Valley firm disputes Rumsfeld, is ready to supply Army armor

[rainbow4321]

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1210armor10.html


A Valley firm that provides critical armor for military vehicles in Iraq is operating at only half-capacity despite complaints from soldiers who say they are being sent into combat without adequate protection.

"We've been telling the Pentagon for months that we have the capacity to double our production," said former U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon, a consultant for ArmorWorks of Tempe.

"We're ready, and we haven't heard a thing."

"The Pentagon right now, in its postdebacle spin, is trying to convince everyone that contractors are operating at peak capacity," Salmon told The Arizona Republic. "In our case it's flat-out not accurate." Salmon, a conservative Republican who narrowly lost the 2002 governor's race, has been a paid consultant for ArmorWorks for more than a year.

[maddezmom]

1. looks like Rummy and the rest caught in another LIE

and by kin folk. :)

[Cronus Protagonist]

6. We can't let the real question die

Bush is already reframing the question that was asked into something like "are we getting the best we can get" instead of the orginal question, which was about dumpster diving for armour.

Hopefully this will help keep it in the permanent record:

[gjb]

29. Rummy, "soldiers are fungible", you know just an asset like a commodity..

fun·gi·ble ( P ) Pronunciation Key (fnj-bl)
adj.
Law. Returnable or negotiable in kind or by substitution, as a quantity of grain for an equal amount of the same kind of grain.
Interchangeable.

n.
Something that is exchangeable or substitutable. Often used in the plural.


Def; fungible

Of or relating to assets that are identical in quality and are interchangeable. Commodities, options, and securities are fungible assets. For example, an investor's shares of Xerox left in custody at a brokerage firm are freely mixed with other customers' Xerox shares. Likewise, stock options are freely interchangeable among investors, and wheat stored in a grain elevator is not specifically identified as to its ownership.

[Just Me]

2. Keep it up, people!!! There is "principle" and "compassion" here,...

,...in this incredibly diverse, fabulously ingenuitive, strongly compassionate country of ours.

We have both the power and will,...to prove to the world that we are a beacon of light,...not a tunnel of darkness.

It is time to take down these predators!!!!

[MichiganVote]

3. When you have to tell a lie, you tell what you want for what you

wish people to believe.(The logic of Donald Rumsfeld)

[soothsayer]

4. No more contracts for that poor firm, i'll bet

[rainbow4321]

5. Speaking of firms and contracts...

This link has a list of all the firms that have Pentagon contract$..UNbelieveable on how many companies are benefiting from shrub's invasions..GE <NBC parent company>, Kimberly-Clarke <the Kleenex and Cottenelle people>, Kellogg <as in cereals>, Black and Decker <power tool company>.

Is it ANY wonder so many people won't speak out against chimps war? They all have their hands in the war's cookie jar!

Take a look..it is a directory of all the companies, what they have sold the Pentagon, what political people/parties they have contributed money towards.


http://store.publicintegrity.org/pns/list.aspx?act=dir&filter=A

[Just Me]

7. "Gawd" forbid,...we pass this on,...

,...to those low-life people whose faith is being spent by those who hold God out, in their vain, violating the 2nd of those ten commandments they never gained the right to enforce.

How on earth they can imagine "being saved",...is beyond any comprehension.

[soothsayer]

9. "With his fool's gold stacked up all around him, from a killing in

the market on the war..." Good old Monkees tune.

Yup, war=$$$$ for some.

[msgadget]

10. I'm wondering how the contract would change

The current one is for $30 million 1500 kits ($20,000 each), how much would he want to double capacity? Was there open bidding for this?


>The $30 million contract the Pentagon awarded ArmorWorks in September called for the Tempe factory to produce 1,500 armor kits by January. Salmon said 1,200 already have been shipped, but ArmorWorks hasn't been told whether it will be offered a new contract.<

[Ready4Change]

16. After this comment, I'm guessing it won't be renewed.

Not unless people raise a real ruckus about it, and the media covers it.

[msgadget]

18. Oh yeah, but let's try for a quantity discount this time!

:wow: If you can dumpster dive and accomplish nearly the same thing, $20k ea. is a LOT. Reminds me of those toilet seats way long time ago...

[MsMagnificent]

25. That's the rub: If the media covers it

[yardwork]

12. It's no wonder the so-called "news" media twists the facts -

the advertisers are all benefiting from the war.

[rainbow4321]

14. Yup....the news media's parent company

I mentioned it elsewhere here, but don't ya think it would be a good thing if when MSNBC or NBC give a news report on how "well" the war is going that they have to preface it with a disclaimer <like they do when MSNBC does a report on Microsoft--they remind us that one of their owners IS Microsoft>.... except in this case they can remind their viewers "by the way, GE has a hefty contract WITH the Pentagon". <Look up GE on the list directory..you will see what I mean>.

http://store.publicintegrity.org/pns/db.aspx?act=cinfo&coid=001367960




edited for direct link to General Electric's contract info on the webpage

[yardwork]

15. I know. It is disgraceful.

I don't understand why Americans can't see through this.

[St. Jarvitude]

20. Interesting.

The Pentagon spent a combined $793,375 on "Food and Beverages" from Dell Computing and Gateway, Inc.

:wtf: They make FOOD????

[DeepModem Mom]

8. kick

[NVMojo]

11. Where is the money that was budgeted for this???

:wtf:

[rucky]

13. Nominate this topic for the DU Homepage

kick

[DeepModem Mom]

26. rucky, it's on there now!

:)

[sandnsea]

17. "in December, the shortfall should be filled,"

er, December 2003 that is.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,101061,00.html

[ClintonTyree]

19. I'm sure the Main Stream Media.......................

will be ALL OVER this! :eyes: Yeah, right. This little gem will go unreported just like the hundreds of other fuckups and lies from this administration.
If someone DID happen to report it (other than newspapers) it will get sucked down the memory hole quicker than you can say rumpledforeskin. ;)

[goforit]

21. Geee all this wonderful republican press is placing targets on soldiers'

heads!!

Won't the enemy catch on as well???

They are all a bunch of dumb asses!!!

[ivolsky]

22. It's all about Priorities. Space Weapons YES, Troop Armor NO

This from: www.politicalthought.net

Sen. Rockefeller and some other Democrats has been criticizing a little-noticed provision in the new intelligence bill as "outlandish" and "unnecessary". We had predicted (with the help of experts of course) that this was a space weapons-type program.

The latest from the Washington Post: "The United States is building a new generation of spy satellites designed to orbit undetected, in a highly classified program... the previously undisclosed effort has almost doubled in projected cost--from $5 billion to nearly $9.5 billion, officials said. The National Reconnaissance Office, which manages spy satellite programs, has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the program, officials said."

How one official described the funding for the program: "With the amount of money we're talking about here, you could build a whole new CIA."

It's all about priorities. Again, this administration is willing to fund space programs but not our troops, Iraq firehouses but not American ports (security). He is asking for another attack! The Democrats are right to jump on this and distill the notion that they somehow don't support the troops. Also, note the great funding disparity between the pittance it would cost to buy more (ask for) more armor and the billions upon billions spent on the space weapons program.

Apparently, soldier safety is second to space safety. (Who's going to attack us from space?)

Read more here: www.politicalthought.net

[UL_Approved]

23. One less Republican, one more Democrat

The issue here brings to light the true failing of the Republican party in modern America. They got people on the ticket who are socially conservative with the pseudo-Christian values propaganda. They promised job growth, they promised security and responsibility. They lied.

Instead of making any real gains, the Republican party at present has used their time in Washington, D.C. to make headway in the great theft of America. The whole propaganda campaign was centered around subverting populist principle into the arena of dictatorial spiel. People in the West were particularly vulnerable to this hollow promise and tower of lies. Its our job, as Democrats, to point out and expose this infrastructure. I live in Montana, and our newly elected Democratic governor, Brian Schweitzer, stands as a clear testament to this. Schweitzer cut down NAFTA, cut down government graft, secret programs intended at removing family farms, and other corporate-driven exploitive bullshit. This works.

In this instance, I hope that Matt Salmon learned a valuable lesson in dealing with Neo-cons. They talk the talk, but they steal right out from under you. I sincerely hope that Salmon abandons the Bush campaign, even if for an Republican, so long as the guy he supports is a real American, not some Neo-con propagandist.

Remember: Bush is not Christian, Bush is not Republican, Bush is not American.

[Carl Brennan]

24. A smart investigative journalist behind this article.

:thumbsup:

[ivolsky]

27. Is ElBaradei a marked man?

The Bush Administration is looking to ouster IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei for his questioning of pre-war U.S. claims in Iraq and his perceived "softness" on Iran. All those that dare question US policy, pay a price. Truth and history are irrelevant.

More info: www.politicalthought.net

[struggle4progress]

28. kick

:kick:

[VegasWolf]

30. "you go to war with the army you have!", said Dummy. n/t

[ivolsky]

31. Guardsmen more likely to be killed...

It seems like National Guardsmen are one-third more likely to be killed in Iraq than full-time active-duty soldiers. And they don't have the equipment necessary...

more: www.politicalthought.net

[struggle4progress]

32. Jest gotta kick this un agin. eom