re: "About that "reset" button"

Jason at COUNTERCOLUMN: The Adjunct of Evil (""I, for one, welcome our new libtard overlords!"") is understanding of mistakes, but only up to a point.

Money quote(s):

"I can understand missing the translation. Actually, it happens all the time, though it would be unusual at this level. But not realizing that, gee, I've noticed over the years that Russians seem to use some sort of crazy backwards alphabet, but still taking the idea, running with it, and getting all the way up to the Secretary of State without any adult supervision looking at the damn thing even once on the way up the flagpole takes incompetence to a whole new level of stupidity."

&

"Why in God's name does the Secretary of State still have a "small political team" of commissar loyalists? She's the farging Secretary of State, not the President. She's not a politician. She's a diplomat. Apparently, she's congenitally incapable of telling the difference. And why is she allowing her small, political team of operatives to stick their juvenile, incompetent noses in protocol functions, where they have zero expertise? Why isn't she putting them on a leash and limiting their functions (to, say, making coffee at Foggy Bottom)?"

Chapomatic

Thanks to Chap at Chapomatic ("Posting oh so occasionally these days. Gotta work, you know.") for the mention and the link.

re: "Open Blog/Personal Day"

Ace at Ace of Spades HQ talks about breakups:

"In any relationship that ends up failing, the person you're dating will reveal, clearly, the chief reason for the inevitable break up within the first three dates.

You won't realize it. Your ears may perk up a bit at the revelation of a temper issue, or an uncaring manner, or etc., but you'll put it out of mind and figure what you just saw is an aberration, or what you just heard is exaggerated. You'll just blow it off.

But three months, six months, a year on, that issue you knew of within three dates will get to be too much, and that will be that. And you really should have been paying closer attention, and if you had, you really could have foreseen it all."

Bavarian Alps (actually a foothill)

Taken in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, on January 28, 2006.

JO - Contempt politics in Antigua. 'Recolonising' Turks and Caicos.

Jamaica Observer

Contempt politics in Antigua


'Recolonising' Turks and Caicos


RICKEY SINGH ANALYSIS


Sunday, March 29, 2009


I was following post-election political developments in Antigua and Barbuda last week when the Caribbean Community made public its concern over the threat to democracy in the Turks and Caicos Islands by Britain's announced intention to resort to direct rule from London in that associate member territory of Caricom.

RICKEY SINGH

How refreshing it was to note this militant stand by Caricom as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's administration was laying the legal basis in Parliament for the reintroduction of old-style colonialism, possibly by the end of next month (April). Such a retrograde political move could ensue, depending on the TCI's governor's response to the final report of a Commission of Inquiry. The interim report has already painted an ugly picture of "clear signs of political amorality and immaturity and general administrative incompetence" in the territory.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The embattled Premier Michael Misick who was obliged to resign under a cloud of unsavoury allegations had done so only after formally requesting last Monday Caricom's intervention to "stop the onset of modern-day colonialism" in his homeland.

Caricom is currently monitoring the developments - the TCI having appropriately raised the public alarm against Britain's threat to impose direct rule through its enactment of legislation suspending the Executive and Legislative branches of government in that territory.

The Community Secretariat cannot, however, be so preoccupied with the TCI's future political status, while also complying with its regular work agenda, that it finds it too difficult to also pay heed to the very disturbing trends that mock democratic governance in Antigua and Barbuda."

"This latest post-election political behaviour that mocks traditional swearing-in ceremonies by a governor general was the brief, five-line note from Dame Louise informing Bird to "find enclosed your instrument of appointment as Her Majesty's loyal opposition..."

It was a humiliating first since the days of internal self-government in Antigua and Barbuda, and long before the birth of Caricom, an astonishing departure from what is also the established norm within member states of our Community with either a president or governor general as head of state."

&

"Caricom therefore needs to also interest itself with developments in Antigua and Barbuda while being engaged over moves to recolonise the Turks and Caicos."

SP-I - The art of passport fakery is alive and well. Investigator gets documents for dead man, boy.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The art of passport fakery is alive and well. Investigator gets documents for dead man, boy.


Saturday, March 14, 2009 · Last updated 3/13/2009 9:14 p.m. PT


By EILEEN SULLIVAN

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- Using phony documents and the identities of a dead man and a 5-year-old boy, a government investigator obtained U.S. passports in a test of post- 9/11 security.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Criminals and terrorists place a high value on illegally obtained travel documents, U.S. intelligence officials have said. Currently, poorly faked passports are sold on the black market for $300, while top-notch fakes go for about $5,000, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigations.

The State Department has known about this vulnerability for years. On Feb. 26, the State Department's deputy assistant secretary of passport services issued a memo to Passport Services directors across the country stating that the agency is reviewing its processes for issuing passports because of "recent events regarding several passport applications that were approved and issued in error."

In the memo, obtained by The Associated Press, Brenda Sprague said that in 2009 passport services would focus on the quality, not the quantity, of its passport issuance decisions. Typically, passport services officials are evaluated on how many passports they issue. Instead, Sprague said, the specialists should focus all their efforts on improving the integrity of the process, including "a renewed emphasis for Passport Specialists on recognizing authentic documents and fraud indicators on applications." "

NE - County now offering passports for sale

From my archive of press clippings:

Navasota Examiner

County now offering passports for sale

The Navasota Examiner & Grimes County Review

Serving Navasota and Grimes County, Texas, since 1894

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

In 2006 Gay Wells, told prospective voters that she would try to make available to the citizens of Grimes County the ability to obtain a passport without having to travel out of the county. As of 2009, the Grimes County District Clerk's Office now offers full services for those wanting to obtain a passport.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The District Clerk's office will make photos, assist in completing the form and collect and remit the proper fees to the United States Department of State."

JO - We could yet become a nation of bilinguals

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

We could yet become a nation of bilinguals

By Kadene Porter

Saturday, June 28, 2008

We Jamaicans are confused about matters relating to our patois. We are unsure of how to position it, whether to acknowledge it officially as part of our national identity, or to keep it in its place in a box marked "Broken English".

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Few of us seem to realise that what we now hold up as "Standard English" was in its infancy one of hundreds of the regional dialects spoken in England, and like our patois, went through similar rites of passage before a single form emerged, or was chosen, as the standard.

Our colourful "patwa" is perhaps going through its own historical Middle Passage, where after years of pondering over its standardisation, making it a national language is still cause for a feverish debate, especially with the Bible being translated into this our "heart" language.

For as long as we entertain the notion that this is not a valid language with its own set of rules, and is merely broken English, we will continue to experience the same frustrations with the low number of passes in the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) school-leaving tests, and the inability of the masses to enter the global sphere of communication and commerce.

It has been said that "patwa" is an English-based dialect, so we should not have much difficulty learning English, but ironically it is the familiarity with English that breeds our handicap."

re: "What Does “Reset” Mean?"

Dave Schuler at Outside the Beltway is considering Russia.

Money quote(s):

"We have no default position with respect to Russia. You can’t return to a nonexistent initial state."

re: "A New Term"

Nikolas at The (Ex) Washington Realist ("thoughts on U.S. foreign policy and world affairs--as observed from Newport, RI") has a suggestion.

re: "The war on terror, RIP"

Christian Brose at FP's Shadow Government ("Notes from the loyal opposition") remarks on the end of the GWOT.

Money quote(s):

"So this means an end to preemptive strikes against "gathering threats", no more hard slogging on the "central fronts" (either Afghanistan or Iraq), a quick resolution to that whole Guantanomo problem, and no more need for the president to worry about what authorities he has to detain "enemy combatants", or whatever you want to call them?"

"(N)o one human being, only a government committee, could come up with something so awful as "Overseas Contingency Operation.""

&

"We could speak of fights, and confrontations, and violent extremism, and everyone would know what we were talking about. The policies wouldn't change. And we would avoid signalling that the most powerful nation on earth was at war with Islam, which though obviously wrong, most Muslims believed nonetheless."

re: "Good News for Hopeful FSOs"

The Hegemonist ("a personal weblog touching on international relations, foreign policy, and diplomacy") has big news for prospective FSOs.

Money quote(s):

"A cable went out today to All Diplomatic and Consular channels announcing some big increases in hiring. Calling it "Diplomacy 3.0: Diplomacy, Development, and Defense," State announced that it expects to hire 2,300 employees this year, meaning that, factoring attrition, 1200-1500 new positions are being created. According to the cable, "this hiring represents the first significant infusion of positions since the end of the Diplomatic Readiness Initiative (DRI) in 2004...." "

&

"If you haven't yet taken or passed the test, go back and review my unofficial Guide to the Foreign Service Exam now! "

re: "Spies On the Prowl: Romeos and Rapists"

Gerald at Avuncular American ("An expatriate view of America and the world from Europe") contrasts some tradecraft with crimes.

Money quote(s):

"women have been used as enticements in all manner of circumstances, and it probably comes as no surprise that Puritan America is not beyond practicing the "honeytrap" approach in its spy operations. The allegations against Warren go way beyond this, however"

Herborn Houses and Tower (II)

Taken in Herborn, Germany, on August 26, 2006.

JO - Aruba authorities help search for Natalee Holloway

Jamaica Observer

Aruba authorities help search for Natalee Holloway


AP


Sunday, March 29, 2009


ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) - Authorities in Aruba are helping a US private investigator search a pond for signs of missing US teen Natalee Holloway despite having no new leads in the case.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Firefighters are using a hose to blast mud and debris out of a pond that witnesses previously identified as a possible location for her remains. The pond was drained for the search."

WI - As Troops Withdraw, Iraq Provincial Reconstruction Teams to Change

Washington Independent

As Troops Withdraw, Iraq Provincial Reconstruction Teams to Change


Director Expects Phase-Out by 2011


By Spencer Ackerman 3/11/09 2:35 PM


A key State Department program that seeks to bolster the capability of Iraqi provincial and local authorities to govern will remain in place over the next year with some modifications, its Washington-based director said. But concerns remain about whether the program will be sufficient to address the continuing political and economic challenges in Iraq as U.S. troops withdraw.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Since 2005, small groups made of U.S. diplomats, military officers, development experts and legal advisers called Provincial Reconstruction Teams have worked with Iraqi leaders at the province and district levels around the country to bolster their capacity to govern."

"(T)he PRT program will change between now and August 2010, when the U.S. combat mission ends. In addition to the 14 PRTs, there are also ten teams that work at the district level, known as Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Teams, or ePRTs, owing to their status as embedded units within the U.S. Army’s Brigade Combat Teams. Over the course of the next 15 months, the Brigade Combat Teams will leave Iraq or transition into Advisory and Assistance Brigades. Weems said the ePRTs’ personnel — a smaller team than the 15 to 25 members of an average PRT — will probably be absorbed into a regular PRT. Regular PRTs rely on partner relationships with the military to move around Iraq, which will continue to be the case."

"No decisions have yet been reached about the pace of consolidating the PRTs into consulates or embassies before 2010."

"The PRTs’ budget request for the next fiscal year will be the same as for the current one, according to State Department spokesman John Fleming, approximately $650 million. That decision may alarm some Iraq specialists in and outside the administration who fear that the department may not be prepared to shoulder a sufficient amount of the burden in Iraq as the U.S. withdraws its troops. The PRTs took years to develop capacity and competence among the Iraqi provincial leadership. But much of that leadership has been voted out of office in January’s provincial elections, and the incoming leadership will not be familiar with Iraq’s arcane budgetary and governing process. On top of Iraq’s continued sectarian strife, a shift to new leadership that’s unskilled in the unglamorous decision making that delivers services to Iraq’s population risks a discontinuity in governance that could invite new violence."

"There are about 460 U.S. officials from the departments of State, Defense, Justice, Agriculture and USAID working for the PRTs currently, as well approximately 250 Iraqis employed by them"

&

"There have been some disagreements between the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and diplomats out in the field with the PRTs about how rapidly PRT consolidation should occur. Some administration and State Department officials have noted that the PRTs implicitly challenge the notion of traditional diplomacy, in which two governments deal with each other in national capitals, rather than take a more expeditionary approach and work with local or even opposition officials on bolstering aspects of governance. Such a challenge can lead to discomfort with the idea of the PRTs.

But some see the department as adapting to a more expeditionary mindset, however slowly."

TET - VHP wants India to ban American products over H1B visa issue

From my archive of press clippings:

The Economic Times

VHP wants India to ban American products over H1B visa issue


25 Feb 2009, 1714 hrs IST, PTI

KOCHI: The VHP on Wednesday asked the Indian Government to ban all American products unless the Barack Obama administration amends its decision on H1B visa curbs.

Read the whole article here.

S&S - U.S. nukes moved from Lakenheath, official claims

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

U.S. nukes moved from Lakenheath, official claims

By Charlie Reed, Stars and Stripes

European edition, Saturday, June 28, 2008

RAF LAKENHEATH, England — News that U.S. nuclear bombs had been removed from England has British protesters celebrating. But many now question why government and military officials are reluctant to announce weapons consolidations in Europe.

Read the whole article here.

Babylonian Animals (V), with American "tourists"

Taken in Ancient Babylon, Iraq, on March 5, 2004.

S&S - Envoy: Rape case shouldn’t affect Philippines agreement

Stars and Stripes



Envoy: Rape case shouldn’t affect Philippines agreement


By David Allen, Stars and Stripes

Pacific edition, Sunday, March 29, 2009


The U.S. ambassador to the Philippines does not believe the Daniel Smith rape case will affect the Visiting Forces Agreement with the Philippines.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"In a statement reported by media in Manila on Wednesday, Ambassador Kristie Kenney said negotiations regarding where the Marine lance corporal should be held pending his appeal of his December 2006 conviction should not result in any changes to the entire agreement.

The Philippines Supreme Court ruled last month that Smith, who is being held on the grounds of the U.S. Embassy in Manila pending his appeal, should have been remanded to a Philippines jail. The court ruled the agreement allowing Smith’s transfer to the embassy compound did not follow the guidelines set forth in the bilateral Visiting Forces Agreement, known as the VFA."

&

"On March 12, the 25-year-old woman who testified during the trial that Smith raped her, signed an affidavit stating she now doubts Smith actually raped her.

The woman, known publicly as "Nicole," has since moved to the U.S. with her American boyfriend, according to statements made by her mother."

DR - Diplos Wonder if They'll Withdraw from Iraq, Too

Danger Room

Diplos Wonder if They'll Withdraw from Iraq, Too


By Nathan Hodge March 04, 2009 1:19:45 PM

The hulking, heavily fortified U.S. embassy in Baghdad was built with war in mind. But now that the battle for Iraq is starting to wind down, is the biggest American diplomatic mission in history really necessary? Some in the State Department are staring to wonder.


Read the whole article here.


Snippet(s):


"The recently-opened embassy -- sometimes described as a "Vatican on the Tigris" or (more unkindly) as a "Crusader castle" -- houses over 1,000 employees. Built at horrific cost (and possibly with slave labor), the 100-acre compound features a residences for the ambassador and staff, a PX, commissary, cinema, and Olympic pool.

Baghdad may remain an important diplomatic mission, but with a scaled-back U.S. military presence, it may be increasingly difficult to justify maintaining a super-sized embassy."


&

"Many argue that the State Department -- along with other civilian agencies of government -- will need to take on a larger role as the transition continues (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen has called for a civilian "surge" to Afghanistan as well)."

MSNBC - Ahead of Spring Break, U.S. State Department warns of travel to Mexico

From my archive of press clippings:

MSNBC

Ahead of Spring Break, U.S. State Department warns of travel to Mexico

KHQ-TV


WASHINGTON. - The U.S. government says Mexico's bloody drug war is a growing threat to tourists. Now, as college students start planning their spring breaks, the U.S. State Department has a new warning about traveling to Mexico.
This is the image Mexico wants American tourists to see: beautiful beaches, party time!

Read the whole article here.


Snippet(s):


"Recently, this is more the reality: a drug war that is spiraling out of control."


"College students planning for spring break are taking notice."

&

"In a travel advisory issued just last week, the U.S. State Department warns, "large fire fights have taken place in many towns and cities across Mexico. During some of these incidents, U.S. citizens have been trapped."


Travel agents say most tourist towns like Cancun are still popular."

S&S - Vilseck remembers fallen soldier

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Vilseck remembers fallen soldier

By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes

European edition, Saturday, June 28, 2008

VILSECK, Germany — Michelle, 2, clung to her tearful mother, Lien Tran, and stared at a sea of faces in the Rose Barracks Chapel on Friday.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Those who congregated were paying their respects to Lien’s husband and Michelle’s father, Staff Sgt. Du Tran, 30, who died in Baqouba, Iraq, when a roadside bomb detonated near his unit during combat operations on June 20."

"Du Tran was in Iraq from May 2003 to July 2004 and from January 2006 to February 2007 before he left with Battery C, Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment for his last assignment, in August 2007."

&

"Tran, who was Vietnamese, led a colorful life before he joined the Army. He’d tried to escape from Vietnam four times and was detained in Cambodian prisons before joining family in the States,"

Edelweiss Lodge (III)

Taken in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, on January 28, 2006.

S&S - Army dog kennel in Germany burns

Stars and Stripes

Army dog kennel in Germany burns


Stars and Stripes European edition, Saturday, March 14, 2009


MAINZ-KASTEL, Germany — An Army dog kennel that serves the Wiesbaden military community caught fire Friday afternoon, though neither hound nor human were seriously injured, an Army spokeswoman said.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"All of the dogs were safely removed from the building and were being evaluated by military veterinarians. The dogs are used by the 212th Military Police Company and the local Ponds security detachment."

EW - Dominos Keep Falling in H1-B Visa Fraud Schemes

From my archive of press clippings:

eWeek.com

Dominos Keep Falling in H1-B Visa Fraud Schemes


By Roy Mark

2009-02-25

Federal, state and local authorities are tightening the noose on H1-B fraud schemes in the United States, where the Customs and Immigration Service claims 1 in 5 H1-B visas are obtained under false pretenses.

Read the whole article here.

JO - Locals afraid too

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

Locals afraid too

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Dear Editor,

Re the letter of June 24 about overseas Jamaicans being afraid to visit, I share the sentiments. I am not Jamaican, but I did live there for two years and returned recently for a short visit. I talked to old friends and made many new ones. One thing in common that everyone was telling me was that they were afraid of their neighbourhood and I was not to walk about.

Read the whole letter here.

Snippet(s):

"It was like that when I lived in Kingston a couple of years ago. You knew where not to go, but me being foreign I ended up in some of the do-not-go places. On my recent visit, I quickly learnt that places "not to go" have grown."

&

"(I)t is your fellow countrymen who are still living in Jamaica who are afraid of their own country and where it is heading. I do wish some day that all Jamaicans who are abroad have the option to return to their homeland to boost its economy and wealth."

__________

P Rozee
p_rozee@hotmail.com

Herborn architectural detail (V)

Taken in Herborn, Germany, on August 26, 2006.

TO - Father of Miss Oregon investigated on suspicion of visa fraud

The Oregonian

Father of Miss Oregon investigated on suspicion of visa fraud


by Michelle Roberts, The Oregonian

Friday March 13, 2009, 5:30 AM

U.S. immigration officials are investigating the father of the reigning Miss Oregon on suspicion of visa fraud after an international war crimes tribunal reported that he had served in a military unit that slaughtered unarmed Muslims in Bosnia in 1995.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Federal prosecutors say that Serbian national Milenko Krstic, 52, father of Miss Oregon Danijela Krstic, 24, lied in 1998 when he was applying for refugee status, stating under oath that he had never served in the military.

Six years after Krstic settled in Beaverton in 1999 with his wife and two daughters, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia reported to U.S. immigration authorities that Krstic had, in fact, served in the Army of Republika Srpska.

Krstic's militia, also known as the Bosnian Serb Army, has been designated by the International Court of Justice in The Hague as having participated in war crimes, genocide and ethnic cleansing during the Bosnian civil war in the early 1990s."

"A three-judge panel rejected Krstic's argument that he couldn't be prosecuted for possessing an authentic immigration document, or "green card," even though it had been obtained by means of a false statement."

&

"In 1998, three years after leaving the military, Krstic and his family emigrated to the United States. As part of a refugee application, he filled out an I-590 form, which requires, among other things, applicants to disclose foreign military service.

Krstic contends that "someone wrote 'not served' in English" on the form. Federal officials, however, say that Krstic denied having served in the military "during a sworn, personal interview administered in Belgrade."

Krstic and his family were granted refugee status and admitted to the United States. They settled in the Portland area.

In 1999, the family applied to become lawful permanent residents. As part of the application, Krstic filled out an I-485 form, which also asks applicants to report any prior foreign military service. Krstic again did not disclose his service. He was issued an alien registration receipt card, also called a green card.

In 2005, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia reported Krstic's military service to U.S. immigration authorities. Federal agents entered Krstic's home and interviewed him. He admitted to serving in the military but denied committing war crimes."

LFM - BELIZE TO ADOPT THE USE OF CARICOM PASSPORTS

From my archive of press clippings:

LoveFM


BELIZE TO ADOPT THE USE OF CARICOM PASSPORTS

February 23, 2009

The Immigration Department and Nationality Offices countrywide will not be accepting passport applications this week as they are modifying, upgrading and testing an issuance system to accommodate the new CARICOM passport.

Read the whole article here.

S&S - Mullen: Flexibility crucial as world changes quickly

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Mullen: Flexibility crucial as world changes quickly

By Charlie Coon, Stars and Stripes

Mideast edition, Saturday, June 28, 2008

Charlie Coon / S&S Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, center, listens to a question during a town hall meeting at the Africa Command headquarters Thursday in Stuttgart, Germany. Mullen told those in attendance that the U.S. must be more flexible in today's ever-changing world.

STUTTGART, Germany — You’d think he was running for office as the candidate of "change." Change how the government and military work together. Change how funding works so it moves more efficiently. Change how people are recruited into the military, retained and promoted. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael G. Mullen invoked "change" dozens of times Thursday while speaking at the new U.S. Africa Command, itself a harbinger of potential new military thinking.

Read the whole article here.

Babylonian Animals (IV)

Taken in Ancient Babylon, Iraq, on March 5, 2004.

AO - Belize hosts CARICOM bosses

Amandala Online



Belize hosts CARICOM bosses

Posted: 13/03/2009 - 09:05 AM Author: Adele Ramos

For the next two days Belize plays host to 154 delegates from 11 sister Caribbean states attending the 20th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), being hosted at the Radisson Fort George Hotel in Belize City.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow is leading the meeting, in his role as CARICOM chairman for the first half of 2009. During official opening ceremonies preceding today’s business meetings where officials met in caucus, Prime Minister Barrow embraced his regional counterparts and heralded the session as one of special significance."

"The meeting comes at a time when the Caribbean faces dire challenges brought on by the world economic turmoil, and CARICOM officials say they are convinced that it is only regional integration that can soften the consequences of the financial fallout."

&

"Prime Minister Barrow made a major announcement to his Caribbean counterparts, putting on record his administration’s intention to replace London’s Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) for both civil and criminal matters.

The Privy Council has been blamed for staying the executions of many convicted in lower courts with murder, but more than that, indications are that some countries in the region are warming up to the idea of having a court closer to home controlled by their regional counterparts to arbitrate their legal matters."

LAT - Advice for Mexico-bound spring breakers, from U.S. State Department

From my archive of press clippings:

Los Angeles Times


Advice for Mexico-bound spring breakers, from U.S. State Department

Monday, February 23, 2009

Students all over the U.S. are in the midst of dreaming up spring break plans, and if past years are any indication, many thousands will be hitting beaches in Mexico for relaxation and, of course, plenty of recreation.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"On Feb. 20, 2009, the U.S. State Department renewed its travel alert for Mexico, which includes advice that tourists visit “only legitimate business and tourist areas during daylight hours” and avoid “areas where prostitution and drug dealing might occur.”

The advisory mentions “the greatest increase in violence” having been near the U.S.-Mexico border. But it does not pinpoint other specific geographic parts to be wary of, nor does it suggest that U.S. travelers avoid Mexico altogether."

JO - Caricom should find ways to help Zimbabwe

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

Caricom should find ways to help Zimbabwe

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Dear Editor,

It is all well and good for so-called Third-World countries like Jamaica to cry shame on Prime Minister Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe in this his hour of need, but we must also ask where those countries were hiding when the Mugabe regime was being undermined by Euro-American criminals who continue to "mash up" black nations, including Jamaica, by flooding those nations with guns, drugs, economic distress, and all manner of destabilisation efforts.

Read the whole epistle of crazy here.

Snippet(s):

"European and American entities seemingly exist only to decimate and destroy black populations and destabilise their societies, and they have done so to the maximum in Haiti, Zimbabwe and other African countries and are fine-tuning their skills of destruction in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza and all over the so-called Middle East, with their eyes on Iran, Pakistan and Syria, having already performed their ritualistic killings in Lebanon."

&

"The modus operandi of Euro-America has been very clear since the days they enslaved and raped Africans: steal all they can grab and under-develop the victims; and if any of their leaders dare to lift them back up, then exterminate those leaders (Che Guevara, Dr King); try hard to assassinate them, while using all means necessary to make them reverse their programmes to help people (Fidel Castro, Michael Manley); or use every available means to destabilise their nations (Zimbabwe); and lock up or kidnap their leaders if needs be (Noriega and Aristide)."

__________

Rev Dr Mervin Stoddart
INMerv@hotmail.com

re: "Mr. President: War Is Not A 'Struggle' Or 'Situation' "

Mark Tapson at Big Hollywood is adamant about nomenclature (among other things).

Money quote(s):

"President Obama jettisoned the admittedly empty and useless phrase “war on terror,” a label which pleased pretty much no one, primarily because it didn’t specify an enemy"

"The aim of all this muting of the language in the War with No Name is twofold: for the Obama administration to distance itself from George W. Bush’s “politics of fear,” and to whitewash a plain fact that liberals are suicidally reluctant to acknowledge - that we are at war with radical Islam."

"“Our administration does not believe in a clash of civilizations,” Vice-President Joe Biden announced at his February address in Munich, referring to the now-famous title of Samuel Huntington’s prescient 1998 book The Clash of Civilizations. Well frankly, I don’t believe in it either; I believe instead that we’re embroiled in a clash of civilization versus barbarism, and that it is the defining conflict of our time."

Mr. Tapson should be forgiven if he overlooked that the 1998 book was based upon the late Prof. Huntington's 1995 article in Foreign Policy.

My nuanced take on Mr. Tapson's last point is that the whole objective of much of former Pres. Bush's soft-pedaling was to prevent the clash of global/Western civilization with certain Islamic barbarians from escalating into a true clash of civilizations and cultures.

There would be considerable differences of scale between our "global" war as we've fought it thus far and a "world war" as could have resulted (and might yet).

"(T)he left in general think the conflict is just one big cultural misunderstanding which can be resolved by reassuring fundamentalist Muslims (like the mythical “moderate Taliban“) that we’ll sit down with them, listen to their so-called grievances, and make whatever concessions are necessary (like throwing Israel under the bus) to move forward as mutually respectful partners in a brave new world of prosperity and inter-faith pablum."

"Muslim extremists have been hammering home the point for decades, all across the Muslim world, that America, the Great Satan, is the enemy. Believing he can defuse Islamist hostility by being more “respectful,” by engaging them in still more “dialogue,” and by offering to make their grievances right - all of which the Islamists consider signs of weakness - is a fantasy."

"(A)s much as Islamists would like us to believe this clash is about American foreign policy, it isn’t about their grievances, though their skewed perspective on our foreign policy sometimes provides them with useful recruiting points. In the words of a former Hezbollah leader: “We are not fighting you because we want something from you. We’re fighting you because we want to destroy you.”"

&

"(O)ur Islamist enemies love death more than life, reject freedom in favor of absolute submission to a totalitarian ideology, and won’t be happy until the world is entirely Islamic. They cannot be swayed from their goal by promises of economic prosperity and peaceful coexistence with infidels."

Edelweiss Lodge (II)

Taken in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, on January 28, 2006.

NYP - LISTEN TO THE GITMO FIVE. WASHINGTON WONKS IN DENIAL KSM: TELLING US EXACTLY WHAT HE BELIEVES.

New York Post

LISTEN TO THE GITMO FIVE.

WASHINGTON WONKS IN DENIAL KSM: TELLING US EXACTLY WHAT HE BELIEVES.


Ralph Peters


Last updated: 3:38 am

March 12, 2009 Posted: 3:05 am

March 12, 2009


AS White House staffer Jane Austen put it to Sen. Darcy: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single terrorist in possession of a good bomb must be in want of patient understanding."
Unfortunately for Washington wonks determined to deny that Islamist extremists are motivated by extremist Islam, the pride and prejudice of Allah's butchers were on public display (again) this week.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"At the core of our inability to cope with Islamist terrorists lies Washington's denial that fanatical Islam is even a factor. Yet refusing to accept that Islam Gone Wild is behind the actions of al Qaeda or the Taliban is akin to insisting that sex has nothing to do with making babies.

Other factors may intensify or accelerate a terrorist's will to slaughter the innocent. But the dark heart of the matter is that these men believe they're on a mission from their god to punish the godless (including fellow Muslims who don't measure up).

Yet, no matter how fiercely our enemies declare that their faith compels them to kill, our elected and appointed officials continue to insist that the terrorists don't understand themselves - that they're really driven by economic factors or our own foreign-policy missteps, that their savage interpretation of Islam is only a ploy . . .

Shouldn't we pay just a little attention to what our enemies say about themselves?"

"As I seethe through DC meetings (always careful to wash thoroughly afterward), I'm continually disheartened by the contortions of "experts" determined to prove that enemies who regard death as a promotion aren't really devout, that they just need hugs and massive amounts of aid.

A few weeks back, I spoke to a roomful of senior military officers. In response to my suggestion that we should listen to what terrorists are only too glad to tell us, a foreign "counterinsurgency expert" insisted that religion simply isn't a factor."

&

"Listen to the Gitmo Five. Unlike our Washington pols, they have intellectual integrity. They're telling us honestly who they are and why they seek to kill us."

JO - Businesses have different experiences buying US$

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

Businesses have different experiences buying US$


BY PATRICK FOSTER Sunday Observer writer fosterp@jamaicaobserver.com


Sunday, February 22, 2009


In the wake of the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association's (JMA's) revelation last week that banks have quietly placed a cap of US$2,000 on foreign exchange purchases, business people have given mixed experiences of their ability to acquire US dollars as supplies dwindle.

Read the whole article here.

JO - Garrisons

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

Garrisons

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Dear Editor,

I wish to endorse recent suggestions by former PNP MP Miss Heather Robinson and NDM general secretary Mike Williams for the current leaders of the JLP and PNP to walk away from their respective "garrison" seats.

Read the whole letter here.

__________
Peter Townsend
NDM
Kingston

2009 Blogversary

CAA began on March 24, 2005.

So this is our Fourth Blogversary.

----------

I'd like to thank:

Madam-at-Arms, who puts up with me;

Both of my longtime readers, who've followed me over to the new CAA2 web log when I moved;

The 180 people who, each and every day, keep hitting the site meter at my original/discontinued CAA web log (even though I haven't put anything new there in three months);

My fellow bloggers, especially my milblogger friends as well as those of you who've blog-rolled me or otherwise sent traffic my way. As you may know, the man who invented the internet sends me a crisp dollar bill for every hit on my site meter (or is that an urban legend?);

Those of you who are just joining me, having found a link here through Facebook;

My brothers and sisters in the Armed Forces of the United States; and

The Department of State, which provides me such a cool way to serve my country.

Herborn Houses (XI)

Taken in Herborn, Germany, on August 26, 2006.

AO - Belize hosts CARICOM bosses

Amandala Online

Belize hosts CARICOM bosses

Posted: 13/03/2009 - 09:05 AM


Author: Adele Ramos


For the next two days Belize plays host to 154 delegates from 11 sister Caribbean states attending the 20th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), being hosted at the Radisson Fort George Hotel in Belize City.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Prime Minister Barrow made a major announcement to his Caribbean counterparts, putting on record his administration’s intention to replace London’s Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) for both civil and criminal matters.

The Privy Council has been blamed for staying the executions of many convicted in lower courts with murder, but more than that, indications are that some countries in the region are warming up to the idea of having a court closer to home controlled by their regional counterparts to arbitrate their legal matters."

&

"Belize is also gearing up to replace its old passport with a new CARICOM passport, also as a part of its commitment to integration in CARICOM."

JO - Banks are indeed rationing US dollars

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

Banks are indeed rationing US dollars


BY KIMONE THOMPSON Senior reporter

Special Coverage Unit specialcoverageunit@jamaicaobserver.com


Sunday, February 22, 2009

Restrictions of varying degrees on the sale of US dollars do appear to be in effect at some of the major commercial banks in Kingston, despite a declaration by Bank of Jamaica governor, Derick Latibeaudiere, to the contrary.

Read the whole article here.

JO - Association of What's Happening Now

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

Association of What's Happening Now

BARBARA GLOUDON

Friday, June 27, 2008

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: The meeting of the Association of What's Happening Now is hereby called to order. This Association has been formed to keep track of all the many matters of contention and argument which keep this nation occupied while other matters, far more important, pass over our heads like an Air Jamaica plane heading for extinction.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Look now at the following:

(A) Suggestion for the taxation of the proceeds of earnings by sex workers, previously known as prostitutes.

(B) Translation of the Holy Bible into Jamaican patois.

(C) The slow death of Air Jamaica and

(D) The question of how effective a peace treaty can be without disarmament."

re: "A first for freeman"

SoccerDad ("With something like a 10-60 record as coach of my children's soccer teams why do I do it? Because I'm Soccer Dad! ") evaluates the Freeman nomination.

Money quote(s):

"In the area of foreign policy there is a divide. On the one side there are the ideologues who can be identified as being conservative, Republican or pro-Israel and then there's everyone else. Since Freeman cannot be clearly identified as one of those three groups, he is, therefore, implicitly non-partisan and beyond suspicion. Never mind that an appointee who is as close to Israel as Freeman is to Saudi Arabia would get plenty of scrutiny. Chalk it up to an implicit "Israel lobby" bias."

"How good has the Saudi Arabian anti-terror program been? Well if one refers to their deprogramming techniques, the results of those efforts have been, shall we say, inconsistent."

&

"(T)he news broke that Freeman withdrew his name for consideration for the post as head of the NIC. Two observations: it took until the very end of the process for either the NYT or WaPo to cover this appointment. Why not? Also, the administration did not appear to fight very hard for Freeman. Again, why not?"

_____

Hat tip to The Glittering Eye.

Babylonian Animals (III)

Taken in Ancient Babylon, Iraq, on March 5, 2004.

WSJ - All in the Family. Adoption Comes Home to China.

Wall Street Journal

All in the Family. Adoption Comes Home to China.


LIFE & STYLE

MARCH 13, 2009


By JANE LANHEE LEE NAVILLE

In a small coastal town in Guangdong province, a baby was found at a hospital identified only by a birth date -- April 22, 2005 -- written in ballpoint pen on her stomach. She was 3 months old.

Read the whole article here.

JG - Stanford case deals 'reputational blow' to offshore markets

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

Stanford case deals 'reputational blow' to offshore markets


Published: Sunday February 22, 2009


David Jessop

THIS WEEK IN EUROPE

Whatever the outcome, it is clear that the case brought by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission against Sir Allen Stanford in relation to some US$8 billion of certificates of deposit sold through Stanford International Bank (SIB), has resulted in a huge reputational blow with far-reaching and long-term consequences for Antigua, the region and its financial services industry.

Read the whole article here.

GE - Outsourced State Department visa work criticized by House panel

From my archive of press clippings:

Government Executive

Outsourced State Department visa work criticized by House panel

By Chris Strohm

CongressDaily

June 26, 2008

The State Department came under fire in Congress Wednesday for outsourcing visa processing work in Mexico to a contractor without an open competition.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"It created a program under which Computer Sciences Corp. has been given responsibility to collect visa information and fingerprints of Mexicans applying for new border crossing cards, which serve as an official document for Mexicans to enter the United States."

"The work by Computer Sciences Corp. is being performed under a modification to an existing contract the company has with the State Department, Tony Edson, State's deputy assistant secretary for visas, said at the hearing."

"The department estimates that more than 5.7 million cards will expire between 2008 and 2012, meaning that applications for them will surge."

&

"State Department officials must be prepared to handle applications for passports or passport-like cards from U.S. citizens living in Mexico, GAO said.

By law, they will need a passport or passport card to enter the United States by land crossings beginning in June 2009."

re: "No More Heroes? [David M - Thunder Run]"

The Denezins at Castle Argghhh! spank Andy Rooney.

Money quote(s):

"I’m not at all surprised my Mr. Rooney’s inability to find any heroes these days, since today’s heroes are fighting a war he would rather not acknowledge. Every day American men and women, the finest of our country, volunteer to put on the uniform of their country and step forward to shoulder a task that most American’s would rather not exist, by going to war at the behest of their country."

Edelweiss Lodge

Taken in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, on January 28, 2006.

TCDS - U.S. State Department Issues Travel Alert, Warns Against Drug Violence in Mexico

The Cornell Daily Sun



U.S. State Department Issues Travel Alert, Warns Against Drug Violence in Mexico

March 10, 2009 - 12:00am

By Sandie Cheng

Despite warnings issued throughout the nation about the increased bloodshed and chaos in Mexico, students who plan to travel there over spring break are confident that the use of common sense will keep them safe.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"On Feb. 20, the U.S. State Department released a warning to American travelers concerning the recent increase in drug-related violence in Mexico and its surrounding U.S. borders. Universities across the nation, including Cornell, have also released warnings to their students about the potential dangers of this popular spring break destination and urged students to exercise extreme caution."

"Despite warnings, students are not dissuaded from going south to the warmth of Mexico."

&

"In the travel alert issued by the U.S. State Department, travelers are advised against displaying a large amount of money or valuables, traveling to locations where prostitution and drug-dealing are prevalent, traveling at night, or traveling alone."