WEEKLY AGRICULTURAL REPORT

USDA BLOG: In Conversation with #WomeninAg: Valerie Earley
BLOG POSTING ON 8/ 24/ 17

Every month, USDA shares the story of a woman in agriculture who is leading the industry and helping other women succeed along the way. This month, we hear from Valerie Earley, 2016-2017 National FFA Central Region Vice President. In April 2017, Valerie was invited by President Donald Trump and USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to participate in a “Farmers Roundtable” at the White House to address issues facing the American agriculture community, as the president signed an Executive Order establishing an Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity.

Earley is from Wykoff, MN where she was a part of the Spring Valley-Wykoff Chapter of the National FFA Organization. She is currently majoring in Agricultural Communication and Marketing at the University of Minnesota and she hopes to one day share the story of agriculture through media.

How has FFA impacted your life?

FFA has given me opportunities to grow into who I am today. When I was a freshman, I was shy and unsure of what I wanted to do with my future, but through FFA, I have gained confidence, direction and character. FFA has also given me many connections to agriculturalists, members and leaders in Minnesota and across the nation.

What has your experience as a National FFA Officer been like?

This year has been an incredible experience. From meeting fellow FFA members across the country— from Puerto Rico to Georgia to Montana— to visiting sponsors in Texas and Michigan, to participating in the farmer roundtable discussion with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and 14 farmers from across the nation, this year has been an incredible blessing. I have been inspired by fellow members and the impact they are having in their communities and in the world. At the FFA Alumni Breakfast in D.C., I had the chance to speak about a young Iowa FFA member, Hannah, who uses her knowledge of chickens to travel to Ethiopia to help a community start chicken production. Members like Hannah have inspired me this year.

What’s been your favorite accomplishment during your year of service with FFA?

My favorite achievement as a National Officer was visiting New Hampshire for FFA Week because I got to meet almost all of their members and travel across the state conducting workshops and giving speeches. I have absolutely loved traveling to conventions and conferences in over 30 states, but New Hampshire was one of my favorite destinations because of the diversity of agriculture, size of programs and type of programs in agricultural education. I made maple syrup candies, bowled, and ate popular local New Hampshire foods with the chapters. I was inspired by the work that high school students in New Hampshire are doing to contribute to strengthening agriculture.

What are your future career goals?

After completing this year’s National Convention, I plan to begin working in agricultural communications. Through my career, I hope to tell the story of agriculturalists and help consumers understand where their food comes from.

Why do you believe that Rural America is so important to agricultural production in our country?

Rural America is where the people behind the hard work and dedication to raising and producing the food we eat and products we use live and make their impact. Rural America is the foundation of our industry.

What excites you most when you think about what life in rural places will be like in 20 years?

With increasing internet access, technology and efficiency, Rural America is an exciting place to be. While people historically believed it was necessary to move to a more highly populated area to work with technology or to make an impact, today we have an opportunity to shape the future of agriculture and make Rural America to be a place of prosperity and opportunity.

Who are your role models or what inspires you?

My biggest role models are my family members and Leah Addington, a former Minnesota FFA State Staff member. My parents work with dedication and integrity every day on my family’s farm and have always set an example for my future. Leah Addington is a role model who inspires me to grow in my faith and set goals for my future. These people have helped encourage me along my journey and I would not be who I am today without their support and guidance.

What is your advice for your fellow women in agriculture?

Be engaged, be passionate and be dedicated. As women, we have the opportunity to be an instrumental part about shaping the future of agriculture. When we are engaged, passionate and dedicated to doing our part, we will strengthen American agriculture.

To learn more and connect with other women leaders in agriculture across the country, we encourage you to visit https://newfarmers.usda.gov/women-in-ag. If there is a leading woman in agriculture you’d like to see featured on this blog, please send your suggestions to AgWomenLead@osec.usda.gov.


UN NEWS CENTER: Climate change threatens agricultural trade in Pacific Rim economies, UN agency warns
LINK SOURCE

25 August 2017 – With global warming expected to significantly impact future yields in countries located closer to the equator, the United Nations agriculture agency is calling on Asia-Pacific economies to take a leading role in adaptation and mitigation.

“Many APEC [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation] economies have already felt the full force of agricultural losses from natural disasters in recent years, with the vast majority of these being climate related,” said Kundhavi Kadiresan, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific.

Geographically, the negative impact of climate change on agricultural output could result in lower yields of rice, wheat, corn and soybeans in countries with tropical climates, compared with the impacts experienced by those in higher latitudes. Fisheries could also be affected by changes to water temperature, warned the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today.

“The annual tally runs into the billions and billions of dollars in losses. So, the time to act is now. Policy makers need to prepare for changes in supply, shifting trade patterns and a need for greater investment in agriculture, fisheries, land and water management, that will benefit smallholder farmers and others that produce our food,” Mr. Kadiresan added.

Many vital agricultural regions in Asia are at risk of crossing key climate thresholds that would cause plant and animal productivity to decline, according to a meeting in Viet Nam of Agriculture Ministers of APEC member economies.

Based on the findings of the global research community, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) anticipates that these trends are expected to worsen in the future with the projected impacts of anthropogenic climate change.

Much can be done to increase the efficiency of agriculture and land-use activities in Asia, according to Mr. Kadiresan.

UN NEWS CENTER: Time for action to support and protect small-scale fisheries – UN agriculture agency
LINK SOURCE

24 August 2017 – Small-scale fisheries, which catch two-thirds of the fish consumed by humans, often struggle with regulatory frameworks tailored to large commercial fleets, according to a new UN agriculture agency book urging policy coherence.

“[It's] time for policymakers to take concrete action – ranging from legislation, technical capacity development and especially engagement with the fishing communities themselves – to make sure the guidelines are implemented,” said Nicole Franz, Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) lead officer on sustainable small-scale fishery issues.

Ms. Franz maintains that policy coherence – pursued through inter-ministerial collaboration on trade, environment, tourism as well as social and economic development issues – must be the keystone for protecting the rights and livelihoods of the often poor and marginalized people engaged in the world's small-scale fisheries.

The Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines : Global Implementation offers more than 30 case studies ranging from Greenland to Zanzibar, and addressing diverse issues including gender and sustainable resource use.

While many small-scale fisheries use canoes carved from logs or stationary beach seine nets, such as the “rampani” that dot India's eastern coast, their practices are far from being relics of a bygone age. Indeed, they are usually well adapted to the ecological and social circumstances within which they operate.

The Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines serves as an initial progress report on implementing the 2015-published Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines ). Endorsed in 2014, it aims to bolster the livelihoods of the more than 100 million people working in the sector and increase their contribution to global food security and nutrition.

“It's going to be a long and windy path, but there are many entry points, so yes, we can do it,” stressed Ms. Franz.


UN NEWS CENTER: Emigration and food insecurity in Central American 'dry corridor' focus of new UN-backed study
SOURCE LINK

23 August 2017 – A new inter-agency study released today found a correlation between prolonged droughts in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – exacerbated by El Niño phenomenon from 2014 to 2016 – and the increase in irregular migration from these countries to the United States, the United Nations food relief agency reported.

“The study provides an important insight into why people flee and the impact on the family members staying behind,” said World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Miguel Barreto.

“It is perhaps this second aspect which makes this study stand out from much of the analysis conducted on migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to date,” he added.

Food Security and Emigration shows the need to invest in long-term programmes to discourage people in the Dry Corridor from emigrating, and to reduce the risks for emigrants and the impact on the families left behind.

The study indicates that a trend of younger and more vulnerable people are leaving food-insecure areas – especially in the Dry Corridor, a drought-prone area that crosses these countries.

Family members left behind face the burden of paying the debts of those who have migrated. If the emigration is unsuccessful, the family faces the problem of growing debt and of how to meet their food needs, the report said.

The document also pointed out that 47 per cent of the families interviewed were food- insecure, noting that these levels have never been previously recorded in the region even in assessments carried out over the past three years in the Dry Corridor.




NEWS FROM OLYMPIA

INLEE'S OPEN LETTER TO SEN. PAUL RYAN
Posted on the Governor's webpage 8. 23. 17

Dear Speaker Ryan,

Welcome to Washington state, home to 7 million people and the best economy in the nation. As you flew in, I’m sure you noticed the unparalleled natural beauty that greets our visitors, from vast fields of abundant agriculture and the majestic Cascade mountain range to the shimmering waters of our Puget Sound and the busy waterways of our world-class ports.

While Washington is often thought of as a “blue state,” the reality is that our state is made up of people from all walks of life and myriad political orientations. Our legislature is divided, and with that comes robust, passionate — and sometimes strained — debate. Compromise is a necessity and progress is often incremental.
But our state is a place where leaders are often able to set aside ideology for the sake of the greater good. Here, bipartisanship has yielded tremendous results: passage of our state Dream Act, Medicaid expansion, a historic transportation investment package, clean energy innovation, unprecedented investments in education from early learning through college, and a best in the nation paid family leave program.
I’ve worked in politics a long time, Mr. Speaker, and I know it isn’t always pleasant or easy. There’s a certain level of cynicism that is par for the course. Yet what we’re witnessing in D.C. right now is beyond the norm. The Administration’s nativist rhetoric and political kowtowing to radicals is fueling an alarming level of divisiveness that extends far beyond the marble walls of Congress, into the dining rooms of our homes.
Elected leaders in Washington, D.C. have left the American people frustrated and anxious at best, and violently angry at worst.
Something has to change. You have the power to help bring about that change.
For more of the story see the Governor's blog page


Op-ed: American dreams of young people will be cruelly ripped away
From the Governor's webpage posting dated 8/ 24/ 17

Washington is home to 17,000 “Dreamers” — young people brought to America during their youth who have lived the bulk of their lives in the United States, despite arriving undocumented.

In 2012, President Obama introduced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. The program ensured that these young people who are studying, working, and living their lives as productive members of society are protected from deportation.

Today, nearly 750,000 young people have obtained DACA status. But a group of 10 Republican state attorneys general are challenging DACA. They’ve told President Trump that if he doesn’t repeal the program by Sept. 5, they’ll take this to court.

In his op-ed published today at CNN.com, Gov. Inslee says now is the time for Congress and the Trump administration to stand up for these inspiring Dreamers:

The American dream has always been about chasing opportunity and pursuing a brighter future for ourselves and our children.
Unfortunately, if certain national leaders have their way and repeal the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the American dreams of hundreds of thousands of young people will be cruelly ripped away. These are dreams that are as lofty and aspirational as the dreams of those who helped build our country more than 240 years ago.
We must ask ourselves: Are we a confident, forward-looking nation that builds monuments — like DACA — to hope and determination? Or are we a nation that is turned inward, lauding monuments to intolerance and division?

AG FERGUSON STATEMENT ON NATIONAL MONUMENT REPORT
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 24/ 17

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson released the following statement in response to today’s report from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on his review of national monuments:

“In May, I sent a letter to the Trump Administration promising legal action if President Trump attempted to harm Washington’s national monuments. While I’m glad to see Washington’s national monuments appear to be safe from this attack, I’m troubled that Secretary Zinke and President Trump appear ready to overstep their authority in an unprecedented way.

“The Trump administration believes President Trump has the legal authority to unilaterally alter the borders of a national monument. They are wrong.

“If this Administration proceeds to unlawfully strip monuments of their protections, I intend to help our neighbors in defending their national monuments, and protect the right of Washingtonians to visit these important pieces of our national heritage.”

 Protecting the environment has been one of Ferguson’s top priorities. In 2016, he created the Counsel for Environmental Protection, a new legal unit led by Assistant Attorney General Bill Sherman, to protect our environment and the safety and health of all Washingtonians.



WSDOT: Plan ahead now for Labor Day travel
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 23/ 17

Travelers on I-90 should plan for significant congestion Friday and Monday

OLYMPIA – Heading out for one last summer holiday weekend? Planning ahead could be the key to smooth sailing whether on land or sea.

Travelers can use the Washington State Department of Transportation’s traffic volume charts this holiday weekend to “know before they go” and help time their travel on key routes. In particular, this year, holiday congestion is expected on Interstate 90 near Snoqualmie Pass – especially westbound traffic.

I-90/Snoqualmie Pass

Bridge deck repairs in the westbound lanes of I-90 between the summit of Snoqualmie Pass (milepost 52) and North Bend (milepost 34) will not be complete by Labor Day as initially hoped. This means only two of three lanes will be open for drivers heading westbound. The lane closures are needed because portions of the bridge decks have been removed and traffic can’t be shifted back on those decks until new concrete is placed and cured. Drivers will also encounter lane closures and traffic shifts through the Cle Elum area (milepost 86) due to work to replace old pavement with new concrete lanes.


LOCAL MEETINGS AGENDA HIGHLIGHT ITEMS



CLALLAM COUNTY COMMISSION MEETINGS

CLALLAM WORK SESSION AGENDA HIGHLIGHT ITEMS
1) Agreement with Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe to conduct Olympia Oyster Surveys as part of the Marine Resources Committee Restoration project

2) Briefing and call for hearing on proposed ordinance amendments to Title 33, Zoning, Chapter 33.52, Recreational Marijuana

3) Letter of support for the Marine Discovery Center Partners’ First Federal Community Foundation grant proposal

See full agenda



CLALLAM COUNTY REGULAR SESSION

1) Resolution adopting the following Supplemental Appropriations:
Health and Human Services – Administration – Olympic Medical Center has partnered with Clallam County Health and Human Services to pay for the 2017 Community Health Assessment.  They have provided funding to assist in paying for the epidemiology services received from Kitsap County/$10,500
Health and Human Services – General Funds – Environmental Health – Department of Health consolidated contract #15 adds supplemental funding for EH Onsite Implementation Grant and Shellfish programs.  These funds are for July-December, 2017/$31,750
Sheriff – Operations – Receipt of State funding from FY2017-2018 Registered Sex Offender Address and Residency Verification Program that will be spent in FY2017/$16,045

2) Resolution adopting the following Budget Reduction:
Department of Community Development – Environmental Quality – Reduce Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife contract #17-08466 (County #332.17.007) agreement for Advancing Western Strait Fish Passage Barrier Removal project use in the 2017 budget and add it to the 2018 budget/($60,000)

3) Consideration of resolution adopting the following Debatable Emergencies:
Treasurer’s O&M – The cost of foreclosure title reports is significantly higher this year than last year/$20,000
Human Resources – Unemployment Compensation – Increase compensation budget expenditure due to restructuring and employee separations/$40,000
See full agenda



PORT OF PORT ANGELES COMMISSION MEETING

AGENDA HIGHLIGHT ITEMS
Contract Acceptance - Glacier Environmental Services, Inc.
The bid documents to complete the Marine Terminal Stormwater Conveyance Improvements were completed under a Professional Service Agreement with Kennedy / Jenks and advertised for bids in the Peninsula Daily News and the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce on two separate dates: June 17 and June 24, 2016.
The project was awarded to low bid Contractor Glacier Environmental Services, Inc. for $1,441,808.65. There has been one increase to the contract by Change Order for $77,327.95 for a final contract amount of $1,519,136.60.
See full agenda for more details


IN OTHER LOCAL AND REGIONAL MEETINGS....

CITY OF FORKS AGENDA HIGHLIGHT ITEM: MAYOR WILL GIVE A VERBAL REPORT

JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSION AGENDA HIGHLIGHT ITEMS
Payment of Jefferson County Vouchers/Warrants Dated August 18, 2017 Totaling $783856.06 (Records of all claims submitted for payment along with vouchers approved and signed by the Board of Jefferson County Commissioners are retained by the Jefferson County Auditor and Public Works Department.)
SEE FULL AGENDA

WORLD AND NATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS

UN NEWS CENTER:
Afghanistan: UN mission condemns deadly attack on Shi'a mosque in Kabul
26 August 2017 – The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has condemned the attack during Friday prayer at Imam Zaman mosque in Kabul that killed at least 20 civilians – including seven women and one child – and injured more than 30 others.

Syria: UNICEF cites conflict's 'staggering' impact on children; calls for urgent protection
25 August 2017 – Six and a half years of war in Syria has inflicted untold suffering on the country's children, a senior United Nations official said today, urging parties to the conflict to stop the violence and live up to their legal obligations to children.

NATIONAL

PJ MEDIA: Bill de Blasio and Baltimore Vandals Follow KKK Example in Targeting Christopher Columbus Monuments
This week, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and vandals in Baltimore, Md., targeted statues of Christopher Columbus. By doing so, they joined horrible company, however. Among historic foes of Columbus statues is the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), the National Christopher Columbus Association (NCCA) noted.

CNSNEWS: President Trump Grants Full Pardon to ‘American Patriot, Sheriff Joe Arapio’
(CNSNews.com) - With cable news shows focused on the arrival of Hurricane Harvey Friday night, the White House announced that President Trump had pardoned former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a Trump supporter who became a target of the Obama Justice Department shortly after Barack Obama took office.



Daily Bible Verse: For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
Romans 12:4-5 NKJV


 Free bible studies (WBS)
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Learn english using the bible as text (WEI)
http://www.worldenglishinstitute.org/

(Join us in worship every Sunday starting at 10:30AM Church of Christ)
http://www.pacofc.org/index.php

OUR PARKS AND FOREST

US DEPT. OF INTERIOR: Secretary Zinke Sends Monument Report to the White House
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8. 24. 17

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke sent a draft report to the president which included his findings and recommendations on national monuments that were under review as a result of the April 26, 2017 executive order. The report summary can be read here. The extensive 120-day review included more than 60 meetings with hundreds of advocates and opponents of monument designations, tours of monuments conducted over air, foot, car, and horseback (including a virtual tour of a marine monument), and a thorough review of more than 2.4 million public comments submitted to the Department on regulations.gov. Additionally, countless more meetings and conversations between senior Interior officials and local, state, Tribal, and non-government stakeholders including multiple Tribal listening sessions.

The review was initiated by President Trump in order to restore trust in the multiple-use mission of the Department and to give rural communities a voice in federal land management decisions. In order to make the process transparent and give local residents and stakeholders a voice, the Secretary announced on May 5, 2017 the opening up of a formal comment period for the review, as the President directed. This was the first time ever that a formal comment period was open on regulations.gov for national monuments designated under the Antiquities Act.

“No President should use the authority under the Antiquities Act to restrict public access, prevent hunting and fishing, burden private land, or eliminate traditional land uses, unless such action is needed to protect the object,” said Secretary Zinke.“The recommendations I sent to the president on national monuments will maintain federal ownership of all federal land and protect the land under federal environmental regulations, and also provide a much needed change for the local communities who border and rely on these lands for hunting and fishing, economic development, traditional uses, and recreation.”

While traveling across the country, Secretary Zinke met with hundreds of local stakeholders and heard concerns about some national monuments negatively impacting things like local revenue from federal lands, agriculture, private property rights, public access to land, traditional Tribal uses of the land, and timber harvesting.


ON THE STATE LEVEL
WDFW encourages anglers to fish for escaped Atlantic salmon
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 22/ 17

OLYMPIA – State salmon managers are encouraging anglers to fish for thousands of Atlantic salmon that escaped recently from a salmon farm near the San Juan Islands.
Cooke Aquaculture notified the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) of a net pen failure on Aug. 19 that caused the release of Atlantic salmon from the Cypress Island location. About 305,000 salmon were in the net pen at the time, though the company initially estimated that only 4,000-5,000 fish have escaped. Cypress Island lies along Rosario Strait between Guemes and Blakely islands
"Our first concern, of course, is to protect native fish species," said Ron Warren, head of WDFW's Fish Program. "So we'd like to see as many of these escaped fish caught as possible."
Warren said there is no evidence that these fish pose a threat to native fish populations, either through disease or crossbreeding with Pacific salmon. To date, there is no record of Atlantic salmon successfully reproducing with Pacific salmon in Washington's waters, he said.
"It will be some time before we know how many fish escaped the net pens," Warren said. "That's why we've authorized Cooke Aquaculture to fish with beach seine nets and we're encouraging anglers to go out and harvest these fish."
The escaped fish are estimated to be eight to 10 pounds in size and are safe to eat.
There is no size or catch limit on Atlantic salmon. However, anglers may only fish for Atlantic salmon in marine waters that are already open to fishing for Pacific salmon or freshwater areas open for trout fishing. Anglers also must stop fishing for Atlantic salmon once they've caught their daily limit of Pacific salmon.
To help anglers identify Atlantic salmon, WDFW has posted a salmon identification guide on its webpage at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon/atlantic.html

Anglers must have a current fishing license and must also observe gear regulations identified in the 2017-18 sport fishing rules pamphlet. Anglers do not have to report Atlantic salmon on their catch record cards.

OUR ENVIRONMENT

EPA: EPA AWARDS WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY JUST OVER $3 MILLION TO PROTECT WATER QUALITY
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 24/ 17

Seattle, WA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $3,080,000 to the Washington Department of Ecology to help protect human health and the environment through a Nonpoint Source Program Clean Water Act (Section 319) grant. This grant is given to states to implement environmental programs that address nonpoint source pollution in surface and groundwater in order to meet and maintain water quality standards.
"Providing funds directly to Washington is an excellent example of EPA partnering with states to help address their unique and critical environmental challenges," said EPA Administrator Pruitt. "EPA is making investments like this grant to help empower states who know best how to protect resources, and grow their economy while solving real environmental problems in local communities."
Under this year’s program, a total of nine proposals were selected for funding. These proposals are planned to be funded when the Washington state Legislature passes a new two-year capital budget for the 2017-19 biennium, as these funds provide the critical match for the federal grants.
Nonpoint sources of pollution continue to be recognized as the nation's largest remaining cause of surface water quality impairments. Nonpoint source pollutants - pathogens, sediment, and nutrients cause the majority of damage to Washington’s lakes, rivers and streams. Non-point issues can also lead to warm water temperatures. Left unaddressed, warm waters can make crucial streams uninhabitable by cold-loving aquatic species like salmon and other native fish.
Non-point pollution grant funding can be just the “shot in the arm” that local projects need. For example:
Stevens County: ($132,900 grant)
Projects aided by this funding will restore hundreds of acres of wetlands and repair riparian vegetation along a wetlands easement negotiated by USDA and NRCS on a 950-acre property in the Lower Spokane River watershed.
King County: ($170,025 grant)
Local restoration efforts in King County’s Stillwater Natural Area will get a boost from grant funds  as volunteers work to address high water temperatures in local streams that are proving lethal for salmon and other native fish. The project will replace invasive weeds with native plants within a riparian buffer over 12 acres and nearly a third of a mile of Snoqualmie River streambank.
 Skagit County: ($249,795 grant)
The Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group will use EPA grant funds to plant 25 acres of riparian buffer along the Skagit River. They will also construct nearly a mile of livestock exclusion fencing at five sites along 303(d) listed streams, and along Skagit River side channels that are harmed by livestock grazing and lack of shade.
Nonpoint source pollution encompasses a wide range of sources that are not always subject to federal or state regulation. These sources include agricultural runoff, unpermitted urban runoff, abandoned mine drainage, failing onsite disposal systems, and pollution caused by changes to natural stream channels.
Congress enacted Section 319 of the Clean Water Act in 1987, establishing a national program to control nonpoint sources of water pollution. Through Section 319, the EPA provides states, territories, and tribes with guidance and grant funding to implement their nonpoint source programs and to support local watershed projects to improve water quality. Collectively, this work has restored over 6,000 miles of streams and over 164,000 acres of lakes since 2006. Hundreds of additional projects are currently underway across the country.


EPA awards $45,000 grant to Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians to improve air quality in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 23/ 17

CHICAGO (Aug. 23, 2017) – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a $45,620 grant to the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians that will fund the tribe’s work to reduce pollution and improve air quality in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
“At EPA, we are protecting the environment by engaging with our tribal partners,” said Administrator Scott Pruitt. “This grant represents what EPA is all about, empowering tribal nations to protect their environment to ensure clean water, air and land for America’s tribes.”
In collaboration with the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe will use the grant to train its staff to conduct air quality assessments and to interpret air monitoring data from industries in the eastern U.P. In addition, the tribe will:
·         Assess wood stoves.
·         Develop a database of its diesel vehicles.
·         Explore the use of cooking oil to power field vehicles.
·         Engage the community on air quality issues.
“We face many issues involving air quality and these grants will help us be better prepared to improve our air quality,” said Kathie Brosemer, environmental department manager, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
Based in Sault Ste. Marie, the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan provides a cooperative forum for 11 tribes: Bay Mills Indian Community, Hannahville Indian Community; Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish (Gun Lake Tribe), Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, and the Nottawaseppi Band of Huron Potawatomi.

DOE: Summary of environmental penalties issued second quarter 2017
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 22/ 17
The Washington Department of Ecology issued $50,000 in penalties of $1,000 or more April through June in 2017.
Ecology works with thousands of businesses and individuals to help them comply with state laws. Penalties are issued in cases where non-compliance continues after Ecology has provided technical assistance or warnings, or for particularly serious violations.
The money owed from penalties may be reduced from the issued amount due to settlement or court rulings. Funds collected go to the state’s general fund or to dedicated pollution prevention accounts.
Ecology strives to protect, preserve and enhance Washington’s environment and promote wise management for current and future generations. When someone pollutes Washington’s land, air or waters, Ecology enforces state and federal regulations in hopes of changing behavior and deterring future violations.

WORLD & NATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS

UN NEWS CENTER:
UN rights office gathering info on air strikes in Yemen; urges protection of civilians
25 August 2017 – Reiterating that attacks targeting civilians are prohibited under international law, the United Nations human rights office today confirmed dozens of casualties in airstrikes on villages near the capital, Sana'a.

No 'worse place on earth' than Syria's Raqqa, says senior UN adviser urging pause in fighting
24 August 2017 – A senior United Nations aid official today urged the international community to do whatever is needed to allow citizens to flee from Raqqa, saying that right now, there is "no worse place on earth" than the de facto capital of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh).

NATIONAL
AP: 4 resign from Illinois governor's office after cartoon flap
CHICAGO — Just weeks after being hired, four key members of Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's communications team have resigned in the wake of the Republican's confusing response to a political cartoon depicting a black child begging a white man for money.

NYT: Administration Scraps Local-Hiring Plan for Public Works
The Trump administration is abandoning another Obama-era regulatory initiative, killing a plan to allow cities to set aside work for local residents on federally funded public works projects.



Daily Bible Verse: Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.
Psalm 119:165 NKJV


 Free bible studies (WBS)
https://www.worldbibleschool.org/
Learn english using the bible as text (WEI)
http://www.worldenglishinstitute.org/

(Join us in worship every Sunday starting at 10:30AM Church of Christ)
http://www.pacofc.org/index.php

MILKING THE SYSTEM

DOJ: Houston Home Health Agency Owner Sentenced to 480 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Defraud Medicare and Medicaid of More Than $17 Million
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 18/ 17

WASHINGTON – The owner and operator of five Houston-area home health agencies was sentenced on Thursday to 480 months in prison for conspiring to defraud Medicare and the State of Texas’ Medicaid-funded Home and Community-Based Service (HCBS) and Primary Home Care (PHC) Programs of more than $17 million and launder the money that he stole from Medicare and Medicaid.  The HCBS and PHC Programs provided qualified individuals with in-home attendant and community-based services that are known commonly as “provider attendant services” (PAS).  This case marks the largest PAS fraud case charged in Texas history.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez of the Southern District of Texas, Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Field Office, Special Agent in Charge C.J. Porter of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Dallas Regional Office, Special Agent in Charge D. Richard Goss of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (CI) Houston Field Office and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) made the announcement.

Godwin Oriakhi, 61, of Houston, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sim Lake of the Southern District of Texas.  In March 2017, Oriakhi pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

According to admissions made as part of Oriakhi’s plea, he, his co-defendant daughter and other members of his family owned and operated Aabraham Blessings LLC, Baptist Home Care Providers Inc., Community Wide Home Health Inc., Four Seasons Home Healthcare Inc. and Kis Med Concepts Inc., all of which were home health agencies in the Houston area.  Oriakhi admitted that he, along with his daughter and other co-conspirators, obtained patients for his home health agencies by paying illegal kickback payments to patient recruiters and his office employees for hundreds of patient referrals.  In his plea, Oriakhi also admitted that he, along with his daughter and co-conspirators, paid Medicare and Medicaid patients by cash, check, Western Union and Moneygram for receiving services from his family’s home health agencies in exchange for the ability to use the patients’ Medicare and Medicaid numbers to bill the programs for home healthcare and PAS services.  Oriakhi admitted that he, his daughter and their co-conspirators also directly paid some of these patients for recruiting and referring other Medicare and Medicaid patients to his agencies.  Additionally, Oriakhi admitted that he, his daughter and other co-conspirators paid physicians illegal kickbacks payments, which Oriakhi and his co-conspirators called “copayments,” for referring and certifying Medicare and Medicaid patients for home health and PAS services.

Oriakhi further admitted that each time he submitted a claim predicated on an illegal kickback payment he knew he was submitting a fraudulent claim to Medicare or Medicaid based on his false representations that the claim and the underlying transaction complied with the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and other state and federal laws.  Oriakhi further admitted that he knew that Medicare and Medicaid would not otherwise pay for the fraudulent claims, according to his plea.  In addition to the home health care and PAS services fraud scheme, Oriakhi admitted that he and his co-conspirators used the money fraudulently obtained from Medicare and Medicaid to make illegal kickback payments to patient recruiters, employees, physicians and patients to promote the Medicare home health and Medicaid PAS fraud conspiracies, and ensure their successful continuation.

In total, Oriakhi that he and his co-conspirators submitted approximately $17,819,456 in fraudulent home healthcare and PAS claims to Medicare and Medicaid and received approximately $16,198,600 on those claims.

To date, three others have pleaded guilty based on their roles in the fraudulent scheme at Oriakhi’s home healthcare agencies.  Oriakhi’s daughter, Idia Oriakhi, and Charles Esechie, a registered nurse who was Baptist’s primary admissions nurse, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring with Oriakhi and others to commit health care fraud.  Jermaine Doleman, a patient recruiter, pleaded guilty to conspiring with Oriakhi and others to commit health care fraud and launder money.  Doleman was also charged in two other healthcare fraud cases.  Esechie was also sentenced on August 17, to 60 months in prison.  Idia Oriakhi and Jermaine Doleman are awaiting sentencing.

The case was investigated by the IRS-CI, FBI, HHS-OIG and MFCU under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.  The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Jonathan T. Baum and Trial Attorneys Aleza S. Remis and William S.W. Chang of the Fraud Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country.  The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operates in nine locations nationwide.  Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has charged over 3,500 defendants who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for over $12.5 billion.



DOJ: Former CEO of Arthrocare Corporation Convicted for Orchestrating $750 Million Securities Fraud Scheme
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 18/ 17

A federal jury today convicted the former chief executive officer of ArthroCare Corporation, a publicly traded medical device company based in Austin, Texas, for his role in orchestrating a fraud scheme that resulted in shareholder losses of over $750 million.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr. of the Western District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs of the FBI’s San Antonio Field office made the announcement.

After a two-week trial, a jury in the Western District of Texas found the former CEO, Michael Baker, 58, of Austin, Texas, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud, seven counts of wire fraud, two counts of securities fraud and two counts of making false statements. Baker was charged in a superseding indictment unsealed on July 17, 2013.

Evidence at trial demonstrated that Baker, along with his co-conspirators, masterminded and executed a scheme to artificially inflate sales and revenue through a series of end-of-quarter transactions involving several of ArthroCare’s distributors beginning in 2005 and continuing until 2009. Co-conspirators David Applegate and John Raffle, both former senior vice presidents of ArthroCare, pleaded guilty to multiple felonies in 2013 in connection with their participation in the scheme. Co-conspirator Michael Gluk, former chief financial officer of ArthroCare, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud on June 14, in connection with his participation in the scheme.

The trial evidence showed that Baker, along with his co-conspirators, determined the type and amount of product to be shipped to distributors based on ArthroCare’s need to meet Wall Street analyst forecasts, rather than distributors’ actual orders. Baker and others then caused ArthroCare to “park” millions of dollars’ worth of ArthroCare’s medical devices at its distributors at the end of each relevant quarter. ArthroCare then reported these shipments as sales in its quarterly and annual filings at the time of the shipment, enabling the company to meet or exceed internal and external earnings forecasts.

Evidence at trial further showed that ArthroCare’s distributors agreed to accept shipment of millions of dollars of products in exchange for special conditions, including substantial, upfront cash commissions, extended payment terms and the ability to return products, allowing ArthroCare to falsely inflate revenue by tens of millions of dollars. Baker and others used DiscoCare, a privately owned Delaware corporation, as one of the distributors to cover shortfalls in ArthroCare’s revenue. At Baker’s direction, ArthroCare shipped product to DiscoCare that far exceeded DiscoCare’s needs.

Baker and others lied to investors and analysts about ArthroCare’s relationships with its distributors, including DiscoCare; Baker caused ArthroCare to acquire DiscoCare specifically to conceal from the investing public, the nature and financial significance of ArthroCare’s relationship with DiscoCare, the evidence showed.

Evidence at trial also established that Baker lied when he was deposed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in November 2009 about ArthroCare’s relationship with DiscoCare.

Following today’s verdict, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks of the Western District of Texas, who presided over the trial, remanded Baker into custody. A sentencing date for Baker has not yet been scheduled.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the Fraud Section’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit Chief Benjamin D. Singer, Assistant Chief Henry P. Van Dyck and Trial Attorney Caitlin




DOJ: Florida Salesman Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion
Diverted Income to Pay for Girlfriend’s Cosmetic Surgery, Jewelry, and International Travel
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 18/ 17

A Fort Lauderdale, Florida, resident was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for tax evasion, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

According to documents filed with the court, Thomas Daly, 53, evaded paying taxes on more than $1.5 million in income that he earned from 2002 to 2015. Except for the 2007 tax year, Daly has not filed an income tax return since 2002. He worked for a Fort Lauderdale company selling hurricane-resistant windows to residential homeowners in South Florida. In August 2009, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) notified Daly of its intent to levy his wages because of his failure to pay taxes. To obstruct the IRS’s collection efforts, Daly established his own business, South Florida Home Marketing Inc. (SFHM), and changed his employment status from an employee to an independent contractor. Daly listed himself as the director of SFHM and opened a business bank account in its name. Due to Daly’s change in employment status, his employer paid SFHM directly and the IRS’s attempts to levy Daly’s wages were thwarted.

From approximately August 2009 through April 2017, Daly used SFHM’s bank account to pay for personal expenses, including rent, cigars, international travel, entertainment, his girlfriend’s cosmetic surgery, jewelry, and a boat. He also falsely classified numerous personal expenses as business expenses on the memo line of the checks drawn on the SFHM bank account. Daly admitted that he made these false entries with the intent to claim false business expense deductions and evade the assessment of his income taxes. Daly admitted that his actions caused a tax loss of more than $351,241.

In addition to the term of prison imposed, U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra ordered Daly has been ordered to serve two years of supervised release and to pay $459,481.03 in restitution to the IRS.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg commended special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Charles M. Edgar, Jr. and Michael C. Boteler of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.



DOJ: California Man Sentenced to Prison for Perpetrating Trademark Scam
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17

A California man was sentenced to prison today for his role as the mastermind of a $1.66 million mass mailing scam aimed at trademark holders.  The former manager of a Wells Fargo branch in Glendale, California, and his associate were also sentenced to prison today for their roles in laundering the scam’s proceeds.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra R. Brown of the Central District of California, Inspector in Charge Nichole Cooper of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Los Angeles Division and Special Agent in Charge Damon Rowe of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.  The sentences were issued by U.S. District Court Judge Stephen V. Wilson.

Artashes Darbinyan, 37, of Glendale, was sentenced to 96 months in prison and was ordered to pay $1,557,979 in restitution.  Orbel Hakobyan, 42, of Glendale, was sentenced to 24 months in prison and was ordered to pay $1,218,024 in restitution.  Albert Yagubyan, 37, of Burbank, California, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and was ordered to pay $1,048,069 in restitution.  In December 2016, Darbinyan pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and Hakobyan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.  Following a jury trial in March 2017, Yagubyan was convicted of one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, four counts of concealment money laundering and one count of false bank entries.

As part of his guilty plea, Darbinyan admitted that from September 2013 to September 2015 he ran a mass mailing scam under the names Trademark Compliance Center (TCC) and Trademark Compliance Office (TCO), which targeted small businesses that had recently applied for trademark protection with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.  The scam involved fraudulent offers of a service in which TCC and TCO promised to monitor an applicant’s trademark for infringing marks and to register the trademark with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which offers a real service that screens imports for possibly infringing trademarks.  The offers were made via mail solicitations and claimed the services would be provided for $385.  Darbinyan never monitored or registered, nor ever intended to monitor or register, any of the trademarks with CBP for the customers who paid the fee, he admitted.

Darbinyan also admitted to concealing his control over the scam through elaborate measures in which he illegally used the identities of other people to open accounts at virtual office centers in the Washington, D.C., area, which received and then forwarded victims’ payments to other virtual office centers in the Los Angeles area.  Using those same illicit identities, Darbinyan then, with co-conspirators’ assistance, opened bank accounts at Wells Fargo through which he laundered the proceeds of the scam.  To further avoid detection, Darbinyan paid virtual office fees with money orders; used bogus email accounts, which he would only log into using prepaid wireless modems; and regularly changed cell phone numbers.

As part of his guilty plea, Hakobyan admitted to helping launder the proceeds of the trademark scam.  Specifically, Hakobyan deposited victims’ checks into bank accounts at Wells Fargo that had been opened under false names.  Hakobyan misrepresented his identity to withdraw funds from the accounts at Wells Fargo in the form of cash and cashier’s checks, which he then used to purchase gold, he admitted.  In total, he admitted to helping launder approximately $1.29 million of the scam’s proceeds.

According to evidence presented at Yagubyan’s trial, from June 27, 2014 to Sept. 18, 2015, Yagubyan, in his role as manager of a large Wells Fargo branch in Glendale, helped launder victims checks paid to the TCC and TCO.  Yagubyan laundered the illegal funds by instructing subordinates at the bank to open bogus bank accounts, into which the illicit proceeds of the TCC and TCO scam were deposited, and to process fraudulent withdrawals, wire transfers and cashier’s checks for co-conspirators Darbinyan and Hakobyan, the evidence showed.  The cashier’s checks and wire transfers were made out to gold dealers, turning the victims’ checks into cash and gold that the co-conspirators could spend without being traced back to their fraud scheme.  The bank accounts were opened using the identities of individuals from Eastern Europe who were not in the U.S. at the time the accounts were opened.  The evidence at trial further showed that Darbinyan paid Yagubyan a percentage of the laundered proceeds and that Yagubyan, in turn, made payments and promises of promotion to subordinates to induce them to conduct the fraudulent transactions.

In total, according to Darbinyan’s guilty plea and the evidence presented at trial, the trademark scam defrauded approximately 4,446 victims of $1.66 million.

USPIS and IRS-CI investigated the case.  Trial Attorneys William E. Johnston and Alison L. Anderson of the Fraud Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case


CONGRESSIONAL WATCH

CONGRESSMAN KILMER, share a quote from the Seattle Times,
A fitting tribute’: Olympic Wilderness renamed for longtime outdoors advocate, former Gov. Dan Evans
“When it came to protecting our most precious outdoor spaces, it wasn’t about Democrats or Republicans,” said Congressman Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor. “But about Washingtonians.” For many, Evans is that rare thing — a beloved politician whose stature transcends party or generation. Naming the wilderness for Evans “puts an iconic name next to an iconic place,” said U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

RELATED SEATTLE TIMES STORY: Washington’s former governor and U.S. senator was honored Friday for a lifetime of bipartisan accomplishment with the renaming of one of his favorite places, now called the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness at Olympic National Park.



Alexander, Murray: 5 Governors to Testify at Sept. 7 Hearing on Stabilizing Premiums in the Individual Market
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 23/ 17

WASHINGTON, August 23 — Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) today announced the Senate health committee will hear September 7 from governors representing the states of Massachusetts, Montana, Tennessee, Utah and Colorado.

Charlie Baker, Governor, State of Massachusetts
Steve Bullock, Governor, State of Montana
Bill Haslam, Governor, State of Tennessee
Gary Herbert, Governor, State of Utah
John W. Hickenlooper, Governor, State of Colorado
The hearing on Thursday, September 7th, “Stabilizing Premiums and Helping Individuals in the Individual Insurance Market for 2018: Governors,” will take place in Dirksen 430 at 9 a.m.

Alexander and Murray announced earlier this month that the committee would hold hearings on stabilizing premiums in the individual insurance market so that the 18 million Americans in the individual market will be able to buy insurance at affordable prices in the year 2018.



Senator Cantwell Works with Makah Tribe, CenturyLink to Bring Broadband to Neah Bay
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 18/ 17

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the Makah Tribe, and CenturyLink, cut ribbon on new high speed broadband internet in Neah Bay, Washington. The new broadband services will help spur economic development in and around Neah Bay, and will increase access to educational and healthcare services for local residents.

Senator Cantwell has been working with the Makah and CenturyLink to see the project to completion, including federal agency permitting. The announcement was celebrated in Neah Bay with a traditional Makah salmon bake, a ceremonial ribbon cutting, and a service demonstration.

“Broadband is a necessity. Without it, rural communities can’t take advantage of the opportunities presented by our increasingly connected economy,” said Cantwell. “Before there was broadband access at Neah Bay, kids didn’t have high-speed internet to do their homework and entrepreneurs were unable to start online businesses or even develop a basic web-presence. Thanks to the work between CenturyLink and the Makah Tribe, Neah Bay has access to broadband that will support local families and the economy.”

CenturyLink will provide internet speeds between 25 and 40 mbps.

“Gaining community access to Centurylink is a milestone a long time in the making. Our members are happy to hear that we may have faster internet speeds but this is bigger than that,” said Nate Tyler, Chairman of the Makah Tribe. “Broadband access will open the door to providing better services faster. In order to protect our way of life at Makah, security and safety are paramount. Broadband puts new possibilities in reach that can change the way we may operate in health care, law enforcement, oil spill response, and education. We'd like to thank Senator Cantwell for the dedicated and invaluable guidance that she has provided us on these issues.”

40 percent of Americans in rural areas and 68 percent of Americans on tribal lands do not have access to high-speed internet. Over 200,000 Washingtonians lack access to FCC standard broadband. More than 400,000 people in Washington have access to only one provider, leaving them no options to switch.

“We’re excited to help bridge the urban-rural digital divide by building out our broadband services in Neah Bay,” said Sue Anderson, CenturyLink vice president of operations for Washington.  “We understand how important it is for our Neah Bay customers, including the Makah Tribe, to have fast, affordable access to the internet, so CenturyLink made this expansion of our high-speed internet service a priority.”

For years, Senator Cantwell has supported the expansion of broadband access to unserved and underserved communities. In 2010, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) — which provided $40 million in federal grants for expanding access to high-speed, affordable broadband to underserved rural areas — the senator helped secure funding for broadband projects for over 35,000 people and 1,400 businesses in Washington state. Later that year, she contributed to the dedication of $84.3 million in federal stimulus funds for the Northwest Open Access Network to build more fiber optic networks in rural Washington state.

More recently, Cantwell has called on the FCC and the White House to carry out broadband reforms and invest in improving internet access in tribal and rural communities. In early 2017, she also joined Senate Democrats in announcing an infrastructure blueprint that would dedicate $20 billion to improving broadband quality and access in rural and underserved communities.


WORLD AND NATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS

From the UN NEWS CENTER
Australian Jane Connors appointed first UN rights advocate for victims of sexual exploitation
23 August 2017 – Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Jane Connors, Australian law professional and long-time human rights advocate, as the first United Nations advocate for the rights of victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.

UN releases $2.5 million from pooled fund to tackle energy crisis in Gaza
24 August 2017 – With Gaza entering its fourth month of a serious energy crisis, the United Nations today released a further $2.5 million from a pooled humanitarian fund to cover urgent needs in the Palestinian enclave.



NATIONAL

WP: Escalating feud, Trump blames McConnell and Ryan for upcoming ‘mess’ on debt ceiling
President Trump on Thursday sought to pin blame on his party’s congressional leaders for what the president predicts will be “a mess” to raise the federal governments debt limit.

NYT: Though No Longer Sheriff, Joe Arpaio Is Still a Polarizing Figure
PHOENIX — Noemí Romero still shudders when she hears the name Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff responsible for the workplace raid in 2013 when she was arrested and spent two months in jail.




Daily Bible Verse:  [ Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death ] I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
Psalm 116:1-2 NKJV


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http://www.worldenglishinstitute.org/

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WORLD NEWS & EVENTS SPOTLIGHT

United Nations Group of Experts, Conference on Geographical Names Conclude Meetings at Headquarters with Model for New Organization
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17

NEW YORK, 18 August (United Nations Statistics Division) — The eleventh United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names and the thirtieth session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names concluded on 17 and 18 August, at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

A total of 278 delegates from 67 Member States and observer organizations came together over a total of 10 days and discussed and decided on national and international geographical names standardization, a new organization structure and working methods, and a strengthened substantive relationship with the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management.

Central to the eleventh Conference was the draft resolution to be presented to the Economic and Social Council on a new organizational structure of the Group of Experts and the Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, merging and streamlining the two bodies into a new body with biennial five-day meetings.  The progress made regarding this work will be reviewed at the next meeting of the Group of Experts, scheduled for 29 April to 3 May 2019 at United Nations Headquarters.  The President of the eleventh Conference, F.J. Ormeling, stated:  “It makes me especially proud that this conference has achieved notable results, such as defining a new structure for the future, a structure in which all Member State delegations have confidence, a structure with more efficient procedures and better adapted to future requirements.”

Geographical names are so central to person-to-person narration that effective communication cannot be achieved without them.  In addition, standardized geographical names are also central to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals, as the monitoring of them cannot be fulfilled sufficiently without solid and reliable geospatial geographical names data.  This task calls for closer coordination with the United Nations Initiative on Global Geospatial Information Management.  Mr. Ormeling underscored this when he said in his closing remarks:  “This conference has been able to define a fruitful relationship between UNGEGN [United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names] and UN-GGIM [United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management], that answers the expectations of the United Nations Statistical Division and has started to implement this relationship through reciprocal presentations on mandates and operation modes.”

Another major result was the passing of a resolution with a United Nations-endorsed conversion system from the Arabic to the Latin alphabet.  The Member States that supported the resolution can now continue the implementation with a clear United Nations mandate.

The Conference celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with an exhibition, considered some 180 working papers and conference reports and held six panel discussions and 13 special presentations that stimulated insightful questions and comments leading to new and strengthened synergies among represented organizations.

The session ended with the Group of Experts adopting decisions which are to be brought to the attention of the Economic and Social Council.  The decisions ranged from resolutions passed at the eleventh Conference and the establishment of a new task team for oral languages.


United Nations Disarmament Fellowship Programme Opens 2017 Session in Geneva
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17

GENEVA, 21 August — The 2017 United Nations Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament begins today at the United Nations Office at Geneva with the participation of young diplomats and other Government officials from 25 United Nations Member States.

Officials from the following States will be taking part in the 2017 Disarmament Fellowship Programme:  Angola, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Colombia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Peru, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, State of Palestine, Timor-Leste and Uganda.

The 2017 Disarmament Fellowship Programme will last for 10 weeks and will feature exchanges with representatives of Member States, senior officials of international organizations and members of the academic community.  Discussions will focus on a wide range of disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation issues.  The Fellows will be introduced to various aspects of multilateral negotiations and the global disarmament machinery, including the work of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and the General Assembly’s First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), as well as the operation of different treaty regimes, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction; the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects; the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction; the Convention on Cluster Munitions; or the Arms Trade Treaty.

Fellows will also explore the role and functioning of several international organizations and structures, including the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization in Vienna and others.  Additionally, the Fellowship Programme will include study visits to Berne, Switzerland, organized by that State’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as country-specific study visits hosted by the Governments of China, Germany, Japan (including Hiroshima and Nagasaki), Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea.

The Programme will conclude at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 27 October, when the Fellows will be awarded certificates of participation by Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.

The United Nations Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament was launched by the General Assembly at its first special session devoted to disarmament in 1978 with the aim of promoting disarmament expertise, particularly in the world’s developing countries.  Implemented by the Office for Disarmament Affairs 38 years ago, the Programme has trained over 950 public officials from 165 States, a large number of whom are now in positions of responsibility in the field of disarmament within their own Governments or international organizations.

US MISSION TO THE UN: Statement on the Fourth Anniversary of the Assad Regime’s Chemical Weapons Attack in Ghouta, Syria
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17

Four years ago today, the Assad regime murdered more than 1,400 Syrians using the chemical agent sarin in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta. In response to Assad’s brutality, the international community undertook considerable steps to dismantle the regime’s chemical weapons program with the determination to prevent Assad from ever using such atrocious weapons again.

Despite these efforts, Assad has not relented his reign of terror and has continued to use chemical weapons in his attacks against his own people. The world was horrified when, on April 4, Syrian aircraft dropped sarin gas on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, killing as many as 100 people and injuring hundreds more, many of them children.

Through our previous actions and warnings to Assad, the United States has conveyed the grave seriousness with which we view chemical weapons use. We will not tolerate the use of chemical weapons, and those responsible for their use must be held accountable.

The international community must work together to ensure that chemical weapons use does not continue and that the victims of chemical weapons attacks will not be forgotten.


US MISSION TO THE UN: Remarks at a UN Security Council Open Arria-Formula Meeting on Yemen Humanitarian Issues
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17

Thank you very much, Fode, for convening this important Arria meeting on the dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Thank you to Stephen for giving us the latest information about the situation on the ground. And a special thanks to Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeea for joining us once again to speak about Yemen and for sharing his perspectives. We appreciate your willingness, Dr. Al-Rabeea, to engage this Council on how to respond to Yemen’s humanitarian needs.

There should be no doubt that all parties in Yemen need to take immediate steps to address Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe. By numbers of people affected, Yemen has the potential to be the worst humanitarian crisis of all the countries on this Security Council’s agenda. Nearly 21 million people are in need of humanitarian aid. According to UN statistics, Yemen has the largest number of people on the brink of famine anywhere in the world. At the same time, Yemen has been hit with the world’s largest outbreak of cholera, with over 500,000 suspected cases and counting.

In the year 2017, these crises are preventable. Food can be delivered to the hungry. Treatments for cholera can be administered to help the sick. But, humanitarian organizations need two things to succeed: funding and access.

Even as the scale of Yemen’s humanitarian crisis gets worse, funding has not kept pace. The nearly $2.43 billion 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen is just 41 percent funded. International donors must step up to deliver. In particular, the United States urges all countries that pledged funds at the Geneva conference in April to follow through with their funding as quickly as possible.

For our part, the United States is the largest donor to the UN’s Yemen appeal. Since last fall, we have contributed $467 million in aid. Dr. Al-Rabeea, the United States appreciates Saudi Arabia’s generous pledges of humanitarian aid, and we look to Saudi Arabia to help lead on this front.

But all the funding in the world will not be enough if life-saving goods cannot reach Yemenis in need. At the most basic level, all parties need to respect the need for unfettered humanitarian access. That means ships carrying essential imports and humanitarian aid must be able to reach Yemen’s ports and offload their cargo. When a ship is cleared by the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism, that ship should be allowed to proceed to port.

Inside Yemen, humanitarian agencies must be able to deliver goods without interference, and without fear that their goods will be looted. The United States deplores recent reports of looting and diversion of aid in areas controlled by the Houthis and Ali Abdullah Salih. Houthi/Salih forces must not tamper with deliveries of aid or try to keep these convoys from reaching their destinations. Members of this Security Council need to hold the parties accountable for preserving access, and use our connections to the parties to preserve humanitarian space in Yemen.

There are other tangible steps we can take to improve access. The United States welcomes Saudi Arabia’s recent announcement of funding for cranes at the Aden, Mukalla, and Mokha ports. This is an important step forward. But, we also need to see additional cranes installed at Hudaydah urgently to expand that port’s capacity. As the UN has stressed, the most people in need are in northern Yemen, and the UN sees no alternative to serving these people except for Hudaydah.

In addition, the parties should cooperate to re-open Sana’a Airport, which would allow Yemenis to access badly-needed medical treatment abroad. Re-opening the airport should also facilitate access for humanitarian staff, NGO workers, and journalists, each of whom plays an important role in shaping the international response to the Yemen conflict.

Finally, Yemen’s humanitarian response can only go so far when the country’s economy has collapsed. The United States calls on the parties to this conflict to explore ways to restore the functioning of Yemen’s Central Bank and essential public services. There should be an agreement on how the revenues of the Yemeni state can be used in a transparent fashion to restart public sector salaries.

Of course, absent a political solution to the conflict, all of these humanitarian steps are short-term fixes. The scale of Yemen’s suffering should inspire all of us on this Council to work harder to support UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed’s efforts to reinvigorate political talks. As a first step, the UN Special Envoy has put forward a credible plan to address the management of Hudaydah port. This proposal could be a key confidence-building measure that paves the way for broader political talks and a ceasefire. We urge the parties to immediately engage the UN on this Hudaydah initiative. This is both a humanitarian and a political imperative, and there is no time to waste.

Let me conclude by taking a moment to pay tribute to the immense sacrifices that humanitarian workers on the ground have made in Yemen. The United States greatly appreciates the efforts of UN Resident Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick and his team, along with the many other aid organizations on the ground in Yemen. These officials continue to find ways to deliver life-saving interventions despite a maze of bureaucratic obstructions and intense fighting along the frontlines. We as a Security Council must do what we can to give the UN and other humanitarian groups the space they need to get their jobs done. Thank you.


US STATE DEPT: Statement on the United States' Engagement in South Asia
PRESS RELEASE 8/ 21/ 17

This evening, President Trump announced the new integrated strategy for the U.S. approach to South Asia that will require diplomatically engaging Pakistan, Afghanistan and India to create the conditions for stability in the region.

This new strategy signals clear support for the Afghan people and government. We will continue to support the Afghan government and security forces in their fight against terrorists and prevent the reestablishment of safe havens in the country.

Our new strategy breaks from previous approaches that set artificial calendar-based deadlines. We are making clear to the Taliban that they will not win on the battlefield. The Taliban has a path to peace and political legitimacy through a negotiated political settlement to end the war.

We stand ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions. We look to the international community, particularly Afghanistan’s neighbors, to join us in supporting an Afghan peace process.

Pakistan has suffered greatly from terrorism and can be an important partner in our shared goals of peace and stability in the region. We look to Pakistan to take decisive action against militant groups based in Pakistan that are a threat to the region. It is vital to U.S. interests that Afghanistan and Pakistan prevent terrorist sanctuaries.

India will be an important partner in the effort to ensure peace and stability in the region, and we welcome its role in supporting Afghanistan’s political and economic modernization.



US DEFENSE DEPT: Mattis Arrives in Jordan to Discuss Security Issues
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2017 — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Jordan today as part of a trip to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to strategic partnerships in the Middle East and Europe.


WH: Remarks by President Trump on the Strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  Thank you.  Please be seated.

Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Tillerson, members of the Cabinet, General Dunford, Deputy Secretary Shanahan, and Colonel Duggan.  Most especially, thank you to the men and women of Fort Myer and every member of the United States military at home and abroad.

We send our thoughts and prayers to the families of our brave sailors who were injured and lost after a tragic collision at sea, as well as to those conducting the search and recovery efforts.

I am here tonight to lay out our path forward in Afghanistan and South Asia.  But before I provide the details of our new strategy, I want to say a few words to the servicemembers here with us tonight, to those watching from their posts, and to all Americans listening at home.

Since the founding of our republic, our country has produced a special class of heroes whose selflessness, courage, and resolve is unmatched in human history.

American patriots from every generation have given their last breath on the battlefield for our nation and for our freedom.  Through their lives -- and though their lives were cut short, in their deeds they achieved total immortality.

By following the heroic example of those who fought to preserve our republic, we can find the inspiration our country needs to unify, to heal, and to remain one nation under God.  The men and women of our military operate as one team, with one shared mission, and one shared sense of purpose.

They transcend every line of race, ethnicity, creed, and color to serve together -- and sacrifice together -- in absolutely perfect cohesion.  That is because all servicemembers are brothers and sisters.  They're all part of the same family; it's called the American family.  They take the same oath, fight for the same flag, and live according to the same law.  They are bound together by common purpose, mutual trust, and selfless devotion to our nation and to each other.

The soldier understands what we, as a nation, too often forget that a wound inflicted upon a single member of our community is a wound inflicted upon us all.  When one part of America hurts, we all hurt.  And when one citizen suffers an injustice, we all suffer together.

Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another.  Love for America requires love for all of its people.  When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no tolerance for hate.

The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home.  We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other.

As we send our bravest to defeat our enemies overseas -- and we will always win -- let us find the courage to heal our divisions within.  Let us make a simple promise to the men and women we ask to fight in our name that, when they return home from battle, they will find a country that has renewed the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that unite us together as one.

Thanks to the vigilance and skill of the American military and of our many allies throughout the world, horrors on the scale of September 11th -- and nobody can ever forget that -- have not been repeated on our shores.    

But we must also acknowledge the reality I am here to talk about tonight:  that nearly 16 years after September 11th attacks, after the extraordinary sacrifice of blood and treasure, the American people are weary of war without victory.  Nowhere is this more evident than with the war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history -- 17 years.

I share the American people’s frustration.  I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money, and most importantly lives, trying to rebuild countries in our own image, instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations.

That is why, shortly after my inauguration, I directed Secretary of Defense Mattis and my national security team to undertake a comprehensive review of all strategic options in Afghanistan and South Asia.

My original instinct was to pull out -- and, historically, I like following my instincts.  But all my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office; in other words, when you're President of the United States.  So I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle.  After many meetings, over many months, we held our final meeting last Friday at Camp David, with my Cabinet and generals, to complete our strategy.  I arrived at three fundamental conclusions about America’s core interests in Afghanistan.

First, our nation must seek an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifices of lives.  The men and women who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory.  They deserve the tools they need, and the trust they have earned, to fight and to win.

Second, the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable.  9/11, the worst terrorist attack in our history, was planned and directed from Afghanistan because that country was ruled by a government that gave comfort and shelter to terrorists.  A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al Qaeda, would instantly fill, just as happened before September 11th.

And, as we know, in 2011, America hastily and mistakenly withdrew from Iraq.  As a result, our hard-won gains slipped back into the hands of terrorist enemies.  Our soldiers watched as cities they had fought for, and bled to liberate, and won, were occupied by a terrorist group called ISIS.  The vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave safe haven for ISIS to spread, to grow, recruit, and launch attacks.  We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq.

Third and finally, I concluded that the security threats we face in Afghanistan and the broader region are immense.  Today, 20 U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- the highest concentration in any region anywhere in the world.

For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror.  The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict.  And that could happen.

No one denies that we have inherited a challenging and troubling situation in Afghanistan and South Asia, but we do not have the luxury of going back in time and making different or better decisions.  When I became President, I was given a bad and very complex hand, but I fully knew what I was getting into:  big and intricate problems.  But, one way or another, these problems will be solved -- I'm a problem solver -- and, in the end, we will win.

We must address the reality of the world as it exists right now -- the threats we face, and the confronting of all of the problems of today, and extremely predictable consequences of a hasty withdrawal.

We need look no further than last week’s vile, vicious attack in Barcelona to understand that terror groups will stop at nothing to commit the mass murder of innocent men, women and children.  You saw it for yourself.  Horrible.

As I outlined in my speech in Saudi Arabia three months ago, America and our partners are committed to stripping terrorists of their territory, cutting off their funding, and exposing the false allure of their evil ideology.

Terrorists who slaughter innocent people will find no glory in this life or the next.  They are nothing but thugs, and criminals, and predators, and -- that's right -- losers.  Working alongside our allies, we will break their will, dry up their recruitment, keep them from crossing our borders, and yes, we will defeat them, and we will defeat them handily.

In Afghanistan and Pakistan, America’s interests are clear: We must stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten America, and we must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists and being used against us, or anywhere in the world for that matter.

But to prosecute this war, we will learn from history.  As a result of our comprehensive review, American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically in the following ways:

A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions.  I’ve said it many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance the dates we intend to begin, or end, military options.  We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities.

Conditions on the ground -- not arbitrary timetables -- will guide our strategy from now on.  America’s enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out.  I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.

Another fundamental pillar of our new strategy is the integration of all instruments of American power -- diplomatic, economic, and military -- toward a successful outcome.

Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but nobody knows if or when that will ever happen.  America will continue its support for the Afghan government and the Afghan military as they confront the Taliban in the field.

Ultimately, it is up to the people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future, to govern their society, and to achieve an everlasting peace.  We are a partner and a friend, but we will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live, or how to govern their own complex society.  We are not nation-building again.  We are killing terrorists.

The next pillar of our new strategy is to change the approach and how to deal with Pakistan.  We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond.  Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan.  It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.

In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner.  Our militaries have worked together against common enemies.  The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism.  We recognize those contributions and those sacrifices.

But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people.  We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting.  But that will have to change, and that will change immediately.  No partnership can survive a country’s harboring of militants and terrorists who target U.S. servicemembers and officials.  It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace.

Another critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India -- the world’s largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the United States.  We appreciate India’s important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development.  We are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.

Finally, my administration will ensure that you, the brave defenders of the American people, will have the necessary tools and rules of engagement to make this strategy work, and work effectively and work quickly.

I have already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on our warfighters that prevented the Secretary of Defense and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy.  Micromanagement from Washington, D.C. does not win battles.  They are won in the field drawing upon the judgment and expertise of wartime commanders and frontline soldiers acting in real time, with real authority, and with a clear mission to defeat the enemy.

That’s why we will also expand authority for American armed forces to target the terrorist and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos throughout Afghanistan.  These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide; that no place is beyond the reach of American might and Americans arms.  Retribution will be fast and powerful.

As we lift restrictions and expand authorities in the field, we are already seeing dramatic results in the campaign to defeat ISIS, including the liberation of Mosul in Iraq.

Since my inauguration, we have achieved record-breaking success in that regard.  We will also maximize sanctions and other financial and law enforcement actions against these networks to eliminate their ability to export terror.  When America commits its warriors to battle, we must ensure they have every weapon to apply swift, decisive, and overwhelming force.  

Our troops will fight to win.  We will fight to win.  From now on, victory will have a clear definition:  attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.

We will ask our NATO allies and global partners to support our new strategy with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own.  We are confident they will.  Since taking office, I have made clear that our allies and partners must contribute much more money to our collective defense, and they have done so.

In this struggle, the heaviest burden will continue to be borne by the good people of Afghanistan and their courageous armed forces.  As the prime minister of Afghanistan has promised, we are going to participate in economic development to help defray the cost of this war to us.

Afghanistan is fighting to defend and secure their country against the same enemies who threaten us.  The stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do.  Afghans will secure and build their own nation and define their own future.  We want them to succeed.

But we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image.  Those days are now over.  Instead, we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interests.  We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better and safer lives.  This principled realism will guide our decisions moving forward.

Military power alone will not bring peace to Afghanistan or stop the terrorist threat arising in that country.  But strategically applied force aims to create the conditions for a political process to achieve a lasting peace.

America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress.  However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check.  The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden.  The American people expect to see real reforms, real progress, and real results.  Our patience is not unlimited.  We will keep our eyes wide open.

In abiding by the oath I took on January 20th, I will remain steadfast in protecting American lives and American interests.  In this effort, we will make common cause with any nation that chooses to stand and fight alongside us against this global threat.  Terrorists take heed:  America will never let up until you are dealt a lasting defeat.

Under my administration, many billions of dollars more is being spent on our military.  And this includes vast amounts being spent on our nuclear arsenal and missile defense.

In every generation, we have faced down evil, and we have always prevailed.  We prevailed because we know who we are and what we are fighting for.

Not far from where we are gathered tonight, hundreds of thousands of America’s greatest patriots lay in eternal rest at Arlington National Cemetery.  There is more courage, sacrifice, and love in those hallowed grounds than in any other spot on the face of the Earth.

Many of those who have fought and died in Afghanistan enlisted in the months after September 11th, 2001.  They volunteered for a simple reason:  They loved America, and they were determined to protect her.

Now we must secure the cause for which they gave their lives.  We must unite to defend America from its enemies abroad.  We must restore the bonds of loyalty among our citizens at home, and we must achieve an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the enormous price that so many have paid.

Our actions, and in the months to come, all of them will honor the sacrifice of every fallen hero, every family who lost a loved one, and every wounded warrior who shed their blood in defense of our great nation.  With our resolve, we will ensure that your service and that your families will bring about the defeat of our enemies and the arrival of peace.

We will push onward to victory with power in our hearts, courage in our souls, and everlasting pride in each and every one of you.

Thank you.  May God bless our military.  And may God bless the United States of America.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.


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Daily Bible Verse:  If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up. In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.

Psalm 94:18-19 NKJV

 

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