Show the World--Power of Love....Amnesty International

Every Valentine's Day, women in Zimbabwe take to the streets to spread a message of love. They are met by club-swinging anti-riot police intent on silencing them. Stand up for their rights. Show Zimbabwe the power of love. Now Amnesty has issued a fresh call to Show the World--The Power of Love. Letter sent by Amnesty has been given below...--Rector Kathuria


Dear Rector,

Valentine's Day is recognized the world over as a day of love. For the women of Zimbabwe, however, it can mean a day of terror.

The Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) commemorate Valentine's Day by peacefully taking to the streets to spread their message of love: "love of self, of family, of community and of country."

Their message is not welcomed by authorities.

Instead, club-swinging anti-riot police beat the members of WOZA to intimidate activists and deny them their right of free expression and assembly. Just this month, 14 people were arrested, some with violence, as WOZA marched for education reform.

Show the world the power of love. Send Valentines to Zimbabwe.

Later this year Zimbabweans are expected to vote on a new constitution, but the process of constitutional reform has been contentious. The voices of human rights defenders like WOZA are needed now more than ever.

Urge the Zimbabwe authorities to respect human rights and demonstrate their love and care for the people of Zimbabwe. Let WOZA know that they are not alone in their struggle for human rights in Zimbabwe.

Send your Valentines cards, photos and videos to the members of WOZA. Boost their spirits and overwhelm them with love!

From all of us at Amnesty International, we wish you peace, love and dignity this Valentine's Day and every day of the year.


In Solidarity,

Michael O'Reilly
Campaign Director, Individuals at Risk
Amnesty International USA

Face of Defense: Airman Reaches Out to Ethiopian Children

By Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Sean Stevenson Special to American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON: For one Air Force family stationed at Osan Air Base, South Korea, the service's focus on the Year of the Air Force Family means providing an even greater impact by meeting the needs of others through adoption.

Air Force Col. John Marselus and his wife, Kim, pose for a photo with their adopted 5-year-old son, Caleb, Feb. 1, 2010, at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The Marselus's adopted Caleb from Ethiopia . Marselus is the 607th Air and Space Operations Center commander.  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

The Year of the Air Force Family is an initiative focused on enhancing the support and care provided to those who firmly stand behind our airmen on a daily basis.

Air Force Col. John Marselus, commander of the 607th Air and Space Operations Center, and his wife, Kim, traveled to Addis Adaba, Ethiopia, in January where they picked up their newest son, Caleb, a 5-year-old orphan whom they adopted.

"The adoption process took about two years, but in reality this journey started well over two decades ago," Marselus said. The couple's trip to Ethiopia opened yet another opportunity to meet face-to-face with one of the many children they had sponsored worldwide for almost three decades.

As a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy, the colonel started sponsoring needy children across the globe. The Marselus family was able to provide food, clothing and school supplies for dozens of children over the past 27 years. One of the children they sponsored was an Ethiopian girl named Meseret.

"We first started sponsoring Meseret about a decade ago when she was only 8 years old," Marselus said. "Here was this poor little girl, literally living on the other side of the planet in an environment we couldn't even begin to comprehend, and we were getting these touching letters from her thanking us and telling about the difference our involvement was having in her life."

After 25 years of sponsorship of multiple children, the Marselus family decided it was time to have an even greater impact on a needy child. It was at that point they decided to pursue the option of adoption.

"Sponsoring needy children like Meseret is great, but we were convicted to see if there was a child who needed a family," Marselus said. "We strongly felt that the right thing to do was provide an orphaned little boy or girl the love and nurturing they so desperately deserve."

After contacting an adoption agency and beginning the adoption process, the Marselus family was pleasantly surprised to discover the many programs and benefits the Air Force has in place to support adoptive parents. The National Defense Authorization Act provides for reimbursement of up to $2,000 of expenses per adoption with a maximum of $5,000 reimbursement per year. Additionally, AFI 36-3003, Military Leave Program, allows upward of 21 days of permissive temporary duty for travel associated with qualified adoptions.

"These are exactly the types of benefits needed for airmen who are pursuing adoption," Marselus said. "We are extremely pleased to see this commitment from the Air Force to help anyone who would pursue this option."

While in Ethiopia finalizing the adoption of their new son, the couple met Meseret, the girl they started sponsoring 10 years ago.

"It was an incredible experience getting to finally meet this amazing young lady who has changed our lives in so many ways," the colonel said. "We were able to celebrate her 18th birthday with her and were quite impressed with her and how well she was thriving in such an impoverished environment. Sponsorship had obviously had a positive impact as she recently completed high school and now has her eyes on becoming a doctor."

Reflecting on the whirlwind of emotional and life-changing events over the past few weeks, the Marselus family gives the Air Force great credit for their successful adoption of Caleb.

"Beyond the financial support and permissive TDY time provided by our Air Force, several on-base agencies such as the chapel, Aarman and family readiness center, the military personnel section and medical group have been amazing in helping Caleb transition from being an impoverished orphan into a healthy, cared-for and truly happy Air Force dependent," the colonel said. "Without a doubt traveling to Ethiopia, meeting Meseret and having Caleb become a part of our family was the adventure of a lifetime."

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Sean Stevenson is assigned to the 607th Air and Space Operations Center.)

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal Demands Study, Gates Says

By Donna Miles of American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON : The Defense Department's review of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law, which bans gays from serving openly in the military, will help to ensure readiness and unit cohesion remain intact if Congress repeals it, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in an interview aired last night. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates speaks with Greta Van Susteren, host of the Fox News program "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren," during an interview in Rome, Feb. 7, 2010. DoD photo by Cherie Cullen  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Gates also discussed the close cooperation he and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have forged between their two departments during an interview with Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteren, conducted last week as he visited Rome. Expressing his personal support for a repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law -- support shared by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen -- Gates emphasized the need for a full review to ensure it's done right if it happens. "This is a force that's been under stress for eight years, been at war for eight years," he said. "And I don't want to do anything that makes the situation more difficult for those men and women in the fight." Gates conceded that some consider the review a stalling tactic, but he called it critical to the process. "The review that I am launching is to help inform the legislative process of some facts about the attitudes of our men and women in uniform, what they think about a change in the law, [and] what their families think," he said. "The truth is, we don't have any facts." The ramifications go beyond the level of acceptance within units, the secretary explained. "We need to understand all of the different things that have to be dealt with in terms of housing and benefits, and regulations and fraternization rules, and conduct and training, and so on," he said. This way, if Congress does change the law, "we can inform that process and offer some suggestions on mitigation if there are going to be negative consequences so we can figure out how to mitigate those consequences," he said. "And if the law is passed," he added, "then we're in a much better position to be able to go forward and implement those changes in a way that doesn't undermine unit cohesion and readiness." Gates emphasized the need for a careful, deliberate process. "The military culture is a very strong one. It's a very different culture than a civilian culture," he said. "These people do not have choices about who they associate with. They can't just up and walk off the job if they don't like somebody that they're working with. And so we have to take all that into account." Turning the discussion to enhanced Defense-State cooperation, Gates said the tone he and Clinton are setting at the top will affect both agencies so they're better able to partner to address challenges and threats. The goal, he said, is to use all elements of the interagency process to prevent conflicts from happening in the first place so U.S. troops don't have to take action. "So building the capabilities, both civilian and military, of governments around the world who are our friends and partners, is key," he said. "And we've got to cooperate to do that." Gates pointed to the way former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker and Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, when he was commander of Multinational Force Iraq, worked together toward shared goals in Iraq. "I think Ph.D. dissertations should be written about the relationship between Ambassador Ryan Crocker and General David Petraeus, because it is a model of a relationship between the senior civilian and the senior military officer," Gates said.

Biographies: Robert M. Gates Related Articles: Gates: Afghan Strategy Bears Fruit, Iraq on Track

Singing Army Wife Meets Leno Between Recording Sessions

Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq.....Bomb blasts, firing, suicide attacks, hangings, air attack....news are full of violence, hate, worry and tension.....but recently I received a different news which was posted to me on Feb 4, 2010 at 01:23 AM. This news item came to me as a fresh air which is still full of sweet smell. This news of Army Capt. Matt Pratt and his songstress wife, Lisa. Report of Tim Hipps Special to American Forces Press Service is given below as it received. --Rector Kathuria

ASADENA, Calif.:Army Capt. Matt Pratt and his songstress wife, Lisa, lived the dream in southern California Feb. 1, thanks to an Army morale and recreation program that supports soldiers and their families. Joey Beebe of Army Entertainment Division supports 2009 Operation Rising Star winner Lisa Pratt while her husband, Capt. Matt Pratt, watches from outside the recording booth at DMI Music's Firehouse Studios in Pasadena, Calif., Feb. 1, 2010. Army photo by Tim Hipps  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Lisa Pratt earned an all-expenses-paid trip to record a three-song demonstration CD at DMI Music's Firehouse Recording Studios here after winning the 2009 Operation Rising Star singing contest. Rising Star is one of hundreds of programs the Alexandria, Va.,-based Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command provides for soldiers and their families. After her first session in the recording studio, Pratt sang the praises of the Army Family Covenant, which supports soldiers and their families with resourced programs that deliver a quality of life commensurate with their service and sacrifice to the nation. "The Army Family Covenant; this is what it is," Lisa said, before departing the recording studio to attend "The Jay Leno Show" in Burbank, where she got to meet one of the world's most- famous comedians. "I never knew that Operation Rising Star was going to open all these doors for me," she said. For Lisa, the journey to serve as an ambassador for FMWRC's Army Entertainment Division had just begun. For Matt Pratt, who redeployed from Mosul, Iraq, last autumn and accompanied his wife from Fort Carson, Colo., to Hollywood, the Operation Rising Star winner's journey reaffirmed his belief in the Army's promise to support soldiers and families. "I'm trying to take it all in, but it's an emotional time for me because I get to see Lisa do what she absolutely loves doing," said Pratt, a 2006 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. "For the past year while I was in Iraq, she was supporting me and what I was doing. Now the Army has provided me the opportunity to sit here and support her with what she does." Pratt never had the opportunity to sit back and watch his wife of nearly four years perform until she took the stage to compete in Operation Rising Star, a program best described as "American Idol" for the military. "In church, I play the guitar and she sings," he said. "But to see her under the lights and me be on the receiving end as part of the audience, I'd never had the opportunity to do that. Pratt knew that his wife had won a recording session, but he had no idea what level of professionalism awaited them in Pasadena. "That's part of the magic. It's overwhelming to see the level that she's at and to see her basking in it. It still seems very surreal," he said. "I asked her, 'Is this really happening?'" Pratt recalled. "And she said, 'I don't think it is.' So, I think both of us are sort of caught in some sort of hyper-reality right now." Capt. Pratt, too, is praising the Army Family Covenant program. "So, here we are in sunny Los Angeles right now," he said, "and the Army Family Covenant is the reason we're here, and I couldn't be more grateful." The trip to California with his wife, Pratt said, ranks among his best-ever family experiences. "The only thing I would compare this to, as far as the level of emotion I feel, was walking into the gym and seeing Lisa for that first time after I came back from Iraq," he said. "This is up there. It's on par with that sort of feeling of surreal. This is one of the most exciting times since Lisa and I have been together." Pratt then sped away to drive his wife to meet Leno. (Tim Hipps works with Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command public affairs.)  (Issued on Feb. 3, 2010)

Operation Rising Star winner Lisa Pratt, wife of Army Capt. Matt Pratt who is stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., records a song at DMI Music's Firehouse Recording Studios in Pasadena, Calif., Feb. 1, 2010. Army photo by Tim Hipps  Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution Operation Rising Star winner Lisa Pratt and husband Capt. Matt Pratt leave DMI Music's Firehouse Recording Studios in Pasadena, Calif., to drive to Burbank to meet comedian Jay Leno and attend the Feb. 1, 2010 taping of The Jay Leno Show. Army photo by Tim Hipps  Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution