Petrelis Files

Hurricane Karen Hughes
Hits Central America 12/4

Dear Friends in Central America,

Prepare yourselves for Hurricane Karen and her onslaught of bogus American propaganda from the Bush/Cheney administration. The Karen Hughes democracy tour that's already played in the Middle East and Central Asia, and wasn't such a great hit, is about to play your region and you should prepare accordingly. I'll be monitoring the State Department web site to see how they promote the Hughes road show, and most keenly, the transcripts of her talks with government officials, newspaper reporters and average folks. Here's hoping Hurricane Karen, and the remaining three-plus years of Dubya pass quickly and with as little harm as humanely possible.

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Notice to the Press
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
November 30, 2005


Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes to Lead a Delegation to Central America

Under Secretary Karen Hughes will lead a delegation of distinguished private sector business leaders to Central America from December 4-6 to encourage private sector assistance to relief and reconstruction efforts in the area following a series of natural disasters that impacted the economies and quality of life in the region. The delegation includes: Steve Reinemund, Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo, Inc.; Bob Lane, Chairman and CEO, Deere & Company; and Maria Lagomasino, CEO for Asset Management Advisors LLC, Affiliate of SunTrust.

The Under Secretary will also be accompanied by Thomas A. Shannon, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. The delegation will visit Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

The CEOs’ mandate from the President includes seeing U.S. assistance efforts already underway. The delegation will have high-level bilateral meetings with government officials, and will receive briefings from representatives of the U.S. embassies, the U.S. Southern Command, the public adjuster committee, and non-governmental organizations.