A Touch of Culture Shock

I believe culture shock is inevitable.

Even if a place is awesome, there comes a time in your tour when it hits you. Usually they estimate it hits at about six months, although I had a boss who once told me he liked three year tours because for the first year, you are stupid, the second year, they are stupid, and the last year, everyone is just who they are.

It didn't wait six months to hit me in Jerusalem. It took about two.

And I expected it to hit me here.

But it hasn't...or hadn't. And still hasn't hit in the way I expected.

I love it here. I still love it here. I love everything about it.

Except...

It is summer...and it isn't summer.

And I am a southern girl.

I like heat. I want to be in short sleeves outside. Most days so far, the best I can manage is a short sleeve shirt with a light fleece.

So I am a little homesick. All my friends are headed to the beach, particularly my favorite beach (Folly Beach in SC). And it is 90 degrees there.

And barely 60 here.

I thought the winter would bother me...turns out, it is summer I really want.

Ambassador Polt: It Gets Better

Here is the "It Gets Better" video by my boss, Ambassador Michael Polt.

How awesome is my job!

So Proud

I've been out of town for a few days.

I went to Latvia to participate, officially, in Baltic Pride.

Just saying that somehow still amazes me.

That someone like me, someone who was so bullied in high school, could become a diplomat fighting for LGBT rights, that is the stuff "It Gets Better" videos are made of.

I went down on Friday to speak at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They hosted a seminar in conjunction with Pride that included speakers from the International Gay and Lesbian Alliance, as well as from various governmental agencies and NGOs. Plus, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Rights and Labor Thomas Melia spoke. And then there was me.

I hadn't thought about my speech as being all that moving. I just talked about how my wife joined the Department and there had been no place at the table for me. How I subsequently joined the Department and then became President of GLIFAA (Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies). How being out, open and pushing on doors, timed fortunately with the arrival of long-time LGBT ally Secretary Clinton, resulted in a lot of improvements for LGBT Foreign Service families.

But people said I made a difference. Several people were moved to tears. And several people said I had convinced them that being quietly gay, a sort of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" if you will, was the wrong approach. That we have to let people know who we are so that they know someone they love is gay.

Then Saturday, we had the march...hundreds of brave activists from the Balts (including some of the folks from Eesti Gei Noored, or Estonian Gay Youth), Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and throughout Europe braved the rain and hail (yes, hail) and the counter demonstrators to fight for their rights.

You see, the last time Latvia had a march, there was violence. Eggs and feces were thrown at the marchers.

But this time, we had high-ranking U.S. officials IN the march, including my boss, Ambassador Polt, as well as U.S. Ambassador to Latvia Judy Garber and DAS Melia. And I think that the violence of the last march, and the negative international attention it attracted, was something the officials in Latvia were determined not to see repeated. So we had significant police presence, including riot police walking along with the U.S. delegation.

And so when eggs were thrown (they were, but no feces, thankfully...one person was hit, and another egg landed near my feet), they responded in seconds and arrested the perpetrators. I was impressed with their swift response. And the rest of the counter demonstrators, though offensive, were non-violent.

We ended the march with a rally at a local park (you can check out photos of the march and rally here, here and here, where we listened to a number of moving speeches and saw moving videos. I was particularly impressed with the video from the EU and European Commission...all these leaders, most of them straight, talking about how they were working to make things better. Ambassador Polt's speech was excellent as well...in fact, I made a nice video of it that I would love to show you...if I could find the right cord to download it! Ah, moving overseas...the surest way to lose something you need.

After the speeches, the crowd braved the pouring rain for a great concert by BETTY. I have videos of that too...but you get the idea.

I left the event feeling I had made a difference. That I had played a part in helping others stand up for their rights. Because while things are not perfect in the U.S., there are places where it is much worse.

And there are places like Latvia where activists feel their time has come.

I am proud to stand with them. As a lesbian. And as a diplomat, representing my country's belief that "Gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights".

A Rock In A Hard Place

One of the things that most fills me with dread when I am overseas is the thought of having to take my animals to the vet for anything other than the routine.

The fear is borne of a certain ethocentrism, I am sure...I have certain expectations based on how awesome my vets are in the states. The animal hospital we took Koshka to for her Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD - which later became the lymphoma that took her)? It not only had an oncology wing but had just done successful kidney transplants!

Right or not, that is the level of care I want available for my pets even if I never use it, and I am never sure I can get it overseas. Add to that a knowledge that some cultures do not value pets as much as we do, and well, you get nervous.

I had a decent vet in Jerusalem, but I never had to use her for much out of the ordinary. I found a week-old kitten after it fell two stories to the concrete and I went to her for help. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries and I just wanted some kitten milk replacement. She gave it to me while chiding me that "it will probably die."

Humor me. I am an American. We are the champion of lost causes.

So when I found a spot of pee on the carpet that had crystals in it, I was terrified. I hoped that it meant that the problem had passed. But then a few days later, there was a spot on the carpet, and Noostie was definitely drinking and peeing more. M convinced me to take her to the vet.

Our usual vet here, who I had only been to once and not for anything major, referred me to the emergency vet because they had no appointments available. And I'll admit that the older building in an older section of town didn't increase my confidence. But they took Noostie in and were very kind to her.

Then we did a sonogram. And I mean "we" since I helped hold her still. They saw a large shadow.

So we did an x-ray. And again I mean "we." They gave me a ginourmous heavy lead vest and lead collar while I helped hold her.

And they found a ginourmous bladder stone. One that was NOT going to pass on its own.

Which meant major surgery the very next day.

The good news is that I discovered that there is very good vet care available here at what compared to American prices is very cheap. The better news is that Noostie is on the mend. She has a few more days of pain killers and antibiotics to take and will be as good as new. They did advice me to make soak a cloth in a solution of half water and half vodka to put on her incision to help keep down inflammation. Considering how good they were, I'm willing to try it.

Or maybe they just wanted me to take some of the vodka myself for my nerves! I'd probably try that too!

And in case you are curious, here is what they took out of her:

Oh, and you probably wanted to know as well: the kitten in Jerusalem made it. I bottle fed it and took it to work with me until it was old enough to eat on its own. When it was about 3 months old, I found a nice indoor home for him in Jerusalem (because we already had two cats, a dog and a bird). I hear he is doing very well.

You Will Be Missed

I'll just throw this out there:

Don't Go!

Apparently Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman is planning to retire.

I have never gotten to work for him, but in the interactions I have had with him, I have come to like him a lot.

When I first joined the State Department, he went to dinner with all of us who had been assigned to NEA. He had been Consul General in Jerusalem, so I was particularly interested in hearing what he had to say.

When I ran into him in the Department for the first YEARS later, he REMEMBERED MY NAME. From one meeting.

That really impressed me.

Then, as the Special Assistant in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, I had to brief him occassionally on things we would get in. He was always unfailingly nice. Once, after he had been named Assistant Secretary, I did a blog post on how I was happy for him. The next time I went to his office, he thanked me for the kind words in my blog.

I said, "Sir, what blog? Blogs are against Department policy."

And he said, "Oh, well if you had a blog, I would thank you for the kind words."

And I said, "If I had a blog, you would be welcome."

I would have loved to have worked for him. Everyone I know who has speaks very highly of him.

I am disappointed I won't get the chance. But I wish him all the best in whatever the future holds for him.

Pagan Churches and an Island Escape

So those people who make three-day weekends are seriously on to something!

This was the first full weekend I have had off in a while, so I took an extra day and M and I headed to Saaremaa, Estonia's largest island. It wasn't my first time there, but the last time was in November when I did a quick out and back to speak at our American Corner there. I literally saw nothing of the island.

So this trip, we spent the whole long weekend there and it was just what doctor ordered! And we planned our trip the way all my favorite trips end up being planned: we picked a few highlights that we wanted to make sure we saw and otherwise just explored.

We stayed at Georg Ots Spa (and I highly recommend it!) and could see the Kuressaare Castle from our window. 

We explored the castle our first night and then headed to an Italian place, La Perla, in town, for dinner.

The next day, we just drove, first down to the peninsula, then up to Panga Cliff, then back down into the interior of the island, stopping at things that looked interesting.

I decided I wanted to visit the church in Kaarma because it has a plaque on the entrance that was written in 1407 and is thought to be the earliest example of the written Estonian language. Even cooler? I can read it.

It says, if you are curious, "In this year, this church was completed. Peter and Paul in the year 1407."

When I got back to the hotel, I looked for more info on the church on the internet. And then I realized that I had missed the GIANT PENTAGRAM on the wall. I stood right next to it, and totally missed it. Doh!

And what is sad is that the pagan overtones to Estonian belief is something that really fascinates me. I knew that they are one of the most recent societies converted to Christianity (roughly in the 1200s). That I didn't know is that they put pagan symbols in some of their earliest churches.

So today we went to another church, in Karja, to see the pagan symbols there. This time, I didn't miss them.

We also went to the church in Valjala, the oldest church on Saaremaa and in fact in all of Estonia.

 It was while there that I got the idea of trying to see and photograph as many of the historic churches in Estonia as possible during my tour here. I already have a good start. I like photograph churches, so through my travels in Estonia, I have taken lots of pictures of old churches. I have now organized them into a folder of Estonian churches.

Now I just have to find out how big a project I have just created for myself.

What Makes a Blog an FS Blog?

What makes a blog a Foreign Service blog?

For that matter, what makes a person part of the Foreign Service family?

There are some for whom the definition is less expansive than it is for me.

One of my friends, Jen over at The Dinoia Family has apparently been removed from the State Department's blogroll. Her blog isn't FS enough. Specifically, she apparently talks too much about her health issues. She talked about getting breast cancer while her husband was on an unaccompanied tour. She used:::::gasp:::::the word "nipple."

Obviously, I think that is absurd.

No one has ever questioned whether my blog was a Foreign Service blog. Even when I delve into issues such as marriage equality, which I do pretty regularly. Even when I talk about my non-work related travels. Which I do with relative frequency (directly proportional to whether I have managed to get a day off, but that is another story).

But all of these things are in the context of my life as a Foreign Service Officer.

Jen has been, I think, in the service longer than I have. But to some, she is not in the service at all. She is just a "trailing spouse." But as I said, I have a more expansive view. Perhaps that is because before I was an officer, I was a "trailing spouse." All of us, ALL of us, who are living our lives overseas at the behest the country we love and serve via our connection to the State Department, are serving. ALL of us. That is officers yes, but it is also specialists. It is also our local staff. And it is also our families. We are all serving. We are all part of the Foreign Service, and part of the Foreign Service family.


If you take a look at my blogrolls (two now because blogger has restricted the number of blogs per roll), you will see well over 300 (maybe 400...I am too lazy to count) Foreign Service blogs. There are blogs from officers, specialists, spouses and kids. I include them all because they are all serving. And even when they are not specifically talking about life in the service, they are still talking about life in the service. They are talking about careers (or lack thereof) while in the service as a spouse. They are talking about crafting in a foreign land. Raising children in a foreign land. And yes, getting sick in a foreign land. Or getting sick in America while facing the prospect of moving back to a foreign land, not getting to move to a foreign land, or having your spouse leave you behind while he or she moves to a foreign land. In short, they are talking about all the things everyone does but in a culture that is foreign, and that can never get truly familiar because we are only at a given post for a brief time.

Jen's blog in particular offers a great service to those considering joining the service by giving some insight not just into how you deal with Unaccompanied Tours but how you deal with things like the Big C in this crazy life. And frankly, it is a good news story. A story not just of how she survived (yay!) but also how the Department got her husband home to her. Found him a job in DC so he could stay with her. Found him an appropriate job overseas when the danger had passed. Took care of an FS family.

But apparently that is not FS enough.

So come on, whoever runs the blogroll at State. Put her back. Prove I am right. That we are one service, one family. Prove that we value all of our family. Every FS blog out there offers a window that someone out there needs in order to decide whether to join us. Jen's blog is a big window. I want as many people as possible looking in, so that the best people possible climb on through.

Update: The story has been picked up by a bunch of FS blogs, and those of us in the FS Blogger group on Facebook have vowed to make sure we use the word nipple in a post (see that...twice in this one!). It has also been picked up by Washington Post's Federal Eye. So maybe it really is also true that when someone closes a window (to the FS), they open a door.

Thank You, Mr. President

I got teary-eyed twice yesterday.

The first time was from sadness. It breaks my heart to see North Carolina, a state I called home for years, the state where my wife and I were married in our church ten years ago, and a place which was on my short list of places to retire to, enshrined discrimination against me into the state constitution.

The second time was from joy. Joy at finally seeing the President of the United States say he supports my right to be married. To say that he believes I should be treated equally, be able to visit my wife in the hospital, make medical decisions for her should she not be able, claim her body should she die before me so I can bury her as she wanted, or leave our house and my pension and social security to her should I die before her.  Joy at seeing him say, without equivocation, “I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

We still disagree on one point. He still thinks this is an issue for the states, and I do not. The states no longer get to decide whether or not to recognize interracial marriages. The Supreme Court in Loving v Virginia ruled that marriage is a civil right that cannot be denied just because some people find it is distasteful. Because if you don’t believe in interracial marriage, don’t marry someone of another race. And if you don’t believe in gay marriage, don’t marry someone of the same sex. (and don’t hand me that line about churches being forced to marry gay people because it isn’t true…I witnessed my own church refuse to marry a straight couple because that couple did not want to meet the church’s requirement of pre-marital counseling. And while I know it is a religious issue for some, it is for me as well. My church recognizes my marriage.)

What I find really stunning, and telling, is that the arguments used against gay marriage (or as I like to call it, marriage) are the same arguments used against interracial marriage, the first of which is that Americans “aren’t ready.” And yet, when Loving v Virginia declared laws against interracial marriage unconstitutional, more than 70% of the population opposed interracial marriage (in fact, when I voted in the late 80s to remove this unconstitutional provision from the SC constitution, nearly 30% were still opposed to it…we did what was right anyway). The latest polls show that 52% of Americans support the right of gays and lesbians to marry. So it is time to do what is right.

Let’s play a little game. I am going see if you can guess whether the argument was used against interracial marriage or same-sex marriage.  I will put the answers below…no cheating!

1.  These marriages run counter to God’s plan.

2. These marriages are “unnatural.”

3. The people entering into these marriages are from “the dregs of society.”

4. Allowing these marriages will open the door to incestuous marriages or polygamy.

5. These people already have a right to marry.

6. These marriages would be disastrous for society.

7. These marriages cannot produce children.

8. These marriages would degrade traditional marriage.

9. These marriages would cause a higher incidence of disease.

10. These marriages would harm the children.

So what do you think? Can you tell which arguments were used against same-sex marriage and which were used against interracial marriage? I’ll put the answers in the comments. Don’t cheat!

Yeah! What He Said!

Here are the comments made by President Obama on Foreign Affairs Day:


I send greetings to all those celebrating Foreign Affairs Day 2012 at the Department of State and our
Embassies and Consulates across the globe.

Today, we recognize the Foreign Service professionals who work tirelessly to advance our national interests
and build a safer, more democratic, and more prosperous world for all. You are the face of American diplomacy,
and on behalf of a grateful Nation, I thank you and your families for your professionalism, integrity, and
devotion to service.

Whether you work at the Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development, the Foreign Commercial Service, the Foreign Agricultural Service, the International Broadcasting Bureau, or at our
hundreds of Embassies, Consulates, and missions around the world, your work is immensely beneficial to the
American people and the international community.  Your efforts to build bridges of understanding help promote
sustainable development and prosperity, global health, democratic values, and human rights.  Even as you face
the unique and evolving challenges of the 21st century, you are laying the groundwork for a world where everyone
can make of their lives what they will.

On this occasion, we also pay homage to the memory of Sharon Sue Clark, a Department of State employee who
died of complications from cerebral malaria on December 26, 2010, while serving in Abuja, Nigeria.  This Foreign
Affairs Day, her name will be etched into the Memorial Plaque, commemorating her legacy and the legacy of all
who made the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of creating a better world.

I join Secretary Clinton in saluting those lost in diplomatic service to our Nation and in thanking all
those who continue to work toward a brighter future for Americans and people everywhere.

Barack Obama

Let's Do It

In 2008, some folks in Estonia got together and decided to clean up the country. They named their NGO "Teeme Ära," or "Let's Do It."


The cleanup was a huge success, and they have done it again each year since. This year, "Let's Do It" campaigns are happening in 80 countries around the world.


For the last few years, the Embassy has participated in these cleanups. At least temporarily, Estonia is our home too, and so it is only right that we help keep it beautiful.


Yesterday's event was a lot of fun. About twenty of us from the embassy, including the Ambassador, joined with folks from Coca-Cola and Tallinna Vesi (Tallinn Water) to clean up a little area of beach in northern Tallinn. By then end of it, we are all pretty grubby but had filled a giant garbage container with trash. You start out picking up small glass sherds, papers and cigarette butts, but by the end, you are hauling massive rubber tubing, tires and assorted gigantic unidentifiables! One of the things I found was a mass of leather netting that I suspect had been used to cover an old Soviet vehicle to keep it from being identified from the air. This beach, like most beaches in Estonia, was off limits to average Estonians and was only for use by the Soviet military.


I personally think I get extra points for going out. I am still nursing a raging cold that has been kicking me in the teeth for two weeks now (and that I may have shared with BETTY member Elizabeth...sorry about that...though I am still maintaining plausible deniability...I think you brought your cold with you!). And speaking of BETTY, while I was out in the woods cleaning, one of the folks came up to me and asked if I wasn't the one who brought BETTY to town. She said she had really enjoyed the concert and wanted to thank me. She said she felt like the Embassy doing things like that really helped the LGBT community here and gave them extra confidence.


Now that definitely makes cleaning with a cold worth while!

Foreign Affairs Day

May 4th this year was Foreign Affairs Day. Each Foreign Affairs Day, AFSA marks the day with the annual Memorial Plaque ceremony, where any new names of diplomats who have perished in the line of duty are added. People don't often realize how dangerous our work can be. They think about the military putting their lives on the line for the country but fail to realize that we do as well, only without guns to defend ourselves. In fact, more Ambassadors have died in the line of duty than have Generals and Admirals.

Here is what AFSA wrote about this ceremony this year. Below that, you will find a video of this year's ceremony. 

The first memorial plaque, now at the west end of the diplomatic lobby of the Department of State, was unveiled on March 3, 1933 by Secretary of State Henry Stimson at the entrance of what is now the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, standing next to the White House, which then housed the State, War and Navy Departments. The inscription on this plaque states: "Erected by members of the American Foreign Service Association in honor of diplomatic and consular officers of the United States who while on active duty lost their lives under heroic or tragic circumstances". The establishment of this plaque grew out of efforts in the late 20s and early 30s to establish a "Roll of Honor" naming those who had died by violence or other causes related to service abroad such as tropical diseases. The first name is that of William Palfrey, chosen by the Continental Congress as Consul General to France, who set sail in 1780 and was never heard from again. Travel by sea was dangerous and often fatal in the early years of our country, and tropical diseases also frequently struck down 19th century American representatives.

The first plaque was limited to Foreign Service officers, but after World War II the plaque became open to Foreign Service personnel of all ranks. The second plaque erected in 1972 at the east end of the lobby, during the Vietnam War, carried a new inscription "Erected by the American Foreign Service Association in honor of those Americans who have lost their lives abroad under heroic or other inspirational circumstances while serving the country abroad in foreign affairs." This phrase was interpreted to comprehend the distinctive dangers, including terrorist acts, of life and work in the Foreign Service. Disease was generally no longer considered after World War II, and terrorism became the chief cause for inscription. In 1982, eligibility was extended to include US Government employees of other agencies serving at embassies, including military personnel. However, in 2005, due to the sharp increase in the number of non-Foreign Service civilians serving abroad from agencies that have their own memorials to fallen employees, the AFSA Governing Board re-instituted the original plaque criterion. In one other change, the AFSA Governing Board in 2001 established an additional criterion of “in the line of duty” to cover Foreign Service members killed during the official performance of their duties even if not due to terrorist acts. The criteria were revised slightly again in 2011; please see the criteria by clicking the link to the right.

There are 108 names on the west plaque and 128 on the east plaque, for a total of 236, as of May 2012. These Americans died in 64 different foreign countries, as well as at sea. It must be emphasized that the names on these plaques represent only a part of the total number of Americans who die of various causes while serving their country overseas.

AFSA owns and maintains the plaques. The AFSA Awards and Plaques Committee considers proposals for additional names and makes recommendations to the AFSA Governing Board which selects the final names for inscription, based on the criteria established by the Governing Board. AFSA organizes unveiling ceremonies in cooperation with the Department of State when new names are added. At the 2012 ceremony, we added one new name: That of Sharon S. Clark, a first-tour Foreign Service Office Management Specialist who died of cerebral malaria in Abuja, Nigeria in December 2010. The next ceremony will be held on the next Foreign Affairs Day, which is May 3, 2013.

Don't Tell My Wife

Don't tell my wife, but I love BETTY.


Luckily for both of us (and for our marriage), BETTY is a band, not a person.


On of the many cool parts of my job is that I get to bring in awesome artists from America to perform here. And this weekend, we brought in BETTY to do two performances in Tallinn and one in Viljandi.


BETTY is pretty famous stateside, especially among the LGBT community. They are especially known for their performances on the hit series "The L Word," as well as for the theme song of that show.


But their music and their message go beyond that, and the reason we brought them here was to spread their message of tolerance throughout Estonia.


Our selection of venues was deliberate. One was a local gay nightclub, X Baar. That was to give something to the LGBT community here, a community filled with brave souls already involved in activism here. Just last year, this blossoming community hosted Baltic Pride.


Our next venue is a more mainstream local, Kino Sõprus. They will perform there tonight at 8 pm. This will offer a chance for anyone in Tallinn to come out and enjoy their talents.


And Tuesday, we will head out to Club Rubiin in Viljandi, where folks far outside the city will get a chance to watch them perform. This is particularly appropriate because while Viljandi is a ways outside the capital, it is very much a cultural capital in its own right.


These are the days (okay, I know there are a lot of them) when I really love my job.


I love that I get to bring such awesome performers here (and I have to add, genuinely nice people...I spent most of yesterday with them, and they are just down to earth and nice).


I love that I get to spread a message of tolerance throughout a country and community I have already come to love (and who is clearly receptive to this message.


And...I love BETTY.


So please don't tell my wife!

WP: We growled, they listened

Al Kamen of the Washington Post's "In The Loop" covered United's decision to extend the pet waiver to Foreign Service personnel PCSing overseas on official orders.

We growled, they listened


Score one for Fido!


United Airlines has told the State Department and the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) that it will extend its military rate for pet travel to Foreign Service officers assigned abroad.


An April 18 Loop item noted that UAL had given a waiver to members of the military when it newly classified dogs and cats as cargo instead of excess baggage — a change that could run transport costs from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. Because of its size and federal requirements that officers use U.S. carriers, United is often the only option.


The AFSA members protested that they should be included in the waiver. Former commerce secretary Gary Locke, now ambassador to China, weighed in with a letter to the airlines.


Members of Congress, including Reps. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jim Moran (D-Va.), Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) , Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), wrote UAL executives last week urging they extend the waiver to the Foreign Service.


The effort apparently paid off. A senior UAL official called Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy on April 18 and AFSA President Susan Johnson the next day to tell them the military waiver would be extended. 


AFSA’s not been talking about it, one official said, because they were “still waiting for something in writing before we make it official,” and that the organization hoped to get written confirmation this week. Unclear if the new policy also applies to employees of other agencies who are stationed at embassies.

You can read the whole piece here.

Dear Anonymous

I don't publish assinine comments from people who hide behind anonymity. 

But I will tell you this. We are not "bureaucrats on vacation." We are diplomats working far more hours for a frozen salary than most people ever will, mainly in the hopes of maintaining good diplomatic relations with countries in the hopes of keeping our soldiers out of harms way.

Because diplomacy is far cheaper than war.

And as for paying the ultimate price: more Ambassadors than Generals and Admirals have been killed in the line of duty. We too know we are signing up to risk our lives in the service of this country. We just don't get to carry guns when we do it.

United Extends Waiver to Foreign Service, FS Pets Cheer (bark, meow, chirp...)

It seems that United has decided to do the right thing and extend their waiver on pets travelling as excess baggage to members of the Foreign Service. This is a great thing! 


 I don't know what convinced them. Clearly it wasn't all of our letters on their own. I am sure that the potential los of income after the Department approved us flying on other airlines played a role. And I imagine that Al Kamen's "In The Loop" column in the Washington Post two days ago also had a hand in it. 


Susan Johnson, our AFSA president, offers some of the details below as well as word of thanks. She left out one person: herself. Thank you Susan, for addressing the needs of AFSA's members. 


Thank you for fighting tirelessly for us and our families, including our furred and feathered family members. Like military spouses, kids and pets, our families serve too.

United Decides to Extend the Military Pet Transport "Waiver" to Members of the Foreign Service!  

This is a victory and provides recognition to the Foreign Service and those who serve abroad.  AFSA will continue to work to ensure we have the option to transport pets as accompanied baggage checked in at the passenger terminal and delivered with baggage and hope to work with United to make PetSafe viable globally and truly safe for pets.  

AFSA 's request for a meeting with United's CEO Jeff Smisek or with an appropriate Vice President resulted in a call today from Hershel Kamen, United’s Senior Vice President for Alliances, Regulatory Affairs, and Policy.  Mr. Kamen told us that United Airlines has decided to extend its military pet travel policy waiver to members of the U.S. Foreign Service who are traveling on official change-of-station orders. This will include USG employees traveling to take up assignments in our embassies and missions abroad from all agencies.

We have not received official notification in writing and are awaiting details about what the waiver provides, but this decision is a direct result of this collective action that you made possible by your quick and united action.  We want to let you know right away.

Huge thanks to all of you who wrote quickly and eloquently to United!  Volume, speed and content combined for successful collective action and a message that was heard.  This is a real success and validation of collective action for a good cause, and for standing up for the Foreign Service and what we do in service to our country.

We extend our appreciation to the work of Under Secretary Kennedy and his staff and to the Director of Logistics Operations in the A Bureau to get GSA authorization to use alternate U.S. carriers or code shares. This option should remain in place because the option to transport pets as accompanied baggage is the standard we need for ourselves and for our animal companions.

AFSA also extends our appreciation and thanks to six members of Congress – Nita Lowey, Jim Moran, Chris Van Hollen, Donna Edwards, Gerry Connolly and Eleanor Holmes Norton who wrote to United in support of extending the waiver to members of the U.S. Foreign Service.

AFSA extends a big thank-you to the Overseas Briefing Center, and to volunteers from AAFSW, the Foreign Affairs Friends of Animals Network (FAFAN), the FSpets Yahoo Group as well as from our FS pet owners themselves for their great work for this cause.  It would not have happened without you all!

We appreciate United's decision to extend this courtesy to a large and dedicated customer group, demonstrating their appreciation of the service and sacrifice of the U.S. Foreign Service on behalf of the United States.  We hope to work with United to help them improve their level of service to customers and to make PetSafe a program that is safe for pets globally.

AFSA will publicize the details of what the waiver provides as we learn them. Until then, you may read about the military waiver on the pet issues page of AFSA’s Web site. That page also includes the details of AFSA’s campaign to date.

Sincerely,

Susan R. Johnson
AFSA President

EER - Employees Exaggerating and Rambling

I wrote this post a few years ago, but as it is EER season yet again, I thought it was worth sharing again. Especially since last night, as I was trying to sleep with what seems to be turning into my THIRD cold in eight months (seriously, I never get sick. I didn't take a single sick day during a year of language...What is up with this??), I had this ongoing dream that I was writing the remaining part of my EER (I'd wake up from the dream and then resume it when I dozed back off). By the time I finished it, I thought, hey, this is pretty good.

But do I remember it now that I am awake?

Not. One. Word.

I hate EERs.

From February 2010:

I wish I could take credit for finding this gem. Actually my wife found it (though really, if I can't take credit for what she does, whose efforts can I take credit for?!)

At any rate, it seems particularly timely given our (me and No Double Standard) recent discussion of EERs and the like. What my wife found was Form FS 316, the Performance Report for Foreign Service Officers, Revised June 1949 (and then according to a stamp on the page, again revised in June of 1958).

Now by Foreign Service Officers, the form means male FSOs...there are no feminine pronouns on the form.

Also missing from the form are the big blank boxes you have to fill in (there is only one for a summary and recommendations). Not even a "suicide box." No, instead, it is a bunch of multiple choice descriptors and the rater is to underline the one which is most descriptive of the officer and his job performance and to x out the letter of the one least descriptive.

So an example is:
A. He will probably not go much further in the service
B. He demands a high degree of efficiency from those associated with him
C. He is not active in seeking desirable contacts
D. He is imaginative
E. He is probably one of our future career ministers.

You get the idea. As I said, SHE is not an option. But at least I couldn't find the part where they graded an officer on his wife's ability to host social functions.

So with that in mind, I thought I'd share some of the funnier descriptors:

*He shows little taste in his clothes. (Maybe this is why Secretary Powell had to put out the memo saying no flip flops or sparkly tank tops)

*He is inclined to be pompous (I wonder if they consider this a good thing or a bad thing?)

*He is careless in his personal habits (this is the guy who got dust on his pants and the dust stayed there for the whole season...he wore them EVERY DAY).

* He becomes emotionally upset at times. (What, screaming is bad?)

* He gives little promise of development (And yet still gets promoted)

* He is a clock watcher in slack periods (How is this a bad thing?)

* He is petty in minor matters (and in major ones, he melts down completely)

* He is slow (How often have you asked how someone passed the FSOT?)

* He does not wear well as one knows him better (He seemed nice for the first 5 seconds I knew him)

* He bores intelligent people (this is my personal favorite)

* He has an exaggerated idea of his own importance. (I am pretty sure I worked with that guy).

* He has a tendency towards hair splitting (is this a comment on his appearance?)

* He is of limited intellectual attainments (no doubt the guy who bores intelligent people)

* His personal appearance is an asset (well thank god for that)

* He is overbearing (In the Foreign Service? Shocking!)

* He impresses you as not being fully alive to the problem you are discussing (or maybe just not fully alive?)

You know, as I read this through, maybe we should bring it back. Of course, there'd be tons of lawsuits ("You can't call me stupid! Everyone is special!"), but there'd also be some honesty in the EER. Really all you need to do is add a feminine pronoun.

AFSA’s campaign against United Airlines’ New Pet Policy Is Finally Getting Noticed

Apparently AFSA’s campaign against United Airlines’ new pet policy is gaining notoriety…let's hope that it makes United do the right thing.

In today’s In The Loop in the Washington Post, there is a section called "Foreign Service officers feel dogged by airline" in which Al Kamen discusses the issue (though less seriously than I would prefer).

And there is this in the Federal Times…

and this in AAFSW

And this...

And this From “Carla Runs the World”

and this from Government Executive.

And what have we heard from United Airlines since they said they had no intention of extending the policy to Foreign Service Officers?

Crickets.

One of the Hardest Parts

Elton John has a older song called "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word."

But he's wrong. Goodbye is much harder.

There is a lot about this job, this life, that is great. There is also a lot about it is that is hard, even painful. The constant moving and associated issues (i.e., our current issue with United Airlines over bringing our pets with us). And part of that constant moving is the constant saying goodbye.

This weekend, I am saying goodbye to my APAO.

This is his first tour, but he is already an excellent officer. I'd serve with him again anywhere (and this is the highest compliment you can pay a fellow FSer). In fact, I genuinely hope to serve with him again someday.

He has also become a friend. You develop fast, intense friendships in this life. The Americans you serve with are sometimes the only touch of home you have. And you work so closely with the local staff as well, that as I said to him yesterday, you love hard and love fast (this is especially true for my APAO and me, since we share having learned early and often about the brevity of life). I already care deeply about the folks in my section, and I have only known them eight months.

We had a get together at my place yesterday for just the staff, me, my departing APAO and my incoming APAO. I am glad we did it. It was both necessary and hard.

Harder still for him, since when we leave a post, we are leaving behind local friends we may never see again. Officers, we'll see again, either at another post or at our perennial reunion grounds, FSI. But the local staff...that's hard. At some posts (thankfully this is not among them), our local staff risks their lives serving with us. Several of my wife's FSNs from Azerbaijan have been killed. One of mine from Jerusalem died at a checkpoint...another has been in a coma for years.

These are among the things that make this life hard and yet so worth it.

I hope my APAO realizes this and stays in the Foreign Service.

His presence in the Department benefits us all. And I hope I serve with him again.

Welcome to the 166th!

Yeah, I'm late.

I'll spare you all my excuses...I'll try to do better by the 167th in May.

So in the better late than never category, I'd like to welcome the only blogger I know of who joined in this class (though I know someone in the class who has a livejournal account, but I am not sure it is public...)

Compass and Companion

LaDiplo

I have moved you up to the More FS Blogs blogroll (since blogger still won't let me edit the old one).

Welcome to the Foreign Service! And let me know if I have missed anyone!

Like Giving Birth

I have finally, as of this week, given birth to the baby I have been carrying since shortly after my arrival at post.

Get off the floor...it isn't THAT kind of baby!

No, what I have given birth to is a project that we are calling a Mobile American Corner.

The Mobile American Corner builds on the idea of a traditional American Corner in that it contains information about the United States and our diplomatic mission to share with overseas audiences. Where the Mobile American Corner differs, however is that it is an original mobile platform (designed for iPad but soon accessible via iPhone and Android) application through which the Embassy puts this kind of extensive information on the U.S. into the hands of the user along with an invitation to actually participate in the Embassy’s public diplomacy.

The Mobile American Corner is well-suited to Estonia, a tech savvy and well-wired country that gave birth to such innovations as Skype and is a world leader in e-governance. Our goal has been to broaden our reach among these internet savvy consumers by creating an interesting, interactive format that would keep users engaged for hours exploring and engaging the United States.

I can't take credit for the original idea, but I can certainly take credit for what it has become. Since shortly after my arrival, working with the text, the graphics, and the developer has consumed much of my time.

The app contains information on U.S. government, culture, geography and plus specific information about our embassy as well. It has videos like that of President George H.W. Bush restoring diplomatic relations with the Baltic countries in 1991. Embedded into the text are links which can direct the user to more information on topics ranging from Congress to the Prohibition Movement, to U.S. food and music. And one particularly cool part is that the app has a page that lays out key elements of the U.S. diplomatic agenda with Estonia and lets users comment, argue and participate in the development and execution of our public diplomacy.

We rolled out the project in two parts. First, we did a Steve Jobs-like presentation at Solaris, a local shopping mall and teen hangout. And yes, by we I mean I did one. No, you can't see the pictures.

Then we took one of the Mobile American Corners to one of the most remote corners of Estonia, to Setomaa, the lands of the Seto people. The Seto are a religious minority living on both sides of the Estonian/Russian border. Their king is charged with protecting their language and culture, and when he meets with dignitaries, he dresses in traditional clothing: a hand-made shirt with the embroidered designs of his people encircling the collar, as well as woolen pants and overcoat, all made by hand from sheep raised by his people. Over his shoulder is draped a traditional bag made of sheepskin.

We visited him on Monday as part of a two-day Ambassadorial visit to the southern part of the country, and left at the Seto cultural museum one of the Mobile American Corners. Those are his hands exploring the app in the picture. And of course, leaving the app there makes two points: one, that the app lets us reach the most remote places. And two, the app is particularly relevant in E-stonia, where inside that traditional sheepskin bag was a laptop and inside their traditional cultural center was wifi access.

We are also have a contest via our facebook page for residents of Estonia to take a picture of "A Piece of America in Estonia." From the most "liked" photos in three age categories, we will select winners to receive a new iPad with the app pre-loaded onto it. We are already seeing a dramatic increase in our number of followers. (You can follow us too...we won't mind, really).

Our goal is for this app to be available to all embassies around the globe...but wait, there is more. We also want anyone to be able to download it free. Because revolutions like the Arab Spring took place by smart phone. And when people seeking democracy want inspiration, we want them to have to look no further than the American Corner...in their pocket.

There is still more to do...last minute tweeks to the app, adjustments for iphone and android...and then of course there is the July 4th party where we will present the winners of the contest with their ipads.

But that is the easy part...the birthing was the hard part...

I will say I am pretty pleased with my new Public Diplomacy baby.

Promising Signs on the United Front

So there seems to have been some movement on the issue of our traveling with our pets.

This week, the Department put out a cable saying we could now use non-contract carriers to fly if the contract carrier (read: United) doesn't allow pets to travel as excess baggage. It also said that there may be exemptions to the Fly America Act, which requires we use a U.S. airline even if there is a cheaper non-U.S. one, for those of us going to, leaving from or transiting through the E.U. (because the Open Skies Act allows folks in those categories to fly E.U. carriers if it is cheaper because to prohibit it would be a violation of WTO rules).

AFSA has created a link where you can read the cable here.

In addition to this, people are getting the word out. A new facebook group called Fabulous Foreign Service Pets have been created where people can post pictures of their FS pets. And the photo blog At Post has rededicated itself to FS Pet pictures.

People are tweeting about it copying @United (though I think they are actually @UnitedAirlines, which is what I have been using...along with the hashtag #UnitedSucks).

And there is a new video of pictures of FS Pets on YouTube.



And finally, a fellow blogger heard second-hand that a person was able to book her pets as checked baggage, and that when the person asked the Customer Service Rep about the policy of forcing them to go as cargo, she was told that the CSR had gotten a memo a week ago changing the policy.

So maybe United is doing the right thing. Maybe even for the right reasons, though I suspect it is more to do with the combination of bad press and the threat of losing a lot of government (read: full-price fare) business.

United Airlines Screws the Pooch

I didn't make this, but I wish I did.



"United doesn't care about America. United cares about money."

Boycott United Airlines!

Another Reason To Love Estonia

Every place on the planet has its share of jerks.

So it isn't uncommon to see a swastika painted on a wall in any big city in the world. Because there are bigots everywhere.

But in most places, the grafitti is either left in place, scrubbed off (hopefully by the offender), or painted over.

But around the corner from my house, someone had a different approach...and I love it.

Pet Lovers, Boycott United Airlines

Nick Kralev writes a great piece on United Airlines' new pet policy.

He writes:

"Nearly 3,000 U.S. diplomats have urged United Airlines to extend to them a waiver from its more expensive and “unfriendly” new pet travel policy that the carrier has granted the military, the diplomats’ union said. While it took United just days to exempt the military, it has been mulling the State Department’s request for weeks.

The biggest hurdle appears to be the lack of understanding by United’s management — as is the case with most people — what the Foreign Service does, and why diplomats’ service to their country is no less important than the military’s. That’s exactly why — long before this issue arose — I decided to write my upcoming book “America’s Other Army.”

[...]

It seems United’s management doesn’t think that American diplomats make any sacrifices when serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, the Congo and many other extremely dangerous places. Not all diplomats are posted to London and Paris — not that those “cushy” in most people’s minds posts are not dangerous, judging by the 2005 London terrorist attacks or last week’s murders in the French city of Toulouse.

By many accounts, PetSafe has been very successful domestically. United takes care of the pets without using third-party vendors, it automatically transfers the animals to connecting flights on its own aircraft and keeps them in air-conditioned facilities during layovers. Although the pets are checked in as cargo, there are no customs or other bureaucratic formalities, so the service is not too expensive.

However, that doesn’t work internationally most of the time. Very few diplomats take a nonstop flight to their new post. In some cases, they make two or even three connections. In each city, they are now forced to leave the passenger terminal, walk or take a taxi to the cargo terminal, collect their pets, recheck them in — often on a different airline, which could add more fees — then return to the passenger terminal, go through security again, and finally arrive at their next gate. By the time all that happens, they may well miss their connecting flight. Even worse if a single parent with small children is trying to accomplish those tasks.

Because of the so-called Fly America Act, the federal government must book its employees on U.S. carriers — on full-fare tickets. Foreign Service members and their families often end up on United, and many of them are elite MileagePlus members. The State Department and its 50,000 employees around the world have supported United for decades. Not to mention that one of the missions of the Foreign Service is to help create and expand business opportunities for U.S. companies, and airlines tend to benefit from that significantly."

You can read the whole piece here.

And after you do, tell all your family and friends to Boycott United.

Where Have You Been?

Latvia, that's where!

One of the reasons I have been out of pocket is that the three Baltic Public Affairs Sections had an offsite in Riga. And since I took my iPad instead of my computer, blogging would have been challenging.

The offsite was incredibly useful...we got to meet a bunch of our colleagues for the first time, reconnect with others (one of them is an A-100 classmate of mine...and a friend as well!). And there were a bunch of great ideas shared...some I plan unabashedly to steal!

It was my first time to Latvia, but definitely not my last! There are so many things there I had no time to see but that I really want to.

But the one thing I did get to see...er, eat...Ze Donats!



I hear they are coming soon to Tallinn. Can't happen soon enough.

But in the meantime, I brought some home for my wife and I to share.

In related news, I learned, when someone asked my wife in Estonian if she liked the donuts, what the Estonian word is for donut. And also that the cafe where I have been eating for seven months is named "Donut Cafe."

Sigh.

Pet Lovers: Unite Against United Airlines

So here's another reason United Airlines sucks.

Lots of you have already seen how United Airlines doesn't consider the service of Foreign Service families to matter when it comes to flying our pets with us when we PCS to a new location. Their new rules, from which they have granted the military a waiver "in recognition of the commitment made by members of our military and the family members (including the four-legged ones) who share in their sacrifice" but not the Foreign Service families who serve alongside the military, could make prohibitively expensive to keep our pets with us.

Because our service, even though we too are on government orders, even though we too put our families in harm's way for the needs of the country, doesn't count.

But now, there is one more part to their announcement. Sure, United says, we will give the military a waiver (but not those pesky diplomats, since the 3,000 letters we received is a drop in the bucket compared with all the military), but we are also going to start breed-specific restrictions as well. You can find the list of breeds here. And there is no waiver for that.

United thinks it can get away with this because they don't think we will buy our own tickets. And they don't care even if we do. Because they assume mostly people will try to figure out a way around it. And even if we don't, we are small. There are only about 11,000 of us total in the Foreign Service. And probably the number of military owning a restricted breed is similarly small. So who cares if we don't get to take our pets with us.

But we have families. We have friends. And we need to let them all know how United disrespects those who have devoted their lives to the service of the country, often at great personal cost. And get them to tell their friends, because I know the pet lovers in this country outnumber those who don't.

Ask them to write to United. And ask them to boycott United.

I will not be flying United again if I can help it. I will buy my own ticket if need be because the cost will be lower than letting the government pay full refundable fair for me and me just pay for my pets to be shipped back separately.

Please stand with those who serve and don't fly United.

Why I Won't Be Flying United

As some of you may have heard, United Airlines has changed their rules so that flying with your pet is now MUCH more expensive. Basically, their new policies on pet travel restrict options, raise costs and pose enormous practical problems for the safe and timely transfer of pets at transit points where a change of plane and carrier is required. As in, just about every PCS any FS family will ever make. AFSA said the likely difference to Foreign Service families would be instead of paying around $250-$400 per pet, families would have to pay as much as $1,000 and $4,000 per pet.

United has, kindly, granted a waiver to members of the military traveling on permanent change of station orders. Although all the specifics are not clear, it appears that the main elements of the waiver are (1) optional use of professional pet shipper; (2) waiving of $40 fuel and security charges; (3) flat rate* for cargo under United’s PetSafe program; and (4) United will assume responsibility for the transfer of pets to the connecting airline. Without the waiver, the traveler has to somehow accomplish this on his or her own, coping with getting to a cargo terminal, collecting a crated pet, take it to the connecting airline and do all this within the transit time allowed. (*the flat rate for cargo appears to be much higher than the rate for accompanied excess baggage.)

So AFSA started a letter writing campaign, and 3,000 people, including me, wrote in asking that the waiver also be extended to members of the Foreign Service too. Because we are serving too. We are PCSing too. We are on government orders too.

And the response they got back? Well, all of us individuals got the standard "Thanks for writing. Your letter is very important to us. We'll look into it." But their real response to AFSA was from United's Senior Manager for Marketing, Customer Service and Business Systems. He said that United developed the waiver for the military "in recognition of the commitment made by members of our military and the family members (including the four-legged ones) who share in their sacrifice" and intends to limit this "special process" to military families only.

I guess that we don't make a special commitment. We and our families don't sacrifice. We don't serve.

The Fly America rule passed by Congress requires that if the government is paying for the ticket, the passenger must fly on an American carrier. This means that most of our tickets are either on an American flight or an American codeshare flight. And when you are on a codeshare flight, you fly by the rules of the codeshare company, not the company actually running the flight. I learned this trying to get my parrot on the United codeshare flight with Scandinavian Airlines. Scandinavian allows parrots. United does not. So if I got a ticket through United, I could not bring my parrot.

What I learned in all of that is that most of our codeshare flights are with United. And that means following United's rules. But what I also learned was that while Fly America means if the government pays for my ticket, I have to fly on an American airline if available, it doesn't mean I have to let the government pay for my ticket. I can buy my own. And at an additional up to $4000 per per moving cost, it is cheaper for me to buy on a foreign carrier to get myself and my pets home than to let the government buy the ticket for me. And because it is a moving expense for my job, I can take it off my taxes. So it isn't even saving the taxpayer money for me to buy my own ticket.

So unless United changes its policy to include the other people who are serving this country and PCSing on government orders, I will be buying my own ticket. And I will certainly avoid buying tickets on United for my vacations if I have to jump through these hoops in order to PCS. In order to serve.

And that is why I won't be flying United. And I hope you won't either.

I'm Kind Of Like a Drug Dealer

Only the really sad middle-man kind who never makes any money because he consumes the product.

On my list of things I always miss about the U.S. is one of my drugs of choice...Girl Scout cookies (the other drug of choice is Diet Mt. Dew of course).

So when it is Girl Scout cookie time, I try to appoint myself drug dealer...find a source, offer the product to other, who always buy in. (This year, my sources was Jen and her daughter K over at The Dinoia Family. Thanks Jen!)

It is kind of a disease really.

It started when I was a kid...I was never a Girl Scout, but I was a Brownie (the sort of entry level of Girl Scouts...I think there wasn't a Girl Scout troop once I was old enough but I am not certain. It could have just been that I was protesting because I wanted to be a Boy Scout - they DO get to do much cooler stuff than the Girl Scouts).

Still, my lack of camping badges aside, there is a warm place in my heart for the Girl Scouts. They were founded in the South (Savannah), and they have been gay friendly WAY before it was cool to be gay friendly (actually, it still isn't cool to be gay friendly in the South, except maybe in places like Folly Beach, SC (my favorite place on earth), who just passed a non-discrimination ordinance...they were pretty inclusive even without the ordinance, even back when I lived there twenty years ago...but I digress).

So while I wasn't a Girl Scout, I was a Girl Scout camp counselor (that was a cool job!), and because they had long since been gay friendly, I was allowed to tell two girls there who were struggling with their sexuality that they were okay. That there was nothing wrong with them, and that if it ended up that they were gay, they would still be okay with nothing wrong with them. One girl was being picked on because she was so boyish, and I was able not just to make her feel better about herself but to demonstrate to the other girls that bullying wasn't going to be tolerated and that this girl was just fine. And because I was the counselor with the cool activity (I ran the ropes course...the girls called me Rambo), they started treating the boyish girl better.

I feel good about what I did there. And I feel good about supporting the Girl Scouts now when they are being attacked by the far right for things that are flat out not true.

Of course, all of that good feeling could be the drugs talking. But I'll take it. I'll also take another box of Thin Mints please.

It Takes A Visitor

...to make you go out and do what you have been meaning to do.

We had company this weekend, our third visitor in the seven months I have been here (making it three times as many visitors as we had during our whole tour in Jerusalem...people seem more interested in coming here!) This time is was a friend from area studies (and before that, the A-100 yahoo group) who is currently serving in the Balts. She was here for consular leadership day and stayed an extra night to check out the sights (I originally typed sites, but considering where we went, that would have been okay too).

So Kiek in Der Kok (or peak in the kitchen) is one of the more famous of Tallinn's Old City towers. I have meant to go in there since I did my language immersion a year ago and had my picture taken by it. Actually before that, back when I drew a picture of it from a photo I had seen. And since it is right by Vabaduse Valjak (Freedom Square), I see it regularly and never manage to go in. My wife took her dad when he visited, but I was working and didn't get to join. I even took Noostie for a walk by it once, but never went in.


Well the trip was worth the wait. Tallinn knows how to do museums (lots of fun, creepy stuff in this one, like a torture rack, an executioners sword...and a nerf pig on a spit), and if you walk all the way up the windy original steps (or you can take the new, safe ones, but where is the challenge in that?) you can see why it was such a good defensive tower. You can see everything from there...we got some great views of the Old City...I could even see my apartment from there.



I hope you are planning to visit...there are some other places I need to visit, but clearly I need a push!

ATTENTION PET OWNERS: AFSA Appeal to United Airlines

From AFSA President Susan Johnson. As one of many pet owners in the Foreign Service, I urge (beg, plead) you to write.

AFSA Appeal to United Airlines

Include U.S. Foreign Service in New Pet Policy Waiver for U.S. Military

Dear Foreign Service Colleagues:

This is a call to collective action now on behalf of Foreign Service pets and their owners/families. See the sample e-mail letter to United at the end of this message immediately after my signature.

AFSA has engaged with the Department of State and United Airlines regarding United’s new policies on pet travel which restrict options, raise costs and pose enormous practical problems for the safe and timely transfer of pets at transit points where a change of plane and carrier is required. The likely difference to Foreign Service families would be instead of paying around $250-$400 per pet, families would have to pay much more and in many cases between $1,000 and $4,000 per pet.

United has granted a waiver to members of the military traveling on permanent change of station orders. Although all the specifics are not clear, it appears that the main elements of the waiver are (1) optional use of professional pet shipper; (2) waiving of $40 fuel and security charges; (3) flat rate* for cargo under United’s PetSafe program; and (4) United will assume responsibility for the transfer of pets to the connecting airline. Without the waiver, the traveler has to somehow accomplish this on his or her own, coping with getting to a cargo terminal, collecting a crated pet, take it to the connecting airline and do all this within the transit time allowed. (*the flat rate for cargo appears to be much higher than the rate for accompanied excess baggage.)

AFSA invites Foreign Service pet owners (and their friends) to participate in an important collective action e-mail campaign to United. If we join together we can have an impact. For maximum effect, we want as many e-mails as possible to be sent during a 48-hour window starting as soon as you receive this e-mail and ending at 5:00 pm EST on Friday, March 9. We ask that you copy AFSA at member@afsa.org so that we have a central record of the number of participants in the action and can follow up. Otherwise, we won’t know how many of you joined in to make a difference and any needed follow up will be more difficult.

To make our collective voice heard, if you are a pet owner, past, present or future, or you believe that civilian federal employees traveling on permanent change of station orders should be given the same waiver accorded to our colleagues in uniform, we are asking you to click on the link below and send a message to United, urging them to extend the waiver program to members of the United States Foreign Service traveling on official transfer orders. Please make sure that your message is cordial and to the point; you should identify yourself as a United States Foreign Service employee or family member.

Sincerely,
Susan R. Johnson
AFSA President

Here is a suggested message that you may copy/paste and personalize (briefly) if you wish.
---------------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Smisek – As a [member of the Foreign Service/spouse or family member of a U.S. Foreign Service employee], I welcome your decision to grant a waiver of certain parts of the new United pet policy to members of the U.S. military on permanent change of station orders, and I urge you to grant the same waivers to America’s Foreign Service traveling with their pets when they are on official “change of station” orders.

Extending the waiver would demonstrate that United recognizes the service of those who work to advance and protect America’s interests abroad, and would modify a policy that unfairly penalizes members of a career service that requires its members to be available worldwide, who rely on and feel deep responsibility to their beloved animal companions. This policy will cause serious hardship, both financial and emotional, to members of the U.S. diplomatic service and their families when they are assigned to official stations abroad and traveling to and from their official station on government orders.

This is a fair and common sense solution and we urge you to extend the waiver to members of America’s Foreign Service, for the benefit of our animal companions who are such important members of our families and our lives.

Sincerely,
[name]

Click here to send an e-mail to United.

(If the link does not work for you, please send the message to customerrelations@united.com, Tom.Billone@united.com, Jeff.Smisek@united.com, and member@afsa.org.)