We’re live in DC! Follow us all day here on our site, check out our live tweets on the sidebar (or also at @lionpac_cu), and potentially even pictures!

Feel free to tweet us questions, or email webmaster@lionpac.org and we will answer ASAP!

UPDATE (10:26 P.M.): 18 hours, 25 meetings, and 47 tweets later, LionPAC returns to New York City! Check back at our website soon to see some pictures from the mission.  For now, here are some that were tweeted today (sorry for the low quality)!

• Charlie Rangel in the Hallway!
• President, Mikey Shapiro, hydrating the group
• Hungry LionPACers!
• Washington Monument

UPDATE (Friday, April 1st, 4:35 P.M.): Here are a couple pictures taken from the mission, first of everyone who came down, and second of the LionPAC board in attendance.  Enjoy!

This piece was featured in the Columbia Spectator on Friday, March 4, 2011. It was written by the Columbia Spectator Editorial Board, not a LionPAC member.

A month ago, as the campus was exploding with discussion of ROTC, ROOTEd—a subset of the Office of Multicultural Affairs—played a role in promoting an admirable type of dialogue. Respecting Ourselves and Others Through Education initiated a discussion among students, encouraging them not necessarily to fall on one side or the other, but to examine the frame of the debate and question how different groups were presenting the issue. When discussion, a huge part of our lives at this activism-saturated University, is so often polarized and “dialogue” between groups can turn into shouting matches, thoughtful debate like this is especially valuable and rare.

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We often hear claims that Israel is a serial human rights abuser in addition to other very complex arguments. We have learned the facts to combat anti-Israel rhetoric in the past, but how often do we get to speak one-on-one and discuss the complexities of the issues with those who do not share the same views. At this event we will hear from a Jewish advocate of these claims up close.

RSVP here: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFQzeUlUMlJxZ0hudHA1UmhhRzhDMVE6MA

Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=189572787753336.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 23, 2011

This morning, an explosive device detonated at a central Jerusalem bus stop, wounding at least 25 and leaving at least three in serious condition. One woman has died from her injuries. As of this moment, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Israeli authorities suspect that Palestinian militants planted the device. The terrorist attack would mark the first within Jerusalem in several years.

The past few weeks underscore Israel’s unique security concerns. On March 11, five members of the Fogel family—including three children, one of whom was an infant—were brutally massacred in Itamar. Four days later, the Israeli naval forces intercepted a ship carrying thousands of weapons sent by Iran earmarked for Hezbollah in Syria and Hamas in Gaza. And four days after that, Hamas launched over 50 mortar shells into Israel. In addition to this morning’s bombing, Hamas fired two grad-type Katyusha rockets along with mortar shells into Be’er Sheva.

Recent events only serve as a roadblock to reaching a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Nevertheless, Israel remains anxious for peace. Now she just needs a partner. As former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin once said, “We will negotiate as if there were no terrorism, and fight the terrorists as if there were no negotiations.”

LionPAC would like to encourage everyone to keep those wounded in today’s attacks in their thoughts and prayers in the coming days.

We will continue to provide updates as more details emerge.

By Michael Shapiro

President, LionPAC

Thanks to some last-minute additional support, we are excited to announce that we have a few more spots remaining at a heavily-subsidized rate to attend AIPAC’S annual Policy Conference in Washington D.C. Therefore, we are extending the application deadline to Friday, April 1. To apply, simply fill out the following form: http://bit.ly/PCSFApplication. Israeli Prime Minister is already confirmed to speak, and AIPAC expects a majority of the House of Representatives and Senate to be in attendance.

If you have any questions about Policy Conference or the fund, please e-mail lionpac@hillel.columbia.edu.