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2013-05-27 Southeast Asia

The Hits Keep on Coming - US State Department Corruption

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Posted by Lone Ranger 2013-05-27 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 Putting a face to a name:

Michael T Sestak --- Left

I. M. Sleestak --- Right

Please do not confuse the two images, but there does seem to be a family resemblance.

Posted by One Eyed Clunk8833 2013-05-27 09:38|| 2013-05-27 09:38|| Front Page Top

#2 Corruption and intimidation seem to be the government themes recently. I wonder what our founding fathers would have said about large and powerful central governments....

Posted by DarthVader 2013-05-27 09:47|| 2013-05-27 09:47|| Front Page Top

#3 Here's a clue for governments....

Immigration is worth a lot of money.

Auction the right to live and the right to work, and give it out as a dividend.

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2013-05-27 11:48|| 2013-05-27 11:48|| Front Page Top

#4 Selling Visa's is common. Its usually a low level guy. Our entire immigration program is a train wreck from policy on down to implementation.

Posted by 49 Pan 2013-05-27 12:04|| 2013-05-27 12:04|| Front Page Top

#5 Hmm, wonder if he's any relation to Joe Sestak?

Posted by Mitch H. 2013-05-27 15:27|| http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/ 2013-05-27 15:27|| Front Page Top

#6 Sestak would have been one of the top few deputies of Mr. Le, the Consular General in HCMC. Le should be fired for lousy oversight. The thousands of Visas granted by this guy need to be re-examined; thousands more denials re-examined; and the moneys paid to Sestak should be returned to the cheated applicants. Further, the VN government should prosecute this 'director of a multinational company' along with his minions and toss them in jail to break rocks and coconuts for 30 years.

Posted by Goober Snearong3716 2013-05-27 16:10|| 2013-05-27 16:10|| Front Page Top

#7 To both Goober and Brilliant Pebbles:

Y'all _do_ realize that the sorts of people in VN who can pay $ 50-70K for a visa are likely members of the ~~aristocracy~~ Party of the Vanguard Of the Proletariat and their relatives who miraculously always come out on top in the shiny new capitalist system, right?

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2013-05-27 16:34|| 2013-05-27 16:34|| Front Page Top

#8 They're _happy_ with a system where they can emigrate if they want to but the serfs are fucked.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2013-05-27 16:35|| 2013-05-27 16:35|| Front Page Top

#9 "Y'all _do_ realize that the sorts of people in VN who can pay $ 50-70K for a visa are likely members of the aristocracy Party of the Vanguard ..."

In my experience, this is NOT the case. The folks paying the $50K are likely taking loans from family members to pay the fixer or being trafficked/smuggled. The party big wigs, while they may have the $$$, also likely need approval of the GOV to even apply for a visa let alone actually use it to leave the country. Usually applies to the family also. Loyalty to the party and all that ya know.

Posted by Bangkok Billy 2013-05-27 17:42|| 2013-05-27 17:42|| Front Page Top

#10 You're probably right.

My general point still stands: I wouldn't trust their government to be honest or just, and since it runs their economy, more or less, I wouldn't expect that to be honest or just either.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2013-05-27 20:10|| 2013-05-27 20:10|| Front Page Top