The Foreign Service Journal, December 2015

56 DECEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS AFSAHits the Congressional Caucus Circuit The American Foreign Ser- vice Association’s advocacy efforts ensure that the Foreign Service has a voice in the halls of Congress and among key stakeholders within the federal govern- ment. This work is critical for securing the necessary resources and the rightful recognition and benefits that AFSA/JAVIERCUEBAS our members deserve. Not only does AFSA meet with legislative interlocutors on a weekly basis, we also take every opportunity to liaise with stakeholders in settings beyond Capitol Hill. Most recently, AFSA rep- resentatives connected with lawmakers, members of the media, special interest groups, private sector leaders and celebrities at the Congres- sional Black Caucus Founda- tion’s 45th Annual Legislative Conference Phoenix Awards Dinner and the 36th Annual Congressional Hispanic Cau- cus Institute Awards Gala. The Phoenix Awards Din- ner, held on Sept. 21, honored those who have worked tirelessly to advance equal rights and protections for African-Americans. The CHCI Gala took place on Oct. 8 and celebrated the outstanding accomplishments of Latino leaders who are making a positive difference in their communities. n —Maria C. Livingston, Associate Editor ON THE LIGHTER SIDE Vodka, Anyone? While serving in Monrovia, I received an unexpected visit from a Soviet diplomat whom I knew socially. Juri closed the door firmly behind him, which prompted me to ask cheerfully if he was defecting. “No,” came the peeved reply, “but I am here on a sen- sitive subject.” He related that his embassy had been host- ing so many visiting groups fromMoscow that now, on the eve of the great October Revolution holiday, the chan- cellery was out of vodka. Aware that our embassy had a commissary well stocked with spirits, he asked if I could arrange for the sale of four cases—no, make that six cases of vodka. Although I was happy to stimulate U.S. exports, I cautioned Juri that our vodka was Smirnoff, no doubt an anti-Bolshevik enterprise. Juri waived his hand irritably and whispered conspiratorially, “Vodka is vodka.” With those words, I called the commissary, set the price and accepted a wad of 20-dollar bills from Juri. That afternoon, I entered the USSR compound in my heav- ily laden VW station wagon. The next day at the recep- tion, I noticed that there were no Smirnoff bottles. Clearly, the capitalist vodka had magically found its way into proletarian bottles. When I raised my glass to Juri, he gave me a sheepish grin and shrugged. n —Thomas Johnson, Retired FSO Thomas Johnson served with the U.S. Information Agency and Department of State for 25 years with assign- ments to Asunción, Mexico City, Monrovia, Heidelberg, Frankfurt and Singapore. After retiring, Johnson worked on anti-corruption in State’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and on docu- ment declassification. AFSA/DAVIDMURIMI LEFT: (l-r) Former Foreign Service Officer Pat Contreras, AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, CNN Political Commentator Maria Cardona, FSO Ramon Escobar and American Israel Public Affairs Committee National Outreach Director Jeff Mendelsohn at the CHCI gala. RIGHT: (l-r) Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) with AFSA Governing Board State Representative Lawrence Casselle at the CBC dinner.