The Foreign Service Journal, September 2003

Times by Barak himself, indicate that what the Palestinians were offered was approximately 85 to 90 percent of the West Bank, only limited sover- eignty over water and airspace rights, no control over its borders, and only a kind of super-autonomy that would have left 80 percent of Israel’s settler population firmly in place. Further- more, the highly regarded Mitchell Commission Report found no evi- dence whatsoever that the intifada was a coordinated, pre-planned response to the breakdown in peace talks. There will never be a true Israeli- Palestinian peace so long as influen- tial people like Amb. Kampelman persist in perpetuating myths that fuel anger and misunderstanding between both sides. David Seminara FSO Chicago, Ill. Consular Culture While some would advise me to let sleeping dogs lie, I offer this response to Louise Crane’s reply to my May let- ter. Louise Crane is indeed an ardent advocate for AFSA and its work on behalf of the Foreign Service, but she clearly misread my intent. I am most concerned about the “Foreign Service culture,” which rele- gates consular work to the realm of nonsubstantive endeavor. As long as performing statutory functions is con- sidered to be for those less talented or less ambitious, there is little hope that consular work will attract either the people or the resources needed to do the work the right way, and to meet our critical responsibilities for our national security. Let me be blunt. Junior officers should not be dragooned into manda- tory visa line chores as a “rite of passage.” Foreign Service National employees should have nothing to do with the visa process. Administrative officers and deputy chiefs of mission should not control the resources avail- able to consular managers. Consular systems should not be under the direct control of anyone but the con- sular manager. Consular personnel must be fluent in the language(s) of the applicants they are interviewing. Internal controls for processing appli- cations for visas must be up to the standards of the U.S. Mint. Work in defense of our national security must not be considered to be “down” in the consular section. Thomas R. Hutson FSO, retired Thurman, Iowa Now, for the rest of the story ... In the May Journal , I defended AFSA against retired FSO Thomas Hutson’s claims that AFSA didn’t really “care” about consular affairs. I replied that AFSA is exactly the strong, independent union consular employees need. One of Hutson’s many uninformed statements was that AFSA did not defend consular employees against unfounded charges. Privacy laws pre- vent me from providing specifics, but AFSA is delighted to report that one senior consular employee was com- pletely exonerated of all charges with the help of capable AFSA lawyers. So much for Hutson’s doubting that AFSA had taken a “robust” stand on any individual case. I think he owes AFSA an apology. Louise Crane AFSA State VP Get Checked Out After having a recent battle with prostate cancer, I wanted to write to urge men over 50 to keep current with their physicals, particularly pay- ing attention to and understanding the prostate results. As much as I can’t stand the tests involved, I do get annual physicals. My prostate specif- ic antigen blood test results were still within the normal range (0-4 mgs per milliliter), although on the high side (elevations in the PSA suggest cancer, but often are caused by an enlarged prostate or infection). On the advice of a State Department physician, I consulted a urologist, underwent a biopsy, and discovered I had cancer. Luckily, it appeared to be contained within the prostate. After much research and soul-searching, I decided to have my prostate removed via a relatively new procedure called laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and have been pleased with the results. I was able to return to work in less than three weeks after surgery with few side effects. Mostly, I hope to impart the fol- lowing: get those yearly exams, ask your doctor questions, keep tabs on your PSA numbers, and most impor- tantly, be informed. Please contact me at m marroquin@usaid.gov if yo u would like information about the LRP procedure. Manuel Marroquin Contracting Officer USAID Washington, D.C. An Apology On Feb. 6, following two months of close cooperation with Diplomatic Security and the Justice Department, I entered a guilty plea in the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C. to the charge of one count of visa fraud. I was separated for cause from the Foreign Service, effective Feb. 21. I want to apologize to AFSA and to all my former colleagues. I am extremely remorseful for my actions in Prague. I am sorry from the bot- tom of my heart for my criminal con- duct and for letting down my friends 8 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 L E T T E R S