tagged w/ State Department
-
FOX NEWS continues to mock HILLARY CLINTON even after she was hospitalized for a blood clot following the concussion she suffered. FOX thinks it is all a scam to get out of testifying about the Benghazi, Libya attack. CLINTON will wipe the floor with Republicans searching for someway to pin the attack on PRESIDENT OBAMA when she does testify. Watch video and read more here: http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/01/02/foxs-stubborn-ridicule-of-hillary-clintons-heal/191974FOX NEWS continues to mock HILLARY CLINTON even after she was hospitalized for a blood... more
-
-
-
In the first Congressional session since the election, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) took to the House floor to call upon General David Petraeus, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to testify before Congress about the circumstances surrounding the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. General Petraeus had been scheduled to testify to Congress before he abruptly resigned from his position.
Congressman Kucinich led bipartisan opposition to the war in Libya and has raised questions about the security lapse in Benghazi during which a terrorist attack on a U.S. consulate resulted in four dead Americans, including our ambassador to Libya.
“We put together a bi-partisan Congressional coalition to try to stop the war in Libya. That four Americans, including our ambassador, were killed confirmed our worst fears – - that American power was being used to open the door for jihadists, creating more instability in the region.
“Congress still doesn’t know why our people in Libya were left vulnerable. We still don’t know why the U.S. military was not sent to their defense.
“It is of the highest importance that General Petraeus, who led the CIA at that time, be brought before Congress to testify as to what really happened in Benghazi, whether there was a security lapse or whether the Administration temporized on security, and stood down to mollify violent, disparate groups which have nothing in common with our nation.
“U.S. involvement in Libya is a disaster, compounded by the deaths of four Americans. It is imperative that we find out the truth about Benghazi, wherever it leads, whoever it affects.”
http://libertycrier.com/government/kucinich-calls-for-general-petraeus-to-testify-before-congress-about-91112-events-in-benghazi/In the first Congressional session since the election, Congressman Dennis Kucinich... more
-
-
On August 8, 2012, the American Humanist Association for the second time met with the U.S. Department of State's Office of International Religious Freedom (IRF) in Washington DC, joined by colleagues at the Center for Inquiry, International Humanist and Ethical Union, Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, and the Secular Coalition for America.
In attendance were Ambassador-at-Large Suzan Johnson Cook and several team leaders from the IRF office. Our organizations presented a report on atheist discrimination abroad, and asked that these cases be highlighted in the IRF's Annual Report next year. To read the report, click here: http://www.americanhumanist.org/system/storage/63/14/a/3436/2012_IRF_Report.pdfOn August 8, 2012, the American Humanist Association for the second time met with the... more
-
-
-
Gwenyth Todd had worked in a lot of places in Washington where powerful men didn’t hesitate to use sharp elbows. She had been a Middle East expert for the National Security Council in the Clinton administration. She had worked in the office of Defense Secretary Dick Cheney in the first Bush administration, where neoconservative hawks first began planning to overthrow Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. But she was not prepared a few years later in Bahrain when she encountered plans by high-ranking admirals to confront Iran, any one of which, she reckoned, could set the region on fire. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/sunk/2012/08/21/96209788-cebd-11e1-aa14-708bac2c7ee9_story.htmlGwenyth Todd had worked in a lot of places in Washington where powerful men... more
-
-
For the benefit of all those who are seemingly shocked with disbelief in my posting on the private armies which the State Department is sending into Iraq, at your expense; an expense that is greater per body than U.S. troops, to replace the troops which are being pulled out of Iraq to placate the PEOPLE, here is yet another link on the subject:
http://govinthelab.com/state-department-assembles-secret-private-army-in-iraq/
Yet, if you google the subject in several variations of the theme, you'll encounter numerous articles on the subject. As I was compelled to inform one commenter, this is not my opinion, this is the nightmare which I am being confronted with.For the benefit of all those who are seemingly shocked with disbelief in my posting on... more
-
-
When the Pentagon privatizes it's military force, it circumvents U.S. laws governing military conduct, Geneva Convention dictates, government scrutiny, hiding the cost of military interventions, and paves the way for a growing tiger in the form of a giant private army, which poses the threat of a junta a take over of our government. There is no provision in law to to allow this privatizing of military forces. It should be stopped before it goes any further!
"By January 2012, the State Department will do something it’s never done before: command a mercenary army the size of a heavy combat brigade. That’s the plan to provide security for its diplomats in Iraq once the U.S. military withdraws. And no one outside State knows anything more, as the department has gone to war with its independent government watchdog to keep its plan a secret.
Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), is essentially in the dark about one of the most complex and dangerous endeavors the State Department has ever undertaken, one with huge implications for the future of the United States in Iraq. “Our audit of the program is making no progress,” Bowen tells Danger Room.
For months, Bowen’s team has tried to get basic information out of the State Department about how it will command its assembled army of about 5,500 private security contractors. How many State contracting officials will oversee how many hired guns? What are the rules of engagement for the guards? What’s the system for reporting a security danger, and for directing the guards’ response?
And for months, the State Department’s management chief, former Ambassador Patrick Kennedy, has given Bowen a clear response: That’s not your jurisdiction. You just deal with reconstruction, not security. Never mind that Bowen has audited over $1.2 billion worth of security contracts over seven years."
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/07/iraq-merc-army/When the Pentagon privatizes it's military force, it circumvents U.S. laws... more
-
-
The military industrial complex and our government has determined that we are so stupid that they can manipulate and fool us forever. Even though they feel that they must cave to our demands to stop spending our money on the damned wars in the middle east, and begin bringing our troops home, they have planned to spend even more of our money than before to send private mercenaries into Iraq to replace our troops! This is one more insidious attempt by the criminally mitlitant corporate right to privatize every aspect of our national life! Write your legislators and the President and demand that our money not be spent on soldier privateers in the middle east or anywhere! Tell them we demand that the U.S. war on the middle east be stopped, and not just pretended to be stopped. Tell them we are not as stupid as they believe we are.
http://current.com/1leiukcThe military industrial complex and our government has determined that we are so... more
-
-
The United States on Monday issued a worldwide travel alert for its citizens, especially those living in Pakistan, soon after President Barack Obama announced that the Al Qaeda's Osama bin Laden has been killed in an operation outside Islamabad.The United States on Monday issued a worldwide travel alert for its citizens,... more
-
-
State Department Grilled About Bradley Manning's Treatment (Video)
-
-
Location
Washington National Cathedral
3101 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC, 20016
Phone: (202) 537-6200
See map: Google Maps
April 7, 2011 - 6:30pm - 8:00pm
See and hear three former Secretaries of State--Albright, Baker, and Powell--in lively dialogue at Washington National Cathedral on Thursday, April 7.
"Values and Diplomacy: a Conversation with Former Secretaries of State," explores how diplomats address diverse cultural or religious perspectives while protecting American interests abroad.
Walter Isaacson, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, moderates.
http://www.nationalcathedral.org/events/Aspen20110407.shtml
Fee: $10 regular; students $5Location
Washington National Cathedral
3101 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC,... more
-
-
-
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/13/state-departments-p-j-crowley-stepping-down/?hpt=T2
CNN sources revealed that State Department Spokesman PJ Crowley was forced to resign by the Obama White House after comments he made to a small group at MIT last week that were critical of the treatment of Bradley Manning, the serviceman accused of transferring secret documents to Wikileaks. Although Crowley qualified his remarks by stating that Manning "was in the right place" due to the "serious" nature of his alleged crimes, this did not prevent the White House from causing his resignation over his criticism of the conditions of imprisonment.
Manning is imprisoned at Quantico, Virginia pending investigation of the alleged crime of releasing diplomatic cables to the whistleblower website Wikileaks. Allegations that Manning has been subjected to torture and deprivation have recently surfaced.
In a later statement, Crowley said that his comments "were intended to highlight the broader, even strategic impact of discreet actions undertaken by national security agencies every day and their impact on our global standing and leadership".
"The exercise of power in today's challenging times and relentless media environment must be prudent and consistent with our laws and values," Crowley said. Crowley has also made clear he has the Obama administration's best interests at heart because any mistreatment of Manning could be damaging to President Obama.http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/13/state-departments-p-j-crowley-stepping-... more
-
-
The Obama administration stands ready to offer "any type of assistance" to Libyans seeking to oust Muammar Qaddafi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday, adding a warning to other African nations not to let mercenaries go to the aid of the long-time dictator.
Clinton echoed President Barack Obama's demand for Qaddafi to relinquish power.
"We want him to leave," she told reporters traveling with her Sunday to a U.N. meeting on Libya planned for Monday. "We want him to end his regime and call off the mercenaries and forces loyal to him.
"How he manages that is up to him."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/27/501364/main20036975.shtmlThe Obama administration stands ready to offer "any type of assistance" to... more
-
-
The already Twitter-savvy U.S. State Department is now tweeting in Arabic. A few days ago, the Department launched a new feed, @USAbilAraby, devoted exclusively to Arabic-speaking audiences. The account describes itself as the "US Department of State Arabic Media Hub," and, as of this morning, has already accumulated over 500 followers.
According to the Washington Post, the State Department opted to tweet in Modern Standard Arabic, which is noticeably more formal than the form in which younger social media users are communicating. Linguistics aside, the U.S. seems determined to get involved in the Middle East social networking conversation -- especially after recent events in Tunisia and Egypt. It's a sentiment that the State Department made clear in one of its very first Arabic tweets: "The US foreign ministry has recognized the historic role of social media in the Arab world and we want to be part of your conversations."
http://www.switched.com/2011/02/10/u-s-state-department-now-tweeting-in-arabic/The already Twitter-savvy U.S. State Department is now tweeting in Arabic. A few days... more
-
-
This report described the human rights conditions in Egypt.
"Security forces used unwarranted lethal force and tortured and abused prisoners and detainees, in most cases with impunity. Prison and detention center conditions were poor. Security forces arbitrarily arrested and detained individuals, in some cases for political purposes, and kept them in prolonged pretrial detention. The executive branch exercised control over and pressured the judiciary."
The U.S. gov't continued to supply funding to the Egyptian gov't despite these actions.
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/nea/136067.htmThis report described the human rights conditions in Egypt.
"Security forces... more
-
-
WWH- If the United States wants to punish wikileaks for releasing information that some unnamed source stole. Hillary Clinton should be prosecuted for directing state department personnel to steal information, DNA, retinal scans… from other government officials and United Nations diplomats.WWH- If the United States wants to punish wikileaks for releasing information that... more
-
-
http://www.techdirt.com/images/topic_politics.gif
The State Department has put out a press release announcing that it has approved spending $3.36 million next year to "train" foreign judges and other law enforcement officials about "intellectual property." There are 15 different projects, which all come down to various training programs for judges, police, law enforcement in how to kowtow to American industry in dealing with infringement of copyrights, trademarks and patents.
Given the way our government seems to think that whatever the industry says is accurate -- no matter how many times it's been disproved -- you have to imagine that any "training" is going to be laughably one-sided. For example, I note that one of the projects is:
> Latin American Online Piracy $142,944
> Training for judges from Peru, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay on
> combating digital/online copyright piracy crimes.
Except, last I checked, those countries had their own copyright laws, and didn't need to obey US specific laws. In the case of Brazil, for example, it's been contemplating new copyright laws that would be much more respectful of fair use and the public domain. Yet, given the way the State Department has acted in the past on these issues, why do I get the feeling that "fair use" isn't a part of the training campaign?http://www.techdirt.com/images/topic_politics.gif
The State Department has put out... more
-
-
Richard Holbrooke, U.S. Special Rep. for Afghanistan and Pakistan, has died, a senior administration official confirms.
Holbrooke dies days after heart surgery
From Jill Dougherty and Elise Labott, CNN
December 13, 2010 7:47 p.m. EST
U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke is "a towering figure in American foreign policy," President Barack Obama says.
Washington (CNN) -- U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke has died, a senior administration official told CNN Monday evening.
Holbrooke had undergone surgery in the past three days to repair a tear in his aorta, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday.
"He had a very serious medical emergency on Friday," Clinton said at a news conference in Quebec, Canada, with foreign ministers from Canada and Mexico. "He has received excellent care including many hours of surgery in the last three days. He is stable but still in very critical condition."
Earlier, a State Department official said Holbrooke was "absolutely fighting in an unbelievable way." Holbrooke remains unconscious after an additional procedure to aid circulation following the initial surgery on his aorta, the main artery of the body, the State Department said.
At a holiday reception for U.S. diplomats later Monday, President Barack Obama praised Holbrooke as "simply one of the giants of American foreign policy" who has served the nation "with distinction for nearly 50 years," including his work in negotiating the 1995 Dayton Accords that ended the Bosnian war in the former Yugoslavia.
"As anyone who has ever worked with him knows -- or had the clear disadvantage of negotiating across the table from him -- Richard is relentless," Obama said. "He never stops. He never quits. Because he's always believed that if we stay focused, if we act on our mutual interests, that progress is possible. Wars can end. Peace can be forged."
Holbrooke in critical condition
The president said he and his family were praying for Holbrooke's recovery, "and I know that everyone here joins me when I say that America is more secure -- and the world is a safer place -- because of" his work.
"And he is a tough son of a gun, so we are confident that, as hard as this is, that he is going to be putting up a tremendous fight," Obama said.
Holbrooke, the special U.S. representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan, is getting "fantastic care" at George Washington University Hospital, the State Department official said.
It is the same hospital where Ronald Reagan was taken after being shot in 1981. Holbrooke was taken there Friday after feeling ill at the State Department.
Clinton expressed appreciation for what she called an outpouring of concern and support from "presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers" who have called the State Department since news of Holbrooke's illness broke.
His surgeon continues to meet with the family to gives frequent updates, and Holbrooke "is receiving great support from a broad and growing community of family and friends," the State Department official said.
"It's remarkable how many messages of support (his wife, Kati Marton) and the family keep receiving from all corners: foreign ministers and ambassadors from around the world, President (Bill) Clinton, senators and congressmen, colleagues from this Af/Pak job, from Vietnam, from the Balkans, from the U.N., from the private sector," the official said.
Clinton and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen have visited the hospital numerous times, according to the State Department source, who said: "They've each come three times, informally chatting with family members, friends and staffers, and really helping to buoy the assembled."
The State Department also said Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari called Holbrooke's wife Sunday morning.
Zardari told CNN's Reza Sayah that Holbrooke is a "fighter." He said he told Holbrooke's wife to be "brave."
"I'm sure he will fight for his life, and he will come out of it," Zardari said.
Asked to reflect on Holbrooke's impact on the Pakistani region, Zardari called him an "extremely hard-working man" who can "get things done which would otherwise take weeks to get through."
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/13/holbrooke.illness/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1Richard Holbrooke, U.S. Special Rep. for Afghanistan and Pakistan, has died, a senior... more
-
