Centcom Inflitrated by Bimbo Muslim Shills?
The U.S. military's Central Command, aka "Centcom," has been infiltrated by bimbos who act as shills for Muslim Middle East governments. Reacting at first skeptically to this claim, my thinking cap began to pulsate until the real problem with Jill Kelley (remember her?) and her twin sister - both of whom lead socially active lives in high circles - finally dawned on me. Before we get to that, in fairness to the lovely Khawam sisters (Kelley's birth name) who originally hail from Lebanon, let's take a deep breath and pause before we're guilty of accusing these people of being bimbo Muslim shills, as some media reports have claimed.
Khawam-Kelley hit the headlines when she claimed claimed to have received threatening e-mails from a woman later identified as the mistress of General David Petraeus, leading to his resignation from military command. (Starting to remember now?) She's identified as a "Florida socialite" whose activities involving "social gatherings" in the Tampa neighborhood where Centcom is located caused her to be named, according to her Wiki listing, "Honorary Ambassador to United States Central Command's Coalition Forces." And as a result of her complaints about government snooping into her private e-mails, the New York Times dubbed her "An Apostle for Privacy." No kidding.
You can read more about her yourself if you're interested in her rather wide-ranging activities not only hosting social gatherings in Tampa, but in other parts of the world where her social skills are apparently in great demand. In fairness, let's reserve judgement about what motivates her involvement in these high circles, as well as whether she does indeed represent Middle East interests who try to influence the American military and government. If you do, you may conclude, as did I, there's a lesson or two for us little people who live our lives outside of the powerful circles in which Ms. Khawam-Kelley thrives.
First, know your host or hostess, especially when invited to gatherings that offer pleasures in rich surroundings. Okay, so maybe you don't get invited to these sorts of affairs. But lots of government officials, which apparently includes a general or two, or three, do. Shouldn't they wonder who is trying to influence them and why? From what I've learned, too few do wonder.
Second, even if not invited to events within the circles of the rich and powerful, it behooves all of us to be aware of potential conflicts of interest in our business and personal lives. For example, while wining and dining is a time-honored method of getting business, it seems to me you should be careful that such efforts don't devolve into outright bribes or - even worse - blackmail. For example, I work with vendors who offer different levels of prizes and perks depending on the type and amount of business you bestow upon them. Because my business requires a high degree of objectivity in recommending a course of action to clients, I decided a while back to simply refuse things like tickets, expensive meals, and such from people with whom I do business who are in a position to benefit from my largess, even if their efforts are well-meaning. And, yes, I realize that in other parts of the world bribes are simply how business is conducted. But it remains illegal to offer or accept bribes in the U.S. and I prefer it stays that way.
Of course, I realize I'm being naive here. People offer and accept influence that can cross over into bribes all the time, even here in America the Beautiful. That's okay. I'd prefer keeping my distance from all that. That's my personal choice. Then again, when it involves other countries' governments, may I suggest that those involved in relations with foreign governments be held to a standard much higher than what one observes in researching the activities of people like Khawam-Kelley? And the same ought to hold for relations between private interests here in the States and our government - as in the activities of lobbyists who have bought and sold our representatives and officials many times over to wield undue influence over the legislative and executive branches of our government.
Frankly, I kind of like the idea that we Americans have and - at least for some of us - continue to eschew the political conniving and intrigues of Europe and the Orient. It's something our Founders warned about, this unnecessary and unnatural involvement with foreign powers. As for private interests wining and dining public officials, shouldn't it be obvious that it's unacceptable behavior?
Well, I guess I'll just stick to my own policy and say "No thanks" - although that offer of a three-day junket to a Caribbean island for placing my business with "Company X" was kind of tempting.
Khawam-Kelley hit the headlines when she claimed claimed to have received threatening e-mails from a woman later identified as the mistress of General David Petraeus, leading to his resignation from military command. (Starting to remember now?) She's identified as a "Florida socialite" whose activities involving "social gatherings" in the Tampa neighborhood where Centcom is located caused her to be named, according to her Wiki listing, "Honorary Ambassador to United States Central Command's Coalition Forces." And as a result of her complaints about government snooping into her private e-mails, the New York Times dubbed her "An Apostle for Privacy." No kidding.
You can read more about her yourself if you're interested in her rather wide-ranging activities not only hosting social gatherings in Tampa, but in other parts of the world where her social skills are apparently in great demand. In fairness, let's reserve judgement about what motivates her involvement in these high circles, as well as whether she does indeed represent Middle East interests who try to influence the American military and government. If you do, you may conclude, as did I, there's a lesson or two for us little people who live our lives outside of the powerful circles in which Ms. Khawam-Kelley thrives.
First, know your host or hostess, especially when invited to gatherings that offer pleasures in rich surroundings. Okay, so maybe you don't get invited to these sorts of affairs. But lots of government officials, which apparently includes a general or two, or three, do. Shouldn't they wonder who is trying to influence them and why? From what I've learned, too few do wonder.
Second, even if not invited to events within the circles of the rich and powerful, it behooves all of us to be aware of potential conflicts of interest in our business and personal lives. For example, while wining and dining is a time-honored method of getting business, it seems to me you should be careful that such efforts don't devolve into outright bribes or - even worse - blackmail. For example, I work with vendors who offer different levels of prizes and perks depending on the type and amount of business you bestow upon them. Because my business requires a high degree of objectivity in recommending a course of action to clients, I decided a while back to simply refuse things like tickets, expensive meals, and such from people with whom I do business who are in a position to benefit from my largess, even if their efforts are well-meaning. And, yes, I realize that in other parts of the world bribes are simply how business is conducted. But it remains illegal to offer or accept bribes in the U.S. and I prefer it stays that way.
Of course, I realize I'm being naive here. People offer and accept influence that can cross over into bribes all the time, even here in America the Beautiful. That's okay. I'd prefer keeping my distance from all that. That's my personal choice. Then again, when it involves other countries' governments, may I suggest that those involved in relations with foreign governments be held to a standard much higher than what one observes in researching the activities of people like Khawam-Kelley? And the same ought to hold for relations between private interests here in the States and our government - as in the activities of lobbyists who have bought and sold our representatives and officials many times over to wield undue influence over the legislative and executive branches of our government.
Frankly, I kind of like the idea that we Americans have and - at least for some of us - continue to eschew the political conniving and intrigues of Europe and the Orient. It's something our Founders warned about, this unnecessary and unnatural involvement with foreign powers. As for private interests wining and dining public officials, shouldn't it be obvious that it's unacceptable behavior?
Well, I guess I'll just stick to my own policy and say "No thanks" - although that offer of a three-day junket to a Caribbean island for placing my business with "Company X" was kind of tempting.
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