Diplopundit: Sealed with a Kiss

February 9, 2012

Tags: Condi, Diplopundit, FAM, Seal
Posted in: Democracy, Embassy/State

Fans of the best Foreign Service blog out there, Diplopundit, probably already know that the site has changed its address, but if not, the place to check every morning for news is now Diplopundit.net. Same insights, new location.

Speaking of which, Diplopundit had some thoughts on the Great Great Seal Controversy, by which the 223 year old Department of State, our first Cabinet agency, the institution once led by giants such as Jefferson, Adams, Marshall, Hull, even Martin Van Buren (and of course Condi) got its panties tangled over my use of their official Seal as part of a satiric blog post.

Diplopundit wrote:

Just so I get this straight — 1) The US taxpayers are paying FSO [Van Buren] to stay away from work while he is suspended for writing a book that makes people looks bad. The suspended FSO, without his security clearance is technically consigned to cleaning latrines, except that is one job you cannot actually perform by telecommuting no matter what the work requirement statement says. 2) The US taxpayers are paying another employee, a Deputy Director no less, and who knows how many more, for monitoring the suspended FSO’s website, research the infractions in the FAM and write emails such as the one complaining about the misuse of the department’s seal. 3) The US taxpayers are paying these employees for the enviable chore of writing a weekly report of the various online infractions committed and email it to the suspended FSO, just so he knows and everyone knows that this is a job everyone at State takes seriously. Nothing is too small or too unimportant to get into this weekly report. By end of the year, the weekly report would make a nice thick book.

Now what I’m really wondering is this — how many employees at the State Department has blog monitoring and weekly written reports on private Foreign Service blogs included in their work requirements?

One slight correction. Diplopundit notes above that I am “technically consigned to cleaning latrines except that is one job you cannot actually perform by telecommuting.” Mrs. We Meant Well, noticing me around the house more often than before, has in fact enforced the cleaning the latrines duty on me, on behalf of State.

Read the entire piece now at the new Diplopundit site.

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