Post Titled: National Passport Backlog Crisis
Post Subtitled: The wierdness of in-house gov't spam-memos
Post Subsubtitled: can I coin the term spamemo right now?

I misplaced my passport for about 4 days last week, quietly paniking- knowing it wasn't lost-lost but also knowing that I had no idea where it was and needed to find is very soon before flying back to Berlin, sooo I was really relieved to find it in a bag of laundry, especially now this morning - just recieved this forward from a friend in the State Dept.:

"Hi Everyone,

As you know from attending--or getting the word from your classmates--this morning's meeting, all PMF's and CEP'ers (both current and former to include the Class of 2004, 2005, 2006) are being deployed to either New Orleans or Portsmouth, NH, to help alleviate the nationwide passport back-log crisis.
This order was issued by Deputy Secretary Negroponte yesterday morning, and will immediately take effect on Monday, 7/9, with one-week of passport training at FSI before official deployment.
All Presidential Management Fellows currently stationed in the Washington D.C. area are required to serve on this assignment.
Here are some notes that I took during the meeting:
* One-week passport/adjudication training at FSI (7/9 - 7/13)
* Eight-week assignment at either New Orleans or Portsmouth, NH (7/16 – 9/7)
* CA is covering all travel and full Per Diem; each person will receive personal lodging
* OT and night differential applies
* Service will be recognized in Official Personnel Folder (OPF)
* One four-day trip back to Washington around mid-point of assignment (CA will pay for air ticket)
Attached below is the Passport Adjudicator Assignment Sheet that was distributed at the meeting. If you were not able to attend the meeting, please print out the form and fill out ASAP and write down any exceptional circumstances or requests regarding placement and/or assignment (e.g., pre-planned vacations, family issues, medical conditions, etc.) and CA <> will do its best to accommodate requests on a case-by-case basis.
<>
Please fax the assignment sheet to:
I appreciate everyone's patience, cooperation, and understanding as we all work together to tackle the passport crisis and serve the American public. Please remember that this enormous undertaking is a team effort, calling for both CS and FS employees. Current/recently graduated PMF's and CEP'ers, FS Junior Officers, as well as regular FSO's are all being called on to assist our passport operations.
Finally, I want you to know that our dedicated service at a moment's notice reflects positively on our long-term professional track record and career development. I will ensure that this assignment does not delay any well-deserved promotions or conversions.
Thanks,
Dan
Bureau PMF Coordinators: Please make sure that ALL of your Fellows receive a copy of this e-mail.

Daniel S***
Presidential Management Fellows Program Coordinator
U.S. Department of State
Phone: 202-261-****
Fax: 202-261-****"

To which I responded:
"if they were going to change the passport to this new biomoprhic whaeveryacallit then they should've had the infrasctructure in-place to handle this... then again it is the gov't... (I assume that the new microchip passport is the cause of the problem? or is it the fact that you now need a passport to go to canada and mexico= ...or did you always need one for those countries?...)
that is lame, I am sorry."