Looting Homeland Security- (be prepared to be PISSED)

[DiverDave]

Katrina may have been a natural disaster -- but President Bush created the bungled response by gutting FEMA and turning the nation's security over to corporate cronies and for-profit contractors

-snip-
"The most glaring example of the for-profit marketization of DHS came on September 26th, barely a month after Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, when some 300 corporate lobbyists and lawyers assembled for the Katrina Reconstruction Summit to learn how they could cash in on the federal effort to rebuild New Orleans. Such how-to sessions are nothing new in Washington, of course, and private firms certainly have a major role to play in relocating the 1.5 million people uprooted by the worst natural disaster in American history. What was extraordinary about this particular summit, however, was that it was held not in some conference room at a Beltway hotel, but in an office building of the U.S. Senate. It was a seminar on profiteering, held on the grounds of the very institution to be plundered."

It's a long piece, but just astonishing in its revelations:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/_/id/8952492

[myrna minx]

1. Kick and nominated. n/t

[leftchick]

2. I read my RS the other day...

this is just appaling. Did you read the sidebar as well? All of those idiots in HS??

:puke:

[htuttle]

3. The best way to understand the Bush administration...

...is to understand that in reality, they are really just a criminal mob, out to loot the institution they've gotten control over.

The exact same things used to happen when longshoreman's unions were taken over by the mafia. First the wages and contracts get looted, then finally the pension funds.

Quite honestly, the Bush mob is only interested in two things. Keeping control (ie., campaigning, nepotistic appointments, etc...) and looting the treasury. That's literally all they do, and all they have ever really done.

[CrispyQ]

5. I agree, but I wonder,

what will they do when the treasury is dry? Raise taxes on the middle & lower classes so the cabal has more annual revenue? How much more will the diminishing middle class & growing lower class take? We are headed for 21st century feudalism. The CEOs, BODs & shareholders will be our new lords.

The rich better be careful. They will not be able to build fences high enough to keep out the angry masses when we are cold & hungry. The new mantra will be, "eat the rich."

[sarcasmo]

7. A song called Eat the Rich comes to mind.

[rucky]

9. Krokus!

I was a semi-retarded teenage headbanger.

[Greyhound]

11. When the treasury runs dry they will be done. They (the rich insiders)

believe that between their isolated enclaves and private security (blackwater et al) they will be safe from the rabble. I think they're wrong.

[ananda]

14. Did you see last night's West Wing?

The Chinese Ambassador told CJ that the USA and capitalism had destroyed Communism and taught the Chinese everything they now know.. which basically means that..

Finance trumps ethics every time.

Wow. They said that on national TV.

Sue

[Vanje]

4. Between 9k and 23K of Homeland Securitty $ went to prostitute in Idaho

Between 9k and 23K of Homeland Security $ went to prostitute in Idaho small town.
I heard the story on local (Idaho) NPR sttation.

[DiverDave]

12. The funny thing is, there are not

any signs that people are aware of this.
It just amazes me that the msm gets away with this.
I am so pissed that I called my reps and asked why this is continuing.

[Neecy]

6. Wow

Terrific piece, a must-read.

Rolling Stone actually does a better job exposing the corruption/warmongering/greed of the Bush administration than Time or Newsweek - now isn't that something? We have to read a music magazine to find out what's going on!

I got my 21 year old nephew a 3 year subscription to RS a couple of years ago for Christmas and it's really opened his eyes - he was apathetic about politics before and now he's starting to get involved. Best gift I ever gave.

[lpbk2713]

8. FEMA is doing a heckuva job.

[tanyev]

10. I caught some of an NPR piece on FEMA the other day.

They were talking about how many experienced employees have retired in the last few months and how morale is so low. It was mentioned that the agency didn't have a good reputation under Bush I because it was so disorganized and then how stunning the turnaround was under Clinton/Witt. And now in a very short time it's gone back to what it was before.

That's when I started wondering if that is by design. The Bush teams don't really want FEMA to be there to help American citizens. They see FEMA as a clearing house for dispensing government contracts to private businesses. So in their eyes Clinton's FEMA was the failure--now they're back on track.

[Vanje]

13. FEMA is failing by design

Brownie really did do a heck of a job.
So says this outstanding essay by Jane Smiley

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20051217/cm_huffpost/012451_200512171432