tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22020833266315200812024-02-20T20:26:09.191-08:00Joaquin Rafael Roces"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
-Leo TolstoyJoaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-33502711391630981162011-11-26T12:17:00.000-08:002011-11-26T12:20:37.076-08:00Home Front<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Originally published on Facebook by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/jrroces"><span style="color: #3b5998;">Joaquin Rafael Roces</span></a> on Monday, May 30, 2011 at 11:16am<br />
<br />
"I am your Memorial Day Parade;<br />
your fourth of July firecracker<br />
exploding in the grave.<br />
Oh say can you see?<br />
after the ticker tape falls,<br />
will you remember me?"<br />
Excerpt from "Johnny Come Home," Copyright ©2007 Joaquin Rafael Roces III<br />
<br />
<br />
According to Workforce Management and David Chu (undersecretary of Defense for Personnel) each year 250,000 military personnel leave service, about 150,000 come off active duty and an additional 100,000 Nat'l Guard and Reservists go back to civilian life. In Nov 2007, Dept. of Labor stats noted 22,073 veterans were on unemployment insurance, and 35% of Iraq and Afghan War veterans were homeless. This year, the U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff announced a dramatic rise in those soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, jumping from 30 percent of the wounded population to 65 percent of the population or 8,500 servicemen and servicewomen. CNN reports that last year 165 veterans committed suicide. There are 3.27 million veterans collecting VA disability and 837,000 currently unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of Veterans Affairs (May 2011). Between 2010 and 2011, the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation has sought to fill positions for Disabled Veteran Outreach, but both times state leaders refused to fund the position. After the parades, and the weekend BBQs, and the endless photo ops, politicians waving flags, using our stumped bodies like some obscene back drop to their 2012 campaign, after the ticker tape falls, Senator, Governor, President, will you remember me?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTGY204aPAAhs2S3qU37AAsSqYyGkkKWJJsKOBiQ_BEdB2jDwF2vFxHSTBT6FR8FYqEIeV9pw1WQHld2MQ9G5kQwh28vMV6fcI_asq9hyphenhyphenTSixckn4V5Y4JETrnCuoXm2BVjILPw4Qn2I/s1600/Fuck+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTGY204aPAAhs2S3qU37AAsSqYyGkkKWJJsKOBiQ_BEdB2jDwF2vFxHSTBT6FR8FYqEIeV9pw1WQHld2MQ9G5kQwh28vMV6fcI_asq9hyphenhyphenTSixckn4V5Y4JETrnCuoXm2BVjILPw4Qn2I/s320/Fuck+you.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roces served as a Marine Rifleman in the US Marines <br />
and is a disabled veteran.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> </div>Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-4748840476142513852011-11-26T12:00:00.000-08:002011-11-26T12:00:53.501-08:00From a Greatful Nation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Originally Published on Facebook by Joaquin Rafael Roces on Friday, July 22, 2011 at 7:58pm<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="213" id="il_fi" src="http://www.documentingreality.com/forum/attachments/f181/22514d1221870452-wounded-american-soldier-pictures-sns-hm-fl_520x345x90.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken by Joao Silva in October 2006 while on patrol with a US unit in Iraq. He managed to photograph a series showing a soldier being shot by a sniper and then recovered by other members of his unit. The series of shots won an honourable mention in the World Press Photo awards.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So, as the Repubs abandon the talks to raise the debt ceiling, I am left wondering whether I will be recieving my VA check in August. It's not enough that under George II, we had the largest and most significant cuts in VA benefits coincide with the largest influx of combat related wounded personnel. Unlike George I brief entanglement in 1999, this war is at 10+ years, so the impact is not just one generation of wounded personnel, but several generations. Unlike me, these men AND women, suffer far worse injuries. Of course, Boehner spent a total of 8 weeks in the US Navy during the Vietnam war, but never completed basic training. Cantor never served in the military but had no qualms pushing for the invasion of Iraq. While other men and women were sent off to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, his son Evan finishes his fourth year at the University of Virginia and Jenna is a Sophomore at Univerisity of Michigan. From Dec 30 2007 to May 29 2011 while Evan was in college 555 Americans died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 2003 32,102 Americans have returned wounded, broken and scarred. At least Jenna and Barbara Bush joined the Air Force and served in Iraq. The first photo that pops up in Cantor's official website, is Cantor shaking hands with aging vets. Cantor loves to wrap himself in the American flag, while 'other' Americans are buried underneath it. Then he has the audacity to make his campaign speaches standing on their graves. Now, the two threaten to delay 70 million checks that many Americans depend on from disabled veterans to unemployed Americans to the elderly and disabled. Unlike Boehner and Cantor, for these Americans, these checks are their 'bread and butter' necessary for their survival. The VA estimates that <strong>107,000</strong> veterans are homeless on any given night. About another1.5 million other veterans, meanwhile, are considered at risk of homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing. These checks are not an "entitlement" but something they EARNED. Something we owe to them,to forfeit on such a debt would not only mean a fiscal betrayal - forfeiting not only on a debt of numbers, money and dollars, but on a debt of honor as well.<br />
<br />
Check out this article from Veterans Today: http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/02/01/deficit-hawkoprite-eric-cantor/</div>Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-18990339035140655142011-11-24T03:49:00.000-08:002011-11-25T23:22:48.288-08:00Recognizing Linguicism & Linguistic Discrimination in Education<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdlC4F1_4Tm7ncLSElJL7S2Glez-lJlFFdpoxE5S8Y6ArLqO163AzKrMT-eDzYZlTPYRzXZaTDE2F7RyeLrHRENw7ZvNA9WnVN2EBMsQ19cYNhydjWejyuRHrJpZ5vOGe137b3oKDifs/s1600/Masthead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdlC4F1_4Tm7ncLSElJL7S2Glez-lJlFFdpoxE5S8Y6ArLqO163AzKrMT-eDzYZlTPYRzXZaTDE2F7RyeLrHRENw7ZvNA9WnVN2EBMsQ19cYNhydjWejyuRHrJpZ5vOGe137b3oKDifs/s640/Masthead.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">On Novemember 19 2011 Julie Balderson and Joaquin Roces participated in a conference for the Northern Nevada Chapter of the California Teachers of English to Students of Other Languages (CA-TESOL). The conference was at the Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno NV. Ms. Balderson and Mr. Roces co-presented for a workshop on "Recognizing Linguicism & Linguistic Discrimination in Education." Mr. Roces addressed the international perspective of Linguicism while Ms. Balderson addressed it's implications in American society and the classroom.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ms. Balderson is an interpreter and instructional assistant for the deaf and hard of hearing for the Carson City School District. Mr. Roces coorditanted cultural and educational exchange programs for UNR's International Center working with USAID and US State Department programs. There was an audience of ten teachers and administrators through out Northern Nevada and California and there was a lively exchange and discussion between the audience and the presenters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ms. Balderson started by defining linguicism. Robert Phillipson called this “practical” prejudice <em>linguicism, </em>which is the assembly of "ideologies, structures and practices which are used to legitimate, effectuate and reproduce an unequal division of power and resources (both material and immaterial) between groups which are defined on the basis of language" (as cited in Daly, 1995, para. 4). Ms. Balderson covered the role of linguistic diversity in the formation of student identity , and the development of multicultural competency. She discussed effective and appropriate strategies for educating and combatting linguicism in the classroom. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div></div><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Mr. Roces discussed the politics involved in asserting ethnic identity through language. All historical-natural languages, considered as internal linguistic systems, display equal potentialities; the essential difference among them is given solely by their social evaluation. Thus, according to their acquired and/or ascribed degree of power, some languages tend to be considered as more ‘prestigious’ or ‘dominant’ languages, whereas others are considered rather ‘stigmatised’ or ‘dominated’ languages. Obviously the symbolic markers of ‘prestige’ and ‘stigma’ are not absolute values; they may be seen as elements in a power-game involving confrontation and relation between the speech communities concerned. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">In 2009, Mr. Roces traveled to Algeria on behalf of the US State Department's Youth Leadership Program. Mr. Roces taught a cultural and intensive English language class. <span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">The official language of the country is Arabic, but Berbers who are the indigenous people of the region consider the Arabs no different than the French or Romans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">berbers</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> speak their own dialect of </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Tamazight</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also speak impeccable French and tend to gravitate towards European or French culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus your fluency in either language immediately marks you with cultural prestige or stigma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who speak French, and speak it well, are believed to be more educated, open minded, liberal in dress and attitudes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who speak Arabic, are considered to be religious conservatives, close minded, rural and uneducated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arabic speakers claim the </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">the</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">francophiles</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> are sell-outs to European colonialism, and visa versa – Francophiles separate themselves from the </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Arabization</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> of their identity and the ‘stereotypes’ associated with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">These </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">two languages then act as the brackets ends of a social spectrum, and proficiency in one language or another indicates the speaker’s place within the socio-political spectrum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It identifies which tribe or region you come from, your heritage, education and how much social power you wield.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">The article from the Journal of Ethnic Migration Studies (Vol. 29, No. 5: 865-883 September 2003) reported that central European communities </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">on the western side of the border are not interested in learning the </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">language of </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">their eastern </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">neighbours</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">. Eastern communities, on the other hand, are </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">strongly<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>motivated </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">to learn western languages. The importance attributed to English as </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">the ‘</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">language of </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">globalisation</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">’ was common to both sides</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">. </span></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><br />
</div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">The article drew the conclusion that </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">the </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">languages </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">situated on the western side of the former Iron Curtain are the </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">more prestigious </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">languages</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">. </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Essentially this derives from the various structures </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">of factual </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">or symbolic power that support them, even more so after the </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">definitive ‘</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">fall’ of the political-economical system formerly under Soviet control</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">linguicism</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> is about power projection and tied to that end is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>economics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the fall of the Soviet Empire, eastern communities saw economic viability in the triumph of western capitalism, and failure in the collapse of the communist hegemony under the Soviet Union.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Mr. Roces studied Russian while he was in the Marines. He also took four years of Russian at the University of Nevada and studied Soviet Foreign Policy and Russian History. For five years with the International Center, Mr. Roces worked with international visitors from Russia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkministan,Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. He was the office's specialist in the region. In the Russian experience, as ethnic communities and nationalities were folded into the Soviet mold, their individual languages were '</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Russofied</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">' </span>Under the Communist ideology, children are brought up being taught to have an egalitarian belief system, of social and economic equality. Yet, non-Russian<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ethnics would have to learn Russian as the universal language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This policy of indigenous language </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">eradiction</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> under a policy of forced assimilation was intentional, albeit subtle, projection of power and dominance over a minority culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">The Russians recognized that the unique ‘character’ or ‘mentality’ of each ‘people’ was created by their mother tongue, as well as on the ‘one nation, one language’ principle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To eradicate the “mother tongue’ was also a way to eradicate the individual cultural identity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2008, over 15 years after the fall of the Soviet hegemony, Mr. Roces was working with a team of college educators from Kazakhstan, highly educated and intelligent academics, leaders of their newly independent country, were still very </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Russofied</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> in their education -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>even with the fall of the Soviets, their educational system still mirrors a Russian model.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One educator was quoted as saying that they owed a lot to the Russians for bringing education and civilization to their country. This is a people that was part of the eastern anchor of the Persian Empire and the Silk Trade. </span></span><br />
<div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Similar to the east-west phenomena illustrated in the Journal of Ethnic Migration Studies article, in course of Mr. Roces' work with visitors from Central Asia, he also has noticed the same phenomena on a north-south axis. Ethnic Tajiks and Uzbeks migrate north to oil and gas rich Kazakhstan to work in the oil fields and gas lines, and ethnic Kazakhs migrate north across the Russian border to work in the construction trades (sound familiar?). Economics drive this migratory pattern and learning Russian is considered needed and in fact recognized as the'langua franca' of business by the southern neighbors, but Russians do not feel compelled to learn the language of their southern neighbors. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">The American experience closely follows this model with the suppression of the indigenous tribes and culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Native American history, there is a period of termination and forced assimilation from 1830 to 1964 in which the Native Americans were prohibited to speak their own language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their young was forcibly gathered and removed from their traditional homes, and forced into “American Schools” and was taught English and forbidden to speak their native tongue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then after 18 years they were returned to their homes, were they could not communicate with the elders and other adults in the community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our children also grow up being taught an egalitarian belief system of social and economic equality under a democratic hegemony, yet it is not Navajo, Cherokee or Paiute that is being taught in our schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact many of those languages have fallen to obsolescence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even in public school the foreign languages taught are “European Languages” and not native to this region or continent. With the current xenophobia over immigration from Mexico, Spanish has fallen from favor because it is no longer associated with Europe and is now associated with illegal immigration from Central and Latin America. There is now a growing public sentiment that we should not be teaching Spanish in our schools even though we have taught in for decades. What caused the shift in public opinion towards Spanish in public schools? Clearly the social evaluation of Spanish in America has shifted and the language and those who use the language are now stigmatized reflecting the confrontation and power relation between the speech communities of Spanish speakers and English speakers.</span><br />
<div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">The linguistic ideology of ‘one nation; one language’ gives rise to three key issues of linguistic ecology: the restriction of societal bilingualism to minority groups; the risk of minority language endangerment or obsolescence; and the close ties between the prestige or stigma of the language and resulting social power. <span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Employers </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">might assume, for example, that an employee who speaks American English with a </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">midwestern</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> or northern accent is more intelligent (and thus more competent) than an employee who uses Appalachian English. Teachers might assume that a student who uses so-called standard English is more respectful of authority and more intelligent than a student who uses Ebonics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Landlords might assume that a person whose first language is English will take better care of a rental property than a tenant who speaks English with a Spanish accent.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">These assumptions are not inconsequential thoughts. People act on their ideas, and, as a result, prejudice becomes active discrimination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Employment, promotions, grades, recommendations, and business agreements are just a few of the things that might be affected (negatively or positively) by reactions to the ways a person uses language in speech or writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Individuals’ private prejudices might move them to take public action so that their condemning opinions are transformed into corporate policies; educational paradigms; and local, state, and federal laws—prejudice in practice, one might say</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">.</span></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Dovidio and Gaertner poses three psychological supports for such behavior. As humans, we are predisposed to cognitive categorization. By grouping people into different categories, it allows us to see the differences that exist between 'others' compared to the groups we've put ourselves in. By recognizing these differences, we are then motivated to control our environment around us when we interact with outgroups. Americans, as children, are brought up being taught to have an egalitarian belief system. We want justice and equality for all minorities. We are also taught about the racial traditions that symbolize American history. These two sets of incompatible values conflict with one another, resulting in inconsistent behavior towards members of outgroups. We feel the internal negative affect based on these two sets of values and it comes out in our behaviors and attitudes on other people. As elluded to before, people act on their ideas, and, as a result, prejudice becomes active discrimination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">It is difficult to fight linguistic prejudice because the general public may be slow to condemn it or may even be skeptical about its existence because linguicism is such an insidious process. In addition, while most modern linguistics scholars acknowledge the existence of linguicism, their views have little influence on the general public (Smitherman, 2000). The burden of preventing linguicism and countering its effects must fall elsewhere.</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">If we really want to fight linguicism, according to Zuidema, all schools must heed the call to arms, and English language arts classrooms are among the most appropriate venues for taking action against linguicism. Because the classroom “is a major player in shaping language attitudes, and the classroom that is particularly crucial for the formation of ideas about language is that of the K–12 level” (Smitherman, 2000, p. 396), English language arts teachers should create opportunities to shape informed, positive student attitudes about language diversity for all students.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ms. Balderson pointed out that some literacy educators have, appropriately, taken up the challenge of teaching against linguistic prejudice. As Delpit (1998) argued, it is “possible and desirable to make the actual study of language diversity a part of the curriculum for all students” (p. 19). The <i>Standards for the English </i><i>Language Arts </i>(International Reading Association & National Council of Teachers of English, 1996) stated that students should “develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ms. Balderson spoke about dispelling some of the myths about language which can lead to a change of attitude in the student toward others and the self. She discussed the 4 myths associated with linguicism. <strong>Myth 1: English must obey the rules of grammar </strong>(Zuidema 2005)<strong>.</strong> Ms. Balderson discussed the difference between 'bad grammar' and 'bad communication.' She points out that grammar is the organic patterns of a language, or descriptions of these patterns. Recognising this, it is correct to state that English must obey grammatical rules. However, bad grammer does nor necessarily equate to bad or broken communication. Many nonlinguists define grammar as the rules of use (which Ms. Balderson refered to as <i>usage</i>). Most people believe that observing the rules of usage is the same as knowing the grammar of a language. These prescriptive rules of usage assume great importance, so that many English speakers and writers are familiar with admonitions from their 3rd Grade teachers </span><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">such as “Don’t say ‘ain’t,’” and “Ask ‘may I?’—I know that you can,” and “Don’t end a sentence </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">with a preposition.”</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Most people will admit, however, that breaking these kinds of socially imposed rules does not actually impede anyone’s understanding of the message a person is attempting to communicate. If a person were to say to the other "I ain't gonna do that." The listener may bristle at the usage, but still understand that the speaker's resistance and refusal to do the task. It may not be pretty, but it gets the job done. </span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">It is important to introduce students to the distinctions between natural grammar and what Zuidema calls 'taste-based grammar early in efforts to teach against linguicism. Understanding that English must obey some kinds of grammar rules while having the freedom to disregard others is key to correcting other common misconceptions about language variation.</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Myth 2: Some dialects and languages don’t have grammatical rules </strong>(Zuidema 2005)<strong>. </strong>This is an argument that is frequently used to disparage stigmatized language systems such as Ebonics, Appalachian English, and Hawaiian Creole English. Instead of viewing these systems as patterned and rule governed,many people call them “slang” or “street talk” or resort to cruel labels that show blatant disrespect for the speakers themselves. Ms. Balderson shared with the class here experience as a interpreter for the deaf how some 'speakers' dismiss sign langugae as a "monkey language" because there had been an attempt to teach sign language to chimpanzees. She also spoke about the exsitance of linguistic prejudice within the deaf community based on diffrent 'dialects' within sign language as a whole. The best way for students to learn that stigmatized languages and dialects really are rule governed is to discover it for themselves through a series of guided activities.</span></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Myth 3: Standard English is better than other varieties </strong>(Zuidema 2005)<strong>. </strong>Ms. Balderson discussed the concept of English as a "moving target." One of these errors is the belief that good English is the everyday spoken language of the most educated and intelligent people. That it is relegated to the pedigreed 'blue bloods' of our society. </span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Many of English speakers also believe that with enough education and practice, they—like educated speakers in some Olympian Eutopia—will be able to let loose a flurry of grammatically perfect prose every time they open their mouths. In actuality, standard English is an abstract ideal based not on speech but on the model of written language (Lippi-Green, 1997). Another problem with the myth that standard English is good English is that standard English, Ms. Balderson pointed out "is a moving target." The norms for standard English are not identical in all communities. Furthermore, there are two sets of norms—the informal standard and the formal standard. A Bostonian may struggle with Appalachian English or Cajun Creole. While someone from England bristles at how Americans butcher the "Queen's English." Each variety has it's own set of grammatical rules although they are all part of the same language tree. For example, for 'yanks' it is acceptable to say "real nice"and "real cool." For the Brits on the otherhand, the proper way is to say "really nice" and "really cool." </span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ms. Balderson suggested one way for students to investigate this idea is by analyzing their collected speech and writing samples to determine which ones are most likely to showcase formal standard English (Zuidema p. 671). Learners soon discover that the best English is usually found in writing and in speech based on writing, such as news broadcasts. Students also should analyze the differences between their own written and spoken language patterns. These activities help students to understand that most people, no matter how well educated, cannot hope to consistently speak with the polish of revised and edited writing—the kind of language use which is idealized as standard.</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ms. Balderson states that “Good” and “bad” language are subjective social constructions; and thastudents must hear teachers acknowledge that nonstandard register, dialect or other language is sometimes the most appropriate choice.</span></div><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica-Condensed-BlackObl; font-size: medium;"><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Myth 4: English is not as good as it used to be, and it is getting worse </strong>(Zuidema 2005)<strong>.</strong> Next Ms. Balderson spoke about the widespread feeling that the English language is a fragile object and is "constantly under siege." A false nostalgia for an era than never exsisted. This is the arguement that acknowledging the </span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">value of stigmatized language systems (currently it is Spanish) will change the English language, eventually resulting in its decline or loss. English—like other “live” languages—is constantly </span><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: small;"><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> changing. Some words or phrases become linguistic fads; others fall into disuse or “misuse.” Words like "taco," "yoga," "sushi" and "humus" are words that have been folded into everyday vernacular. Ms. Balderson points out the fallacy of linguistic purity. We insist that French be taught by someone from France or that Spanish should be taught by someone in Spain. By the same idea we stigmatize other varieties such as Mexican Spanish or Algerian French as tainted. But, we do not require our children to be taught English by someone from London or Eaton. </span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Rules of taste change, and the pronunciations, uses, conjugations, and spellings of words are altered over time to adjust to new contexts, speakers, purposes, and audiences. Zuidema calls this adaptability “survival of the fittest”when we discuss other kinds of evolution; it is evidence of the resilience of language and not a matter for concern. Ms. Balderson said that language is not some sort of fragile object to be protected. Flexibility in a language is an asset and a strength, not a cause for concern. She believed that teaching students about the history of English helps students understand why language changes.</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">An example was brought up during a discussion on Ebonics. The use of "axe" versus "ask." When an African American uses the word "axe" he or she is judged to be using "bad English" - he is judged to be uneducated and can't speak proper English. In <em>English With an Accent</em>, Lippi-Green (1997) wrote,</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: x-small;"></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: x-small;"><div align="LEFT">[W]e regularly demand of people that they suppress or deny the most effective way they have of situating themselves socially in the world. You may have dark skin, we tell them, <span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;">but you must not sound Black</span></span><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: x-small;">. </span></span><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;">You can wear a yarmulke if it is important to you as a Jew, but lose the accent. <span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;">Maybe you come from the Ukraine,but can’t you speak real English? If you didn’t sound so corn-pone, people would take you seriously. You’re the best salesperson we’ve got, but must you sound so gay on the phone? <span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: x-small;">(pp. 63–64)</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">But the truth of the matter is that 'Axe' or 'Aks' is proper English, or at least it was. <span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">However, the "aks/axe" form of "ask" is just as old -- if not older, than the "ask" form itsellf-- and dates back to Old English.</span> The best source is the Oxford English Dictionary (second edition 1989) which gives these usages (By Karen Nakamura<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on March 6, 2008, on a talk on deaf identity and language ideologies at Swarthmore college) :</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> 1. trans. To call for, call upon (a person or thing personified) to come. Obs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a1000 Cædmon's Gen. (Gr.) 2453 [Hi] comon cor{th}rum miclum cuman acsian. 1205 LAY. 19967 He lette axien anan Men {th}at cu{edh}en hæuwen stan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">2. without mention of the person asked: a. with the thing asked as an object sentence or clause (in indirect, or, less commonly, direct oration).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">c1000 Ags. Ps. xiv. [2] Ic ahsi{asg}e, Hwa {th}ær earda{edh}? a1038 Charter of Eanwene in Cod. Dipl. IV. 54 {Edh}á ácsode {edh}e bis~ceop hwá sceólde andswerian for his módor. c1200 ORMIN Te{ygh}{ygh} sholldenn..asskenn what he wære. a1300 Cursor M. 7887 He askes, quat was {th}at leuedi? c1305 St. Crist. 149 in E.E.P. (1862) 63 {Th}is gode man..eschte what hi wolde. c1386 CHAUCER Wife's Prol. 21, I axe, why the fyfte man Was nought housbond to the Samaritan? c1420 Avow. Arth. xxiv, Gauan asshes, ‘Is hit soe?’ 1455 E. CLERE in Four C. Eng. Lett. 5 He askid what the Princes name was. 1549 COVERDALE Erasm. Par. Rom. Prol., He axeth not whether good workes are to be done or not. 1597 SHAKES. 2 Hen. IV, III. ii. 71 May I aske, how my Lady his Wife doth? 1711 STEELE Spect. No. 454 {page}6 To ask what I wanted. Mod. Ask who it is. He asks if you are ready. I merely ask, ‘Is it true?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">b. with the question expressed by a n. or pronoun: To ask a question, this, something. to ask (a horse) the question: to call upon him for a special effort.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">c1320 R. BRUNNE Medit. 430 Some axen questyons to do hym wrong. 1387 TREVISA Higden (1865) I. 67 {Th}re questiouns bee{th} i-axed. 1803 PEGGE Anecd. Eng. Lang. 114 A true born Londoner, Sir, of either sex, always axes question, axes pardon, and at quadrille axes leave. 1850 TENNYSON In Mem. xiv, And ask a thousand things of home. 1894 H. CUSTANCE Riding Recoll. vi. 88 Until the last ten strides, when I really asked ‘King Lud’ the question.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"> From these examples one can see that 'aks/ax' was a valid pronunciation from 1000 CE ("acsian") through at least 1549 CE ("He axeth"). If anyone "axe," just say that no one lesser than Chaucer "spelt it" that way. This is an example of the durability and flexibility of the language and how it is constantly changing.</span></div><div align="LEFT"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">However, Ms. Balderson added, that it is not enough to dispel widely held myths about language variation; we also need to expose how myths and misconceptions are perpetuated so that students can participate in efforts to resist, subvert, and combat linguicism (Zuidema 2005). The first step is raising the awareness and educating those who hold the power in the classroom. The ubiquitous problem of linguistic prejudice deserves significant attention in all schools. We ought to incorporate language study at all levels in freestanding units or in partnership with literature, grammar, speech, and composition studies.While language study is not likely to eradicate language-based discrimination, it may serve to diminish our students’ and our own willingness to use language “as both a channel and an excuse for expressing some of our deepest prejudices” (Daniels, 1983, p. 5).</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Zuidema suggested that students can take positive action in response to their learning and make their research efforts more consequential by offering writing assignment options that work toward eliminating the propagation of linguistic prejudice and the practice of language-based discrimination. Students can compose fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction that reflect on linguicism; they can write articles that expose linguistic prejudice; and they can write letters, proposals, public service announcements, and other documents that seek to combat linguicism. Publishing students’ writings or delivering them to the intended audiences can empower students as activists in their world and make their learning meaningful in a way that writing for the teacher alone cannot do.</span></div><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular;"></span></span><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div></span></span><div align="LEFT"><em><span style="font-size: small;">The above transcript was put together using the powerpoint presentation created by Ms. Balderson and Mr. Roces for the CATESOL presentation on 19 November 2011, from their individual lecture and research notes, and their key resource materials and articles:</span></em></div><div align="LEFT"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">1. Myth education: Rationale and strategies for teaching against linguistic prejudice; Leah A. </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Zuidema</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">; © 2005 INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION (pp. 666–675) doi:10.1598/JAAL.48.8.4</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">2. Asserting ethnic identity and power through language; Augusto </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Carli</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">, Cristina </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Guardiano</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">, </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Majda</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Kaucˇic</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">ˇ-</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Basˇa</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">, </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Emidio</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Sussi</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">, </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Mariselda</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Tessarolo</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> and Marina </span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Ussai</span><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">; Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies Vol. 29, No. 5: 865–883; September 2003</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">3. Do You Speak American?; </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/speak/"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">http://www.pbs.org/speak/</span></a></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">4. Gaertner, S.L., and J.F. Dovidio. 1986. The aversive form of racism. In: J.F. Dovidio and S.L. Gaertner (Eds.), Prejudice, Discrimination and Racism: Theory and Research. Orlando, FL: Academic Press.</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"></span></div></span><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">5. African-American Vernacular English: ethics, ideology, and pedagogy in the conflict between identity and power, Alice Ashton Filmer, World Englishes, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 253-270, 2003.</span></div><div align="LEFT"></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">6. Who speaks “broken English”? US undergraduates’ perceptions of non-native English, Stephanie Lindemann, </span><span style="font-size: small;">Georgia State University, International Journal of Applied Linguistics, Vol. 15, No. 05, 2005.</span></span><span style="font-family: GraphFormataBQ-Italic;"><span style="font-family: GraphFormataBQ-Italic;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: GraphFormataBQ-Italic;"><span style="font-family: GraphFormataBQ-Italic;"><span style="font-family: GraphFormataBQ-Regular;"><span style="font-family: GraphFormataBQ-Regular;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: GraphFormataBQ-Italic;"><span style="font-family: GraphFormataBQ-Italic;"></span></span><span style="font-family: GraphFormataBQ-Italic;"><span style="font-family: GraphFormataBQ-Italic;"></span></span></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Italic; font-size: x-small;"></span></span></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><br />
<div align="LEFT"></div></div></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular;"><span style="font-family: Minion-Regular;"></span></span></span></div><br />
</div>Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-17019948058195618262010-08-16T12:54:00.000-07:002010-08-16T12:59:43.186-07:00Foreign Student Program Struggles<a href="mailto:mmartinez@rgj.com">By Michael Martinez</a> • mmartinez@rgj.com • July 21, 2010<br />Reno Gazette Journal<br /><br />The economy is causing fewer families to volunteer as hosts for foreign exchange students, according to a study by a national organization and local groups that arrange host homes for foreign student visitors.<span class="aa"></span><p><span class="pp"></span>The Center for Cultural Interchange, a, nonprofit student exchange organization based in Chicago, is actively soliciting host families for foreign exchange students for the 2010-11 school year, and is competing with local Rotary club student-exchange programs and the Northern Nevada International Center.<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>During the last few years, CCI has struggled to find families to host students for a year while the economy has been unstable. Many families are finding it hard to make the commitment, said group spokeswoman Shannan Bunting.<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>Joaquin Roces, international visitor leadership program coordinator for the Northern Nevada International Center, said families that reliably hosted foreign students from summer camp or academic year visits have dramatically declined.<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>"Our normal database has about 30-40 families in the Truckee Meadows area in the past," Roces said. "That has shrunk about three quarters, and we're down to about 10 families.<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>"The economy makes it a lot more challenging in our exchange programs," Roces said. "People are watching their expenditures a lot more and they are not as free with their disposable income and everybody is buckling down."<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>He said it holds true for the high school program and the adult/professional program.<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>"We're not like San Francisco, so something like that impacts our program significantly," Roces said.<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>He noted that Rotary clubs have run into similar circumstances.<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>Steve Mestre, who co-chaired the Downtown Rotary club's student exchange program for about a year and hosted five students himself, cited the economy and the mountains of paperwork that families must keep up with as an equal problem.<span class="aa"></span></p><span class="pp"></span>"It is expensive because you have to feed them like another member of the family and that's probably more so in the year-round programs," said Mestre, who is the incoming president of the Rotary Club of Reno.<br /><br />"Now that there are all these federal mandates to do background checks on host families, the school districts are requiring more paperwork, so it's harder to get volunteers willing to go through all that.<span class="aa"></span><p><span class="pp"></span>"So these programs are struggling and I believe they are in jeopardy," he said.<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>But Mestre also touted their value as vital bridges to cultural understanding and international relations.<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>That's what motivated Toni Harris to play host to a pair of the students from the contingent of Algerian and American high schoolers in a summer camp through the NNIC.<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>"Part of my responsibility was to help find families to host 25 of these students," Harris said. "I sent out e-mails but, with exception of a couple of people, I didn't get any responses, and I sent out e-mails to people I knew had room."<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>Harris' twin sons, graduates of Reno High School, both participated in the People-to-People international travel program.<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>"And it was a wonderful experience for them," she said.<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>She said the two girls she is hosting have started to feel at home, making their own meals.<span class="aa"></span></p><p><span class="pp"></span>"Even though they have different thing going on, I do take them on various ventures: I've taking them shopping, and take them places I think they would benefit from, but it doesn't cost me anything to really do it," Harris said. "The school or state or whoever is sponsoring them gives them a stipend.<span class="aa"></span></p><span class="pp"></span>"It's been rewarding," she said.Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-10698953562170606982009-09-15T11:53:00.001-07:002009-09-15T12:52:11.346-07:00Bonjour d’Algérie Morning TV Show with Youth Leadership Program (YLP) Participants<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_XnApAFLqV0EzAziULg7pQ9kwYCoeqyArNpZYgWsf-DMslkeLYG1njRuS6zsQpN2OXdl0ezlA8DkXaLEGHwUELfqckuqZ1iRdK-eqyLP0M4LyOlpwCpHv-RhjiZGqCLlkZbDyyxFgpI/s1600-h/Bonjour+d%27Algerie+YLEP09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_XnApAFLqV0EzAziULg7pQ9kwYCoeqyArNpZYgWsf-DMslkeLYG1njRuS6zsQpN2OXdl0ezlA8DkXaLEGHwUELfqckuqZ1iRdK-eqyLP0M4LyOlpwCpHv-RhjiZGqCLlkZbDyyxFgpI/s200/Bonjour+d%27Algerie+YLEP09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381769329385059522" border="0" /></a><br /><h2 align="left">Following the return of 25 students and 3 teachers from an intensive month-long YLP experience in Reno, Nevada, 5 YLP participants and Cultural Officer Valerie Wheat appeared on Bonjour d’Algérie to talk about the program. While a documentary film produced entirely by the students played in the background, the participants shared stories of their time in the U.S., and described the benefits they received through intensive English language learning, leadership and civic engagement exercises, and diversity training. The students were exemplary “Junior Ambassadors”, demonstrating the importance of promoting tolerance and understanding of other people, and encouraging future participation in this annual program open to all youth across Algeria.</h2>Footage provided by the US Embassy in Algeiria. http://algiers.usembassy.gov/<br />Pictured above are Mohamed Ouamoussa and Chanez Hendel, both of Algiers. Interview includes Valerie Wheat of the US Embassy, Amina Boumaza (English teacher from Algiers), Yasser Meghari (Blida), and Tinhinane El Kadi (Algiers). The “Bonjour d’Algérie” morning show is broadcast by Canal Algérie (the Algerian state television’s European and American satellite channel).<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dytLJXBQDCbfhDDC6x_MlnFxmawEdS9eNmXPvCdevvMD-bxygH48EOKUApDzIk7ugNAn9fEI5ykVHIWP7uf' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-59919858922551683312009-09-15T11:47:00.000-07:002009-09-15T11:51:39.206-07:00Ambassador Pearce's Comments regarding the Youth Leadership Program for Algeria<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMAiFyj-EOm9JiStv2cmx97QpucqlsMNQNgWNFMOlsSQyaIPPFPZpmCxLWUgY2HXRxNytH7rKMZVyvCxq5g8mM6cdTM1GVX4LaaFckFyQqcd2rIcqytVTiPVvn765utDdUSqzSXcMf-s/s1600-h/Amb+Pearce.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMAiFyj-EOm9JiStv2cmx97QpucqlsMNQNgWNFMOlsSQyaIPPFPZpmCxLWUgY2HXRxNytH7rKMZVyvCxq5g8mM6cdTM1GVX4LaaFckFyQqcd2rIcqytVTiPVvn765utDdUSqzSXcMf-s/s200/Amb+Pearce.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381768734213720498" border="0" /></a><br />The Youth Leadership Program (YLP) for 2009 started officially on July 12 2009 at the Embassy with the 25 selected students coming in to the consular section for their visa interviews, followed by a lunch buffet hosted by the Ambassador at his residence in Algiers. The morning also included an information session for the students and their parents, led by the Northern Nevada International Center, the official implementer of the program. The session provided time for the many questions prior to the travel of these “junior Ambassadors.” This year the program will commence with the 2 week English language/orientation in Setif, 4 hours southeast of Algiers, and then 4 weeks in Reno, Nevada.<br /><br />Ambassador David D. Pearce's comments at the Luncheon on July 12 2009:<br /><br />"Welcome to the U.S. Embassy and to the official opening of the Youth Leadership Program 2009. Congratulations to the 25 students and 3 Teachers and Chaperones selected to participate in this program. We commend you for your talents and skills that were demonstrated during the application and interview process. We are counting on each one of you to take full advantage of this opportunity to improve your English language skills and your leadership skills, and to learn firsthand about the United States and its people.<br /><br />This is the 5th year of the Youth Leadership Program in Algeria. The USG commends the support that the Ministry of National Education has provided in the past, and we look forward to a relationship of mutual support and cooperation. We have 25 excellent students this year, up from 20 last year, and we hope that with each year, the number of students selected will increase.<br /><br />This year we have the support of the Northern Nevada International Center and “Le Club scientifique de la Faculte des Sciences Medicales” who are are partners in the U.S and Setif for this program. We thank these two organizations for their dedication and commitments.<br />Now I would like to ask that Mr. Joaquin Roces of the NNIC, and Dr. Khalil Sakhri come forward to say a few words of welcome.<br /><br />Thank you very much, and once again, congratulations to the 25 students and 3 Teachers and Chaperones."<br /><br />President Bush nominated David Pearce, a 26-year veteran of the Foreign Service with long experience in the Middle East, as the U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria in June 2008. Ambassador Pearce was confirmed by the Senate in August 2008.Ambassador Pearce entered the Foreign Service in January 1982, serving first as a vice consul and political officer in Riyadh. From 1984 to 1985, he was a watch officer in the State Department Operations Center, followed by a 1985-87 tour as a country desk officer for Greece. In 1987-88, he studied Arabic at the Foreign Service Institute field school in Tunis, then became chief of the political section at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait. During the Gulf War, Ambassador Pearce worked as a liaison officer with the Kuwaiti government-in-exile in Taif, Saudi Arabia. He returned to Washington in 1991 to become a special assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. From 1994-97, he was Consul General in Dubai and from 1997-2001 he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Damascus. From September 2001 to July 2003, he was Director of the Department of State’s Office of Northern Gulf Affairs, with responsibility for Iraq and Iran. In May-June 2003, Ambassador Pearce served with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad. He was Chief of Mission and Consul General at the United States Consulate General in Jerusalem from September 29, 2003 through July 2005, and then Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the United States Embassy in Rome from 2005-2008.<br /><br />Ambassador Pearce was born in Portland, Maine on June 9, 1950, and received his bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine in 1972 and an M.A. in journalism from Ohio State University in 1973. He has been married since 1978 to the former Leyla Baroody. The Pearces have two children: Jennifer, who recently received her master’s degree in community and regional planning at the University of Oregon, and Joseph, who is studying for a master’s degree in Arabic studies at Georgetown University.Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-48694334880889451662009-08-18T14:29:00.000-07:002009-09-15T10:43:10.161-07:00Speech at the residence of the US Ambassador to Algeria : 12 July 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMApTt7pnB0CKeS93g-OmriIs28G6sgEe4dfkRwXujVzvtO6rflGwkcbHJTAL5st2cM-d99-Z5tdGMuP1T1FUgX1kEaGv9yNS8wHX2VBony1WcLo_p_-qTenIy-8LeHgUlonzR7OCO20k/s1600-h/Joaquin+at+US+Ambassador%27s+Residence+Algeria.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMApTt7pnB0CKeS93g-OmriIs28G6sgEe4dfkRwXujVzvtO6rflGwkcbHJTAL5st2cM-d99-Z5tdGMuP1T1FUgX1kEaGv9yNS8wHX2VBony1WcLo_p_-qTenIy-8LeHgUlonzR7OCO20k/s200/Joaquin+at+US+Ambassador%27s+Residence+Algeria.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371419879826347762" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">These short comments were made at the residence of the US Ambassador to Algeria, David Pearce, in Algiers, Algeria. It was during a luncheon Ambassador Pearce hosted for the participants and families of the Youth Leadership Program for Algeria. In attendance were t</span><span style="font-style: italic;">he 28 participants, their parents, embassy and consular staff, and representatives from Algeria's Ministry of Education.</span><br /><br />"Since I arrived here in your country as a guest, I have learned what Valerie and the Ambassador already know: that the American and Algerian people share a great many common things. Both our countries were born out of a desire by our founding fathers to break free of the yoke of colonialism and imperialism. Our national identities have been shaped by that struggle for freedom and desire for independence.<br /><br />In 1957, Senator John Kennedy publicly denounced French colonialism in Algeria and as president, he was the first to recognize a free and independent Algeria and to officially meet with your country's first president, Monsieur Ben Bella.<br /><br />As I look out at the fresh young faces of the participants, I am reminded of the w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7HznM7BPG9VBun2Hrz4SOTR-e9kiVEmPzOSnB1QT6Nokxw9l0xzGrmSHF_dsjxdMkCWrftQlwco0tov2cp4gCKIXuMzZdrABba_7PSr3VQjZXhUEcOEN7awBVF3XWT_bJFsGa9j3JoU/s1600-h/YLPA+in+Reno+070.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7HznM7BPG9VBun2Hrz4SOTR-e9kiVEmPzOSnB1QT6Nokxw9l0xzGrmSHF_dsjxdMkCWrftQlwco0tov2cp4gCKIXuMzZdrABba_7PSr3VQjZXhUEcOEN7awBVF3XWT_bJFsGa9j3JoU/s200/YLPA+in+Reno+070.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371420792778967762" border="0" /></a>ords of President Kennedy which hang in our library at the University of Nevada Reno. The torch now passes to you, a new generation of Algerians born in this century, the first generation of this new millennium and like your American counterparts in Reno, you too, have been tempered by war and disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, both our nations are proud of our ancient heritage and rich history, and unwilling to watch the slow undoing of those democratic principles to which both our countries and people have always been committed to , and remain committed to today, at home and around the world.<br /><br />Kennedy's words electrified the Afro-Arab world and the Muslim people of Algeria long remembered his courageous words that helped carry them through the "darkest period" of their armed struggle against the French. Now, that torch has been passed to you, the next generation, to light the way and lead our countries into the future. In closing I wish to read a passage from the Al Baqarah in the Koran:<br /><br />"Those that gave their wealth for the cause of God can be compared to a grain of corn which brings forth seven ears, each bearing a hundred grains."<br /><br />(Original Arabic quote was read by an interpreter, Houda Bouhidel)<br /><br />Each of you here today is like that grain of corn, a seed of peace, in whom the dreams of both of our countries rests. May Allah bless our joint venture so that each seed of peace we plant here and in America yield a hundred years of peace and friendship between our two countries."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRY3k5M-vF7Xcju-9waLPMHVvHVD9up0e0ETHxbfKTigieahQdaTWplxwfzi0ovyMWZPiUttHG0HbIno2TUV-EyaolrqxmcaupsdUbmc3WeRzBcvPrIN7fs2py4AjATqPW1N_98rGSCY/s1600-h/YLP+a+Djemilla.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRY3k5M-vF7Xcju-9waLPMHVvHVD9up0e0ETHxbfKTigieahQdaTWplxwfzi0ovyMWZPiUttHG0HbIno2TUV-EyaolrqxmcaupsdUbmc3WeRzBcvPrIN7fs2py4AjATqPW1N_98rGSCY/s200/YLP+a+Djemilla.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371421017794841586" border="0" /></a>Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-48490376148718699352009-08-17T17:01:00.000-07:002009-08-17T17:10:06.225-07:0025 Algerian Students to Visit Northern Nevada, Will Stay with Local Families By Jennifer Burton<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvN7AW36q4qkl5zh-lBz-5Ab4lHbz381SLSLrPy-HQmAfyAPDnWfn9_wnxeaMwmw9COrbLma7RB_zg4ZDe9KbfXva4iHm3caEV7gQ9eA64ZKffdHO7jDddjIShFhrCe_-Cq2PV1UolOQ/s1600-h/joaquin-PNN.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 131px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvN7AW36q4qkl5zh-lBz-5Ab4lHbz381SLSLrPy-HQmAfyAPDnWfn9_wnxeaMwmw9COrbLma7RB_zg4ZDe9KbfXva4iHm3caEV7gQ9eA64ZKffdHO7jDddjIShFhrCe_-Cq2PV1UolOQ/s200/joaquin-PNN.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371088355501432098" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(The following appeared in the July 2009 issue of Positively Northern Nevada with Jennifer Burton http://www.positivelynorthernnevada.com/)<br /></span><br /><p><br /></p><p>If you could tell 25 students from North Africa something about the America, what would it be? Ten local high school students and about a dozen host families will have that chance when 25 Algerian high school students arrive in Reno for a three week conference on leadership and media later this month.</p> <p>Algeria is 99 percent Muslim and the students, who speak French, English and Arabic, will have a chance to share their their culture with ours and vice versa.</p> <p>“I was impressed by their level of English and comprehension and their grasp of pretty complicated concepts of American History,” said Joaquin Roces who reviewed the essays the students wrote to be considered for the program.</p> <p>Roces, who is with the Northern Nevada International Center, left for Algeria last week to meet the students and will bring them to Reno at the end of July. Once here, they’ll participate in the Algerian Youth Leadership conference, which is sponsored by the U.S. State Department.</p> <p>In addition to the Algerian students, ten local high school students will also participate in the program. “I think it’s going to be a very interesting dynamic in exchange between the American students and the Algerian students,” Roces added.</p> <p>Each Algerian student had to write an essay in English to be considered for the program. One 17 year old boy says in his essay that he looks forward to exchanging ideas and learning about America. He also likes soccer and watches NBA basketball, which he calls “spectacular.” Another 17 year old is excited about the chance to meet people and learn to communicate across cultures.</p> <p>The students will learn about media and how it fits into society, and each will help produce a three minute mini-documentary. Local families who signed up to host the students will get a chance to learn about Algeria and meet kids who they might not otherwise come in contact with. Be sure to check back on PNN for more about the program after they arrive in Reno.</p> <p class="postmetadata alt"> <small> This entry was posted on Monday, July 6th, 2009 at 12:56 pm by PNN and is filed under <a href="http://www.positivelynorthernnevada.com/?cat=21" title="View all posts in Community events" rel="category">Community events</a>, <a href="http://www.positivelynorthernnevada.com/?cat=4" title="View all posts in News Items" rel="category">News Items</a>, <a href="http://www.positivelynorthernnevada.com/?cat=12" title="View all posts in Northern Nevada Living" rel="category">Northern Nevada Living</a>, <a href="http://www.positivelynorthernnevada.com/?cat=27" title="View all posts in Northern Nevada News" rel="category">Northern Nevada News</a>, <a href="http://www.positivelynorthernnevada.com/?cat=1" title="View all posts in Uncategorized" rel="category">Uncategorized</a>. </small> </p>Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-77660879437718900522009-05-31T23:55:00.000-07:002009-06-01T13:30:11.938-07:00PROFILE IN COURAGE: Sen. Joe Heck<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Yd2Aj52iRiHbX7AZ7PjJPu2ajR3hMXKphZUDEAJkVTUOp38OVIdknqsiPj_BxGY20vo-WJguC8YFvU309MFeRpBo4Ul-IONf3FfTYmok8YPWNq43H6t0CI9b3fwbZGg7AcJvTlhkrHc/s1600-h/MRRW.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Yd2Aj52iRiHbX7AZ7PjJPu2ajR3hMXKphZUDEAJkVTUOp38OVIdknqsiPj_BxGY20vo-WJguC8YFvU309MFeRpBo4Ul-IONf3FfTYmok8YPWNq43H6t0CI9b3fwbZGg7AcJvTlhkrHc/s200/MRRW.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342459063566900338" border="0" /></a><br />On 26 of May 2009, a day after Memorial Day, Nevada Senator Joe Heck Spoke at a Mt. Rose Republican Womens (MRRW) Meeting at Arrowcreek Country Club in Reno, NV. The Senator announced his bid for the Governor's Office and outlined his platform to 'fix' health care and education in Nevada. 5 minutes into his speech he was blasted by a gentleman later described as an "Ultra Conservative" by some of the MRRW members. The ultra consrvative shouted that "WE don't care about health care...WE don't care about education. What WE care about is paying taxes." The ultra conservative then accused Sen. Heck of sounding too much like Obama. Form my table at the dinner and others who rose to speak after the disruption, the majority seemed to be supportive or at least willing to hear what Sen. Heck's proposal was. Sen Heck continued with his speech and his proposal despite the verbal attack. The following are my comments which I sent to Sen. Heck the day after his speech. His response which was recieved via email was this: "we have a great opportunity to grab the message that continues to propel the [Democrats], and use Republican principles to solve the problems facing so many Nevadans. The reason no [Republican] will tackle it is because they are afraid - it is much easier to campaign on a single issue of no new taxes. It takes a lot of work to educate voters, but I have never shied away from hard work! Thanks again and I hope to see you again we are back up north!" I felt that it took a lot of courage for Sen. Heck to take a stand on issues that are at this time not very popular with the core conservatives within the party, and is reflective of the national witch hunt that is ripping the GOP apart.<br /><br />Dear Sen. Heck,<br /><br />I wanted to express my appreciation for your words the other day at the MRRW dinner, I found your words encouraging and insightful. I certainly can not speak for everyone there and I would never presume to do so, but I, for one, am happy to hear a Republican candidate offer a "Alternative Option" to the democratic option to the issues of Health Care and Education in our state. I am under the age of 50 and I still work for a living and I have a 19 and 18 year old getting ready for college, and a 14 year old coming up the pike. They are competing not only with graduates from UNLV or UCLA, but with graduates from London, Beijing and Calcutta. As recently as 2004, Berkeley was No. 1 in the production of all Ph.D.’s, including education, the humanities, and the social sciences. Two Chinese universities have moved ahead of the University of California at Berkeley as the top sources of students who go on to earn doctorates at American institutions. Fully half of the top 20 institutions on the list were foreign: a total of seven Chinese institutions, and one each in India, South Korea, and Taiwan. Tsinghua and Peking Universities, and Seoul National University, in South Korea, also topped the list (in that order) of how many of their bachelor’s-degree holders earned natural-science or engineering Ph.D.’s at American institutions in 2006. In two years time, Cornell University was fourth and Berkeley fell to fifth. This trend speaks to a growing concern among American educators and policy makers that China and other Asian nations are likely to produce large numbers of scientists and engineers who will help them out-compete the United States technologically.<br /><br />When I was working for Governor Guinn in 2000-2005, he was trying to diversify our business and industrial base by luring IT businesses into our state. The response time and time again, was Nevada did not have an educated workforce that could support such industries. That is why Gov. Guinn created the Millennium Scholarship in the first place, to ensure our future generations had the tools to compete in a global market, and now when we are in the midst of an economic collapse, we are talking about dismantling our educational system. To say that our educational system in not broken, is like traveling down a highway at 60 mph with a flat tire and refusing to pull over to fix it. I, for one, do care about education; and I find it refreshing that a Republican is willing to discuss it and offer a valid option.<br /><br />Secondly, on the matter of health care. Again, I find it refreshing to hear a Republican brave enough to step forward and offer a viable alternative based on private competition and not monolithic bureaucracies. I am a program coordinator at the Northern Nevada International Center, I coordinate professional exchange program for foreign prosecutors, judges, doctors, public officials and business and cultural leaders from around the world to meet with Nevadan counterparts to discuss and exchanges ideas and solutions to common problems. In the 4 years, I have been in this position, I have completed over 50 such programs working with over 150 international visitors. In the last three years we have completed four such programs involving health care professionals and doctors. Half of our state's population is under-insured or uninsured. Under-insured means that 10% of the household's income is spent on out of pocket medical expenses. You are right, access to health care is not the issue, but for many Nevadans, they have to forgo a needed medical procedure, treatment or medication because it's a choice between paying for that or their power bill or buying food for the month or their child's tuition. In addition, I know that what you are proposing works, and there is a successful working model in place in Reno, and it is not a government monolithic bureaucracy. It is a private entity, surprising called "Access to Health Care." It's Executive Director, Sherri Rice, has met with several of our Russian delegations, and components of her program have already been emulated in Russia where socialized health care has collapsed.<br /><br />Finally, I wanted to also comment on what you said about expanding the Republican message to attract conservative democrats and independents. I believe you commented that as of last week, the Republican party was in a 100,000 vote deficit. Across the nation, it's the same picture. The Washington Post/ABC News poll revealed that only 21% of Americans consider themselves Republicans, while a New York Times poll that came out last month puts the number even lower: 20%. Your opening comments at the dinner reminded me of the words of Sen. Olympia Snowe, who said that "I believe in the traditional tenets of Republican Party: Strong National Defense; Fiscal Responsibility; and Individual Opportunity. I haven't abandoned those principles." The party is shrinking because, from what I feel and what I have observed, we are eating our own. The internal witch hunt going on right now within the party that started with Arlen Specter, threatens the party's long term viability and turn the GOP into America's third party. We are hemorrhaging moderates. This will not be another 1994. The underlying fundamentals today are vastly worse, as we continue to chase out moderates, and powerful leaders like Specter (which gave Obama a fillabuster-proof majority in the Senate), and at the same time the party's coalition is shrinking and we are losing ground with the segments of society that are growing. One in four voters are now racial minorities, and hispanics, the largest block, broke for Obama two to one. 70% of the youth vote went for Obama, and they are swelling by 4.5 million a year. To quote another Republican, Governor Charlie Crist, the GOP has to come up with something new to say other than 'NO.' You have to have a vision for the future and articulate what it is you want to do rather than just knocking the other guy down all the time. As Gov. Huntsman in Utah said we "need to expand our demographic appeal by offering hard hitting, realistic, thoughtful proposals that address the issues that really matter to people, like health care, energy and the economy." When the gentleman stood up and yelled that "WE don't care about health care..." and "WE don't care about education..." I felt like getting up and leaving, but I wanted to hear what you had to say, so I fought the impulse and stayed. I am glad I made that decision. As a disabled veteran wounded in the line of duty, I realize that it is not just bravery under fire or the bravery to make sacrifices, but the bravery to discard the comfort of illusion, to speak plainly rather than just offer comfort, to instruct rather than just reassure, to reveal frustration rather than promise satisfaction. You did exactly that - you spoke plainly about the issues which are frustrating many Nevadans and you offered something other than 'no'; you offered an intelligent, realistic and viable proposal to address health care and education in our state. Thank you, Senator Heck, for your courage to bring these issues to the forefront and taking your time to speak to us.Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-64486309509444176372009-05-04T11:58:00.000-07:002009-06-01T12:44:17.719-07:00PROFILE IN COURAGE: UNR STAND: Passing the torch....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPBWC5knIo4eshATeglm4G8BvPFHMrvbdBfl6UXInQ0bCDdd5jJi-9lAoZ1rfLQZhAHNIjOlD9uetkwZxjkD38hvZjvOiYiFZO8blzgghCLajm9NPiyxhXoElHmxBEebDnxl5sbUVe1s/s1600-h/Happiness+is...%28with+text%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPBWC5knIo4eshATeglm4G8BvPFHMrvbdBfl6UXInQ0bCDdd5jJi-9lAoZ1rfLQZhAHNIjOlD9uetkwZxjkD38hvZjvOiYiFZO8blzgghCLajm9NPiyxhXoElHmxBEebDnxl5sbUVe1s/s200/Happiness+is...%28with+text%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342441996319572770" border="0" /></a>The following is a speech I made at the closing meeting of UNR STAND at the Joe Crowley Student Union. It is a student organization at the University of Nevada Reno who works to educate and instruct students and the community on the plight of our fellow men and women in conflict areas through out the world. This was following their first successful fundraiser at the in Carson City. On Saturday, April 25, 2009, UNR STAND held its 1st Annual STAND FOR HUMANITY Benefit Dinner and Art Auction at the Governor's Mansion in Carson City, Nevada. It was a Black Tie Event. The event was held from 6:00pm - 9:00pm. There was about 55 people were in attendance, some traveling all the way from Las Vegas. UNR STAND was able to raise $2,000 for civilian protection initiatives in Darfur, Sudan and eastern Burma. All proceeds from Stand for Humanity will be donated to GI-NET’s Civilian Protection Program, which supports on-the-ground activities that aim to protect civilians at risk of genocidal violence. I wanted to make these comments and address the club's members because of a conversation I had with my parish priest one night over dinner regarding youth in our community and parish.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Voltaire put it simply, “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” I am a writer by craft, and I have two manuscripts I am working on and one of them is called The Seven Passions of Gabrielle Emelie, and it is modeled after Voltaire’s Candide. When I read about the warrant for Bashir’s arrest, I pondered what Voltaire would have said of such news. I would presume he would say that “All murders are made accountable and therefore punished, except those who kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” We often mistake technological advances for evolution… Voltaire wrote of the Earthquake and Tsunamis that racked Lisbon in 1755:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNH5EtleMHz1lCTlXFm1PPYDaO_gALFoMHsoHkfCp6kTspYD8XnStrIFRiIER2GwTc7ddi0oEHAIcRAGG38M0EYhKd4-JzjnWA8WxZeB7DAjS-GovK1ygORkKR46G9JCTNgKAfRdoTQw/s1600-h/IDP+Photo.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNH5EtleMHz1lCTlXFm1PPYDaO_gALFoMHsoHkfCp6kTspYD8XnStrIFRiIER2GwTc7ddi0oEHAIcRAGG38M0EYhKd4-JzjnWA8WxZeB7DAjS-GovK1ygORkKR46G9JCTNgKAfRdoTQw/s200/IDP+Photo.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342446715717783986" border="0" /></a></div><br />UNHAPPY mortals! Dark and mourning earth!<br />Affrighted gathering of human kind!<br />Eternal lingering of useless pain!<br />Come, ye philosophers, who cry, "All’s well,"<br />And contemplate this ruin of a world.<br />Behold these shreds and cinders of your race,<br />This child and mother heaped in common wreck,<br />These scattered limbs beneath the marble shafts—<br /><br />When the cyclone hit Burma in May of last year (2008), I wondered, ‘has anything changed?’ Or are we still crying “All’s well,” the tranquil spectators of our brothers’ wreck, unmoved by the repellent dance of death in Rwanda, Darfur, Burma and elsewhere? Would Voltaire say that we are better than what we were? Have we taken care of our garden as Candide called his companions to do at the end of the novel? A friend of mine and I had a rather funny discussion about a mundane thing in church. The act of reaching out and holding hands while you say the Lord’s prayer. Some people have an issue with it, so NOT everyone will hold your hand during the Lord's Prayer or shake your hand when you offer it in peace, and it's damn rare that they will reach across the aisle to the person on the other side. WHEN it does happen, it's always a child pulling the adult across. My friend asked why was I so keen on it and I replied that I am a global person, among other things, the holding hands is big for me as it's a metaphor for the larger problems in our world. Why people in Darfur and Rwanda suffer and die, as we stand idly by and cry "All is well." Why Jews, Christians and Muslims, slaughter each other as they pray to the SAME God, why we don't have national health care, we decry welfare, TANF, Headstart and won't fund educa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEejjIZ2DmKJLrzenYnM2uKSfc-iNkJsyFavivZnmvN3p_Cw77BgG4n3UpjsxqMyC0mJ9QYaFpOTPZQcsURcruK_ZTri9SRHCzfA-jHvL5oHHX92GYjNZ2op5a4IqdztzZ7krpgUUooU/s1600-h/Victor+and+Jenna.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEejjIZ2DmKJLrzenYnM2uKSfc-iNkJsyFavivZnmvN3p_Cw77BgG4n3UpjsxqMyC0mJ9QYaFpOTPZQcsURcruK_ZTri9SRHCzfA-jHvL5oHHX92GYjNZ2op5a4IqdztzZ7krpgUUooU/s200/Victor+and+Jenna.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342441985500623938" border="0" /></a>tion, but we'll bail out GM, Wall Street and the Banks. If good God fearing, Republican voting, Fox news watching, Christians won't hold hands with the same God fearing, Republican voting, Fox news watching Christians in THEIR own Church, maybe that ought to say something about who we are; who we’ve become. Like in Les Miz, "Look down and show some mercy if you can - Look down, look down, upon your fellow man!" Is it really so hard, so difficult to pull your hand out of your pocket and extend it to the person standing next to you. To hold their hand in prayer to OUR God, to help them up off the street, to hand them a meal when they are hungry, to help them put on a jacket when it's cold…to put your hand around them when they need to be comforted. Like Candide said, to care for our own garden. What y’all do here is exactly that – you stretch out your arm and extend a helping hand to someone in need.<br /><br />Philip Ernest Schoenberg, a Kennedy confidant and family friend, once published 13 key lessons on leadership from John Kennedy’s presidency. Those are: Set High Goals by Sharing a Vision, Be Independent, Set an Example by Becoming a Role Model, Be a Life Long Learner, Doing the Little Things Lead to the Big Things, Be a Great Communicator, Take responsibility, Demand excellence from others, Learn From Failures and Mistakes, Have the Courage of Your convictions by Believing in Yourself, Be a Team Leader, Show Compassion, and Lesson No. 13: Be Lucky. These are lessons and goals that I believe this organization and its members fully embody in not only its rhetoric but in its actions. Y’all don’t just talk the talk; y’all walk the walk. Jack Kennedy’s brother, Bobby, delivered a speech in March of 1968, two months before his own assassination, {Read Excerpt}<br /><br />I often use another quote from Robert Kennedy who said it is not just bravery under fire or the bravery to make sacrifices, but the bravery to discard the comfort of illusion, to do away with false hopes and alluring promises. It takes courage in a crisis to speak plainly when many seek comfort; Courage to educate and instruct in times of difficulty when others want reassurance; courage to reveal frustration when faced with uncertainty rather than promise satisfaction. I feel sincerely that men and women such as yourselves…Carolina, Jenna and Kait<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinP-7xiE1xwOaXMsddLE1Pu_C49ey9CJROElIsKVwjVbT9xgtKaaCv8miKrzCopT9siKtN4tedv4F8L98lel3wromftQL-_M6jujtkZUpmK5_f_6_OcaSm-87n59fFY48YN-rfFMkbo9c/s1600-h/STAND+Group+Photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinP-7xiE1xwOaXMsddLE1Pu_C49ey9CJROElIsKVwjVbT9xgtKaaCv8miKrzCopT9siKtN4tedv4F8L98lel3wromftQL-_M6jujtkZUpmK5_f_6_OcaSm-87n59fFY48YN-rfFMkbo9c/s200/STAND+Group+Photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342446938841028242" border="0" /></a>lyn are such examples of courage in our society. If I did not or have not communicated that effectively to each of you, I'd like to do so now. I remember the first time that I read Kennedy's book, Profiles in Courage. Jack Kennedy, who had lived a heroic life, had the right to write a book about other heroes. He wrote about United States Senators who had supported unpopular causes and risked their careers. The other day, Carolina posted an article on Facebook that told the story of five members of Congress and three activists who were arrested on civil disobedience charges in front of the Sudanese Embassy on Monday for protesting "crimes against humanity" in Darfur. The lawmakers -- Reps. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma), John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Donna Edwards (D-Md.) -- were handcuffed by Secret Service officers after crossing the tape and taken to jail by local police officers. These men and women, as well as all of you here today can be counted among those listed by Kennedy earlier. Yours is also a profile in courage; a reminder to our community, our country and our world what it means to be an American. I remain steadfast in my belief that this is a great nation and a great people. Any who seek to comfort rather than speak plainly, reassure rather than instruct, promise satisfaction rather than reveal frustration; they deny that greatness and drain that strength. Kennedy once said that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans— born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. Half a century after they were uttered, those words still ring true. Over the past two decades, that torch has weathered some storms, and in some cases have wavered and dimmed. Yet another generation, your generation, moves it forward, to light the future and to lead the way. During the last election, CS Monitor quoted a young Las Vegas resident who said "It's my future… What I really don't understand is why there aren't more young people here because ... we are the ones who are going to have to live with the problems of the future." The test of this new generation is not about who will take blame for the failures of the past; but who will accept responsibility for our future. That is how, we as a people as a nation… it is the only way we can move forward.Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-69817204699028821612009-02-13T10:00:00.000-08:002009-02-13T10:36:01.229-08:00Russians from Orenburg implement new ideas from Reno
<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CNNICST%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CNNICST%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CNNICST%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> <w:cachedcolbalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont val="Cambria Math"> <m:brkbin val="before"> <m:brkbinsub val="--"> <m:smallfrac val="off"> <m:dispdef/> <m:lmargin val="0"> <m:rmargin val="0"> <m:defjc val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent val="1440"> <m:intlim val="subSup"> <m:narylim val="undOvr"> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" defunhidewhenused="true" defsemihidden="true" defqformat="false" defpriority="99" latentstylecount="267"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="0" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Normal"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="heading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="35" qformat="true" name="caption"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="10" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" name="Default Paragraph Font"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="11" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtitle"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="22" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Strong"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="20" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="0" name="Normal (Web)"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="59" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Table Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Placeholder Text"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="No Spacing"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Revision"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="34" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="List Paragraph"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="29" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="30" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="19" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="21" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Orenburg, Russia. In the summer of 2008, a delegation of Russian doctors and social workers traveled to Reno, Nevada, for training in community-based health and social services as part of a Community Connections program under USAID. The delegation was in Reno to exchange ideas and best practices in the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases and specifically AIDS/HIV. Two of the participants, Dr. Oksana Porshina and Alfia Arkhipova, took their lessons to heart. Both ladies were high lighted by USAID as living "success stories."
<br />
<br />Ms. Arkhipova, Director of the Gai City Administration’s Office for Social Support of Families and Children, developed the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvo8mZTf6C0uKXBp3bQ4nGmI8HQ7EDxuqTULOcTmFsUu1UOzfr0R9JO-pc2ZcGg6cW09R0HPMV7NRLN7_-a7E8cW1MFoz-mEVXshuHFaQNd0RDmnxVIdjrIeRmp6VVkaLfIN2-J8nZcc/s1600-h/Alfia+in+Nevada.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvo8mZTf6C0uKXBp3bQ4nGmI8HQ7EDxuqTULOcTmFsUu1UOzfr0R9JO-pc2ZcGg6cW09R0HPMV7NRLN7_-a7E8cW1MFoz-mEVXshuHFaQNd0RDmnxVIdjrIeRmp6VVkaLfIN2-J8nZcc/s200/Alfia+in+Nevada.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302346745970111378" border="0" /></a> program to provide children and their parents the psychological, social and medical support they need to start school. The program also offers assistance in coping with the myriad challenges of living with HIV. Born of Ms. Arkhipava’s experience during the Community Connections exchange, the one-year initiative, <b>First Time First Grade</b>, was first discussed at a meeting with the regional Social Protection Department, medical professionals and members of the Commission on Youth Issues and Protection of the Rights of Minors, who enthusiastically endorsed the project. <b>First Time First Grade</b> subsequently attracted partners from the Social Protection Department, the Children’s Hospital and the City Department of Education. Ms. Arkhipova believes her experiences in the US will enable her to continue helping children with HIV integrate into society.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Dr. Porshina’s Community Connections exchange experience in Reno, NV has greatly enhanced her work with commercial sex workers in Orenburg by demonstrating practical methods for supporting uninsured patients. As Director of the Primary Prevention Department at the Orenburg State Clinic for Skin and Venereal Diseases, Ms. Porshina incorporated elements of a program run by US hospitals and health centers into activities to prevent the spread of HIV and STDs among commercial sex workers. In Reno, Dr. Porshina met the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLoi64kWEiff6qbVH521zzg39n5sXYjbHp7c8IL9Q9uheffQAVJUuHat9m7Gmtziyw0d9t_cHxmPXJH9tT0m9J1Ah0EfN6HueOjmiURKto1la9hVw_oezJVN45RhR-1lNBNfBzOE2S0z0/s1600-h/Oksana.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLoi64kWEiff6qbVH521zzg39n5sXYjbHp7c8IL9Q9uheffQAVJUuHat9m7Gmtziyw0d9t_cHxmPXJH9tT0m9J1Ah0EfN6HueOjmiURKto1la9hVw_oezJVN45RhR-1lNBNfBzOE2S0z0/s200/Oksana.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302352151256982642" border="0" /></a>Executive Director, Ms. Sherri Rice of the <b style="">Access to Healthcare Network</b> which provides medical services at a reduced cost to uninsured patients. Impressed by the network, Ms. Porshina determined to provide medical services at her clinic for thirty percent of the standard price-- on condition of cash payment. To receive the same services free of charge, the clinic stipulates only that the patient submit legal documentation of identity, something that prior to the program many patients were reluctant to do. When the service was initially offered, held back by concern about privacy, few took advantage of the services, but now five or six patients a week seek help of the clinic’s physicians.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Ms. Porshina notes that the most valuable result of incorporating the new methods is that commercial sex workers have begun to take more responsibility for their health.<span style=""> </span>Doctor appointments ceased being one-time occurrences but rather included additional appointments and attempts to adhere to the medical worker’s prescriptions.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >These articles were originally published in the USAID's website and republished by Joaquin Rafael Roces for the NNIC in their Newsletter.</span></i><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<br />Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-26934193281990559502009-02-13T09:50:00.001-08:002009-02-13T09:59:24.546-08:00Community Connections: From Orenburg to Reno<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1d_0AoMlca1K0mohu7vd4iWSvVjfDyze25TXGCzWRUF02rFTqkD_SCkvc-P-JG-nKgL9Yy7vs3bvUohury5unTID1a_-arivGqvofeFh0ceOaO0gOHUc8psix3t57aHy9dkJOoqRmOM/s1600-h/Russian+CC+2008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1d_0AoMlca1K0mohu7vd4iWSvVjfDyze25TXGCzWRUF02rFTqkD_SCkvc-P-JG-nKgL9Yy7vs3bvUohury5unTID1a_-arivGqvofeFh0ceOaO0gOHUc8psix3t57aHy9dkJOoqRmOM/s200/Russian+CC+2008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302343049698769458" border="0" /></a>
<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CNNICST%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CNNICST%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CNNICST%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> <w:cachedcolbalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont val="Cambria Math"> <m:brkbin val="before"> <m:brkbinsub val="--"> <m:smallfrac val="off"> <m:dispdef/> <m:lmargin val="0"> <m:rmargin val="0"> <m:defjc val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent val="1440"> <m:intlim val="subSup"> <m:narylim val="undOvr"> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" defunhidewhenused="true" defsemihidden="true" defqformat="false" defpriority="99" latentstylecount="267"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="0" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Normal"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="heading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="35" qformat="true" name="caption"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="10" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" name="Default Paragraph Font"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="11" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtitle"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="22" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Strong"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="20" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="59" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Table Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Placeholder Text"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="No Spacing"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Revision"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="34" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="List Paragraph"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="29" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="30" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="19" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="21" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; font-family: times new roman;"><span style=";font-size:100%;" >Reno, NV - 10 doctors, social workers and NGO specialists traveled to Reno and stayed with home hosts from June 26 to July 17. They arrived in Reno under a Community Connections program sponsored by USAID. They were here to exchange ideas and best practices in the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases and specifically AIDS/HIV.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; font-family: times new roman;"><span style=";font-size:100%;" >Each delegate was hosted by a host family in the Reno-Sparks area. 10 families opened their homes to the Russian visitors and shared their lives and routines. The three week program included professional appointments with local resources such as the HOPES Clinic, the AIDS Foundation and the HAWC Homeless Outreach Clinic. Additionally, they met rural service providers in Schurz and Virginia City to exchange ideas and best practices in regard to trying to deliver health care services to rural communities. In Schurz, NV, they met with the director of the Indian Health Services regional clinic on the Walker River Indian Reservation. Additionally, another component of their program was to learn about delivering services to minority populations and the delegation also met with Victoria <span style="color:black;">Skocdopole, Health Services Manager for Nevada Urban Indians, as well as Cecilia Khan, Social Worker for the Nevada Hispanic Services. At the Reno Sparks Gospel Mission, the delegates learned about the various medical and social health care and outreach that the mission provides for Reno’s growing homeless population. After the presentation, the Russian visitors volunteered and helped prepare the evening meal as well as helped serve Reno’s neediest population. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; font-family: times new roman;"><span style=";font-size:100%;color:black;" >As a part of their cultural component of their program, the visitors visited the Native American Cultural Center and Museum in Pyramid Lake. There, the visitors met with Ben Aleck , Director and Curator of the Museum and Cultural Center. Many of the visitors had plenty of questions regarding the current state of US-Indian relationship and limited sovereignty that Native Americans now practice within the reservation system. They also discussed with Mr. Aleck the ancient history of the tribes in Nevada, archeological finds around the lake area, and current health issues facing Native Americans. </span><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; font-family: times new roman;"><span style=";font-size:100%;color:black;" >The visitors also visited several correctional facilities to meet with medical staff within the facilities. They visited the Washoe County Detention facility in Reno as well as the Nevada State Prison and the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City. The tours and presentation was arranged by </span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >William Donat , warden for the Nevada State Prison. At the Washoe County Detention Facility, Dep. Janet Peard arranged for a tour of the Medical Facility at the Parr Blvd Detention Facility and met with the Medical Service Supervisor, Gale Singletary. The Nevada State Prison, the countries oldest operating Prison, the visitors also toured their medical facility as well as several of the Prison Industrial Sites. The Nevada State Prison was opened in 1862 as a territorial prison and predates the infamous Alcatraz and Nevada’s own statehood. The Northern Nevada Correctional Center, the visitors toured and met with clinical and psychological staff at the Regional Medical Facility for the entire Nevada Department of Prisons facilities in Northern Nevada. There the visitors toured the Clinical, Dental and Psychological wings of the facility.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><i><span style="">This article was written by Joaquin Rafael Roces and was originally published in the NNIC's August 2008 Newsletter.</span></i></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-25369893782649159002008-05-21T14:00:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:11:31.534-08:00Joaquin recieves the Thornton Peace Prize<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuZzTw5WSGsqqtWjn5oGHXCES2gRK-HR4VZUzeaTrXpqJx4AeIr_0QG7BX6CCfbmOAYpVa4Bi4bSwGc5f_t32jgqHsItS3LG5KoWjPeFil9sbA-OPH-6HFu0pEgLAGYNinv0epGsKbKc/s1600-h/Joaquin+with+Peace+Prize.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuZzTw5WSGsqqtWjn5oGHXCES2gRK-HR4VZUzeaTrXpqJx4AeIr_0QG7BX6CCfbmOAYpVa4Bi4bSwGc5f_t32jgqHsItS3LG5KoWjPeFil9sbA-OPH-6HFu0pEgLAGYNinv0epGsKbKc/s320/Joaquin+with+Peace+Prize.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202939534997713218" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">"At 19, I carried a steel helmet and a Kevlar flak jacket, an M-16 with six extra magazines of 5.56 ammo (180 rounds), extra belts of 7.62 ammo (200 rounds) for the M-60 Machine Gun, an extra </span><span style="font-style: italic;">barrel, two Light Anti Tank Weapons, two Claymore Anti Personnel mines, four fragmentation grenades, 1 white phosphorous grenade, </span><span style="font-style: italic;">a bayonet, and</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> a K-Bar Combat Knife. There were also signal flares, and sm</span><span style="font-style: italic;">oke grenades for signaling </span><span style="font-style: italic;">and marking targets. They are things in the most physical and concrete sense― a magnetic compass, maps, mosquito repellent and compresses and bandages, pocket knives, P-38s, dog-eared photos, and chewing gum, and the the figurative wei</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ght of memory and the literal weight of those who depended on me, like Pfc. Rother. To quote Tim O'Brien, those were the things I carried. Additionally, as a senior Marine in the squad and a Lance Corporal, using the Prick-77 Field Radio, I could call in artillery and mortar fire, Specter and Helicopter </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Gunships, napalm strikes and naval gunfire. I snaked through the rubble of this world, me and my grim friends like death's pale shadow. However, the most destructive weapon</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> I had in my arsenal was my anger, and I wielded it with great impunity. When cautious parents tell stories of the evil that awaits misbehavior, it is I that they conjure."</span> Email sent to Dr. Carina Black, PhD by Joaquin Rafael Roces, 6 May 2008<br /><br />Last Wednesday, on the 14th of May 2008, prior to the 2008 Spring Commencement ceremonies, Joaquin Rafael Roces was awarded the Thornton Peace Prize for the Class of 2008 at the Joe Crowley Student Union. It was presented to him by University President Milton Glick. He was nominated by a friend and classmate of his, J<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbo7xoae5TeiNs4nMMEWn1qVo2PaZZlI4gkthW0xg-VY8Z798gedvFfTzvRMbOE_c0TKD0GFKOykhbZ6PklIPHDXXTdhlSAMalfN2lU_HYHWbqgWhX308m97L_kuL3mcgxwmbGImuXjAA/s1600-h/Julie+B+%26+Joaquin.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbo7xoae5TeiNs4nMMEWn1qVo2PaZZlI4gkthW0xg-VY8Z798gedvFfTzvRMbOE_c0TKD0GFKOykhbZ6PklIPHDXXTdhlSAMalfN2lU_HYHWbqgWhX308m97L_kuL3mcgxwmbGImuXjAA/s200/Julie+B+%26+Joaquin.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202951135704379730" border="0" /></a>ulie Balderson, who selflessly thought he, of all people, deserved the award. The Thornton Peace Prize was established at the University of Nevada Reno in 1970 by William and Barbara Thornton , both of whom were graduates of the university. It is presented to a person or group who exemplifies the premise that the use of force is not an acceptable means of settling disputes. Some other noted recipients are Fungisia Nota who served as a volunteer for an AIDS Care Group during the summer of 2005 and UNR Professor, Dr. Leonard Weinberg, for his work in promoting Christian-Jewish reconciliation in 1999. Joaquin was nominated for his decade-long work with victims of child abuse and domestic violence on Indian Reservations in Northern Nevada, and for his work in public diplomacy at the Northern Nevada International Center by building bridges between Americans and Nevadans and visiting foreign officials and delegates. Joaquin's work at the International Center advances the concept of Citizen Diplomacy, that an individual has the right, even the responsibility, to help shape US foreign relations "one handshake at a time."<span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:78%;" ><span style="font-size:10;"><st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on"></st1:country-region></st1:place><br /></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DPjmCjzqxQ6OCIIQ36NMuxcwsXDdqmD26XbSDaKM0tT1YdBACXH0PbuFmogrnNQsSi9yt6Pls5rG9xg6pTpntO6NkXg_HSBUJaVjqe8nBvIa8_LF5tQdlHfjtuxV6p4Xr67bWgtQmPE/s1600-h/Picture1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DPjmCjzqxQ6OCIIQ36NMuxcwsXDdqmD26XbSDaKM0tT1YdBACXH0PbuFmogrnNQsSi9yt6Pls5rG9xg6pTpntO6NkXg_HSBUJaVjqe8nBvIa8_LF5tQdlHfjtuxV6p4Xr67bWgtQmPE/s320/Picture1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212530597536960882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Nevada's F</span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >irst Lady, Mrs. Dawn Gibbons </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >poses with judges from Kazakhstan and</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >the Nevada Supreme Court. Joaquin </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >developed and coordinated the Open World </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Program that brought four judges from </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Kazakhstan to Reno, NV. Since 2005,<br />Joaquin </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >has coordinated 36 programs involving over </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >100 international<br />visitors from 25 countries.</span></span><br /></div><br />As a criminal prosecutor in tribal court, he was one of the first to adopt a "no drop policy" in prosecuting domestic and spousal batterers in Nevada's Indian Country, and in 2000 worked with TMCC and the Northern Nevada Law Enforcement Academy to host the Walker River Domestic Violence Training Conference. Then Assemblywoman Dawn Gibbons was the keynote speaker. He represented tribal interests on the Washoe County Domestic Violence Task Force and the Fatality Review Team under Judge Janet Berry. He also participated in Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa's Full Faith and Credit Taskforce. He was a presenter and facilitator for US Attorney Dan Ogden's Native American Conference speaking on the techniques of prosecuting domestic violence cases as "victimless crimes," much like a homicide, prosecutors and law enforcement build their cases on forensics and evidence, instead of relying solely on a battered and frightened witness. He served under Governor Kenny Guinn as a Commissioner on the Nevada Indian Commission from 2000-2005. Kathy Bryan of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe remembers Joaquin from his time at Pyramid Lake as a Criminal Prosecutor, said this of Joaquin when she heard of his award, "Besha oosu, Joaquin. Besha nana." In her native Paiute language, an elder and social worker for the tribe, Kathy said "You are good, Joaquin. A good man."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZwTiLcg4Je1JY1CiVZqvG__woLrlynPRDnMKARNdF1V4JK_K8Dp4Xv1BFCRO8tGOMTu827vJm0CO3FvONryyNTf2IOQV6iWjjBZJ2GNTZw_aznWP0KeKJpeG_zHBrsNZ-hdZZjopkVo/s1600-h/Picture2.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZwTiLcg4Je1JY1CiVZqvG__woLrlynPRDnMKARNdF1V4JK_K8Dp4Xv1BFCRO8tGOMTu827vJm0CO3FvONryyNTf2IOQV6iWjjBZJ2GNTZw_aznWP0KeKJpeG_zHBrsNZ-hdZZjopkVo/s320/Picture2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213852711161144690" border="0" /></a>At the Northern Nevada International Center and Nevada Committee on Foreign Relations, Joaquin worked to develop and implement educational and cultural exchange programs between foreign officials and dignitaries and their American counterparts in Nevada. Some noted alumni from these exchange programs are: Hamid Karzai, Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher, Anwar Sadat, F.W. deKlerk and Indira Gandhi all visited the United States on International Visitor programs. President Nicolas Sarkozy and the new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown are also alumni. In January of this year, Joaquin wrote "We do not need more US Soldiers in Iraq or the Middle East, we need another Anwar Sadat...This is what these programs produce: an Indira Ghandi, India's first and to date only female prime minister, or a DeKlerk who engineered the end of apartheid, and shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela in 1993 for his role in the deconstruction of apartheid." Joaquin recalls Anwar Sadat's own visit to America long before he became president of Egypt. Prior to his participation in the exchange program, Mr. Sadat, was not a fan of the U.S. or of the American people and held a negative view of our people and our society; yet at the end of the program he admitted to a program official that his view of America and its people had changed for the positive. Mr. Sadat created a citizen exchange program with Israel based on his experience in America. President Anwar Sadat, frustrated with the Geneva track peace process, pursued preparatory meetings between Egyptian and Israeli officials, unknown even to the Americans. In November 1977, Anwar Al Sadat became the first Arab leader to visit Israel, thereby implicitly recognizing Israel. In Sadat's Knesset speech he talked about his views on peace, the status of Israel's occupied territories, and the Palestinian refugee problem. This tactic went against the intentions of both the United States and the Soviet Union, but breathed new life to the stalled Geneva Conference. On September 17, 1978, The Camp David Accords were signed by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin following twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David. The two agreements were signed at the White House, and were witnessed by United States President Jimmy Carter. The Accords led directly to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.<br /><br />In his two and half years at the International Center, Joaquin has developed and implemented 36 programs, hosting over a hundred international visitors. Joaquin adds, "The solution is right before our eyes. We do not need to reinvent the wheel. Sadat and Begin made it work, though Sadat was assassinated, his peace treaty still holds to this day. These programs are the key to preventing another 9/11 and what keeps US Soldiers, our fathers and brothers, sisters and sons, out of harm's way."<br /><span class="quoted1"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" ><st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on"></st1:country-region></st1:place></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXm23eW2Sw153QllTelGzbDrTbcmjJ0fuHhxCdB8ZxmNQh2W_2F_nNsaIyVH_Nh85CGGpxXge804lm6A6_H4WM9jxcWa5pg9EysZD1KsP9jBV3YpOBSTQhtHlh4UySIadqyuPUsBIQgI/s1600-h/Story+Teller.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXm23eW2Sw153QllTelGzbDrTbcmjJ0fuHhxCdB8ZxmNQh2W_2F_nNsaIyVH_Nh85CGGpxXge804lm6A6_H4WM9jxcWa5pg9EysZD1KsP9jBV3YpOBSTQhtHlh4UySIadqyuPUsBIQgI/s320/Story+Teller.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202988102487896450" border="0" /></a><br />One of his favorite quotes is one by Leo Tolstoy, "everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves." Joaquin recalls his youth as a Marine Rifleman, a three time rifle expert. The highest award given to a marksman, it embodies the Marine Corps philosophy of "one shot; one kill." Now a father of three sons, James, Michael and Sean, Joaquin reflects on his new prize and award, and the long broken road that led him to this point: an alcoholic and abusive step-father, a troubled childhood and brushes with the law. Now a published poet and aspiring writer, Joaquin loves to quote writers, and as he reflects upon the Thornton Peace Prize, <span class="body"> Joaquin credits his change to friends, like Sarah Class (Joaquin's close friend and Buddhist mentor), Father Bob at Our Lady of Snows, and of course his classmate, Julie Balderson. "I was fortunate to be surrounded with the friends and family that I had. They have made a difference in my life." </span><span class="body">He has been a Sunday School teacher since 1999, and taught at Our Lady of the Oasis at the Fallon Naval </span><span class="body">Airbase and at Our Lady of Snows in Reno. He is a Eucharistic Minister for his local Parish. With Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada's Civic Engagement Initiative, Joaquin worke</span><span class="body">d with high school kids to improve voter participation</span><span class="body"> in our area; and twice in the past week, he has volunteered his time a</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RxChx2bPllWm-A8bOd5SphCme0GDhBG8gop6E2_JMtxyqtsFsPrflD8Qd5DHNGu_N3IH4l8YEhA87Mh0OY8O0YK_xISD8fTxWDjTD-Ic1BkTrNxKxGC5sTKuSZkzHih4EO07a64y1EU/s1600-h/PLAN+Vols.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RxChx2bPllWm-A8bOd5SphCme0GDhBG8gop6E2_JMtxyqtsFsPrflD8Qd5DHNGu_N3IH4l8YEhA87Mh0OY8O0YK_xISD8fTxWDjTD-Ic1BkTrNxKxGC5sTKuSZkzHih4EO07a64y1EU/s200/PLAN+Vols.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202982583454921058" border="0" /></a><span class="body">t</span><span class="body"> Pine and Mamie Towles Middle Schools to read stories to children.</span><span class="body"> Joaquin says with this honor, he remai</span><span class="body">ns bittersweet. He is divorced and has a</span><span class="body"> fractured relationship with his teen-aged sons, and at times still struggles with his past</span><span class="body">. None of his sons attended his award ceremony or his commencement. A poet and former rodeo bull-rider, Joaquin once wrote in a poem that raising sons was like an 8-second bull ride. At the moment it seems like it stretches for an eternity, but in reflection it all passes so quickly. He remains resolute in finding peace in his life and is solid in the thought that his relationship with his sons will heal in time, "the boys know that I always love them, even though right now we do not see eye to eye." As Joaquin looks down at his framed certificate, he quietly says </span>"this is for my friend, Will Taylor." Will was a very close friend who died in 2006 of an overdose, "...he (Will) spent many afternoons coaching my sons in football and bailed me out of some rough times as well. He would help any man up and saw no difference in people, he just saw people, not rich nor poor, black nor white, just people who needed help, and he was always there to help. He was a very good friend. He reminds me that though we are not the absolute angels we wish we were, we are neither the demons we see ourselves to be." Additionally, he mentions his friend, Buddhist teacher and mentor, Sarah Class, who in Joaquin's eyes has been a great instrument of peace and healing in his life. Sarah attended Joaquin's Award Ceremony on May 14th. In closing, Joaquin recalls another favorite writer, William Butler Yeats, <span class="body">"Think where man's glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This article was written in collaboration with Jenny A. Herron, a graduate of the University of Nevada Reno, who currently lives in Beijing, China. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span> </span>Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-33676146184403884042008-05-07T00:16:00.001-07:002008-05-07T00:16:58.164-07:002008 Civic Engagement Campaign<div style="width:480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w281.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w281.photobucket.com/albums/kk228/JoaquinRafael/b345de44.pbw" height="360" width="480"><a href="http://i281.photobucket.com/redirect/album?action=slideshow&landing=/slideshows&type=212" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" style="float:left;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://s281.photobucket.com/albums/kk228/JoaquinRafael/?action=view¤t=b345de44.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif" style="float:left;border-width: 0;" ></a></div>Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-38790478955032728532008-04-28T16:01:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:11:32.225-08:00PLAN's Civic Engagement Initiative marks milestone as Reno's "Millennials" hit the pavement<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7WzCM-oddXt6Sp6VxXSzsbL2Abapm2tUs7AS0dhcdXk8azBAictd7xx0RhvtqfPEmYF4GWT-2duS4gnksxCAWbQOOy223DeS7d9sFNrie6DCiI8a0UVzPAl979045TH2iOQi160a7jg/s1600-h/PLAN@Fiesta.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194442749624468706" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7WzCM-oddXt6Sp6VxXSzsbL2Abapm2tUs7AS0dhcdXk8azBAictd7xx0RhvtqfPEmYF4GWT-2duS4gnksxCAWbQOOy223DeS7d9sFNrie6DCiI8a0UVzPAl979045TH2iOQi160a7jg/s320/PLAN@Fiesta.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This past weekend marked the midpoint of the Progressive Leadership Alliance's Civic Engagement Initiative and the milestone was noted by a d</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ouble event. Volunteers from UNR and TMCC High School completed canvassing Voter Precinct 1018 in Reno on Saturday. Volunteers gathered at the PLAN offices at 821 Riverside in Ren</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">o at 9am and canvassed until 3pm. The following morning Reno's </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">"Millennials," hit the pavement once again during the Fiesta at Wells Avenue. Braving the heat and working the crowds. One of the volunteers, Sydney Brown, a senior at TMCC High Scho</span></span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">ol, explained that she has been participating and volunteering in our political and ele</span></span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">ction process even before she was old enough to vote. She believes it is the responsibility of every citizen to be informed and involved. Over the weekend Sydney registered 3 new voters and collected 10 pledges from registered vot</span></span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">ers that they were going to participate in November's election. Volunteers were working t</span></span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">he crowds and enjoying th</span></span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">e festivities from 11:30am until 3pm on Sunday.</span></span></span><br /><br /><p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">On Saturday, the volunteers canvassed an ad</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">ditional 289 houses/apartments and came up with 12 pledges and 2 new voters; for a total of 14 . They spent the entire day knocking on doors and speaking with residents and voters. One resident, Eric Johnson, a Vietnam Veter</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">an, was out enjoying a Barbecue with his neighbors when he was approached by Jorge Castro and Sydney Brown. Mr. Johnson shook hands with the volunteers and told them how </span></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3NEBvDvs95XoZVSgzeuUQ9E9aYywtH-AvCf_wzmTfgrp3kYOlXXax2ULIy5n0aXeJTjSA2K4FHUmuvPQrwTZqfq0jU6Inq9RnpXEYNsY9OXWoJycTLuvYi0Su5fwa-qRQG_7awgBGD4/s1600-h/PLAN3.bmp"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194535800090936578" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3NEBvDvs95XoZVSgzeuUQ9E9aYywtH-AvCf_wzmTfgrp3kYOlXXax2ULIy5n0aXeJTjSA2K4FHUmuvPQrwTZqfq0jU6Inq9RnpXEYNsY9OXWoJycTLuvYi0Su5fwa-qRQG_7awgBGD4/s320/PLAN3.bmp" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">proud he was to see them on the streets and canvassing. He recalled the bitter experiences he had returning home from the war a</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">nd the social disarray and political apathy that he encountered. Mr. Johnson then told the volunteers that "he was very proud of the work they were doing. He offered bottles of water to the volunteers. Another elderly lady chatted with Joe Tagoan, a volunteer and UNR student. She pointed out neighbors' homes that would be happy to sign the pledge. The next street over, a retired couple out f</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">or a morning stroll along Plumas Street spoke with Joe Tagoan and Joaquin Roces and expressed that they knew of PLAN and were registered voters and promised to participate as well. After chatting briefly, the couple left saying how happy they were to see "young people getting involved...that they were doing good work." The volunteers finished canvassing Voter Precinct 1018 on Saturday and covered 601 homes/apartments in the precinct and collected a total of 39 pledges and voter registration applications. Volunteers committed 26 volunteer hours over three Saturdays to complete the precinc</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">t.</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> According to May 17th 2007 Washoe County figures this precinct had 870 registered voters, with 43% democrats and 26% republicans. The April 18th 2008 figures show that total registered voters have increased to 933, and democratic voters representing 48% and republican voters representing 24% of the total population sample. 63 new voters signed up over the past 11 months. </span>In the contest for the presidency in 2004, Kerry and Bush were in a dead heat with Kerry holding 49% and Bush trailing with 48%.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>At the stroke of midnight on the 3<sup></sup>rd of November, Nevadans chose President Bush over John Kerry 50% to 47% — moving the state's 5 electoral votes into the Bush column. It was a margin of 3%.</span></p><br /><p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">On Sunday, volunteers once again gathered in front o</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">f the US Bank at Wells and Vasser. This time they were preparing to work the crowds that were here to enjoy the first annual Fiesta at Wells Avenue. According to the Reno Gazette Journal, more than 5,000 people had attended the Wells Avenue event by 3:30 p.m. The volunteers from PLAN worked from 11:30am </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">to 3pm. Again the reactions from the people were very positive. County Commissioner Kitty Jung, who was out to enjoy the cultural events and festivities, paused to chat with volunteers and signed on pledging to vote in the up-coming elections in November. Commissioner Jung stated her 3 most important issues were women's rights, social justice, and education. She took the time to walk and chat with several of the volunteers and explain her position and duties as a county commissioner and commended the volunteers for their "fine work." Jorge Castro was able to register 5 new voters that afternoon. This is the Civic Engagement Initiative's second special event during the campaign. The first was at UNR's Annual Night of All Nations held at UNR's Lawlor Events Center.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;"> The two special events gathered 38 pledges and voter registrations. The initiative has gathered 83 pledges and voter registrations since its inaugural event on the 12th of April. THANKS TO ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS FOR THEIR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION!</span><br /></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOgAHLwwsg6RMsFOCAm5iZFwSOmqoOZ9NQa0QUxbcw62MCRWV32SIAzUmay70eq7eUiSP3wlZvLR6uOWqXT1GizjKwVKNjpyVIx0TZDjTdLNpix23suT97PsyPTK4X3xW-p3RTunKEl4Q/s1600-h/PLAN&Jung.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194545171709576466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOgAHLwwsg6RMsFOCAm5iZFwSOmqoOZ9NQa0QUxbcw62MCRWV32SIAzUmay70eq7eUiSP3wlZvLR6uOWqXT1GizjKwVKNjpyVIx0TZDjTdLNpix23suT97PsyPTK4X3xW-p3RTunKEl4Q/s320/PLAN&Jung.bmp" border="0" /></a></p>Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-56079698593615218462008-04-12T19:02:00.000-07:002008-04-28T14:59:40.567-07:00Passing the torch: Engaged in volunteerism and determined to make the world a better place<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">A component of the PLAN's Civic Engagement Initiative is combating voter apathy and increasing voter participation.<span> </span>Phase One of the initiative is targeting a half dozen voter precincts within Reno over the next 6 weeks that have demonstrated traditional low voter participation.<span> </span>Registered voters in Nevada will help select the next PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.<span> </span>In the contest for the presidency in 2004, Kerry and Bush were in a dead heat with Kerry holding 49% and Bush trailing with 48%.<span> </span>At the stroke of midnight on the 3<sup>rd</sup> of November, Nevadans chose President Bush over John Kerry 50% to 47% — moving the state's 5 electoral votes into the Bush column. It was a margin of 3%. <span lang="EN" style="color:black;">Although Nevada has historically leaned Republican, the high concentration of labor unions and the Hispanic-American vote make it a potential battleground state. (Its 2006 Gubernatorial election was particularly competitive, and Republican Jim Gibbons won only by a slim margin.) The Las Vegas metropolitan area with its dramatic increase in population has become an attractive destination for Democratic campaign resources, and Republicans are buoyed by the strong disapproval ratings of Gibbons (29% approval rating as of March 2007) and Bush (34% approval rating as of March 2007). Furthermore, Nevada has, with the single exception of 1976, been won by the victor of every US Presidential election since 1912, a record which makes it a secondary bellwether state. </span>The 2008 election is vital to the important issues that will impact and affect the future our social and educational institutions, national security, foreign trade and relations, our environment and the future of ALL NEVADANS.<span> </span></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span></span> <p style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span> </span>The Civic Engagement Initiative is asking all registered voters to give their pledge that they WILL vote in November of 2008. Volunteers from the community, local organizations and TMCC High School spent their Saturday morning canvassing approximately 250 homes in Voter Precinct #1018, which is south of the Nevada Museum of Art and west of Virginia Street, knocking door to door asking registered voters to pledge that they will participate in the up-coming national election in November.<span> </span>Each volunteer was paired with another and hit the streets armed with voter registration applications and pledge sheets and worked in groups of two.<span> </span>Kat Baltierra and Jorge Castro teamed up and set a record of 12 pledges and 2 new voters registered.<span> </span>Kat, who is a senior at TMCC High School, stated that people were very excited to see young people actively participating in our democratic process and added that people generally had a positive attitude towards the volunteers.<span> </span>Her partner, Jorge, agreed, stating that people were happy to engage the young activists in a 'chat' about the issues.<span> </span>Another volunteer, Joe Togoan, who had done similar projects for the Democratic Party here, said that it was also important to convey to the residents and voters that this initiative was a non-partisan effort.<span> </span>Joe was also teamed up with another TMCC High senior, Amanda Gabbert.<span> </span>Their team was able to secure two pledges and register two new voters.<span> </span>The training the volunteers underwent at PLAN stressed this aspect of the initiative.<span> </span>Ireri Rivas, who coordinates the program, stated that these areas are very diverse and contain mixed communities of varying socio-economic levels and political orientation, avoiding heated debates and maintaining a "smile" and a neutral non-partisan stance is important in securing peoples' pledges.<span> </span>The volunteers also disseminated information to several residents who were ex-felons on how they can reinstate their voting rights.<span> </span>As, Langston Hughes once penned, "Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death, the rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies, WE, the people, must redeem the land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. The mountains and the endless plain-- All, all the stretch of these great green states-- And make America again!" I<span lang="EN" style="color:black;">n the United States, approximately 70% of the eligible population registers to vote, which may be an important contributing factor in the low average election turnout, and in recent decades just barely has topped 50% of voting age population in presidential elections. However, in 2004, election turnout was up to 64% of the voting age US citizens.<span> </span>In the early, caucuses and primaries, including Nevada's caucus, according to <a href="http://csmonitor.com/" target="_blank">csmonitor.com</a>, t</span><span style="color:black;">he "Millennials," as sociologists have dubbed the youth vote; have already shaken up the presidential primary races with their surprisingly large turnouts in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary at 13 percent and 43 percent respectively. It is the hope of the organizers at PLAN to continue that positive momentum and </span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">increasing the avenues for educated civic participation in our democratic process</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:85%;color:black;">.<span> </span></span>Thanks to all the volunteers who participated in the event and for giving up their Saturday morning.</span></span></p>Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-68710797851847617532008-03-28T10:09:00.000-07:002008-04-02T20:03:26.641-07:00MANAGING GROWTH AT THE BIGGEST LITTLE CITYWorking with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN), as a part of their Civic Engagement Project, I will be travelling around the Truckee Meadows working to educate the voters and residents of the area on two very important potential up-coming ballot questions.that impact Northern Nevada and the Truckee Meadows, the "Save our Water" And "Stop Leap Frog Development" campaigns. These are two potential up-coming ballot questions that the Alliance is currently involved in working to inform voters on. The 'Leapfrog development' question is an attempt to rein in a very aggressive annexation policy by the cities in the Truckee Meadows. A similar attempt was made to change the current law last year which failed. For example, Reno has moved from a cherry stem annexations, like Cold Springs and Verdi, to a non-contiguous annexation such as the Winnemucca Ranch area leapfrogging 25 miles north to the border of Pyramid Lake. This type of non-contiguous urban sprawl put unnecessary strain on public infrastructure and public safety resources and complicates jurisdiction and service issues. Successful passage of this initiative would not 'cap' growth, but merely 'manages' it in a reasonable and responsible way by encouraging developers to redevelop areas closer in and the burden and costs to exisiting residencent and voters would significantly decrease for road construction as well as for other public service and infrastructure under a more compact and responsible form of development. Paasage of this initiative would put the regional plan back in compliance with state annexation laws which forbid the cities to annex non-contiguously. What this ballot initiative refers to is "voluntary annexation" which is the type of annexation being used by the cities and developers to subvert the state law, by having a developer buy a ranch or property, and then asks the city for a "voluntary annexation." The very lifestyle that generations of Nevadans have been raised on, and brings people to our region is being threatened by out of control development and irresponsible management. Alan Weber, a noted columnist, visited our area and compared it to Portland and Denver. Weber lauded Portland, OR, as an example of controlled, sustainable growth, and derided Denver as a region where "a gorgeous state" with amble natural beauty "let sprawl and development override the beauty of open space and mountains." To the people of Reno and Sparks, Weber had this to say, "the Reno-Sparks area still has time to choose its direction."<br /><br />In regard to the 'Save our Water' question, the current master plan for our area calls for 1.2 million residents, while we only have enough water for about 600 thousand residents. In Planning Principle #2 of the Truckee Meadows Regional Plan, it is recognized that our region is "resource constrained" and that water is one of the resources that is constrained. Again, this is not an attempt to stop or 'cap' growth, but again to manage it in a responsible manner. The Truckee Meadows Regional Plan water demand estimates exceed identified water resources by 120%. Washoe County Commissioner Bob Larkins at the Board of County Commissioner meeting held on 3/11/08 conceded that the Spanish Springs area is already "over-allocated" in terms of water needs and usage. The voters of Washoe County have a right to determine the future of the region. The irresponsible and unmanaged growth in Las Vegas has already put our state's and regions water supply at risk.<br /><br />Lessons from LAS VEGAS -- Seting aside what happened to the Owens Valley, in this city of histrionic and runaway growth (in 2005), in the middle of a five-year drought, the worst in 100 years of record-keeping and perhaps -- tree rings suggest this -- the worst in 500 years, Las Vegas's water came mostly from Lake Mead -- which in 2005, was down to 59 percent of capacity -- and, upstream from Mead, Lake Powell, which was at 34 percent of capacity, its lowest since it started filling three decades before. The Colorad River doesn't even reach the Gulf of Mexico anymore. The lower course of the river, which forms the border between Baja California and Sonora, is essentially a trickle or a dry stream today due to use of the river as Imperial Valley's irrigation source. Prior to the mid 20th century, the Colorado River Delta provided a rich estuarine marshland that is now essentially desiccated, but nonetheless is an important ecological resource.<br /><br />The Strip -- the portion of Las Vegas Boulevard that has 15 of the world's 20 largest hotels -- features vast fountains, a sea battle between pirate ships and an 8.5-acre lake in front of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. According to ABC News (April 2007) Las Vegas has become the fastest-growing city in the nation. Its population is currently 1.8 million, and is projected to hit 3 million by 2020. Las Vegas is a city with a ferocious thirst that it's having a hard time slaking. The major water supply for Las Vegas comes from the Colorado River, which has undergone a drought as a result of climate change, says Pat Mulroy, of the Southern Nevada Water Authority.<br /><br />"Climate change is here," Mulroy, the city's water czar for almost 20 years, says. "We've been living it for the last eight years. The drought on the Colorado River was a rude wake-up call. Frankly, when 90 percent of your water comes from one river that is predicted to have massive water shortages, you'd be irresponsible not to develop water supplies that are independent of that river system in order to diversify." The plan for diversification is controversial. Mulroy divised the controversial plan to build a $2 billion pipeline that would pump water out of White Pine County and send it down to feed the growing water needs of southern Nevada. Specifically, the Snake Valley, in White Pine County, Nev., straddling the Utah border. This area is home to cattle ranches, alfalfa farms and endangered species, it's people who are few and far between along this desert landscape. That's because the Snake Valley is dry -- one of the driest parts of the driest state in the union, getting only about 8 inches of rainfall every year.<br /><br />The Southern Nevada Water Authority and its water "czar," Patricia Mulroy, seeks to tap 65 billion gallons of rural water a year with a 300-mile-long pipeline expected to cost more than $2 billion. That's enough water for 50,000 families a year. Las Vegas's unmanaged growth has now impacted other Nevadans, like Dean Baker and Cecil Garland, who both operate ranches in Utah and Nevada. But even the Water Czar could not avoid conceding "There isn't enough water to go around," Mulroy told NPR in a 1991 story about the early stages of the project. "And we're the most arid spot in the United States." Las Vegas, a city known for its excess, has exceeded not onlt its own surface and ground water sources, as well as the Colorado River, but now expect other Nevada communities and families to sacrifice their life styles and communities for the sake of unmanaged growth. "What Las Vegas has got to learn is that there are limits to its growth," Garland says. He also applies his own value judgment to the competing uses for water. "Gluttony, glitter girls and gambling are what [Las Vegas] is all about," the 81-year-old rancher asserts. "What it's all about here [in Snake Valley] is children, cattle, country and church."<br /><br />It is quite simply reckless and irresponsible to implement any growth plan that ignores or fails to consider the availability of water in Washoe County, and to ask other communities in our state to pay far or shoulder the burden of our lack of responsible planning.<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:78%;">The research for this article was provided by the Progressive Leadership Alliance, by Howard Berkes of NPR, by Terry Moran and Katie Hinman, ABC News, and George F. Will of the Washington Post.</span></em>Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-87951838136570934482008-03-01T00:52:00.000-08:002008-03-01T00:57:43.707-08:00Blanket Peddlers<span class="storyHead"><strong>Don’t let cunning tactics of blanket peddlers sway you</strong></span><br /><span class="storySubHead"></span><br /><span class="teaserByline"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="teaserByline"><a href="mailto:online@rgj.com" title="Click to Email By Joaquin Rafael Roces" class="teaserByline">By Joaquin Rafael Roces</a></td></tr></tbody></table> SPECIAL TO THE RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL<br />11/9/2003 08:45 pm<br /><br /></span><span class="storyBody"> <p><i>EDITOR’S NOTE: Industry Vista is a weekly column that provides officials from different industry sectors an opportunity to share their views on issues affecting their Northern Nevada companies. Today’s column is by Joaquin Rafael Roces with the Nevada Indian Commission.</i></p><p>I am a commissioner with the Nevada Indian Commission under Gov. Kenny Guinn.</p><p>I also have been a criminal prosecutor and court advocate for several Northern Nevada tribes during the past five years. These include the colony in Reno, the Paiute tribes in Pyramid Lake and Walker River, and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe. During the five years I have worked for the tribes I have handled more than 500 cases, from simple traffic citations to child sexual assaults and vehicular homicides.</p><p>I have worked closely with the U.S. Attorney’s office in joint prosecutions of serious crimes under the Major Crimes Act and have been a working member of the Washoe County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, the Washoe County Domestic Violence Task Force and the Nevada Attorney General’s Full Faith and Credit Team.</p><p>US Constitution recognizes three types of sovereignty: federal, tribal and state. Tribal sovereignty can be found in the census clause first, then in the commerce clause.</p><p>In the census clause it reads that the census is not to include “Indians not taxed” in its census count, as the U.S. government acknowledged that it had no authority to tax Indians as they were recognized as separate foreign states.</p><p>Within the commerce clause, the U.S. Constitution mentions trade with three separate sovereignties: “States,” “Foreign Nations,” and “Indian Tribes.” In fact, in its beginning the U.S. government dealt with the tribes as foreign sovereign powers and negotiated treaties with various tribes from commerce to mutual defense against hostile European colonial aggression.</p><p>After 1812, that U.S. policy with the tribes changed from “international policy” to a “domestic policy.” When Public Law 280 was first passed, it transferred federal jurisdiction over the tribes to the states.</p><p>Six states were made mandatory PL 280 states and the balance was voluntary. Nevada is a voluntary PL 280 state. Williams v. Lee in 1959 gave jurisdiction to tribal courts regarding civil on-reservation disputes between Indian and non-Indian.</p><p>This was further upheld by the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968, at which time PL 280 was amended to include tribal consensus prior to transfer of jurisdiction from the feds to the state.</p><p>Nevada state law also upholds tribal sovereignty as well, including NRS 233A.120 and NRS 233A.130.</p><p> Further, NRS 370.0751 which governs the imposition of an excise tax on cigarettes by governing body of Indian reservation or colony, already gives the tribe the authority to impose and collect such a tax.</p><p>Although there is a distinct difference between an excise tax and a sales tax, current taxes collected under 370.0751 and future sales taxes collected from the Mercedes dealership would go to the governing body, whether it be the Reno Sparks Indian Colony or the state of California.</p><p>Therein lies the true reason for all this furor and controversy: it is not taxation or even states rights, but economic racism and bigotry.</p><p>The truth is, a person buying a Mercedes from the dealership in the colony is no different than that same person buying it directly from the main dealership in Sacramento.</p><p>So, why aren’t these Caucasian “blanket peddlers” on Kietzke Lane protesting car dealerships in South Shore, Stateline and Truckee, and California’s sovereign right to taxation?</p><p>The Gazette Journal’s articles on Oct. 21 cites unnamed “several lawmakers” who have asked for an investigation, and directly quotes senior legislator Sen. Bill Raggio, as the lead advocate for this special investigation, supported by Sen. Randolph Townsend of Reno.</p><p>Townsend classified the controversy as “very serious,” and alluded to possibly changing the law in 2005.</p><p>In essence, what Townsend is saying is that the Mercedes dealership moving into the colony is equivalent to an economic Vietnam for the downtown Reno, and that the catastrophic domino effect that would follow is that the high-end dealership would move 15 minutes away in distant south Reno, leading to a monumental loss of $1 million a month in sales tax.</p><p>Sounds like desperate and dire circumstances — I can hear Sen. Raggio on the Senate floor rallying the troops, “best gather round, boys, we better cut those injuns off at the pass.”</p><p>But wait a minute, Kemosabe, didn’t Raggio and the boys just pass what the Gazette Journal called an “historic” and “a record state budget” based on Nevada’s largest tax revenue sources — gaming and retail sales — that were higher than projected sums (relied upon by lawmakers in passing a record state budget last summer).</p><p>In fact, the combined tax revenues are nearly $16 million ahead of projections. These sales and gambling fee levies amount to at least two-thirds of all state revenues, even accounting for the broadened tax base approved by lawmakers this year after months of debate.</p><p>The Gazette Journal compared the car lot controversy to the threat posed by Indian gaming in California, yet no one seemed too upset about the Sundowner closing its doors this December and putting 300 Renoites on the street just in time for Christmas and adding another empty casino in the middle of downtown Reno.</p><p>I didn’t hear any saber rattling there, and how many other business, like Sears, Target, Mervyn’s and Wal-Mart, to name a few, who moved to locations in south Reno following the growth pattern, and not because they were being chased by an imaginary Indian war party.</p><p> Saying that all this furor regarding this one car dealership is about taxes is like saying the Civil War was fought for black suffrage.</p><p>These lawmakers, these “blanket peddlers,” and their practice of economic racism, are no different than their predecessors who sold blankets infected with small pox to the tribes and distributed rotted beef and commodities to the reservations while they grew fat from the profits.</p><p>Chairman Melendez and the colony have just as much right as Reno and Mayor have promoting the sale of the Reno Hilton property, or the State of Nevada to seek and pursue economic development to improve the standard and quality of life of the population that they are beholden to. Standards such as health, elder and child care, police and public safety on the colony already lag far behind the very same standards found on the other side of Second and Mill Streets.</p><p>The monies generated from these revenues would go to strengthen these institutions, such a projected $12 million Health Center. After all, doesn’t Nevada make the same promises to solicit and entice businesses to leave California’s economic minefield for Nevada’s “greener pastures.” The Web site “Nevada.org,” home site of the Resident Agents of Nevada Inc., touts the slogan “Incorporate in tax free Nevada!” You can find handy instructions, information and links regarding asset protection and tax consideration in what the site calls “the acknowledged corporate capital of the United States.”</p><p>On Oct. 8, a mere two weeks before the Gazette Journal’s article, Nevada’s very own Commission on Economic Development approved tax incentives for Steam Turbine Balding & Parts of Douglas County and Spacecraft Components Corporation of Clark County. The official Web site for the commission even has a link titled “Tax Climate” under the heading of “Incentives,” that lists the following: “The outstanding tax climate in Nevada is one of the best reasons to do business in the state. This tax structure also clearly distinguishes Nevada as offering a business environment very few states can match.</p><p>In Nevada there is:</p><p>o No corporate income tax.</p><p>o No personal income tax.</p><p>o No franchise tax on income.</p><p>o No inheritance or gift tax.</p><p>o No admissions tax.</p><p>o No unitary tax.</p><p>o No estate tax*.</p><p>o Competitive sales and property tax rates.</p><p>o Minimal employer payroll tax — 0.7 percent of gross wages with deductions for employer paid health insurance.</p><p>In light of all this, what exactly is the Indian Colony doing any different than the state, or any other municipality or county doing? And how again is it offensive or illegal?</p><p>In both articles, none of the legislators, Reno nor Nevada officials could point to a valid violation of Nevada Revised Statutes or Administrative Code. In fact, they say and imply that the colony abided by the written agreement. The tribe is not charging any less than what the state charges for sales tax.</p><p>So, in reality there isn’t even any competitive incentive offered to cause a buyer to purchase a vehicle from the tribal dealership instead any of the blanket peddlers on Kietzke. This is a stark contrast to incentives offered on the state Web site [listed above].</p><p>In short, the injun played by the white man’s rules and did good. Senator Raggio states in the article that the law allowing agreements might have to be reconsidered. Translation: the white man wants to change the rules.</p><p>After the writing of this article — which does not reflect the opinion of the Nevada Indian Commission, Governor’s Office, Walker River Paiute Tribe, Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, their officers, employees or members — more than 73 percent of the 254 respondents to the RGJ Biz Poll were in dissent with Sens. Raggio and Townsend.</p><p>I hope they are but a minority within the Legislature, and that the majority of the legislators — as well as the governor and attorney general — will not be swayed by the deceitful tactics of a few blanket peddlers.</p><p><i>The Reno Gazette-Journal Business section welcomes your views on our Monday Industry Vista column. Please e-mail your letters to business@rgj.com, fax them to (775) 788-6458, snail mail them to Business section, Reno Gazette-Journal, Box 22000, Reno, NV 89520-2000 or drop them off between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays at our office at 955 Kuenzli St. in Reno.</i></p> </span> <br /><br />Copyright © 2008 The Reno Gazette-JournalJoaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-77489674645201448212007-11-15T22:17:00.000-08:002008-03-18T00:36:07.891-07:00a history lesson<p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:10;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">This article was submitted as a response to Mr. al-Zawahri's comments published by the New York Times. The response was submitted via email to the New York Times, al-Jazeera and the Reno Gazette Journal in 2006.</span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:10;" >Mr. Ayman al-Zawahri’s comments in his latest recorded message released by al-Jazeera and the New York Times on </span><st1:date year="2006" day="28" month="7" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:10;">July 28 2006</span></st1:date><span style="font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:arial;">, seeks to fold the predominately Shiite Hizzbolah into al Qaeda’s predominantly Sunni “Muslim Nation.” His comments bring to mind a passage from the Koran:</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><i style=""><span style="font-size:10;">In the name of God the Compassionate, the Merciful<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 72pt 0.0001pt 54pt; text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:10;">“There are some who declare, ‘we believe in God and the Last Day,’ yet they are not true believers.<span style=""> </span>They seek to deceive God and those who believe in Him: but they deceive none save themselves, though they may not perceive it. There is a sickness in their hearts which God has aggrevated: they shall be sternly punished for the lies they tell.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 72pt 0.0001pt 54pt; text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 72pt 0.0001pt 54pt; text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:10;">When they are told: ‘You shall not do evil in the land,’ they reply: ‘Surely we are doing only what is good.’ But it is they who are the evil-doers, though they may not perceive it.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 72pt 0.0001pt 54pt; text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:10;">-Al Baqarah (</span><st1:time minute="10" hour="2"><span style="font-size:10;">2:10</span></st1:time><span style="font-size:10;">)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 72pt 0.0001pt 54pt; text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Does al-Zawahri really believe that he can fool the Shiites with a second Abbassid betrayal? After the rise of Shiism under Muktar in 686 A.D., descendants of Al-Abbas, an uncle of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, assumed the mantle of leadership within the Shiite movement in 716 A.D.<span style=""> </span>The Abbasids deceived the Shiites and used them to challenge the Omayyad Caliphate by pretending to subscribe to Muktar’s designated line of Imams descending from Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya, a son of Ali’s, the Abbassids claimed their bloodline flowed like theTigris from the ahl-al-bayt, the Prophet’s bloodline, peace and blessing be upon him.<span style=""> </span>At this time many Shiites supported the claim that Imamate flowed to Muhammad ibn Ali, the great grandson of al-Abbas, and thus believed the Abbassid deception.<span style=""> </span>In 749 A.D. the Abbassids with the help of the Shiites defeated the Omayyad forces at Kufa, and Abu al-Abbas was proclaimed the first Abbassid Imam.<span style=""> </span>The following year, the Abbassids drove the Omayyads from </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Egypt</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >, and in 762 the Abbassids established their capital in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Baghdad</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >, where al-Zawahri and his master Osama bin Laden seek to re-establish a new Caliphate.<span style=""> </span>Within Islam there is a concept of a government of the Ummah, or the universal body of Muslims. The Caliph, or “successor to the prophet” is to administer the government over the Ummah. While the Western world has very limited experience with true theocracy, one did exist in the </span><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Middle East</span></st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" > about almost a century ago: the </span><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Ottoman Empire</span></st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >. The Ottoman Caliph ruled over nearly every Muslim in the world, from </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Turkey</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" > to </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Iran</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" > from 1517 until 1922.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Bin Laden’s earlier struggle against the Soviets was an attempt to resurrect this system by defending members of the Ummah against external enemy. Bin Laden saw the Soviet invasion of </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Afghanistan</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" > as the first modern case of non-Muslims invading a Muslim nation. And when that happened, the Ummah responded in the form of a jihad.<span style=""> </span>Under Bin Laden and al-Zawahri, most of the other troops fighting the Soviets were not Afghani, they were from across the Arab world, called to fight against those who would invade a </span><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Holy Land</span></st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >. This struggle became the hallmark for bin Laden’s later attacks on the secular West. It also led to the creation of a core organization that would lay the foundation for the resurrection of the Caliphate. This organization would be later known as “the base”, or in Arabic, “Al Qaeda.” Bin Laden is attempting to do on a global scale what the Ayatollah Khomeini did in Iran in 1979; he wants the title of Caliph of Islam (”Khalifa” in Arabic). That would make al-Zawahri his Vizier. The position of <a href="http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/politics/khalifa.html"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Khalifa</span></a> has been vacant since the last Padishah Emperor of the </span><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Ottoman Empire</span></st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" > was deposed in 1924. Before that, the Caliph was in theory both the supreme temporal and spiritual ruler of the Islamic world. <span style=""> </span>There are some critical differences between Bin Laden’s vision of a new Caliphate and the Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic revolution; first, because Khomeini was not a plausible warlord, and second because he’s part of the 10% Shiite minority that disputes the Khalifal succession. The next Caliph, if there is one, will have to belong to the 90% Sunni majority.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Now back to the history lesson.<span style=""> </span>For three decades after establishing their Imamate, the Abbassids preached their belief of the legitimacy of the Alid line and the sanctity of the lineal descendants of Ali.<span style=""> </span>However, immediately after the Abbassid secured their dynastic rule, they betrayed the Alid faithful who had helped them secure victory in the first place.<span style=""> </span>In order to be accepted by the Muslim majority, the Abbassids rejected their Shiite roots and declared themselves a Sunni dynasty following not the Alid line, but Abu Bakr’s lineage.<span style=""> </span>They instituted violently repressive measures against the Alid faithful, which included summary executions, imprisonment and massacres.<span style=""> </span>This pattern of oppression and intimidation was evident under Saddam Hussein’s regime that violently oppressed a Shi’a majority in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >.<span style=""> </span>Currently </span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Al-Qaeda in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > or as </span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Jazeera" title="Al Jazeera"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Al Jazeera</span></a> renders the group's current name as <i>al-Qaeda in the </i></span><st1:place><st1:placetype><i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Land</span></i></st1:placetype><i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > of </span></i><st1:placename><i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Two</span></i></st1:placename></st1:place><i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > Rivers</span></i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > continues this prsctice of oppression and terrorism<i>. </i></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Prior to<span style=""> </span>the fall of 2004 the group was called <span style="">Jama'at al-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tawhid" title="Tawhid"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Tawhid</span></a> wal-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jihad" title="Jihad"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Jihad</span></a></span> (<span style="">Monotheism and Holy War Movement</span>) The group's name, which is usually abbreviated as JTJ. The name change is significant as it uses the archaic name of </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > used in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Caliphate" title="Islamic Caliphate"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Islamic Caliphate</span></a> era of the Abbassids.<span style=""> </span>Like the Abbassid, Al Qaeda, under <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Musab_al-Zarqawi" title="Abu Musab al-Zarqawi"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Abu Musab al-Zarqawi</span></a>, assassinated Shi’a leaders in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayed_Mohammed_Baqir_al-Hakim" title="Sayed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Mohammad Baqr al-Hakim</span></a>, the leader the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Council_for_the_Islamic_Revolution_in_Iraq" title="Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq</span></a>. Al-Hakim was one of the foremost <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia" title="Shia"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Shia</span></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim" title="Muslim"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Muslim</span></a> leaders in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq" title="Iraq"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Iraq</span></a> until his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination" title="Assassination"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">assassination</span></a> in a bombing in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Najaf" title="Najaf"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Najaf</span></a> in 2003. He was killed when a massive <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_bomb" title="Car bomb"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">car bomb</span></a> exploded as he left the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imam_Ali_Mosque" title="Imam Ali Mosque"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Imam Ali Mosque</span></a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Najaf" title="Najaf"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Najaf</span></a>. The blast killed at least 84 others; other estimates claim as many as 125 died in the bombing. Another victim of al-Zawahri’s assassins was Iraqi Governing Council president <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abdel-Zahraa_Othman&action=edit" title="Abdel-Zahraa Othman"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Abdel-Zahraa Othman</span></a>, better known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izzadine_Saleem" title="Izzadine Saleem"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Izzadine Saleem</span></a>. In 2004 Othman was killed in a suicide car bombing as he waited in his vehicle at a security checkpoint. Othman, a Shia Muslim was one of eight Iraqis killed in the blast (Guardian Unlimited May 17 2004).<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Not only were the Alid faithful targeted, but their holiest cities and shrines were desecrated as well.<span style=""> </span>Both </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Karbala</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > and Najaf were often targets of al-Zawarhi’s and al-Zarqawi’s assassins. A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoura_Massacre" title="Ashoura Massacre"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">series of bombings</span></a> in </span><st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Baghdad</span></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > and </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Karbala</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > killed at least 181 people and injured hundreds more during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoura" title="Ashoura"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Ashoura</span></a>, a Shiite holiday. The Ashura massacre of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_2" title="March 2"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">March 2</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004" title="2004"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">2004</span></a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq" title="Iraq"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Iraq</span></a> was a series of planned <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism" title="Terrorism"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">terrorist</span></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosion" title="Explosion"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">explosions</span></a> that killed 170 and injured 500 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi" title="Iraqi"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Iraqi</span></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiite" title="Shiite"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Shiite</span></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslims" title="Muslims"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Muslims</span></a> commemorating the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Ashura" title="Day of Ashura"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Ashura</span></a> festival.<span style=""> </span>According to Associated Press, Tens of thousands of pilgrims from </span><st1:country-region><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Iraq</span></st1:country-region><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >, </span><st1:country-region><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Iran</span></st1:country-region><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > and other Shiite communities were gathered around the golden domed Mosque of Imam Hussien in </span><st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Karbala</span></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > and the Kazimiya Shrine in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Baghdad</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > when coordinated explosions tore through the worshipers inside and outside the mosques.<span style=""> </span>Witnesses told reporters of the carnage as the martyrs’ blood pooled in the streets and the worship halls damaging the ancient shrines.<span style=""> </span></span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Iran</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > stated that among the dead were at least 22 Iranians.<span style=""> </span>Iranians have made the pilgrimage to Shi’a’s most holiest of cities by the thousands since Saddam Hussien’s removal. Under Saddam Hussien’s repressive Baathist Party, many of these sites had been closed off for decades.<span style=""> </span>Al-Zawahri’s assassins killed 1,372 Iraqis in 2005 alone.<span style=""> </span>That is more than half of the number of American deaths for the entire conflict from 2003-2006.<span style=""> </span>Al-Zawahri would have you believe these Iraqi deaths are incidental to killing the Americans, but if you look at the figures, it would appear this is yet another deception. In June of 2004, attacks in </span><st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Baghdad</span></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >, </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Mosul</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >, Baquba, Ramadi, and Falluja killed about 100 people, but only killed 3 U.S. Soldiers.<span style=""> </span>Al-Zawahri hides in </span><st1:place><st1:country-region><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Pakistan</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > and wages a war in Shi’a most sacred Holy Lands, but it is not a Jihad to remove the Americans, but to oppress the Shiites.<span style=""> </span>In the very country he is seeking refuge in, his assassins killed 42 Shiite pilgrims in the city of </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Quetta</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" > the same day they desecrated the Imam Ali Mosque and the Kazimya Shrine.<span style=""> </span>There are no occupiers or infidels in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Quetta</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN" >.<span style=""> </span>With the death of his chief assassin al-Zarqawi, and Hizzbolah’s actions in Lebanon threatening to send al Qaeda to obscurity, al-Zawahri seeks to wrap an old lie in new wrappings to once again deceive the Alid faithful and steal their lands from them as the Abbassids once did. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:10;" lang="EN" >I am not condoning Hizzbolah’s attacks on </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:10;" lang="EN" >Israel</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:10;" lang="EN" >. Their rocket attacks continue to kill non-combatants including Palestinian-Israelis and Arab-Israelis.<span style=""> </span>These powerfully destructive weapons are not targeting military forces but innocent civilians, indiscriminate of whether they are Arabs, Jews or Druze.<span style=""> </span>As is Israel’s attacks on non-Hizzbolah territories inside Lebanon are equally deplorable.<span style=""> </span>Remember the passage from the </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10;">Al Baqarah,</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:10;" lang="EN" > “When they are told: ‘You shall not do evil in the land,’ they reply: ‘Surely we are doing only what is good.’ But it is they who are the evil-doers, though they may not perceive it.” Israel had not occupied Lebanon since 2000 so what is Hizzbolah’s reasons for crossing into Israel’s northern frontier.<span style=""> </span>The attack that killed 8 Israeli soldiers and resulted in the abduction of two others was one of several that had occurred since Israel’s withdrawal. Hizzbolah uses innocents, women and children, as human shields to protect themselves.<span style=""> </span>Verily this is not how Husayn Ibn Ali faced his attackers when he was martyred in Karbala.<span style=""> </span>The governments of Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have condemned Hizzbolah’s provacation.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>Pope Benedict in Rome has called for an immediate ceasefire and the Grand Ayatolla Ali Sistani issued a Fatwa for a ceasefire as well.<span style=""> </span>But in the end I am afraid it will not be stubborn Israel or righteous Hizzbolah who will be the true victims of this thrice cursed war, but it will be, as the Prophet Isaiah once called, the daughters and merchants of Sidon who will be the true victims of this war that will yield no victors, only widows and orphans.<span style=""> </span>Jews, Christians and Muslims, we all bow to the same God and we are all commanded not to do evil in our land. Are we not all called “People of the Book?”<br /><o:p> </o:p><br />Al-Zawahri can not deny that niether his master nor he has enjoyed the recognition that Hizzbolah’s leader has enjoyed.<span style=""> </span>There were no mass demonstrations of Muslims carrying portraits of al-Zawahri or bin Laden, but Sheik Nasrallah of Hizzbolah has been elevated to a folk hero status as Muktar was.<span style=""> </span>After the death of Husayn ibn Ali in Karbala, Muktar gathered Husayn ibn Ali’s remaining followers and formed the Army of the Penitents and avenged Husayn’s death by defeating the very assassins who had murdered Husayn.<span style=""> </span>Upon this victory the Abbassids built their deception and stole the holy lands from the Shiites placing their capital in Baghdad, now al-Zawahri wishes to do the same with Nasrallah’s fame, to decieve the Alid faithful once again.<span style=""> </span>For once, in a democratic Iraq, the Alid faithful can once again control the sacred lands of their faith.<span style=""> </span>The Alid faithful must learn their own history and should not fall for al-Zawahri’s lies. As Mowlana Julaluddin Rumi once wrote: “I am God’s Lion, not the lion of passion…I have no longing but for the One.<span style=""> </span>When the wind of personal reaction comes, I do not go along with it.<span style=""> </span>There are many winds full of anger, and lust, and greed.<span style=""> </span>They move rubbish around, but the solid mountain of our true nature stays where it’s always been.”<span style=""> </span>Al-Zawahri’s message is like these false winds that move rubbish around and the Shiites must stand as God’s Lion, as the mountain, unmoved by the lies of Al-Zawahri and his master.<span style=""> </span>La ilaha illa Allah; Allahu akbar.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:10;" lang="EN" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:10;" lang="EN" >*********************</span></p>See Britain's MI-5 assessment of Al Queda's Ideology at:<br /><br />http://www.mi5.gov.uk/output/Page546.htmlJoaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-79931866123133649582007-09-03T23:02:00.000-07:002008-04-30T19:41:28.957-07:00In the line of fire<p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><b><u>In the line of fire<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt"><span style="font-size:8;"><span style="font-size:+0;"></span><span style="font-size:+0;"></span>By Joaquin R Roces<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt"><span style="font-size:8;">(This article was submitted to Economist, the New York Times and the Reno Gazette Journal on August 2006)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt">My name is Joaquin Rafael Roces, I was at one time a Marine rifleman with Kilo Company, 3<sup>rd</sup> Battalion, 2<sup>nd</sup> Marines, 2<sup>nd</sup> Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>I am writing in regard to the Newsweek Article <i><u>Anatomy of a Revolt</u></i> written by Evan Thomas and John Barry in the April 24<sup>th</sup> issue.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>First I want to make it clear that I stand by Generals Zinni and Newbold as well as the other generals who have come forward to criticize the Secretary of Defense and this administration’s handling of the war.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Voltaire once mused, “It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Perhaps it is with that sentiment that Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War (1961-1968), on reflecting on his involvement in that war, reflected that “<span lang="EN">Any military commander who is honest with himself, or with those he's speaking to, will admit that he has made mistakes in the application of military power. He's killed people unnecessarily — his own troops or other troops — through mistakes, through errors of judgment. A hundred, or thousands, or tens of thousands, maybe even a hundred thousand. […] And the conventional wisdom is don't make the same mistake twice, learn from your mistakes.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Almost mimicking the confrontaton between, Bruce Greenwood’s National Security Advisor character and the Marine officer played by Tommy L. Jones in James Webb’s “Rules of Engagement,” an unprecedented confrontation between the professional soldiers and their civilian leadership has unfolded and is reaching a crescendo.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Not even in the hieght of the Vietnam war, with all its unpopularity and protest, did such a thing happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt"><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt"><span lang="EN">But perhaps it is the very same ghosts that haunt Mr. McNamara now, that haunts these generals as well.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Many of whom cut their teeth and earned their blood stripes in that conflict.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Another Vietnam player was General Harold K. Johnson who was the Army Chief of Staff. In reflection, General Johnson expressed that he intended to tell President Lyndon Johnson that “You [Pres. Johnson] had required me to send men into battle with little hope of the ultimate victory and you have forced us to violate almost every one of our principles of war in Vietnam,” and with that General Johnson intended to quit and walk out the door. But he did not, and according to his memoirs and biography recorded by Lewis Sorley, before he died General Johnson lamented that he was going to his grave “with a burden of a lapse of moral courage” on his back.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The lesson of which General Batiste studied at the Army’s War College some years later, and the same post held by General Shinseki before he was asked uncermoniously “to fade away.” </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt">I am reminded of a quote from General George S. Patton, “If everybody is thinking the same thing, then somebody isn’t thinking.” <span style="font-size:+0;"></span>According to the Thomas and Barry piece in Newsweek, in the winter of 2003, Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki was alone among the administration’s top brass in warning Congress that occupying <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /><st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> would require “several hundred thousand troops.” Secretary of Defense (SecDef) Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, rewarded the General’s honesty by publicly castigating him and shunning him. Rumsfeld did not attend the retirement ceremony of the Army Chief of Staff and his replacement was “leaked” out 14 months before General Shinseki’s term was up. In the military world, the Army Chief of Staff is the highest ranking officer in an Army of 700,000 and reports directly to the SecDef.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The SecDef snubbing of General Shinseki’s retirement and the leaking of his replacement is a clear message to all others who maybe considering “breaking ranks.” Major General John Batiste, a top advisor to Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz. Gen. Batiste also commanded troops in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and <span style="font-size:+0;"></span>like many other officers, was deeply upset by the public rebuke of Gen. Shinseki, “I won’t ever forget the treatment of Gen. Shinseki.” Another “old Soldier” fades away… Apparently General Shinseki was not thinking the same thing as everybody else. <span style="font-size:+0;"></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt">At the time of the Newsweek article there were over six Generals who have come forward to criticize the SecDef and the administration as a whole for the handling of the war on <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> including two Marine Corps Generals, and a handful of the Army’s “Top Soldiers,” including two who actually led men in combat in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>According to BBC News, former NATO Commander General Wesley Clark has joined the ranks of dissenters, saying in a televised interview that he believes “Secretary Rumsfeld hasn’t done an adequate job. He (SecDef) should go.” <span style="font-size:+0;"></span>Marine General Anthony Zinni was quoted by the Thomas and Barry as saying the SecDef was “incompetent strategically, operationally, and tactically” in an un-named op-ed piece. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The most scathing criticism came from another Marine, Lieutenant General Gregory Newbold, who was chief of operations of the Joint Staff during the planning stages of the second Iraq War.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In the Newsweek article General Newbold was quoted as saying the decision to invade <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> “was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions…or bury the results.” Now, the administration, in reaction to what Newsweek implies as a ‘Revolt,’ is applying the same tactic of discrediting these senior officers as was used in the last two presidential campaigns. That is by convincing America that there was something disgraceful about having served your country in combat as Gore and Kerry did, and that perhaps it was nobler to “dodge the draft;” to shirk duty under the pretense of “taking the moral high ground.” The Newsweek article continues on, “together with Vice President Dick Cheney, (draft-deferred in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Vietnam</st1:place></st1:country-region>), along with (SecDef) Rumsfeld (Navy Jet Pilot who never saw combat), President Bush (Texas National Guard) seemed determined to brush past or roll over the cautious national security bureaucracy.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Writing in Time Magazine, Gen. Newbold voices his regret that he did not “more openly challenge those who were determined to invade a country whose actions were peripheral to the real threat-Al QAEDA.” The President has always maintained that he listens to his Generals, yet Shinseki’s words of caution were swept aside as was the old general himself.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>But he was not the only one.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>General Colin Powell, the Secretary of State, and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was also swept aside according to Thomas and Barry.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Gen. Powell was considered “too squishy, too much of a creature of the go-slow bureaucracy.” He was opposed to the majority of President George H.W. Bush Administration officials who advocated the deployment of troops to the <a title="Middle East" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">Middle East</span></a> to force <a title="Iraq" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">Iraqi</span></a> president <a title="Saddam Hussein" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddam_Hussein"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">Saddam Hussein</span></a> to withdraw his armies from neighboring <a title="Kuwait" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuwait"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">Kuwait</span></a>, believing the dictator could instead be contained through <a title="Sanctions" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctions"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">sanctions</span></a> and a buildup of forces around Kuwait.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">However; as an officer, General Powell also valued <a title="Loyalty" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalty"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">loyalty</span></a> very highly, and as a result, did not usually undermine policies he disagreed with after they were implemented. Thus, while initially opposing the plan that would become Operation Desert Storm, Powell nevertheless supported it once it became official policy, and gave it his full dedication. A strategy he outlined for Operation Desert Storm, the use of "overwhelming force" to achieve a military objective while minimizing U.S. casualties, became known as the "<a title="Powell Doctrine" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powell_Doctrine"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">Powell Doctrine</span></a>".<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The Doctrine follows from principles laid out by <a title="Caspar Weinberger" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_Weinberger"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">Caspar Weinberger</span></a>, <a title="Ronald Reagan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">Ronald Reagan</span></a>'s <a title="United States Secretary of Defense" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Defense"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">Secretary of Defense</span></a> following the bombing of the Marine Barracks at Beriut in 1983 (for discussion see MY AMERICAN JOURNEY: COLIN POWELL, with Joseph E. Persic, ©Random House Publishing)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Is a vital <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region> interest at stake? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Will we commit sufficient resources to win? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Are the objectives clearly defined? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Will we sustain the commitment? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Is there reasonable expectation that the public and Congress will support the operation? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Have we exhausted our other options? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Do we have a clear exit strategy? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 6pt">The questions posed by the Powell Doctrine:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Is a vital national security interest threatened? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Do we have a clear attainable objective? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Have all other non-violent policy means been fully exhausted? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Have the consequences of our action been fully considered? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Is the action supported by the American people? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->Do we have genuine broad international support? </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Yet none of this was applied to the second Gulf War. Somehow the words of caution did not sink in and Gen. Powell is no longer the Secretary Of State. <span style="font-size:+0;"></span>Another “old soldier” fades away. Why was the Powell Doctrine that was so successful in the first Gulf War, discarded so easily the second time round? Thomas and Barry assert that the senior military did not force a discussion of what to do after the war was won.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>They charge that the SecDef was obsessed with the plan of attack, but not the aftermath.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>It would appear that risks and costs were not fully or frankly analyzed by the senior military and by the administraton. In a televised interview with Britain’s ITV, then Secretary of State Powell stated that he had asked for a larger number of troops to be deployed to Iraq, saying that “the case was made, it was listened to, it was considered (…) A judgment was made by those responsible that the troop strength was adequate.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>And so it was not anything that was ignored, it was considered and a judgment was made by those responsible for making military judgements that the troop strengths were adequate.” Again somebody was not thinking like everybody else.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place><st1:city>Falluja</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Iraq</st1:country-region></st1:place>. 18 November 2004.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>As first reported by Dexter Filkins of the New York Times.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Eight days after the Americans entered the city on foot, a pair of Marines wound their way up the darkened innards of a minnaret, shot through with holes by an American tank.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>As the Marines inched upward, a burst of gunfire rang down, fired by insurgents hiding in the top of the tower.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The volley of bullets hit the first Marine in the face, his blood and brains splattering the Marine behind him.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The Marine in the rear tumbled down the stairwell, while his comrade lay silent halfway up the narrow stairwell, mortally wounded.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The wounded Marine’s name is Lance Cpl. William Miller.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>He was 22.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">“Miller!” the Marines called from below. “Miller!”</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">With that the Marines’ near mystical commandment against leaving a comrade behind siezed the group.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>One after another, the young Marines dashed into the minaret, into darkness and into gunfire, and wound their way up the narrow stairway.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>For them the battle for <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> was measured one bloody narrow 6” step at a time.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt">After four attempts Lance Cpl. Miller’s lifeless body emerged from the tower, his comrades choking and covered with dust. <span style="font-size:+0;"></span>With more insurgents closing in, the Marines ran through volleys of machine gun fire with their comrade in tow carrying him back to their base.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 6pt"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The consequences are now painfully iretractable facts: Rumsfeld demanded a swift, lean force that worked brilliantly to topple the Hussein Regime, but was woefully inadequate to take over the more onerous task of securing and rebuilding <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>But were they really considered?<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Was our national security interest threatened? According to General Newbold, Iraq’a actions were only peripheral to the real threat. <span style="font-size:+0;"></span>Did we have a clear attainable objective? Are we fighting a war on terror, or are we ensuring democracy in the middle east? Are we enforcing UN Resolutions against WMD’s or are we freeing the Iraqis from Tyranny? Did we go into Iraq because they failed to comply with the Resolutions imposed after the first Gulf War, if so, how does that corrolate with the War on Terror and its objectives? If we had such a clear case for <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> violating the UN resolutions, why did we fail to achieve consensus within the UN for military action? Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglements and have the consequences of our action been fully considered? We are in year three with the death toll at over 2,000 and fielding a force of 140,000.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In the first Gulf War, we had a death toll of 345 and fielded a force of 550,000.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>We liberated Kuwait, defeated the Iraqi Army and reppelled unlawful aggression. The SecDef questioned the notion that America could bring democracy to Iraq and disdains “nation-building,” yet he blithly counts on the Iraqis to rebuild their own country. Right after the invasion the SecDef approved American Proconsul Paul Bremer’s plan to disband the Iraqi Army and fire its top civil servants opening the country to chaos and a growing insurgency, with an insufficient force to fill the void. Is the action supported by the American people? According to polling data collected by Angus Reid Consultants released on 2 May 2006, 39% of those polled believe that the President should fire the SecDef and 35% disagree, and 43% support the SecDef’s resignation while 35% disagree (Opinion Research Corporation for CNN).<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Another CNN poll called the quick vote tallied a total of 133286 votes on their website (non-scientific) with 85% or 113739 votes believe that it is time for a new SecDef. The President’s own approval rating slipped from an already low 36% to 32%. Do we have genuine broad international support? The first Gulf War included a coalition of 17 countries and the backing of the United Nations. The second war consisted of 4 countries: Britain, Poland, Australia and the United States. The Bush administration failed to get a <a title="United Nations" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">U.N.</span></a> endorsement for war against <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> on <st1:date month="3" day="17" year="2003">17 <a title="March 17" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_17"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">March </span></a><a title="2003" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">2003</span></a></st1:date> and began the invasion on <st1:date month="3" day="20" year="2003">20<a title="March 20" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_20"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">March</span></a> <a title="2003" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">2003</span></a></st1:date>.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">General Zinni is qouted by Newsweek as saying “We are paying the price for…the lack of a plan.” It is of course ridiculous and absurd to think that there was no plan or concerted effort, it would be reckless for me or any General to imply that.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>But that is not what General Zinni is saying.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>As General Powell intoned earlier, that a plan and strategy “was made by those responsible for making military judgements.” General Zinni spent more than 40 years serving his country as a warrior and diplomat, rising from a young lieutenant in Vietnam to a four-star general with a reputation for candor. From 1997 to 2000, he was commander-in-chief of the United States Central Command, in charge of all American troops in the <st1:place>Middle East</st1:place>. That was the same job held by Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf before him, and Gen. Tommy Franks after. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br />Following his retirement from the Marine Corps, the Bush administration thought so highly of Gen. Zinni that it appointed him to one of its highest diplomatic posts -- special envoy to the <st1:place>Middle East</st1:place>. “There has been poor strategic thinking in this,” says General Zinni to CBS Correspondent Steve Kroft. “There has been poor operational planning and execution on the ground. And to think that we are going to ‘stay the course,’ the course is headed over <st1:city><st1:place>Niagara Falls</st1:place></st1:city>. I think it's time to change course a little bit, or at least hold somebody responsible for putting you on this course. Because it's been a failure.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>General Zinni believed this was the wrong war at the wrong time whith the wrong strategy. According to Kroft, the general was saying it before the U.S. invasion. In the months leading up to the war, while still <st1:place>Middle East</st1:place> envoy, General Zinni spoke before the US Congress: “This is, in my view, the worst time to take this [<st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>] on. And I don’t feel it needs to be done now.” There were others as well, Former General and National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft, former Centcom Commander Norman Schwarzkopf, former NATO Commander Wesley Clark, and former Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki all voiced their reservations. Let us strike into the heart of darkness, into the very core of the issue.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The National Command Authority, which includes the President, Vice President and the SecDef had and still has a strategic plan, and I believe its endgame is winning a campaign, but not a campaign on the battlefield, but a different campaign, the kind that is won inside the beltway; far form the line of fire, and a world removed from the dark and dusty cordite filled minaret where Lance Cpl. Miller bled to death.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Perhaps when the President displayed his now infamous “Mission Accomplished” banner, he wasn’t referring to Iraq at all.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>With gas prices over three dollars a gallon, and fighting a multi-front war, where is the call for rationing as there was in World War II, where is “Rosie” and the might of the American industiral sector?<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>With troop strengths far from adequate – even at the troop levels of the first Gulf War, units found it difficult to deal with the mass of surrendering troops and civillian exodus that came at them. Where is selective service and the draft, which were implemented during <st1:country-region><st1:place>Korea</st1:place></st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region><st1:place>Vietnam</st1:place></st1:country-region>? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place><st1:city>Ramadi</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Iraq</st1:country-region></st1:place>. 29 May 2004. As first reported by Michael Moss of the New York Times.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Four Marines were returning to their basecamp on a highway in Ramadi, their unarmoured Humvee, inherited from the Florida National Guard unit they relieved, was rigged with scrap metal.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>As they drove along the highway, a stationwagon packed with C-4 explosives by Iraqi insurgents was detonated killing all four Marines.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The makeshift shields were only shoulder high, and photographs taken later by the company commander, Capt. Royers, show that the shrapnel from the bomb shot over the top of the makeshift shields.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The company’s motor transport chief, Staff Sergeant Jose S. Valerio concluded with Capt. Royers’ assesment, “The steel was not high enough…most of the wounds were to their heads.” Among those killed were Lance Cpl. Rafael Reynosa whose wife was expecting twins, and a young Private First Class from Lake Stevens, WA.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>His name was Cody S. Calvin.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>He was 19.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The company of 185 Marines of Echo Company, part of a lionized battalion, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, nicknamed the Magnificent Bastards, is also one of fortitude and ingenuity. The Marines, based in a junkyard in Ramadi, had been asked to rid the provincial capital of one of the most persistent insurgencies, and in enduring 26 firefights, 90 mortar attacks and more than 90 homemade bombs, they shipped their dead home and carried on. Their tour has become legendary among other Marine units now serving in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> and still facing some of the same problems. Echo Company had only two Humvees and three trucks when it arrived, so just getting them into Staff Sergeant Valerio’s shop was a logistical chore. Moss would later recount their desperate mission and their valor.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">On <st1:date month="4" day="6" year="2004">6 April 2004</st1:date>, the company had to empty its camp - leaving the cooks to guard the gates - to deal with three firefights. Ten of its troops were killed that day, including eight who died when the Humvee they were riding in was ambushed en route to assist other Marines under fire. That Humvee lacked even the improvised steel on the back where most of the Marines sat. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">In parceling out Ramadi, the Marine Corps leadership gave Echo Company more than 10 square miles to control, far more than any of the battalion's other companies. Captain Royer said he had informally asked for an extra platoon, or 44 Marines, and had been told the battalion was seeking an extra company. The battalion's operations officer, Maj. John D. Harrill, said the battalion had received sporadic assistance from the Army and had given Company E extra help. General Mattis says he could not pull Marines from another part of <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> because "there were tough fights going on everywhere."<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Captain Royer said more armor would not have even helped. The insurgents had a .50-caliber machine gun that punched huge holes through the Humvee’s windshield. Only a heavier combat vehicle could have withstood the barrage, he said, but the unit had none. According to Moss’ account Defense Department officials have said they favored Humvees over tanks in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> because they were less imposing to civilians. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Not all the officers swept aside were general grade officers. Captain Kelly D. Royers was the skipper of Echo Company. Lt. Sean J. Schickel remembered Captain Royer asking a high-ranking Marine Corps visitor whether the company would be getting more factory-armored Humvees. The official said they had not been requested and that there were production constraints, Lieutenant Schickel said. It is striking to note that when the SecDef visited <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> that same year to tour the Abu Ghraib prison camp, military officials did not rely on a government-issued Humvee to transport him safely on the ground. Instead, they turned to Halliburton, the oil services contractor, which lent the Pentagon a heavily armored rolling fortress of steel called the Rhino Runner. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile inside the beltway, the Senate voted to spend an extra $213 million to buy more fully armored Humvees. The Army's procurement system, which also supplies the Marines, has come under fierce criticism for underperforming in the war, and has only one small contractor in <st1:state><st1:place>Ohio</st1:place></st1:state> armoring new Humvees. Captain Royer said that he photographed the Humvees in which his men died to show to any official who asked about the condition of their armor, but that no one ever did. Recalls Captain Royer of his conversation with a ranking Marine Corps visitor: "I'm thinking we have our most precious resource engaged in combat, and certainly the wealth of our nation can provide young, selfless men with what they need to accomplish their mission. That's an erudite way of putting it. I have a much more guttural response that I won't give you."<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The same year PFC Calvin and Lance Cpl. Reynosa died in their ramshackle Humvee along with two other Marines, General Motors sold 1,927 Hummers, the commercial equivalent of the Humvee, across the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Captain Royer was later relieved of command. General Mattis and Colonel Kennedy declined to discuss the matter. His first fitness report, issued on May 31, 2004, after the company's deadliest firefights, concluded, "He has single-handedly reshaped a company in sore need of a leader; succeeded in forming a cohesive fighting force that is battle-tested and worthy." <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The second, on <st1:date month="9" day="1" year="2004">Sept. 1, 2004</st1:date>, gave him opposite marks for leadership. "He has been described on numerous occasions as 'dictatorial,' " it said, "There is no morale or motivation in his marines." His defenders say he drove his troops as hard as he drove himself, but was wrongly blamed for problems like armor. "Captain Royer was a decent man that was used for a dirty job and thrown away by his chain of command," Sergeant Sheldon, one of the magnificent bastards of Echo Company, said. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">US Army General John Batiste said on CNN (April 2006) that the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> needs "a fresh start" at the Pentagon. General Batiste continues, "When decisions are made without taking into account sound military recommendations, sound military decision-making, sound planning, then we're bound to make mistakes." In addition to commanding the 1st Infantry Division in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>, Batiste also was a senior adviser to former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, one of the chief architects of the U.S.-led invasion.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Both the advice of Gen. Shinseki and Gen. Powell calling for a larger force was swept aside and ignored.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Gen. Shinseki was the Army’s Chief of Staff, who served and was wounded in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Vietnam</st1:place></st1:country-region> as did Gen. Powell who was also the architect of the successful first Gulf War. The SecDef and the administration swept their words of caution aside discounting it as “too squishy” referring to the two top officers and combat veterans as creatures of a “go-slow Bureaucracy” resistant to change. But was what Gen. Shinseki and Gen. Powell bringing up something new? To quote another SecDef, Robert McNamara: “We are the strongest nation in the world today. I do not believe that we should ever apply that economic, political, and military power unilaterally. If we had followed that rule in Vietnam, we wouldn't have been there. None of our allies supported us. Not Japan, not Germany, not Britain or France. If we can't persuade nations with comparable values of the merit of our cause, we'd better reexamine our reasoning.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Remember Vietnam, Cambodia, Lebanon, Somalia? What about Grenada, Panama, Sierra Leonne, Bosnia and the Congo? <st1:country-region><st1:place>Nicaragua</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Angola</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and remember the failed attempt to rescue the hostages in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the Rangers in <st1:city><st1:place>Mogadishu</st1:place></st1:city> and the Marines who died in <st1:city><st1:place>Beirut</st1:place></st1:city>? This is not a “go-slow” bureaucracy, this is a highly cohesive professional and competent army that has gone where its national command authority has told it to go time and time again, and spilled its collective blood for masters far removed from the whine of bullets and screams of the wounded.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Gen. Batiste warned, "When we violate the principles of war with mass and unity of command and unity of effort, we do that at our own peril,” words that resonate with the lessons of Gen. Johnson’s lack of moral courage. But this was not just an academic lesson Gen. Batiste learned in the <st1:place><st1:placename>War</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>College</st1:placetype></st1:place> years later, it is also ingrained in the consciousness of a combat veteran who commanded troops in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Bosnia</st1:place></st1:country-region> and the first Gulf War. He commanded the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, the Big Red One, in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The division’s history is a legend in the Army; founded by General “Black Jack” Pershing in WWI, it was the first to see combat in WWII, fight in <st1:place>Africa</st1:place> and <st1:state><st1:place>Sicily</st1:place></st1:state> and was one of the units to land in <st1:state><st1:place>Normandy</st1:place></st1:state> to break Hitler’s “Fortress Europe.” As reported by Greg Jaffe of the Times, Gen. Batiste arrived with his troops in January of 2004 and his division was responsible for an area the size of <st1:state><st1:place>West Virginia</st1:place></st1:state> in the heart of the Sunni Triangle.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Like most of the units at the time the 1st Division’s Humvees also lacked armor.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Gen. Batiste’s men had to contract with local Iraqis to weld makeshift scrap metal to the vehicles. <o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="color:black;">"You know, it speaks volumes that guys like me are speaking out from retirement about the leadership climate in the Department of Defense," Gen. Batiste said. The General stands out among the others in the fact that he was a top aid to </span>Paul Wolfowitz during the planning stage of the war and commanded troops in theater as well.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>So admired was General Batiste that he was offered a promotion and a third star.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>It would make him the second highest ranking officer in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>But as Gen. Batiste told Brooks Barnes of the New York Times in a <st1:date month="5" day="13" year="2006">May 13<sup>th</sup> 2006</st1:date> article, “I was shocked at where I was,” the general stated, “I had spent 31 years of my life defending our great constitution.” The article reports how over the course of the war in Iraq, the general saw troop shortages that allowed a deadly insurgency to take root, felt politics were put ahead of hard won military lessons and was haunted by the words of General Johnson.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>For the Times article, the General recounts his moment of truth. He paced nervously in the parking garage behind CNN’s offices after a grilling interview with Paula Zahn.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>He fumed about the SecDef’s “Contemptuous attitude,” and the SecDef’s “refusal to take sound military advice.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>As the General climbed into his vehicle to drive home, he recalled thinking, “If I don’t speak out, who the hell else will?” <span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color:black;">In January of 2006, the New York times obtained a 3 page Pentagon Report that was released by a Veteran’s Advocacy Group, Soldiers for the Truth, reported as many as “42% percent of the Marine casualties who died from isolated torso injuries could have been prevented with improved protection surrounding the plated areas of the vest (body armor)…another 23% could have been saved with side plates that extend below the arms, while another 15% could have benefited from shoulder plates.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The New York Times delayed release of the report for a week in order for the Pentagon to confirm the veracity of the report.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Pentagon officials refused to comment.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>As of January of 2006, 526 Marines have been killed in combat in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> out of a total of 1700 American deaths. The report based on the findings by military pathologists suggested that an analysis of the all combat deaths would show that 300 or more lives could have been saved. <span style="font-size:+0;"></span>Perhaps PFC Calvin or Lance Cpl. Reynosa would still be alive.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>According to Michael Moss, who covered the report’s release for the Times, 74 of the 93 fatal wounds that were analyzed were from Marines who had died between March 2003 and June of 2005, bullets and shrapnel struck the Marines’ shoulders, sides or areas of the torso where the plates don’t reach.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>These are not nameless corpse in a morgue:<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Lance Cpl. Andrew Julian Aviles who was killed in April of 2003; PFC Eric Ayon who was killed by hostile fire on April 9, 2004; Capt. James C. Edge who was killed by enemy small-arms fire during combat operations in Ramadi on April 14, 2005; and Lance Cpl. Jonathan R. Flores who was One of five Marines killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb during combat operations near Ramadi on June 15, 2005. <span style="font-size:+0;"></span>They are husbands, fathers, sons and brothers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>Body armor has gone through a succession of problems in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>. First the ceramic plates that makes the vest bullet proof, crumbles and disintegrates when struck by the first round, and then there were severe and prolonged shortages of the plates.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Almost from the beginning, some soldiers asked for additional protection to stop bullets from slicing their sides.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In the fall of 2003, troops began hanging their crotch protectors under their arms, and only then did the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force ship several hundred plates to protect their sides and shoulders.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Individual soldiers and units started purchasing their own sets.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>According to Moss, as of January of 2006, the Army, which has the largest force in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>, was still undecided on what to purchase.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Army Procurement officials are deciding what size of plates to give its 130,000 soldiers.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The Marine Corps ordered 28,000 sets in September of 2005, as of January 2006 only 2200 had been delivered.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span></p><p>Jack Kelly of the Jewish World Review, defended the Army’s procurement practices.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Citing a Col. Thomas Spoehr who is the director of the materiel for the Army Staff, Kelly reports in his August 2005 article that the delays were caused by the Army’s insistence on taking “proactive steps” to improve the armor plating in the vests prior to production.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>These vests are known as the “Interceptor” and are, according to Kelly and Col. Spoehr, the “best body armor manufactured in the world today.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>It was significantly improved from the ones worn by US troops in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Somalia</st1:place></st1:country-region> and the first Gulf War.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>According to Col. Spoehr, the new vests could stop an AK-47 round fired from 10 feet away.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>However, Col. Spoehr does admit that “the best” is not “perfect.” There are some special types of munitions that can penetrate the Boronic Carbide plates.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In 2004, Army official became aware of improvements that could be made that would protect against “most but not all” of these special munitions.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Since these plates must be manufactured to be extremely precise dimensions (1,000 of an inch), altering the formula is not a simple process.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Col. Spoehr compared the plates to those tiles used by the Space Shuttle to protect against intense heat, “We’re taking what we think is a prudent step to guard against a step (the insurgents) could take, but that’s a step that really hasn’t developed yet.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Moss of the Times supports some of Col. Spoehr’s comments citing that Les Brownlee, former acting secretary for the Army, stated that he was shown numerous designs for expanded body armor as early as 2003 and instructed his staff to weigh their benefits against the perceived threat without losing sight of the main task of eliminating the shortages of plates for the chest and back. In 2003, design alternatives were reviewed; in 2004 the Army was made aware of the improvements, in 2005 they started manufacturing and distributing.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The Marines opted for the older ceramic version for a speedier delivery and in December of 2005, they received 2200 of 28,000 plates that were ordered.</p><p><st1:place><st1:city>Falluja</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Iraq</st1:country-region></st1:place>. <st1:date month="4" day="26" year="2004">26 April 2004</st1:date>, Marines from Echo Company were searching buildings in the war-torn Jolan neighborhood when they came under attack in one of the bloodiest clashes between the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> military and insurgents that spring. Insurgents attacked from three directions, firing thousands of rounds from AK-47s and other firearms and hurling dozens of grenades. With the Marines in danger of being overrun, they sought shelter in a building, among them was Lance Corporal Aaron Austin of <st1:state><st1:place>Texas</st1:place></st1:state>; a machine gunner for Echo Company.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Lance Corporal <st1:city><st1:place>Austin</st1:place></st1:city> helped evacuate the wounded led other Marines onto a roof to operate a machine gun. When the insurgents kept advancing, he took a grenade from his vest and moved into the open for a better throwing position. "Several enemy bullets struck Lance Cpl. Austin in the chest," said the official Marine Corps account. "Undaunted by his injury” and with great effort, Lance Corporal Austin threw his hand grenade at the enemy on the adjacent rooftop.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>It was enough to break the enemy assault, but Lance Corporal Austin was mortally wounded.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>After the battle his comrades would erect a makeshift memorial while back home his father would be presented with his Silver Star.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The same month Capt. Royer lost 10 Marines in deadly firefights in the same city.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>For beltway bureaucrats Lance Corporal Austin was only a number in a study among 526 others. Lance Corporal Austin was struck three times in the chest from a distance greater than 10 feet.<span style="color:black;"> Specialist Richard Arriaga was killed when his unit was ambushed with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="color:black;">Tikrit</span></st1:city><span style="color:black;">, </span><st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="color:black;">, on </span><st1:date month="9" day="18" year="2003"><span style="color:black;">September 18, 2003</span></st1:date><span style="color:black;">. 1st Lt. Tyler H. Brown was Killed when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="color:black;">Ramadi</span></st1:city><span style="color:black;">, </span><st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="color:black;">, on </span><st1:date month="9" day="14" year="2004"><span style="color:black;">September 14, 2004</span></st1:date><span style="color:black;">. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p>Meanwhile Armor Holdings, the sole and small <st1:state><st1:place>Ohio</st1:place></st1:state> factory that was tasked with up-armoring all the Humvees in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> remains back-logged despite the company increasing its production in December of 2005.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>As of January of this year, the Marine Corps was still waiting for 2,000 vehicles to replace existing ones in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Additionally Moss states, an initiative began by the Pentagon nearly two years ago to speed up production and replacement by having additional firms armor new Humvees remains incomplete according to Army officials. <span lang="EN">In 2005 General Motors extended employee discounts to the public which included the Hummer, the civilian counterpart of the military’s Humvee. You could purchase it with leather interior, CD player, air, OnStar and power windows and locks. In July 2005 alone General Motors </span><span style="color:black;">delivered 7,476, a 210% improvement compared to last year, and sold 4,664 in July, a 21 percent increase over the previous month.</span><span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>According to Laurie Sullivan of InformationWeek, General Motors Corp. (GM) designed the Hummer H2, although manufacturing is outsourced to AM General. One factory in <st1:place><st1:city>Mishawaka</st1:city>, <st1:state>Ind.</st1:state></st1:place>, alone was originally designed to deliver 40,000 Hummer H2s annually, but has churned out approximately 60,000 since production began in spring 2002. In 2003, AM General manufactured more than 30,000 Hummer H2s for GM. Since its commercial inception in 1992, there has been 3 different version fielded, the H1, H2 and the H3.<span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p>Remember Echo Company who lost 10 Marines in a deadly firefight? Their Humvee was one that lacked even the improvised armor and was one waiting to be replaced by the back-logged Armor Holdings.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Captain Royer admitted more armor would not have mattered because the insurgents had a .50-caliber machine gun that punched huge holes through its windshield. Only a heavier combat vehicle could have withstood the barrage, he said, but the unit had none. Defense Department officials have said they favored Humvees over tanks in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> because they were less imposing to civilians. The same decision was made in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Somalia</st1:place></st1:country-region> which resulted in the death of 23 Army Rangers. "All I saw was sandbags, blood and dead bodies," Staff Sergeant Valerio recalled. "There was no protection in the back."<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>They were not the only losses for Company E during its six-month tour of duty in Ramadi (2004). In all, more than one-third of the unit's 185 troops were killed or wounded, the highest casualty rate of any company in the war, Marine Corps officials say. Were the families of those dead Marines told that their sons and fathers were killed due to production constraints?<span style="color:black;"><span style="font-size:+0;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"></span><o:p></o:p></p><p>In a statement dated <st1:date month="4" day="21" year="2005">21 April 2005</st1:date> and published on Sen. Kennedy’s Committee for a Democratic Majority website, “For our troops on patrol, every second counts. Every moment of delay puts their lives at risk. Yet, in a report issued to Congress just last month, the Government Accountability Office describes month after month after month of bureaucratic mismanagement in getting our troops the armored Humvees they need to stay alive and do their jobs. In fact, the GAO report found that the Army still has no long term plan to improve the availability of armored Humvees. The war in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> has been going on for more than two years, our troops are under fire every day, and they still don’t have a plan.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span><span style="color:black;">Sgt. Julia V. Atkins was killed when a roadside bomb detonated near her Humvee during patrol operations in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="color:black;">Baghdad</span></st1:city><span style="color:black;">, </span><st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="color:black;">, on </span><st1:date month="12" day="10" year="2005"><span style="color:black;">December 10, 2005</span></st1:date><span style="color:black;">. Sgt. 1st Class Ramon A. Acevedoaponte was one of two soldiers when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="color:black;">Rustamiya</span></st1:city><span style="color:black;">, </span><st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="color:black;">, on </span><st1:date month="10" day="26" year="2005"><span style="color:black;">October 26, 2005</span></st1:date><span style="color:black;">. As of a </span><st1:date month="1" day="14" year="2006"><span style="color:black;">January 14th 2006</span></st1:date><span style="color:black;"> Associated Press report, the military now has more than 25,000 armored Humvees in country.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Major General Charles Swannack who led the Army’s elite 82<sup>nd</sup> Airborne Division during its deployment in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> joined in the call for the SecDef’s resignation.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Gen. Swannack was quoted on Newsweek blaming the SecDef for “absolute failures in managing the war against Saddam.” Further in an interview with CNN’s Barbara Starr, General Swannack said “I just had to go ahead and speak out recently because of my belief that he just controls our generals far too much; it's almost like he hamstrings our generals. What our generals really need from the Pentagon and from Secretary Rumsfeld are only the strategic objectives they're supposed to achieve, the policy decisions necessary to bring about those objectives and then funding for the war. And I believe he oversteps his bounds and has been detrimental to our generals leading the war.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>From General Shenseki’s request for additional forces down to the men in the trenches, like Captain Royer and his Marines, asking for needed supplies and materials, the SecDef was deaf to their pleas and recommendations.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The lessons of armor shortages in urban warfare from Hué to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Beirut</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="color:black;"> to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Mogadishu</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="color:black;"> were ignored. The recommendations by Gen. Powell gleaned from the debacle in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Lebanon</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> were swept aside.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Gen. Swannack says, “I really believe that we need a new Secretary of Defense because Secretary Rumsfeld carries way too much baggage with him. And I'll speak briefly about that. But it goes back to insufficient forces to attack north to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Baghdad</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="color:black;"> and subsequently fight the insurgency.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Echo Company had less than half the troops who are now doing its job currently in Ramadi, and covered an area larger than any other company in their battalion’s sector. The unit had resorted to making dummy Marines from cardboard cutouts and camouflage shirts to place in observation posts on the highway when it ran out of men. During one of its deadliest firefights, it came up short on both vehicles and troops. Marines who were stranded at their camp tried in vain to hot-wire a dump truck to help rescue their falling brothers. That day, 10 men in the unit died. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Lance Corporal Miller’s unit, Bravo Company, 1<sup>st</sup> Battalion, 8<sup>th</sup> Marines, was the same unit bloodied in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Beirut</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="color:black;"> in 1983.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>With a company of 150 Marines under the leadership of Captain Omohundro, Bravo Company snaked through the city almost entirely on foot, into the heart of the insurgency, rarely protected by tanks or troop carriers, working their way through Falluja’s narrow streets with 75 pound packs on their backs.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In the vicious eight days of fighting, Bravo Company would measure 36 wounded and 6 dead, which meant for the company each man had a one-in-four ratio of being killed or wounded.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">On the first morning of the battle, Day One was not even half over, 45 Marines of Bravo Company’s third platoon darted across </span><st1:street><st1:address><span style="color:black;">40<sup>th</sup> Street</span></st1:address></st1:street><span style="color:black;"> in the battle to take the Muhammadia Mosque.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>They were caught in interlocking fields of fire.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>A meat grinder. By the time the Marines crossed the street, 5 lay bleeding in the street.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Without hesitation the Marines rushed out to retrieve their wounded.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>One of the men wounded was Sergeant Lonny Wells.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>By the time he was pulled to safety, Sgt. Wells had already bled to death.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> men and women die in the time in takes to decide between a Venti and a Tall latte at a Starbucks counter. Corporal Nathan Anderson who braved gunfire to pull Sgt. Wells to safety would die three days later in another ambush. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">First platoon would be caught in a nighttime ambush.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Encountering insurgents dressed in Iraqi National Guard uniforms, the Marines waved as the insurgents opened fire.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Corporal Anderson would die instantly and Private First Class Andrew Russell, lay bleeding in the road, screaming from a near severed leg.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Again the Marines rushed forward to retrieve their comrades.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>After all, who else would? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Corporal Jake Knospler lost part of his jaw to hand grenade in a pitch black house. It was </span><st1:time hour="2" minute="0"><span style="color:black;">two a.m.</span></st1:time><span style="color:black;"> and the sky was dark and moonless.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>All you heard was Corporal Knospler’s gurgling wound and his fellow Marines screaming, “no, no, no!” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">On </span><st1:date month="11" day="10" year="2004"><span style="color:black;">10 November 2004</span></st1:date><span style="color:black;">, at </span><st1:time hour="14" minute="0"><span style="color:black;">2 p.m.</span></st1:time><span style="color:black;">, Corporal Romulo Jimenez who was 21 years old, advanced with his platoon, in northern Falluja, when he was struck in the neck by a sniper. He died instantly. Two days prior he had just spoken with his sister by phone.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Corporal Nick Ziolkoweski was nicknamed ‘Ski’ by his fellow Marines. In April of 2004, he sat on a roof top on the outskirts of the Shuhada neighborhood, an area controlled by insurgents. Already Ski was a proficient sniper with at least three confirmed kills. Prior to taking charge of his post at Shuhada, he was warned by intelligence officers, that the insurgents were targeting American snipers. He manned his post, and for a moment, he took his helmet off to get a better view through his scope. The bullet struck him in the head knocking backward onto the roof.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>I am reminded of an old Marine Corps Cadence that goes: “To Saint Peter I will tell, another Marine reporting, sir, I’ve served my time in hell.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">General Zinni voiced that it was his belief, as it was with the others, that Saddam Hussein was sufficiently contained with the UN Sanctions, the no-fly and no-drive zones. Echoing General Newbold’s comments that Iraq’a actions were only peripheral to the real threat, General Zinni says, “at the same time, we had this war on terrorism. We were fighting al Qaeda. We were engaged in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Afghanistan</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">. We were looking at 'cells' in 60 countries. We were looking at threats that we were receiving information on and intelligence on. And I think most of the generals felt, let's deal with this one at a time. Let's deal with this threat from terrorism, from al Qaeda.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">What about </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Afghanistan</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">? According to Steve Coll of the New Yorker, “</span>... One thing to keep in mind about that <st1:place>Camp David</st1:place> meeting and the discussions within the National Security Cabinet in September of 2001 is that everyone understood broadly what Al Qaeda was, and they understood broadly that bin Laden was in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>. ...” Coll is the author of <u><span style="font-size:+0;">Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, </span></u><st1:country-region><st1:place><u><span style="font-size:+0;">Afghanistan</span></u></st1:place></st1:country-region><u><span style="font-size:+0;">, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to </span></u><st1:date month="9" day="10" year="2001"><u><span style="font-size:+0;">September 10, 2001</span></u></st1:date>.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>However, Coll explains that given the fact that a majority of the republicans on the President’s cabinet hadn't been in government effectively since the Cold War period. So their thinking and decision making process was still framed within the context of the bi-polar paradigm of the Cold War. Thus within the Cabinet, according to Coll, there was a natural inclination to think that an attack of this scale, this power, this sophistication, had to have roots in state sponsorship, not only because there was a natural willingness to believe that Iraq would be interested in carrying out such an attack, but also because this was a group of people whose experience of terrorism led them to believe that it was almost always state-sponsored in some sense. As Stephen Gould pointed out in his book, <u>The Mismeasure of Man,</u> that hierarchies rarely endure for more than a few generations, but the arguments, refurbished, are often recycled by the next round of social institutions.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Such was the case with the President’s Cabinet in 2001.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>This would explain some of the disconnect that people like [counterterrorism expert] Richard Clarke have described about September 2001, where some top members of the president's Cabinet ask questions about Iraq and Saddam Hussein that strike the Al Qaeda experts like Clarke and George Tenet, as well as Generals like Anthony Zinni as ridiculous.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place><st1:city>Tora Bora</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Afghanistan</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Fall of 2001.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>As reported by PBS Frontline.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>After the fall of Khandahar, and according to several CIA sources including one of the senior officers in country in Afghanistan, Gary Bernsten, and Richard Clarke, National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counter-terrorism for the National Security Council, the CIA with a minimum force of US Special Forces and about 2,000 Afghan troops had managed to corner Osama Bin Laden and his senior cadre in the mountainous regions of Tora Bora along the Pak-Afghan border.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>According to Richard Clarke, the administration and Central Command knew from the beginning that Osama Bin Laden was in Tora Bora.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Mr. Clarke states even before 9/11, there was a lot of work done to determine where Bin Laden was likely to go.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Gary Bernsten whose team was tasked with hunting Bin Laden in Tora Bora presented his plan to Central Command’s senior officer on the ground, Gen. Dell Daley. This plan included putting US Ground Forces on the Pak-Afghan border as a blocking force to keep Bin Laden and his people from slipping across the border.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>At this time the US Army’s 10<sup>th</sup> Mountain Division had taken over the Karshi Khanabad Airfield in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Uzbekistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The 10<sup>th</sup> Mountain was part of the UN relief column that rescued the beleaguered Rangers in <st1:city><st1:place>Mogadishu</st1:place></st1:city>. The only forces available from the Pakistani side were tribal levies that were sympathetic to the Taliban, as most of the Pakistani Regular Army troops had been drawn away due to tensions with <st1:country-region><st1:place>India</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The back door was wide open.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Gen. Mike DeLong, Central Command’s Deputy Commander, insisted that there was no hard intel confirming Bin Laden’s presence in Tora Bora.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In the same Frontline story, Gen. DeLong stated that to the best of Central Command’s knowledge they did not know Bin Laden was there.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Gen. DeLong does admit that the CIA believed that Bin Laden was hiding in Tora Bora, “We had word from the agency [CIA] that he [Bin Laden] may have been wounded, but we never knew.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Mr. Bernsten’s Afghan contacts had indeed reported that Bin Laden had been wounded during a bombing mission.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Mr. Bernsten presented a plan to Central Command’s Liaison in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Mr. Bernsten’s plan included placing US troops as a blocking force to corner Al Qaeda in Tora Bora.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The Liaison Officer refused to look at it.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Mr. Bernsten was later told that the reason for that was that Central Command wanted plausible deniability if the plan fell apart.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Mr. Bernsten and his team were on their own.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In December of 2001, Mr. Bernsten is unceremoniously relieved and reassigned to <st1:place>Latin America</st1:place>.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>For Mr. Bernsten it was not a celebratory occasion and was at best bittersweet, he recounts for Frontline his reaction to his re-assignment, “I was surprised that I was pulled out at that point, but I understood how the politics works in all this.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>This was the CIA’s man who from the beginning was tasked with hunting down Bin Laden and had Bin Laden cornered in Tora Bora with a handful of Special Ops people and Afghan rebels, “I was not celebrating…it was bittersweet because I did not know if [Bin Laden] was dead.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>I didn’t know if I’d finished it…We were able to have an equation where <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region> forces and CIA officers working in tandem with Afghan insurgent forces could defeat a larger group.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>But at that final moment when we closed with Bin Laden we needed our own men to do that bit of fighting.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Mr. Clarke disagrees with General DeLong citing that the administration and Central Command are sensitive about letting Bin Laden slip out the back door.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Mr. Clarke is emphatic when he says that “Yes, we know he [Bin Laden] was absolutely there. He may have been wounded by fragments of an American bomb dropped up there. And, yes, he did escape…They did let him get away.” In his own book, <u>The Unvarnished Truth About The Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq</u>, Gen. DeLong notes his own conversation with the SecDef in which Gen. DeLong, citing difficult and hostile terrain, high altitudes and extreme weather conditions, advises the SecDef against the deployment of ground forces in Tora Bora.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Yet this was the very terrain that the 10<sup>th</sup> Mountain Division was designed to operate and fight in. General Tommy Franks, in interviews and in his own memoirs which were quoted by New Yorker Correspondent Steve Coll in the Frontline piece, states his rational for not deploying the 10<sup>th</sup> Mountain Division into a blocking position in Tora Bora was his fear of inflaming local Afghan opinion with a heavy American military presence “putting a big, heavy occupying American footprint” in the heartland of Taliban country. Gen. Franks feared he would make matters worse at that stage.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>But the question is worse than what?<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>What could possibly be worse than allowing Bin Laden to escape? Was not the capture and elimination of Al Qaeda and Bin Laden our priority and reason for going into <st1:country-region><st1:place>Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>?<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>CIA and intelligence source in the field and in <st1:city><st1:place>Langley</st1:place></st1:city> both concluded that Bin Laden and his cadre was in Tora Bora.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>According to Mr. Clarke, the administration ignored the critical advice of the experts on the ground in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region> and in CIA headquarters in <st1:place><st1:city>Langley</st1:city>, <st1:state>VA.</st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Resources that were already on the ground and embedded with Afghan resistance six weeks prior to the arrival of any of military personnel from Central Command.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Mr. Clarke, who was the counterterrorism expert for the National Security Council alleges that access to the decision making chamber was limited to the President, Vice President, the SecDef and General Franks.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>As a result, Al Qaeda remains a viable threat as does Bin Laden and even with the successful defeat of the Taliban and the installation of the Karzai regime, the US Military still remains fully engaged in Afghanistan.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>As of 2006, there is 16,000 US soldiers in Afghanistan, a far larger “footprint” than what Generals Frank and DeLong wanted or predicted and overshadows their hesitation over the deployment of a single division.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Fast forward three years on </span><st1:date month="5" day="1" year="2003"><span style="color:black;">1 May 2003</span></st1:date><span style="color:black;"> the SecDef announced in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Kabul</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="color:black;"> that major combat operations had ended.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>At the time </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">US</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> troop strengths in the country were 8,000.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The SecDef added that the </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">US</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> forces will shift their focus to stabilizing and rebuilding the country. On March 7 2004, Operation Mountain Storm was unleashed and involved a 13,500 strong US led coalition force backed by air support according to Lt. Colonel Bryan Hilferty during a March Press Briefing.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Although Lt. Col Hilferty maintains the mission of the operation was “rebuilding and reconstructing,” The operation comes after a surge of militant attacks on aid workers and foreigners, as well as coalition forces, and targeted the southern and eastern mountains where Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters were believed. According to Barbara Starr of CNN, at the time of the operation, </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">US</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> troop strengths were not going to exceed 11,000.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place><st1:city><span style="color:black;">Khost</span></st1:city><span style="color:black;">, </span><st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">Afghanistan</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="color:black;">. </span><st1:date month="4" day="22" year="2004"><span style="color:black;">22 April 2004</span></st1:date><span style="color:black;">. As initially reported by Lt. Col Matthew Beevers to MSNBC.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Around 1900 hours on a road approximately 25 miles from the US Base in Khost, elements of the 2<sup>nd</sup> Battalion, 75<sup>th</sup> Ranger Regiment were on a mounted patrol near a town of Sperah when they came under fire. The Rangers have a storied past as well, with 15 Unit citations for valor in combat from </span><st1:place><span style="color:black;">North Africa</span></st1:place><span style="color:black;"> to </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Panama</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">; 5 of which were Presidential Unit Citations.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The Rangers disembarked their vehicles and gave pursuit, returning fire as they went.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The firefight lasted 15 to 20 minutes and at the end there were two dead and two wounded; 9 insurgents were killed according to the Afghan Commander.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Among the dead were Specialist Pat Tillman, and an Afghan Soldier who was fighting along side Spec. Tillman.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Specialist Tillman had answered his country’s call and walked away from a lucrative NFL career and straight into harm’s way.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>For his actions he was awarded the Silver Star and a widow. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">At the time of Spec. Tillman’s death 110 Americans had died in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Afghanistan</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">, 39 due to combat. Since 2004, the insurgents have shifted their tactics and mimic similar tactics used in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In 2005, following after Spec. Tillman’s death another, 98 American soldiers would die.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Paul Rogers, writing for OpenDemocracy.net, reported that </span>there are increasing indications that the insurgents are borrowing tactics used in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>, including suicide-bombing. This is hardly surprising, given the reports that young paramilitaries from <st1:country-region><st1:place>Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region> are now traveling to <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>, gaining experience there to use back in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, this was supported by reports from Associated Press and the Boston Globe. <span style="color:black;"><span style="font-size:+0;"></span>According to Amir Shah of Associated Press and the Boston Globe, US Military Spokesman, Colonel James Yonts said that some of the new tactics include roadside bombs and suicide bombers which Col. Yonts assesses as “very hard to combat.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The shift according to the Colonel is “because it’s successful.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>They have shifted their tactics to something that is successful.” At the time of the Colonel’s comments, insurgents killed 8 medical workers in a clinic in Badghis, 230 miles northwest of </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Kabul</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="color:black;">.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The clinic was then burned to the ground. This area had been largely peaceful and the violence that killed a doctor and several nurses marks a significant turn in insurgent tactics.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="NormalWeb5"><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-size:+0;">Rogers</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size:+0;"> reports that the first two weeks of 2006 witnessed a relentless series of attacks that provide further evidence of these trends:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5.6pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 16pt">-->on 5 January, a bomb in Tirin Kowt, Oruzgan province killed ten people <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5.6pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->on 15 January, an attack on a <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/afghanistan/timeline.html" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">Canadian military convoy</span></a> in <st1:city><st1:place>Kandahar</st1:place></st1:city> killed a senior diplomat, Glyn <st1:state><st1:place>Berry</st1:place></st1:state>, and three bystanders <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5.6pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->on 16 January, another bomb in <st1:city><st1:place>Kandahar</st1:place></st1:city> targeting an army convoy killed an Afghan soldier and three civilians, and injured another sixteen people including six soldiers <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5.6pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 42pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt">-->also on <span style="color:black;">16 January, a suicide-bomber in Spin Boldak (near Kandahar, on the Pakistan border) killed twenty people and injured twenty more; local police officers may have been among the casualties (see Ruhullah Khapalwak & Carlotta Gall, "<a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/16/news/afghan.php" target="_blank"><span style="TEXT-DECORATION: none;color:black;" >24 killed in bomb blasts in southern Afghanistan</span></a>", <i>International Herald Tribune</i>, 17 January 2006)</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">As of May 2006, American and coalition warplanes are flying 25-60 combat missions a day in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Afghanistan</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">, as the combat shifts from a guerrilla war to a terrorist insurgency. Christian Parenti </span>of <a href="http://www.thenation.com/"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">www.thenation.com</span></a><span style="color:black;"> <span style="font-size:+0;"></span>reported that insurgents detonated 23 suicide bombs in the past six months and 200 schools have been burned or closed down. Currrent troop levels in 2006 is at 19,000 although US plans to reduce it to 16,000, but even at that level it is still higher than the threshold set in 2004 by the SecDef. As Gen. Newbold pointed out the mission in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> was peripheral to the mission in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Afghanistan</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> and the capture of Bin Laden – remember 9/11? Yet it is clear in regard to manpower and materiel allocation that </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> is no longer a peripheral mission for the SecDef or this administration.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>If anything, it has become the reverse, </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Afghanistan</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> is now just a sideshow to the war in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>When the SecDef or Conoleeza Rice, now reduced to a “Vanna White” talking head, speaks publicly about the war on terror, it is </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> in the center ring, not </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Afghanistan</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Remember Jessica and Lori? We lionized Army Private First Class Jessica Lynch and made a martyr of </span>Private First Class Lori Piestewa, for their harrowing ordeal as Prisoners of War, and in the wake of Abu Ghurab, we have already forgotten the brutality they endured. There was also Specialist Shoshanna Johansen who suffered bullet wounds to her legs and was another Prisoner of War. As of June of 2005, according to CNN, <span style="color:black;">thirty-nine female </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> troops have died in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> and three female Defense Department employees have been killed while working there. Six female troops have died serving in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Afghanistan</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">.</span> <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">In a report by CNN’s Jane Arraf, in June of 2005, a convoy returning to <st1:place><st1:placetype>Camp</st1:placetype> <st1:placename>Falluja</st1:placename></st1:place> was ambushed. A suicide car bomber was detonated as the convoy traveled by. The attack killed at least four Marines -- including three women, <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> military sources said. Of 13 Marines wounded in the attack, 11 were female, the sources said. A Marine and a sailor remain unaccounted for. Their genders were not disclosed. One of those Marines was a Lance Corporal Holly A. Charette, she was 21, from <st1:place><st1:city>Cranston</st1:city>, <st1:state>Rhode Island</st1:state></st1:place>. She was a mail clerk at Marine Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi. The convoy was traveling to <st1:place><st1:placetype>Camp</st1:placetype> <st1:placename>Falluja</st1:placename></st1:place> after working at entry control points in the city, according to a Marine Corps statement.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>This was the deadliest attack for women since World War II.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In that same summer, a female National Guard soldier recently was awarded the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest medal for valor, for her role in a firefight with insurgents. Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester of <st1:place><st1:city>Nashville</st1:city>, <st1:state>Tennessee</st1:state></st1:place>, is the first woman to receive the award since World War II. Sgt. Hester's unit, Kentucky National Guard's 617th Military Police Company, thwarted an insurgent ambush against a coalition convoy on March 20.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>When the convoy was attacked, Sgt. Hester’s unit of three armored Humvees was on patrol when a convoy was ambushed. The squad's three Humvees roared toward the firefight., placing themselves and their vehicles in the direct line of fire. Some of the trucks were already in flames. Sgt. Hester’s squad leader, <span style="color:black;">Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein </span>ordered his driver, Sgt. Dustin Morris, to get between the assailants and the convoy.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Immediately, the third Humvee was caught in a deadly crossfire.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In rapid succession three squad members were wounded, as the unit’s medic tried furiously to patch them up and return fire.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Staff Sgt. Nein’s armored Humvee took a direct hit from a rocket propelled grenade. Staff Sgt. Nein and Sgt Hester jumped out of their vehicle and charged the trench filled with insurgents. After a 45-minute firefight, 27 insurgents were dead, six wounded, and one captured. Three soldiers from the 617th were wounded. <o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="color:black;">Retired Colonel Douglas McGregor was interviewed for the Newsweek article and wrote the book, <u>Breaking the Phalanx</u>, which was influential in inspiring the military’s blitzkrieg assault on </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Baghdad</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="color:black;">.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In the interview with Barry and Thomas of Newsweek, Col. McGregor agreed with the generals, “Yes, Rumsfeld should go,” but added, “but a lot of generals should be fired too.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>They share the blame for the mess we’re in.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Gen. Batiste concurred, “I think we need senior military leaders who understand the principles of war and apply then ruthlessly, and when the time comes, they need to call it like it is.” Gen. Zini in a separate CNN interview blamed Rumsfeld for “throwing away 10 years worth of planning.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>According to Gen. Zinni, those plans “had taken into account what we would face in an occupation of </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">.” Gen. Zinni continued with his criticism, “We grow up in a culture where accountability, learning to accept responsibility, admitting mistakes and learning from them was critical to us…when we don’t see that happening it worries us.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Poor military judgment has been used through out this mission.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Gen. Swannack first spoke out in 2004, early on in the conflict, while he was still on active duty. At the time he was still commanding the 82<sup>nd</sup> Airborne in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">. The 82<sup>nd</sup> is another distinguished unit with a history stretching from 1919 and the First World War to the first Gulf War in 1991. In an article covered by Washington Post correspondent Thomas Ricks, </span>Gen. Swannack said he believes that at the tactical level at which fighting occurs, the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> military is still winning. But when asked whether he believes the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> is losing, he said, "I think strategically, we are." His sentiments at the time were echoed by Army Col. Paul Hughes, who in 2003 the first director of strategic planning for the U.S. occupation authority in Baghdad, Col. Hughes said he agreed with that view and noted that a pattern of winning battles while losing a war characterized the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> failure in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Vietnam</st1:place></st1:country-region>. "Unless we ensure that we have coherency in our policy, we will lose strategically," Col. Hughes stated in the interview.<span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="BACKGROUND: white 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">Where is this course taking us? For the dissenting generals it is a path they have spent their careers avoiding.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The US Military entrenched in an unpopular war that is increasingly appearing to be a civil war, to prop up a democracy in a country with heavy <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region> business interest invested, and a civilian leadership unwilling to fully commit to “winning the war.” <span style="font-size:+0;"></span>According to Ricks’ 2004 Washington Post article, some officers say the place to begin restructuring <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> policy is by ousting Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, whom they see as responsible for a series of strategic and tactical blunders over the past year. Several of those interviewed by Ricks said a profound anger is building within the Army at the SecDef and those around him.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Ricks further cited an undisclosed senior general at the Pentagon who said he believes the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> is already on the road to defeat. "It is doubtful we can go on much longer like this," he said. "The American people may not stand for it -- and they should not." <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region> involvement in World War II lasted four years; <st1:country-region><st1:place>Korea</st1:place></st1:country-region> was three years; and <st1:country-region><st1:place>Vietnam</st1:place></st1:country-region> was 10 years. </p><p>Asked who was to blame, this general pointed directly at the SecDef and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz. “I do not believe we had a clearly defined war strategy, end state and exit strategy before we commenced our invasion," he said. "Had someone like Colin Powell been the chairman [of the Joint Chiefs of Staff], he would not have agreed to send troops without a clear exit strategy. The current OSD [Office of the Secretary of Defense] refused to listen or adhere to military advice.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In an earlier piece by Ricks (Washington Post, 2002) for the Post, Ricks recounts what he called a “pronounced civilian-military divide.” When Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory S. Newbold was preparing to leave his position as director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, his boss, Gen. Richard B. Myers, nominated an Air Force officer to succeed him.</p><p>But when Gen. Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, told Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld that Lt. Gen. Ronald E. Keys would be the next director of operations, or "J-3," one of the most important jobs in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> military, he got a rude surprise. Not so fast, said Rumsfeld, who in a sharp departure from previous practice personally, interviews all nominees for three-star and four-star positions in the military. Give me someone else, the SecDef told Gen. Myers after twice interviewing Gen. Keys.</p><p style="BACKGROUND: white 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">Gen. Myers complied and came up with a selection more to SecDef’s liking, Air Force Lt. Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, ending a long-standing practice of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs naming his own top subordinates.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>This was later supported by Gen. Swannack in his interview with CNN.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>“If you understand what Secretary Rumsfeld has done in his time in the Pentagon, he personally is the one who selects the three star generals to go forward to the president for senate to confirm.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Ricks cited un-named senior military officers who views Gen. Keys' demise as an illustration of a pronounced civilian-military divide at the Pentagon under Rumsfeld's leadership. Numerous officers (Ricks fails to name them in his article) complain bitterly that their best advice is being disregarded by someone who has spent most of the last 25 years away from the military. The SecDef’s disputes with the top brass involve style, the conduct of military operations in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region> and elsewhere, and sharply different views about how and whether to "transform" today's armed forces. But what the fights boils down to is over civilian control of a defense establishment that the SecDef is said to believe had become too independent and risk-averse during eight years under President Bill Clinton.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span></p><p>Marine General Peter Pace, who has since replaced Gen. Meyers as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs also defended the SecDef in a CNN interview in April of 2006, saying that no one works harder than the SecDef.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>“People can question my judgment or his judgment, but they should never question the patriotism and the work ethic of Secretary Rumsfeld.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>But it isn’t the SecDef’s ‘patriotism’ or ‘work ethic’ that the other generals are calling into question.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>This merely is a deflection as Generals Batiste and Newbold, as well as the others, are not calling for the SecDef’s resignation because he doesn’t show up at work or because he doesn’t wave the flag enough times, it is for mismanaging the execution and prosecution of the war.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>CNN reported on <st1:date month="6" day="3" year="2006">3 June 2006</st1:date>, that even the President has had to admit that there were “missteps” and “setbacks” in the prosecution of the war as reported by CNN and Reuters.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In a joint interview with <st1:country-region><st1:place>England</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Prime Minister Tony Blair, the President admitted that more than three years after sending their troops to invade <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>, President Bush and Prime Minister Blair could not escape questions about their decision to go to war even as they acknowledge far-reaching mistakes. In a joint news conference on <st1:date month="6" day="1" year="2006">1 June 2006</st1:date> that had a somber tone, the President acknowledged the bloodshed has been difficult for the world to understand, while Prime Minister Blair called the violence "ghastly." But, the President maintained that, "Despite setbacks and missteps, I strongly believe we did and are doing the right thing."<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Prime Minister Blair said the effort to rid <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s army of members of Saddam Hussein's Baathists -- a process called "de-Baathification” – “could have been done better.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Remember General Shinseki’s warning, the Powell Doctrine, and the miscalculation of the strength of the insurgency, and on top of it all, the SecDef approved disbandment of high ranking civil and military officials in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>This isn’t the first time either.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Remember the WMD’s? The false report and misleading intell.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>From the minute American boots hit Iraqi soil, it has been a long bloody line of <st1:state><st1:place>Texas</st1:place></st1:state> size “missteps.” We had hard Intel that Iraq had WMD’s, they were in violation of UN Resolutions, then our Intel went soft, and the UN Security Council did not approve military actions, but the US went ahead anyway to enforce UN Resolutions that even the UN did not believe were violated.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In a 2003 interview with Nick Childs of BBC, the SecDef stated that US and British case against <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> was based on “Good Intelligence.” In another interview with Jim Garamone of the American Forces Press Service the SecDef stated, "We know they were a lot closer (to developing a nuclear weapon) than any of the experts had estimated." </p><p>"We know they've kept their nuclear scientists together and working on these efforts," the SecDef said. "One has to assume they've not been playing tiddlywinks, that they've been focusing on nuclear weapons." That was in May of 2003.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In an interview with ABC News correspondent, Ed O’Keefe, in April of 2006, General Meyers, former Chairman to the Joint Chiefs, defended the SecDef as well. <span lang="EN">According to O’Keffe, the General bristled at the suggestion that top military leaders were not given an opportunity to express their opinion prior to the invasion, asserting, "We gave [SecDef] our best military advice. … If we don't do that, we should be shot." <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang="EN">Adding that those in power were given ample opportunity to speak out, Gen. Myers challenged those still in uniform who have disagreements with potential policy to speak before the decision is final. Like Gen. Shinseki and Gen. Powell?<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Didn’t General Swannack also warn of the lack of forces to fight the growing insurgency? General Batiste also expressed his ‘disagreements,’ even turning down a promotion to do so.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Both Generals Swannack and Batiste were force commanders on the ground.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>These are the men who execute these missions and bury the results.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:9;"> </span>One of Gen. Zinni's responsibilities while commander-in-chief at Centcom was to develop a plan for the invasion of <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Like his predecessors, he subscribed to the belief that you only enter battle with overwhelming force. But the SecDef thought the job could be done with fewer troops and high-tech weapons.<span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:9;"><span style="font-size:+0;"> </span></span>Ambassador Edward S. Walker, Jr described Gen. Zinni at the Middle East Institute Annual Conference in 2002:</p><p>“He is no armchair warrior; he is a recipient of the Purple Heart and many other combat medals. He didn't get his experience in <st1:state><st1:place>Washington</st1:place></st1:state> politics or as a guru in a think tank; he was a Marine company commander in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Vietnam</st1:place></st1:country-region>. He was in command of the unified task force in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Somalia</st1:place></st1:country-region> and has some experience with nation building. He was the deputy commander and then commander of CENTCOM. He designed and implemented the footprint of <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> forces in the Gulf. As an ambassador in the Gulf, I know for a fact that he was the best ambassador of goodwill that we had to the region, and probably the best we will ever have to the region. This is a man who is both a soldier and a diplomat, and he knows of what he speaks.”</p><p>This was no CEO. As a company and platoon leader in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Vietnam</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the General learned the lessons of “too little; too late” and the same mistakes repeated in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Somalia</st1:place></st1:country-region> and Kosovo. Lessons that Dr. Kenneth Allard, <st1:place><st1:city>Colonel</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>US</st1:country-region></st1:place> Army (Ret.) elaborated in the PBS documentary, <u>Ambush in </u><st1:city><st1:place><u>Mogadishu</u></st1:place></st1:city><u>.</u> Under the auspices of the Pentagon, Dr. Allard reviewed <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region> military documents, including classified materials, and wrote <u>Somalia Operations: Lessons Learned</u>. Dr. Allard, asserts that “When one thinks back to the lessons, not merely of Somalia, but indeed of the 1990s, then one has to understand that we have rather badly misapplied the lessons of history by assuming that our technology will always save us from our strategic and tactical miscalculations. Technology will not do that for you.”<span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:9;"><br /><br /></span>How many troops did Gen. Zinni’s plan call for? The General told Mr. Kroft of 60 Minutes, “We were much in line with Gen. Shinseki's view,” says Gen. Zinni. “We were talking about, you know, 300,000, in that neighborhood,” a plan that was supported by Secretary of State Colin Powell. <span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang="EN">"If there are people … who have not spoken out," Gen. Myers told ABC News, "shame on them." Gen. Meyers suggested that the critics who once served in the military have failed to live up to the code that supports the commander in chief's decision once it is made. "You can present your arguments," Gen. Meyers said, "[But] when it's all said and done, in our system, the civilians make the decisions, the commander in chief makes the decision … and we live by those decisions."</span></p><p>On Memorial Day 2006, Victoria Morberg, wrote the following for the Reno Gazette Journal: “It’s the door bell ringing at <st1:time hour="5" minute="50">5:50</st1:time> and you open the door to your new nightmare. It’s the Army and they regret to inform you your beloved son has been killed in the line of duty.”</p><p>“It’s falling to your knees and you hear someone screaming.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Then you realize it’s you. It’s feeling something reach into your heart and ripping a piece out, leaving a gapping hole forever. It’s looking up and seeing your daughter and her brothers’ faces full of anguish.”</p><p>“And because you’re the Mom, you stand up, you push your sorrow, despair and fear into that gapping hole of your heart, and you go to your children and you comfort them. And you stay up all hours holding them, night after night, searching for words to give them hope.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Her son, Pvt. Joshua Morberg, was killed in December 2005, two days after Christmas.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span></p><p style="BACKGROUND: white 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">As reported by Ellen Knickmeyer of the Washington Post, on November of 2005, Aws Fahmi, a Haditha resident who watched and listened from his home as US Marines went from house to house killing members of three families, recalled hearing his neighbor across the street, Younis Salim Khafif, plead in English for his life and the lives of his family members. "I heard Younis speaking to the Americans, saying: 'I am a friend. I am good,' " Fahmi said. "But they killed him, and his wife and daughters."</p><p style="BACKGROUND: white 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">The 24 Iraqi civilians killed on <st1:date month="11" day="19" year="2005">19 Nov. 2005</st1:date> included children and the women who were trying to shield them, witnesses told the Washington Post special correspondent in Haditha and was confirmed by <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> investigators in <st1:state><st1:place>Washington</st1:place></st1:state>. The girls killed inside Khafif's house were ages 14, 10, 5, 3 and 1, according to death certificates that were verified by the Post and John Sifton of the Human Rights Watch. The Marines shot them at close range and hurled grenades into the kitchen and bathroom, survivors and neighbors said later. Khafif's pleas could be heard across the neighborhood. Four of the girls died screaming. The remains of the 24 lie today in a cemetery called Martyrs' Graveyard. Stray dogs scrounge in the deserted homes. "Democracy assassinated the family that was here," graffiti on one of the houses declared.</p><p>On the defensive, the SecDef has surrounded himself with what Ricks has called the SecDef’s “Palace Guards.” These loyalists have maintained a tight 360 around the SecDef in defense of their boss. A former top aide to General Tommy Franks, former commander of all <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region> forces in the <st1:place>Middle East</st1:place>, also stepped forward to defend the SecDef. “Dealing with Secretary Rumsfeld is like dealing with a CEO,” Retired General Mike DeLong told CNN in April of 2006. General Mike DeLong was Gen. Franks’ top aide. “When you walk in to him, you’ve got to be prepared, you’ve got to know what you’re talking about. If you don’t you are summarily dismissed.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>But that’s the way it is, and he’s effective.” <span style="font-size:+0;"></span>If that is the case then the SecDef faired much better than his counterparts in Enron:<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Kenneth Lay and former Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling who were both convicted by a jury on 25 May 2006 of running a conspiracy to portray a wobbly Enron as healthy when both men knew of accounting practices that were used to hide and misrepresent losses and failing ventures. Mr. Lay was convicted of six counts of fraud and conspiracy, as well as one count of bank fraud and three counts of lying to banks in a separate non-jury trial regarding his personal banking. Mr. Skilling was convicted of 19 counts of fraud, conspiracy, lying to auditors and insider trading, and acquitted of nine counts of insider trading. Mr. Lay faces a combined maximum penalty of 165 years in prison, while Mr. Skilling faces a maximum of 185 years.</p><p style="BACKGROUND: white 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial"><span style="color:black;">In May of 2006, during an interview with CNN’s Larry King, the SecDef admitted he was surprised by the strength of the insurgency and that there were no WMD’s<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>found.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The SecDef blamed “imperfect intelligence” for the administration’s miscalculation.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>When Lance Corporal Miller lay mortally wounded, his fellow Marines short on armor, vehicles and personnel, climbed into that dark and bloody killing box, under fire and with insurgents closing in on their position, not once, but again, and again, and again, until they retrieved their fellow Marine. To the bureaucrats and appartchiks in the beltway who stammer out words like ‘production constraints,’ and ‘set backs,’ doling out excuses and complaining of procurement troubles, miscalculations, and imperfect intelligence, it may simply appear like an imperfect system; but to the American soldiers hemorrhaging in the Iraqi desert, bleeding out from sucking chest wounds and ‘isolated torso injuries,’ Marines like Sgt. Wells, in places like Falluja or Ramadi, it is unforgiving. And for Lance Corporal Miller whose memories of momma, his first kiss and apple pie were sprayed all over his fellow Marines; Miller, who bled out in a dusty, dank, cordite filled minaret, and for the</span>76-year-old Abdul Hamid Hassan Ali who was gunned down in Haditha, who took nine rounds in the chest and abdomen, leaving his intestines spilling out of the exit wounds in his back, who watched in horror his entire family shot to pieces, <span style="color:black;">it is irrelevant. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color:black;">Robert McNamara once remarked to Errol Morris, “</span><span lang="EN">We all make mistakes. We know we make mistakes. I don't know any military commander, who is honest, who would say he has not made a mistake. There's a wonderful phrase: 'the fog of war.' What "the fog of war" means is: war is so complex it's beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend all the variables. Our judgment, our understanding, are not adequate. And we kill people unnecessarily.” T</span><span style="color:black;">he SecDef never studied General Johnson’s treatise at the War College, and he was not in Vietnam, Somalia or Kosovo.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>He was not a professional soldier.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>He was a CEO, as Gen. De Long aptly described him.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The SecDef has maintained that he listened to the advice of his Generals, even dissenting opinions.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The generals who are calling for the resignation of the SecDef are not saying this is an “unjust” war.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Nor are they accusing the SecDef of being “Un-patriotic.” General Shinseki warned that there would be a need for a much larger force to occupy </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> and he was “summarily dismissed.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Then Secretary of State Collin Powell also asked for a much large force. Th</span><span lang="EN">is was the SecDef’s biggest mistake – what the Economist called his <em>fons et origo </em>of all the others – and that was to try to fight the war with too few troops. His second-biggest was to make no proper provision for restoring order afterwards as was called for under the Powell Doctrine and Gen. Zini’s plan. The SecDef misrepresented the intelligence in the build-up to the war, and much of it was simply wrong according to the Economist. He failed to plan for the occupation or provide for a viable exit strategy. He ignored the growing insurgency. He disbanded the Iraqi army, feeding the insurgency with 300,000 armed and unemployed men.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Gen Zinni notes this in his 60 Minutes interview, </span>“I think there was dereliction in insufficient forces being put on the ground and fully understanding the military dimensions of the plan. I think there was dereliction in lack of planning,”<span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:9;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p>“Disbanding the army” according to Gen. Zinni was a mistake. “De-Baathifying, down to a level where we removed people that were competent and didn’t have blood on their hands that you needed in the aftermath of reconstruction – alienating certain elements of that society.” </p><p>What difference would 300,000 troops have made, instead of 180,000? For starters, traditional tactics dictate that you maintain a third of your force as a reserve that could be used and deployed to respond to “hot spots,” and reinforce or relive front line units.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Such a force was not part of the SecDef’s “Lean, Mean Fighting Machine.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>General Zinni states, “I think it's critical in the aftermath, if you're gonna go to resolve a conflict through the use of force, and then to rebuild the country.”<br /><br />The general continued, “The first requirement is to freeze the situation; is to gain control of the security. To patrol the streets. To prevent the looting. To prevent the 'revenge' killings that might occur. To prevent bands or gangs or militias that might not have your best interests at heart from growing or developing.” A lesson Marines learned in Beriut.<span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:9;"> </span>Remember Capt. Royer’s request for an additional 44 Marines?<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>His command had no reserves to send, and Capt. Royer had to resort to cardboard cut-outs to supplement his force; using makeshift mannequins to man checkpoints because of personnel shortages.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>His request for an additional platoon to reinforce his company’s position was denied by command as the SecDef’s plans for a ‘lean force’ meant that there would be no provisions for units or additional forces to be used as reserve forces contradicting long standing tactical and strategic planning. <span style="font-size:+0;"></span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang="EN">Thousands of Enron employees and investors lost their life savings, children's college funds, and <a title="Pension" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pension"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">pensions</span></a> when Enron collapsed. In its wake, the accounting firm of Arthur Andersen LLP was dissolved.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Four Wall Street executives and Merril Lynch employees were convicted of fraud, as well as 18 top executives in Enron, including its Chief Executive, Kenneth Lay, who is facing </span>a combined maximum penalty of 165 years in prison.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The point is even in the private sector; CEO’s are held responsible for their bad judgments, and are accountable for their decisions.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In the WorldCom scandal, an internal audit revealed the same fraudulent practices by <span lang="EN"><a title="Scott Sullivan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Sullivan"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">Scott Sullivan</span></a> (CFO), David Myers (<a title="Controller" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controller#Organisational_Control"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">Controller</span></a>) and Buford Yates (Director of General Accounting), the company’s audit committee and board of directors were notified of the fraud and acted swiftly: Sullivan was fired, Myers resigned, Arthur Andersen withdrew its audit opinion for 2001, and the <a title="U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Securities_and_Exchange_Commission"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission</span></a> (SEC) launched an investigation into these matters. These executives were held accountable for their decisions that inflicted harm to their institutions, violated their fiduciary responsibilities, and caused hardships on those who placed their trust in their decisions.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Should not the “Chief Executive Officer” of the Department of Defense be held to the same standard?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang="EN">The SecDef tossed out the military’s carefully laid plans for invasion (General Zinni's plan called for at least 380,000 troops, for example, far more than Mr Rumsfeld sent). He dismissed warnings from General Shinseki that it would take hundreds of thousands of troops to win the peace, and swept aside Gen. Powell’s crucial advice and the State Department’s expertise in nation building. He ignored pleas for more troops on the ground. The SecDef excluded CIA experts from the decision making process in Afghanistan some of which had over 15 years experience in Afghanistan. And he surrounded himself with similarly one-dimensional strategists such as General Franks and General Myers.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family:Verdana;"> </span><span style="color:black;">In Gen. Powell’s own words he stated the men in charge of making “military decisions” decided that troop levels were adequate. The SecDef saw himself as far more effective than those archaic members of the “go-slow bureaucracy.” A bureaucracy he accused of being inflexsive and reactionary, yet the SecDef </span><span lang="EN">ended up stumbling over the very same problem that he saw in his critics: a failure to adjust his thinking to new circumstances. He allowed “transformation” to distract attention from the war (in the Economist article, army officers accuse him of “trying to fix the car while the engine's running”), and he mistook criticism as a sign of bureaucratic resistance. The SecDef was criticized early on for failing to scramble fighter aircraft from Andrews Air Force Base during the 9/11 attacks even though he had already raised alert status to DefCon 3, the highest since 1973. He allowed Bin Laden to escape from Tora Bora by not deploying the 10<sup>th</sup> Mountain Division in Uzbekistan. Siezed by his on arrogance, and unable to examine his own flaws, the SecDef was unable or unwilling to adjust to a highly fluid battlefield.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span></span><span style="color:black;">He arrogantly brushed Secretary of State </span><span lang="EN">Colin Powell and the State Department aside, putting control of post-war reconstruction in military hands for the first time since the Second World War. But this was not your grandfather’s Marshall Plan, the SecDef had no clue as to what he was going to do with his new found power. Without the State Department's experience of post-war reconstruction, gathered in Bosnia and Afghanistan, the SecDef was out of his league and veered all over the place.Even Gen. Batiste, while in theater with the 1<sup>st</sup> Division, warned the SecDef in private that reconstruction funds were critically short and that, too, was brushed aside. </span><span style="color:black;">This country’s industrial might was never fully applied to the war effort and remains strangely absent.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color:black;">Insurgents adjusted far quicker to our forces’ armor improvements than we were able to adjust to theirs.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>They exploited weak points in personnel armor while the army took three years to study potential threats that procurement officials admitted “</span>really hasn’t developed yet.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>While we were back logged with up armoring Humvees, and better armored vehicles were delayed by “production constraints,” insurgents increased the power of the IED’s it employed against our troops.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span><span style="color:black;">The men and women on the ground suffered for the SecDef’s inadequacies and what the President now calls “missteps and setbacks.” <span style="font-size:+0;"></span><span style="font-size:+0;"></span>Sgt. Julia V. Atkins was killed when a roadside bomb detonated near her Humvee during patrol operations in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="color:black;">Baghdad</span></st1:city><span style="color:black;">, </span><st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="color:black;">, on </span><st1:date month="12" day="10" year="2005"><span style="color:black;">December 10, 2005</span></st1:date><span style="color:black;">.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Sgt. 1st Class Ramon A. Acevedoaponte was one of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="color:black;">Rustamiya</span></st1:city><span style="color:black;">, </span><st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="color:black;">, on </span><st1:date month="10" day="26" year="2005"><span style="color:black;">October 26, 2005</span></st1:date><span style="color:black;">.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Lance Cpl. Jeramy A. Ailes, who died as result of enemy action in Anbar province, </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">, on </span><st1:date month="11" day="15" year="2004"><span style="color:black;">November 15, 2004</span></st1:date><span style="color:black;">. Airman 1st Class Carl L. Anderson Jr. was killed during hostile action near </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="color:black;">Mosul</span></st1:city><span style="color:black;">, </span><st1:country-region><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="color:black;">, on </span><st1:date month="8" day="29" year="2004"><span style="color:black;">August 29, 2004</span></st1:date><span style="color:black;">. A misstep in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Iraq</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color:black;"> has far more dire consequences than the beltway.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>A mother in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="color:black;">Reno</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="color:black;"> grieves for a son sacrificed; and an orphaned girl in Haditha cries for her family cut down in anger.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color:black;">It is insidious that this administration, at the front of the house, sends American boys to fight on foreign shores and in Asian wars, and at the same time, in the back of the house, they are dismantling the very VA benefits that those same boys will have to rely on when they return home.</span><span style="font-size:+0;"> <span style="font-size:+0;"></span><span style="font-size:+0;"></span></span>In October 2004, Dave Lindorff writing for Veterans for Peace, reported that the Pentagon, at the request of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, announced plans to shutter 19 commissaries—military-run stores that offer discounted food and merchandise that helps low-paid enlisted troops and their families get by—along with the possibility of closing 19 more.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>With 130,000 soldiers still in the heat of battle in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> and more fighting and dying in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the administration in 2004 sought to cut $75 a month from the “imminent danger” pay added to soldiers’ paychecks when serving “in harm’s way.” The administration sought to cut by $150 a month the family separation allowance offered to those same soldiers and others who serve overseas away from their families. Although they were termed “wasteful and unnecessary” by the White House, Congress blocked those cuts that year. In 2004, the White House budget for Veterans Affairs cut $3 billion from VA hospitals—despite close to 10,000 casualties in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region><st1:place>Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, as well as aging <st1:country-region><st1:place>Vietnam</st1:place></st1:country-region> veterans who are requiring more and more care. VA spending today averages $2,800 less per patient than nine years ago. Of the last four presidencies, President Clinton was the only President who cut money from weapons programs rather than veterans benefits. Until protests led to a policy change, this administration also was charging injured GIs from Iraq $8 a day for food when they arrived for medical treatment at the Fort Stewart, Georgia, base where most injured are treated.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The White House is seeking to block a federal judge’s award of damages to a group of servicemen who sued the Iraqi government for torture during the 1991 Gulf War. The White House claims the money, to come from Iraqi assets confiscated by the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>, is needed for that country’s reconstruction. </p><p>These are not fabricated heroes who break athletic records amped up on steroids for two or three million dollar salaries or glorified rock and gang’sta rap stars who taut their ‘bling’ and wasteful opulence like a birth right. Tom Hanks was paid $216,335,085 for portraying a soldier in “Saving Private Ryan,” in 2003 President Bush played ‘John Wayne’ hamming it up on the USS Abraham Lincoln, and even the SecDef in recent appearances have been seen flanked by his Praetorians, a visual prop to counter the generals and critics who have called for his resignation. Yet Specialist Shoshana Johnson, a POW and a disabled veteran, has had to fight the Pentagon for benefits. PFC Lynch, in an interview with Diane Sawyer, criticized the media for failing to focus on her fellow soldier and POW Shoshana Johnson, who is African American. PFC Lynch has supported Spec. Johnson’s fight to receive comparable medical care and disability benefits. What these men and women do and have done is heroic.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>It is Hercules slaying the Hydra; it is Beowulf’s battle with Grendel. It is epic. It is Homer’s Odyssey; it is Gilgamesh’s triumph over Humbaba. <span style="font-size:+0;"></span><span style="font-size:+0;"></span>Marine Pvt. Mike Armendariz-Clark was quoted by the New York Times as saying, “We joined knowing the risk. Those innocent people in <st1:state><st1:place>New York</st1:place></st1:state> didn’t go to work thinking there was any kind of risk.” In this country if you do not believe in military service, you can simply walk away.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>But know that when you do, someone else steps into the breach in your place, and they say, “It’s OK. It’s alright. I have your back.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>I’ve got your six.” President Reagan once said that most people spend their entire lifetime wondering if they had made a difference in the world.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>These men and women do not have that problem. In the eyes of generals like Batiste and Newbold, to abandon them in their time of need is no different than leaving them behind wounded in the field of battle.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>It is something Lance Cpl. Miller’s fellow Marines never considered. It is a concept far removed from a society that considers the war just another ‘reality show’ to choose out of a digitalized Hi-Def 250 channel high speed cable ready plasma screen TV. </p><p>There has been much talk about the generals and how they violated their chain of command and their obligation to support the commander in chief and their civilian bosses.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>But those who command know that obligation does not only extend to those superiors above you, but also to the men and women who you will lead into battle and whom you will place in harm’s way.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Remember Capt. Royers who not only fought against a brutal insurgency along side his Marines, but also fought just as hard to protect and save those very Marines placed in his charge.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Voltaire once said that every man is guilty of all the good he has failed to do.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>That is the lesson Gen. Johnson took to his grave. A lesson General Batiste took to heart, and Secretary Rumsfeld is blind to.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>It is not what the SecDef has done or intended to do, but rather what he has failed to do, and who he has failed.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>To quote General Patton, “There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The SecDef’s decisions led to the Abu <span lang="EN">Ghraib</span> scandal.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>A<span lang="EN">ccording to the non-partisan Schlesinger commission, his decision to ignore and by-pass long-established planning procedures contributed directly to the disgrace of the prisoner-baiting at Abu Ghraib, because the chain of command was disrupted and commanders found themselves in charge of units that they were unfamiliar with.The SecDef's insistence on “lean warfare” made it impossible to seal the borders or stop the looting early on in the conflict; his reliance on high-tech weaponry rather than boots on the ground made it difficult to crush the insurgency.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>He wanted a blitzkrieg victory with a “lean force” with no plans for occupation, yet disbanded the Iraqi Army and Police apparatus, allowing the insurgency to take hold and left the minamal coalition forces to fill the void. <span style="font-size:+0;"></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"></span>In all the research I have done for this article, countless stories and interviews from the start of the war to today’s headlines, little if any is said about a commander’s obligations to his subordinates, something that is lost in Corporate America’s CEO culture as evidenced by the Enron and WorldCom debacles. In an interview with Greg Jaffe of the Wall Street Journal, General Batiste continued his public call for the SecDef’s resignation, stating he has a “moral obligation” to speak out both for his troops and for his nation.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In the words of General George S. Patton, Jr.: “Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men.” Gen. Zinni also spoke of the moral obligation to ‘speak out,’ as former Marine Commandant Gen. David Schoup did when he voiced reservations and concerns early in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Vietnam</st1:place></st1:country-region> conflict.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>During a 60 Minutes interview with Steve Kroft, Gen. Zinni said that as commanders “It is part of your duty” to speak out on behalf of the Marines and Soldiers under your command. “Look, there is one statement that bothers me more than anything else. And that's the idea that when the troops are in combat, everybody has to shut up. Imagine if we put troops in combat with a faulty rifle, and that rifle was malfunctioning, and troops were dying as a result,” says Gen. Zinni.<br /><br />Expanding on his metaphor, “I can't think anyone would allow that to happen, that would not speak up. Well, what's the difference between a faulty plan and strategy that's getting just as many troops killed? It’s leading down a path where we're not succeeding and accomplishing the missions we've set out to do.” </p><p><span lang="EN">But the current furor can't be so easily brushed aside by the SecDef; nor can the American public continue to ignore it. Eight retired generals have publicly called for the SecDef’s resignation. So has senior politicians such as Joe Biden and John McCain who have been calling for his head for months. A numder of books—most notably “Cobra II” by Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor (Pantheon)—have provided yet more ammunition for SecDef’s critics. The secretary of defence has become a liability for an already troubled administration: a distraction at home and a barrier to success in Iraq. This was not “one or two” disgruntled individuals who were in disagreement with the SecDef but as Gen. Zinni put it, “</span>there were a number of people, before we even engaged in this conflict, that felt strongly we were underestimating the problems and the scope of the problems we would have in there,” says Gen. Zinni. “Not just generals, but others -- diplomats, those in the international community that understood the situation. Friends of ours in the region that were cautioning us to be careful out there. I think he (SecDef) should have known that.” In his speech to the Middle East Institute (2002), Gen. Zinni stated that in order for any action in Iraq to succeed, and bring stability to a volatile region, the US has to consult with and involve the particular partners in the region and that those partnerships have to be maintained. “If rifts or divisions come out and are magnified by this, who comes and who doesn't come, and problems are created for those relationships, then we're going to have trouble. We have a potential failure,” the general said, “Even outside the region; we need partners--partners who were with us before in the Gulf War, partners who have an interest in this region, partners whose lifeline and well-being depends economically and otherwise on the stability for this region. We definitely have to approach this with global partners and international legitimacy, or whatever we do on the ground is going to be tainted from the beginning.” That was in 2002.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span></p><p><span lang="EN">In May 1993 Operation Somalia-2 (UNOSOM-2) began in an effort to create conditions to enable the Somalis to rebuild the country. Under the Clinton Administration, Secretary of Defense Les Aspin reduced US troops from 26,000 to 4,000 and depolyed 400 US Army Rangers and Special Forces as well. Confronting criticism at home, Mr. Aspin explained that U.S. troops would remain until order had been restored in <a title="Mogadishu" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogadishu"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none">Mogadishu</span></a>, Somalia's capital. In September of 1993, General Powell asked Mr. Aspin to approve the request of the U.S. commander in Somalia for tanks, armored vehicles and AC-130 Spectre gunships for his forces. Mr. Aspin turned down the request. Shortly thereafter Somali warlord Aideed's forces in Mogadishu killed 18 U.S. soldiers and wounded more than 75 in attacks that also resulted in the shooting down of three U.S. helicopters and the capture of one pilot. The bodies of American soldiers were broadcast on CNN being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. In the face of severe congressional criticism, Mr. Aspin admitted that in view of what had happened he had made a mistake, and later submitted his resignation. During the Hostage Crisis in Tehran, Iran, in April of 1979, a daring mission to rescue the hostages using an Ad Hoc military team was divised and excuted.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>It ended in a bloody fireball in the middle of the Great Salt Desert outside Tehran.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Mission Commander Col. Charles Beckwith was forced to leave behind the bodies of eight dead US Servicemen. Five from the Airforce and three Marines were left behind in the smoldering wreckage.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The next day, 25 April 1979, a somber President Carter addressed the nation and the world, that the clandestine mission to resue the hostages had failed; eight US Servicemen were dead, and several others critically injured.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>President Carter accepted full responsibilty for the mission and its failure.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>The admission effectively ended his political career and any hope of re-election, but it was the right thing to do.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span></span>Secretary Rumsfeld ignored or refused to recognize crucial and hard learned lessons from World War I to <st1:country-region><st1:place>Somalia</st1:place></st1:country-region>; from Clauswitz to Powell. In the General Zinni’s book, <u>Battle Ready</u>, he writes: “In the lead up to the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> war and its later conduct, I saw at a minimum, true dereliction, negligence and irresponsibility, at worse, lying, incompetence and corruption.” Gen. Shinseki had called for far more troops than the SecDef wanted; Generals Powell and Zinni, both had recommended a larger force allowing for the possibility of reconstruction and occupation. Plans formulated and based on the lessons of the first Gulf War.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Both were trusted and senior officials within the administration with decades of military experience, and both were summarily discarded by the SecDef. In the Larry King interview, the SecDef stated that he did not want a larger force because such a force would drive the Iraqis into a state of “dependency,” who would then depend on US and Coalition forces for security and stability, yet it was the SecDef who approved the Bremmer Plan to disband Iraq’a military and security apparatus, and thrust the coalition forces into the very role he did not want them to fill.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>For the SecDef’s failures to the men and women placed in his charge, it is a dereliction of duty and a dishonorable discharge of his office. The SecDef views these generals’ criticism as a betrayal, but it is the other way around. It is the SecDef who has failed those brave souls he has placed in harm’s way. It is worse than leaving your wounded behind on the battlefield.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><span lang="EN">~<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><i><span lang="EN">In researching this article, I would like to ackowledge and recognize the following individuals, organizations and agencies and the work they had done which contributed to and resulted in this article.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Those individuals and organizations are as follows: Michael Moss, Evan Thomas, John Barry, Dexter Filkins, Steve Kroft, Jane Arraf, Victoria Morberg, Brooks Barnes, Jack Kelly, Steve Coll, Lauri Sullivan, Amir Shah, Nick Childs, Paul Rogers, Dave Lindorff, and Christian Parenti.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>I wish to acknowledge the following organiztions, Truthout.org, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Veterans for Peace, PBS, CNN, ABC News, the Reno Gazette Journal, The Boston Globe, Information Week, The Jewish World Review, Opendemocracy.net, thenation.com, BBC, Reuters, and Associated Press.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>I’d like to thank Dr. Victoria Randlett of the University of Nevada Reno, for her support and guidance. Most of all, I wish to thank the men and women who stand on the wall, whose virtue and sacrifice is unquestioned, I could not name all of those who have fallen, or those who are still serving today, all I can do is say “Thank You.” For the generals who have stood up and spoken for the men and women under their command, thank you for your moral courage and even more so for teaching this generation what true leadership means; that a battlefield commander is not a CEO. You do not lead from the edge of a swivel chair; you lead on the forward edge of the battle area.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>As Col. Moore aptly put it “where the metal meets the meat.”<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>That sometimes in order to lead, you must place yourself at risk…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><i><span lang="EN">In the line of fire….<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><i><span lang="EN">In harm’s way. </span><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202083326631520081.post-43720652369073552462007-08-29T19:33:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:11:32.547-08:00Town Hall Meeting Reno NV 28 Aug 2007<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FHxUdeNoPJ7HQn9FnyVwYR-pTC-2G5qAuX38M15obLIY0uXX0WEKusz0uneQYR-DZUYtHGQi_IhJ4zkkTx2V07DRt2Ne-CvXxvWDek92lsywwFnTtizsTxXxSmyFclbpacbtIAf7W2c/s1600-h/Joaquin.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FHxUdeNoPJ7HQn9FnyVwYR-pTC-2G5qAuX38M15obLIY0uXX0WEKusz0uneQYR-DZUYtHGQi_IhJ4zkkTx2V07DRt2Ne-CvXxvWDek92lsywwFnTtizsTxXxSmyFclbpacbtIAf7W2c/s320/Joaquin.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104316558172182754" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">My name is Joaquin Rafael Roces. I have lived in Nevada since 1979. I grew up in Reno, and I was part of the third graduating class of McQueen High School in 1985. I have worked and lived in Fernley and Fallon. Among other things, I was a rodeo cowboy, a bull rider, Nevada is home to me. I want to preface what I am about to say with the comment, that I did not serve in a war like Al Gore, nor was I awarded the Purple Heart as was John Kerry.<span style=""> </span>I was never a prisoner of war, and I am certainly no son of a President.<span style=""> </span>I want to make it clear to everyone here, I am no hero. What I am is a Marine, I served as a rifleman with Kilo Company, 3<sup>rd</sup> Battalion, 2<sup>nd</sup> Marines, 2<sup>nd</sup> Mar Div, FMFlant.<span style=""> </span>In 1987, during training and security operations in the Republic of the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region>, during an armed coup against the then President Acquino, I was wounded in the line of duty and medically retired. <span style=""> </span>I am a registered Republican, a naturalized <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">US</st1:country-region></st1:place> Citizen, and a disabled veteran.<span style=""> </span>I served in two commissions under Governor Guinn and voted for Gov. Gibbons, and supported both through most of their political careers. I am no hero.<span style=""> </span>I am a single working father, a first generation immigrant, trying to provide a better life for my sons, who, God willing, I will have the fortune of seeing grow into honorable manhood. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So forgive me, if I should seem a little uncomfortable with these proceedings as I am not a very good public speaker, and this is certainly way out of my comfort zone. However, I learned in the Marine Corps that comfort is an illusion born of familiar things and familiar ways; a tissue thin lie; a false sense of security that in of itself breeds mediocrity and complacency. It narrows the mind; weakens the body; and robs the soul of its spirit and determination.<span style=""> </span>Comfort, the Marine Corps has taught me, is an illusion.<span style=""> </span>Robert Kennedy once said it is not just bravery under fire or the bravery to make sacrifices, but the bravery to discard the comfort of illusion, to do away with false hopes and alluring promises.<span style=""> </span>Reality is grim and painful, but it is only a remote echo of the anguish that a policy and agenda founded on illusion is sure to take us.<span style=""> </span>The Bush doctrine, developed under the National Security Strategy (issued in 2002), advocates for the pre-emptive use of military power for self-defense and national security, if it is intended to assert a right available to the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> alone, is a policy founded on illusion.<span style=""> </span>If it is intended to assert a new legal principle of general application, its implications, according to Richard Gardner, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, are so ominous as to justify universal condemnation.<span style=""> </span>For such a doctrine would legitimize preemptive attack by Arab Countries against <st1:country-region st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>, by <st1:country-region st="on">China</st1:country-region> against <st1:country-region st="on">Taiwan</st1:country-region>, by <st1:country-region st="on">India</st1:country-region> against <st1:country-region st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region>, and by <st1:country-region st="on">North Korea</st1:country-region> against <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">South Korea</st1:country-region></st1:place>, just to cite some obvious examples from Mr. Gardner.<span style=""> </span>It would even serve to legitimize ex post facto use of such power as <st1:country-region st="on">Japan</st1:country-region>’s attack on <st1:place st="on">Pearl Harbor</st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>Already, its application has rippled out from its epicenter at the Oval Office: <st1:country-region st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>’s strike against Hizzbolah in <st1:country-region st="on">Lebanon</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ethiopia</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Pre-emptive strike on Somali rebel forces- both occurred in 2006.<span style=""> </span><st1:country-region st="on">Ethiopia</st1:country-region>'s prime minister, Meles Zenawi, said <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ethiopia</st1:place></st1:country-region> entered hostilities because it faced a potential threat to its own borders. “Ethiopian defense forces were forced to enter into war to protect the sovereignty of the nation,” he said. “We are not trying to set up a government for <st1:country-region st="on">Somalia</st1:country-region>, nor do we have an intention to meddle in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Somalia</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s internal affairs. We have only been forced by the circumstances.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Henry Kissinger, who is certainly not known for his dedication to International law, put the matter succinctly in a column for the Washington Post:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“As the most powerful nations in the world, the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place> has a special unilateral capacity to implement its own convictions.<span style=""> </span>But it also has a special obligation to justify its actions by principles that transcend the assertions of a preponderant power. It can not be in either the American national interest or the world’s interest to develop principles that grant every nation an unfettered right to pre-emption against its own definition of threats to its security.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Those principles are embodied within the framework of our Constitution. (Korematsu v. <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>- 1994), Justice Robert Jackson warned that a military order, however unconstitutional, is not apt to last longer than the military emergency.<span style=""> </span>Justice Jackson adds, but once a judicial opinion rationalizes such an order to show that it conforms to the constitution, or rather rationalizes the Constitution to show that the Constitution sanctions such an order, the court for all time has validated that principle.<span style=""> </span>Thus that principle then lies about like a loaded weapon ready for the hand of any authority that can bring forward a plausible claim of an urgent need.<span style=""> </span>Voltaire put it simply, “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”<span style=""> </span>From the illusion of weapons of mass destruction and imminent harm from Saddam Hussien and Iraq, we have the dismantling of our civil rights under the Patriot Act, the national shame at Abu Ghirad and Guantanomo, the death of 3700 Americans, approximately 40 from this state alone, and an endless conflict that has already outstretched both World War I and II as well as the Korean War from 1951-1953.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Beyond the human cost, the financial and economic repercussions of “staying the course” at $9 billion per month, on top of an initial outlay of up to $13 billion for the deployment of troops to the Persian Gulf region will not be felt for years to come.<span style=""> </span>According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), they estimated the cost of "prosecuting" a war against <st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region> at up to $9 billion per month, on top of an initial outlay of up to $13 billion for the deployment of troops to the <st1:place st="on">Persian Gulf</st1:place> region.</p> <p><b><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" >Summary of <st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region> War Cost Estimates<br /></span></b><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" >CBO estimated the following costs for an <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> war:</span></p> <ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" >Initial deployment of troops: $9 billion to $13 billion<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" >Conducting the war: $6 billion to $9 billion per month<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" >Returning forces to US: $5 billion to $7 billion<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" >Temporary occupation of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>: $1 billion to $4 billion per month<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal">In comparison, from 1941 until 1945, during the Second World War, President Roosevelt paid for war effort by selling Bonds to the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> public. The <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> had 7 bond drives to raise funds to support the war effort.<span style=""> </span>By the 7<sup>th</sup> Bond drive, shortly after the battle for Iwo Jima, the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> government was literally broke. The 7th Bond Tour raised $24 Billion (1945 Dollars) for the US Treasury, more than any other bond tour. To put this into perspective, the total US Budget in 1946 was $56 Billion. This would be the largest borrowing from the American public in history. Today the President can just spend our money on war without consulting us, the taxpayers.<span style=""> </span>As of today according to the National Priorities Project the cost of the war in <st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region> is $455,937, 345,134 and <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">Nevada</st1:state></st1:place>’s share of that is $4,084,357,618. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The debate about <st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region> in <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state> also centers around an illusion of a false choice: Do we continue with President Bush's failing course and hand the problem off to the next President? Or do we just turn our backs and hope for the best?<span style=""> </span>Like <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Somalia</st1:place></st1:country-region>? Like Rawanda? Like <st1:place st="on">Darfur</st1:place>?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In 1975, the <st1:country-region st="on">US</st1:country-region> signed a Peace treaty in <st1:city st="on">Paris</st1:city> and made a commitment to its South Vietnamese allies that the <st1:country-region st="on">US</st1:country-region> would intervene if the North invaded <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">South Vietnam</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>When President Nixon was impeached, the North saw their opportunity and invaded <st1:country-region st="on">South Vietnam</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> ignored its treaty obligations and thousands were slaughtered and buried in mass graves, while thousands more fled the country in make-shift boats.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>There is a third way.</strong> Leslie Gelb, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, has proposed a five-point plan to keep <st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region> together, protect <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s interests and bring our troops home. I recognize that while leaving <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> is necessary, it is not a plan in of itself. The vague campaign promise “That if elected president, I will end the war in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>” is nothing more than a bright and shining lie. President Eisenhower sent 14,000 Marines and Soldiers to Lebanon in 1958, President Reagan sent 1800 Marines in 1982-1984, and in 2006, our band-aid –on-a-sucking-chest-wound approach to the Middle East ruptured again. We need a plan for what we leave behind, so that <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s interests and security are protected, and future generations need not put their lives at risk for what we left undone.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In 1975, civil war and sectarian violence erupted in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region> and after 7 years of bloodshed, US Marines along with French Legionnaires and Italian and British soldiers entered the conflict as part of a peacekeeping effort.<span style=""> </span>Phillip Habib, Special Envoy to the <st1:place st="on">Middle East</st1:place> was shuttled along the warring parties on Marine Corps and Navy transports – this would give birth to the term “Shuttle Diplomacy.”<span style=""> </span>The Marines and their counterparts were used to buffer the warring parties until a diplomatic solution could be reached.<span style=""> </span>The tragic events of October 2003, led to the deaths of 241 Marines and soldiers, and by the spring of 1984, <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> was withdrawing its forces from the conflict.<span style=""> </span>War and sectarian violence would continue. <span style=""> </span><st1:country-region st="on">Israel</st1:country-region> would not withdraw its troops until 2000 and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Syria</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s military would not follow until 2005. <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region> still bears deep scars from the civil war. In all, it is estimated that more than 120,000 people were killed, and another 100,000 handicapped by injuries. Approximately 900,000 people, representing one-fifth of the pre-war population, were displaced from their homes. Perhaps a quarter of a million emigrated permanently. Lebanese victims of kidnapping and wartime "disappearances" number in the tens of thousands - over 17,000 civilians, are still missing.<span style=""> </span>Unresolved ethnic tensions that were left behind and ignored in 1983, resurfaced last summer with a new Israeli offensive and renewed ethnic fighting that continues today.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sectarian violence among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds is now the major impediment to stability and progress in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Like <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>, no number of troops can solve that problem. The only way to hold <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> together and create the conditions for our armed forces to responsibly withdraw is to give Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds a way to share power peacefully. That requires a sustainable political settlement, which is the primary objective of the plan.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="deck"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The plan would maintain a unified <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region></st1:place> by decentralizing it and giving Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis local control over their daily lives - as provided for in the Iraqi constitution. The central government would be responsible for common interests, like border security and the distribution of oil revenues. We would secure support from the Sunnis - who have no oil -- by guaranteeing them a proportionate share (about 20 percent) of oil revenues and reintegrating them into society. We would increase economic aid, ask the oil-rich Arab Gulf states to fund it and tie all assistance to the protection of minority rights and the creation of a jobs program. We would initiate a major diplomatic offensive to enlist the support of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s neighbors and create an Oversight Group of the U.N. and the major powers to enforce their commitments. And we would ask our military to draw up plans to responsibly withdraw most <st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> forces from <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region></st1:place> by the summer of 2008 - enough time for the political settlement to take hold - while leaving a small force behind to take on terrorists and train Iraqis. Keep in mind the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> began withdrawing its 1800 troops in the spring of 1984 and it took almost a year to fully withdraw disengage all personnel.<span style=""> </span>During the Gulf War in 1991, U.S. troop strength in the Middle East were reduced by 45 percent to 300,000, down from the peak of 540,000 between the war's end on Feb. 28 and Apr. 14. About 5,000 troops were leaving every day after that.<span style=""> </span>At that rate, evacuating the remaining 300,000 would have taken another 60 days.<span style=""> </span>But sectarian fighting in the north and south complicated the withdrawal and disengagement as residual forces remained to oversee no-fly and no-drive zones. We have over <span class="deck">105,000 troops with supporting infrastructure in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> today.<span style=""> </span>We continue to have a military presence in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bosnia</st1:place></st1:country-region> a decade after the end of hostilities.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="deck"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">There is no purely military solution to the sectarian civil war. The only way to break the vicious cycle of violence – and to create the conditions for our armed forces to responsibly withdraw -- is to give Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds incentives to pursue their interests peacefully. That requires an equitable and viable power sharing arrangement. That’s where this plan comes in. This plan is not partition – in fact, it may be the only way to prevent violent partition and preserve a unified <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>. This plan is consistent with <st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region>'s constitution, which provides for <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s 18 provinces to join together in regions, with their own security forces, and control over most day-to-day issues. This plan is the only idea on the table for dealing with the militia, which are likely to retreat to their respective regions. This plan is consistent with a strong central government, with clearly defined responsibilities. Indeed, it provides an agenda for that government, whose mere existence will not end sectarian violence.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">The example of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bosnia</st1:place></st1:country-region> is illustrative. Ten years ago, <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bosnia</st1:place></st1:country-region> was being torn apart by ethnic cleansing. The <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> stepped in decisively with the Dayton Accords to keep the country whole by, paradoxically, dividing it into ethnic federations. We even allowed Muslims, Croats and Serbs to retain separate security forces. With the help of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> troops and others, Bosnians have lived a decade in peace. Now, they are strengthening their central government, and disbanding their separate security forces.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">President Bush does not have a strategy for victory in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>. His strategy is to prevent defeat and to hand the problem off to his successor. As a result, more and more Americans understandably want a rapid withdrawal, even at the risk of trading a dictator for chaos and a civil war that could become a regional war. Both are bad alternatives.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">At the start of my speech, I used a quote from Robert Kennedy who said it is not just bravery under fire or the bravery to make sacrifices, but the bravery to discard the comfort of illusion, to do away with false hopes and alluring promises. I believe this is a great nation and a great people. Any who seek to comfort rather than speak plainly, reassure rather than instruct, promise satisfaction rather than reveal frustration; they deny that greatness and drain that strength. <span class="body">In closing, I think it an appropriate reminder that our freedom is not assured by the brilliance of our weapons, the greatness of our army, or the rhetoric of our noble leaders; it assured by the Constitution and the core principles embodied within.<span style=""> </span>As a Marine Rifleman that is what I was sworn to defend above all else, against all enemies foreign and domestic.<span style=""> </span>It is not about the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. The test of this new presidency is not about who is to blame for the past; but who will accept responsibility for our future.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span class="body">Today, democrats, republicans and independents have come together to urge Dean Heller to change his position on the Iraq War. I was disheartened to learn that the White House and not General Petraeus, will give the the "Progress" report on Iraq next month. After more than four years of war, I no longer trust this administration and its false illusions and bright and shining lies. But most disheartening is Dean Heller's refusal to attend this town hall meeting and explain to us face to face why he continues to block an end to the war.<br /></span></p>Joaquin Rafael Roceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08941113934114564791noreply@blogger.com0