Old Glory

‎"I am the flag of the United States of America

My name is Old Glory.I fly atop the world's tallest buildings.I stand watch in America's halls of justice.I fly majestically over great institutes of learning.I stand guard with the greatest military power in the world.Look up! And see me!I stand for peace, honor, truth, and justice.I stand for freedom.I am confident . . .I am arrogant.I am proud.When I am flown with my fellow banners, my head is a little higher, my colors a little truer.I bow to no one.I am recognized all over the world.I am worshipped. I am saluted.I am respected. I am revered.I am loved. And I am feared.I have fought every battle of every war for more than 200 years . . .Gettysburg, Shilo, Appomatox, San Juan Hill, the trenches of France, the Argonne Forest, Anzio, Rome, the beaches of Normandy, the deserts of Africa, the cane fields of the Philippines, the rice paddies and jungles of Guam, Okinawa, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and a score of places long forgotten by all but those who were with me.I was there!I led my soldiers.I followed them.I watched over them . . .They loved me.I was on a small hill in Iwo Jima.I was dirty, battle-worn and tired, but my soldiers cheered me,and I was proud.I have been soiled, burned, torn and trampled on the streets of countries I have helped set free.It does not hurt . . . for I am invincible.I have been soiled, burned, torn and trampled on the streets of my country, and when it is by those with whom I have served in battle . . . it hurts. But I shall overcome . . . for I am strong.I have slipped the bonds of Earth and stand watch over the uncharted new frontiers of space from my vantage point on the moon.I have been a silent witness to all of America's finest hours.But my finest hour comeswhen I am torn into strips to be used for bandages for my wounded comrades on the field of battle.When I fly at half mast to honor my soldiers and when I lie in the trembling arms of a grieving mother at the graveside of her fallen son.I am proud.My name is Old Glory.Dear God . . . Long may I wave!"

Be still....

One can get lost in this deep city life. Many reasons to get lost but much to hold on to. Do not get distracted. Take time out for yourself. To dwell in the silence of your bedroom and process all the information you have received.

You are constantly surrounded by noise. You wake up by an alarm, listen to the news while getting ready, chatter on the train, non-stop talking at work, city noise on your commute home, and then you are home. Take some time out to recharge in stillness. Light some candles, sit comfortably, take deep breaths, and just relax.

It is vital to spend some alone time every day.

I must admit it gets a little tough when the whole floor I live on is partying during the weekend. But I came here to work, to learn, to gain as much knowledge and experience in three months as I can. Not to party and live for nights I cannot remember. This experience is way too precious for me to void it out.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying to be a loner. (Nothing wrong with that, though. I am a proud homebody.) All I am suggesting is to take care of yourself first. It does not matter what others are saying or doing. This is your life, your experience, the beginning of your everything.

Journal everything down. It is the only way you will remember 50 years from now what you did on a daily basis. This blog is helpful. Only so much can be said on here though. Maintaing a private journal is a more personal way of keeping those thoughts and precious memories for ever.

Write in pen, so it will never get erased.

On your nights off or weekends enjoy the city safely. Lots of museums, art galleries, coffee shops, spoken word cafes to visit. Most of them free, too! Go site seeing, take pictures, purchase inexpensive souvenirs.

Experience of a lifetime. This is only the beginning.

With God's love and peace,
your friend cn

Busy bee

Senate Hart Building

These last few weeks interning in the Senate have flown by-too fast. Time is escaping me. I am realizing that I need to do more, sleep less, and make more memories. Time if flying by. Come on time, slow down, I want to capture every moment of you.

Ran into an interesting interactive time line that looks at the political events that have taken place between Jan. 2011 and now (link below this paragraph). Just to give you all an idea of all the issues we have been dealing with in the office. That is not all though, we get all sorts of calls, letters,emails, meeting requests, etc.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/15/10418131-an-interactive-2011-2012-timeline?email=html

I would also recommend for everyone to sign up for their news feed. They send a daily collection of all the breaking headlines to your email. That way you can have you coffee (or tea) while doing all your reading on one page. :-) Really helpful. If you are coming to intern next semester or this summer start digging deep into the news now. That way you will be completely informed of all the major events going on in our political world.

There are four daily political blogs that are very helpful and get sent to your inbox daily. You can read them with your morning coffee or on your phone while on the go.

www.ABCNews.com ("The Note" Political Blog)
www.MSNBC.com ("First Read" Daily Political Update)
www.CNN.com ("Morning Grind")
www.Politico.com ( Mike Allen's "Playbook")

Enjoy!

God bless,
cn

A piece

"Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we've ever known."

Should be doing my homework but there is a prevailing thought in my mind that has been very persistent. I’m attempting to write an Op-Ed piece wondering what is most important to me right now, professionally speaking. All I can come up with are Politics and our youth . Kind of biased right? Me being a young Senate intern in D.C. at the moment and all.

I want to dig a little deeper than that. Two things that I am passionate about, youth and politics. Essentially, the involvement of our generation, of our young people, in the political realm. Experiencing this political world right in the heart of politics, in the hometown of the nation, has been a wakeup call. A rude awakening, if you may, for a lack of a better term. Not only is it making me realize how much information is out there available to us, but now more than ever I see how little I do know.

There is a multitude of resources available within our reach, which informs us of everything that is going on in our country. Newspapers, news channels, websites, news feeds, etc. At the end of this blog I am going to add a list of websites that have helped me learn about all the new bills tremendously. On some sites you can type a phrase or the bill number and it will give you the full text, summary, and a list of the co-sponsors.

It is up to you to reach out and open yourself up to all the possibilities. Make it a priority to get out there and learn as much as you can. It’s never to late to start. Find deep within yourself a genuine desire to learn and inform yourself. I’m not a Political Science major; so I am hoping to resonate with a certain audience. I am trying to reach out to the individuals who believe it is not important to get involved in politics or that it is a subject that should not mix with their beliefs or traditions. Especially to our younger generation, its never to late to start, but don’t wait until you are 21 like me. (Not that it’s a bad thing, either)

I am a 21-year-old Hispanic Christian and now I am realizing how uninformed I’ve been to this subject. It’s sad and yes confusing, but very well worth the effort and the long nights reading and doing research. Politics run our nation, it is our responsibility to immerse our selves into the news, into the campaigns, and stay current with what is going on. It is our responsibility to exercise our right to vote and make educated decisions. It is only our very own responsibility to study the political parties and choose for ourselves whether we are a Republican, Democrat, or an Independent.

No matter your religion preference, age, ethnicity, or sex, getting informed on politics is a must. We live in a country where it is available to us, where we can research who is running for what and how much money they have raised, from where the money is coming, and what they plan on doing with it.

The name of this blog is peace, love, & politics. With the creation of this blog I wanted to combine a journal record of my D.C. experience, spread God’s love, and incorporate everything I am learning about Politics. With that being said, this will be my first official ‘political entry’. Next blog to come I want to share with you all a summary of all the bills I have learned about these past three weeks working in D.C. Very interesting stuff! Everything from saving the Great Apes, to banning contraceptives in Catholic hospitals, and stopping the online privacy act. (& more!) Till next time friends.

God bless your sweet souls,

Cynthia Navarro


Websites worth checking out! They have really helped me while speaking to constituents and while doing research for the Legislative Aids. 


FactCheck.org
Crs.gov
Senate.gov
Thomas.lov.gov
Votesmart.org

The Washington Center

The apartments are to die for guys! Fully equipped with pots, pans, furniture, and more! Will post pictures of the inside of my place soon. If you have any questions about the living arrangements let me know. :-)

p.s. if you have any specific blog requests let me know. 

God bless you friends <3

Union Station

A breathtaking view on my way home from work. After a long nine hour shift I look forward to the walk to the shuttle. I am big on trees. Tall, short, skinny, bald - they are like little messengers coming from the depths of the planet. Reminding us how lucky we are to be able to walk, talk, breath. They are benevolent. Always sharing their oxygen and beauty for us to admire. Starting off as a tiny seed, struggling on their way up, breaking land, and blossoming into fruitful beings who will be around longer than us. I learn a lot from them. Is that weird?

I love this picture. The old fashion light post, the way the trees frame the building in the foreground, and the mysterious lighting. The quality isn't terrific because it was taken on my phone.

What you see in the background is the Union Station. The closet train stop to the Senate buildings, Capitol, and the House. Want to hear the best part?

There is a MALL inside of this stop. A MALL, I have been strong for the past ten days and refused to lose myself inside the mall. Because I will go broke in a heart beat. From what I hear they have a Nine West, Victoria Secret, Express, and other cool stores in there. Lots of yummy restaurants too. From the Washington Center it is about a 15-20 minute walk. There is a shuttle that drives us interns there every 20 minutes and get you there in less than 10 minutes. So, if you get a job on the Hill taking the shuttle to the Union stop would be best. The shuttle drops you off there and the Senate buildings are five minutes away.

The mini walk is refreshing. On the way to work in the morning and on the way home at 6:00 p.m.