Tom Dumstorf is Sister Cities of Louisville's Perm co-chair. Here's his "Belief Statement" that is short, sweet, and very direct:
I believe
Sister Cities is an extremely important vehicle for making the world a safer,
closer and more understanding place. Were we able to make people-to-people
relationships the primary means of diplomacy with world leaders relying on this
as the best means of communication, we would surely be collectively less
violent, less hungry and less self-interested.
As soon as a face is put on a
country in the form of an individual relationship, we no longer think of that
country as just a pink or orange or blue shape on a map. I believe the sooner
we take larger steps towards making this real, the better off we will all be.