re: "Today's Reading Assignment"

Spook86 at In From the Cold gives some assigned reading.

His evaluation:

"Bolton's advice will fall on deaf ears. The Foggy Bottom crowd is now firmly in charge of U.S. security policies, and the career diplomats--along with the White House--have staked their reputations and legacies on the Six Party deal. Never mind that Kim Jong-il is up to his usual tricks."

CAA is presently slogging through Amb. Bolton's book. It's entertaining and occasionally has some fascinating tidbits, but a lot of it is so "inside baseball" as to drag through much of the early chapters.

re: "Philip Agee Is Dead. Should the Precedent Die With Him?"

Peter Spiro at Opinio Juris would like to guarantee spies' and traitors' "right of international travel."

I probably shouldn't be so hard on the guy, he's just arguing from his understanding of international law.

Money quote(s):

"Among his legacies as a CIA renegade is the legal battle surrounding the revocation of his passport in 1979. In Haig v. Agee, the Supreme Court upheld the action against statutory and constitutional challenges. The Court found the relevant regulation — allowing the Secretary of State to undertake such action where "[t]he Secretary determines that the national's activities abroad are causing or are likely to cause serious damage to the national security or the foreign policy of the United States" — to have been implicitly authorized by Congress, and found its application to Agee to violate neither a right to travel nor to free expression. Then as now, it's unlawful to depart the United States without a valid passport except in limited circumstances. See the Immigration and National Act § 215(b).



The reg is still with us (22 CFR § 51.70(b)(4)), but I wonder if it's been used in recent decades. (The most significant expansion of passport revocation involves parents in child support arrearages, which one can take as an riff on revoking passports of criminal flight risks.) "



Okay, that may have made your eyes glaze over.



"(M)ight one be able to make something more of a right of international travel, which might in turn impact the constitutional thinking on the question? Congress amended the passport act in 1978 to better conform with the Final Helsinki Act (which of course was concerned with East Bloc exit controls). The law now provides that "Unless authorized by law, a passport may not be designated as restricted for travel to or for use in any country other than a country with which the United States is at war, where armed hostilities are in progress, or where there is imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of United States travelers." "



Still glazed-over?



"The right to exit one's on country is pretty well established as a matter of international law. Although it's true that article 12 of the ICCPR allows for derogation of such a right where "necessary to protect national security," the Human Rights Committee has stressed the high hurdle to invoking the exception — see this general comment from 1999 which among other things notes that it "would not be met, for example, if an individual were prevented from leaving a country merely on the ground that he or she is the holder of 'State secrets.' " "

re: "Too Many Young People?"

Jeb Koogler at Foreign Policy Watch ("Diplomatic strategy, international news, and thoughtful political analysis") reviews a New York Times article critical of Peace Corps staffing practice.

Money quote(s):

"To a certain extent, Strauss is right: the Peace Corps might consider focusing a little less on young people, and a little more on increasing their recruitment from an older, more experienced crowd. Greater presence of an older generation would help the program to run more smoothly, and facilitate the success of the organization's younger recruits. But Strauss also overstates his case -- in particular, he errs when he suggests that young volunteers are less valuable because they are not yet "effective development workers."The fact is, the "effectiveness" of the young recruits is not as paramount as Strauss cracks it up to be -- the Peace Corps is as much about presenting a friendly, human face of the United States as it is about efficiently completing its development tasks (i.e. teaching English, building schools, etc.)."

&

"(T)he Peace Corps should ensure that they're hiring competent people and placing them in positions where they can make a difference. But the group's purpose is also, perhaps just as much, about establishing connections between different people and developing relationships across cultures. In effect, it's as much about the human connections as it is about the actual work. In this regard, the energy and attitude of young people can be an extremely important asset."

Note: CAA loves the Peace Corps!

Second-hand hat tip to Alanna.

re: "Justice isn't always pretty."

John at Castle Argghhh! ("The Home of Two of Jonah's Military Guys") delivers the LTC Jordan verdict.

Money quote(s):

"(J)ustice has been served. Too bad that justice sometimes folds, spindles, and mutilates those who get caught up in it."

re: "The Army and Marines and Military Government'

LTC (R) Brent C. Bankus and Professor James Kievit at the Small Wars Journal have written a thoughtful article.



Your first taste:

"Despite the apparent preference of many of today’s military officers to have some other entity (whether of the US government, the United Nations, or even private contractors?) be responsible for doing so, the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps actually have a long history of establishing and running “governments” in both smaller-scale contingency operations and in the aftermath of major theater war."

Download the whole thing here.

update the way we train and deploy diplomats

"It's also time to update the way we train and deploy diplomats, especially the sort of multi-talented policy officers we want in conflict zones. They shouldn't be completely defenseless. They wouldn't be soldiers, but rather professionals with rudimentary training in self-defense and in operating in a combat or high-intensity conflict situation."

Prague River Scene (XII)

Taken in Prague, Czech Republic on September 8, 2006.

JO - Gov't gets $1.7b from EU for infrastructure projects

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

Gov't gets $1.7b from EU for infrastructure projects

Saturday, December 08, 2007


PRIME Minister Bruce Golding and Head of Delegation of the European Commission to Jamaica, Ambassador Marco Mazzocchi Alemanni this week signed financing agreements for a combination of projects slated to cost $1.7 billion (euro 17.6 million).

The four projects receiving funding from the European Commission, through grants, include two infrastructure projects and support for technical co-operation with the Planning Institute of Jamaica and other partners, including non-governmental organisations.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding (right) and Head of Delegation of the European Commission to Jamaica Marco Mazzocchi Alemanni symbolically exchange contracts at Monday's signing ceremony for EU grants to cover the financing of four projects totalling 1.7 billion.

Under the Support to the Road Sector Programme, the government of Jamaica will be assisted with strengthening and improving road maintenance operations. This intervention has two components. The first for an amount of $990 million (euro 10 million) is provided through sector budget support to the Ministry of Transport and Works to assist in implementing road maintenance plans.

The funding will also facilitate euro 2.25 million which will be directed to strengthening the management capacity of the institutions involved in road maintenance - Ministry of Transport, National Works Agency, Department for Local Government and Island Traffic Authority.

Among the agreements signed on Monday was the Rehabilitation of the Negril and Ocho Rios Wastewater Treatment Plants. For the Negril plant, the project aims, among other targets, to restore the stabilisation ponds which will ultimately increase the sewage treatment capacity and efficiency. A sludge thickener will be constructed next to the current treatment plant in Ocho Rios and this will significantly limit the amount of material produced, thereby reducing the storage capacity requirement.

Institutional Strengthening of the Planning Institute of Jamaica II is a four-year programme to ensure effective utilisation of EU-Jamaica co-operation funds by assisting the Deputy National Authorising Office, through capacity building and training, to perform duties as stipulated by the Cotonou Agreement.

The European Commission will also provide $136,991,400 (euro 1,369,914) for the Technical Cooperation Facility. This four-year project is designed to assist with identification and successful implementation of actions financed by the European Development Fund through the provision of technical assistance and the improvement of awareness among key actors of general development and trade issues and of EU policies through training.

Funding for the projects has been provided under the 9th European Development Fund.

WT - Bill aims to keep track of foreign students

From my archive of press clippings:

Washington Times

Bill aims to keep track of foreign students

By Audrey Hudson

December 7, 2007

www.House.gov Rep. Gus Bilirakis, Florida Republican, wants colleges to report to the government when foreign students are unaccounted for in order to make sure they are "doing what they came here to do."

Legislation authored by Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida would allow for tracking and thorough background checks on foreign students to block those with terrorist ties from participating in the U.S. student visa program.

Mr. Bilirakis, a Republican, said his measure is a response to the indictment of two University of South Florida students from Egypt who were caught with pipe bombs near a Navy installation in South Carolina.

"I recognize it is very important to encourage and help to extend America's higher education system to students from other countries. I also believe that the existing guidelines for issuing and tracking foreign students need improvement," he said.

Mr. Bilirakis said he penned the legislation after conversations with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on the security procedures for the issuing of student visas and classified briefings on the Florida students.

Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed and Youssef Samir Megahed were stopped by police on Aug. 4 in Goose Creek, S.C., and charged with possession of explosive devices.

Mr. Mohamed also is accused of teaching and demonstrating the making and the use of an explosive device. He produced an online video that shows terrorists how to use remote-controlled toys to detonate bombs.

The revelation prompted a new rule by the Transportation Security Administration prohibiting remote-controlled toys in carry-on luggage aboard commercial aircraft.

Under Mr. Bilirakis' legislation, colleges would be required to report prolonged absences and keep closer tabs on the activities of foreign students.

continued

Schools must report when a foreign student quits attending classes later in the academic term for more than 30 days or when a student is not heard from for 60 days or more during a nonacademic period.

Colleges or universities will have to report to the Department of Homeland Security the names of foreign students who transfer to other institutions or programs.

Homeland Security officials also will be required to monitor school performance.

"Through stronger cooperation between the State Department and Homeland Security Department, the government can ensure that foreign students are here doing what they came here to do," Mr. Bilirakis said.

Ken Gullette, a spokesman for the University of South Florida, told the Tampa Tribune they have complied with regulations passed after September 11 "and will gladly cooperate with any modifications to those regulations."

"The legislation raises many questions — particularly relating to the observation of international students — that are difficult to address without more specifics," Mr. Gullette said.

re: "Paying the Piper"

Dr. Jerry Pournelle ("The Original Blog*") always has his eye on the horizon, looking at longterm trends and the big picture.

Money quote(s):

"I know what the country needs, but I have no idea of what we will get. I wish I did. But before we can decide what must be done, we have to decide what we want. Do we want a nanny state? Most of the voters seem to want that. Do we want a nation that lives mostly by soaking the rich and using the proceeds to pay for services including supporting tens of millions of illegal aliens?

Do we want competent empire or a Republic? These are questions that don't go away, although at the moment we don't address them as we slouch toward incompetent empire, the worst of all choices.

That trend cannot continue.

Those who pay the piper call the tunes. At the moment a tiny minority at the top of our social structure pays most of the taxes. Guess who will continue to call the tunes."

re: "Things that matter'

Blake Hounshell at PASSPORT ("A blog by the editors of FOREIGN POLICY") doesn't think much of this choice.

Money quote(s):

"The U.S. State Department's point man for Pakistan—perhaps the world's most dangerous place—has virtually no previous experience in South Asia."

"Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher, whose prior positions were assistant secretary for public affairs and department spokesman.

This is not a knock on Boucher, mind you. I'm sure he's a dedicated and capable public servant with a sterling reputation inside the department. He does speak French and Chinese, and was consul in Hong Kong and Cyprus."

&

"U.S. policy on Pakistan is probably being (screwed up) set at a level well above his pay grade. I'm just mystified as to why the higher-ups thought he was the best person in the entirety of the U.S. foreign-policy apparatus for this critical job." (Note: the phrase "screwed up" which appears in the last passage does not appear in parenthesis in the original text, where it appears in text which has been struck-out.)

re: "Elmer tries to scam them again"

Hillbilly White Trash ("Commenting about politics, religion, firearms, food, Celtic music, beer, science fiction and the Asheville Vortex. Home of the Hillbilly Ecosystem.") comments on Gov. Huckabee's recent stance and un-stance on birthright citizenship.

Money quote(s):

"(Huckabee) shows great skill at playing the conservative base. He stakes out a position which is absolutely right, but has no chance whatsoever of being enacted into law.

In order for a constitutional amendment to become law it must be ratified by three quarters of the states. Despite the fact that the amendment which was designed by congress to grant citizenship to freed slaves and their children was ONLY intended to grant citizenship to that particular group and was never intended to grant citizenship to the children of foreign nationals it has, through a Supreme Court misinterpretation, done exactly that."

re: "The BBC's Notion Of What Constitutes An "Arranged Marriage" "

Expat Yank ("One American living in the south of England") corrects the BBC.

Money quote(s):

"(T)he BBC therefore might like some clarification. An “arranged marriage” is when one happily marries a partner to whom one was introduced by a third party. (The BBC may recall it produced a ”reality show” on that very process.) But when one does NOT want to marry that person to whom one was introduced, but is instead coerced into doing so, that ceases to be an “arranged marriage”; it becomes a “forced marriage“.

According to the Home Office, those latter are illegal." (Emphasis in original.)

re: "The Messy Politics of Illegal Immigration'

Victor Davis Hanson has a must-read article published at RealClearPolitics.

Money quote(s):

"(I)llegal immigration is heating up as a campaign issue. The public wants action, and the candidates are scrambling to react."

"Some time ago, supporters of open borders lost the debate. The majority of Americans want them closed -- now! They ignore the tired slurs like "anti-immigrant," "racist," "protectionist" and "nativist." And noisy May Day parades with Mexican flags and heated rhetoric from the National Council of La Raza ("The Race") only turn more people off.It doesn't do any good, either, for a Mexico City functionary to cry about how mean we are to want a secure border with Mexico. Most Americans also tuned that out long ago.

They know instead that Mexico cares mostly about sending north those it won't or can't feed and house -- so it can skim off from them billions in remittances once they arrive in the United States.

Mexico City, of course, could reform the country's laws and economy whenever it wants. But it changes only enough to draw in tourists or Americans looking to buy vacation homes, not to better the lives of millions of its mestizo poor in the heartland."

&

"Close the border now through fencing, more agents, employer sanctions, enforcement of the law and verifiable identification. Restore faith in the melting pot by insisting that new legal arrivals learn English and the customs and protocols of the United States.

Explain to the Mexican and Central American governments that using the United States to avoid addressing internal problems -- while making easy dollars off the backs of their own expatriate laborers -- is over.

Finally, deport aliens who have broken the law, are not working or have just arrived. Some illegal aliens will not like the new atmosphere of tough enforcement and will voluntarily go back home. Others may have criminal records or no history of employment and should leave as well.

But many millions of law-abiding, employed illegal aliens of long residence will wish to stay. We should allow these to remain in the United States while they apply for citizenship -- if they are willing to learn promptly our language and customs.

Republican candidates must risk angering their base by ruling out mass deportation. Democrats should support closing the border tightly and quickly -- and not cave in to open-borders pressure groups.

Making these tough choices now is what most voters want. The candidates of both parties in the next few months will either adjust accordingly or lose elections."

Like I said, must-read. So go and read the whole thing.

You can also read his stuff here and here.

re: "Fascism's Legacy: Liberalism"

Daniel Pipes discusses the thesis of Jonah Goldberg's new book.

Money quote(s):

"Liberal fascism sounds like an oxymoron – or a term for conservatives to insult liberals. Actually, it was coined by a socialist writer, none other than the respected and influential left-winger H.G. Wells"

"These facts jar because they contradict the political spectrum that has shaped our worldview since the late 1930s, which places communism at the far Left, followed by socialism, liberalism in the center, conservatism, and then fascism on the far Right. But this spectrum, Jonah Goldberg points out in his brilliant, profound, and original new book, Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning (Doubleday), reflects Stalin's use of fascist as an epithet to discredit anyone he wished – Trotsky, Churchill, Russian peasants – and distorts reality. Already in 1946, George Orwell noted that fascism had degenerated to signify "something not desirable." "

"A statist ideology, fascism uses politics as the tool to transform society from atomized individuals into an organic whole. It does so by exalting the state over the individual, expert knowledge over democracy, enforced consensus over debate, and socialism over capitalism. It is totalitarian in Mussolini's original meaning of the term, of "Everything in the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State." Fascism's message boils down to "Enough talk, more action!" Its lasting appeal is getting things done.

In contrast, conservatism calls for limited government, individualism, democratic debate, and capitalism. Its appeal is liberty and leaving citizens alone.
Goldberg's triumph is to establish the kinship between communism, fascism, and liberalism. All derive from the same tradition that goes back to the Jacobins of the French Revolution. His revised political spectrum would focus on the role of the state and go from libertarianism to conservatism to fascism in its many guises – American, Italian, German, Russian, Chinese, Cuban, and so on."

&

"(F)ascism is flexible; different iterations differ in specifics but they share "emotional or instinctual impulses." Mussolini tweaked the socialist agenda to emphasize the state; Lenin made workers the vanguard party; Hitler added race. If the German version was militaristic, the American one (which Goldberg calls liberal fascism) is nearly pacifist."

those volunteering to serve in dangerous jobs deserve protection

"But that's easily fixed: Give State Department employees who serve in dangerous places overseas the same benefits military members get when serving in a war or combat zone. Those volunteering to serve in dangerous jobs deserve all the protection Uncle Sam can give them."

Re-Americanization (XXXIV)

Some live entertainment along the street.

Taken in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia on July 1, 2007.

WT - Chertoff backs rule on illegals

From my archive of press clippings:

Washington Times

Chertoff backs rule on illegals


By Audrey Hudson

December 6, 2007

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff yesterday said the government will not discard a contested rule to weed out illegal workers by matching Social Security numbers.

U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer in San Francisco struck down the "no-match" rule Oct. 10 after a legal complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and labor unions. The complaint asserts that the rule would cause irreparable harm to 8 million workers.

"That is bad for immigration enforcement and bad for America's law-abiding employers and their legal workers," Mr. Chertoff said.

"The only real beneficiaries of the ACLU's strategy are employers who would rather close their eyes to cheap and profitable illegal labor than obey the laws of our country," he said.
The Justice Department filed an appeal on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week and portions of the rule will be rewritten to address some of the court's concerns.

"Far from abandoning the no-match rule, we are pressing ahead by taking the district court's order to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals," Mr. Chertoff said.

"I believe that the no-match rule is a major step forward in preventing employment of illegal migrants," he said. "Contrary to the ACLU's incorrect statements, the rule is not harmful to legal workers. DHS is not abandoning it."

Judge Breyer put a stop to the rule after more than 140,000 no-match letters were issued by the Social Security Administration, and in a four-page ruling said the database system was flawed.

continued

ACLU attorney Lucas Guttentag said the federal government "should finally abandon this illegal approach instead of repeating the same mistake."

The ACLU said the discrepancies can wreak havoc with workers and could cause undue discrimination against "anyone who looks or sounds foreign."

Under the no-match rule, employers must submit an employee's Social Security number to the federal government for tax purposes. If the number does not match that on file with the Social Security Administration, the employer is informed of the mismatch.

According to the Social Security inspector general, there are nearly 18 million discrepancies in the agency's database, more than 70 percent of which are on the records of U.S. citizens.

Mr. Chertoff admits mistakes can happen and that discrepancies can occur due to clerical errors.

"If the mismatch is a clerical error, that is a good opportunity to correct the mistake. When the mismatch shows fraud, however, appropriate steps should be taken," he said.

"But sometimes the discrepancy reflects the fact that the employee in question is an illegal alien," he said.

"When employers receive such no-match letters, they are on notice that the employees in question may not be authorized to work," he said.

Businesses that follow the rule would be provided a safe harbor from enforcement action.
"Those that ignore no-match letters place themselves at obvious risk and invite suspicion that they are knowingly employing workers who are here illegally," Mr. Chertoff said.

GE - Defense, diplomatic agencies collaborate on counterinsurgency guide

From my archive of press clippings:

Government Executive

Defense, diplomatic agencies collaborate on counterinsurgency guide

By Greg Grant ggrant@govexec.com


December 6, 2007


The Defense and State departments and the U.S. Agency for International Development have collaborated on an interim counterinsurgency guide that calls for a "whole-of-government" approach to battling these complex conflicts.

Based on an analysis of six years of fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, Counterinsurgency for U.S. Government Policy Makers: A Work in Progress, is intended to serve as a foundation for a final guide for policy-makers and as an operational handbook. A group with representatives from nine agencies developed the guide over nine months.

State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs led the effort, which was informed in part by the counterinsurgency experiences of Australia and the United Kingdom. Former Australian Army officer David Kilcullen, who recently served as an adviser to U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus in Iraq, is overseeing an interagency effort to produce a civilian counterinsurgency doctrine, which is due out in early 2008.

The guide is the first serious governmentwide effort to create a national counterinsurgency framework since the Kennedy administration tried to stem the spread of communism in Vietnam in 1962. At that time, there was extensive interagency involvement in rural development and security efforts, particularly by USAID, which at one point had nearly 15,000 officers serving in Vietnam.

The manual combines current counterinsurgency theory with lessons learned by personnel from State, USAID, the military and other agencies. Drafters emphasized that it is not an academic document, but aims to fill a hole that exists because there is no civilian agency publication on counterinsurgency to complement the new Army and Marine Corps counterinsurgency manual.

According to the guide, insurgency is "armed politics," and while military action is essential to establishing security, only political resolution will lead to ultimate success. The guide recommends that civilian and military efforts join in an integrated "clear, hold and build" strategy that focuses on first on securing the populace, then on long-term economic development assistance -- a clear reference to the counterinsurgency strategy being applied in Iraq under Petraeus.

The guide also emphasizes the importance of providing information in counterinsurgency operations to create a narrative enhancing an embattled government's legitimacy. Such a narrative, it says, "must resonate with the population and be based upon verifiable facts and measurable progress rather than promises." The primary effort must be seen by the local population as indigenous, because only a local government can mobilize the support of its people against an insurgent movement, the drafters wrote.

The writing group stressed the importance of a unified civilian-military authority, saying that successful counterinsurgency operations "can often be directly attributed to capable, imaginative individuals in key leadership positions."

Military officers in Iraq have complained that the American government frequently is absent from efforts there. They say officers often lack vital governance and economic development skills. Effective counterinsurgency requires "deep and detailed context and culture-specific understanding of local and regional conditions," the guide says.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has emphasized the need to bolster the "soft power" elements of government that he said were vital to the successful outcome of the Cold War. Speaking at Kansas State University on Nov. 26, he said future conflicts will be more political in nature than strictly military confrontation and that "success will be less a matter of imposing one's will and more a function of shaping behavior."

Gates said funding for soft power elements remains disproportionately small compared to what is spent on the military. He called for dramatically increased spending on the civilian instruments of national security.

He noted that the total State Department budget is $36 billion, less than the amount the Pentagon spends on health care in a given year. In addition, there are only 6,600 Foreign Service officers, less than the personnel in one carrier strike group. Up to 30 percent of Foreign Service officers soon will be eligible for retirement, which could cause a loss of vital expertise that cannot be contracted out.

re: "On Polls and "Comebacks" "

The Diplomad ("Ramblings from the Far Abroad and Voted Right Wing News' "Best Up & Coming Blog" for 2004") breaks blogging silence with some observations about the recent primaries.

Money quote(s):

"The MSM have done it again: created a false story and then expressed amazement at how the characters in that false story defied the odds and produced something totally unpredicted."

"Remember Florida 2000? It was the MSM that predicted Gore had won and did so not only while votes were still being counted but while the ongoing tally showed Bush in the lead. At no time did the official vote count -- or the subsequent recounts -- show Gore having won Florida. This did not stop the MSM from creating a political mess of many weeks duration, almost provoking a Constitutional crisis, and giving birth to an enduring black legend that somehow Gore "wuz robbed." Gore might have won in the press boxes of the media, but the "inconvenient truth" is that he did not in the ballot boxes of Florida."

&

"Despite abandonment by their usual stable of acolytes, the Clinton machine churned out a victory in New Hampshire. HRC had been written off by her fickle friends, but not apparently by her voters. So what do the MSM do? Repent? Admit colossal stooopidity? No. They write silly stories about how HRC has pulled off an amazing comeback and has now clawed her way back (into the graces of the MSM?) I suspect there was no "comeback." Her voters were there all along."

no military hospital or VA system to rely on

"For example, when a member of the military is deployed to a war zone, that person gets combat pay and a government-supplied life insurance policy. It's different for a Foreign Service Officer. If assigned to a war zone, an FSO's private life insurance policy may become null and void. And, if the officer is injured, there's no military hospital or VA system to rely on back stateside."

Prague River Scene (XI)

Taken in Prague, Czech Republic on September 8, 2006.

JO - No to police/army merger

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

No to police/army merger

Thursday, December 06, 2007


Dear Editor,


I write to express my concern in relation to the possible merger of the army and the police. I would like to be provided with more information on this matter; therefore, I am urging the relevant authorities to make public the complete process of this merger.

I am really concerned, as in my view the army should be a separate entity from the police force. The army and the police both have different histories, functions, ways of life and were set up for different reasons.

If a merger occurs, their identities would be lost. They would no longer serve their true purpose. I strongly oppose the merging of the army and the police force and I urge the army to speak up about this issue and let their views be heard.

I am not in any way saying that crime should not be dealt with, but there are other ways and means to fight crime effectively. I think the government should stop acting like it elected itself into parliament and should allow everybody, poor and rich, to get involved in fighting crime. Take the suggestions, review them, and implement the 'workable' ones.

The merging of the army and police force is unnecessary. It won't solve the crime problem. The police should be equipped with the right resources, be properly trained and should be one step ahead of the gunmen who constantly ravage this country. In this way there will be no need for a merger, as this would probably put more strain on the country's already depleted resources.

R Bryan
suzzannebrn@yahoo.com

JG - It's all-white for Carlos' anniversary

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

It's all-white for Carlos' anniversary

published: Sunday November 25, 2007


Contributed photo

Carlos MaxBrown chills at his party.

Apollonia, Contributor


The MaxBrowns celebrated Saturday night with old and new friends along with Kingston's fashion crowd. All gathered to see Carlos' new edition on the property as the deputy mayor, Councillor Lee Clark, cut the ribbon of Sophia's new clothing store.


As he announced that you could shop, wine and dine, the large gathering applauded, clearly not having thought of these new possibilities! Seventeen years and still on the cutting edge.

The invite specified - dress in white - and the crowd dutifully obliged. (Except a few in prints - can we give the poor leopards a break, please)? But hot was the word for Sophia in shorts, yes, short shorts, and she has the gams to wear them, still flawless and every bit as beautiful as when she opened Caution all those years ago.

Well, with everyone clad in white, the décor matching and flowing, Carlos' Café felt like Collins Avenue, the Delano to be exact, minus the sea, of course - work with me here ... young and not so young paid their respects to one of their favourite stamping grounds over these many years.

And, of course, the MaxBrowns did it with a bang, spoiling us with loads of food from fritters to escovitch to festival to jerked pork - yum, with a fashion show featuring the gorgeous Danielle Ohayan to boot!

Enjoying the night were Brent Curlino and Kim Brown, Janet Farrow and Bill Edwards, Jamaica's best hairstylists Tracy Stewart and Candy Crichton, Stephanie Ammar, Julia Lowe, Angie Harris with daughter Christelle Harris and husband Anthony Harris, Raoul in from St. Martin to party with his mom and siblings, Storm Saulter along with his gorgeous Sarah Silvera, Digicel's Angela Whilyman, the zoot suit master Danny Champagnie, Jenny Berry, Percy Hussey, Charles Hussey, Ryan Russell, Tiffany Rosheuvel, Luke Williams, David Foster, Mirah Lim and the Zumba queen Nina Miskovsky.

re: "Illegal Immigration to be abolished says MEP"

England Expects has some interesting news.

It'll be interesting to see how that's to be accomplished.

Money quote(s):

"(T)his will be law. It does not seem to have crossed the young chaps mind that modern equivalent of slavery is slavery, as those in Mauritania and Sudan will testify. The point is that slavery is involuntary and immigration, even illegal immigration, is voluntary. Now if you are talking about those being trafficked into sex slavery, then call it what it is slavery and it must be stopped. But don't equate illegal immigration with slavery, you cheapen the concept.

Oh and how the hell does he think that illegal immigration can be abolished?"

re: "Parallel History, 8 Jan 2003: Future of Iraq Project"

The Avuncular American ("An expatriate view from Europe by Gerald Loftus") reminds us of some forgotten, if recent, history.

re: "The winds of change"

Tigerhawk has a great two-paragraph quote today:

"Suffice it for them that George W. Bush was at the helm of the dominant imperial power when the world of Islam and of the Arabs was in the wind, played upon by ruinous temptations, and when the regimes in the saddle were ducking for cover, and the broad middle classes in the Arab world were in the grip of historical denial of what their radical children had wrought. His was the gift of moral and political clarity.

In America and elsewhere, those given reprieve by that clarity, and single-mindedness, have been taking this protection while complaining all the same of his zeal and solitude. In his stoic acceptance of the burdens after 9/11, we were offered a reminder of how nations shelter behind leaders willing to take on great challenges."

re: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell? More Like, Don't Pay Attention."

The point that Megan Carpenter at Wonkette ("The DC Gossip") and her commenters don't get is that the military doesn't set the policy. President Clinton set this policy and Congress enacted it into law. The military doesn't get to just wish it away out of existance, even if local commanders turn a blind eye to it (and I'm not saying they're even all that wrong to do so).

re: "Fanaticism inherent in Islam itself: Hirsi Ali reviews Lee Harris"

Neo-Neocon shares her thoughts about Hirsi Ali's review of Lee Harris' new book, "The Suicide of Reason."

Money quote(s):

"The main thesis of Harris’s book is that Islam has not just been temporarily “hijacked” by the more extreme of its fanatics, as though the most restrictive sects of Christianity or Judaism had taken control of their respective religions. He asserts that fanaticism and world-domination are basic tenets of Islam." (Emphasis in original.)

In other words, they aren't bugs; they're features!

"The West’s Enlightenment emphasis on reason, and on religious and intellectual tolerance, is one of its great strengths. But Harris writes that this attitude of tolerance, taken as far as it has been today in many areas of the West, has become a weakness in fighting against this particular enemy."

&

"(T)here is no other way to fight the forces of intolerance than to believe in and defend ourselves."

re: "When Azzam Gets Marched Home Again, Hurrah!"

Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarters covers Mr. Pearlman's latest release.

Money quote(s):

"Maybe in a way, we are lucky to have Adam Gadahn as this war's Lord Haw Haw. The misfit from Garden Grove can communicate in a manner clear to most Americans, which at least has the virtue of avoiding misunderstandings."

&

"The catastrophe suffered by AQ in Iraq is an objective fact, and Gadahn's missive recalls the laughable lunacy of Saddam Hussein's spokesman insisting that the US invasion had collapsed even as our troops entered Baghdad.

Otherwise, the only real point of interest in this tape is AQ's insistence that America has to convert to Islam or perish. Calling Christianity "baseless", he demanded that American soldiers submit to Islam or face God's wrath. Note that Gadahn didn't just stop with a call to pull our military out of the Persian Gulf region, or claim that trade with Islamists would remove any motivation for them to commit acts of war on the US. Their terrorism against the US and the West doesn't hinge on trade policy, but on their lunatic pursuit of a global caliphate -- and our submission.

Gadahn also tore up his American passport in protest. I guess that would be his protest against our losses in Iraq and Afghanistan, right? He assured the audience that he doesn't need it to travel, but we'd like to remind him that we don't need him to have it to get dragged back to the US, either. He faces an indictment for treason, and every time he makes one of these tapes, he provides the US with more evidence to use in his trial."

There are probably lots of consular officers out there who'd happily waive the application fee for a replacement (and one-way) passport home for Mr. Gadahn.

enough State Department officers stepped up voluntarily

"Luckily this crisis was averted. After the media covered the story, enough State Department officers stepped up voluntarily to solve the problem. But we need to make sure this doesn't happen again. Because, while the government can force its employees to serve overseas (after all, they did take an oath to serve), it shouldn't have to. A better incentive package could help solve this problem."

M-1 Abrams tanks

Main battle tanks pass by the Bandit "fest tent" on their way back from the Udairi Range complex. Taken on April 5, 2003 at Camp Udairi (now Camp Buehring), Kuwait.

FT - DoD, State sign agreement on contractors in Iraq

From my archive of press clippings:

Federal Times

DoD, State sign agreement on contractors in Iraq

By WILLIAM H. MCMICHAEL

December 05, 2007


Private security contractors working in Iraq will coordinate movements with U.S. military officials and adhere to clearer rules on the use of deadly force, according to a memorandum of understanding signed today at the Pentagon by the deputy secretaries of State and Defense.

The final authority for such movements, however, will rest with the chief of mission — currently, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker.

The agreement, worked out by the two departments along with the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and Multi-National Force-Iraq, aims “to improve coordination of our private security contractors operating in Iraq,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.

The agreement, which covers movement coordination and control, incident response, use of force and accountability, was signed Wednesday afternoon by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte.

“We think this is a very good and strong memorandum of agreement between our two departments, and should vastly improve the coordination and control of private security contractors operating in Iraq,” Whitman said.

Some operational details will be hammered out by U.S. officials in Iraq, he said.

Whitman denied the agreement falls short of the Pentagon’s desire for greater military control over private security contractors in Iraq.

He said England would not have signed it if defense officials thought it “didn’t address the needs of our commanders in the field,” Whitman said.

The agreement was hammered out 2½ months after a Sept. 16 incident in Iraq in which 17 Iraqi civilians were shot and killed while a personal security detail from the U.S. firm Blackwater USA was escorting a U.S. Embassy convoy through Baghdad. The incident launched investigations by Defense and State, a congressional inquiry and calls for ending Blackwater operations in Iraq.

Under the agreement, State Department personal security details will give State and Defense tactical controllers advance movement details when moving outside coalition operating areas — normally, 24 hours in advance. The control cells will exchange liaison officers in order to increase coordination. MNF-I will review all movements and provide recommendations on alternate routes if threat levels dictate.

Generally, the details “will comply” with those recommendations unless the chief of mission dictates otherwise, the agreement says.

Use of deadly force is spelled out in detail. For instance, if a shot must be fired, the shooter “must use only well-aimed shots with due regard for the safety of innocent bystander(s), and must immediately notify the appropriate operation center and request assistance as needed.”

That rule is directly aimed at the Sept. 16 incident, in which the Blackwater guards were accused of firing indiscriminately.

That case remains in limbo; the Associated Press previously reported that State gave all the Blackwater guards involved immunity from prosecution in return for cooperating with their investigators. The company said the convoy came under attack; the Iraqi government said the shooting was unprovoked.

The incident also raised questions about whether the Blackwater personnel involved would fall under Iraqi or U.S. law, even though such personnel fall under an immunity order established by the first U.S. occupation government established after the 2003 invasion.

The new agreement does not resolve that question. But it promises that State and Defense will “continue to work together to expedite the enactment of legislation to establish a clear legal basis for holding” security contractors operating in Iraq “accountable under U.S. law.”
State and Defense will “closely coordinate” the immediate response to serious incidents “to the maximum extent possible.” And where appropriate, MNF-I will take the lead in immediately securing the scene of such an incident.

Security details will also be required to undergo mandatory training prior to operating in Iraq in areas such as relevant law, rules for the use of force, the Law of Armed Conflict, as well as a scenario-based type of training to be based on recent incidents and threat reporting. Refresher training will be required annually.

JG - A new hot spot is born

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

A new hot spot is born

published: Sunday November 25, 2007

Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

In a city that once prided itself for its sinfully indulgent nightlife, in recent years Kingston has become rather dull, except for a few notable night spots that have kept the party-hearty and nightclub crawlers buzzing.

To be sure, it's not that the city isn't hot and happening on any given night of the week. It is all that, and then some, as whereas the party crowd has moved away from the structured nightclubbing for the most part, a whole new cadre of entrepreneurs have sprung up over the years, and they have changed the face of partying to an events-driven nightlife!

Well, enter the dapper and rakishly handsome Carl MaxBrown, and his eatery and night-time hot spot, Carlos' Café, on Belmont Road, and voila, a sensational new hot spot was born. To begin with, Carlos' Café emerged as a hybrid between a fabulous eatery by day - the place for power-lunches and cementing high-profile deals by the high and the mighty; and by night a sophisticated restaurant on one hand, buttressed by a fabulous floorshow - a Las Vegas or the hot spots in neighbouring Cuba - highlighted by a bevy of chorus girls, fashion and/or some other type of high-end cabaret performance.

Good reputation

In so doing, Carl MaxBrown set the early stage for events-driven nightlife, as not only did his Carlos' Café emerge as the leading Latin- flavoured hot spot this side of the English-speaking Caribbean, it gained a regional and international reputation as one of Kingston's leading nightclubs in the process.

While Carlos' Café boasted the hottest Latin-inspired entertainment in the city, it also took on the mantle of showcasing live reggae and up-and-coming new-world music, karaoke and stand-up comics on a weekly or monthly basis, and thus cementing its leading role as the city's premier night spot when it came to events-driven entertainment.

Gala celebrations!

Well, all of that did take some doing, and it has been all of 17 years since it first opened and, for customers, it has been first-class entertainment and fine dining. So little wonder that there was nary a place to stand last Saturday night for the anniversary gala celebrations!

And, what a celebration it was! The night clearly belonged to the beautiful people!
We are talking an outing for the young and restless, the chic and the hip and, of course, the sensationally fab. They were all out and in resplendent garb as they joined the host and his family in marking the anniversary.

Mi lovelies, suffice it to say, it was a night filled with many a roving Kodak moments; champagne toasts; and fashionable ensembles, and it sizzled like 10 coal-stoves at a summer cook-out!

It was also the last night of The Gleaner-sponsored Kingston Restaurant Week and not only was the place bubbling with diners, the place was overflowing with the party-hearty, and not to mention the fashionistas. With the complex being the new home of the celebrated MaxBrown high-end stores that cater to the rich and fabulous, y'all know we are talking a night on the town here of the 'fabbest' order, as all were prepared to party at the highest decibels.

And then there was the Chocolate Lounge, the hottest addition to the Café's entertainment offerings - an intimate lounge, featuring chocolate decor and readied for private parties, and then some. And this was the preferred 'chill out' space for those in the know.

Joining in the festivities included: the fashionable matriarch of the MaxBrown clan, Karlene MaxBrown, her gorgeous daughter Sophia MaxBrown; and her sibling and venture capitalist, Raul MaxBrown, who jetted in from St. Maarten. Deputy Mayor of Kingston Lee Clarke, who cut the ribbon to the new MaxBrown store. Also spotted: Senator Tom Tavares-Finson and his dish of a wife Rose; Ribbie Chung of Quad fame; SSCO's Stephanie Scott; Joan Swaby; Anthony and Angeline Harris and their gorgeous daughter Christelle Harris, and her uncles Charlie and Percy Hussey.

On the list

Also out were the fabulous Jenney Berry; celebrated fashion designer Bill Edwards and his belle Janet Farrow; Cedric McDonald; the lovely Mirah Lim; businessman Ravi Daswani, in from Montego Bay; the fab Nevine Heaven; the lovely Ingrid Green; Brent Ciurlino and his ultra gorgeous wife Dr. Kim Brown; Dr. Ray Gasoore; Angela Thame; man about town, the dapper Danny Champagnie; Kemel Allen; Lisa Gore; David Minott was out, as was the lovely Kinshasa Minott; Ishmael Gafour; Stephanie Ammar; Dwight Sangster; Julia Lowe; Ryan Russell; Mitsy Pratt; Peter Hotman; Jade Lee; Anthony Hale; Adrian Lopez; Michelle Haynes; Kibwe McGann; Jeffery Moss-Solomon; Stephen Newland and Colin Young; Bernadette Wong; Kevin Jackson; Sarah Silvera; James Young in from Toronto; and Joy Kelly plus countless others.

re: "A Return To “Press Gangs” Could Be Another Solution?"

Robert at Expat Yank ("One American living in the south of England") deconstructs some poor reporting by the BBC.

Money quote(s):

"“(C)hildren” in this case would be 16-17 year olds; the British military does not recruit anyone under age 16. In Britain, also bear in mind, one can leave school and enter the workforce at 16; so, say, army recruiting at 16 doesn’t seem patently unreasonable. And especially not if one also considers that parental consent is required for under-18s."

&

"(A)n even more radical, far-ranging recommendation that would most assuredly deal with all of the above concerns, especially worries about recruiting advertising, would be to re-introduce conscription.

Then, there would be no question any longer about some conjecturing about possibly misleading advertising. However, according to the BBC, inexplicably, the “report” has nothing to say about that possible truly wholesale change in “recruiting” methods. Which is a shame, because as we know, nuclear arms expert Brian Eno had suggested recently on the BBC that Britain’s nuclear forces be done away with, and conventional forces be upgraded."

re: "Recognising the reality"

Richard at EU Referendum ("To discuss issues related to the UK's position in Europe and the world") covers some interesting developments in an allied nation's foreign service.

Money quote(s):

"The Foreign Office is to cut the number of diplomats working in Europe by a third so they can be redeployed to combat radicalism in the Middle East and Asia."

"(T)aking out civil servants based in European capitals such as Paris, Rome and Berlin. They are to be retrained in language skills to reinforce diplomatic posts in Kabul, Baghdad and Islamabad. Furthermore, an extra £79m is to be spent over three years on combating Muslim radicalisation, with dozens of extra political officers deployed to build contacts with local people in the Middle East and Pakistan."

&

"(N)o mention is made of the embassy in Brussels (pictured) – which deals mainly with EU institutions - so the indications are that it is just representation in the major member state countries that is being affected.There is some logic here, in that a local authorities, for instance, do not have "embassies" in other local authority areas in the same country. Similarly, as a vassal state of the European Union, it seems hardly necessary for the UK to have embassies in other vassal states, when the supreme government increasingly defines the relationships, and the state governments meet in Brussels so often."

National De-Lurkers Week?

Isn't it that time again?

volunteers difficult to come by

"However, volunteers were difficult to come by. "If we have to, we will redirect assignments," Harry Thomas, director general of the Foreign Service, warned. That would mean ordering State Department employees to serve in Iraq, to fill jobs nobody had volunteered to take."

Re-Americanization (XXXIII)

The Officer of the Day.

Taken in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia on July 1, 2007.

WP - A RESIGNATION AND A PROTEST. Ex-Ambassador Criticizes Rice. Envoy Unhappy With State Department's Treatment of Gays.

From my archive of press clippings:

Washington Post

A RESIGNATION AND A PROTEST

Ex-Ambassador Criticizes Rice


Envoy Unhappy With State Department's Treatment of Gays


By Glenn Kessler

Washington Post Staff Writer


Wednesday, December 5, 2007; Page A27


Michael E. Guest, a tall, soft-spoken man with salt-and-pepper hair, looks every bit the diplomat. At the young age of 43, at the start of the Bush administration, he was named ambassador to Romania, and since he returned in 2004 he has trained new ambassadors before they ship out overseas.

But last month, after 26 years in the Foreign Service, he did something uncharacteristically undiplomatic.

Michael E. Guest resigned last month after 26 years in the Foreign Service.

Guest resigned from the State Department, giving up a career he loved, in order to protest rules and regulations that he believes are unfair to the same-sex partners of Foreign Service officers, giving them fewer benefits than family pets. He had spent the years since his return from Bucharest trying to win changes in policies, appealing directly to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, but said his proposals were met with indifference and inertia.

"I've felt compelled to choose between obligations to my partner, who is my family, and service to my country," Guest told a crowd of 75 senior State Department officials, a few steps from Rice's office, at his retirement ceremony on Nov. 20, according to a transcript of his remarks. "That anyone should have to make that choice is a stain on the secretary's leadership, and a shame for this institution and our country."

Within the State Department, gay men and lesbians are widely accepted, in contrast to the military, where an admission of homosexuality is grounds for dismissal. But Guest and others say the State Department's regulations have not kept pace with the department's culture, especially as Foreign Service officers overseas face increasing dangers.

For instance, same-sex partners -- or unmarried heterosexual partners -- are refused anti-terrorism security training or foreign-language training and are not evacuated when eligible family members are ordered to depart. Unlike spouses, they do not receive diplomatic passports, visas or even use of the State Department mail system. They also must pay their own way overseas, get their own medical care and are left to fend for themselves if a partner is sent to a dangerous post such as Iraq.

Many of these rules, Guest said, could be changed with Rice's signature, which he said was not a matter of gay rights but of equal treatment.

John Naland, the president of the American Foreign Service Association, said that a number of top officials attending the ceremony for Guest acknowledged that these issues should be addressed. "If everyone is saying we need to do more, then let's do more," he said.

"The secretary and the State Department do not discriminate on hiring or promotions," said Pat Kennedy, the undersecretary for management, who also attended the ceremony for Guest, a longtime colleague. "These are complex issues. We are committed to giving our personnel the support they need to get their jobs done."

Aaron W. Jensen, president of Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies, said the group's leadership met with Rice in May 2005 to argue for a change in policies but "we would like more leadership on this issue." He said that surveys indicated that about 350 same-sex partners were affected by the regulations. There are 12,000 Foreign Service officers, and about 5 percent are gay, he said.

J. Michelle Schohn, an officer in the intelligence bureau, said she gave up a budding career in archaeology and joined the Foreign Service simply because of the hassles she encountered when her partner was based in Azerbaijan, shortly after the Soviet Union collapsed. One of her partner's colleagues got married and his spouse immediately got a diplomatic passport, but Schohn was treated no differently than any American tourist. Because of the difficulties, she ended up flying to Azerbaijan a month at a time to stay with her partner, and received no housing allowance for staying home.

At one point, during violent protests, "had there been an evacuation, we would have had to pay to evacuate me," she said.

Once Schohn joined the Foreign Service, she said, the department "has been very good to us," posting the two together in Jerusalem and now back in Washington, though same-sex couples technically cannot bid for jobs in tandem.
Another Foreign Service officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of her counterterrorism work, said she had to pay for her partner's evacuation when she was based in an African country that erupted in conflict. Her partner was not allowed to attend embassy security briefings and was prohibited from using the diplomatic postage service.
"Effectively, she doesn't exist," she said.

The travel costs of family pets, however, are paid for by the State Department.

When Guest was ambassador, he signed a waiver allowing his partner and other unmarried partners to pay to use the embassy medical facilities. When Guest returned to Washington to head the management and leadership school at State's Foreign Service Institute, he began a campaign to get the rules altered. He won an annual award in 2006 from AFSA for "constructive dissent," but saw little or no response from top officials. Finally, he wrote Rice directly in December, knowing that soon he would be posted again overseas.

"This was my last chance. I never got a response," Guest said yesterday. "I don't know that I expected a response. What I wanted was attention to the issue." He said that in the State Department culture, "one word from the secretary" would have spurred action.

"That's what I was hoping, that I would somehow get to her heart," he said.