As I enter my second year here in Washington, D.C., the topic of training arrived in my inbox. As Department of State Civilian Response Corps active members, we are required to complete eight weeks of training each year, so I glance at the schedule and list of courses.

The traditional Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall reaches a climax when the National Symphony Orchestra, accompanied by 16 cannons and city church bells, plays Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.” The piece celebrates the forcing of Napoleon out of Moscow in 1812 and Russia’s ultimate victory two years later when Tsar Alexander I led a triumphant Russian army through the streets of Paris. Napoleon had waged war in Europe for almost 23 years and, at that time, boasted the best army machine (being best does not guarantee victory, however). As a result, Napoleon ruled most of Europe until he was sent to exile on the island of Elba. He did not stay long. Nine months later he escaped and led the 100-day campaign that ended with his final defeat at Waterloo.

This issue we close out our poll about a contentious topic – legalizing retail raw milk sales nationwide. (Click here to learn more.) One reader recently sent me an interesting letter questioning whether I was qualified to speak on the issue because of my age. “You are probably too young to have tasted real milk,” he states. (Click here for the full letter.) Well, actually I have tasted “real” or raw milk – several times.

Dear Editor, I could not help but respond to your article about why fluid milk consumption is falling in America. Here is an alternative and objective view of your milk market.

Editor's note: This article is the extended version, which contains more content from the interview, of the article that was published in the August 11th issue of Progressive Dairyman. The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) recently announced its support for the “Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011” or S. 1258, a Democratic-sponsored legislation for immigration reform. The proposed legislation includes a dairy H-2A visa eligibility provision (S. 852) that was introduced earlier this spring by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), which NMPF also supported. Editor Walt Cooley spoke with NMPF’s Jaime Castaneda about why the group has thrown its support behind these bills.

In the closing days of the 111th Congress, the DREAM Act passed the House with bipartisan support and fell just a few votes short in the Senate despite receiving support from both Democrats and Republicans. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) reintroduced the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2011 or “The DREAM Act” a few months ago as S. 952. In late June, the Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security of the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on S. 952. The DREAM Act offers permanent legal status to illegal immigrants, up to age 35, who arrived in the U.S. before age 16, provided they complete two years of college or serve two years in the military. These individuals draw special attention because, in most cases, they are in the U.S. not by their own actions, but by those of their parents. Here are excerpts of statements made and testimony presented at the hearing.

(Click here to listen to a podcast of this column.) The other evening, I taught a lesson to my son, Craig, and Andrew, my grandson. They were staying with me while all the young women in the family had gone to a girls’ camp. I asked the boys to imagine an old-fashioned wagon wheel, with a central hub and spokes going out to the rim of the metal around the outside of the wheel.

My grandfather grew up in Germany during the second war. The eldest of a poor family, he was sent to work in other farmers’ fields in exchange for being fed that day.

Dear editor, Just read your article on “Why is fluid milk consumption declining?” The one thing that you missed and the most important reason is – taste.

I have come home. From the East Coast to the Pacific Northwest, from Washington D.C. to Washington State, and from the nation’s capital to the evergreen states of the Pacific, my journey is a pilgrimage home.