WISCONSIN LIVESTOCK COMPANY SETTLES COMPLAINT REGARDING IMPROPER MEDICATION PRACTICES

Photo Credit:  Wikimedia/USDA
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
US Settles Complaint Against Wisconsin Livestock Company for Improper Medication Practices Government Asserts That Adulterated Food Was Introduced into Interstate Commerce
The United States has filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin against Dan Nolan Livestock LLC. and its owner Daniel W. Nolan to block them from violating the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) in connection with their alleged unlawful use of new animal drugs in cows slaughtered for food.  The Justice Department filed the suit on behalf of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The defendants have agreed to settle the litigation and be bound by a Consent Decree of Permanent Injunction that enjoins them from committing violations of the FDCA.   The proposed consent decree has been filed with the court and is awaiting judicial approval.

The government’s action results from a series of inspections of the Bonduel, Wis.-based livestock company, which revealed, according to the FDA, that the defendants failed to maintain treatment and sales records for their animals and that, in the previous year, they sold an animal for slaughter containing excessive and illegal antibiotic drug residues in its edible tissues.   The complaint also alleges that the defendants have dispensed prescription new animal drugs on more than one occasion without a lawful order from a veterinarian.

The complaint states that excess drug residues in animal tissues can harm consumers by causing allergic reactions and by contributing to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.   Both FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have warned the defendants that their conduct violates the FDCA.   Nonetheless, according to the complaint, the most recent FDA inspection, concluded in November 2011, documented the continuing nature of the defendants’ violations, and established their responsibility for the illegal drug residues found in edible tissue sampled by the USDA in January 2011.

The government’s complaint asserts that the defendants have introduced adulterated food into interstate commerce, caused new animal drugs to become misbranded and adulterated while held for sale after shipment in interstate commerce, and failed to comply with statutory and regulatory requirements concerning the extra-label use of new animal drugs.   The consent decree, to which the defendants agreed, requires that Dan Nolan Livestock cease operations and be allowed to resume its business only after it has documented to the FDA’s satisfaction that it has corrected all of the problems observed by the agency’s inspections and has instituted procedures to ensure that there will be no recurrence of those or any other violations that could present a threat to the consuming public.

“When farms fail to maintain appropriate controls concerning the medication of food-producing animals, they jeopardize the public health,” said Stuart F. Delery, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division.   “Today’s filing is intended to make certain that Dan Nolan Livestock will put in place the procedures and documentation necessary to help ensure that consumers receive safe foods for their family table.”

Mr. Delery thanked the FDA for referring the case to the Department of Justice.   Andrew Clark, of the Consumer Protection Branch, prosecuted the case together with Sonia Nath of FDA’s Office of the General Counsel.   The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin joined in the prosecution of the matter.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE JOINT COMMAND NEWS

Photo Credit:  U.S. Air Force
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Combined Force Seizes Explosives, Weapons Caches
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, June 26, 2012 – An Afghan-led, coalition-supported force seized two caches containing chemicals, weapons and improvised explosive device-making components in the Ab Band district of Ghazni province yesterday, military officials reported.

The first cache contained more than 3,300 pounds of chemicals used in the production of homemade explosives, officials said.

The second cache, officials said, contained 120 IED electronic control devices, 30 anti-personnel mines, and five IEDs. All of the materials were destroyed.

In other Afghanistan operations yesterday:
-- A combined force detained several suspected insurgents during a search for a senior Taliban leader in the Kajaki district of Helmand province. The wanted insurgent leader plans, directs and executes attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- A combined force-requested airstrike killed the insurgent leader, Musa -- also known as Baitullah and Qalam -- in the Waygal district of Nuristan province. Musa was associated with both al-Qaida and Taliban forces operating in the Waygal district.

-- A combined force detained one suspect carrying IED-making material in Ghazni province’s Andar district.

-- A combined force detained one suspect in Khowst province’s Khowst district.
-- A combined force detained three suspects in Logar province’s Muhammad Aghah district.

-- A combined force killed four insurgents during a firefight in the Giyan district of Paktika province.

-- Coalition forces killed one insurgent during a firefight engagement in Paktika province’s Bermal district.

-- A combined force discovered a cache containing small-arms ammunition in the Gardez district of Paktika province.

-- A combined force detained one insurgent in Paktika province’s Gardez district.
-- A combined force killed two insurgents during a firefight in Wardak province’s Sayyidabad district.

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON AT CLIMATE CLEAN AIR COALITION AND GREEN EMBASSY EVENT

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks at the Climate Clean Air Coalition and Green Embassy Event
Remarks Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State Helsinki, Finland
June 27, 2012
Thank you so much. I am absolutely delighted to be back in Helsinki and to have some time to visit about the issues that we are working on together, the challenges we are facing together, and I’m grateful to the Ambassador for his leadership. I personally want to thank Bruce and Cody for their enthusiastic expression of American interests and American values and their outreach to Fins everywhere. Because it’s not just about government-to-government, it is about people-to-people, and I’m extremely impressed by what they have done. And Bruce, this innovation building behind us is a perfect example of economic statecraft, of partnership, of innovation, and I’m excited about what you’re going to be able to accomplish there.

I want to thank the ministers for being here. Of course, I have had the chance to work with Alex before when he served in a different capacity. And I’ve heard that really terrible southern accent before, but the good spirit with which it is delivered has never failed to bring a smile to my face. And it has been very important to follow through on a lot of the good work that sustains itself between our two countries regardless of what government, what party, what individuals hold positions.

And I am so pleased to meet you, Minister. I have not had the chance to work with you before now, but I’m very grateful, because I know that you have been a good friend to the Embassy community here as we look for more ways to work together on the environment. And I greatly appreciated everything that you said, and I look forward to continuing this partnership with you. And since we’re on a first-named basis, Ville, I will look forward to hearing your southern British accent – (laughter) – on a future occasion.

This is an important announcement because, I think, as you heard, we have to continue to be creative as to how we move toward a sustainable environment and a sustainable economy. And I could not agree more with the ministers that they go hand in hand, and that’s really the message that the Ambassador has also been delivering. We’re looking for real solutions to real problems. And it’s absolutely true that we have to continue to work within the international community, the UN framework, because we have to bring the entire world with us. But it’s also true that on a national basis, and increasingly, on a regional and multilateral basis, we have to help lead the way for the world as well.

And that’s why it gives me great pleasure to officially welcome Finland as the newest partner of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition. This partnership was launched in February to reduce those short-lived climate pollutants, including the methane, black carbon, hydrofluorocarbons that are responsible for more than 30 percent of current global warming and have a disproportionate impact on the Arctic for a variety of reasons, but in particular because of the hastening of the melting of the ice.

Now because these pollutants are harmful to health and to agriculture, we can actually save and improve millions of lives and avoid the loss of millions of tons of crops by acting now. When I started this coalition back in February, it was both developed countries and developing, along with the United Nations’ UNEP, which has done some of the groundbreaking research about why these short-lived pollutants are so important in our fight against global warming. In just the last four months, it has tripled in size. We’ve increased our funding. We’re creating an advisory panel to ensure that coalition efforts are guided by cutting-edge science. And last week, at the sustainability conference, Rio+20, the coalition launched a new initiative to reduce methane and other pollutants from landfills. We have encouraged and enlisted mayors from several major world cities. We also have the World Bank on board, and other countries are joining. In fact, all of the G-8 countries recently signed up to the coalition at the last meeting.

But we’re not stopping there, because we formed this coalition for the purpose of taking action, and demonstrating globally that we can actually do things, that we can translate our concerns and our words into actions and results. In partnership with the UN Environment and Development Programs, the European Commission, and key private sector companies, we are co-hosting a conference in Bangkok this July to showcase new technologies that can drastically reduce the need for HFCs in refrigeration and air conditioning.

Here is a perfect example of the problem: As you have a growing middle class in countries like India and China, where the climate can often get very, very hot, you have an increasing demand for air conditioning. The increasing demand for air conditioning in turn puts more HFCs into the air, thereby creating more of a problem from the short-lived pollutants. So what we want to do is try to get ahead of this, not to tell people – certainly, we in the United States are in no position to tell people, “Look, you’ve lived without air conditioning for thousands of years; you can keep doing it for the sake of the climate.”
No, instead we want to say, “Look, as you have developed, as your incomes have risen, we know that you want to take advantage of air conditioning, but let’s see if we can find a way to do that that is more climate-friendly.” And that is part of the mission that we have in this new coalition.

We’re also working with countries and companies to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas production and black carbon from diesel emissions. I was recently in Norway, which also has just joined the coalition, and their state oil company, Statoil, has done research which shows that the leaking of gas from Russian pipelines is equivalent – the lost gas is equivalent to Norway’s entire production.

Now, you would think there would be both an economic reason, an energy reason, and a climate reason to try to become more efficient in the production of oil and gas, and we’re going to look for ways to do that.

Finland is such a leader in clean technology, including clean diesel, that we think Finland, in particular, has a great economic opportunity coming out of this coalition. Now let me be clear, the coalition on short-lived pollutants does not replace the crucial work we have to do on the broader range of climate change. We have to continue to look for ways to take on carbon dioxide emissions – and I guess I’ll keep talking until the rain goes. (Laughter.) Can we get everybody in back there who looks like they are trying to stay out of the weather, please? I mean, I think there’s room on the sides here. This is like coming late to church; you have to find room for everybody. (Laughter.)

So we do –Ville, we do have to stay focused on the next UN conference in Doha, and keep working toward and international agreement on carbon dioxide. Now for our part, the United States has not waited on either our own legislation or international agreements. We’ve already adopted fuel efficiency standards that will be among the most aggressive in the world, effectively doubling the miles per gallon of gas for cars in the U.S. by 2025. We’re reducing the government’s carbon footprint, and this innovation center is a perfect example of what our government is trying to do – I think this is a blessing. This is such a model of energy efficiency that we are working to achieve LEED platinum status. And we’ve even installed micro-wind turbines to provide electricity, and we’re using the highly efficient Finnish-designed heating and cooling system. And we’ve got Embassy vehicles that operate using diesel that are being upgraded to run on locally produced bio-diesel which will further reduce emissions by up to 50 percent. We’re switching the Embassy generators to bio-diesel as well, and all of our lighting will be converted to LEDs, which produce better light and use 80 percent less energy. So we’re reducing emissions and we’re also reducing costs.

We’re trying to do this around the world, and under Bruce’s leadership, the League of Green Embassies based right here in Helsinki is sort of spreading the word and spreading the best practices. So we’re doing a lot, and we have a lot to do, and I think it’s fair to say that having Finland as a partner really enhances the effectiveness of the coalition. And Finland’s leadership in sustainable development is a real model and I think, as Alex said, a great economic opportunity, because part of what we have to do is to continue to innovate, to create value-added products in order to retain a competitive edge in the global marketplace. And so Finland is demonstrating how we can make progress, improve lives, and fulfill our obligations to the planet.

So I’m excited to welcome you into this coalition, looking forward to working closely with you, and I think it’s fair to say that we see clean energy, clean tech as the future not only for Finland and for the United States, but really the future for the kind of world we’re trying to create.

So with that, I’m going to turn it back to you, Bruce, and maybe you could tell us about some of these light bulbs – (laughter) – while we stay out of the rain. (Applause.)

PRESIDENT OBAMA ALLOWS EXPORT-IMPORT BANK TO LOAN VIETNAM $125.8 MILLION

Photo:  Secretary of Defense Panetta Visits Vietnam.  Credit:  U.S. Navy.  
FROM:  U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
President Obama Signs Waiver Allowing Ex-Im Bank to
Move Forward with Export Financing for Vietnam Communications Satellite
Washington, D.C. --- The White House on Monday issued a Presidential Determination on Vietnam by President Barack Obama. The president’s action clears the way for the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) board of directors to move forward with a $125.8 million direct loan to Vietnam to support their purchase of a U.S.-manufactured telecommunications and television satellite.

The purchaser is the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group, a wholly state-owned company.
The president's action is required by a provision in the Ex-Im Bank Charter that mandates a determination by him that it is in the national interest for Ex-Im Bank to extend a loan of $50 million or more to a Marxist-Leninist country.

“I’m pleased that President Obama has given the board the authority to advance this loan application from Vietnam, which is one of the nine countries Ex-Im has identified as offering U.S. exporters the greatest sales opportunities,” said Fred P. Hochberg, chairman and president of Ex-Im. “We hope to support more U.S. companies’ exports to Vietnam, which in turn will support more American jobs.”

Ex-Im Bank transactions have been eligible for such presidential determinations since President Clinton determined on March 8, 1998 that it was in the national interest for Ex-Im Bank to do business with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

With the President Obama’s determination, the board will soon vote whether to refer the transaction to Congress for review and comment. After the expiration of a 35-day comment period the board would schedule a second and final vote. (Congress is notified of all Ex-Im transactions of $100 million or more so that Members may provide the Bank with comments for the Board to consider prior to a final vote.)

The Lockheed Martin Corporation is supplying U.S. equipment and services for the Vinasat II project. Ex-Im’s loan, if approved by the board of directors, will be secured by the full faith and credit sovereign guarantee of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
The proposed loan of $125.8 million will finance the export of goods and services valued at about $215 million.

U.S.-CUBA RELATIONS

Map Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Relations With Cuba
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
Fact Sheet
June 21, 2012
PROFILE
Cuba's authoritarian regime assumed power by force in 1959 and has severely restricted fundamental freedoms, repressed political opponents, and violated human rights. The United States imposed an embargo on Cuba in 1960 and broke diplomatic relations in 1961, following the Cuban Government's expropriation of U.S. properties and its move toward adoption of a one-party communist system.

U.S. policy toward Cuba is focused on encouraging democratic and economic reforms and increased respect for human rights on the part of the Cuban Government. The U.S. Government has taken steps to reach out to the Cuban people in support of their desire to freely determine their country’s future. Although Cuba is subject to U.S. trade sanctions, the United States remains Cuba’s second largest supplier of food. The United States is committed to supporting safe, orderly, and legal migration from Cuba through the effective implementation of the 1994-95 U.S.-Cuba Migration Accords.

U.S. Assistance to Cuba
U.S. programs in Cuba include humanitarian support to political prisoners and their families, human rights and democracy promotion, and facilitating the free flow of information to, from and within the island.

Bilateral Economic Relations
Remittances play an important role in Cuba's state-controlled economy, with much of that funding coming from families in the United States. In 2009, the United States announced the lifting of restrictions on family travel and remittances to Cuba, expanded the list of items eligible for humanitarian export to Cuba, and announced new regulations for U.S. telecommunications companies to expand the flow of information to Cuba. In 2011, the United States announced regulatory changes that increase purposeful travel including religious, cultural, educational, and people-to-people travel; expand the individuals and groups eligible to send and receive remittances; and allow all U.S. international airports to apply to provide charter services to Cuba (previously only three airports were authorized).

Travel to Cuba is restricted by U.S. regulations to licensed travelers engaged in a set of specified activities. All U.S. travel to Cuba must be licensed by the Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and must fall into one of 12 categories. Further information on the licensing process can be obtained from OFAC or at its website. Those contemplating a visit to Cuba should consult the consular information page about the country.

All exports to Cuba must be licensed by the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). Further information on exports to Cuba can be found at the BIS website.

Cuba's Membership in International Organizations
Cuba has an activist foreign policy and aims to find new sources of trade, aid, foreign investment, and political support, as well as to promote opposition to U.S. policy toward Cuba, in particular U.S. trade sanctions. Cuba and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. Cuba was readmitted to the Organization of American States in 2009 after having been expelled in 1962, but the country has refused to rejoin.

Geography
Area: 110,860 sq. km. (44,200 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than Pennsylvania.
Cities: Capital--Havana (pop. 2 million). Other major cities--Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey, Santa Clara, Holguin, Guantanamo, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Pinar del Rio.
Terrain: Flat or gently rolling plains, hills; mountains up to 2,000 meters (6,000 ft.) in the southeast.
Climate: Tropical, moderated by trade winds; hurricane season (August-November); dry season (November-April); rainy season (May-October).

People
Population (official 2010 statistics): 11.2 million; 76% urban, 24% rural.
Ethnic groups (official 2002 Cuba census): 65% white, 25% mixed, 10% black.
Language: Spanish. Literacy (25 years and older; Cuban Government sources)--99.8%.
Work force (5.07 million): Services (including education, health and social services)--42%; agriculture--19%; commerce and tourism--12%; industry--11%; transport, storage, and communications--6%; construction--5%; mining, electricity, gas and water--2%.

Government
Type: Totalitarian communist state; current government assumed power by force on January 1, 1959.
Independence: May 20, 1902.
Political party: Cuban Communist Party (PCC); only one party allowed.
Administrative subdivisions: 16 provinces, including the city of Havana, and one special municipality (Isle of Youth).

Economy
GDP (official 2010 statistics, based on constant 1997 prices): $51.01 billion.
Real annual growth rate: 3.2% (2001); 1.4% (2002); 3.8% (2003); 5.8% (2004); 11.2% (2005); 12.1% (2006); 7.3% (2007); 4.1% (2008); 1.4% (2009); 2.1% (2010).
GDP per capita income (2010 est., based on constant 1997 prices): $4,545.
Average monthly salary: $20.

Natural resources: Nickel, cobalt, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber, oil, natural gas.
Agriculture: Products--sugar, citrus and tropical fruits, tobacco, coffee, rice, beans, meat, vegetables.
Industry: Types--sugar and food processing, oil refining, cement, electric power, light consumer and industrial products, pharmaceutical and biotech products.

Trade: Exports (2009)--$2.88 billion f.o.b.: nickel/cobalt, oil and oil derivatives, pharmaceutical and biotech products, sugar and its byproducts, tobacco, seafood, citrus, tropical fruits, coffee. Major export markets (2009)--Venezuela $533 million (19%); China $517 million (18%); Canada $434 million (15%); Netherlands $237 million (8%); Spain $155 million (5%); Russia $88 million (3%); Brazil $69 million (2%); Netherlands Antilles $59 million (2%); France $45 million (2%); others $742 million (26%). Imports (2009)--$8.91 billion f.o.b.: petroleum, food, machinery, chemicals.Major import suppliers (2009)--Venezuela $2.6 billion (29%); China $1.17 billion (13%); Spain $753 billion (8%); United States $675 million (8%); Brazil $509 million (6%); Italy $324 million (4%); Mexico $303 million (3%); Canada $292 million (3%); Vietnam $276 million (3%); Germany $275 million (3%); others $1.7 billion (19%).
Cuba has two currencies in circulation: the peso (CUP), and the convertible peso (CUC), both of which are fixed by the government. The CUC is fixed at 1:1 with the U.S. dollar, and 24:1 with the Cuban peso (CUP). State enterprises, however, must exchange CUP and CUC at a 1:1 ratio, an artificial rate that hinders domestic fiscal accounting. The Cuban Government levies a penalty of 10% on CUC-U.S. dollar transactions.

Official statistics are available from the Cuban Office of National Statistics. For alternative statistics, see the Economist Intelligence Unit.

PEOPLE AND RELIGION
Cuba is a multiracial society with a population of mainly Spanish and African origins. Cuba was officially an atheist state from 1959 until a constitutional change in 1992 abolished atheism as the state creed and provided for the separation of church and state. At that time, the Communist Party also lifted its ban on members with religious beliefs. The largest organized religion is the Roman Catholic Church, but evangelical protestant denominations continue to grow rapidly. Baptists, Methodists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Pentecostal churches are some of the largest Protestant denominations. Afro-Cuban religions, a blend of native African religions and Roman Catholicism, are widely practiced. There are also small groups of Jews and Muslims. See the Department's report on international religious freedom for further information regarding religion in Cuba.

HISTORY
Spanish settlers established the raising of cattle, sugarcane, and tobacco as Cuba's primary economic pursuits. As the native Indian population died out, African slaves were imported to work the ranches and plantations. Slavery was abolished in 1886.

Cuba was the last major Spanish colony to gain independence, following a lengthy struggle begun in 1868. Jose Marti, Cuba's national hero, helped initiate the final push for independence in 1895. In 1898, the United States entered the conflict after the USS Maine sank in Havana Harbor on February 15 due to an explosion of undetermined origin. In December of that year, Spain relinquished control of Cuba to the United States with the Treaty of Paris. On May 20, 1902, the United States granted Cuba its independence but retained the right to intervene to preserve Cuban independence and stability in accordance with the Platt Amendment. In 1934, the Platt Amendment was repealed. The United States and Cuba concluded a Treaty of Relations in 1934 which, among other things, continued the 1903 agreements that leased the Guantanamo Bay naval base to the United States.

Independent Cuba was often ruled by authoritarian political and military figures who either obtained or remained in power by force. Fulgencio Batista, an army sergeant, organized a non-commissioned officer revolt in September 1933 and wielded significant power behind the scenes until he was elected president in 1940. Batista was voted out of office in 1944 and did not run in 1948. Both those elections were won by civilian political figures with the support of party organizations. Running for president again in 1952, Batista seized power in a bloodless coup 3 months before the election was to take place, suspended the balloting, and began ruling by decree. Many political figures and movements that wanted a return to the government according to the constitution of 1940 disputed Batista's undemocratic rule.

On July 26, 1953, Fidel Castro, who had been involved in increasingly violent political activity before Batista's coup, led a failed attack on the Moncada army barracks in Santiago de Cuba in which more than 100 died. After defending himself in a trial open to national and international media, he was convicted and jailed, and subsequently was freed in an act of clemency, before going into exile in Mexico. There he organized the "26th of July Movement" with the goal of overthrowing Batista, and the group sailed to Cuba on board the yacht Granma, landing in the eastern part of the island in December 1956.

Batista's dictatorial rule fueled increasing popular discontent and the rise of many active urban and rural resistance groups, a fertile political environment for Castro's 26th of July Movement. Faced with a corrupt and ineffective military--itself dispirited by a U.S. Government embargo on weapons sales to Cuba--and public indignation and revulsion at his brutality toward opponents, Batista fled on January 1, 1959. Although he had promised a return to constitutional rule and democratic elections along with social reforms, Castro used his control of the military to consolidate his power by repressing all dissent from his decisions, marginalizing other resistance figures, and imprisoning or executing thousands of opponents. An estimated 3,200 people were executed by the Cuban Government between 1959 and 1962 alone. As the revolution became more radical, hundreds of thousands of Cubans fled the island.

Castro declared Cuba a socialist state on April 16, 1961. For the next 30 years, Castro pursued close relations with the Soviet Union and worked to advance the geopolitical goals of the Soviet Union, funding and fomenting violent subversive and insurrectional activities and participating in foreign interventions until the demise of the U.S.S.R. in 1991.

Relations between the United States and Cuba deteriorated rapidly as the Cuban Government expropriated U.S. properties and moved toward adoption of a one-party communist system. In response, the United States imposed an embargo on Cuba in October 1960, and, in response to Castro's provocations, broke diplomatic relations on January 3, 1961. Tensions between the two governments peaked during the October 1962 missile crisis.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Cuba is a totalitarian communist state headed by General Raul Castro and a cadre of party loyalists. Castro replaced his brother Fidel Castro as chief of state, president of Cuba, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces on February 24, 2008. The first Communist Party Congress (CPC) since 1997 was held in April 2011, where Raul Castro was officially named first secretary of the Communist Party. He announced that 80-year-old Jose Ramon Machado Ventura would remain second-in-charge and Vice President Ramiro Valdes would remain as number three. The CPC also marked Fidel Castro’s formal resignation from official responsibilities within the party, although he will likely remain an important symbolic figure. Also proposed at the congress were two 5-year term limits for top party and government positions, but the party will not take up the issues of succession and its role in government again until January 2012, when it will hold a smaller party conference. The Cuban Government seeks to control most aspects of Cuban life through the Communist Party and its affiliated mass organizations, the government bureaucracy, and the state security apparatus. The Ministry of Interior is the principal organ of state security and control.

According to the Soviet-inspired Cuban constitution of 1976, the National Assembly and its Council of State have supreme authority. Since the National Assembly meets only twice a year for a few days each time, the 31-member Council of State wields power. A Council of Ministers, through its nine-member executive committee, handles the administration of the economy, which is state-controlled except for a small private market sector. Raul Castro is President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers, and Jose Ramon Machado Ventura serves as First Vice President of both bodies. In total, there are five Vice Presidents in the Council of State and seven in the Council of Ministers.

Although the constitution theoretically provides for independent courts, it explicitly subordinates them to the National Assembly and to the Council of State. The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body. Due process is routinely denied to Cuban citizens, particularly in cases involving political offenses. The constitution states that all legally recognized civil liberties can be denied to anyone who opposes the "decision of the Cuban people to build socialism."

The Communist Party is constitutionally recognized as Cuba's only legal political party. The party monopolizes all government positions, including the Council of State and judicial offices. Though not a formal requirement, party membership is a de facto prerequisite for high-level official positions and professional advancement in most areas. A small number of non-party members have been permitted by the controlling Communist authorities to serve in the National Assembly. The Communist Party through its front organizations approves candidates for all elected offices. Citizens do not have the right to change the government.

Human Rights
Cuba is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and sits on the UN Human Rights Council. In February 2008, Cuba signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, but has yet to ratify either document. In spite of this, Cuba places severe restrictions on many of the rights described in the UDHR and continues to engage in harassment, surveillance, arbitrary detention, and imprisonment of peaceful human rights activists and political opponents.

In 2010 and 2011, Cuba freed dozens of political prisoners, including those arrested during a crackdown in 2003 known as the “Black Spring.” Most of the releases were conditioned on the immediate departure of the prisoners for third countries, although a few have been allowed to remain in Cuba. Since the government does not allow international monitoring of its prisons and does not release information about the prison population, it is difficult to accurately count the number of political prisoners in Cuba. Estimates from human rights groups range from as low as 30 to more than 100. In addition, human rights groups have noted that while the number of political prisoners has decreased, the number of short-term detentions (typically aimed at disrupting planned civil society activities) increased significantly in 2010 and 2011.

The law subordinates freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly to the aim of building a “socialist society.” Criticism of national leaders can lead to imprisonment. The government maintains complete control over all forms of mass media, including newspapers, radio and television. The Communist Party, enshrined in the constitution as “the superior leading force of society and of the state,” determines content and editorial tone, resulting in almost complete uniformity across all broadcasts and publications. Independent journalists face censorship as well as detention and harassment by state security. Similarly, the government limits access to the Internet to a small number of professionals and party faithful and employs monitoring and blocking technologies to further restrict freedom. Cuba estimates that 14% of its population has access to the Internet; international estimates are lower, making Cuba among the least-wired countries in the world.

Authorities have used surveillance, short-term detentions, and state-organized mobs to interfere with unauthorized meetings and public demonstrations. Civil society groups have reported dozens of cases in which state security and police prevented or broke up meetings using house arrests, short-term detentions, and checkpoints around planned meeting sites. The government also continues to regularly employ organized mobs to humiliate opponents and interfere with peaceful assemblies. Although the government characterizes counter-demonstrations as spontaneous, participants arrive in government buses and openly coordinate with state security officials.

The government also restricts freedom of movement, both domestically and internationally. Cubans must obtain permission to change their place of residence and can be forcibly returned to their home province if they are illegally resident. This law is most commonly employed in the capital, where thousands of people reside illegally and at least dozens are returned to the provinces on a weekly basis.

For international travel to all destinations, Cubans must receive an exit permit. The Cuban Government routinely denies exit permits to political opponents and human rights activists. In addition to political opponents, the government will not grant an exit visa to some types of professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses, etc.) until they have worked in Cuba for a certain number of years after completing their education. In 2011, President Castro announced that travel restrictions would be loosened in the near future, but that restrictions would remain in place to prevent educated professionals and others from leaving the country.

The Cuban Government routinely violates international labor standards. The law does not allow workers to form and join independent unions of their choice. All unions must be recognized and affiliated with the Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC), or the Workers’ Central Union of Cuba, whose leaders are chosen by the Communist Party. The CTC's principal responsibility is to ensure that government production goals are met. It does not bargain collectively, promote worker rights, or protect the right to strike. The government harasses, detains, and has imprisoned leaders of unauthorized labor movements.

For additional information, see also the Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices for Cuba.

NATIONAL SECURITY
With the loss of Soviet-era subsidies in the early 1990s, Cuba's armed forces have shrunk considerably, both in terms of numbers and assets. Combined active duty troop strength for all three services is estimated at 50,000 to 55,000 personnel (compared to some 235,000 on active duty 10 years ago) and much of Cuba's weaponry appears to be in storage. Cuba's air force, once considered among the best equipped in Latin America, no longer merits that distinction, though it still possesses advanced aircraft and weapons systems; the navy has become primarily a coastal defense force with no blue water capability. The Cuban army is still one of the region's more formidable, but it also is much reduced and no longer has the considerable resources necessary to project power abroad. Exchanges and visits with foreign military allies like Russia, China, and Venezuela have become common over the past few years.

The military plays a dominant role in the economy, particularly in tourism, civil aviation, foreign trade, and retail operations. Cuba’s National Civil Defense, responsible for preparing for and responding to natural disasters and oil spills, is also under the Ministry of Armed Forces. The country's two paramilitary organizations, the Territorial Militia Troops and the Youth Labor Army, have a reduced training capability. Cuba also adopted a "war of the people" strategy that highlights the defensive nature of its capabilities. In this respect, and despite the drain on the country’s resources, the government has continued to hold national military drills in preparation for hypothetical military aggression from the United States. The government continues to maintain a large state security apparatus under the Ministry of Interior to repress dissent within Cuba.

ECONOMY
GDP Growth
Real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 2.1% in 2010, according to official statistics. However, Cuba uses a unique “social” method for calculating GDP which makes its figures impossible to compare with any other country in the world. The reported growth reflected a slight improvement on the 1.4% growth in 2009 and 1.9% growth the Cuban Government had forecast for 2010.

Economic Structure
The Cuban Government continues to adhere to socialist principles in organizing its state-controlled economy. Most of the means of production are owned and run by the government and, according to Cuban Government statistics, about 83% of the labor force is employed by the state. An additional 5% of the labor force is employed by cooperatives closely connected with the state. Only 12% of the labor force works in the private sector, including private farmers, artists, and 142,000 self-employed ("cuentapropistas"), representing less than 3% of the entire workforce. More than 60% of the workforce is employed in non-productive sectors.

ALASKA STATE MEDICAID AGENCY TO PAY U.S. HHS $1.7 MILLION TO SETTLE ALLEGED HIPAA PRIVACY VIOLATIONS

Map Credit:  Wikimedia.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Alaska Medicaid settles HIPAA security case for $1,700,000
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), the state Medicaid agency, has agreed to pay the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) $1,700,000 to settle possible violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule.  Alaska DHSS has also agreed to take corrective action to properly safeguard the electronic protected health information (ePHI) of their Medicaid beneficiaries.

The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) began its investigation following a breach report submitted by Alaska DHSS as required by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.  The report indicated that a portable electronic storage device (USB hard drive) possibly containing ePHI was stolen from the vehicle of a DHSS employee.  Over the course of the investigation, OCR found evidence that DHSS did not have adequate policies and procedures in place to safeguard ePHI.  Further, the evidence indicated that DHSS had not completed a risk analysis, implemented sufficient risk management measures, completed security training for its workforce members, implemented device and media controls, or addressed device and media encryption as required by the HIPAA Security Rule.

In addition to the $1,700,000 settlement, the agreement includes a corrective action plan that requires Alaska DHSS to review, revise, and maintain policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule.  A monitor will report back to OCR regularly on the state’s ongoing compliance efforts.

“Covered entities must perform a full and comprehensive risk assessment and have in place meaningful access controls to safeguard hardware and portable devices,” said OCR Director Leon Rodriguez.  “This is OCR’s first HIPAA enforcement action against a state agency and we expect organizations to comply with their obligations under these rules regardless of whether they are private or public entities.”

OCR enforces the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. The Privacy Rule gives individuals rights over their protected health information and sets rules and limits on who can look at and receive that health information. The Security Rule protects health information in electronic form by requiring entities covered by HIPAA to use physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to ensure that electronic protected health information remains private and secure.

The HITECH Breach Notification Rule requires covered entities to report an impermissible use or disclosure of protected health information, or a “breach,” of 500 individuals or more to the HHS Secretary Sebelius and the media.  Smaller breaches affecting less than 500 individuals must be reported to the secretary on an annual basis.

Individuals who believe that a covered entity has violated their (or someone else’s) health information privacy rights or committed another violation of the HIPAA Privacy or Security Rule may file a complaint with OCR at: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/index.html.

U.S. SOLDIERS WILL BE HEADING TO LONDON OLYMPICS

Photo:  Buckingham Palace, London, England.  Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Team USA loaded With Soldiers for London Olympic Games
By Tim Hipps
Army Installation Management Command
EUGENE, Ore., June 25, 2012 - The U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program will send what it describes as its strongest contingent of athletes and coaches ever to the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Eleven WCAP coaches and athletes have already qualified to participate. Several more are competing for spots on Team USA at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team trials here, which began June 21 and conclude July 1.

WCAP provides soldier-athletes the support and training needed to successfully compete in Olympic sports on the national and international levels, including the winter and summer Olympics, Pan American Games, world championships and Conseil International du Sport Militaire's Military World Games.

The soldier-athletes serve as ambassadors for the Army by promoting it to the world and assisting with recruiting and retention efforts. Since 1948, more than 600 soldiers have represented the United States as Olympic athletes and coaches. They have collected more than 140 medals in a variety of sports, including boxing, wrestling, rowing, shooting, bobsled and track and field.

WCAP wrestling head coach Shon Lewis, a retired staff sergeant who has led the Army to 11 national team titles in Greco-Roman wrestling, will lead three of his wrestlers to London as an assistant coach for Team USA.

As a WCAP athlete, Lewis, 45, of Oakland, Calif., is a 12-time armed forces champion and a 10-time national team member. He was named Greco-Roman Coach of the Year five times by USA Wrestling, the governing body for wrestling in the United States.
Two-time Olympian Sgt. 1st Class Dremiel Byers, 37, of Kings Mountain, N.C., will wrestle in the 120-kilogram/264.5-pound Greco-Roman division. A world champion in 2002, Byers, a 10-time national champion, is the only U.S. wrestler who has won gold, silver and bronze medals at the world championships. He also is the only American wrestler to win gold at both the open and military world championships.

Spc. Justin Lester is a strong medal contender in the 66-kilogram/145.5 pound Greco-Roman division. Lester, 28, a native of Akron, Ohio, heads to England as USA Wrestling's reigning Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year. A two-time bronze medalist at the world championships, Lester has more than ample motivation to succeed in London. "I've had two bronze medals, and they're all right, but I need an Olympic gold medal," he said. "That's eating at me more than anything, that I don't have that gold medal."
Two-time Olympian Sgt. Spenser Mango, 25, of St. Louis, will compete in the 55-kilogram/121-pound Greco-Roman class. A four-time national champion, Mango is eager to return to the Olympics. "The first time, I'll admit, I was surprised myself," Mango recalled of his Olympic debut in Beijing. "I knew I could do it, but I hadn't done it yet. This time, it's all business – need to bring home some medals. I've wrestled almost all the top guys in the world in my weight class. I know what I need to do – just get out there and really get after it."

Four-time Olympian Sgt. 1st Class Daryl Szarenski, 44, of Saginaw, Mich., will compete in both the 50-meter free pistol and 10-meter air pistol. He struck gold with the air pistol and silver with the free pistol at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.  Szarenski finished 13th at the Olympics in Athens, Greece, in 2004 and 13th in Beijing in 2008. He's aiming for a shot at the podium in London."I'm hoping to keep wearing them down and get in there and get a medal out of it," Szarenski said. "I think the training regimen that I have now is a lot better than what it was in the past. I've changed a couple technical issues and I think I'm heading in the right direction. I feel that I'm shooting the best now that I've ever shot."

Two-time Olympian Sgt. 1st Class Keith Sanderson, 37, of San Antonio, will compete in the 25-meter rapid-fire pistol event. He set an Olympic record during the qualification rounds in Beijing but left China without a medal. He hopes to improve upon that fifth-place result in London.  "I remember the excitement," Sanderson said. "That was more than I was ready for. It's faded a little bit, but I remember it was awesome. It was more than I could control. I'm looking forward to feeling that again. ... It was something that words can't describe, and to this day, words can't describe it. I didn't sleep for two or three days after I competed – not a wink – from all of the adrenalin."
Four-time Olympian Maj. David Johnson, 48, of Hampton, Va., has coached three athletes to Olympic medals and led shooters to 25 medals in World Cup events. He will again coach Team USA's rifle shooters in London.

Two-time Olympian Staff Sgt. John Nunn, 34, of Evansville, Ind., already qualified for the 50-meter race walk and might attempt to qualify in the 20-kilometer race walk on June 30 at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials in Eugene, Ore.   Nunn competed in the 20-kilometer event at the 2004 Olympics in Athens but did not make Team USA for the 2008 Beijing Games. His personal best in the 20K race walk is 1 hour, 22 minutes, 31 seconds.

Spc. Dennis Bowsher, 29, of Dallas, will compete in modern pentathlon, a five-sport event that includes fencing, swimming, equestrian show jumping, cross country and laser pistol shooting all in the same day. Bowsher finished fourth in both the 2011 Military World Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, where he secured an Olympic berth.

Staff Sgt. Charles Leverette, 39, of Brent, Ala., will serve as Team USA's assistant boxing coach in London. A former WCAP heavyweight boxer, Leverette was a bronze medalist at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team Trials.

Staff Sgt. Joe Guzman, 32, of Eloy, Ariz., will serve as the trainer and help work the corners for Team USA's boxers in London. As a WCAP boxer, Guzman was a three-time armed forces champion.

Four-time Olympian Basheer Abdullah, a retired staff sergeant and head coach of the WCAP boxing team from St. Louis, will serve as Team USA's head boxing coach in London. He also led the U.S. boxing team in the 2004 Athens Games and served as a technical advisor for Team USA at the Olympics in 2000 and 2008.
Several other WCAP soldiers are vying for Olympic berths at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team trials here.

WCAP also features a Paralympic program for wounded warriors and expects to qualify at least one soldier for the London Paralympic Games. Sights are set on qualifying several more for the 2014 Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia, and the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

MILITARY COOPERATION IN AFRICA

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Army Major General David R. Hogg , center, commander of U.S. Army Africa, and Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces Lt. Col. A.B. Conteh inspect Sierra Leone troops during a deployment ceremony, May 20, 2012. U.S. Army Africa photo.   

Signs of Military Professionalism, Cooperation On Rise in Africa
By Donna Miles
STUTTGART, Germany, June 26, 2012 – Dotting the African continent are promising examples of the capable, professional military forces U.S. Africa Command is working to promote.

As Tunisia spawned what became known as the Arab Spring in December 2010, its military opposed then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s order to use force against the pro-democracy protesters who ultimately brought down his regime.

The Ugandan army has become a professional force and plays a key role in advancing regional peace and security, conducting humanitarian operations at home while contributing thousands of troops to counterterrorism and peacekeeping efforts in neighboring Somalia.

Uganda is also among four African nations -- also including South Sudan, Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo -- that have come together to fight the Lord’s Resistance Army, one of Africa’s most violent and persistent rebel groups which has brutalized civilians in the region for a quarter-century.

Meanwhile, Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti are contributing forces under the banner of the African Union Mission in Somalia, or AMISOM, to help Somalia deal with the al-Shabab terrorist organization that threatens its transitional government.

And in Liberia -- a nation long wracked by civil war and instability -- the military once discredited as the puppet of former president and convicted war criminal Charles Taylor has become a respected organization under the direction of the democratically elected civilian leadership.

Officials at Africom, the United States’ newest combatant command focused on Africa, see these and other developments as a sign of positive trends they’re helping to shape on the continent.

Strengthening the defense capabilities of African countries and encouraging them to work together to confront common security threats and challenges has been a cornerstone of Africom’s work since its standup in 2008.

Africom has been instrumental in supporting other promising developments, Army Maj. Gen. Charles J. Hooper, Africom’s director of strategy, plans and programs, told American Forces Press Service. “We see increasing trends toward democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights,” he said. “And I think Africom has played a very positive role in supporting those trends.”

Hooper pointed to the role U.S. military advisors and mentors have played in rebuilding the Armed Forces of Liberia through a five-year, State-Department funded Africom program known as Operation Onward Liberty. For the past two years, Marine Forces Africa has led the joint Marine-Army-Air Force effort aimed at helping professionalize the Liberian military and ensuring it's able to defend the country’s borders and come to the aid of its neighbors if needed.

“This small training and education mission [is] focused on developing a cohesive Liberian armed force,” said Hooper. “I saw our Operation Onward Liberty mentors assisting them in everything from [establishing] a fair military justice system and teaching the military police to serve, to working in the clinics, all the way to assisting the young soldiers in the Liberian army who volunteered and started an elementary school on their base,” he said.

Particularly encouraging, he said, was the Liberian military’s new focus on internal development. Engineering units, for example, were using their equipment to build roads and rebuild infrastructure ravaged during years of civil war.

Hooper said he was impressed by the Liberian force that has emerged. “What I saw there was a Liberian military that had a renewed faith in itself, a renewed enthusiasm about being a force for good in its country and serving the people,” he said.
Michael Casciaro, Africom’s security cooperation programs division chief, reported similar promise in Uganda, where the command is providing training and equipment to build capability and capacity.

Casciaro said he received favorable feedback about the transformation taking place in the Ugandan military from the unlikeliest of sources: an opposition leader. “What he told us was, ‘I see the difference in Americans operating in my country… I see the impact of Americans working with the Ugandans because now they … go out and do humanitarian things for their own country, and are being used in a different way,’” Casciaro said.

In 2007, Uganda stepped up to support the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, followed by Burundi; both remain today as the primary troop-contributing nations. “A major objective of ours has been to prepare Africans to go into Somalia to create stability,” Casciaro said. “And [the African militaries] have been instrumental in clearing a prominent terrorist group out of Mogadishu,” a first step toward expanding the effort north to regain control of the country.

Army Brig. Gen. Arnold Gordon-Bray, Africom’s deputy operations director, called the mission in Somalia “one of the best examples of Africans helping themselves that we are involved in.”

The African Union established its African Union Mission to Somalia with a clear vision that a failed Somalia would impact the entire continent, Bray said.

“This collective grouping is epitomizing what Africom is able to do, working with the State Department, working with other international partners, working by, with and through African partners to bring stability,” he said. “It is a great mission. It is symbolic of all the great things we are trying to do.”

A full range of peacekeeping training and instruction falls under the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance, a program funded and managed by the U.S. State Department. It is designed to improve African militaries’ capabilities by providing selected training and equipment required to execute multinational peace support operations. U.S. military trainers play a supporting role, providing mentorship and specialized instruction in areas such as bomb detection or deployment logistics.

Army Gen. Carter F. Ham, the Africom commander, told Congress earlier this year he’s also encouraged by “an increasingly collaborative approach” among African nations standing together against al-Shabab. As they rallied to Somalia’s aid, the U.S. State Department responded to their requests for help in training and equipping those forces so they would be able to deploy to conduct their operations.

Ham called this effort a model of what U.S. Africa Command is all about: a command able to tap into the full range of U.S. government capabilities to help African nations better provide for their own security.

“And it is starting now to have significant benefit… We are seeing those African forces being more and more successful against al-Shabab each and every day,” he said. “This is one example of how building partner capacity really yields a decisive result in Africa,” he said.

Ham cited similar success in helping Africans in their fight against the Lord’s Resistance Army.

U.S. Special Forces advisors working with the four nations on the ground “are having a very positive effect,” he told the House Armed Services Committee in February. “We’re assisting in intelligence fusion, in facilitating long-range communications, logistics operations to sustain forces in the field for long periods of time and increased intelligence collection.”

“So I’m optimistic,” he told the House panel. “But I’m not yet to the point where we see the end in sight.”

The result, Ham said, is fulfillment of Africom’s goal of enabling Africans to solve African problems.

“If that is successful -- and I believe the trend line is pretty good right now -- that means that’s an area where the United States would not have to commit sizable forces to address a security situation,” Ham told the House panel. “And that’s really what we’re trying to do. That’s the essence of building partner capability in this collaborative approach with state and defense.”

ESA Portal - Belgium - Français - L’espace au service des “douceurs” belges

ESA Portal - Belgium - Français - L’espace au service des “douceurs” belges

U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER SPEAKS ON PROTECTING CIVIL RIGHTS

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Protecting Civil Rights Symposium Boston ~ Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Thank you, Carmen, for those kind words; for your outstanding leadership as United States Attorney, and as a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee; and for all that you and your staff have done to bring us together to discuss – and to address – some of the most critical civil rights issues facing our nation.

It’s a pleasure to be back in Boston – and a privilege to join with so many friends, colleagues, attorneys, advocates, military service members, law enforcement officials, and community leaders in exploring strategies for taking our collective work to a new level.   I’d particularly like to thank Theodore Landsmark – along with my friend, Cheryl Brown Henderson – for lending their voices to this important dialogue.   And I’d like to thank each of our expert panelists and breakout session leaders for sharing their unique perspectives with us today.

This symposium presents a chance to reflect upon the progress that’s been made in recent years to honor our country’s most basic principles – of inclusion, opportunity, equal treatment, and fair representation.   It’s also an important opportunity to consider the work that’s currently underway – here in Boston and across the country – and to seek out innovative strategies for building on the record of achievement that many of you have helped to establish.

I especially am proud of the work that Carmen and her team are leading.   With the creation of the Civil Rights Enforcement Team, this office has strengthened its ability to identify, and respond to, civil rights violations in every corner of this Commonwealth.   Especially over the past three years, you’ve led the way in protecting the citizens we are privileged to serve, and in promoting tolerance and fairness.   And you’ve called on your partners – in both the public and private sectors – to remember that, for all that’s been done throughout our history to expand core rights, freedoms, and opportunities to include people of color, women, LGBT individuals, and so many others – our nation still has more to do, and further to go.   Taking the next steps forward – and carrying this legacy of progress into the future – is up to each and every one of us.

This enduring message was shared – on this very date, nearly half a century ago – by one of this state’s favorite sons, and my most famous predecessor, Robert Kennedy – when he testified before a House of Representatives committee on the urgency of passing the Civil Rights Act of 1963.   In an age defined by sit-ins and marches – as Americans of all races and backgrounds came together, to confront grave dangers and to overturn an unjust status quo – Attorney General Kennedy assured Congressional leaders that, already, much had been done to help secure civil rights for all.   “But,” he said, “much more must be done – both because the American people are clearly demanding it and because, by any moral standard, it is right.”

Although exactly 49 years have passed since the day these words were spoken, they remain as relevant – and as true – as ever.   Here in Boston, and all across our country, it’s impossible to ignore the growing concerns from citizens who feel – often for the first time in their lives – that the hard-won progress of the Civil Rights era has come under renewed threat.   Even in America’s most vibrant cities, too many neighborhoods continue to be afflicted by the same disparities, divisions, and problems that – decades ago – so many struggled, sacrificed, fought, and even died to address.

During my time as a prosecutor, judge, Deputy Attorney General, and now Attorney General, I’ve seen all too clearly that the sacred ideal of “liberty and justice for all” has yet to be fully realized.   And one need only look at the Justice Department’s ongoing – and expanding – civil rights enforcement efforts to see how vital this work continues to be – even today, in 2012.

Over the last three years – under the outstanding leadership of Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez – our Civil Rights Division has been busier than ever.   We’ve led the way in combating bias, intimidation, and violence – filing more criminal civil rights cases than ever before, including record numbers of police misconduct, hate crimes, and human trafficking cases.  We’ve engaged with attorneys, investigators, and federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners to promote and ensure the highest standards of integrity and professionalism across our nation’s law enforcement community.    And we’ve established a remarkable record of achievement in ensuring that the rights of all Americans are protected – in our workplaces and military bases; in our housing and lending markets; in our schools and places of worship; in our voting booths and our immigrant communities.

I know that many of you – along with the rest of the nation – have been closely following the case that led to yesterday’s decision, by the Supreme Court, to strike down major provisions of an Arizona law that would have effectively criminalized unlawful status in that state.   While I’m pleased that the Court confirmed the serious constitutional questions we raised about this law, I do remain concerned about the law’s potential impact – and, specifically, about the requirement for law enforcement officials to verify the immigration status of any person lawfully stopped or detained when they have reason to suspect that the person is here unlawfully.   Above all, I want to assure communities – in Arizona and around the country – that the Department of Justice will continue to vigorously enforce federal prohibitions against racial and ethnic discrimination.  We are committed – as President Obama stated yesterday – to “uphold[ing] our tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.”   And we’ll continue to take every possibly step – and utilize every available resource – to prevent and combat any and all forms of discrimination.

One area where we’ve already proven this is in our efforts to ensure fairness in our housing and lending markets.  By developing groundbreaking initiatives – and dedicating new resources – we’re combating predatory and discriminatory practices like never before.   We’re working to promote fair lending and treatment for all borrowers, and have established important protections for communities of color, military service members and veterans, and other vulnerable populations that – too often – have been targeted and victimized.   In fact, just last year, the Civil Rights Division’s Fair Lending Unit settled or filed a record number of cases – including the largest fair lending settlement in history, totaling more than $330 million – to hold financial institutions accountable for discriminating against African and Hispanic Americans.

Beyond these efforts, the Department has taken decisive action to prevent and combat hate crimes, utilizing a range of new tools and authorities to investigate and prosecute them.   Last year alone, we obtained more convictions for defendants charged with hate crimes than any other year in more than a decade.   Over the past three fiscal years, we prosecuted 35 percent more hate crime cases than during the preceding three-year period.   And thanks to new protections included in the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act – which President Obama signed into law in 2009 – we’ve strengthened our ability to achieve justice on behalf of all those who are victimized simply because of who they are – including those who are targeted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

In conjunction with these efforts, the Department also has enhanced our collaboration with a wide range of allies – including federal agencies like the Department of Education – to coordinate significant, Administration-wide initiatives to combat bullying.   By forging partnerships with educators, school administrators, community leaders, faith-based organizations, researchers, and law enforcement officials, we are exploring new ways to reach out to students who feel unsafe or have been victimized.   And we are working to engage entire communities in promoting healthy environments for all of our nation’s young people.

At the same time, we’re dedicated to working harder than ever to combat the despicable practice of human trafficking.   As a result of the anti-trafficking training programs that the Justice Department has helped to create – and thanks to our reinvigorated partnerships with state, local, and international authorities – we’ve seen record numbers of human trafficking cases over the last three years, including a rise of more than 30 percent in the number of forced labor and adult sex trafficking prosecutions.   These successes have sent a strong message, and a clear warning – that those who commit these offenses will be stopped; they will be held accountable; and they will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

In this work, and in all of our daily efforts, the men and women serving in our Civil Rights Division – and in our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide – are driven by three guiding principles in their enforcement efforts: the need to expand opportunity and access for every citizen; to ensure the effective infrastructure of our democracy; and to safeguard the most vulnerable among us from violence, exploitation, and discrimination.   I am proud of all that the Department has done to honor and extend the legacy of achievement that our predecessors have established.   Nowhere is this more clear than in our work to safeguard the single most fundamental, and most powerful, right of American citizenship: the right to vote .

Over the last 18 months, we’ve seen an alarming rise in voting-related measures at the state level, some of which could make it extremely difficult for many eligible voters to cast ballots this year.   In response, the Justice Department has initiated careful, thorough, and independent reviews of a number of these proposed changes – examining redistricting plans in certain jurisdictions, as well as early voting procedures, photo identification requirements, and changes affecting third party registration organizations – in order to guard against disenfranchisement and to ensure compliance with critical laws like the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In addition to our enforcement of this important measure , we’re also working hand-in-hand with several jurisdictions – through outreach and education – to ensure consistent compliance with its provisions.   We’re vigorously defending its constitutionality in court.   And we’re fighting to protect the voting rights of Americans living abroad, citizens with disabilities, language minorities, and U.S. service members and veterans.   During the 2010 election cycle, the Civil Rights Division obtained court orders, court-approved consent decrees, or out-of-court agreements in 14 jurisdictions, which ensured that thousands of military and overseas voters had the opportunity to vote and to have that vote counted.  And in just the past four months, we've filed three different lawsuits – in Alabama, Wisconsin, and California – to protect the voting rights of service members and overseas citizens.

As we build on these vital efforts – and all of the Civil Rights Division’s essential work – I believe it’s clear – despite the fiscal constraints and nearly unprecedented budgetary challenges we face – that the Justice Department’s commitment to protecting the rights and freedoms of every citizen has never been stronger.   For me – both personally and professionally – our record of achievement is a source of great pride.   But I also recognize that, for all that we’ve accomplished, we cannot yet be satisfied.

Of course, all of you are here today because you already know what we’re up against – and you understand what’s at stake.    So, as you move through this program, I ask that you remember Robert Kennedy’s enduring words, and bear in mind that – although no one can doubt that we’ve come a long way together – the struggle for civil rights is far from over.   Our nation’s journey is not yet complete.   And the responsibility to carry these efforts into the future now rests with each of us.

Thank you, once again, for your ongoing commitment to this work.   I look forward to where you must – and will – help to lead this great nation from here.

HEDGE FUND MANAGER IN CIVIL CONTEMPT FOR FAILING TO PAY MORE THAN $12 MILLION IN DISGORGEMENT

FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
June 25, 2012
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) announces that on June 20, 2012, an Order Finding Defendants In Civil Contempt was issued by a judge in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against defendants Lawrence R. Goldfarb (“Goldfarb”) and Baystar Capital Management, LLC (“Baystar Capital”) in the proceeding entitledSecurities and Exchange Commission v. Lawrence R. Goldfarb, et. al, Case No. C-11-00938-WHA. The Order found that defendants failed to pay disgorgement in compliance with the provisions of a Final Judgment entered against them on March 16, 2011 and furthermore failed to demonstrate that they reasonably attempted to comply with their disgorgement obligations.

Previously, on March 1, 2011, the Commission filed a Complaint against investment advisers Goldfarb and Baystar Capital alleging that they violated Sections 206(1) and 206(2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 by engaging in a fraudulent scheme with respect to their funds [15 U.S.C. §§ 80b-6(1), (2)]. The Complaint also alleged that Goldfarb and Baystar Capital made material misstatements and omissions, and engaged in a fraudulent scheme, with respect to investors in a pooled investment vehicle in violation of Sections 206(4) and Rule 206(4)-8 of the Advisers Act [15 U.S.C. § 80b-6(4); 17 C.F.R. § 275.206(4)-8]. These violations were based upon allegations that defendants took $12 million in proceeds from an investment under their management and misappropriated those proceeds for their own use, rather than distributing those proceeds to investors.

At the same time that it filed the Complaint, the Commission also filed the written Consents of Goldfarb and of Baystar Capital to the entry of a Final Judgment against them. Without admitting or denying the Complaint’s allegations, defendants agreed, among other things, to pay $12,112,416 in disgorgement and $1,967,371 in prejudgment interest to the court’s registry within 365 days of entry of the Final Judgment. Defendants also agreed to make four progress payments, including a $1.025 million payment due within 180 days of entry of the Final Judgment. Defendants eventually made three progress payments totaling $80,000 in disgorgement, but failed to make the $1.025 million progress payment or the final payment.

In April 2012, the Commission filed an Application with the Court for an order for defendants to show cause why they should not be found in civil contempt of the Final Judgment.

In its Order dated June 20, 2012, the Court found that the defendants were in breach of the Final Judgment by failing to pay the disgorgement amounts ordered. The Court also found that defendants had failed to establish a good faith effort to fulfill their disgorgement obligations because, among other things, they used available funds for large personal expenses such as courtside seats to Golden State Warriors games, charters of aircraft for personal trips, Goldfarb’s mortgage payment and numerous personal vacations, rather than to pay disgorgement.

In the Order, the Court also approved the appointment of a receiver over defendants’ assets and reaffirmed its prior order limiting Goldfarb’s monthly spending.

U.S.-MEXICO RELATIONS

Map Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Relations With Mexico
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
Fact Sheet
June 25, 2012
U.S. relations with Mexico are important and complex. The two countries share a 2,000-mile border, and relations between the two have a direct impact on the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans--whether the issue is trade and economic reform, homeland security, drug control, migration, or the environment. The U.S. and Mexico, along with Canada, are partners in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and enjoy a broad and expanding trade relationship. Through the North American Leaders’ Summits, the United States, Canada, and Mexico cooperate to improve North American competitiveness, ensure the safety of their citizens, and promote clean energy and a healthy environment. The three nations also cooperate on hemispheric and global challenges, such as managing transborder infectious diseases and seeking greater integration to respond to challenges of transnational organized crime.

U.S. relations with Mexico are important and complex. U.S. relations with Mexico have a direct impact on the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans – whether the issue is trade and economic reform, homeland security drug control, migration, or the environment. The scope of U.S.-Mexican relations is broad and goes beyond diplomatic and official contacts. It entails extensive commercial, cultural, and educational ties, with over 1.25 billion dollars worth of two-way trade and roughly one million legal border crossings each day. In addition, a million American citizens live in Mexico and approximately 10 million Americans visit Mexico every year. More than 18,000 companies with U.S. investment have operations in Mexico, and U.S. companies have invested $145 billion in Mexico since 2000.

Cooperation between the United States and Mexico along the 2,000-mile common border includes state and local problem-solving mechanisms; transportation planning; and institutions to address resource, environment and health issues. Presidents Obama and Calderon created a high level Executive Steering Committee for 21st Century Border Management in 2010 to spur advancements in creating a modern, secure, and efficient border. The multi-agency U.S.-Mexico Binational Group on Bridges and Border Crossings meets twice yearly to improve the efficiency of existing crossings and coordinate planning for new ones. The ten U.S. and Mexican border states are active participants in these meetings. Chaired by U.S. and Mexican consuls, Border Liaison Mechanisms operate in "sister city" pairs and have proven to be an effective means of dealing with a variety of local issues including border infrastructure, accidental violation of sovereignty by law enforcement officials, charges of mistreatment of foreign nationals, and cooperation in public health matters.

The United States and Mexico have a long history of cooperation on environmental and natural resource issues, particularly in the border area, where there are serious environmental problems caused by rapid population growth, urbanization, and industrialization. Cooperative activities between the U.S. and Mexico take place under a number of arrangements such as the International Boundary and Water Commission; the La Paz Agreement, the U.S.-Mexico Border 2012/2020 Program; the North American Development Bank and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission; the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation; the Border Health Commission; and a variety of other agreements that address border health, wildlife and migratory birds, national parks, forests, and marine and atmospheric resources. The International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, is an international organization responsible for managing a wide variety of water resource and boundary preservation issues.

The two countries also have cooperated on telecommunications services in the border area for more than 50 years. There are 39 bilateral agreements that govern shared use of the radio spectrum. When the United States completed the transition to digital television in 2009, a high percentage of Mexican border cities did the same, well ahead of Mexico’s deadline to complete the transition by 2021. Recent border agreements also cover mobile broadband services, including smartphones, and similar devices. The High Level Consultative Commission on Telecommunications continues to serve as the primary bilateral arena for both governments to promote growth in the sector and to ensure compatible services in the border area. The United States and Mexico have also signed an agreement to improve cross-border public security communications in the border area.

U.S. Cooperation with Mexico
The Merida Initiative is an unprecedented partnership between the United States and Mexico to fight organized crime and associated violence while furthering respect for human rights and the rule of law. Since 2010, our Merida Initiative cooperation has been organized under four strategic pillars. The first pillar aims to disrupt the capacity of organized crime to operate by capturing criminal groups and their leaders and reducing their revenues through better investigations, successful prosecutions, and shipment interdictions. The initiative’s second pillar focuses on enhancing the capacity of Mexico’s government and institutions to sustain the rule of law. The Merida Initiative’s third pillar aims to improve border management to facilitate legitimate trade and movement of people while thwarting the flow of drugs, arms, and cash. Finally, the fourth pillar seeks to build strong and resilient communities.

U.S. cooperation with Mexico under the Merida Initiative directly supports programs to help Mexico train its police forces in modern investigative techniques, promote a culture of lawfulness, and implement key justice reforms. Merida Initiative assistance also supports Mexico's efforts to reform its judicial sector and professionalize its police forces reflect its commitment to promote the rule of law and build strong law enforcement institutions to counter the threat posed by organized crime. The U.S. Congress has appropriated $1.9 billion for the Merida Initiative since it began.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs support Mexican efforts to address key challenges to improving citizen security and well-being, with program approaches specifically geared to the U.S.-Mexico relationship. Programs under the Merida Initiative develop and test models to mitigate the community-level impact of crime and violence, and support Mexico’s implementation of criminal justice constitutional reforms that protect citizens’ rights. Additional USAID programs support Mexico’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to enhancing economic competitiveness to improve citizens’ lives.

Bilateral Economic Relations
Mexico is the United States’ second-largest export market (after Canada) and third-largest trading partner (after Canada and China). Mexico's exports rely heavily on supplying the U.S. market, but the country has also sought to diversify its export destinations. Nearly 80 percent of Mexico’s exports in 2011 went to the United States. In 2011, Mexico was the second-largest supplier of oil to the United States. Top U.S. exports to Mexico include mechanical machinery, electronic equipment, motor vehicle parts, mineral fuels and oils, and plastics. Trade matters are generally settled through direct negotiations between the two countries or addressed via World Trade Organization or NAFTA formal dispute settlement procedures.

Mexican investment in the United States has grown by over 35 percent the past five years. It is the seventh fastest growing investor country in the United States.

Mexico is a major recipient of remittances, sent mostly from Mexicans in the United States. Remittances are a major source of foreign currency, totaling over $22.73 billion in 2011. Most remittances are used for immediate consumption -- food, housing, health care, education -- but some collective remittances, sent from Mexican migrants in the U.S. to their community of origin, are used for shared projects and infrastructure improvements under Mexico’s 3 for 1 program that matches contributions with federal, state and local funds.

Mexico is making progress in its intellectual property rights enforcement efforts, although piracy and counterfeiting rates remain high. Mexico appeared on the Watch List in the 2012 Special 301 report. The U.S. continues to work with the Mexican Government to implement its commitment to improving intellectual property protection.

Mexico's Membership in International Organizations
Mexico is a strong supporter of the United Nations (UN) and Organization of American States (OAS) systems, and hosted the G-20 Leaders’ Summit in June 2012. Mexico and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the UN, OAS, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, G-20, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB), and World Trade Organization (WTO). In January 2012, Mexico became a member of the Wassenaar Arrangement, a multilateral export control regime for conventional arms and dual-use goods.

SEC. PANETTA'S COMMENTS AT U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE WARRIOR PRECOGNITION CEREMONY

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Presenter: Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta June 25, 2012
Remarks by Defense Secretary Panetta at the Defense Department and U.S. Olympic Committee Warrior Recognition Ceremony
            SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON E. PANETTA: Thanks very much.  (Applause.)
            Thanks very much, Charlie. And thanks for your leadership and thanks for your guidance and thanks for your dedication.

            It's -- this is a remarkable program, and it obviously reflects your commitment to everything that is good about America.

            Ray Odierno, Mike Donley, General Schwartz, all of the guests that are here, ladies and gentlemen, it is for me a real pleasure to have the opportunity to be with you today, and especially to be with our warrior athletes and with their families.
            It's an honor for me to be able to celebrate the remarkable achievements that all of you have done -- and also to celebrate your resilience.

            I can't tell you -- I cannot tell you how much you inspire us with your courage, with your determination, with your athletic prowess, with your physical strength, it's an incredible inspiration.

            These men and women who overcome immense odds to suddenly come out and compete in these games represents I believe the strength, the integrity, the character of many American service members who have persevered -- persevered in the face of huge challenges, challenges that they've had to recover from the wounds of war. Their stories represent the fighting spirit of the brave men and women who serve on the front lines around the world.

            Take for example, Navy Lieutenant Brad Snyder who's with us here today. While serving as a bomb disposal technician in Afghanistan last year, he was blinded by an IED explosion. But Brad was determined to not let the loss of his sight stop him.
            Last month, he competed in the Warrior Games winning a total of seven gold medals. Including three in track -- (Applause.)

            Seven gold medals, three in track, four in swimming. And at last week's U.S. Paralympic swimming trials, Brad won all five events he competed in and set a new world best time for vision impaired athletes in both the 100 meter and the 400 meter freestyle.  (Applause.)

            When Brad steps up to the blocks in London on September 7th to compete in the Paralympic games, it will be one year to the day since his injury.

            Brad, we're all in awe of your determination and your personal spirit, and all of us are going to be cheering your success in London. God bless you.  (Applause.)

            His story -- his story is an example of what I see when I visit our wounded warriors at medical centers around the world. And I'll be visiting Brooke Hospital in Texas this week, on Wednesday. Many of these brave men and women have incurred horrible wounds, faced lengthy recoveries, but I never fail -- never fail to come away from all of those visits inspired and motivated by their grit and by their spirit. Nothing -- absolutely nothing will stop them.

            I often meet these extraordinary young men and women just days after they've been wounded in battle. In that acute phase of recovery, I know that it's hard for some to imagine ever competing for an athletic event. And yet the will -- the sheer guts to overcome the wounds, to overcome the obstacles that face these warrior athletes, their determination to return to a new normal is not just inspiring. It is nothing short of a miracle -- a miracle of emotional and physical and mental strength.

            We owe it to you to never forget your service and your sacrifice. For all of the members of this next generation who return home with the wounds of war, the department is fully committed to helping them return to service or to transition to civilian life.

            The American people and communities throughout our nation must be partners in this effort, and they are. I'd like to take just a moment to thank some of those who make these Warrior Games possible, particularly the United States Olympic committee that puts on these games. I'd also like to thank the United Services Organization, the Fisher House Foundation, the Bob Woodruff Foundation, the Semper Fi Fund, and the team Semper Fi Army Homefront Fund for their efforts on behalf of our warriors here today and their families.

            In the past decade of war, we've learned a lot about treating our wounded warriors -- including the value of sports, or competition, of recreation, in strengthening minds and in strengthening bodies.

            And I'm glad that with the support of these organizations and those here today, we're able to provide access to world class coaches, mentors, facilities, and a growing network of adaptive sports experts.

            We owe these brave young people no less than the very best. As a nation -- as a nation we are truly blessed by the men and women in uniform who are willing to put their lives on the line to protect this country.

            We have sent a very clear message to our enemies that no one -- no one -- attacks the United States of America and gets away with it -- no one. And you, our wounded warriors, have sent an equally tough message to our enemies: You can wound me, and you can hurt me, but you can never take my life, my spirit or my hope away.

            What all of you are doing together is a powerful miracle that shows us the triumph of the great American spirit that makes our country and makes our military the strongest on Earth.

4 MINE COUNTERMEASURE SHIPS ARRIVE IN BAHRAIN

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
Tugboats pull the mine counter measure ship USS Devastator (MCM 6) into position as Devastator and three other mine counter measure ships arrived in Bahrain. Devastator is assigned to Commander, Task Force 52, supporting mine countermeasure operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jayme Pastoric (Released) 120623-N-XD935-134