Department+of+State



Secretary of state: Hilary Clinton Deputy Secretary: James B. Steinberg

Advance freedom for the benefit of the American people and the international community by helping to build and sustain a more democratic, sucure, prosperious world **
 * __Mission Statement:__

**__Budget:__** Administration of foreign affairs international organizations international commissions related appropriations

__**Bureaus:**__ Coordinator for counter terrorism Office of Civil Rights Economic, Energy and Business Affairs

Summaries: Patrick:Landmines Proposal to ban anti-personal landmines draws House support. By Ben R. Rosario Manila Bulletin Publishing May 2, 2009 The House has introduced a new bill to ban landmines. The bill is called House bill 1054. This bill has gained support because there has been 40 landmine explosion casualties. They plan to do more study of the bill before it goes any farther. Landmines: Scars that don't seem to heal. By Lillian Alves Mount Holyoke News April 23, 2009 According to the Red Cross there is 110 million active landmines in 70 different countries. There is a landmine victim every 20 mins. The process of demining is really slow and expensive. There is a treaty for anti use of mines that 156 countries have signed except for the major countries like the US, Russia, China, Israel and India. Unfortunately most victims are women and children. U.S. Dept of State delivers 5 million in New Mine Action Aid for Afghanistan. Office of Spokesman (Dept of State) April 30, 2009 This money is being used to create 34 more action mine teams. In Afghanistan to help demine it for use to farm and build on. It is also being used as a way to create more than 650 more jobs. Recommendation: President Obama you should stop caring about landmines in other countries and worry more about the mess you have to clean up here in this country. Landmines do kill a lot of people but we need to worry about ourselves and use some of that money to get us out of this economic downturn. Landmines are not a top priority with the way we need to save our country from this bomb of economic frustration.

Zack: Counterterrorism "U.S. Praises Morocco's 'Comprehensive Counterterrorism Approach' and 'International Cooperation' to Combat Rising al-Queda Threat in Sahara" May 1 2009, PRNewswire-USNewswire This article talks about how the United States is praising Morocco's counterterrorism approach. This article also talks about how much money Morocco is spending on their counterterrorism department. In the article it says that Morocco is spending $1.2 billion on National Human Development Initiative. It also said that Morocco needs to work closely with neighborring countries to help their problem with terrorism.

"US: Obama's 100-Day Record on Counterterrorism Reform" April 24 2009 Human Rights Watch This article talks about the good and bad things President Obama did in his first 100 days in office with the counterterrorism policies. This article says how Obama is off to a grweat start with the closing of Guantanamo Bay, a military prison where foreign prisoners are usually held. He is also off to a great start with the closing of secret CIA prisons. How ever, the article criticizes Obama and his administration for their failure to reject the substance of the Bush-era "war on terror". The Human Rights Watch also criticized Obama and his administration for a March 13 court filing, which justified the pick up of anyone in the world with a suspician on working with terrorist groups the Taliban and al-Queada and hold them indiffenetly at a military prison.

"Exclusive: Did Federal Agents Torture Iranians in Iraq in 2003?" May 6 2009 by: Dave Gaubatz This article is an exclusive with a former fedaral agent about what the agents did over in the Middle East during the War on Terror. In the article Dave Gaubatz tells a story about how him and his partner at the time who he named "Adele" would gather intelligence from enemy insurgances by using any means nessecary. In the article Dave told one story imparticular of how him and "Adele" pulled over a stolen car full of armed and dangerous enemy insurgances and unarmed them and collected valuable information by pointing their M16s at the insurgances's heads.

Recommendation: President Obama, I feel that you are doing a good job by getting rid of Guantanamo Bay and the secret CIA prisons. How ever I feel that you are spending to much time and money worring about how are federal agents obtain information from enemy insurgances. I feel that if they are over there on their own then they should be free to do their job how they feel is necessary.