MARCH 2025 NEWSLETTER
On government watchdogs
Thoughtful criticism and close scrutiny of all government officials by the press and the public are an important part of our democratic society.”
–President Jimmy Carter, Farewell Address January 14, 1981
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Greetings to all as we regroup to adapt to the new world situation where each day our allies and friends reconsider the United States’ position in the world. March is National Ethics Awareness Month. Ask yourself these questions: What is the status of ethics in the USA? Who is following the laws of the land? Who has signed the ethics statements and who hasn’t? “The Trump Staffers Who Get Paid by Private Clients ‘Special Government Employees,’...many who drive policy, aren’t required to publicly disclose potential conflicts or give up outside work or investments”
Seems as though some people are running the country who are not federal employees and are manipulating federal procedures, so that they do not have to sign the ethics statements. Whose private enterprises are profiting from association with the U.S. government? Do you like the answers? If people have not complied with mandatory U.S. government practices, then deport them back to their homeland.
We need to keep reminding people that one person’s personal choices do not represent the viewpoint of all United States citizens. We need to show that there are differing opinions in our United States just like the students in Stuttgart, Germany and in Mons, Belgium and Japan did to let the world know that they are not in agreement with a multitude of Executive Orders that affect their daily lives as they attend the DoDEA schools run by our government for military dependents. These students stood up and voiced their opinions as did some of their parents. Whenever there is an opportunity, we need to do the same–peaceful picketing is always an option–wherever government representatives are we should have a group there expressing our opinions. Letters to the Editors are always a good way to get the word out. Organize groups in your area to be ready with signs (text on both sides). Set up contact lists and keep your ears tuned to see who is visiting Germany. Let’s get the word out that what is going on in our Democracy is illegal. We have long standing government policies that need to be followed. The U.S. is a Democracy not an oligarchy. Sotomayor Says Presidents Are Not Monarchs and Must Obey Rulings
Unelected people should not be running our government and they should not have access to any personal and private information. They should not be deleting things from official websites without following the correct approval system and they certainly should not be able to delete anything from U.S. citizens’ IRS files which they should not have access to in the first place. Inexperienced, unvetted people should not be authorized access to sensitive files. And they certainly should not have access to the IRS files and financial information of all U.S. citizens. The privacy act must be observed!
Regarding the size of federal government office staffs: Government offices may be unwieldy at the present them but randomly having a private citizen, who was not even born in the United States and was not brought up in our Democracy, taking an ax to them, eliminating them from existence, disregarding the correct legal procedures, is totally unacceptable. This is not a private social media organization where employees are encouraged to sleep in their offices so they can be on the job 24 hours a day as well as write reports every week on what they have accomplished in their jobs.
We the People have to protect our Democracy. What do we need to do? We need to contact our Members of Congress, write Letters to the Editors, organize to protect our rights and do it now. Let certain representatives know their cowardly behavior in following “the leader” in the selection of unqualified, inexperienced Cabinet Members is unworthy of their positions and that they will be primaried out of office.
Books in DoDEA school libraries as well as in other institutions are being censored. Who is making these decisions? Censorship will have a negative effect on the futures of tomorrow’s leaders as will the negative example of bullies running our country.
It probably will not come as a surprise that all President Biden material has been deleted from the White House website and any links in previously published articles now take you to different information. In January 2025, to preserve the online presence of the administration of President Joe Biden, the information was archived. The archived Biden White House website is a resource for photographs, speeches, and other public domain records of the Biden Presidency from 2021-2025.
The Ghost Army (2012) | Full Documentary The PBS program is currently available on YouTube! (See December 2024 VMF-DAG Newsletter and DAG Veterans and Military Families Caucus Speaks with Rick Beyer, The Ghost Army on DA Germany.)
Will our democracy still exist for its 250th anniversary, July 4, 2026? Get every U.S. citizen overseas registered to vote and instill in them the importance of voting in every U.S. election. We need your help to turn out the vote with military affiliated voters in Germany. Join our absentee voter team! [email protected]
Robert Scott and Terese Sarno
DAG VMF Caucus Co-Chairs DA Germany
What would you like to organize this year? Contact us at [email protected]
Ready to join our caucus? Be part of the conversation and make your voice heard!
Unpacking DEI: Why DEI is Everyone’s Fight
Robert Scott, Co-Chair, the DAG-VMF Caucus presented an inspiring DA Event combining historical information along with personal experiences. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives have become a flashpoint in today’s political landscape, often misrepresented and misunderstood. But DEI isn’t just a corporate buzzword or a partisan issue—it’s a fight for fairness, opportunity, and justice that impacts us all. If you were unable to attend the informative webinar, you can watch the YouTube video.
Important information to remember:
WOKE, the African-American English synonym for the General American English word awake, has since the 1930s has been used to refer to awareness of social and political issues affecting African Americans. Identified as a U.S. Slang. • “WOKE” to be awake. Originally: well informed, up-to-date.• Nowadays – high jacked, and means whatever people on the right want it to mean.
CRT-Critical Race Theory was first conceived by a group of graduate students at Harvard University in the late 1970s. They were analyzing Civil Rights cases brought after the Brown v. Board of Education decision. CRT is a “law school-level concept,” so of course it’s being mislabeled, and demonized, and isn’t being taught in grade schools. History is not a “theory.” Some teachers are asking that a more “Inclusive” version of history be taught.
PROTECT VOTING RIGHTS—OPPOSE the SAVE Act
The SAVE Act is a voter disenfranchisement bill, pure and simple. It would impact millions of Americans and effectively end voting from abroad, due to the new voter registration requirements it would impose. Contact your U.S. Representatives today!
Instead of protecting democracy, it undermines it by making it harder for Americans to exercise their fundamental right to vote. Who will be disenfranchised by the bill? The massive group of United States citizens this would disenfranchise includes military and civilians abroad, voters without a passport or up to date birth certificate, all mail-in registration voters, which often includes college students, seniors, military in the United States, rural voters, workers who are not eligible to take time off from work to register, and people who have changed their name and have no passport
Upcoming Elections 2025
Live Voter Help Sessions Register to vote at VoteFromAbroad.org
FLORIDA: Election April 1, Registration Deadline March 3 Congressional District (replacing Matt Gaetz) Congressional District 6 (replacing Michael Waltz)
WISCONSIN: Election April 1, Registration Deadline March 12
State Supreme Court
PENNSYLVANIA: Primary May 20, Registration Deadline May 5;
General November 4, Registration Deadline October 20
State Supreme Court
NEW JERSEY: Primary June 10, Registration Deadline May 12;
General November 4, Registration Deadline October 6
Governor and Lt. Governor
VIRGINIA: Primary June 17, Registration Deadline May 27;
General November 4, Registration Deadline October 14
Governor, Lt..Governor and Attorney General
James Carville on the November 4th Virginia governor's election: “Think about the turnout among federal employees. What percent of the voters in northern Virginia are federal employees or families of federal employees? Do you think they’re gonna vote? I think they’re gonna vote. I think I know which way they’re gonna vote, and they’re gonna vote heavily.”
VA/OMSC and DFAS Contacts in Germany
Department of Veterans Affairs Representatives
Two Overseas Military Service Coordinators (OMSC) in Kaiserslautern (Kleber Kaserne building 3213, room 311) Office Hours: 0900-1200 and 1300-1600, Monday to Friday.Telephone: 0611-145-541-1408 or 0611-145-541-1415
The traveling team in Kaiserslautern covers Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, etc.To book an in-person meeting/phone conference go to: https://calendly.com/va-omsc-ktown
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) full-time representative, Ms. Kenya Taylor, in Kaiserslautern at Kleber Kaserne, Clock Tower Building, first floor. Telephone 0631-7106-8805, Email: [email protected].
VETERANS HEALTH CARE Actions Needed to Improve the Foreign Medical Program
April 1 – TRICARE Online Patient Portal will be decommissioned-download files now!
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Representative Gerry Connolly Announces New Effort To Hear From Americans Hurt By Trump Actions Share your story at democraticleader.house.gov/shareyourstory
Federal workers who have witnessed or been subjected to any action that violates their rights or goes against the Constitution can blow the whistle at oversightdemocrats.house.gov/contact/tip-line.
Trump fires chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.
Democratic senators urge VA secretary to revoke Elon Musk’s access to veterans’ personal information More than two dozen Democratic senators sent a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins asking that he stop tech billionaire Elon Musk and his associates from accessing and collecting veterans’ personal information from the federal government’s computers.
Hegseth’s visit to U.S. base in Germany met with student walkout
The protests were in response to executive orders targeting diversity efforts throughout the U.S. government. Since he took over the Pentagon, Black History Month celebrations have been banned and access to select books restricted in DoD schools attended by the children of U.S. service members.
Middle school students hold walkout during Hegseth visit to US base in Germany More than 50 Patch Middle School students staged a walkout Tuesday to protest recent Pentagon moves that have targeted diversity initiatives at military schools.
Parents at Army base in Stuttgart say students grappling with new school rules
‘Our stories matter’: Students walk out of DODEA school in Japan in support of diversity
Pentagon's Hegseth: 'Diversity Is Our Strength' Is Dumbest Phrase in Military History
He has also ended commemorations of identity month celebrations, like Black History Month and Women’s History Month, issuing guidance to the U.S. military that "efforts to divide the force – to put
one group ahead of another – erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution."
Hegseth heckled/booed by military families at pro-DEI protest in Germany The defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, was heckled during a visit to a US military installation in Germany as military families protested against the administration’s rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Germany's Olaf Scholz slams JD Vance for suggesting more inclusion of far-right German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sharply rebuked U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Saturday, a day after Vance gave a speech saying European leaders should not shun far-right political parties.
Safety of Journalists | United Nations.
“Stop targeting truth and truth-tellers. As journalists stand up for truth, the world stands with them.” –António Gutierrez, United Nations Secretary-General
Germany’s Merz vows ‘independence’ from Trump’s America, warning NATO may soon be dead “The Trump administration does not care about Europe and is aligning with Russia.”
MARCH CALENDAR & EVENTS
“March”, named for the Roman god of war, used to be when military campaigns resumed after being interrupted by winter.
MARCH is National Ethics Awareness Month
Workplace ethics —not to be confused with work ethic, referring to someone’s dedication to hard work —refers to the application of moral values to every aspect of a business. Work ethics applies to not only how a business interacts with customers but also its interactions between employees.
March 2 – Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
Statement from President Joe Biden on the Equal Rights Amendment
March 3 – Navy Reserve Birthday
March 4 – National Hug a G.I. Day
March 5 – Seabee Birthday
March 5 –The Hello Girls documentary, 4:00 p.m. PT
March 6 – The Military Requirements of European Security: Burden Sharing in Principle and Practice with Lieutenant General Andrew M. Rohling. Deputy Chairman, NATO Military Committee and General a.D. Egon Ramms at 7.00 p.m., Wissenschaftszentrum Bonn, Ahrstraße 45. Please register: [email protected]
March 7 – National Slam The Scam Day Protect Yourself Against Social Security Scams
March 8 – International Women’s Day Inspire Inclusion
March 9 – U.S. Daylight Saving Time Begins
March 13 – National K9 Veterans Day
March 15-17 – The American Legion 106th Birthday
March 15 – Ides of March
March 18 – National Supreme Sacrifice Day
March 20 – Spring Equinox
March 21 – Rosie The Riveter Day
March 22 – Earth Hour 2025 8:30 p.m. “Give an Hour for Earth”
March 23-30 – Military World Winter Games Lucerne, Switzerland
March 25 – National Medal of Honor Day
March 29 – National Vietnam War Veterans Day
April 4 – Online Registration deadline for 44th National Veterans Wheelchair Games
Upcoming DA Activities
SUPPORT DA GERMANY’s GOTV EFFORTS
Your monetary donations to Democrats Abroad Germany stay here and are used exclusively to organize and get out the vote among Americans. Request your absentee ballot for 2025. All overseas U.S. citizens must do this every calendar year.