Getting It Off of My E-Chest

I just have to say this:

I REALLY WANT THIS ELECTION TO BE OVER.

Even though I voted for Ralph Nader, the thought of what "could" come with Obama - not the starry-eyed pipe dream hopes of those who apply to the "cult of O," but specifically the thought of finally getting universal healthcare, finally getting sex education that makes sense, a leader who has no preconditions for talking with other leaders, and most overwhelmingly importantly the prospect of what a new wave of science, technology, math, and engineering (STEM as the Obama campaign has branded it) can do for the country, for energy, and for the world (and of course for my own career path) has me more than excited. I've done a fair amount of studying up on this and all indications are, with the right mandate in the legislature, it'll be a true new industrial revolution.

So, I just hope nothing happens to bring the predictions crashing down. I'd be an extremely sad engineer, a sad AIESECer, a sad American. And a sad person.

Hallelujah

Twelve years ago, in 1996, AIESEC United States moved to dissolve its own compendium, and thus ended the student-run nature of the organization on a national level.

Sound familiar?

On Sunday, October 19, 2008, in Kresge Hall at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, the National Plenary of AIESEC United States held the first legislation since that time.

Twelve years of struggle, strife, anger, high times and low times, opaque structures, "need-to-know" bases, CNDAs, sidelinings, secret conversations in hotel rooms and across the world, member obliterations, and my own Local Committee's obliteration came to an end.

We got the history, unfiltered and full-on, for the first time. We heard the shocking current state of the organization as it has been dropped in our hands. And then we took on responsibility and we got to work.

Normally we're running out the door at six in the evening on Saturdays for national LTMs. We groan when we get outside, and we make coalitions to talk about the farce that went on in the meeting. We roll our eyes, get very frustrated, threaten to quit. We despair.

This time, we voluntarily forewent dinner until nine, and even then wanted to stay and order dinner in to keep working, but at that point we were pretty ahead of schedule so it wasn't necessary. We all had such high spirits, and a delicious dinner with Chicago-style deep dish pizza did nothing to diminish that. Neither did the beer tower that Dave, LCP Austin, and I shared that night.

We reconvened again at nine in the morning to do legislation. After a humorous education by Naoufel and Missy, we arranged ourselves, LCPs the ones to wield the votes. We established our structure, our elections process (the part I worked heavily on), and our business development structure. All were passed by acclamation, but not after some good discussion and amendment.

Notably, LC Madison was the proposer to open legislation, and LC Georgia Tech was the proposer to close legislation, with LC Yale seconding. I used my speaking time for the proposing to express how proud I was to be in that room with those people, after our struggle together and unfortunately at times against each other, to come to this seminal moment in the life of AIESEC US, in my own life, and I believe in AIESEC as a global organization. After Alina from Yale noted that this was the first legislation in twelve years, we closed our legislation by acclamation.

There is a huge amount of work to do before Winter Conference in St. Louis. There is so much to be careful about due to the financial mess we have been left in and our vulnerability to litigation, albeit unfounded. Despite all of this, we have risen above, we have taken on responsibility, we have come into the role we are destined to play and are bound to pass on to generations of the future, generations who have a world to change just like we do.



It's cool to be an LCP!

Three Voyages

I'm disappointed I haven't gotten to write about this yet, but this past weekend was our Fall Break, and myself, Madison, Rob, and Morgan spent it hiking for three days on the Wolf Ridge / Twentymile Trail in the southwest extremity of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.



On the second day, Sunday, we did a pretty solid uphill hike and finally came out at Gregory Bald, a majestic wonderland on "God's Mountain." We spent most of the afternoon there. It is on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, and the tree here we dubbed the "Tree of Life." Madison's trail mix came in handy. We made camp about a half mile down trail and came back to watch the sunset in North Carolina, and the magnificent stars in Tennessee, although a bright moon obscured some of the night's jewels. All in all, it was one of the best weekends I can remember, and a much-needed experience.

I didn't get much sleep this week but I did manage to hit up the first InterNations Atlanta gathering. It was really cool and there's a lot of potential for AIESEC there as well. This photo is from the event, at the Bar at Trois:


And, EB applications have wrapped up. Eleven people applied! Amira will have a hard time choosing between them. But it's a good sign for the health of the LC.

Now I am off to the meeting which I have fought three years for, and which AIESEC US and AIESEC around the world have waited ten years for: AIESEC United States National Presidents Meeting 2008. It's going to be extremely interesting opening the book on a new era and writing in its first pages. I'm glad Amira is coming with, to be a part of it.

Letter to the Editor of the Technique: On Third-Party Voting in the United States of America

Two weeks ago I turned in my absentee ballot for the upcoming general election. I voted for Ralph Nader, an independent candidate, for President.

When I tell someone I voted for a third party candidate, they elicit a puzzled, jeering, or even hostile reaction. "Way to throw your vote away!" "A vote for Nader is a vote for McCain." Only one person left it at "cool."

How can such an attitude be adopted in the USA, where we claim to bleed and breathe democracy? What kind of a "free country" do I live in when I am verbally abused for my choice in any election? People are unable to see the whole picture or relate the ideals of our country, and even their own beliefs, to a more relativistic, free, and truly choice-based electoral system. Our parents, our friends, the media, the candidates themselves, and even our teachers prop up our imprisonment to the two-party system every day, at every meal, and during every news hour whether intentionally or not. Even the question "Are you voting for McCain or Obama?" reinforces the false notion that there is only a binary choice to be made when it comes to leadership and policy in the United States.

Nader is derided by Democrats for "winning the election for Bush" in Florida. Almost all of these critics are probably intentionally unaware that all eight third-party candidates in Florida each received over 537 votes, the amount by which Bush defeated Gore in the Florida election.

So why is Nader the bad guy? It is simply because he is the easiest person to target as the most prominent third-party candidate. As true Party loyalists, those Democrats were and still are unable to put responsibility on Gore for not even winning his own home state of Tennessee. They are representative of a huge, loud swath of voters (and non-voters!) who cannot or will not escape the two-party paradigm. Because people do not understand the third party candidates, it is their propensity to fear them, and they do not give themselves a real choice when they damn their own freedom by engaging in the Orwellian "duckspeak" of their precious Party.

A more representative voting system like range voting is the major key to breaking the illiberal monopoly held on power in this country. Until such progress can be made in our systems, I call on all US Americans to vote the way their heart tells them, not according to Party lines. Meanwhile, respect your fellow citizens’ right to choose their leaders for themselves. Freedom begins with you.

Unfortunately due to word count issues I had to delete the phrase about Orwellian duckspeak.