Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 2007 (19. évfolyam, 1-50. szám)
2007-03-16 / 12. szám
Hungarian American Coalition 1120 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 280, Washington, D.C. 20036, U.S.A. Phone: (202) 296-9505, Fax (202) 775-5175, E-mail: hac@hacusa.org HUNGARIAN AMERICAN COALITION LEADERS HONORED BY THE WORLD FEDERATION OF HUNGARIAN VETERANS, CLEVELAND CHAPTER Cleveland, Ohio - The World Federation of Hungarian Veterans (MHBK) held its 54th Charity Ball in Cleveland, Ohio. Special honorees included Hungarian American Coalition leaders Edith Lauer, László Böjtös, and Andrea Lauer Rice. Also honored were Cleveland community Hungarian leaders, Andrea and András Lázár. László Böjtös, a witness to the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, is Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Hungary and a Founding Board Member of the Hungarian American Coalition, as well as of the Hungarian Communion of Friends. He received the 50th Anniversary Memorial Cross with Crown for his many years of outstanding consular service and for his significant and faithful service for Hungarian causes everywhere, American organizations and the Cleveland community. Edith Lauer, Chair Emeritus of the Hungarian American Coalition, witnessed the 1956 Revolution as a teenager, and recalls it as “a life-defining experience.” She received the 50th Anniversary Memorial Cross .with Crown in recognition of her leadership since 1991 of the Hungarian American Coalition, her participation in promoting NATO expansion in the 1990’s, as well as her role as co-editor and co-publisher of “56 Stories: Personal Collections of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution - A Hungarian American Perspective,” published both in English and Hungarian. Andrea Lauer Rice, CEO and Founder of Lauer Learning, the Roswell, Georgia-based multimedia educational company, was awarded the Gold Medal of Merit for her work as co-editor and co-publisher of the books “56 Stories,” and “56 Történet,” for the creation of an oral history website that served as the basis for both books, and the publication of “Ff56!”, an educational computer game for teens about the 1956 Revolution. Andrea Lázár, also a ‘56er, has served in the Cleveland Hungarian community for many years. Together with her husband, András Lázár, Curator of Exhibits for the Cleveland Hungarian Heritage Museum, she hosts the weekly Kapossy Family Hungarian Hour on WCPN 90.3 FM. They both received the Gold Medal of Merit for their many contributions, with special recognition for “The Spirit of Freedom-1956,” the outstanding exhibition they mounted at the Hungarian Museum in October, 2006, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Dr. László Simonyi, President of the MHBK, read the laudations and presented the honors to those listed above. The John Carroll University ROTC Honor Guard opened the festive Charity Ball with the presentation of colors. President of the Cleveland Chapter, Jack Kőrössy, Jr., also a ‘56er, recalled the unforgettable days of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, and thanked all those who worked with Ildikó Kőrössy to make the 54th MHBK Ball such a successful event. The program included the presentation of Cleveland debutantes, performances by the local Palotás dancers, and of four outstanding professional Hungarian Folk dancers. The Ball was attended by 200 guests that included leaders of the Cleveland Hungarian community, and Board Members with spouses of the Hungarian American Coalition: Anne and Joseph Bader, Georgianna Böjtös, Ted Horvath, Ildikó and John Kőrössy, Jr., John Lauer, Charles B. Rice, Jr., and Sandy and George Pogan. ****** DUNA Travel 8530 Holloway Dr. If 102 W. Hollywood, CA 90069 Spa, Hotel foglalások, Kocsi bérlés Kedvezményes repülőjegy árak LAX-BUD-LAX $545.-tól +TX. Információért hívják ZSUZSÁT TEL: (310) 652-5294 FAX: (310) 652-5287 1-888-532-0168 The English Page of the Hirlap can serve as a bridge between the non-Hungarian-speaking members of the family and the community. Use it to bring people together! Subscribe to the Hirlap! Advertise your business in the Hirlap! If you have any questions or suggestions, please call (323) 463-6376 Hungarian American Coalition Supports Visa Waiver Program Currently Debated In The Us Washington, DC - The Hungarian American Coalition issued a letter to its members and community leaders to contact their Senators and request their support for the inclusion of the Visa Waiver Provisions (VWP) in the currently debated bill S.4 (’’Improving America’s Security by Implementing Unfinished Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007” sponsored by Sen. Harry Reid D-NV). If the bill S.4 does include the VWP, this opens the possibility that citizens of Hungary will be able to travel to the U.S. without a visa. The bill was discussed on the Senate floor on Wednesday, February 28. Senator Feinstein (D-CA) proposed an amendment (No. 271) that requires establishing a system to track overstays from any VWP country, as well as establishing a “cap” on overstays for VWP countries. The amendment was viewed as important for security and immigration control, and was adopted. It is important to note that the discussions on S.4 have just begun, and probably will last for at least one more week, which means that there may be other developments. The Coaliton stressed that it is crucial to let their Senators know how important it is to Hungarian Americans include the Visa Waiver Program in the S.4 legislation. For more information of the current legislation see the attached backgound information sheet, as well as full report on the VWP, available at the reports section on our website at www.hacusa.org . The Hungarian American Coalition is a nationwide non-profit organization that promotes public understanding and awareness of Hungarian American issues. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE VISA WAIVER PROGRAM The US Visa Waiver Program (VWP) was established in 1986 to facilitate the entry of visitors from allied countries that meet certain security standards. Citizens of program countries travel for business or tourism to the US for up to 90 days without a visa. Currently, 27 countries participate in the program. Since 1999 no new countries have been admitted to the program. Throughout the term of the 109th Congress numerous bills were introduced to amend the current Visa Waiver Program and facilitate the expansion of the program. Most notably, in 2006, a comprehensive reform bill of the current immigration law was on the congressional agenda. As part of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill, Senate approved an amendment supported by Sen. Rick Santorum and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (S.4000) that would have expanded the VWP to certain EU member-states for a probationary period of 2 years. The Santorum bill included the requirement of a “material support” of 300 troops for US operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. With the midterm elections, and the forming of the new Congress, however, it never became law. With the forming of the 110th Congress, there has been renewed lobbying for revising the VWP. In effect, on January 18, R. Phil English (R-PA) introduced in the House of Representatives the Secure Travel and Counter Terrorism Partnership Act to expand the visa waiver program to countries on a probationary basis (H.R. 561). On January 22, S. George Voinovich (D-OH) introduced bill S.342. under the same title which was later expanded by a secondary amendment of Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). The extended version of the Voinovich bill (S.653) is a most comprehensive reform proposal of the VWP since it was established. Most notably, the Voinovich legislation would: •• Expand the VWP to countries that are US allies in the Global War on Terror for a probationary period of three years •• Not limit the number of countries that can join the program. •• Require that the DHS build an airport exit-tracking system so that the United States has the best information about travelers in the program and their VWP compliance. •• Not set a concrete refusal rate requirement. Require the Secretary of Homeland Security to improve the methodology of calculating visa overstays. On February 15, the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee voted to add the Voinovich amendment to S.4, “Improving America’s Security by Implementing Unfinished Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007”. The full Senate will consider S.4 for passage in the coming weeks. Figyelem! A CSÁRDÁSBAN naponta friss mákos és diós BEJGLI kapható! 71q fátiadjon oiihon a ÁüJtáAisd - kupin nálunk mmjkaphalja. Mspw! QukoÄ nélküUl h MáplüJik! (323) 962-6434 AMERICAN Hungarian Journal Március 16, 2007
