, 2012 by NJ Today

With the campaigns over, our leaders must roll up their sleeves and get to work on the serious financial decisions facing the nation. Congress has known for more than a year that automatic budget cuts and tax increases loom in January, but they’ve left all the work to be done at the last minute. They need to hear from us that we expect them to make a balanced deal to preserve programs that strengthen our nation while making sensible budget cuts to programs that are wasteful or unnecessary.

As state legislators, we battled to maintain critical investments in our states as revenues plunged with the start of the Great Recession. We provide many services to our communities in partnership with the federal government, so the possibility of further deep cuts to these programs is of great concern. Education, health care, housing, and transportation, along with an array of lesser known but equally important programs, are critically important to meet the needs of our citizens.

These programs are especially important right now as people still face significant struggles to recover from the down economy. Millions have lost their jobs, or face the daily fear of layoffs, decreased hours and reduced wages. It’s often said that we can’t afford to meet these needs and rebuild the economy, but really we can’t afford not to. It’s simply a question of government spending priorities that serve the greater good versus a handful of special interests.

Our leaders must recognize the need for investments that promote jobs and build the economy, even as we cut back on spending. Unlike most other areas of spending, the Pentagon budget has grown unchecked for the past decade. But it is not clear that these dollars are the investment we need for the 21st century. Reshaping Pentagon spending, which currently eats up more than half of the discretionary spending that Congress allocates annually, will be crucial to any deal on the federal budget.

America maintains a large and expensive nuclear arsenal from the Cold War era. For the cost of just one new nuclear submarine, we could provide body armor and bomb-resistant Humvees to all our troops overseas, house and treat every homeless U.S. veteran, and still have $2.2 billion left over to pay down debt. Our troops and security should come before pork-barrel programs.

Our national security priorities must include a reduction in drawn-out expensive wars with massive price tags and lasting negative effects felt here at home and in the nations where wars are waged. We are still stuck in Afghanistan – America’s longest war. We need an exit strategy that focuses on a political solution in Afghanistan, with particular concern for the welfare of women and children.

Responsibly reshaping Pentagon spending would free up money for much-needed investments here at home. Programs that keep us safe, like border security, disaster relief, and air traffic control, and programs that are investments in our long-term economic stability, like education, all face cuts in the coming year. Necessary funding to state and local communities is also on the chopping block. This November and December, we must urge our leaders to find a balanced approach to the so-called “fiscal fiasco” that does not exempt Pentagon spending at the expense of crucial domestic programs.

We are at a critical crossroads in deciding how we as a nation want to spend our money and build our economy. Do we want to invest in education? Roads and bridges? Safe communities and safe borders? Or do we want to continue pouring money into wasteful programs that the Pentagon doesn’t want or need? Will we reshape the Pentagon budget to address 21st century threats, or continue to waste money on Cold War-era weapons?

The good people of Georgia and all fifty states are relying on Congress to find a balanced approach to put us back on the path to prosperity. Our vote on November 6 expressed a belief that Americans, working together, can craft solutions and rebuild our national economy. The votes have been counted. Let’s get to work.

Published: December 25, 2012 by the Cambridge Chronicle & Tab

And, besides, we are not exempt from questions about our own human rights policies -- the use of drones, our inability to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and our growing and unchecked Pentagon budget that allocates funds to war and defense contractors instead of vital programs that address healthcare, hunger, child abuse and education, for example.

Steve Rothstein, president of the Perkins School for the Blind, said that he could not sleep if he were one of the senators voting no. When he explained that 4.5 million children in the world cannot go to school because they are blind, I could only think of our neighbor’s child who is a student at Perkins and has made great progress there.

It is time to join the rest of the world and work for the goals that represent our better selves.

I and my fellow advocates at Women’s Action for New Directions will be watching and hoping for another vote in the next Congress. Next time, let’s get it right.

Sharon Zimmerman
WAND Deputy Director

Nuclear disarmament has been a key issue for President Obama since his time in the Senate and this affirmation is important to remind the country, Congress, and his own administration, that this problem is ongoing and is vital to national and global security.

Read the full speech here.

Published: October 25, 2012 by the MetroWest Daily News and the Framingham TAB

Again, ignorance is effective. But blaming the U.N. for anti-Americanism is a dangerous way of shielding the public from some of the very real opposition to our actions in the world: the invasion of Iraq, for example. And let’s not forget how important the U.N. is to cleaning up the mess we helped make for women and children in Afghanistan. U.N. Resolution 1325 “urges Member States to ensure increased representation of women at all decision-making levels in national, regional and international institutions and mechanisms for the prevention, management, and resolution of conflict.” Our President has expressed his support for this resolution with his executive order to institute the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security.

So let’s have a U.N. Day that echoes with strong support for the world’s longest attempt to subdue fear and ignorance in all its countries and build a mutual support system for peace and security. Let’s make sure Washington knows our budget priorities and understands the vital role of women in peace processes. And let’s remember that world problems such as hunger, war, climate change, and human rights demand an organization containing all the world’s countries.

Once again, this letter travels to our waste-basket.