To the Editor:
While travelling in a very poor country I had a real need for some assistance from the US Embassy or Consulate there. All I needed was advice on how to find a reputable attorney. This is no easy task considering the country I was visiting is known to have groups of lawyers working together to convey fraudulent property titles.
I thought the US embassy, funded with American tax dollars, could point me in the right direction based on experiences of other Americans. After all, the state department website states: “The US Government has no greater responsibility than to serve and protect its citizens abroad.”
When I arrived at the US Embassy with my passport in hand, I was amazed to find that I could not go into the embassy. When I asked to speak with an American citizen, any American citizen, I was told that is not possible. I was then directed to go across town to the US Consulate.
At the consulate I was told to wait in line outside with a large group of people who were not US citizens. After waiting for an hour I was told to come back in three hours when they allow Americans to enter.
When I returned I then waited in another line only to be denied entrance because I was carrying a cell phone. Meanwhile the clock was ticking. I was desperate to find an attorney who could help protect me from a possible fraud scheme, and it was becoming clear that my being a US citizen meant nothing at all to the State Department bureaucracy that is funded with our tax dollars.
Having exhausted my patience with our embassy and consulate I decided to call Representative Pingree’s office. Her staff was very helpful and wasted no time contacting the State Department. Within 24 hours I received both a phone call and an email from State Department officials who were responding to Representative Pingree’s inquiry.
I especially want to thank Pingree staff member Leslie Merrill for her follow up phone call days later. She wanted to know if the State Department had helped me and if there was anything else requiring attention.
As an American taxpayer, it was very irritating to be ignored by my own embassy when I had a simple request that they could have easily accommodated. The efficient and thorough response from Chellie Pingree’s office was key to making the federal bureaucracy wake up, so I want to thank Representative Pingree and her staff for serving and protecting this citizen abroad.
Dan Schweitzer, Wiscasset
