Josh Bolton, White House Chief of Staff, speaking to the SPS students.

"Helen, I can neither confirm or deny that. Next question." Says Pete, doing his best CJ Craig impresonation.

Pete outside the White House on a rainy day, sans the old elm tree that fell the previous day.

Students inside the deceptively small press briefing room.

Pete lounging near the White House rose garden.

Students listening to Josh Bolton.

The back lawn.

Walk way to the rose garden.

Walkway from the West Wing to the residence.

Tuesday, June 27th
Washington, DC

Overall, an excellent day. The students spent the morning at the National Association of Manufacturers participating in a Congressional Simulation exercise. Using statistics and demographics of various congressional districts from around the country the students, in teams of 5, play the role of a freshmen Congressperson. They have to balance trying to placate the party and gain a seat on a committee that can aid their district while trying to be in tune and assessable to the people and needs of their home district. With a re-election campaign beginning almost immediately. I observed this last year and the students enjoyed and more importantly learned a great deal.

I took the morning and went to a great book store on Connecticut Ave called Politics and Prose. I spent about hour looking over the place and their fabulous selection of books. Then I went to their Coffeehouse and drank some coffee, caught up on writing, and had some lunch. It was a relaxing morning and it was quite needed.

After their lunch the students had more sessions on Economics and Public Speaking. These are essential components of the program because the students come from a wide variety of schools whose curriculum scope and sequence always vary.

Then after a quick dinner and dressing up we headed down Massachusetts Ave. to a little place called the White House. I guess the only residence that can compete for visitors is Memphis’ very own Graceland, which will be visited by Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi and President Bush this weekend. (Story). They will also “Get their Rib on” at the Rendezvous BBQ place in downtown Memphis.

It was a rainy evening, the norm of late, and the trip took about an hour because there will still a great deal of road closures around downtown DC due to the flooding. We all went through security got our “A” passes, for appointments not “A list”. This took about a half an hour. We waited in the White House press room which was surprisingly small. The kids, along with yours truly, took their photo in front of the briefing podium. Once we were all in White House Chief of Staff, Josh Bolton came in and did a Q and A with the students for nearly an hour. He seemed quite impressive and detailed both the structure of the job of Chief of Staff along with how he came to have the job. After he was finished speaking with us interns then gave us small group tours of the West Wing. We saw various briefing rooms and the Oval Office itself. Overall we spent about 2 hours their and it was quite an experience for the students and myself.

Later in the evening one of my old friends from all the way back to my Prep days and I went to grab a couple of beers in Georgetown, back to J.Paul’s. Dooz is a frequent visitor to DC because of his job with a defense contractor. It was great to see him. He and his wife are expecting a second child in the fall and they are having a boy to compliment their daughter and round out the clan. We caught up on our respective families and generally shot the breeze. In the end, one of the better days of the summer.

The Rain soaked Washington, DC area in photos.

Courtesy of Washington Post and CBS news

Road damage in the area.

If a tree falls near the White House does it make a sound or Karl Rove say it the Democrat's rain and run policy?

A lone police car in a tunnel on Massachusetts Ave.

Gridlock coming into the city on Monday morning.

This is tunnel near 12th and Constitution.

This is a mudslide on Route 29 into the city.

This is a limo in a parking garage in Alexandira, VA.

Cars along on of the parkways.

Monday, June 26th
Washington, DC

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down. For anyone paying attention to the weather/news Washington, DC experienced a deluge of water in the last few days. It is estimated that we received somewhere around 10 inches of rain in 24 hour period. Needless there is quite a bit of flooding in the city. Many basement apartments, especially in Georgetown, were under water. Many of the roads into the city were flooded and some of them experienced mudslides. Many of the offices and museums were closed in DC today. For example then National Archives closed due to flooding, the documents held therein are fine. Even the IRS closed due to flooding. There was not many a tear shed for that group. Albans did not escape the wrath of the rain. The school lost power, mainly because the basements flooded and the lack of power stopped the pumps from getting rid of the large amounts of water. This also caused a corollary effect of losing AC which is not fatal but problematic none the less. Old buildings contain lots of character but don’t handle the weather very well. I’ve included some pictures from the post of the area’s water problems.

Here is a link to the damage that the rain has caused the region.
Link to Graphic

On the way of actual schedule the day went well. The area of focus shifted to that of Congress today. After a class on the Anatomy of Congress the students focused on an article by Ken Silverstein of Harpers Magazine called, “The Great American Pork Barrel”. He had a very frank conversation with the students. Ken Silverstein did not pull any punches and shared his general contempt for the ethical make up of modern day Congress. Although I knew what pork barrel politics did I did not know the etymology of the term. This is the definition from his article,

“Pork-barreling” as a legislative epithet is a pre-Civil War coinage that referred to the custom of handing out salt pork to slaves, who would crowd around the barrels that held it; and indeed, members of Congress have raided the federal treasury for home-district boondoggles ever since the earliest days of the republic.”

The article is a must read and the students enjoyed his candor. Young people love personalities that rattle cages and thumb their nose at authority. So do I, quite frankly. Silverstein stated that researching for the article was the impetus for starting his weblog, “Washington Babylon”. This blog operated through Harper’s Magazine focuses on watching corruption in DC. It is a new feature of their web site and cynically, I imagine it keeps him quite busy.

After some lunch and free time Charlie Johnson, the retired Congressional Parliamentarian spoke with the kids for about an hour and half. The Parliamentarian is basically the legislative referee for the Congress. I realize that a lecture on Robert’s Rules of Order does not sound interesting it was. It was a polarizing lecture. The kids either loved him or were bored to tears in equal numbers. I don’t know what it says about me, but I enjoyed it. He served for 40 years with seven different Speakers of the House. He has the respect of both sides of the aisle. Here is a link to what Congress said about him when he retires a couple of years ago. What I found most interesting is that he pitches BP (batting practice) for the Cubs during spring training. He is a baseball nut and threw BP for high schools and colleges. I guess that he is lefty and they need the fresh arms. It's a labor of love for Johnson, who doesn't get paid to do it. He stated, "You get ice, Advil, and an 'L' screen.” An L screen is an “L shaped” screen that protects batting-practice pitchers from getting drilled by a ball hit back at them.

I’m stoked because tomorrow I get some time off and we are visiting the White House in evening care of Josh Bolton, White House Chief of Staff and St. Albans Alum.

Grandpa Steph with Tim "the blade"

Sunday, June 25th
Washington, DC

Meet the Press and Tim Russert. In a way this is my usual Sunday morning routine with some notable exceptions. First off instead of rolling over and turning on the TV and making a pot of coffee I actually got to watch the show in person. The experience did not disappoint. The studio was sparse, we sat on temporary bleachers and it was freezing. The latter topic I rather enjoyed because I am someone who sweats profusely.

The guests as I mentioned before were Senator Russ Feingold (D) Wisconsin and a panel of political columnists, writers, and commentators featuring David Broder, Ron Brownstein, David Gregory and Anne Kornblut. The topic of was Iraq and an exit strategy. Here is a link to the show’s transcript. (LINK) After the show Mr. Russert spent about 45 minutes talking with the students and answering questions. He is as personable live as he is on TV. The students really responded to him. He spoke about how he prepares for each show and the way he goes about deciding both the questions to ask and his comfort level in topics. Russert spoke of never asking about children and when is appropriate to press and not press. He spoke about both of the books he has written. Russert was patient and answered EVERY question the students had. In the end he left them with the some advice, the same he gave his son went he to college. Russert stated, “Study hard, laugh often, and never lose your honor.” Simple but sage advice.

When he spoke of his father, a WWII veteran with a 10th grade education who worked two jobs, trash man and truck driver, and could not but help think about both of my Grandfathers. Russert’s first book, Big Russ and Me, talked about his father, growing up in Buffalo, NY, his education, career, and life lessons in general. I spoke about this before but both of Grandpas Kerr and Stephany worked really one job there entire life. Grandpa Kerr joined the railroad right after getting out of the pacific theater in WWII and worked there until his retirement. Grandpa Steph worked in the paper mill right after leaving Findlay College until his retirement in addition he helped my Grandma Steph run her Catering Business, Stephany Catering. These are times gone by. The days when hard working people could earn a good wage for hard work and better not only their lives but future generations are fading. This is the American Dream that is slowly disappearing from the landscape of American stories. Each subsequent generation feels the obligation, duty, and pleasure of helping the next one do better. Although I’ve stumbled many times and wil no doubtly stray off the path from time to time the lessons of my grandparents will never be forgotten. I am part of a yet unfinished story. Each member of the family adds chapters and stories. Brokaw labled them the greatest generation, I agree. I thonk of my recently deceased Grandpa Steph and it motivates me to a better son, brother, cousin, godfather, teacher, friend, and person.

Here is my Gpa Steph’s obit.

John F. Stephany, age 87, a resident of St. Joseph Apartments, Erie, PA and formerly of Stuart, Fla., passed away Tuesday, February 14, 2006 following a brief illness. He was born on October 21, 1918 in Erie, Pa. He was an only child of the late George L. and Mary Jagodzinski Stephany. John was a proud 1937 graduate of East High School. He was class President and played football for the East High Warriors. He received a football scholarship to Findlay College. He was employed with Hammermill for 42 years, retiring in 1982. During his years at Hammermill, he served as President of the Hammermill Credit Union and was on the Board of Directors for many years. He was active in the Republican Party and the Boy Scouts of America and was a recipient of the Order of the Arrow Award. He and his wife Madeline were the original owners of Stephany’s Catering. They had resided in Stuart, Fla. for the last 20 years and had recently moved back to Erie. He was preceded in death by a son-in-law, Jack Theiss. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Madeline MacKrell Stephany, three sons, Mike Stephany and his wife Cheryl, David Stephany and his wife Sue, William Stephany and his wife Patti, two daughters, Mary Theiss and Katherine “Kitty” Bailey and her husband Ron. Fifteen grandchildren, Julie Boam and her husband Mike, Jeffrey Theiss and his wife Dena, Christine Turner and her husband Brian, Jonathan Theiss and his wife Lisa, John Stephany, Jr, Keri Stephany, Brian Bailey and his fiancé Linda Emmons, Greg Bailey, Timothy Bailey, Andrew, Katey, Jennifer, Alexis, Elizabeth “Buffy” and Matthew Stephany and one great-grandchild, Jillian Turner. Friends may call at the Francis V. Kloecker Funeral Home, Inc. 2502 Sassafras St. on Thursday evening from 7-9 and also on Friday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. and are invited to a service there on Saturday morning at 9:15 a.m. followed by the funeral mass at St. Jude’s Church at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Memorial contributions can be made to Emmaus Ministries, 345 East 9th St., Erie, PA 16503, East High School Library, 1001 Atkins St., Erie, PA 16503 or to the Dr. Gertrude A. Barber National Institute, 100 Barber Place, Erie, PA 16507. Sign the guestbook at www.GoErie.com/obits. Published in the Erie Times-News from 2/16/2006 - 2/17/2006.

Saturday, June 24th
Washington, DC

After late wake up and continental breakfast we all put our tourist hats on invaded the Smithsonian museum system on the national mall for about 4 hours. The students were pretty much on their own. Honestly, I think a about a third of them went to the National Archives, saw the big documents, and then parked themselves at the fountain. They put their feet in the water and soaked the humid Washington summer day. I can’t say I blamed them either. They are all responsible kids and have worked their tails off and deserve some time to just chill. The rest of them picked the museum of the choice and spent the entire time there, most picked the American History Museum. Being the dork that I am, I spent the bilk of time at the new National Museum of the American Indian. The building itself and its architecture itself was incredible but the inside was a bit disappointing. I would have liked to see more cultural history and religious traditions. There was a great del modern Indian art, which was good but I was looking for other things. Of course it occurs to me that American Indians probably know a bit more about what to put in their museum than this German, Polish, Irish, Catholic from Memphis vie Erie, Pa. Just a thought.

After some laundry tutorials and a few naps the SPS crew reassembled for dinner on the town. We all broke into groups of about 5 to 7 plus a chaperone or to and sampled the culinary cornucopia that is DC. The choices were Mongolian BBQ, Ethiopian, Thai, and Mexican. My posse went Mexican to a place called Guapo’s, just up Wisconsin Ave. We had planned to walk but since the weather was not cooperating, are you sensing a theme here, I drove one of the Albans mini buses. Literally, I drove the short bus. LOL (If you don’t know what this means ask someone under 25 years of age.)
It like my days working at Youth Villages minus breaking up fights or having to pack shackles for the juvie hall run. No one died nor was there any property damage, although the Bosnian girls stated emphatically that they didn’t want a Mr. Steph “tour”, getting lost, see earlier blogs. It is great to get complimented on “my” student’s behavior when all I have basically done is stay out of their way. We discussed politics and college. I basically told them to do the opposite of everything I did both of my sophomore years. The Bosnia girls talked about life in Sarajevo. They had the rest ago the group mesmerized. They talked about the genocide in Srebrenica and in living in post war Sarajevo. They both talk lovingly of their hometown and they have come to this program to help things get better in their country. It was great to be just a fly on the wall as the kids asked probing but thoughtful questions and the girls frankly laid out the strengths and weakness of the country. I was moved the concern and acumen of these young people. Here is story of what one of the alumni of the program did after a similar conversation. You must read it. (Story 1) (Story 2) I met Katherine when she came to help us at registration this year and she is very unassuming. When I asked what gave her the energy to do all she did she simply said, “I did not know about Rwanda till someone told me, so it my job responsibly to tell other people what I know now AND do something about it.

Friday, June 23rd
Washington, DC

Media is the topic of study for the next few days of class. In class today the students reviewed the ABC News and Food Lion grocery store. The students worked on this in class from after breakfast till around 2pm, with a break for lunch. The study was a case study from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. I have included a link to the actual case study that I found on the web. It typifies what the students work load is. They read 22 page case study for homework last night. The they will break up into two groups, which vary, and review the work with the help of a faculty member. The case is quite interesting. I went to the presentation of the class last year so, I took the time to exercise and run errands around the area. The students have been working hard and I know they are looking forward to some free time this weekend.

The plan of a monument tour of DC at night didn’t materialize to do a number a factors, the main being ominous weather, which turned out to be fine, and some transportation issues. So instead we had a political themed movie night. At the Albans multiplex the students could choose from Dave, All the President’s Men, and Dr. Strangelove. The students enjoyed their time.

It was an off night for me, so after the movies were rented and all the audio/visual stuff was set up I went out for the night. I met some of the Erie/DC crew out at a bar in Georgetown called J. Pauls. Ryser picked me up at the Close, that’s haughty Albans talk for the campus and then we met Bill, Amanda, and Bruce who had been out for dinner in Arlington earlier in the night. By the way Bruce is a former USAFA class mates, housemate in DC, and current friend who has recently moved back to DC with his wife and new baby girl. I have had the privilege of got to know Bruce over the years. A good time was had by all and some good ole fashioned philosophizing, read bs ing, went on. It is good to see some non program people for at least a little while.