[Mb-civic] another happy bolton underling

[Mike Blaxill]

Just a note - people at DailyKos, where this was
posted by "amyindallas", are worried that this
might be a GOP dirty trick. Here's hoping that
Barbara Boxer has better vetting skills than Dan
Rather...

--- Barbara Siomos <barbarasiomos38 at msn.com>
wrote:

> I/We have been protesting this nomination, but
> will pass this on to others as well.
> 
> peace,
> barbara
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike Blaxill
> Sent: Fri, 15 Apr 2005 10:20:21 -0700
> To: mb-civic at islandlists.com
> Subject: [Mb-civic] another happy bolton
> underling
> 
> Letter to Congress from a fromer US AID
> employee
> 
> Dear Sir:
> 
> I'm writing to urge you to consider blocking in
> committee the nomination of John Bolton as
> ambassador to the UN.
> 
> In the late summer of 1994, I worked as the
> subcontracted leader of a US AID project in
> Kyrgyzstan officially awarded to a HUB primary
> contractor. My own employer was Black,
> Manafort,
> Stone & Kelly, and I reported directly to
> Republican leader Charlie Black.
> 
> After months of incompetence, poor contract
> performance, inadequate in-country funding, and
> a
> general lack of interest or support in our work
> from the prime contractor, I was forced to make
> US AID officials aware of the prime
> contractor's
> poor performance.
> 
> I flew from Kyrgyzstan to Moscow to meet with
> other Black Manafort employees who were leading
> or subcontracted to other US AID projects.
> While
> there, I met with US AID officials and
> expressed
> my concerns about the project -- chief among
> them, the prime contractor's inability to keep
> enough cash in country to allow us to pay
> bills,
> which directly resulted in armed threats by
> Kyrgyz contractors to me and my staff.
> 
> Within hours of sending a letter to US AID
> officials outlining my concerns, I met John
> Bolton, whom the prime contractor hired as
> legal
> counsel to represent them to US AID. And, so,
> within hours of dispatching that letter, my
> hell
> began.
> 
> Mr. Bolton proceeded to chase me through the
> halls of a Russian hotel -- throwing things at
> me, shoving threatening letters under my door
> and, generally, behaving like a madman. For
> nearly two weeks, while I awaited fresh
> direction
> from my company and from US AID, John Bolton
> hounded me in such an appalling way that I
> eventually retreated to my hotel room and
> stayed
> there. Mr. Bolton, of course, then routinely
> visited me there to pound on the door and shout
> threats.
> 
> When US AID asked me to return to Bishkek,
> Kyrgyzstan in advance of assuming leadership of
> a
> project in Kazakstan, I returned to my project
> to
> find that John Bolton had proceeded me by two
> days. Why? To meet with every other AID team
> leader as well as US foreign-service officials
> in
> Bishkek, claiming that I was under
> investigation
> for misuse of funds and likely was facing jail
> time. As US AID can confirm, nothing was
> further
> from the truth.
> 
> He indicated to key employees of or contractors
> to State that, based on his discussions with
> investigatory officials, I was headed for
> federal
> prison and, if they refused to cooperate with
> either him or the prime contractor's
> replacement
> team leader, they, too, would find themselves
> the
> subjects of federal investigation. As a further
> aside, he made unconscionable comments about my
> weight, my wardrobe and, with a couple of team
> leaders, my sexuality, hinting that I was a
> lesbian (for the record, I'm not).
> 
> When I resurfaced in Kyrgyzstan, I learned that
> he had done such a convincing job of smearing
> me
> that it took me weeks -- with the direct
> intervention of US AID officials -- to limit
> the
> damage. In fact, it was only US AID's
> appoinment
> of me as a project leader in Almaty, Kazakstan
> that largely put paid to the rumors Mr. Bolton
> maliciously circulated.
> 
> As a maligned whistleblower, I've learned
> firsthand the lengths Mr. Bolton will go to
> accomplish any goal he sets for himself. Truth
> flew out the window. Decency flew out the
> window.
> In his bid to smear me and promote the
> interests
> of his client, he went straight for the low
> road
> and stayed there.
> 
> John Bolton put me through hell -- and he did
> everything he could to intimidate, malign and
> threaten not just me, but anybody unwilling to
> go
> along with his version of events. His behavior
> back in 1994 wasn't just unforgivable, it was
> pathological.
> 
> I cannot believe that this is a man being
> seriously considered for any diplomatic
> position,
> let alone such a critical posting to the UN.
> Others you may call before your committee will
> be
> able to speak better to his stated dislike for
> and objection to stated UN goals. I write you
> to
> speak about the very character of the man.
> 
> It took me years to get over Mr. Bolton's
> actions
> in that Moscow hotel in 1994, his intensely
> personal attacks and his shocking attempts to
> malign my character.
> 
> I urge you from the bottom of my heart to use
> your ability to block Mr. Bolton's nomination
> in
> committee.
> 
> Respectfully yours,
> 
> Melody Townsel
> Dallas, TX 75208
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Mb-civic mailing list
> Mb-civic at islandlists.com
>
http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-civic
> 
>