Showing posts with label Indian diplomat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian diplomat. Show all posts

Thursday, December 19, 2013

American officials insult India by strip-searching an Indian diplomat. Perhaps India should respond in kind

Devyani Khobragade, India's deputy consul general in New York, was arrested outside her child's school a few days ago.  While she was detained, she was handcuffed, strip searched, and thrown in a cell with common criminals. U.S. authorities acknowledge that the strip search included a search of body cavities,  but they stoutly maintained she was afforded special consideration because of her diplomatic status.

Ms. Devyani Khobragade deserves
a personal apology from Secretary
of State John Kerry
photo credit: Mohammed Jaffer AP
What was Ms. Khobragade's offense?  She is accused of underpaying her housekeeper and working her more than 40 hours a week.

A couple of observations.  First, don't you think it is hypocritical of the United States to kill innocent civilians with drone strikes in Pakistan and then strip search an Indian diplomat for overworking her housekeeper?

Second, if a diplomat must submit to a body cavity search based on an accusation that she underpaid her housekeeper, then Washington politicians should make sure they keep their undergarments in good repair.  How many Congresspeople  and senators do you think are underpaying their nannies, lawn care employees and domestic servants?  A few I would venture. Wouldn't it be embarrassing for a Congressman to to reveal  he was wearing tattered boxer shorts after being booked for not paying Social Security taxes on a nanny's salary?

Of course, the Obama administration issued one of its "I'm not really sorry" apologies. Secretary of State Kerry expressed "regret" over the incident, which is kind of like Obama saying he was sorry people found themselves in the situation of not having health insurance. Hey, "my bad."

I predict the Indians will not be satisfied with anything less than a profound personal apology delivered to the Indian Prime Minister and Ms. Khobragade by a senor American official.  I hope Secretary of State John Kerry flies to Mumbai  to deliver this apology himself, and I hope the Indians extend him an American-style welcome by giving him a thorough cavity search at the airport.

References

Gardiner Harris. Outrage in India, and Retaliation, Over a Female Diplomat's Arrest in New York. New York Times, December 18, 2013, p. A13.



Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Being an Obamacrat means never having to say you're sorry: The pitiful American response to the inappropriate arrest of an Indian diplomat

A few days ago, the U.S. Marshall's Office arrested Devan Khobragada, an Indian diplomat, for allegedly providing false information in a visa application for her housekeeper.  The Marshall's Office
Marie Herf
Master's degree from UVA
admits that she was handcuffed, strip searched, and placed in a cell with common criminals. This happened in New York City, home of the United Nations.


A screw up, right?  After all, everyone knows that New York cops can't even issue a parking ticket to a foreign diplomat, much less strip search one.

The Indian government is understandable outraged, calling the arrest barbaric; and Indian officials have ordered the removal of traffic barriers in front of the American embassy.  Those traffic barriers were installed to deter suicide car bombers, which gives you an indication of just how angry India is.

Does the American government apologize?  No.  The Obama administration authorizes Marie Herf, a thirty-something State Department spokeswoman with stylish glasses, to issue a statement containing nothing but drivel.  What does Herf say?
We understand that this is a sensitive issue for many in India.  Accordingly, we are looking into the intake procedures surrounding this arrest to ensure that all appropriate procedures were followed and every opportunity for courtesy was extended.
What did these Obamacrats learn at the elite colleges they attended? (Herf obtained a master's degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia.) Did they learn problem solving skills? Did they learn how to respond to crises? Did they learn to apologize for their mistakes and promise to make things right?

No, apparently the Obamacrats learned how to write opaque press releases and very little else.  But they didn't learn to say "I'm sorry" when an apology is called for. 

I feel sure the Obama administration will eventually straighten things out and issue a formal apology to India.  Maybe Obama will give the Indians an aircraft carrier or some jets to smooth things over.

But the initial response to an incident like this says it all.  Obama and his people are arrogant snobs who never learned to behave decently.  They never mastered the simple rules of civil behavior that most of us learned in grade school.

References

Elise Labott and Jethro Mullen. Arrest, strip-search of Indian diplomat in New York triggers Uproar. December 18, 2013. CNN.com. Accessible at: http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/17/politics/india-us-diplomat/