On Friday U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spearheaded a ministerial session of officials and leaders from within Africa to discuss ongoing issues and policy priorities from the perspective of the U.S.   [Speech Video and Transcript]

[Transcript] SECRETARY TILLERSON: Thank you. And good morning, everyone. It really is my honor to welcome all of you to the State Department this morning.
And we are grateful to see so many friends and partners here in the United States, and appreciate you traveling to be with us today for this event.
I have been very eager to host this ministerial meeting to bring together leaders from the continent to address our shared goals and, as I was sharing with the chairman of the African Union yesterday evening, I have not had the chance during my time as Secretary of State to travel to the continent.
(more…)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday that permitting elephants from Zimbabwe and Zambia to be brought back as trophies will raise money for conservation programs in the region.  President Trump has put that decision on hold:

No-one outside Africa wants to see elephants hunted.  Local poachers are killing thousands of elephants.  The goal of the Wildlife Service conservation effort is to increase the live value of elephants which are currently being killed by locals.
Elephants are endangered.  In the aggregate current conservation approaches are not working, except in areas where they are viewed as having high value to the community.
If elephants are not valued as a financial commodity by the locals, they have no disposition/incentive not to kill them. The goal of conservation is to increase the value of individual elephants to the local community, more valuable than the poaching value, thereby protecting ALL OF THEM from human slaughter. –Elephant Census Report–
(more…)

Speaking today at the Bill and Melinda Gates sponsored “Grand Challenges” meeting, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson outlines the Trump administration position on U.S. aid and humanitarian relief.

“We must view foreign aid as a means to an end, not an end unto itself. A country’s prosperity and security is best sustained from within, not through foreign aid. There can be no greater measure of success than witnessing a country able to stand on its own two feet.” ~ Secretary Tillerson

[Transcript] SECRETARY TILLERSON: Good afternoon. And thank you so much, Harry, for that very kind introduction.
The work and commitment of the Bill and Melinda – of Bill and Melinda Gates and the Gates Foundation that they have undertaken across a range of humanitarian initiatives have had an extraordinary impact on eradicating diseases and improving health outcomes for people the world over. And I offer my thanks once again, as I have thanked them in the past, to Bill and Melinda both for this life-long passion and commitment – much of which I have seen up close and personal. And I certainly am thankful for what they have done to help so many.
(more…)

Today Secretary of State Rex Tillerson highlighted events over the past six months.  T-Rex takes another stroll around the globe discussing regional policy, specific state policy, and ongoing challenges.  Secretary Tillerson then takes questions from the media at the conclusion of his remarks.
Very informative. Very well worth watching (T-Rex Begins at 03:40):

.
[*Note* We’ll capture and share transcript as soon as possible.]
(more…)

How dare he.  Just, well, how dare he.  That’s the takeaway sense you get when you review the New York Times framing of a two hour ‘on-the-record’ interview with Donald Trump referencing a world-view and foreign policy outlook.
It is refreshing, and it is bizarre we can even use the word “refreshing“, to see an American candidate for the American Presidency, say their goal is to actually put America-first in all policy decisions.
It’s not protectionism, it’s patriotism.
It’s not isolationism, it’s common sense.
Almost all of Europe and most of Asia are capable of spending Trillions of dollars on their infrastructure, Airports, bullet-trains, high-speed rail, bridges, ‘Chunnels’, and the list goes on…. quite simply because they don’t spend much on their own national defense, and prefer to hide behind our military apron when needed.
To pay for this enomorus international military/police force, and overly generous commitment, we, in turn, put ourselves into debt and can’t spend on our own domestic needs.   This is not international economic theory, it’s a reality – and for the first time in decades a politician is saying enough is enough.   Charity begins at home!
(more…)

Today the African Union, representing the entire African Continent, held a ceremony to honor the thousands of Africans who have died at sea trying to reach Europe.  Attendance was, well, um…

(source)
There’s an irony here, a painful truth, for those who wish to admit it. (more…)

We often say ‘we accept the world as it is rather than as we wish it to be’. Because to do anything else only creates frustration from projecting our own perspectives, dreams, wishes and hopes into a situation that may not -heck, often doesn’t- evolve to provide a better outcome.
Today, Susan Rice delivered a speech outlining the Obama administration’s 2015 National Security Strategy. The full 35pg pdf. is available here and below is the introduction by President Obama himself.

(more…)

AFRICA – The current Ebola outbreak in West Africa is distinctly different from any over the last 40 years, several public health officials said Monday, making it far more challenging to control.

As of Friday, 3,944 people had been confirmed infected with Ebola in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal since December, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which has admitted that it is likely under-counting cases. More than half of the victims have died.
The epidemic is growing exponentially in both Liberia and Sierra Leone, and a WHO doctor was evacuated from Sierra Leone Monday after coming down with the virus, the organization said Monday. The WHO declined to release any details about the sick doctor. (more…)

Last night in Washington DC the mandatory Mooch Obama school nutrition standard was set aside as our rulers dined on something a little more, well, exotic:

But don’t worry, in the event the unwashed peasants had any difficulty understanding how the .0000001% live on taxpayer financed opulence, head grifter in charge -Valerie Jarrett- was there to broadcast descriptions of the magnificence to the lesser class:

The great @LionelRichie is bringing down the [white] house! #USAfricaSummit pic.twitter.com/ulDR3jTIRg
— Valerie Jarrett (@vj44) August 6, 2014

And before anybody says anything like “they’re tone deaf“, let me assure you the Alinsky clan is NOT.   This crew know exactly what they are broadcasting – and that knot you feel is specifically and antagonistically intended to “burn”.  Their visceral response to your outward anxiety is laughter. (more…)

BREAKING NEWS: Ebola forces Liberia to shut border crossings  (link)

*NOTE*  Did Dr. Kent Brantly’s family anticipate the border closure ? (see article below)

BOONE, N.C. (AP) — A second American aid worker has tested positive for the Ebola virus at the same hospital in Liberia where an American doctor became infected while helping to combat an outbreak of the deadly disease, a relief group official said Sunday.
Ken Isaacs, a vice president of Samaritan’s Purse, told The Associated Press that Dr. Kent Brantly — the 33-year-old medical director for the group’s Ebola care center on the outskirts of the Liberian capital of Monrovia — was stable and in very serious condition.

“We are hopeful and prayerful,” Isaacs told AP by telephone from the group headquarters in Boone, North Carolina. He said the doctor quickly recognized the symptoms and sought speedy treatment.
Isaacs identified the second American, Nancy Writebol, as a worker with an allied aid group SIM, or Serving in Mission, which runs the hospital where Samaritan’s Purse has an Ebola care center on the grounds. He said she was in stable and serious condition.
(more…)