Anonymous
04/21/2025 14:46
Subject: Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/us/politics/trump-state-department-overhaul.html
"The draft executive order would eliminate Africa operations and shut down bureaus working on democracy, human rights and refugee issues."
"The draft also calls for cutting offices at State Department headquarters that address climate change and refugee issues, as well as democracy and human rights concerns."
"Some of the proposed changes outlined in the draft document would require congressional notification and no doubt be challenged by lawmakers, including mass closures of diplomatic missions and headquarters bureaus, as well as an overhaul of the diplomatic corps. Substantial parts, if officials tried to enact them, would likely face lawsuits."
"Major structural changes to the State Department would be accompanied by efforts to lay off both career diplomats, known as foreign service officers, and civil service employees, who usually work in the department’s headquarters in Washington, said current and former U.S. officials familiar with the plans. The department would begin putting large numbers of workers on paid leave and sending out notices of termination, they said.
The draft executive order calls for ending the foreign service exam for aspiring diplomats, and it lays out new hiring criteria that includes “alignment with the president’s foreign policy vision.” "
Sickening.
"The draft executive order would eliminate Africa operations and shut down bureaus working on democracy, human rights and refugee issues."
"The draft also calls for cutting offices at State Department headquarters that address climate change and refugee issues, as well as democracy and human rights concerns."
"Some of the proposed changes outlined in the draft document would require congressional notification and no doubt be challenged by lawmakers, including mass closures of diplomatic missions and headquarters bureaus, as well as an overhaul of the diplomatic corps. Substantial parts, if officials tried to enact them, would likely face lawsuits."
"Major structural changes to the State Department would be accompanied by efforts to lay off both career diplomats, known as foreign service officers, and civil service employees, who usually work in the department’s headquarters in Washington, said current and former U.S. officials familiar with the plans. The department would begin putting large numbers of workers on paid leave and sending out notices of termination, they said.
The draft executive order calls for ending the foreign service exam for aspiring diplomats, and it lays out new hiring criteria that includes “alignment with the president’s foreign policy vision.” "
Sickening.
Anonymous
04/21/2025 14:38
Subject: Re:Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So what exactly are FSOs doing besides living the expat life with tax payer funded servents?
You could actually google this question and get several reasonable answers. Why do you assume the FSO's, who run the offices in the embassies abroad, and particularly in many third world countries where life isn't easy, are living the "expat life?" - I mean, what you are describing is what the appointees to places like the Vatican, Monoco or in the case of Kim Gilfoyle, Greece, are doing. They are not the rank and file workers.
What’s the point?
You’re essentially trying to argue with the modern day equivalent of the Know Nothing party.
These are people who revel in ignorance and isolationism.
Anonymous
04/21/2025 14:31
Subject: Re:Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Everyday I wake up to more cuts and savings
Draft Trump executive order proposes sweeping changes to State Department
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-draft-executive-order-sweeping-changes-state-department-rcna202047
Savings?
Are you for real?
I suppose I would also save money if I quit buying toothpaste and floss and getting dental checkups.
I should also stop wasting money on soap and shampoo.
Or if I stopped doing laundry. Who needs to waste money on detergent, electricity, and water when I can just rewear everything? I should stop going to the doctor too. Waste of money.
I will also save money by dropping auto insurance. Heck, I should just sell my car and stop going to work because of all that money wasted on insurance, gas, and maintenance.
I will quit eating those expensive frozen vegetables because it is even cheaper to eat biscuits and pasta. That’s sure to make a big difference to my bottom line.
I’m also going to stop buying food and stuff for my kids. Why waste the money? My son is old enough to join a gang and they will take good care of him since he will make money for them. My daughter will be able to find a great sugar daddy.
Ok. So you might think my post is stupid, but it EXACTLY the same kind of stupid self-defeating idiocy that is going on with most of these government “cuts and savings”. I would not ultimately save money by quitting dental hygiene, because I would end up with nasty cavities and infections that would lead to a huge medical bills or even death.
Like it or not, we are not islands. Not as individuals, not as a city, state, or nation. We live on a planet with other individuals, cities, states and nations and we will not ultimately be helping ourselves by wholesale cutting what amounts to maintenance/hygiene of our relationships with others and other states.
What do you think will happen to the sub Saharan countries we are pulling out of? Will they just “grow up” and not need us any more and everything will be fine and hunky-dory? No, you dolt. The Chinese are now able to complete their swooping in. Perhaps that writing was already on the wall, but the fact that we are looking at just rolling over and letting China take everything, and that isn’t the great thing you think it is, must be lost to you.
No matter how efficient, dynamic, and Great we are able to be as a country, it won’t matter if we aren’t able to participate on the world stage. And we won’t be great anyway, because MAGA is literally destroying all institutions that ever made us so.
Signed,
A traditional conservative.
36,000,000,000,000 and growing
desperate measures are required.
It is going to grow much faster once WWIII has started.
Agree. Maybe democrats can advocate for policies that US voters want, and get re-elected . But so far democrats are same , abandoned US workers while groveling for urban elites. I have little hope
Yes, universal healthcare, preservation of social security and putting money into repairing our crumbling infrastructure is all about the urban elite.
Urban elites can afford private healthcare, don’t need social security and don’t need the jobs created by repairing our infrastructure.
But keep blindly spewing this idiotic narrative. Project 2025 is much better for non elites.
Anonymous
04/21/2025 14:23
Subject: Re:Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Everyday I wake up to more cuts and savings
Draft Trump executive order proposes sweeping changes to State Department
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-draft-executive-order-sweeping-changes-state-department-rcna202047
Savings?
Are you for real?
I suppose I would also save money if I quit buying toothpaste and floss and getting dental checkups.
I should also stop wasting money on soap and shampoo.
Or if I stopped doing laundry. Who needs to waste money on detergent, electricity, and water when I can just rewear everything? I should stop going to the doctor too. Waste of money.
I will also save money by dropping auto insurance. Heck, I should just sell my car and stop going to work because of all that money wasted on insurance, gas, and maintenance.
I will quit eating those expensive frozen vegetables because it is even cheaper to eat biscuits and pasta. That’s sure to make a big difference to my bottom line.
I’m also going to stop buying food and stuff for my kids. Why waste the money? My son is old enough to join a gang and they will take good care of him since he will make money for them. My daughter will be able to find a great sugar daddy.
Ok. So you might think my post is stupid, but it EXACTLY the same kind of stupid self-defeating idiocy that is going on with most of these government “cuts and savings”. I would not ultimately save money by quitting dental hygiene, because I would end up with nasty cavities and infections that would lead to a huge medical bills or even death.
Like it or not, we are not islands. Not as individuals, not as a city, state, or nation. We live on a planet with other individuals, cities, states and nations and we will not ultimately be helping ourselves by wholesale cutting what amounts to maintenance/hygiene of our relationships with others and other states.
What do you think will happen to the sub Saharan countries we are pulling out of? Will they just “grow up” and not need us any more and everything will be fine and hunky-dory? No, you dolt. The Chinese are now able to complete their swooping in. Perhaps that writing was already on the wall, but the fact that we are looking at just rolling over and letting China take everything, and that isn’t the great thing you think it is, must be lost to you.
No matter how efficient, dynamic, and Great we are able to be as a country, it won’t matter if we aren’t able to participate on the world stage. And we won’t be great anyway, because MAGA is literally destroying all institutions that ever made us so.
Signed,
A traditional conservative.
36,000,000,000,000 and growing
desperate measures are required.
It is going to grow much faster once WWIII has started.
Agree. Maybe democrats can advocate for policies that US voters want, and get re-elected . But so far democrats are same , abandoned US workers while groveling for urban elites. I have little hope
The last election, democrats platform included:
-maintianing the economic growth of the previous 2 years after the COVID recovery
-supporting Ukraine
-supporting a woman's right to manage her body
-combating price gouging
-supporting israel's right to defend itself while also supporting the palestinians right not to be exterminated
-Supporting the second amendment but also supporting sensible gun control legilsation
These are all wildly popular positions. Meanwhile, MAGA supported a dictator on day one, and here we are with a crashing economy and diminishing future prospects for our children.
Anonymous
04/21/2025 14:22
Subject: Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My guess is the Civil Service domestic side is going to take a major hit. Wonder how this will affect CA, OBO, and DS? What happens to the FS Specialists?
Yeah if they start closing embassies, where will intelligence officials sit? Do we not care about preventing terrorism anymore either?
This is bad. Any hope that Rubio would not just roll over and play dead is gone.
Seems like they are setting us up to be attacked.
Then they can declare martial law and REALLY take over. They had hoped there would be violent protests but no go. So they'll a terror attack instead. It was the plan all along. If it doesn't happen, they'll false flag one, which is how Putin took over.
I just hope the martial law takeover happens soon. There have been too many protests going on, and that plus market turmoil makes Republicans in DC skittish. Trump has got to nip this in the bud before all we hear about are Signal chats with Hegseth’s wife
While Trump would love nothing more than to declare martial law, he won't be because he know holy hell would result. It is the one thing that not even his hand picked loyalists will not do.
Anonymous
04/21/2025 14:20
Subject: Re:Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
Anonymous wrote:So what exactly are FSOs doing besides living the expat life with tax payer funded servents?
You could actually google this question and get several reasonable answers. Why do you assume the FSO's, who run the offices in the embassies abroad, and particularly in many third world countries where life isn't easy, are living the "expat life?" - I mean, what you are describing is what the appointees to places like the Vatican, Monoco or in the case of Kim Gilfoyle, Greece, are doing. They are not the rank and file workers.
Anonymous
04/21/2025 14:18
Subject: Re:Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Everyday I wake up to more cuts and savings
Draft Trump executive order proposes sweeping changes to State Department
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-draft-executive-order-sweeping-changes-state-department-rcna202047
Savings?
Are you for real?
I suppose I would also save money if I quit buying toothpaste and floss and getting dental checkups.
I should also stop wasting money on soap and shampoo.
Or if I stopped doing laundry. Who needs to waste money on detergent, electricity, and water when I can just rewear everything? I should stop going to the doctor too. Waste of money.
I will also save money by dropping auto insurance. Heck, I should just sell my car and stop going to work because of all that money wasted on insurance, gas, and maintenance.
I will quit eating those expensive frozen vegetables because it is even cheaper to eat biscuits and pasta. That’s sure to make a big difference to my bottom line.
I’m also going to stop buying food and stuff for my kids. Why waste the money? My son is old enough to join a gang and they will take good care of him since he will make money for them. My daughter will be able to find a great sugar daddy.
Ok. So you might think my post is stupid, but it EXACTLY the same kind of stupid self-defeating idiocy that is going on with most of these government “cuts and savings”. I would not ultimately save money by quitting dental hygiene, because I would end up with nasty cavities and infections that would lead to a huge medical bills or even death.
Like it or not, we are not islands. Not as individuals, not as a city, state, or nation. We live on a planet with other individuals, cities, states and nations and we will not ultimately be helping ourselves by wholesale cutting what amounts to maintenance/hygiene of our relationships with others and other states.
What do you think will happen to the sub Saharan countries we are pulling out of? Will they just “grow up” and not need us any more and everything will be fine and hunky-dory? No, you dolt. The Chinese are now able to complete their swooping in. Perhaps that writing was already on the wall, but the fact that we are looking at just rolling over and letting China take everything, and that isn’t the great thing you think it is, must be lost to you.
No matter how efficient, dynamic, and Great we are able to be as a country, it won’t matter if we aren’t able to participate on the world stage. And we won’t be great anyway, because MAGA is literally destroying all institutions that ever made us so.
Signed,
A traditional conservative.
36,000,000,000,000 and growing
desperate measures are required.
It is going to grow much faster once WWIII has started.
Agree. Maybe democrats can advocate for policies that US voters want, and get re-elected . But so far democrats are same , abandoned US workers while groveling for urban elites. I have little hope
Anonymous
04/21/2025 13:55
Subject: Re:Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
Anonymous wrote:So what exactly are FSOs doing besides living the expat life with tax payer funded servents?
+1
Anonymous
04/21/2025 13:25
Subject: Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
Anonymous wrote:This admin would want to get rid of the entrance exam.
Bunch of idiotic crybabies.
Eliminating the entrance exam is their version of DEI. Change my mind.
MAGA is all about DEI for them.
Anonymous
04/21/2025 13:24
Subject: Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Getting rid of the exam is wild. The best people.
There have long been complaints about the exam. A republican-tied career ambassador told me that he found it impossible to get his best people through it and they were limited to other functions. In general, the selection process does seem to favor bland personalities.
Because the GOP hates competency and intelligence. The FSO exam separates the wheat from the chaff in terms of weighing knowledge and temperment to ensure the career diplomats truly represent the best of our country and not partisan loyalty.
The exam is biased towards liberal world view.
Only a MAGA woiuld make that claim.
If you mean, in order to pass the Foreign Service exam, you have to have an understanding of history, diplomacy, negotiating tactics and foreign language expertise - in other words, you have to be educated, then sure, that is liberal[b], with a small "l." But the test does not slant towards "democrats" or "liberals" in the political sense.
- wait: the “education” part you mentioned tends to come overwhelmingly from a small number of specific institutions: Columbia, Georgetown University, and American University.
Answer this please:
Do Columbia, Georgetown, and American trend more progressive in their world view? Or more conservative? Be honest.
Wrong. Those three schools are not on the list for the top 25 Colleges who produce Peace Corps volunteers. Top 25 Peace Corps Producing Colleges and Universities. Many on DCUM would consider some of them indeed more conservative, others progressive.
https://www.peacecorps.gov/about-the-agency/media-center/news/peace-corps-announces-list-of-historically-top-volunteer-producing-colleges-and-universities/
Have you always struggled with basic reading comprehension? We were discussing the Foreign Service Exam, not the peace corps.
Anonymous
04/21/2025 12:38
Subject: Re:Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
Anonymous wrote:So what exactly are FSOs doing besides living the expat life with tax payer funded servents?
This is exactly why we can't compete with China, the brightest in China work for the government, here we are vilifying educated people and calling them "elites". This country deserves everything headed it's way, when the citizenry is dumb and there is no respect for education, intellect and experience then current economy and politics is what you get.
Anonymous
04/21/2025 12:29
Subject: Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
Anonymous wrote:This admin would want to get rid of the entrance exam.
Bunch of idiotic crybabies.
Eliminating the entrance exam is their version of DEI. Change my mind.
Didn’t various folks on the Trump side want to bring back the civil service exam?
Anonymous
04/21/2025 12:20
Subject: Re:Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
So what exactly are FSOs doing besides living the expat life with tax payer funded servents?
Anonymous
04/21/2025 12:16
Subject: Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
Congressional recommend to join FS?
Anonymous
04/21/2025 12:00
Subject: Something “big” dropping this week ahead at Dept. State
This admin would want to get rid of the entrance exam.
Bunch of idiotic crybabies.
Eliminating the entrance exam is their version of DEI. Change my mind.
Bunch of idiotic crybabies.
Eliminating the entrance exam is their version of DEI. Change my mind.