About NAAG
Inaugural Speech
June 17, 2009
Welcome/Thanks/Recognition
It’s truly a pleasure to be here addressing all of you for the first time as president of the National Association of Attorneys General. I’m proud to be a part of this great association. Established in 1907, NAAG is not only a historic organization, it’s an organization that’s made history.
We’ve seen great success thanks to our strong leadership. In the 1970s, NAAG’s first piece of federal legislation provided seed money for antitrust enforcement in AG offices. In the 90s, we became champions for consumers with multistate wins like the landmark tobacco master settlement agreement. We’ve supported and helped sustain funding for the Violence Against Women Act and the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grants. Protecting our children has been a priority both in the past and most recently with General Lynch’s Year of the Child.
Each president has raised NAAG to new heights, and I hope to do the same.
At this point, I’m going to follow my staff’s advice and not roast outgoing president General Lynch.
But I do want to take a moment to say few kind words about him. Patrick is my colleague, but I’m also honored to call him my friend.
Now most of you may know he played professional basketball in Ireland while studying at Queen’s University in Belfast. While I’m certain I can’t compete on the basketball court, only he and I, and maybe General Edmondson, know the outcome of our golf matches.
I want to commend General Lynch for bringing issues involving children and technology to the forefront.
He has also been a strong advocate against teen dating violence, and I’m pleased to have partnered with him to encourage attorneys general to promote teen dating violence education in their states. At my request, Nebraska’s Legislature passed a bill this spring that requires dating violence education in all our public schools. Teaching students about dating violence helps stop an abusive relationship before it starts.
General Lynch, your leadership has made the nation a safer place for our children, and I applaud you.
I also want to thank other AGs including Tom Miller, Drew Edmonson, Bill Sorrell, Thurbert Baker, Lawrence Wasden, and Roy Cooper for not only what they have done but what they continue to do to provide leadership to our organization.
And to all the Attorneys General in this room, know that I’m inspired by your passion and dedication to public service, especially current tobacco chairs Martha Coakley and Rob McKenna, and those of you who served as past tobacco chairs. What a service you have provided to this country as you fought for the cause of public health, generally with no thanks from your own constituents.
A Call to Public Service
Serving Nebraskans as AG and serving Americans through NAAG is both exhilarating and humbling. I believe public service is a privilege, and it’s truly an honor to be charged with taking care of citizens and making sure justice is served.
Public service is not a calling that makes us rich. It is not a calling filled with glamour and glory. It puts us in the public eye where scrutiny, skepticism and sensationalism rule. We suffer the slings and arrows of those who wish to unseat us on both sides of the aisle. Challenges can be many and solutions in short supply. We want to do the right things for the right reasons and are under immense pressure never to make a misstep.
But all of us who’ve chosen this path know it’s a noble cause. Our desire to serve the people defines us, and we find our life’s work gratifying.
NAAG is an amazing organization that allows us to work together for the greater good. It provides a glimpse into public service at its finest. I’m proud to be a member of NAAG, and I’m proud to serve with all of you.
I want to say what is never said enough. Thank you. Thank you for your service.
Bipartisanship
This group is able to put politics aside for the good of the people. When it comes to protecting Americans, we do not hesitate. We do not waiver. No matter what our party, we come together in a united front focused solely on whatever task is before us.
We are the public protectors, the guardians of the innocent, the guiding compass of the law. Our life’s work, our legacy, is truly For the People.
President Abraham Lincoln penned the famous words in his Gettysburg Address, “… and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
We are strongly committed to the people we serve and to our great nation as well as upholding the laws that govern it. We are leaders. Our actions affect the lives of many and for this we are held accountable. We answer to the people.
Communication/Info Sharing
President John F. Kennedy once said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”
As leaders in our great states, we have much to share and can learn from each other. That’s why communication is critical.
We do a great job working together on issues important to our nation, but we haven’t taken as much time to share what we’re doing at the state level. We must seize the opportunities to learn from our colleagues. There’s something to be said for sitting down with someone who can relate to your successes and challenges. Invariably, I’ve come out of these types of discussions with more information, a better understanding of the issues, and better equipped to address the needs of my state.
Communication is a key to moving us forward. Together, we can use each other’s best practices to our own state’s advantage, and together, we can find solutions to our challenges. Why reinvent the wheel when a wealth of ideas and information is right in front of us just waiting to be tapped? All we need to do is make it happen.
I’m happy to note that at this summer meeting there was a session on this very issue - Best Practices in the Office of the Attorney General – Sharing Problems and Solutions.
Building Relationships
If you take the time to communicate with your colleagues, sound working relationships and lasting friendships are sure to follow.
Sometimes those relationships can be tested, such as when my friend Mark Shurtleff decided to sue the BCS. I love the guy, but he doesn’t realize that Utah’s regular season opponents included the University of the little sisters of the poor and the Southern Utah Community College junior varsity?
Kidding aside, relationships matter and the best way to build them is in person. Making NAAG a priority is good for your state. You can build those relationships both at NAAG meetings and through the travel opportunities NAAG provides.
For example, in 2003, I went on a trip to Israel with four other AG’s, including then Colorado AG and now Sen. Ken Salazar, ND AG Wayne Stenehjem, UT AG Mark Shurtleff and former Montana AG Mike McGrath. We spent several days together. It was the kind of experience where the memories and relationships formed last a lifetime.
I’ll never forget the plane ride to Tel Aviv. Stenehjem, Shurtleff and I were sharing one of those three-seat rows on the outside of international planes. Both are bigger guys. I managed to get the attention of the 9 year old with forelocks sitting across the aisle, who spoke only Hebrew, and explained to him that he could have $50 if he would switch seats and take the middle seat between the two giants. After consultation with his mother, in Hebrew of course, he agreed and promptly moved over and went to sleep for 13 hours. It was perfect.
There’s a trip to Taiwan this fall, and we plan on going back to Israel in the spring. I encourage you to join your colleagues on these trips. It’s a great way to build relationships, gain a global perspective, and learn more about the threats and opportunities that surround us.
I want to share another example of the benefit of having a relationship with your colleague. Last year, an Indian Tribe wanted to put a casino on land it said would be used for health care facility. This particular tract of land is in Iowa, but because of its unique geographical location, the only way to get to it is through Nebraska. So even though the casino would’ve been in Iowa, it would’ve directly affected Nebraskans.
I filed a complaint challenging the decision to allow gaming on the land. Later, Iowa also filed suit. At that point, the likelihood of success increased dramatically. My office joined forces with General Miller’s Office. In November, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa denied gaming on the land, a big win for both Iowa and Nebraska. I consider Tom Miller a good friend and a mentor and always enjoy working with him.
The bottom line is that real relationships equal real results. The importance of what we do cannot be forgotten. Carrying the weight of protecting the public requires more strength than each of us has alone. Because the criminal landscape changes so quickly, close associations are evermore important. More relationships must be built. Through NAAG the framework already exists. We must take the initiative and reach out to one another. Together, we can wield the power of knowledge and experience, and with lady justice by our side, there are no limits to what we can accomplish.
Presidential Initiative
When it comes to accomplishments, we’ve touched on the past and the present, so let me briefly look to the future. Many of us see the future in the faces of our children. Our natural instinct and our inherent responsibility is to protect them. When I look at my daughter, Lauren or my son, Jack... I see someone who I love dearly and unconditionally. I see life, hope, wonder and innocence. I see the future in them.
I also see the future in how they embrace technology. I see them texting, instant messaging and e-mailing… using and depending on technology more than I ever did at their age. I’m embarrassed to say that both my 10 year old and my 12 year old have their own cell phones.
Technology continues to change and grow at an astounding pace.
Computers that once took up a whole room now sit on our laps. We went from slide projectors to home video cameras to Web cams. A handwritten letter and snail mail to the Internet and e-mail and now texting and tweeting. Corded phones to cordless phones to cell phones. Meeting friends at the mall to friending people on Facebook and MySpace.
Technology affects the way we live and how we communicate. And, it affects the safety of our kids. Predators know how to utilize the latest technology to prey on our children.
My presidential initiative “Virtual World – Real Crime” strives to shield our children from sexual predators by increasing the number of investigations into Internet child pornography crimes.
More investigations will save children from exploitation and put more sexual predators behind bars.
My initiative also aims to protect consumers and businesses from fraud.
Online technology affects the way we gather information, purchase products and conduct business. We know real crime runs rampant in the virtual world.
I’m asking you to join me in protecting children, consumers and businesses. Together, we can bring emerging trends to the forefront, be diligent in our efforts to harness new technology and limit the crime and corruption that come with it.
The presidential initiative summit is February 8-10 at the Harbor Beach Marriott in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Consider this your personal invitation. Strangely, some of you may already be in Florida, since the Super Bowl coincidentally is on Sunday, Feb. 7 in Miami. General Suthers, for the record, as a Chiefs fan I can say with confidence the Broncos will not be there.
Closing
In closing, please know that NAAG is full of talented people doing extraordinary things. Over the next year there is much to be accomplished, and I look forward to seeing the results of our hard work. I am proud of what we have been, what we are and what we have the potential to become. And I am truly honored to be your next president. Thank you.
