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A Digital Publication of The Anonymous Anything Society - June 6, 2018


THE 2018 EXODUS AT OUR DEPARTMENT OF STATE

    I came across a statistic published in the Washington Post this past weekend that left me wondering what the ramifications are of this stunning fact: In the past 18 months, sixty percent of the U.S. State Department's highest-ranking diplomats have left the foreign service of The United States—many of them expressing deep dismay at what they consider the blunders of the Trump Administration.

    Some were fired by the President due to his his perception of insufficient loyalty to him.

    Not having ever been close to a "diplomat," what little I know of the demands of their service is superficial. We do know that many of the top posts, such as ambassador to the UK, or Paris, Rome and the Vatican, etc, have, throughout the years and many political cycles of dominance by one or the other of the two major parties, gone to financial supporters, irrespective of their expertise, or backgrounds, other than a long allegiance to a political party or president. There have been times when major Hollywood stars, such as Shirley Temple, after becoming an adult, was assigned a post as ambassador. The former child star was a Delegate to the United Nations in 1969, Ambassador to Ghana in 1974 and Ambassador to Czechoslovakia in 1989. As I write this, memories of her singing "The Good Ship Lollipop" and tap dancing with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, keep replaying in my head.

    Altogether, some 5,000 civilian employees of The Department of State serving in 250 posts worldwide, are tasked with protecting and assisting U. S. citizens living or traveling abroad, assisting U.S. businesses in the international marketplace and coordinating support for other U.S. Agencies operating outside the United States. I compiled the foregoing by visiting the homepage of the Department of State.

    I also read what John Feeley, former Ambassador to Panama had to say to The Washington Post in March: "I can no longer serve this President," he was quoted as saying in an op-ed piece, "Donald Trump has warped and betrayed the traditional core values of the United States. America is undoubtedly less welcome in the world today."

    This editorialist is encouraged by the attitudes and actions of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. May he be able to stem the exodus from our State Department before it completely crumbles. 

   

-Phil Richardson, Observer of the Human Condition and Storyteller. "He goes doddering on into his old age, making a public nuisance of himself."—Joseph Menchen


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