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A Capital Start for Interior Secretary
Federal prosecutors have been looking into Griles's ties to Abramoff, who once offered him a job. Griles, who was No. 2 from 2001 to 2004, has said he never tried to intercede on behalf of Abramoff's clients, but e-mails released by a Senate committee show more than half a dozen contacts Griles had with Abramoff or with a woman working as the lobbyist's go-between.
His appearance at the goodbye party raised a few eyebrows, we're told.
How to Avoid an Alien Invasion
  Brand-new Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, center, has already managed to speak about the Iraq war. (U.s. Department Of The Interior) |
Sign Up for RSS FeedIt's not too late to attend what looks to be an excellent meeting starting today in Hawaii featuring a former Canadian defense minister, diplomats, international law experts and others.
The topic? "Whether extraterrestrial civilizations are visiting the earth, how diplomacy might be conducted with them and the impact on world peace."
The keynote speaker, according to a news release from the Exopolitics Institute, is former Canadian defense minister Paul Hellyer , who we're told "will be discussing whether humanity is up to the diplomatic task of achieving peace with extraterrestrials."
Another dignitary expected to attend the three-day conference is John W. McDonald , who has represented the United States at "four United Nations conferences" and is now head of the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy. His topic, naturally, will be "how diplomatic initiatives, some involving private citizens, might be conducted when and if extraterrestrials visit earth."
And retired Air Force Capt. Robert Salas will discuss a 1967 incident in which "UFOs shut down a Strategic Air command facility" in Montana and disabled its Minuteman nukes. (Unclear whether they reopened it.)
The Exopolitics Institute was founded by Michael E. Salla , a professor and researcher in international peace and conflict resolution at American University from 1996 through 2004.
Although the conference starts today, there's no reason to miss a minute of it. Just get your Star Trek transporter to beam you over there. It's fast, safe, and you save airfare. Might even pick up some frequent-flyer miles.
