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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Well, at the moment the
question as articulated in the wiki is whether to split the
existing amenity=embassy (which encompasses both embassies and
consulates) into amenity=embassy and amenity=consulate. If in the
view of the OSM community amenity=consulate is inappropriate, then
logically so is amenity=embassy, and we need a new proposal to
change it. I have no idea why amenity=embassy first came into
existence. There is another proposal to create amenity=diplomatic
and then use the diplomatic=* tag to define more precisely what
type of facility an object is. I have added it to the proposal
wiki, but assume you would not like it, either.<br>
<br>
Paul, are you proposing office=diplomatic and diplomatic=[embassy,
mission, nunciature, consulate, consulate_general, consular agency,
honorary_consul], or something else? I'll be happy to add your
proposal to the list of counterproposals on the wiki and promote
discussion of it.<br>
<br>
As for objection to the service=* tag, would a new consular:*=*
tag be a better solution? Just asking. I'm not well versed in
programing editors. It would be something like
consular:immigrant_visas=yes, consular:nonimmigrant_visas=yes,
consular:citizen_services=yes, etc.<br>
<br>
As for whether embassies serve "any purpose other than housing
spies," as a diplomat now for over 30 years, I can assure you that
at least in the case of U.S. embassies, we diplomats do a lot more
than that. Please take a look at the integrated country strategy
of my embassy, here:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/285262.pdf">https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/285262.pdf</a> for a
taste of what a small U.S. embassy does. The larger U.S.
embassies do much more. I cannot speak for the embassies of other
nations.</font><br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 10/24/2018 8:52 PM, Paul Allen
wrote:<br>
</div>
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<div dir="ltr">On Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 4:19 PM Allan Mustard
<<a href="mailto:allan@mustard.net"
moz-do-not-send="true">allan@mustard.net</a>> wrote:<br>
</div>
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<p><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Please do
continue to comment and to offer suggestions, and to
pose questions.</font></p>
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<div> This is pretty much based on gut feelings and may be
partially or completely wrong...</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I don't think "amenity" is a suitable tag for a
consulate. Amenities are parks, or toilets, or similar.</div>
<div>"Should we go to the park or the consulate for a picnic
today?" "I'm busting for a crap, where's the</div>
<div>nearest consulate?" And I'm damned sure an embassy isn't
an amenity (I'm not even sure, in these</div>
<div> days of telecommunications, if it serves any purpose
other than housing spies, but if heads of state</div>
<div> do still use embassies for formal communication between
governments they're definitely not</div>
<div> amenities).</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Embassies and consulates seem a slightly better fit in
office=government, but still a square peg with</div>
<div> the corners filed down a little trying to fit into a
round hole.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I'm not happy with <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="service:*=*">service:*=*</a> acting as distinctions as
service is used elsewhere for other things.</div>
<div>It complicates editors as they have to do selective
matching to figure out which particular</div>
<div><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="service:*">service:*</a> tags to offer up with a particular main tag.
It is also less easy to comprehend at a</div>
<div>glance. I'd say diplomatic=* is a better way to go
because it is more obvious and easier for</div>
<div>editors.<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I don't know what the answer is, all I can say is I'm not
overly happy with what has been</div>
<div>suggested so far.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>-- <br>
</div>
<div>Paul</div>
<div><br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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