OT: US to Host World Press Freedom Day in 2011

I laughed so much reading this that I just can't resist sharing. Today the US State Department announced the following and we're just going to present the NR without further comment:

"The United States is pleased to announce that it will host UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day event in 2011, from May 1 - May 3 in Washington, D.C. UNESCO is the only UN agency with the mandate to promote freedom of expression and its corollary, freedom of the press."

It goes on:

"The theme for next year’s commemoration will be 21^st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers. The United States places technology and innovation at the forefront of its diplomatic and development efforts. New media has empowered citizens around the world to report on their circumstances, express opinions on world events, and exchange information in environments sometimes hostile to such exercises of individuals’ right to freedom of expression."

And then:

"At the same time, we are concerned about the determination of some governments to censor and silence individuals, and to restrict the free flow of information."

This is not a spoof, nor is it a joke. The whole NR can be read right here.

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The Goldberg Variation

Here's the latest from "Change only a dumbass can believe in".

Philip S. Goldberg, Nominee for Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State

Philip S. Goldberg, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, is the United States Coordinator for Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions on North Korea. Mr. Goldberg has served as Ambassador to Bolivia; Chief of Mission in Kosovo and Charge d’affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission in Chile. He is currently coordinating implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874, an assignment he will continue pending confirmation by the Senate when a successor will be designated. His earlier assignments include: acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs; Executive Assistant and Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State; Bosnia Desk Officer and member of US delegation at Dayton Peace Negotiations; Political-Economic Officer in South Africa, and Consular and Political officer in Colombia. Mr. Goldberg is a graduate of Boston University.

If you've never heard of this turd previously, check out previous posts on the guy and see what he tried to do to Bolivia. Apparently Billary is a big fan of his and upped him for the job. Figures.

Honduras: Lula and PE are right, the WSJ is way wrong

"Micheletti, You Aren't My President" (signed, The People)
(On the streets of Honduras today)

Here follows a very smart comment left by reader PE in the comments section of this previous post. Read carefully and send it to that WSJ dumbass O'Grady, because either she's ignorant about the real background and spouting crap or she knows about it and prefers not to address it. Either way she and all the other coup apologists are 100% wrong. This is not about whether Zelaya is or isn't a good President; it's about what Lula da Silva said today;

"We can no longer accept in Latin America that some want to solve their problems of power through a Coup because we cannot accept that some see solutions for their country without democracy or free and direct elections."

Exactly, Lula. Exactly. Here's PE's comment:

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Otto,

I think there's alot of confusion about the vote Zelaya proposed. I'd like to direct your attention to a transcript released yesterday by the American State Department:
Specifically, the section where a reporter wonders whether the coup was justified constitutionally. The State Department official provides the best english-language response & summary of events I've seen yet:

QUESTION:
"Yeah, but now you're invoking the -- I'm sorry, but now you're invoking the constitution to return him. So did you think that what he was doing was in line with the constitution?"

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ONE:
"No, but there's a big distinction here because, on the one instance, we're (talking) about conducting a survey, a nonbinding survey; in the other instance, we're talking about the forcible removal of a president from a country. So I think we can distinguish between those terms -- those two in terms of what's constitutional and what might be left to institutions.

But I think what's important to remember about the survey is that it was just that. It wasn't even a formal vote. It was a NONBINDING SURVEY.

And the issue of whether it was legitimate or illegal did not revolve around the survey itself. It revolved around who conducted it and whether or not this could be conducted by the government and which institution in the government could conduct it, and whether or not as it's being conducted state security forces could be used to both manage and secure the equipment that was being used for the survey and provide security.

And that's where the divide occurred within Honduras. It was about who conducted this survey, with several institutions in Honduras insisting that the Honduran Government could not conduct it, at least not in the way that President Zelaya had suggested."

The US Human Trafficking Report 2009: Whatever makes you think it's political?

The USA sometimes tries to make out the "equal partners" thing with the rest of the Americas and sometimes it doesn't. You get The Hawaiian making some lip service to the greater cause at the moment, but when push comes to shove and the bureaucrats are let loose, those old habits of arrogance, selective memory based on friendships and high-handedness towards "the brown people down there" shine on through.

Today the US State Department's ninth annual "Trafficking in Persons Report" was published, and here's how the region stacks up in the eyes of TheWorldPoliceman™

Level One (complies with all, we luvs ya): Colombia

Level Two (not up to scratch but we see you're making an effort, try a bit harder, boyz): Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay.

Level Three (hmmm..not so good, kiddies. We're watching you so don't so anything stupid): Argentina, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Rep Dom, Venezuela

Level Four (bad bad bad naughty naughty sanctions sanctions): Cuba

But the biggest guilty party on human trafficking is left off the list completely. The country where many labour and sex slaves are sent by their paymasters and blind eyes are turned. Go on....take a wild guess as to which one.

Evo relieved to find out that he is indigenous after all

Time to play: Spot the brown person!
FWIW, Juanes is pretty famous down this neck of the woods

As Borev noted just the other day, when it comes to Bolivia US arrogance knows no bounds. Not content with talking crap about the country (things like the 2008 coup attempt was "trouble caused by both sides" and similar baloney), the State Dep't 2008 Human Rights report has Doctor Morales as someone who "considers himself indigenous".

Fortunately, there are those more qualified to judge these things and subsequently boot this latent racist bullshit back to where it belongs. Today the organizers of the 4th Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples invited his Evoness along as guest of honour and illustrious representative of the Aymara people. The summit brings together peoples from Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia amongst other places and is being held this year in the city of Puno, Peru (that'll piss Twobreakfasts off for sure...all those brown people talking with each other and hatching plans...can't have that, you know. Deny visas!) at the end of this month, merry March.

So in the end Evo is indigenous according to the indigenous of South America. That settles that, really. It just leaves IKN to announce that The US State Department wins our weekly award. Way to go, guys: