Showing posts with label State Department. Show all posts
Showing posts with label State Department. Show all posts
Monday, September 10, 2018
Fox News Host Picked for Anti-Propaganda Post at State Department
Friday, August 25, 2017
Meet the State Dept. Science Envoy Who Spelled Out "Impeach" in His Resignation Letter to Trump
Sunday, March 13, 2011
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: US state department spokesman resigns after calling Pentagon 'stupid' over treatment of soldier accused over WikiLeaks.US state department spokesman PJ Crowley has resigned from his post following controversial comments involving the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks.
The news on Sunday came three days after Crowley was reported to have criticised the Pentagon's treatment of detained US soldier Bradley Manning.
Crowley said the defence department's handling of Manning, who is accused of leaking thousands of confidential US documents to WikiLeaks, was "stupid" and "counterproductive". >>> Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | Sunday, March 13, 2011
Related >>>
BLOOMBERG: State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley has resigned following comments criticizing the U.S. military for its treatment of Private First Class Bradley Manning, a soldier detained on allegations he shared classified documents with the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, according to a statement from the agency.
Crowley, known as P.J., said on March 10 the military has mistreated Manning and described the conditions of his detention as “ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid,” according to a blog posted by BBC reporter Philippa Thomas.
President Barack Obama said the U.S. Department of Defense assured him that Manning is not being mistreated. Crowley said the “impact of my remarks” led to his decision to leave the State Department. >>> Jeffrey Young | Sunday, March 13, 2011
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
VOICE OF AMERICA: The U.S. State Department's annual report on world-wide religious freedom, released Monday, was critical of what it says are international efforts to limit free speech in the name of combating defamation of religion. The Organization of the Islamic Conference, or OIC, has been pushing such anti-defamation measures in U.N. bodies.
The State Department report says the United States deplores actions that show disrespect for religious traditions, including Islam.
But it says the broad anti-defamation measures being sought by the Islamic Conference would have the effect of curbing debate about religious issues and should be discarded in favor of outreach and government defense of religious freedom and free speech.
The comments were the most prominent to date by the United States on efforts led by the OIC to get anti-defamation resolutions approved in the U.N. General Assembly and the U.N. Human Rights Commission.
In comments introducing the annual report, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States will always stand against religious-based discrimination and persecution, but that it strongly disagrees with those who would combat such problems by curbing free speech.
"The best antidote to intolerance is not the 'Defamation of Religions' approach of banning and punishing offensive speech, but rather a combination of robust legal protections against discrimination and hate crimes, proactive government outreach to minority religious groups, and a vigorous defense of both freedom of religion and expression," said Secretary Clinton. >>> David Gollust, State Department | Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Perhaps I'm missing something here, but why on earth would America, which is bankrupt, give economic aid to an oil-rich country like Libya? Is the world going crazy? Have politicians taken leave of their senses? – © Mark
FOX NEWS: The State Department notified lawmakers earlier this month of its intent to disburse $2.5 million in economic aid to Libya, including $400,000 for Muammar al-Qaddafi's foundations.
GOP lawmakers are calling on the Obama administration to cancel $400,000 in economic aid to foundations run by Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi following his rambling diatribe at the United Nations this week and the hero's welcome he gave to the Lockerbie bomber last month.
The State Department notified lawmakers earlier this month of its intent to disburse $2.5 million in economic aid to Libya, including $400,000 for Qaddafi's foundations. Of the $400,000 half will go to a foundation run by the leader's son, Saif, and the other half to one run by his daughter, Aisha.
Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtien, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton requesting the cancellation of the entire $2.5 million of economic aid.
Ros-Lehtien argued that Congress' goal of providing money to promote democracy and human rights in Libya has been undermined by the administration's decision to funnel the resources through the Qaddafi family.
"How could this assistance effectively promote democracy when entrusted to the dictator's family?" she wrote in the letter.
The White House deferred questions to the National Security Council, which could not be reached on Saturday. Neither could the State Department. >>> | Saturday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: The Libyan Government has pitched a tent in suburban New York that leader Muammar Gaddafi may use for entertaining, a US State Department official said.
And it appears the property was rented from Donald Trump.
The State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of diplomatic sensitivity and protocol concerns, said the property was obtained for the duration of this weeks' United Nations General Assembly. The official said no one would be staying there overnight.
No-parking signs were going up near Trump's Seven Springs estate in Bedford, about 69 kilometres north of Manhattan, where residents include Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren.
TV helicopters showed a tent on the Trump property. Police would not comment and Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan would say only that the agency did not discuss the schedules or logistics of people it was protecting.
As word got out, local officials quickly objected to Gaddafi's anticipated presence. Gaddafi, who arrived in New York on Tuesday, will most likely face protests over Scotland's recent release of Libyan Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, who was convicted of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which killed 270 people.
The Trump Organisation said Gaddafi would not be coming to Trump's estate and insisted that Trump has not rented property to the Libyan. But it said part of the estate "was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern partners, who may or may not have a relationship to Mr Gaddafi. We are looking into the matter". >>> AP | Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
THE JERUSALEM POST: With the United States battling Islamist extremists, making America's case to Muslims around the world has never been more of a priority for policymakers. Unfortunately, the State Department continues to take a counterproductive approach: serving as a veritable infomercial promoting Islamist organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) while giving the back of the hand to the very anti-jihadist Muslims that Washington should be cultivating.
The latest example is a State Department booklet issued in March titled "Being Muslim in America." The 64-page booklet seeks to arm consular officers and diplomats with information they can take to Muslims around the world to rebut slanders about US "persecution" of Muslims. The booklet deluges readers with color pictures, statistical tables and individual profiles in an effort to show the world that American Muslims are a success story, noting that they have become entrepreneurs, professional athletes, entertainers, doctors, soldiers, firefighters, politicians, fashion designers and pianists.
The booklet aims "to disabuse people of wildly false myths of the United States - that 'Muslims are repressed, marginalized,' fill in the blanks," said Michael Friedman, division chief of print publications with the State Department's Bureau of International Information Programs.
The government has not produced similar booklets for any other faith, Friedman said. With limited funding available, the decision to produce a publication on American Muslims came because "the struggle against Islamic terrorism is a struggle for hearts and minds in the Muslim world."
Unfortunately, the booklet perpetuates the mythology that American Muslims are united in the belief that law enforcement and the public are willing to flout innocent Muslims' civil rights post-September 11, describing American Muslim reactions to the attacks as follows: "A new, truly American Islam is emerging, shaped by American freedoms, but also by the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks - planned and executed by non-Americans - [which] raised suspicions among other Americans whose immediate responses, racial profiling among them, triggered in return a measure of Muslim-American alienation." >>> By Steven Emerson | Sunday, May 24, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
FAMILY SECURITY MATTERS: With the United States battling Islamist extremists, making America's case to Muslims around the world has never been more of a priority for policymakers. Unfortunately, the State Department continues to take a counterproductive approach: serving as a veritable infomercial promoting Islamist organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) while giving the back of the hand to the very anti-Jihadist Muslims that Washington should be cultivating. The latest example is a State Department booklet issued in March titled "Being Muslim in America."
It is part of an outreach effort that began under President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and is moving forward under President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The goal behind publication of the 64-page booklet is laudable: to arm consular officers and diplomats with information they can take to Muslims around the world to rebut slanders about U.S. "persecution" of Muslims. The booklet deluges readers with color pictures, statistical tables and individual profiles in an effort to show the world that American Muslims are a success story, noting that they have become entrepreneurs, professional athletes, entertainers, doctors, soldiers, firefighters, politicians, fashion designers, and pianists.
And as we'll show in more detail below, many slanders against the United States come from the same groups that are portrayed favorably in the State Department booklet. The front cover has a picture of two Muslim girls playing basketball at a school near Detroit: One is wearing traditional dress, the other more modern dress. It's no ordinary basketball game, because there's a deeper sociopolitical message that Foggy Bottom wants to send to the world: The girls "compete fiercely on the basketball court in a sport that blends individual skills and team effort. They – along with the other men, women and children in the publication – demonstrate every day what it is like to be Muslim in America." The booklet is replete with dozens of pictures of Muslims playing basketball, praying; talking about "diversity" at a mosque; attending interfaith gatherings "to celebrate diversity and tolerance," and "brainstorm[ing] ways to solve problems in their community." There is even a color-coded state-by-state map showing "Mosque Distribution in the United States."
The purpose of publishing "Being Muslim in America" is "to disabuse people of wildly false myths of the United States – that 'Muslims are repressed, marginalized, fill in the blanks,' " according to Michael Friedman, division chief of print publications with the State Department's Bureau of International Information Programs, which is overseeing distribution of the publication. Although State doesn't have a specific target number of copies that it is looking to sell or give away, Friedman said a similar 2002 State Department report titled "Muslim Life in America" had 400,000 print copies distributed worldwide and was translated into 28 languages. "It is conceivable that this one could reach that level," he told IPT News.
In addition, both "Muslim Life in America" and "Being Muslim in America" are featured on State Department web sites, here and here.
Asked whether similar booklets had been produced for other faiths, Friedman said no. With limited funding available, decision was made to produce a publication on American Muslims because "the struggle against Islamic terrorism is a struggle for hearts and minds in the Muslim world," he said. >>> Steve Emerson | Tuesday, May 19, 2009
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