Comments on: Remembering RPCV & Ambassador Chris Stevens (Morocco 1983-85) http://peacecorpsworldwide.org/babbles/2012/10/08/remembering-2/ John Coyne Babbles is a collection of comments, opinions, musings, and outrages from this RPCV who served with the first group (1962-64) in Ethiopia. Fri, 24 May 2013 00:12:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Leo Cecchini http://peacecorpsworldwide.org/babbles/2012/10/08/remembering-2/comment-page-1/#comment-2488 Leo Cecchini Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:51:09 +0000 http://peacecorpsworldwide.org/babbles/?p=5997#comment-2488 We all remember President Obama declaring that Benny Laden´s elimination was a death blow to Al Queda. Hello, it is still alive and very active. We also have seen Obama try hard to convince Muslims in several countries, including the USA, that we are their friends and we are, witness our help to topple Quadafi, free Kuwait from Irag invasion, protect Muslims from Serbian genocide and make Muslim countries the largest by far recipients of our development assistance. In return we get Sept 11, the murder of our Ambassador in Libya, closing our embassies in Sudan and Tunisia, the current threat of an attack on our embassy in Cairo, Afghan troops killing their American colleagues, and more. Yes, there are many good Muslims who do not wish or cause us ill, but they are overshadowed by their violent correligious. We all remember President Obama declaring that Benny Laden´s elimination was a death blow to Al Queda. Hello, it is still alive and very active. We also have seen Obama try hard to convince Muslims in several countries, including the USA, that we are their friends and we are, witness our help to topple Quadafi, free Kuwait from Irag invasion, protect Muslims from Serbian genocide and make Muslim countries the largest by far recipients of our development assistance. In return we get Sept 11, the murder of our Ambassador in Libya, closing our embassies in Sudan and Tunisia, the current threat of an attack on our embassy in Cairo, Afghan troops killing their American colleagues, and more. Yes, there are many good Muslims who do not wish or cause us ill, but they are overshadowed by their violent correligious.

]]> By: Tino Calabia http://peacecorpsworldwide.org/babbles/2012/10/08/remembering-2/comment-page-1/#comment-2487 Tino Calabia Wed, 10 Oct 2012 23:10:40 +0000 http://peacecorpsworldwide.org/babbles/?p=5997#comment-2487 10/10 Update on Stevens’ death: “A month before the presidential election, with Mitt Romney surging in the polls, Republicans increasingly see the Libya attack as a political vulnerability for President Obama. Republicans accuse Obama and top administration officials of overlooking warning signs before the attack and trying to deflect questions about terrorism afterward.” From Oct. 10th Washington Post, print edition, p. 1 story. Thanks, John, for posting Melanie Kondrat’s story on her recent visit to Ouaouizerth, the town Chris Stevens served as a PCV. Your own current series on community development in the mid-’60s in South America reminded me of how tough it was for the PCVs sent to “do community development” in the Andean countries. In light of Chris’ winning ways with the people of Ouaouizerth and how he conducted his subsequent career, I’m guessing he would have found a path to success in South America whether he had been sent to teach or to work in CD. In any case, from Melanie’s account, Chris was clearly loved by the Moroccans he came to know then, and – from last month’s media reports about the locals who publicly decried his 9/11 death in Benghazi – Chris earned the respect of many Libyans he had come to work with as our new Ambassador. And yet, the political gamesmanship over who’s to blame for his death grows fiercer. With the Presidential and Congressional elections still almost four weeks away, how much worse will the partisan attacks get by Election Day? 10/10 Update on Stevens’ death: “A month before the presidential election, with Mitt Romney surging in the polls, Republicans increasingly see the Libya attack as a political vulnerability for President Obama. Republicans accuse Obama and top administration officials of overlooking warning signs before the attack and trying to deflect questions about terrorism afterward.” From Oct. 10th Washington Post, print edition, p. 1 story.

Thanks, John, for posting Melanie Kondrat’s story on her recent visit to Ouaouizerth, the town Chris Stevens served as a PCV. Your own current series on community development in the mid-’60s in South America reminded me of how tough it was for the PCVs sent to “do community development” in the Andean countries. In light of Chris’ winning ways with the people of Ouaouizerth and how he conducted his subsequent career, I’m guessing he would have found a path to success in South America whether he had been sent to teach or to work in CD.

In any case, from Melanie’s account, Chris was clearly loved by the Moroccans he came to know then, and – from last month’s media reports about the locals who publicly decried his 9/11 death in Benghazi – Chris earned the respect of many Libyans he had come to work with as our new Ambassador.

And yet, the political gamesmanship over who’s to blame for his death grows fiercer. With the Presidential and Congressional elections still almost four weeks away, how much worse will the partisan attacks get by Election Day?

]]> By: Leo Cecchini http://peacecorpsworldwide.org/babbles/2012/10/08/remembering-2/comment-page-1/#comment-2475 Leo Cecchini Tue, 09 Oct 2012 08:54:13 +0000 http://peacecorpsworldwide.org/babbles/?p=5997#comment-2475 The nagging result of the horrible murder of a distinguished American diplomat and RPCV is that all the work he and our governmetn have done to improve our image and standing with certain groups of people seems to have come to a resounding crash. We supported directly the Libyan toppling of Quadafi, we supported indirectly the removal of Mubarek, three of the four largest recipients of US aid over the last two decades have been Muslim countries, we freed Kuwait from Iraq aggression, we saved thousands of Muslims from Serbian assault and more. And in return they killl our Ambasador who was their proven friend. I see no progress in impoving realtions between Americans and the Muslim world. Why? I am an RPCV and former American diplomat. The nagging result of the horrible murder of a distinguished American diplomat and RPCV is that all the work he and our governmetn have done to improve our image and standing with certain groups of people seems to have come to a resounding crash. We supported directly the Libyan toppling of Quadafi, we supported indirectly the removal of Mubarek, three of the four largest recipients of US aid over the last two decades have been Muslim countries, we freed Kuwait from Iraq aggression, we saved thousands of Muslims from Serbian assault and more. And in return they killl our Ambasador who was their proven friend. I see no progress in impoving realtions between Americans and the Muslim world. Why?

I am an RPCV and former American diplomat.

]]> By: Joey http://peacecorpsworldwide.org/babbles/2012/10/08/remembering-2/comment-page-1/#comment-2471 Joey Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:02:40 +0000 http://peacecorpsworldwide.org/babbles/?p=5997#comment-2471 Thank you. This is beautiful. Thank you. This is beautiful.

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