DFL Veterans Caucus Event Plan for 2009
by Nancy Gertner, Associate Chair
"What do we do?" is a question sometimes asked of the DFL Veterans Caucus.
The collective 'We' may be doing many things that the membership is not aware of, or that the public is not aware of.
2009 is a time for us to further define the 'What We Do' aspect of the DFL Veterans Caucus.
I think the keys to doing this are: 1) Communication, and 2) Face-to-Face contact.
Our new website (recently moved to a different host, and using different software) should foster better communications for an organization that is statewide with members geographically dispersed.
Face-to-face contact is infrequent when the membership is geographically dispersed.
Caucus events are one way of fostering more contact among caucus members. The caucus can sponsor events, or participate in events sponsored by other organizations or individuals.
Sometimes there is a cost associated with events, so for this reason, Fund Raising is also important to the caucus.
Many of our events that have been done in the past have been 'no-cost' or low cost events.
Examples of 'no cost' are holding meetings when the DFL has Central Committee meetings planned, since DFL pays the venue rental.
The State of the Union 'watch parties' held in past years were also 'no cost' since the venue, a sports bar, did not charge a rental fee. By ordering food and drinks, we compensated them for providing us with space to watch TV.
Some events raise the profile of the caucus. One example is the 'Main Street Inaugural Ball' which was held in Hopkins on 1-20-2009. This event garnered some media attention. The event was attended by over 300 people, most of whom were not members of the DFL Veterans Caucus or the other sponsoring caucuses, Disability, Feminist, and Latino. I feel we could have done a better job at promoting this event to caucus members. There are several factors that contributed to this shortfall, and one was the short timeframe on which the event was planned and executed. Planning began after the Election Day victory, and was followed by many holidays, federal and religious. Some members do not have email addresses, or have not provided us with email address changes. This places them in a 'news blackout' situation when we do not do mailings via U.S. Postal Service to inform members of scheduled events.
So will the DFL Veterans Caucus do any more events than an annual meeting in 2009?
The answer to that is up to the membership.
What do members want for caucus events?
Will members support the caucus financially so we can do events with a cost associated?
Will members volunteer to help plan, promote, and execute caucus events?
Will members attend scheduled caucus events?
Share your thoughts on this by blogging on our new blog section at the Caucus website: [URL]
Planned events should be in support of our mission:
"Serve as a voice for veterans in the political process. Advise the DFL Party and candidates on veterans' issues. Advocate for veterans and their families."
Here is information on an Events Plan for 2009.
Volunteer needs for event planning include people that will work on event details, and also on promotions and communication. This could include the membership, and also outside the membership, if we want to invite the public to our events.
Building an active base of volunteers within the caucus that will participate in events and also in related areas is key to executing a successful event schedule.
2009 Plan for Informational Forums:  1. Expended Uranium Exposure | | A public discussion on if expended uranium rounds present a health hazard for U.S. military personnel and civilians living on or near an un-cleared battlefield. The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs hosted a public forum on this topic in January 2009. The panel of experts stated that the rate of cancer among people exposed to uranium appears to be no higher than that among the general population. Do we agree with the 'panel of experts' from this forum? Wayne Wittman, our Secretary offered to coordinate a forum. If you are interested in working with Wayne on planning this event, please e-mail a response to: | | Wayne Wittman |
| 2. Active Military/Veteran Suicide | | In January, the U.S. Army (regular) reported a record number of suicides, exceeding the number of soldiers killed as a result of combat. Accurate total figures for veteran suicides have not been compiled by a federal agency, but are widely believed to exceed the norms of the non-veteran population. Moreover, incidents where veterans attempted to get assistance from agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and were unable to obtain treatment have been reported by the media. One incident, involving Minnesota VA hospitals, resulted in the veteran being told there was no bed-space available to him. His subsequent death, reported as suicide, received national media attention. Recently, the VA established a crisis / suicide hot line to assist veterans in obtaining immediate attention. The VA reports this hot line has 'saved many lives.' If you are interested in working to plan an event that looks at the problem of suicide and also addresses some potential solutions, please e-mail a response to: | | Jeff Johnson |
| 3. Veteran Employment and Re-Employment | Are veterans actually sought in the workplace? Do employers follow the Federal law requiring them to re-hire a veteran that has returned from active duty?
We currently live in a geographic area that is affected by a Regional Equal Opportunity Commission ruling of several years ago that made it possible for individuals to file a complaint stating that the presence of a veteran, not necessarily that veteran's behavior, created a hostile workplace environment. Many employers avoid hiring veterans out of fear of finding themselves in such a lawsuit. How do we address this?
Some Reserve and Guard members have returned from activation to find that their employers were unwilling to allow them to return to their jobs in contravention of Federal re-employment law for veterans. Some employers have taken the position of, "So, sue us!" If the veteran hires an attorney, the legal fees for a lawsuit could be $20 to $30 thousand dollars above the annual salary for the job that was lost. The state agency, DEED, that helps veterans, is handling a record number of cases involving re-employment rights. How do veterans deal with employment issues?
Many employers remain ignorant of the leadership and technical skills of veterans. They view the military as an organization that issues orders that are blindly followed. Additionally, many believe that military technical skills are not transferable to the civilian work site. How can we address this ignorance about veteran leadership and technical skills? If you are interested in working on planning this forum, please e-mail a response to: | | Jeff Johnson |
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