A Somber Start

Hi All,
The tragedy at Virginia Tech yesterday has undeniably cast a pall on the excitement that had been surrounding Governor Kaine's mission -- we are so very shocked, stunned and sorrow-filled for the loss of innocent life in such a senseless, random act of violence. It is very hard to believe that this has happened at all, and even harder to accept that it happened to us here in Virginia. For those of you wishing to stay apprised of the news, I recommend the Governor's website: http://www.governor.virginia.gov/

At present, we remain hopeful that the Governor and First Lady will be able to travel to India at the end of this week in order to maintain as much of the Trade Mission itinerary as possible. Of course, we will all understand if this does not prove possible, but we will continue with the mission in light of the tremendous participation and extraordinary amount of planning that has been done to promote the ties of trade & investment with Virginia. A summary of the Trade Mission's goals is presented in the press release issued on Friday: http://www.yesvirginia.org/About_Us/NewsArticle.aspx?newsid=856

I leave tomorrow at about 6:30pm... with Bobby away in Denver, I'm thankful to Megerly and Ryan for taking me to the airport. We're going to meet for a late lunch -- if I get everything done in time -- and then I'll start the journey, via Frankfurt to Delhi.

I'll check in when I arrive.
Til then!