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"Washington Notes" is MPAC's weekly round-up of Washington, DC news and events that impact the American Muslim community. By highlighting Congressional hearings and policy forums, MPAC connects you directly with the Senate, House of Representatives, think-tanks, organizations, and federal agencies. We monitor important conversations on Islam and Muslims in order to enhance the role of American Muslims in the future of our nation. We invite you to do the same...
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The House and Senate are currently not in session.
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May 30, 2006
WHITE HOUSE WELCOMES IRAQ AMBASSADOR TO U.S.
"I'm confident in the future of liberty in Iraq because I believe the people of Iraq want to live in a free society. And although there's been some very difficult times for the Iraqi people, I am impressed by the courage of the leadership, impressed by the determination of the people, and want to assure you, sir, that the United States stands ready to help the Iraqi democracy succeed." - President George W. Bush
SEE: "President Bush Welcomes Iraq's Ambassador to the United States" (White House, 5/30/06)
"...Sumaydi has a hard-earned appreciation of the difficult challenges faced by the U.S. military. As a former interior minister, he tried to battle both Sunni insurgents as well as shady Shiite militias, who operated both inside and outside the Interior Ministry. He also knows that the militia problem has not gone away." - US News and World Report
SEE ALSO: "Ambassador from Iraq knows firsthand of trouble in Haditha" (US News and World Report, 5/31/06)
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May 31, 2006
US CHANGES POLICY, WILL ENGAGE WITH IRAN
"To underscore our commitment to a diplomatic solution and to enhance the prospects for success, as soon as Iran fully and verifiably suspends its enrichment and reprocessing activities, the United States will come to the table with our EU-3 colleagues and meet with Iran's representatives.
"We will continue to work with our international partners to end the proliferation trade globally, to bar all proliferators from international financial resources, and to end support for terror. We also intend to work with our friends and allies to strengthen their defensive capacity, counterproliferation and counterterrorism efforts, and energy security capabilities. Those measures present no threat to a peaceful Iran with a transparent, purely civil nuclear energy program, but provide essential protection for the United States, our friends and allies if the Iranian regime chooses the wrong path." - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
SEE: "Statement by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" (State Department, 5/31/06)
"The American goal is to get an agreement on a Security Council resolution this week, for possible approval in June. Also being negotiated are a package of benefits in nuclear energy, economic activities and security to be offered Iran if it cooperates in ending its nuclear activities." - New York Times
SEE ALSO: "Rice Proposes Path to Talks With Iran on Nuclear Issue" (New York Times, 5/31/06)
SEE ALSO: "U.S. Will Join Talks With Iran If Enrichment Ends" (Bloomberg, 5/31/06)
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May 30, 2006
PAULSON NOMINATED TREASURY SECRETARY AFTER SNOW'S RESIGNATION
"For the past three years, Secretary John Snow has shown strong leadership in carrying out these responsibilities. John answered the call to public service in a time of uncertainty for our economy, and under his leadership, we have seen a broad and vigorous economic resurgence.
"When he's confirmed by the Senate, Hank will build on John's fine work. He takes this new post at a hopeful time for American businesses and workers. The American economy is powerful, productive and prosperous, and I look forward to working with Hank Paulison to keep it that way. As Treasury Secretary, Hank will be my principal advisor on the broad range of domestic and international economic issues that affect the well-being of all Americans. Hank shares my philosophy that the economy prospers when we trust the American people to save, spend and invest their money as they see fit." - President George W. Bush
SEE: "President Bush Nominates Henry Paulson as Treasury Secretary" (White House, 5/30/06)
"The selection of Mr. Paulson, chairman and chief executive of Goldman Sachs, is a significant departure from Mr. Bush's initial reluctance to bring prominent Wall Street executives into his administration. And it was a rare break from Mr. Bush's tendency to select his most senior aides from within an inner circle of trusted advisers." - New York Times
SEE ALSO: "Bush Selects Goldman Chief to Take Over Treasury Dept" (New York Times, 5/30/06)
SEE ALSO: "Statement of Treasury Secretary John W. Snow on Resignation" (Department of Treasury, 5/30/06)
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May 31, 2006
JUSTICES LOWER SHIELD IN FRONT OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE WHISTLEBLOWERS
"A divided Supreme Court said that free-speech rights do not shield government employees -- even proclaimed whistleblowers reporting wrongdoing -- from punishment for comments made on the job. 'When public employees make statements pursuant to their official duties, the employees are not speaking as citizens' protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution, the court ruled in a 5-4 vote.
"Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., the high court's newest jurist, cast the tie-breaking vote for the majority that said government employers 'need a significant degree of control over their employees' words and actions; without it, there would be little chance for efficient provision of public services.'
"'Public employees are still citizens while they are in office. The notion that there is a categorical difference between speaking as a citizen and speaking in the course of one's employment is wrong,' Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote." - Washington Times
SEE: "Justices Ease Whistleblower Protections" (Washington Times, 5/31/06)
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May 30, 2006
SNIPER FOUND GUILTY ON SIX COUNTS
"A jury convicted sniper John Allan Muhammad on six counts of first-degree murder, holding him accountable for six slayings in Montgomery County. State's Attorney Douglas F. Gansler said later that prosecutors will ask that Muhammad, who was convicted in Virginia in 2003 and is on that state's death row, be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"Lee Boyd Malvo's testimony set the trial apart from the Virginia prosecutions. Malvo, 21, testified that he expected no leniency in exchange for his plea and was cooperating with prosecutors because he wanted to help the victims' families and to confront Muhammad." - Washington Post
SEE: "Muhammad Found Guilty on All Counts" (Washington Post, 5/31/06)
"John Allen Muhammad, wild-eyed and sometimes shouting in his closing argument, said Friday that he had been framed for the Washington, D.C.-area sniper slayings, alleging faked evidence ranging from DNA and ballistic tests to maps on his laptop computer that marked shooting scenes with skull-and-crossbones icons." - Seattle Times
SEE: "Muhammad Shouts His Finale as Sniper Case Grinds to End" (Seattle Times, 5/27/06)
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June 1, 2006
RIOTS IN PARIS AGAIN
"Small gangs of youths pelted riot police with rocks and set cars and garbage bins ablaze late Tuesday in a second night of unrest in the Paris suburbs, raising fears of a return of the disturbances that inflamed 300 French towns and suburbs last fall.
"The violence of the last two nights -- in which youths attacked police cars, government buildings and riot police -- was sparked in part by mounting resentment toward the mayor of the northeastern Paris suburb of Montfermeil, who in recent weeks imposed a law prohibiting 15- to 18-year-olds from gathering in groups of more than three and requiring anyone under 16 to be accompanied by an adult on city streets after 8 p.m.
"At the same time, police allege crime has increased in poor suburban neighborhoods and frustration with the government has continued to fester." - Washington Post
SEE: "Clashes in Paris Suburbs Recall Riots of Fall" (Washington Post, 6/1/06)
May 27, 2006
HADITHA RAMPAGE
"According to eyewitnesses and local officials interviewed over the past 10 weeks, the civilians who died in Haditha on Nov. 19 were killed not by a roadside bomb but by the Marines themselves, who went on a rampage in the village after the attack, killing 15 unarmed Iraqis in their homes, including seven women and three children.
"According to military officials, the inquiry acknowledged that, contrary to the military's initial report, the 15 civilians killed on Nov. 19 died at the hands of the Marines, not the insurgents.
"... the military's own reconstruction of events and the accounts of town residents interviewed by TIME--including six whose family members were killed that day--paint a picture of a devastatingly violent response by a group of U.S. troops who had lost one of their own to a deadly insurgent attack and believed they were under fire. TIME obtained a videotape that purports to show the aftermath of the Marines' assault and provides graphic documentation of its human toll. What happened in Haditha is a reminder of the horrors faced by civilians caught in the middle of war--and what war can do to the people who fight it."
SEE: "One Morning in Haditha" (Time, 3/27/06)
SEE ALSO: "In Haditha, Memories of a Massacre" (Washingtonpost.com, 5/27/06)
SEE ALSO: "Bush Promises to Disclose Haditha Findings" (ABC News, 6/1/06)
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