Bush ORDERS D.C. to use Homeland Security $$ for his inauguration

[Bluebear]

D.C. officials said yesterday that the Bush administration is refusing to reimburse the District for most of the costs associated with next week's inauguration, breaking with precedent and forcing the city to divert $11.9 million from homeland security projects. Federal officials have told the District that it should cover the expenses by using some of the $240 million in federal homeland security grants it has received in the past three years -- money awarded to the city because it is among the places at highest risk of a terrorist attack.

But that grant money is earmarked for other security needs, Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) said in a Dec. 27 letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Joshua B. Bolten and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. Williams's office released the letter yesterday...

A spokesman for Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, which oversees the District, agreed with the mayor's stance. He called the Bush administration's position "simply not acceptable."

"It's an unfunded mandate of the most odious kind. How can the District be asked to take funds from important homeland security projects to pay for this instead?" said Davis spokesman David Marin.
The region had earmarked federal homeland security funds for such priorities as increasing hospital capacity, equipping firefighters with protective gear and building transit system command centers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63896-2005Jan10.html

[Cobalt Violet]

1. He really puts the dick in dicktator. n/t

[LynnTheDem]

2. And the mock in democracy...and the error in terror.

[Nothing Without Hope]

3. Utterly outrageous. Makes you think he doesn't believe his own propaganda

The region had earmarked federal homeland security funds for such priorities as increasing hospital capacity, equipping firefighters with protective gear and building transit system command centers.
And now this money is supposed to pay for Juniors big in-Poppy's-face party?? This is appalling, outrageous and utterly typical. I hope they can stop it.

Bad enough that all this money is being spent frivolously when there is deseparate need in Indonesia. To steal it from projects intended to safeguard the nation's capital from terrorist attacks demonstrates very clearly that Junior does not believe that danger is real. Interesting, no?

[oscar111]

4. when i saw a college prez inaugrated w/ tax dollars, i concludd it is gett

getting ridiculous.

A college president is a nobody.. he should just roll up his sleeves and get to work.

But hundreds of tax dollars were spent on a fancy inaugration

AND RECEPTION.

{ditto, for the outgoing bigwig}.

It made me ask "why inaugrate anyone? " They are simply starting a job. Unless they are god-emperors, in which case they are gods. In the US, prez's are not royals.

Bush should end inaugrations, and use the $ for homeland defense.

[Sugarbleus]

5. It's outrageous they spend this money on frivolous shit while there

are desparatly needy people IN AMERICA! That money could pay a lot of low income folks' rents. It could cover a whopping number of medical needs for the zillions of uninsured. It could pay the heating bill of many low income households! It could feed untold numbers of malnourished citizens. It could go a long way right here.

Mucking greedy, self centered Mofos in DC! I hope a deadly blizzard happens to shut the event down! :grr:

[Nothing Without Hope]

12. Make that a SELECTIVE blizzard, just over the coronation festivities

Elsewhere nearby there will be homeless people freezing to death.

Your point is well taken IMO. This is what happens when a narcissistic sociopath is allowed to be the most powerful person on earth. It's perfectly consistent with his other behavior, except that now he doesn't even seem to be TRYING to pretend otherwise.

[Cobalt Violet]

22. Like the 300,000 working poor in Tennessee being dumped from Medicaid.

[Sugarbleus]

33. Indeed. So many many places good money could be spent

well.

A member of my family is going through a crisis where a bit of funding would go a long way and reap a rich harvest.

Today, we got smacked down by a faith based program. Was I upset? Hoo boy, lol

Did they get a piece of my mind? You betcha! They get funds for lousy discretionary service; my family member is left holding the bag and doing without.

I am NOT AMUSED at the wasteful discretionary spending by the feds on the one hand and the tight fisted gutting of worthy programs on the other.

Oppression breeds contempt.

[Bluebear]

15. So "Homeland Security" ranks below the Sun King's gala

This is the "he keeps us safe" President.

[darkism]

6. Oh, this is rich.

Say it loud, say it often.

BUSH AIDS TERRORISTS!

[BBradley]

7. Is it just me, or does Bush look like a pimp in that picture?

And not pimp like pimpalicious. Pimp like he's about to go shake down his whores.

[NYC]

9. Absolutely, yes.

There's a special "aura" about that picture.

And when he's finished shaking down his whores, he'll shake down D.C. for the inauguration money.

[TrustingDog]

18. notice his goodguy 'white hat'?

what an anus.

[Bzzzz]

25. I just...

lost my lunch!:puke:

[Sugarbleus]

34. LOL LOL...I'm so glad you said that. I had a different term for

"The Look" but your's works very very well. Yes, he be stylin' LMAO!

Get a load of the SS giving him the once over. lol

[Stephanie]

8. So the coronation actually costs $51.9M?

Remember Bush kicked in $10K for tsunami relief. And you know it really pained him. That money could have been spent better on hand-made Inaugural Boots. Look at the HEELS on those shoes! And the highwater flood pants. And the hat, the glasses, the coat, the strut. He is the most PATHETIC thing I have ever seen. You know his dick must be a wee little teensy tiny thing.

[SammyWinstonJack]

24. I really don't want to think about the Chimp's dick, size or otherwise.

:puke:

[pansypoo53219]

10. more like a ho.

you know. if al qaeda just happed to attack, would this issue be discussd?

[Nothing Without Hope]

30. I think that's the most "interesting" thing about this travesty

They have now officially stopped the search for WMD's in Iraq.
Bin Laden and Al Qaeda are now downplayed as being of major concern.
Both of these shifts were made safely after the election, of course.

Gutting Homeland Security measures in the area where he lives in the rare intervals between vacations (never mind the center of the US governent, he doesn't care about that) shows clearly that he does not fear terrorist attacks.

To me, this is like a statement that the whole War on Terra (TM) is an invention to control congress and voters with fear and anger. Well, we "conspiracy theorists" already knew that but it is rather revealing to show it so openly. Again, it's safely past the election.

How long before more people connect the dots and realize that the "successful" 9/11 attacks were either planned or enabled by this administration? It's the one scandal that would finally bring them down.

(edited to zap a typo)

[Bluebear]

31. I like your views

[Stephanie]

11. p.s WHAT are those objects in his hand and under his arm?

Candy boxes? Video games?

[smurfygirl]

13. winchester ammo

cause he is a paranoid mf who thinks everyone is gonna try and kill him.

[genieroze]

14. Bawhahahaha What a Maroon. What's with the Pimp Duddy pic? n/t

[Sleepless In NY]

16. This is truly obscene. What are the Democrats doing about this?

anyone know?

[MountainLaurel]

32. The same thing they're doing about

DC's lack of representation in Congress.

I.E., nothing.

[fortyfeetunder]

17. Well, I am sure the DC gov't can come up with payback...

Let's see what will the chimpster really want DC to buy him after Inauguration Day in the name of "homeland security" and the DC gov't can say, NFW, well, we already spent that on your f***ing coronation, @$$hole.

[no_hypocrisy]

19. Can't a DC citizen sue for misallocation of funds?

Can DC municipal government refuse even partially to provide optimum "security" for essentially a parade and party?

[Southpaw Bookworm]

20. That would require them to have some stones

And since all DC appropriations come from and must be approved by the federal government, you won't find anyone (including the DINO mayor) willing to rock the boat and risk having the feds take away the little home rule we have.

[Bluebear]

28. The Sun King would order them to

under penalty of disloyalty to His majesty.

[Nothing Without Hope]

29. Let's make that "SON KING" instead. Nothing bright about him.

Edited to add, as if it weren't obvious:
...and we all know that he owes his political rise to his being the heir of the Bush capo, not to any discernible merit, talent, or character.

[indepat]

21. Why should anything this Administration does ever surprise anybody?

[JHB]

23. Well, it's not like DC had any OTHER targets, is it?

/sarcasm

[pdxmom]

26. This makes me sick

My family lives in the D.C. area (Virginia side) and I can't stand the fact that, to an extent, this man is jeopardizing their lives in order to have a huge party. And from what I can tell, the main point of the inauguration is to promote Ashcroft's music career.

I was worried sick on 9/11 and had good reason to be. Family was ok, but there was one close call, and friends died. By diverting the funds, he's tempting fate for it to happen again.

[Bluebear]

27. 'Main point to promote Ashcroft's music career"

You said a mouthful there!