There was so much to choose from this week while preparing “the Fix” that I’m still scratching my head as I click the “publish” button. Do I address the perfectly executed - yet universally denounced - coup in Honduras. Or do I spend time pontificating on the out of control spending of the U.S. Congress under the Democrats (I know, not very original or surprising)? What about Gweneth Paltrow’s declaration of the obvious - that Europeans prefer to loaf around instead of playing with their BlackBerries (not that there’s anything wrong with that)? Oh, and she gave the interview in “perfect Spanish”, therefore, we should all be impressed. No, there has to be a bigger story this week. And then I found it.

Running with Palin

Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin has yet to give a full press conference, appeared on Meet the Press, This Week, etc. Basically, she hasn’t done anything but softball interviews on Fox News and, of course, her interview with me a few weeks ago. However, this week, she graces the pages of….Runner’s World. Here’s the money quote. No commentary necessary:

“It doesn’t matter your background, your demographics, your race, your political affiliation, it’s such a uniting, healthy, fun, awesome activity. It cracks me up going to some running event and seeing some dude who campaigned so hard against me, or a lady who’s been blogging some mean comments about me. But we’re all there together and we’re smiling and we’re having a good time because we’re going to do something healthy and active. We need more of that.”

I could stand to lose a few pounds and have nothing against running, but if she thinks that puff pieces like these will rehabilitate her image with the voting population she is nuttier than previously thought. And I’m not just talking about her relentless critics on the left. I’m talking about the Republicans waiting around the corner for a chance to take her out like Tanya Harding tried to do to Nancy Kerrigan in 1994. If I were her, I would be off studying in the Wasilla Public Library.

Is Cheney Still Running the White House?

Hat tip to Doug Mataconis of Below the Beltway.

See you next week. Special thanks to Professor Kara Kaufman of Salem State College for including me in her panel discussion last week at the World History Association’s Annual Meeting in Salem, Massachusetts. I had a great time and met some interesting people.

As always, comments and criticism are welcome.

I love music. As a result, I felt obligated to include at least a minor tribute to the late Michael Jackson in this week’s Friday Morning Fix. From my youngest days I remember the music of the Jackson 5, especially Michael. I spent many a night on roller skates while listening to his first solo album, Off the Wall. As the years soared by, disco died, the Cold War ended, and the world changed - Michael’s music remained a constant. Having said that, I think it’s pretty clear that he was a serial pedophile with a litany of issues. Agree? Disagree? It doesn’t matter. That’s his legacy.

Death of an Angel

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the most iconic pin-ups of all time, Farrah Fawcett. Yes, I admit, I had her famous poster on my wall as a young kid. Everybody did. She was, hands down, one of the most beautiful women on the face of the earth and her recent struggle with cancer moves me much more than Michael Jackson’s seemingly endless struggles with the law over pedophilia. Bottom Line: Two people have passed. One was arguably an abuser of children - the other was an Angel.

One Year of Marital Bliss

This Sunday, June 28th, will be my one year wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, professional circumstances have dictated that my wife and I spend the last 6 months traveling back and forth to see each other. She is finishing an employment contract in the Dominican Republic as I work hard to prepare the nest for us here in Massachusetts. Hopefully, all of the jet-setting will end soon. Regardless, this Sunday, I will make my way to Hispaniola to celebrate the anniversary of the best day of my life - the day Maggy and I were married.

So, if you couldn’t make it to our wedding last year (or weren’t invited), feel free to crash it now through this special video. We had a great time. I hope you do too. Next week’s “Fix” will be a Dominican version. Don’t miss it.

I guest blogged for my buddy John over at PorschePurist.com today.

Click through to see how the other side lives (and pay no attention to the absolutely horrible picture of me).

RHM

Before I get into the “Fix” this week I’d like to address my recent exclusive interview with Governor Sarah Palin. The idea for the “interview” occurred to me while watching the Sunday morning political talk shows with my father (i.e. father/son bonding). In all honestly, I thought it would be instantly recognized as satire (which it obviously was). I was wrong and, as of today, Part I is the most read article in the history of RandallHMiller.com.

Shortly after publishing the “interview”, my inbox filled up with reactions of all sorts. A few spotted the piece as satire, but most thought it was legit. That is both a testament to how highly my readers think of me (that I would be able to get such a high profile interview) and the poor opinion we have of Sarah Palin’s political IQ (the answers were feasible). There it is…on to business.

The Iranian “Selection”

I’ll keep my comments on the Iranian “elections” to a minimum because Andrew Sullivan’s coverage has been so thorough since the beginning and Christopher Hitchens nailed it here in his Slate column. Suffice it to say that although the “election” is a complete farce from start to finish, there is evidence of a major cultural, social and (hopefully) political change going on inside the Islamic Republic. How and if the recent demonstrations will manifest in real change is open to debate and remains to be seen. Something not open to debate is the role that technology played (and continues to play) for the opposition. The New York Times reports:

Iranians using the Internet messaging service Twitter had already spread the word that another silent demonstration was scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday and called on protesters to wear green, the signature color of the opposition.

President Obama is receiving predictable criticism from the far right, but I think he’s doing the right thing by condemning the violence and staying low key. Coming out in a boisterous voice of condemnation (like McCain would have) only gives ammunition to the regime that their opposition is American sponsored. Oh, and don’t forget that the Supreme Leader is already blaming the jews.

Human Trafficking

I recently watched Liam Neeson’s new movie Taken. It’s about a man whose daughter is kidnapped while traveling abroad and put up for sale. Yes, there’s big money to be made selling young women into forced prostitution and servitude. Sick, isn’t it? Anyway, the day after I watched the movie the U.S. State Department released its 2009 report on Trafficking in Persons. Sadly, the Dominican Republic (my place of residence for 6 years), scored very poorly. The bad news:

According to the State Department the DR “is a source, transit and destination country for men, women and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor.”

Unfortunately, according to CNN, this seems to be a recession proof business. In fact, there’s been a boom.

From China to Bermuda (by way of Cuba)

Several prisoners from the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay have been released and are currently living in Bermuda. The four Chinese citizens known as Uighurs are living freely after being detained for 7 years by the American government. Uighurs are Muslim separatists from Western China (see map below) who pose no threat to the U.S. whatsoever. Why not send them back to China, you ask? Because they would be tortured and executed as soon as they arrive. There’s no perfect solution on what to do with these guys. I just hope we’ve learned our lesson on what can happen when we go around the world snatching people without thinking it through. 7 years is a long time and I fully expect these guys to file suit against the U.S. government for wrongful imprisonment. And I hope they win.

Comments and criticism are welcome.

Click here to buy my book.

Click here to contact me directly.

See you next week.

If you haven’t read Part I of Randall H. Miller’s exclusive interview with Governor Sarah Palin, you should do so before reading Part II. If you’re already up to speed - jump right in and read the exciting conclusion.

RHM: Ma’am, you’re an outspoken opponent of socialism and any type of income redistribution.

Gov. Palin: Absolutely. Yes, absolutely.

RHM: And yet Alaska receives much more from the federal government than it pays in to the system and Alaskan oil companies’ profits are taxed and distributed to Alaska’s individual residents.

Gov. Palin: That’s true.

RHM: Couldn’t that be considered a form of socialism?

Gov. Palin: No, I don’t think so.

RHM: Why not?

Gov. Palin: Because, Ronald, Alaska is a great state of hardworking people and it’s those people who ultimately own the natural resources. We merely let the oil companies operate there but it would be foolish to not take some of their profits and spread it around a little. I think the people of Alaska deserve that, don’t you?

RHM: Sure, I agree. But don’t you see why some of your opponents would call it hypocritical?

Gov. Palin: Look, I really want to move past the David Letterman stuff, you know, he’s just an old pervert who said something stupid to get ratings. I’m not interested in entertaining that kind of criticism.

RHM: You’ve taken heat for alleged comments about Russia’s proximity to your house as well as confusion as to whether Africa was a country or continent. How do you answer that criticism now that you’ve have time to reflect?

Gov. Palin: I never said any of those things and have a perfectly good grasp, but, ah, that’s just not the issue and it shouldn’t be the issue, right? I work for the people who elected me and they didn’t elect me because I was some kind of geology expert.

RHM: (smiling) Ok. What are your thoughts on Iraq, Afghanistan, and the growing nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran?

Gov. Palin: I think we need to wrap up both Iraq and Afghanistan as soon as possible. In doing so we may have to realize that neither are likely to look like western democracies when we leave. Therefore, we have to have realistic expectations as we move forward toward concluding both of those conflicts. As for the future, I think it’s important to pull back from the contemporary neo-con policies of intervention and to adopt a more realistic foreign policy grounded in American interests and human rights. We have to resist the urge to get involved every time something happens in the world. That doesn’t mean we can’t lead the free world. But it does mean that we should lead less with direct military intervention (give our boys and girls a rest, right?) and more with diplomatic maneuvering. The power and effectiveness of soft diplomacy can often accomplish more and save lives at the same time.

RHM: Wow. Great answer. Why haven’t we seen that side of Sarah Palin before?

Gov. Palin: (laughing) Because nobody ever asked me that question before, silly moose.

RHM: Governor, thanks so much for your time. It’s been an honor.

Gov. Palin: It’s been my pleasure, Reggie.

I’d personally like to thank Governor Palin’s staff for being so helpful and welcoming (especially Scooter, Bubba, and “Dogsled Debbie”). Comments and criticism are welcome.

Click over to Andrew Sullivan’s Blog for comprehensive coverage of events in Iran.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is no stranger to controversy and has no problems with bucking the system. Since her arrival on the national political scene last Fall she has rewritten the rule book and lived up to the moniker “Maverick” – sometimes to her own detriment.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that instead of appearing on Meet the Press or This Week with George Stephanopolous she granted a brief interview to me, a mini-pundit and extremely minor player in the blogosphere.

The following is breaking news and Part I of a RandallHMiller.com exclusive. All press inquiries should be directed here.

RHM: Good morning, Governor. It’s an honor and a pleasure to speak with you today and I appreciate you giving me a few minutes of your time.

Gov. Palin: Not a problem. Glad to do it.

RHM: Should I start with a David Letterman Joke?

Gov. Palin: Please don’t. I think I’ve had enough of that one lately.

RHM: We all have.

Gov. Palin: Good.

RHM: Governor, the media has made a big deal about the amount of time you’ve been spending in the lower 48 lately. Are you ramping up early for 2012 and, as they say, “rehabilitating your image”? Excuse the expression, those are their words, not mine.

Gov. Palin: You know, governors travel all the time. It’s part of the job. At any given time you’d be amazed at how many of the country’s governors, ah, some of the hardest working people in politics by the way don’t let anyone fool you, but they travel. They do. Sometimes that travel is within the state and other times it’s out, but it’s all for Alaska. It’s not about me.

RHM: The media seems to forget about the other 49 governors sometimes, don’t they?

Gov. Palin: They sure do. But I guess that’s a blessing and a curse that I have to deal with. It kinda goes with the territory and at least people know me. At a recent governor’s conference I met South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds and I was like, “Who the heck is this guy?” So, I guess it could be worse but, yes, I am very blessed.

RHM: Governor, you talk a lot about conservatives sticking to their guns and not forgetting what it is that makes them conservatives and proud Republicans.

Gov. Palin: Yeah.

RHM: And you often mention the founding fathers in your speeches.

Gov. Palin: I sure do.

RHM: Are there one or two founding fathers in particular that you respect and admire?

Gov. Palin: I’d have to say Ronald Reagan is a big one for me. If we’d had listened to him and never forgotten his messages of small government and tearin’ down walls we’d be a lot better off today.

RHM: Then by “founding fathers” you really mean influential conservatives or icons?

Gov. Palin: Yeah, I guess so, either way really.

RHM: Either way?

Gov. Palin: Yes, absolutely.

RHM: What about the founding fathers of the United States? Is there a particular founder that you admire for any reason?

Gov. Palin: Um, yeah, again I’d have to say Abraham Lincoln because of all he did for black people. Not like Martin Luther King didn’t help, but Lincoln came first, right? (laughing)

RHM: (smiling) Yes, Ma’am.

Gov. Palin: Actually, Ricky, let me back up a minute.

RHM: Ok.

Gov. Palin: I respect all of the founding fathers equally, Democrat or Republican. They were all great men and women.

RHM: Indeed they were.

END of Part I.

I will post Part II of my exclusive interview with Governor Sarah Palin as soon as it’s transcribed.

It’s election day in Iran and tensions are almost as high as they were in the U.S. in 2008. According to polls, current Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad leads slightly over his main opponent Mir Hossein Mousavi. Amazingly, the candidates are not only acknowledging the importance of women voters, they are actually competing for their support. The Wall Street Journal reports:

TEHRAN, Iran — For the first time in Iran’s 30-year history of presidential elections, candidates are going all out to win over female voters, making a flurry of last-minute appeals before Friday’s balloting.

Today’s campaigns are a departure from the past, when candidates spoke of women voters in general terms, mostly centered on their respect for a mother’s role in society or through economic assistance to widows.

In this election, the three candidates challenging President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose tenure has included a crackdown on women’s-rights activists, have tried to set themselves apart from the incumbent by focusing on female voters.

Iran is certainly not a Western style democracy, but it’s not nearly as oppressive as Saudi Arabia and many of its other neighbors. Unfortunately, this distinction is rarely made in the Western media. Instead, we’re treated to video of the usual “Death to America” gatherings which do not represent the Persian population as a whole. It’s akin to filming a typical college protest in America and ascribing the beliefs to the entire population. For an interesting look at modern Persian culture, try reading The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran.

It seems that this campaign has been pretty nasty as well. According to the BBC:

There has been ferocious criticism between candidates, hurling insults and strictures about fraud and dishonesty.

In his final TV appearance, Mr Ahmadinejad accused his opponents of conspiring with Israelis to falsify documents and graphs to discredit him.

So , there you have it. If Ahmadinejad loses it’s the Jews’ fault.

Reverend Wright Returns

President Obama’s former preacher, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, is back in the news. When asked recently if he had spoken with President Obama since his inauguration, the Reverend replied:

“Them Jews aren’t going to let him talk to me. I told my baby daughter, that he’ll talk to me in five years when he’s a lame duck, or in eight years when he’s out of office. …

Being Jewish must be an exhausting task. Seriously, where do they get the energy to run interference between Obama and Wright while simultaneously obstructing Ahmadinejad’s re-election bid? Add to that the arduous task of forwarding the New World Order agenda and pulling the purse strings of the world’s financial institutions and it barely leaves time for planning 9/11 type terrorist attacks.

Palin v. Letterman

Sarah Palin (who never left the news) is not at all happy with Late Night Host David Letterman after a string of barbs that many say crossed the line. According to ABC News:

Letterman’s “Top 10” list Tuesday night focused on Palin’s recent trip to New York, and included several cracks: “Bought makeup from Bloomingdale’s to update her ’slutty flight attendant’ look,” Letterman said.

But it was a line in Letterman’s monologue that set off a firestorm: “One awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game, during the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.”

Palin was in New York with her 14-year-old daughter, Willow.

Nice. Honestly, leave the kids out of of it. And if you really want to make Sarah Palin look bad, just give her a microphone and let her do the work for you.

Should Letterman apologize? I say yes.

Click here to buy copies of “The Xpatriot” by Randall H. Miller.

Click here to contact me directly.

See you next week.

First, a quick thanks for all of your support. Copies of my book, The Xpatriot by Randall H. Miller, have been selling well and I truly appreciate it.

Also, if you’re into new gadgets and looking for a great gift idea, check out my review of Amazon’s Kindle 6″ wireless reading device. Very cool.

On to business…

Hugo Chavez Dodges Another Bullet (Well, not really)

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recently decided to skip a scheduled trip to El Salvador. Why? Why else? There was an “assassination plot” against him. Yahoo news reports:

CARACAS, Venezuela – President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday alleged that U.S. intelligence agencies were behind a purported assassination plot that prevented him from visiting El Salvador.

Chavez had planned to attend the inauguration of leftist President Mauricio Funes in the Central American nation on Monday, but said he canceled his trip due to the alleged plot.

“I don’t doubt that the intelligence organizations of the United States are behind this,” Chavez said, accusing them of plotting with Cuban militant Luis Posada Carriles to murder him.

He said Venezuelan intelligence services have “very precise information” that they were planning to launch rockets at the Cubana de Aviacion plane he was going to travel in.

“Very precise information?” Don’t hold your breath waiting to see it. If he had it, he’d be touting it on every major news channel around the globe. This is typical Chavez - play up the external enemy in the hopes that it will boost waning support at home. El Presidente goes on to make a weak distinction between “Comrade Obama” and the would be perpetrators:

“I’m not accusing Obama,” he said. “I think Obama has good intentions, but beyond Obama there’s an empire — the CIA and all its tentacles: Terrorists and paramilitaries.”

Every time something happens in Latin America - it was the CIA. And when nothing happens in Latin America - it was the CIA. This is the same old song and dance. I lived in Latin America for over 6 years. The CIA gets way more credit than they deserve for events.

Kim Jong-un to Succeed Kim Jung-il in North Korea (many Kims still jobless)

As if things couldn’t get any worse on the Korean Peninsula, Kim Jong-il’s third son (shown on the left in his only known photograph), 26 year old Kim Jong-un has been officially anointed as the next leader of North Korea. According to the Washington Post:

Former classmates at a Swiss boarding school describe a shy student who loved basketball and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Recent reports describe him as overweight and a heavy drinker. Now 26, Kim Jong Un has reportedly been tapped to become the next leader of nuclear-armed North Korea…But he’s already being hailed as “our Commander Kim,” and North Koreans are busy learning the lyrics to a new song praising him as the next leader of the world’s first communist dynasty.

Not exactly Alexander the Great. From The BBC’s official profile:

Swiss-educated like his brothers, Kim Jong-un avoided Western influences, returning home when not in school and dining out with the North Korean ambassador.

Since his return to Pyongyang, little has been made public about his character.

In 2006, badges bearing his image were said to be circulating among senior officials of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party, arousing suspicions that he had been chosen as Kim Jong-il’s successor.

He’s said to be the “spitting image” of his father. Great. Hopefully somebody will buy this kid a Nintendo Wii and keep him away from the nuclear controls.

President Obama Speaks in the Middle East

In another impressive display of statesmanship, President Barack Obama addressed the “Muslim World” from Cairo. He didn’t beat his chest and declare that those who aren’t “with us” must be “against us”, and he didn’t insist on speaking down to one of the world’s most populous regions. Instead, he spoke to them like adults and firmly laid the foundation for future relations. The Economist was there:

“The cycle of suspicion and discord must end,” Mr Obama declared, to enthusiastic applause. “I have come to seek a new beginning, based on co-operation and respect.” Punctuated with quotations from the Koran, the speech ranged from pressing issues such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran’s nuclear ambitions to principles such as democracy and women’s rights. It culminated in a vision of a more tolerant and peaceful world.

The American president did not shy away from chiding some Muslims for their reluctance to condemn violent extremism or the tendency to measure their own faith by rejection of another. He made a strong pitch for America’s own vision of religious freedom, and called for understanding of the historical suffering of Jews. Castigating the denial of the Nazi Holocaust as “baseless, ignorant and hateful”, he took an indirect swipe at Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But he also evoked Palestinians’ suffering, describing their situation as “intolerable”. He forthrightly repeated his demand for an end to Jewish colonisation of Palestinian territory.

When it comes to foreign policy, Obama is able to speak with a firmness like no other recent president. But for some strange reason, neocons and far-right conservatives don’t seem to hear the message. Instead, they insist that every time he speaks abroad he “apologizes” for the U.S. or, as GOP and Fox News pundit Sean Hannity says, Obama “is embarrassed of America.” Strangely, the transcripts of these speeches contain no such apologies or hints of embarrassment. Humility (an unknown concept to the far right) does not equate to weakness. It’s demonstrative of maturity, intelligence, and pragmatism.

I like the words. Now let’s see some action.

See you next week.

Click here to contact Randall H. Miller.

There are two types of people in the world - those who embrace new technologies and those who brush them aside. Sure, there are a few people in the middle but, for the most part, each of us falls into one of the two categories. When Amazon launched their first proprietary wireless reading device in 2007, the Kindle, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Yes, it connects automatically through the 3G network and comes with gazillions of books, blogs, and more. But there was something weird about carrying around an Etch A Sketch-like contraption to read the news and blogs. Last week I finally got my hands on one of the 6″ Kindles and now I am 100% sold.

One of my students was surfing blogs and the news on his new 6″ Kindle before class and I asked if I could see it. I was amazed at the comfortable size and clarity of the screen. Then, when I saw the amount of data that can be downloaded instantly I was hooked. From Amazon:

Today, the Kindle Store has more than 285,000 books available, plus top newspapers, magazines, and blogs. This is just the beginning. Our vision is to have every book ever printed, in any language, all available in under 60 seconds on Kindle. We won’t stop until we get there.

Whether you prefer biographies, classics, investment guides, thrillers, or sci-fi, thousands of your favorite books are available, including 109 of 112 books currently found on the New York Times® Best Seller list. New York Times Best Sellers and most new releases are $9.99, and you’ll find many books for less.

I’d list the the specs but the picture at the top says it all. It’s thin, light and easily fits in your backpack, briefcase or purse. The battery lasts for days without having to be recharged, and it’s not as clunky (or expensive) as the Kindle DX (which I would not recommend). Also, the DX needs to be pre-ordered (at $489 bucks) while the Kindle 6″ is in stock and for $359 (shipping included).

I haven’t broken down and bought one yet, but it’s on my list. The Kindle 6″ would also make a great Father’s Day gift - assuming the Father falls in with those who embrace new technology.

One of the things I like most about the internet and blogging (besides connecting with old friends and acquaintances) is meeting new people. Recently, a classmate and former Army buddy of mine introduced me to Dan Ericson, the head roaster of Camano Island Coffee Roasters(CICR). Anybody who knows me is painfully aware of how much I like geopolitics and coffee. For me, they go hand in hand. Well, the same can be said for Dan and CICR because they have successfully fused great coffee with helping people in the developing world improve their lives. From the CICR website:

Coffee is the second largest traded commodity in the world (after oil). Purchasing coffee that is shade-grown, organic, and fairly traded is a great first step, but why stop there when you can purchase coffee that has a potential to change the lives of many people around the world? Why pay for low quality coffee and donate to charity when you don’t enjoy the coffee and the charity doesn’t create a sustainable cycle? Buy the BEST coffee and change the world at the same time!

What I like most about this company (besides the coffee) is the fact that they help people help themselves instead of just giving away a piece of their profits. For them, it’s all about teaching people to be self-reliant:

Self-reliance. It’s a word that many Americans take for granted. Imagine if you had only one major source of income and a storm came through and destroyed that crucial crop, leaving you with nothing to take care of a family for over half a year. On top of that, you have nothing to resume your crop for the next year with. Camano Island Coffee Roasters (through our partnership with Agros - www.agros.org) aims to help alleviate those issues through teaching coffee farmers secondary trade skills and helping them learn how to start saving money in case disaster strikes.

That’s not charity. It’s socially responsible fair trade and I dig it.

I also had the opportunity to try three different varieties of CCIR’s coffee: Brazil (Dark Roast), Honduras (May), and Guatemala (Medium Roast). Personally, I liked the Guatemalan coffee the best. Out of habit, my morning joe is Cafe Santo Domingo (I lived in the Dominican Republic for 6 years), but the others give me just the kick I need in the afternoon and I’d recommend any of them.

Below is a video about the company. Take a few minutes to watch it. I’m sure you’ll be impressed with what Camano Island Coffee is able to pull off while simultaneously making a profit. If you like what you see, consider joining the Camano Island Coffee Lover’s Club. It looks like a pretty good deal. You’ll get great coffee and help others at the same time. Everybody wins.

Sidenote: I was not asked to write this review. I wrote it solely because I like what CICR is doing and wanted to help spread the word.

A quick announcement before I begin this week’s Friday Morning Fix. The novel I wrote and published in 2004 is now available for purchase on the blog. Click here to read about The Xpatriot by Randall H. Miller.

On to business…

Several months ago I wrote about the Obama administration’s Chinese foreign policy strategy. My conclusion was that relations are somewhat stable now, but we’ve had some bumps along the road. From the Friday Morning Fix - March 20th, 2009:

In 2001, a Chinese fighter jet collided with an American spy plane resulting in the death of the pilot and 11 Americans being held in custody for almost two weeks. Most recently, American and Chinese naval forces clashed in the Pacific when (depending on who you believe) a U.S. ship either violated Chinese maritime borders or was needlessly harassed by Chinese forces in international waters. As a consequence, American and Chinese leaders are working to smooth relations and avoid the kind of problems that such incidents can quickly escalate into. Neither side wants to rock the boat prior to Obama’s April meeting with President Hu.

The G20 meeting came and went without any significant events. But June 4th, 2009 will be the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and while President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are usually consistent on banging the human rights drums, I imagine they will choose their words more carefully that day.

The 1989 Tiananmen Square pro democracy demonstration began peacefully on April 14th, but by June 4th the Chinese government disgraced itself by ordering its military to open fire on its own people, a bloodbath ensued. Casualty estimates range from a few hundred to several thousand (the “official” Chinese numbers unsurprisingly come in on the low end). In spite of this atrocity, the Obama administration will likely merely mention the “event” and downplay its historical significance. Why? Because whether we like it or not we need China. We need Chinese cooperation to tackle the global financial crisis, to help us manage and finance our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to thwart Iran’s nuclear program, and to deal with the ever-erratic North Korean regime. Foreign policy is driven by interests and tough choices. We might be criticized for our weak criticism of the event, but taking a hard line now could cause much more damage later. Welcome to the real world.

Unsurprisingly, the Chinese regime (The prettiest girl at the dance back during the Olympics, right?) has already started to repress dissent. The Telegraph reports:

Beijing has taken steps to prevent dissent in response to a groundswell of pressure for the authorities to atone for what happened.

Students at Beijing and Dalian Universities have been banned from giving any interviews to the foreign media until after the anniversary.

The Public Security Bureau in Dalian warned: “Any indication of an approach from a foreign journalist must be reported immediately.”

University exams have been scheduled across China on June 4, in what appears to be an attempt to keep students inside their classrooms.

Security officers have also been targeting known dissidents including Bao Tong, 76, an aide to Zhao Zhiyang, the late Chinese leader. He has been taken out of Beijing to the mountain region of Huangshan on Monday.

It’s ironic that one of the most powerful regimes in the world is afraid of its own students and feels the need to sequester a septuagenarian. Free speech and democracy are pure anathema to oppressive regimes.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il Continues to Cry for Attention

In another unsurprising (yet very serious) development, North Korea decided to completely ignore the international community (except for its friends - Iran and Venezuela) and conducted another nuclear weapon test (its second and the only two of the 21st century). In typical North Korean form the test was followed up by some world class “smack-talking.” Needless to say, U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) troops are on the highest alert. Yahoo News reports:

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea and the United States raised the military alert level for the peninsula on Thursday after the communist North warned the truce ending the Korean War was dead and it was ready to attack.

The joint command for the 28,500 U.S. troops that support South Korea’s 670,000 soldiers has raised its alert a notch to signify a serious threat from North Korea, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

It is the highest threat level since the North’s only other nuclear test in October 2006.

Any guesses as to what the international community will do about it this time? Send them another letter perhaps? And didn’t Bill Clinton’s Secretary of State Madeline Albright take care of this problem back in 2000?

More Tigers on the Extinction List?

The Sri Lankan government claims that its 26 year war against world renowned terrorists the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is finally over, complete with the death of founder and sole commander Velupillai Prabhakaran. I’m not so sure about that. According to The Economist:

ONLY days after Velupillai Prabhakaran was found dead on a battlefield in north-eastern Sri Lanka on May 19th, cracks have emerged in the Tamil Tiger rebel group that he controlled for over three decades. At issue is whether to concede that Mr Prabhakaran, whose pudgy corpse was displayed for television cameras by the army and then burned, is really dead.

On May 24th Selvarasa Pathmanathan, head of international relations for…(LTTE)…said its “incomparable leader and supreme commander” had been martyred. Within hours, another self-described Tiger faction, quoting the Tigers’ intelligence arm, released a statement that said, the “LTTE leadership is safe and it will re-emerge when the right time comes”. The Tigers’ intelligence chief, Pottu Amman, is the most senior rebel plausibly rumoured to have survived the murderous last stage of a two-year army offensive.

I’m skeptical for obvious reasons. The LTTE had thousands of “soldiers”, many (known as Black Tigers) willing to conduct suicide bombing operations, as well as reasonably functional naval and air assets. At one time they controlled 2/3 of Sri Lanka. It’s more likely that remnants of the Tigers will linger and attack when they have the resources and critical mass required (Updated to include: Christopher Hitchens disagrees). Remember the presumed dead “Shining Path” (Sendero Luminoso) in Peru? They staged a comeback last month and, according to Americas Quarterly, are reportedly recruiting child soldiers to join its ranks. From AQ’s blog:

In a video that surfaced in the Peruvian media on Sunday night, images emerged of the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) guerrilla group training children in military-style drills and in the handling of automatic weapons. According to local reports, the video shows up to 17 children between 7 and 12 years old in “military formations” in a remote jungle area about 320 kilometers southeast of Lima, Peru.

Terrorist organizations and insurgencies are rarely eliminated completely. All you need are a few dedicated individuals willing to commit acts of violence and claim responsibility for the organization. Even copycats with no connection other than sympathy can keep an insurgency or terrorism organization “alive.” Our best hope is to eliminate as many of the players as possible, reduce the factors that exacerbate terrorism in general, beat them in the battle for hearts and minds (where we currently have lots of room for growth), and bring them into the legitimate political process when possible. Finally, we need to be able to able to deal with the attacks that will inevitably happen.

Reports of the LTTE’s death are premature and the Sri Lankan government has a lot of fence building to do with the Tamil people. This is a story I plan on watching very closely.

Comments and criticism are welcome.

Thanks for reading.

Sidenotes: I’ll be a panelist at the World History Association’s annual meeting on June 27th, 2009 in Salem Massachusetts with my friend and colleague, Professor Kara Kaufman.

Panel Title: Witches, Wikis and Websites: Ways to Engage Students Required to Attend World History Courses

Panel Date and Time: June 27th, Saturday 11 - 12:30 p.m.

I’ll also be addressing the Explorers Lifelong Learning Institute on July 15th, 2009. The presentation is entitled “Al Qaeda Meets Al Capone: Islamic Terrorists and Organized Crime.”

Click here to book Randall H. Miller for a lecture.

In 2004, while living and teaching in the Dominican Republic, I wrote a fictional novel entitled The Xpatriot. I wrote, published, and marketed the book on my own until it ran out of steam at just over 1,000 copies sold (not too shabby). I then canceled my contract with the publisher and pulled it from distribution (retaining all future printing rights).

I get asked about the book quite a lot and decided to consolidate my final copies and make them available for purchase here on my blog. The Xpatriot is available for USD $12.95 (shipping included/U.S. only) and I will sign and personalize your copy however you wish - or not at all.

From the back cover:

Scott Green is a Special Forces soldier with ten years of experience in covert operations. While finishing an eighteen month tour hunting terrorists in Afghanistan, he makes a discovery that a part of him will regret forever.

Green leaves the service shortly after healing from his wounds and decides to travel and live abroad as he searches for the answers to his deepest burning questions. His life becomes a roller coaster of emotions as he travels through the Dominican Republic. Green emerges victorious over his internal struggles and his search for love just as his past comes back to haunt him.

In the deadly game of counterintelligence, terrorism and global drug trafficking, Scott Green must balance his survival and the survival of those whom he loves with the pillars of his newfound faith.

The Xpatriot is complete fiction, but based on some true events (none of which involved me personally). If you’re interested in a quick, easy, and enjoyable read (and especially if you’re interested in the Dominican Republic), I promise that you will enjoy the book.

Expect about one week for your order to ship via USPS Media Mail.

I gave a lecture on 21st Century Terrorism this morning at the prestigious Universidad IberoAmericana (UNIBE). To date this was one of the larger and more enthusiastic university audiences I have had the pleasure to talk to. Special thanks to all who made my visit possible, especially my former student Vanessa who knows how to get things done in a place where it can be difficult to get things done. No further explanation should be necessary for anyone who has spent time in Santo Domingo. Things work at a different pace down here.

Since today was my only opportunity to address these history students (from various majors) and their professors, I decided to roll 3 or 4 of my presentations into one. The result was an overview of why I started studying terrorism informally 20 years ago; a comparison of Al Qaeda and Hezbollah; why and how terrorist organizations turned to the global drug trade to raise funds; and an overview of the motivations that drive suicide bombing. Needless to say it was a lot to digest in one hour, but I was very happy with the number and quality of questions I was asked during the final Q and A period.

The Xpatriot by Randall H. Miller

In 2004, I wrote a fictional novel entitled The Xpatriot. Here’s the synopsis of the book:

Scott Green is a Special Forces soldier with ten years of experience in covert operations. While finishing an eighteen month tour hunting terrorists in Afghanistan, he makes a discovery that a part of him will regret forever.

Green leaves the service shortly after healing from his wounds and decides to travel and live abroad as he searches for the answers to his deepest burning questions. His life becomes a roller coaster of emotions as he travels through the Dominican Republic. Green emerges victorious over his internal struggles and his search for love just as his past comes back to haunt him.

In the deadly game of counterintelligence, terrorism and global drug trafficking, Scott Green must balance his survival and the survival of those who he loves with the pillars of his newfound faith.

The book is complete fiction, but based on some true events (none of which involved me personally). Regardless, I still have number of copies of The Xpatriot stored in Santo Domingo and decided to give a copy to each attendee because of the topic. Also, my hope is that most will read the book and follow the link at the end to this blog where they will become regular readers and contributors. They have a lot to offer.

Again, thanks to the students and professors of UNIBE for being such gracious hosts. I look forward to working with all of you again.

Sincerely,

Randall H. Miller

Click here to book Randall H. Miller for a lecture.

UPDATED With Video Sample: May 30th, 2009

Last week I was lucky enough to spend the week working and blogging from a friend’s camp in Belgrade, Maine (see last week’s Friday Morning Fix). The weather was cool, the lake was calm, and the boat was happy to be out of hibernation. This week I’m in the beautiful Dominican Republic (where I lived and taught for 6 years) for a little work and play. I’m visiting family, blogging (of course), and giving a lecture on 21st Century Terrorism to students at the prestigious Universidad IberoAmericana (UNIBE). I’ll be sure to post some video and pictures when I can.

UPDATE: You can see an overview and pics of my lecture here.

On to business…

Terrorists in your Backyard?

While some of the people in my hometown of North Andover, Massachusetts are going crazy over a proposed cell phone tower (in spite of the fact that they live 20 miles from an active nuclear power plant), other Americans are scared stiff about a more sinister invasion of their home towns - released terrorists. Are the “worst of the worst”, according to former Vice President and current media sensation Dick Cheney, about to be let loose on Main Street U.S.A.?

Not quite, but that’s the picture opponents of President Obama’s plans to close Guantanamo Bay have been hammering home since Obama announced his intention to close the facility during his first week in office. The truth is that nobody really knows what’s gonna happen. Some will be reluctantly accepted in other countries as part of backroom deals, others will be placed in deradicalization programs and, yes, some may be moved to the United States. But those who do end up on American soil will be processed into our correctional system, most likely at the highest levels, and, let’s face it, we have a lot of experience incarcerating people. Although the U.S. only has about 5% of the world’s population, we have about 25% of the world’s incarcerated population. Sure, most of them are non-violent offenders, but we have just as much experience with some of history’s most dangerous people. According to the Center for American Progress’ (admittedly a progressive organization, but that doesn’t change the data) Ken Gude:

The truth is that we have prosecuted and incarcerated some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists in the United States for decades, and doing so has made America safer. Beginning in the Reagan administration, the United States has captured more than a dozen terrorists overseas and brought them to justice in America. These terrorists are guilty of murdering dozens of Americans and more than 500 people worldwide, and include 1993 World Trade Center bombing mastermind Ramzi Yousef, Khalfan Khamis Mohamed of the 1998 East Africa embassy bombings, and Aafia Siddiqui who was captured in Afghanistan in 2008 and is awaiting trial in New York for the attempted murder of U.S. soldiers.

FBI Director Robert Mueller is less worried about the safety of the general public than he is about the inmate populations in our correctional facilities. MSNBC reports:

At the start of Wednesday’s hearing, Mueller was asked what concerns the FBI has about the release of Guantanamo detainees.

“The concerns we have about individuals who may support terrorism being in the United States run from concerns about providing financing, radicalizing others,” Mueller said, as well as “the potential for individuals undertaking attacks in the United States.”

This is not an unreasonable concern. Many of our prisons are gang-infested, schools of crime. However, my gut tells me that terrorists would be greeted less as “liberators” and more like child molesters. Time will tell. Meanwhile, our first line responders continue to keep us safe…and just in time for National Police week 2009.

FBI and New York’s Finest Thwart Terrorist Plot in New York City

The details are still trickling out, but it looks as if a joint FBI/NYPD Counterterrorism Task Force thwarted what would have been a catastrophic attack against Jewish Synagogues in NYC. The plan allegedly included shooting down a plane (or planes) over the city. According to NBC New York:

Four New York men were arrested Wednesday in connection with an alleged plot to blow up area Jewish centers and military targets. The plot, however, was foiled by undercover agents.

Raids by the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force in the Bronx captured the suspected ringleader and three followers in what law enforcement sources are calling a homegrown terrorist plot.

“The NYPD did exactly what they’re trained to do and have prevented what could have been a terrible event in our city,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said this morning.

Hats off to the men and women of our law enforcement community. They do some very dangerous work and rarely get the recognition they deserve.

See you next week.

Click here to book Randall H. Miller for a lecture.

There’s a lot of chatter lately in counterterror circles about Guantanamo Bay and what to do with those held captive who are either (1) not charged and ready for immediate release, or (2) go through military tribunals which fail to convict. As a result, the conversation inevitably leads to the topic of deradicalilzation (deprogramming for you cultists out there). Stratfor’s Kamran Bokhari chimed in this past week:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia historically has played a major role in the development of jihadism. Key pillars of the Saudi state — oil, Wahhabism (a conservative form of Sunni Islam) and the strength of tribal norms — were instrumental in facilitating the rise of Islamist extremism and terrorism around the world prior to 9/11. These same pillars allowed Riyadh to contain al Qaeda within Saudi Arabia in the wake of the insurgency that kicked off in the kingdom in 2003-2004. After this success on the home front, Riyadh is still using these pillars to play an international role in counterjihadist efforts — a role welcomed by the United States.

During a visit to the kingdom last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Saudi rehabilitation program for former militants impressed him, prompting him to consider sending Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo Bay to Saudi Arabia as part of Washington’s efforts to close down the detention center. The Saudis probably have done “as good, if not a better, job of that than almost anybody,” Gates said of the Saudi program. In separate comments, Gates called on Riyadh to assist Pakistan in the latter’s efforts to combat its rapidly expanding Taliban insurgency — and Saudi Arabia in fact has been playing a role in efforts to contain the Taliban insurgency in both Pakistan and Afghanistan for some time.

The entire article can be retrieved by signing up for Stratfor’s free newsletters - which I highly encourage to anyone who wants more in-depth analysis of geopolitics and terrorism than you get from the main stream media. Not a difficult task, I know.

You can also check out the following two articles if you want to know more about deradicalization. Both are interesting and offer different perspectives:

How to defuse a human bomb
by Drake Bennett of the Boston Globe.

And…

Deradicalization or Disengagement?
by John Horgan in the Perspectives on Terrorism Journal

Personally, I’m all for trying deradicalization on those who have not actually taken reasonable steps toward acting on their plans - as long as it happens in the individual’s home country, after revocation of their passports and all visas. We can’t lock people up forever for thought crimes.

Comments and questions are welcome.

I’ve spent the last few days in the great state of Maine with one of my best friends (I took the pic on the right). He called me at the beginning of the week and asked me if I wanted to escape for a few days and - seeing that most of the work I do these days is online - I jumped at the opportunity (my buddy’s “camp” has wireless internet, cable TV, and a field stone fireplace.) So, it’s been a great few days of being “away” yet “connected.”

It’s also given me the chance to create a few new features on RandallHMiller.com. For example, you can now see exactly which professional services I provide. In addition, I’ve listed a number of ways that you can support this blog. Take a minute to check out both pages and please feel free to pass them along.

On to business…

U.S Re-engages the International Human Rights Community

This week the U.S. was elected (and took its rightful place) on the United Nations Human Rights Council. The Economist declares:

The United States was elected to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, a 47-member UN body much criticised since its inception in 2006 (and ostracised by the Bush administration) for letting serial human-rights abusers set much of its agenda. Other newcomers were Belgium, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan and Norway.

This is a welcome change in U.S. human rights policy. Clearly the system is broken and far from functioning - but how was the Bush administration’s policy of non-engagement going to help? Having a seat in the room seems like a good start to me. Then again, I’m a bit miffed at President Obama’s decision not to release more photo documentation of U.S. torture in the GWOT (Global War on Terror).

More Perpetual Presidents in Latin America

Ever wonder why Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is so popular in Latin America. Easy, because he acts as an inadvertent guinea pig for the rest of the region’s pseudo-democratic leaders. His battle for endless reelection (and lack of a response from the international community) has obviously inspired others. The Dominican Republic’s Leonel Fernandez (and self-proclaimed smartest man on earth) is the latest to follow suit. DR1 reports:

President Leonel Fernandez and former PRD presidential candidate Miguel Vargas Maldonado have sealed a political agreement that goes beyond the re-election issue. As reported in the Listin Diario, they agreed that the Constitution would be modified to allow that Fernandez can again be a presidential candidate in 2012.

Need more evidence of the avalanche? Colombia’s President Uribe (a notorious conservative amongst a sea of leftists) is on the same track. Yahoo News reports:

BOGOTA – Colombia’s senate has delayed a vote on scheduling a referendum that could let President Alvaro Uribe seek a third term…Colombians previously underwent a similar experience that allowed Uribe’s 2006 re-election. Uribe is a U.S.-backed conservative with high poll ratings. He’s widely popular for humbling the Western Hemisphere’s last remaining rebel army (The FARC - added by RHM). But his presidency has suffered from alleged Army killings of more than 1,600 civilians, a collapsed pyramid scheme, a wiretap scandal and allegations his two 20-something sons may have benefited inappropriately from a land investment.

Thank God we have presidential term limits in the U.S.

Then again, would you like to abolish the restriction?

Should U.S. Presidents be able to serve as long as they continue to get elected?

Leave your thoughts here.

Thanks for reading.

See you next week.

I get asked a lot on how to land adjunct professor jobs. Here are 10 quick tips I put together for the Norwich University School of Graduate Studies.

10 Tips for Adjunct Job Hunters

Feel free to download the PDF and pass it around. Teaching is a great job. The more the merrier.

BTW: There is “1″ typo that remains. Can you find it before I fix it?

Counterterrorism Blog contributor Michael Braun recently published an interesting report on the ongoing efforts in Afghanistan to stem the flow the drug profits which continue to fill the Taliban’s coffers. Braun reports:

“NBC Nightly News reported yesterday evening (May 4, 2009) on a successful counter narco-terrorism operation involving U.S. Army Special Forces working shoulder-to-shoulder with a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Foreign-deployed Advisory and Support Team (FAST), Afghan Army Commandos and Counter-Narcotics Police/Afghanistan (CNPA) officers. Notice that I used the term ‘counter narco-terrorism operation’ rather than ‘counter-narcotics operation’, because in Afghan virtually every aspect of the drug trade is unequivocally linked to the Taliban and the insurgency…”

How much money are we talking?

“The estimates of just how much contraband revenue the Taliban generates from their involvement in the Afghan based opium and heroin trade varies widely, but falls somewhere between $100 million to $500 million dollars annually. The reality of the situation is that figure could be even greater. The bottom line: we are not getting out of Afghanistan until we defeat the Taliban or bring them to a negotiated peace; and we will not defeat the Taliban or bring them to the peace table until we get the narcotics trade in check in Afghanistan.”

The truth is that since 9/11 the international community has done a pretty decent job of shutting down the flow of money to terrorists through “charitable” contributions and the like. But the money in the global drug trade continues to flow. I spoke about this in detail recently as a live guest on Daniel Williams’ The Opium Den.

Click here to book me for a lecture, debate or interview.

The past few weeks have been full of talk about President Obama’s first 100 days in office. Not surprisingly, Democrats are giving him rave reviews while Republicans are predicting the End of Days. My take? Nothing really. It took over two hundred years to get where we are and it surely can’t be fixed in 100 days. Last week a close friend of mine who absolutely despises Obama asked me to sum up the job he’s doing - but tried to limit me to 2 or 3 words. Seriously. Ask me in a year, maybe two or three. The guy’s not making cookies here - he’s trying to fix a country. Professor George Friedman of Stratfor sums up the big picture nicely:

U.S. presidential candidates run for office as if they would be free to act however they wish once elected. But upon election, they govern as they must. The freedom of the campaign trail contrasts sharply with the constraints of reality.

The test of a president is how effectively he bridges the gap between what he said he would do and what he finds he must do. Great presidents achieve this seamlessly, while mediocre presidents never recover from the transition. All presidents make the shift, including Obama, who spent his first hundred days on this task.

Of course, this is only the first hundred days. Presidents look for room to maneuver after they do what they need to do in the short run. Some presidents use that room to pursue policies that weaken, and even destroy, their presidencies. Others find ways to enhance their position. But normally, the hardest thing a president faces is finding the space to do the things he wants to do rather than what he must do. Obama came through the first hundred days following the path laid out for him.

Personally, I’d like to see some bold moves - not the usual nuance approach to policy that we get administration after administration. Let’s shake it up. Need an example? Immediately strike down the ridiculously wimpy Clinton legacy of “don’t ask, don’t tell” regarding gays in the military. We’re fighting two (arguably three) wars right now - let’s stop hamstringing ourselves and throw out a policy based on religious superstition and bigotry. Then sign an executive order legalizing gay marriage in the United States. Every time I hear the opposition argue their side I can’t help but think of “separate but equal” and “Jim Crowe.” Message to the far right: you’re embarrassing yourselves and forfeiting future elections based on these ridiculous positions. After that, how about universal (and yes, I mean universal) health care for all Americans? Yes it can be done - but we’ll have to make some bold moves elsewhere (i.e. foreign policy, military spending, etc.)

Is Pakistan a Democracy or not?

How much longer will we continue to ignore the overt corruption, thuggery and support for Islamic fundamentalism in the Pakistani government? Pakistan is a nation-state specifically set-up as an Islamic Republic (with a population that prefers sharia law by 60%) and we’re trying to pretend that someday it will resemble Canada.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that not only did the Pakistani government scrap a regional truce with the repulsive Taliban - but they vowed to uphold Sharia law it its place. Huh?

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s army abandoned a fragile truce with the Taliban in the Swat Valley on Monday after militants attacked an army convoy…Islamabad hasn’t officially said it scrapped the pact with the Taliban, which have refused to lay down their arms and last week declared the peace deal “worthless.” Instead, the government said it will continue to implement Islamic law, or Shariah, in the area. Officials say that by doing so the government will rob the militants of their main source of popular support, a campaign for rule of law.

Sharia law is inherently incompatible with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international law, and plain human decency. It subjugates women, discriminates against non-Muslims, and smothers social progress with its religious superstition and bigotry (noticing a trend yet?)

I appeared on The Opium Den and all I got was this crummy link

Obviously, I’m joking. I enjoyed my live appearance on Political Candidate/Author/Drug Reformer and all around great guy Daniel William’s show. Listen to my interview about terrorist involvement in the drug trade through the link on this post.

How do I book Randall H. Miller for a lecture or debate?

It’s easy. You just go here and let me know what you have in mind.

See you next week.

I sent the following letter to Mr. Stephenson yesterday via registered mail (signature required) because I ran out of people to talk to in AT&T. Place your bets right here - what kind of resolution with this bring about? None? Or will the Oklahoma Sooner CEO make things right? My experience with AT&T has been nothing less than a disaster from the beginning.

Mr. Randall L. Stephenson
Chairman and CEO, AT&T
208 S. Akard Street
Dallas, TX 75202

Subject: AT&T wireless account ########

Dear Mr. Stephenson,

The purpose of the letter is to inform you of the myriad of difficulties I have experienced since becoming an AT&T customer and the lack of acceptable remedies I have received through AT&T’s traditional customer service channels.

At the end of December 2008 I returned to the country after living abroad for over six years. I chose AT&T as my wireless provider because my entire family uses AT&T and told me how great the coverage and service was. I heeded their advice which was unfortunately followed by months of aggravation and undoubtedly missed revenue (I am self-employed).

From day one my Caller ID function has not worked and announces my calls as coming from “Doreen Guerrero” (obviously not me). I notified customer service on the first day and after at least a dozen calls – it remains a problem to this very day. One can only wonder how much business I have lost because people don’t know it’s me calling. At one point I even had a customer service rep tell me that it could not be fixed and they would have to change my number (which would require me to change my business cards/contact information, and forget about the countless pieces of business correspondence that have already been sent out). Finally a “senior manager” in customer service told me she could fix it. That was four weeks ago. Unsurprisingly, I am still “Doreen Guerrero” to my current and potential clients. This has now gone on for over four months.

Along the way I have also had trouble with my BB Bold dumping its memory and dropping calls in mid-sentence. It took three calls before customer service honored my warrantee and sent me a new unit. However, I then went weeks without data service before they could figure out the problem. In addition, before taking a recent business trip to the Dominican Republic, I called to inquire about roaming data charges. The rep told me there was a $25 package available for X Megabytes of roaming data, but since I didn’t use that much, I probably didn’t need it (her words). My next bill included $80 in international roaming charges.

I have been given minor credits throughout my troubles to placate me, but they surely pale in comparison to the low productivity, lost revenue, and extreme aggravation I have endured since becoming an AT&T customer. In addition, cancelling my contract (which has amazingly been advised by customer service on two separate occasions) would cost me much more than the $150 cancellation fee (as mentioned above).

Please help rectify these problems. When the product works – it works well and I feel productive and connected. Unfortunately, those instances have been fleeting due to the many problems that I’ve experienced and continue to deal with. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response on these matters and proposed resolution.

Sincerely,

Randall H. Miller

Sidenote: I sent this letter yesterday. Today, Doreen Guerrero actually received a call on my BlackBerry (her first) - it was from her bank. Also, in order to keep the letter to one page, I decided to leave out the part about the constant unsolicited/spam text messages I continue to receive (and pay for) even though they assure me the problem was fixed.

I’m curious to see what (if any) type of reply I get. I remain open-minded and optimistic.

What say you? Am I crazy to think I’ll get some sort of resolution?

Well, not literally. But I will be appearing live tonight (April 30th, 2009) on former Libertarian Vice-Presidential Candidate and Drug Policy Activist Daniel Williams’ new internet talk show entitled “The Opium Den.”

I am not a drug policy activist and, quite frankly, don’t know that much about it. But I do believe in personal freedom and, as a result of years of study, know a heck of a lot about the growing connections between terrorism and organized crime or, more specifically, the global drug trade.

So, feel free to turn on, tune in (by going to TheOpiumDen at 9PM), and send in any comments or questions you may have via daniel@theopiumden.net

UPDATED 5/5/09: You can hear the interview right now here.

Click here to see a video excerpt of Randall H. Miller’s lecture on 21st Century Terrorism given in the Dominican Republic on 5/26/09.

Also, just so you don’t think I’m making this stuff up. Here are some of the sources from my research:

Byman, Daniel. Deadly Connections: States that Sponsor Terrorism. New York: Cambridge U P, 2005.

Comras, Victor. “Al Qaeda Finances and Funding to Affiliated Groups.” Strategic Insights (2005)

Cornell, Svante E., and Niklas L.P. Swanstrom. “The Eurasian Drug Trade: A Challenge to Regional Security.” Problems of Post-Communism 53.4 (2006): 10-28.

Cronin, Audry K. “Behind the Curve: Globalization and International Terrorism.” International Security 3 (2003): 30-58.

Curtis, Glen E., John N. Gibbs, and Ramon Miro. “Nations Hospitable to Organized Crime and Terrorism.” Trends in Organized Crime 8.1 (2004): 5-23.

Hamade, Samir N. Piracy and Terrorism in the Arab World. Kuwait City: Kuwait U, 2006.

Hoffman, Bruce. Inside Terrorism. 2nd ed. New york: Columbia U P, 2006.

Kushner, Harvey. Holy War On The Home Front. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2004.

Naim, Moises. “The Five Wars of Globalization.” Foreign Policy Feb 2003: 29-37.

O’Neil, Bard E. From Revolution to Appocalypse: Insurgency and Terrorism. 2nd ed. Washington D.C.: Potomac Books Inc, 2005.

Ross, Daveed Gertenstein, and Kyle Dabruzzi. The Convergence of Crime and Terror: Law Enforcement Opportunities and Perils. New York, NY: Center For Policing Terrorism, 2007.

Sageman Marc. Understanding Terror Networks. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania P, 2004.

Shelley, Louise I., and John T. Picarelli. “Methods and Motives: Exploring Links Between Transnational Organized Crime and International terrorism.” Trends in Organized Crime 9.2 (2005): 52-67.

Stanislawski, Bartosz H. “Transnational Organized Crime, Terrorism, and WMD.” Nonstate Actors, Terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction. Ed. . n.p.: Syracuse U, n.d. n. pag.

Wood, Randall. “South America’s Tri-borders Region.” SAIS Review XXV.1 (2005): 105-06.

Three other great sources for general terrorism news are:

CounterterrorismBlog.org (a collection of experts)

Straffor (Strategic Forcasting Inc., Fred Burton does some great work over there)

NEFA Foundation (Nine Eleven Finding Answers)

Daniel E. Williams’ promo for “The Opium Den”

Be sure to tune in. If not, all shows are archived on the site.

All comments and criticism are welcome.

To book me for a lecture or debate go here.



The Opium Den Broadcast by Daniel Williams - video powered by Metacafe

]]> http://randallhmiller.com/rhm-enters-the-opium-den/feed/ http://randallhmiller.com/21st-century-terrorism-at-salem-state-college/ http://randallhmiller.com/21st-century-terrorism-at-salem-state-college/#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:20:15 +0000 RHM http://randallhmiller.com/?p=3013

This post is a brief overview from the lecture I gave to Salem State College history students on April 24th, 2009. The title of my lecture was “21st Century Terrorism” - a beginner’s look at modern day terrorism, terrorist groups Al Qaeda and Hezbollah, and a brief overview of the phenomenon of suicide bombing. The entire lecture is 27 slides but, for the purposes of this review, I’ve chosen to share only a few in order to drive home the main points. (I appreciate the great turn out, attentiveness and, most of all, the thoughtful questions of the attendees. This post serves as a reference for you to return to if and when you have additional questions.)

The two main sources I used when putting together this talk were Dr. Bruce Hoffman’s Inside Terrorism, and Dr. Robert A. Pape’s Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism.

The slides are pretty much self-explanatory, but feel free to post any comments, questions or general observations below. I’ll chime in where appropriate.



Non-Muslim terrorist groups include: The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Shining Path (”Sendero Luminoso”), Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE). In addition, these groups are all secular (non-religious) in nature, but the latter two are well-known to employ suicide operations.



Terrorist groups need both ideology and cash in order to exist. Ideologies can come from a number of different places - religious, political, nationalistic, etc. These days, much of the funding comes from direct donations as well as organized crime. Drugs are the number one criminal choice due to the $400 billion global drug market (equal to the approximate GDP of Spain). According to the CIA, the September 11th attacks cost approximately $500,000 to pull off. The 7/7 London attacks were between $10,000 and $30,000.



Like it or not - Hezbollah is a political party with democratically elected members in the Lebanese Parliament. We (the U.S.) can’t demand democratic elections around the world and then get mad when the “wrong” candidates win (i.e. Hamas in the Palestinian Territory). We’re going to have to deal with them on some level. But don’t take my word for it, watch this video of General Petraeus explaining the importance of talking to your enemies.



(A November, 2008 suicide attack by the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka)





All comments and criticism are welcome.

Click here to see a video excerpt of Randall H. Miller’s lecture on 21st Century Terrorism given in the Dominican Republic on 5/26/09.

To book me for a lecture or debate go here.

]]> http://randallhmiller.com/21st-century-terrorism-at-salem-state-college/feed/ http://randallhmiller.com/friday-morning-fix-april-24th-2009/ http://randallhmiller.com/friday-morning-fix-april-24th-2009/#comments Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:13:46 +0000 RHM http://randallhmiller.com/?p=2988

If you’re a regular reader of the Friday Morning Fix, the name Paula Lerner should ring a bell. On February 5th, 2009 I attended a lecture entitled “Afghan Stories: Giving Women a Voice.” The presentation gave an overview of the collaborative efforts of photo journalist Paula Lerner and Afghan activist Rangina Hamidi (proprietor of Kandahar Treasure). Both women are social activists focused on giving Afghani women opportunities to become economically self-sufficient.

I recently caught up with Paula after she returned from yet another trip to Afghanistan and she was kind enough to have a discussion with me about the situation on the ground. Below is our conversation. Please feel free to comment at the end and if you’re interested in learning more about Paula’s upcoming events - send her a note here with “join mailing list” in the subject. You should also let her know which part of the country you live in. If there’s an event nearby, she’ll let you know.

RHM: What originally drew you to Afghanistan? And what inspired you to become an activist?

Paula Lerner: Women’s issues have been a theme in my work throughout my career, and the situation of women in Afghanistan has particularly intrigued me. There may be places on the planet where women are equally disadvantaged due to their gender, but it would be hard to find many places where they are more so.

My original connection with Afghanistan came via an organization called the Business Council for Peace, also known as Bpeace, which helps women launch and maintain self sustaining businesses in regions of post conflict. Their motto is that more jobs means less violence. They have programs in Rwanda and Afghanistan, and when I joined the organization as a member in 2003, I became part of the Afghanistan team. I went on three different missions with Bpeace to Afghanistan as part of a team. My role was to document Bpeace programs through photos and digital audio recordings. Through Bpeace I met Rangina Hamidi, an Afghan American who lives and works in Kandahar, and who runs a business employing more than 400 women called Kandahar Treasure. Currently Rangina and I are collaborating on a long-term project about women in Kandahar, and I have made two additional trips to Afghanistan for that project. I just returned from my last trip a few weeks ago.

Over the course of my career, most of my personal projects have had an activist element to it. Prior to the Afghanistan project I did a body of work on a welfare mom and a book about breast cancer walks. The power of pictures to educate and to move people to action is strong, and I want to use that power to the full extent possible. Combining still images and sound in the form of multimedia can increase this power exponentially. I have no illusions that I can change the world with this work, but it is my experience that it can have an impact and make small but important dents here and there. And it can mean a great deal to the subjects themselves, which in itself is very valuable.



RHM: Your friend Rangina Hamidi’s Kandahar Treasure initiative that you’ve been involved with has done great things for so many Afghan women. Do you think events like the recent assassination of Sitara Achakzi could be enough to scare away others? How will it affect your ongoing efforts of giving women the tools to liberate themselves?

Paula Lerner: I was heartbroken about the assassination of Sitara Achakzi, who was a member of the Kandahar Provincial Council. She was in the group of Kandahari women that Rangina and I are profiling for our project. I did an in depth interview and spent time with her only a few weeks before her death. She was a smart, articulate and vivacious woman who was working hard to improve things for men, women and children in Kandahar. Afghanistan needs more people like her, not fewer of them. It was a cowardly, dishonorable act for the Taliban to murder her in such a brutal way. Sadly, I do think it has a chilling effect on others who are doing similar kind of work, and it intimidates ordinary Afghan women who might otherwise take more of an initiative to foster change.

RHM: There’s been much talk lately of an Iraqi-esque “surge” of American combat troops in Afghanistan. Assume you’ve been appointed President Barack Obama’s special advisor on Afghanistan. How would you advise him?

Paula Lerner: If I were an advisor to President Obama, I would tell him that it is critical to have any “surge” of troops be part of a larger development strategy. America was hugely distracted from its mission in Afghanistan by the war in Iraq, and we left many promises unfulfilled. In order for there to be peace in Afghanistan, Afghans need to have the basics that make it worthwhile to “wage” peace.

For starters, we need to fix the basic infrastructure in the country: Kabul did not have electricity 24/7 until a few months ago, and much of the country and some parts of the city still do not have a regular and reliable source of power. Without power you can’t build factories, and without things like factories, its very difficult to create new jobs. Even shopkeepers in the capital often have to try to sell their goods in the dark. The roads in much of the country remain a mess as a result of the legacy of years of war; a reliable water supply is another problem. I could go on and on about basic infrastructure failures. It is critical that we address these issues in conjunction with any troop “surge”, because if we don’t, we will never get beyond where things stand now.

Many young men join the Taliban not because they ideologically agree with them, but because they are unemployed and the Taliban is the only game in town. Given a choice between no job prospects and being able to help provide for their family by joining the Taliban, most will opt for the latter. The same goes for growing poppy. If we give these young men other viable options, we will have far more of an impact than by trying to quell insurgents by force alone.

Special thanks to Paula for taking the time to do this. Click here to see her Afghan Stories exhibit.

Reminder: I am lecturing today on “21st Century Terrorism” at Salem State College. I’ll post a review, some pictures, and probably some video clips soon. Be sure to check back. Sign up on the right side if you want to be notified of updates.

UPDATED TO INCLUDE: Here is an overview of my lecture.

To book me for a lecture or debate go here.

See you next week.



]]> http://randallhmiller.com/friday-morning-fix-april-24th-2009/feed/ http://randallhmiller.com/friday-mornign-fix-april-17th-2009/ http://randallhmiller.com/friday-mornign-fix-april-17th-2009/#comments Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:26:16 +0000 RHM http://randallhmiller.com/?p=2942

After years of holocaust denying, calling for Israel to be “wiped off the face of the map”, and pursuing a nuclear weapons program against the will of the international community, Iran’s Ahmadinejad regime recently reassured any doubters that he is indeed a nutcase. It seems that new (but not really new) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu’s unsurprising hard line (i.e. ain’t gonna happen) position toward Iran’s nuclear aspirations - and his willingness to say so - has Tehran’s turbans in a collective twist. Reuters reports:

UNITED NATIONS, April 14 (Reuters) - Iran demanded on Tuesday that the U.N. Security Council respond firmly to what it described as Israel’s “unlawful and insolent threats” to launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities…

Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres, have suggested the Jewish state could use military force to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, as the West suspects it is doing…

“These outrageous threats of resorting to criminal and terrorist acts against a sovereign country and a member of the United Nations not only display the aggressive and warmongering nature of the Zionist regime, but also constitute blatant violations of international law,” Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee wrote.

In Ahmadinejad’s defense (yes, those words were difficult to type), there are certain cultural disconnects that cannot be overstated. For example, bravado and talking smack are part of Persian culture when discussing enemies (don’t take my word for it, read The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran, it’s an amazing look at Iranian culture that I thoroughly enjoyed). Unfortunately for Ahmadinejad, words mean things in the rest of the world and when someone threatens the national security of another nation while running an illegal nuclear operation - people get nervous. Bottom line: Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. Israel will make sure of that by striking militarily - with or without American approval. What say you?

Investigating War Crimes



There’s no doubt that war crimes have occurred in the execution of the War on Terror. Corroborating memos have been declassified, brave soldiers at all levels have come forward and given testimony, independent groups like the ICRC have compiled meticulously researched reports, and policies have been drastically changed and/or completely scrapped as a result of these revelations and the public outcry that followed. Now what?

Should there be a public investigation of the Bush administration’s and CIA’s post-9/11 detention, rendition and interrogation programs of suspected terrorists? That’s the question being asked of national security experts at the National Journal Online. Among those asked to participate are former CIA official (head of the agency’s Bin Laden Unit), and author of bestselling Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror (which I highly recommend if you want to truly understand Islamic terrorism), Dr. Michael Scheuer. Here the raw meat (his full answer is worth reading):

“The whole idea of an investigation is predicated on the idea that no one but the White House — and then only Bush’s White House — had any idea of what was going on. Anyone who knows how covert action works, however, knows that at least the leaders of both parties in Congress, and more often all the members of the two intelligence committees, know what covert actions have been approved by the president before they are executed. The representatives and senators therefore have ample opportunity to register their disapproval with the CIA and the White House before operations begin, and, of course, always have the option of stopping the planned operations by cutting funding.

My guess is that there will be no investigation because they are too many skeletons in the Democratic closet that are too hot to let loose.”

Scheuer is right. I wouldn’t expect to see much come out of this which, unfortunately, means that the rule of law applies only when convenient. Is it enough to merely recognize mistakes (i.e. preemptive war, torture, and extraordinary rendition as official policy) or do we, as a nation, need to go further to regain the moral high ground?

Taking My Show on the Road

I’ll be guest lecturing next Friday, April 24th at Salem State College on “21st Century Terrorism.” I’m thinking about filming it and putting a clip or two on the blog. Good idea? UPDATED 4/27/09: Here is an overview of my lecture.

I’ll also be a live guest on former Libertarian Presidential Vice Presidential Candidate Daniel E. Williams’ new webcast “The Opium Den” on April 30th at 9PM EST. I’ll be talking about the growing connection between Islamic terrorism and organized crime, particularly narcotrafficking. Turn on, tune in and, well, send in your questions and comments. UPDATED 5/5/09: You can hear the entire interview right now here.

To book me for a lecture or debate go here.

See you next week.



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