spread of the red
number 59 07.03.06
Congressional Hearings Decline to Address Patronage Fraud
After the release last month of the
Government Office of Accountability
study of fraud by recipients of aid in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,
members of Congress paraded some of
the more outrageous examples before
the public at hearings in Washington DC.
Although the fraud by individual aid
recipients was significant, The GAO has
found that that companies that
engineered sweetheart deals and
operated under little or no scrutiny
gouged the US taxpayer for far more
money. In some instances the GAO
found that the same companies that
received no-bid contracts to assist in the
occupation of Iraq were given contracts
Government Office of Accountability
study of fraud by recipients of aid in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,
members of Congress paraded some of
the more outrageous examples before
the public at hearings in Washington DC.
Although the fraud by individual aid
recipients was significant, The GAO has
found that that companies that
engineered sweetheart deals and
operated under little or no scrutiny
gouged the US taxpayer for far more
money. In some instances the GAO
found that the same companies that
received no-bid contracts to assist in the
occupation of Iraq were given contracts
by FEMA and other agencies. In other
cases, relatives of government officials
started companies simply to be given
contracts, whether or not they had any
qualifications to perform.
Two former officers in the Projects and
Contracting Office in Baghdad were
hired by corporations that later received
multi-million dollar federal contracts.
Charles Hess secured two separate $100
million dollar contracts to assist in
reconstruction for his new company,
The Shaw Group and David Nash was
hired by a company working with a
Halliburton subsidiary to fulfill of a
Defense Department contract for
clean-up and security on the Gulf.
cases, relatives of government officials
started companies simply to be given
contracts, whether or not they had any
qualifications to perform.
Two former officers in the Projects and
Contracting Office in Baghdad were
hired by corporations that later received
multi-million dollar federal contracts.
Charles Hess secured two separate $100
million dollar contracts to assist in
reconstruction for his new company,
The Shaw Group and David Nash was
hired by a company working with a
Halliburton subsidiary to fulfill of a
Defense Department contract for
clean-up and security on the Gulf.
The wife of the nephew of Mississippi
Governor Haley Barbour, Rosemary
Barbour, set up a company that
received $6.4 million dollars in FEMA
contracts to supply converted
semi-trailers fitted with shower heads
to tent cities that sprang up after the
hurricane passed. Ms. Barbour was
able to secure more than ten
separate contracts; even though her
newly formed company had no
experience providing disaster relief.
The GAO estimates that nearly 11
percent of the $19 billion spent by
FEMA on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
as of last month was wasted or lost
to fraud. it's all true
Governor Haley Barbour, Rosemary
Barbour, set up a company that
received $6.4 million dollars in FEMA
contracts to supply converted
semi-trailers fitted with shower heads
to tent cities that sprang up after the
hurricane passed. Ms. Barbour was
able to secure more than ten
separate contracts; even though her
newly formed company had no
experience providing disaster relief.
The GAO estimates that nearly 11
percent of the $19 billion spent by
FEMA on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
as of last month was wasted or lost
to fraud. it's all true
| interpreting the constitution crowd control spread of the red one nation, under surveillance fun d' mental in bed with the red red state rebate verbatim |
in bed with the red
News
E-Voting Laws
Pave Way For
E-Voting Flaws
Pave Way For
E-Voting Flaws
High Tech Superhighway Designed To Bypass Unions
With the tacit support of the Bush
administration, a loose consortium of
public and private sector groups is
promoting the construction of a
high-tech free trade superhighway that
will be the central component of a
proposed North American
transportation corridor stretching from
southwestern Mexico to central Canada.
The highway, which will be a ten-lane
limited access freight road, will
eventually run from Laredo, Texas
through Duluth, Minnesota on a route
roughly paralleling the existing US
Interstate 35. The plan also includes the
creation of an inland port of entry for
Mexican truck traffic in Kansas City.
Instead of approaching the interstate
transportation corridor as a federal
administration, a loose consortium of
public and private sector groups is
promoting the construction of a
high-tech free trade superhighway that
will be the central component of a
proposed North American
transportation corridor stretching from
southwestern Mexico to central Canada.
The highway, which will be a ten-lane
limited access freight road, will
eventually run from Laredo, Texas
through Duluth, Minnesota on a route
roughly paralleling the existing US
Interstate 35. The plan also includes the
creation of an inland port of entry for
Mexican truck traffic in Kansas City.
Instead of approaching the interstate
transportation corridor as a federal
project requiring Congressional funding
and public comment, developers have
focused on completing local segments of
the corridor through various state and
municipal initiatives. Backers of the plan
also rely heavily on private sources of
funding, including multinational shipping
and rail interests. The majority of
funding for the Trans-Texas Corridor,
scheduled to begin construction in 2007,
will be secured through Cintra
Concessions de Infraestructuras de
Transporte, S. A. of Spain, which will
retain the contract to operate the
highway as a toll road, sharing the
proceeds with the state.
The Mexican section of the corridor will
follow newly developed railways from
the Pacific Ocean port of Lazaro
and public comment, developers have
focused on completing local segments of
the corridor through various state and
municipal initiatives. Backers of the plan
also rely heavily on private sources of
funding, including multinational shipping
and rail interests. The majority of
funding for the Trans-Texas Corridor,
scheduled to begin construction in 2007,
will be secured through Cintra
Concessions de Infraestructuras de
Transporte, S. A. of Spain, which will
retain the contract to operate the
highway as a toll road, sharing the
proceeds with the state.
The Mexican section of the corridor will
follow newly developed railways from
the Pacific Ocean port of Lazaro
Cardenas through Monterrey to
southern Texas. When the
superhighway is completed, trucks
will be able to cross the US-Mexico
border at speed, their data read by
the remote SENTRI system, which is
already being implemented. The first
US stop for the freight would be at
the Kansas City SmartPort.
The busiest ports in the US, at Los
Angeles and Long Beach, California,
employ dockworkers of the
International Longshore and
Warehouse Union. The plan for the
transportation corridor from Lazaro
Cardenas to Canada will circumvent
strongholds of both the ILWU and
the Teamsters, who represent US
truck drivers. it's all true
southern Texas. When the
superhighway is completed, trucks
will be able to cross the US-Mexico
border at speed, their data read by
the remote SENTRI system, which is
already being implemented. The first
US stop for the freight would be at
the Kansas City SmartPort.
The busiest ports in the US, at Los
Angeles and Long Beach, California,
employ dockworkers of the
International Longshore and
Warehouse Union. The plan for the
transportation corridor from Lazaro
Cardenas to Canada will circumvent
strongholds of both the ILWU and
the Teamsters, who represent US
truck drivers. it's all true
The three electronic voting
systems that will be most widely
used in this November’s elections
all pose significant security risks,
according to a comprehensive
study by the non-partisan Brennan
Center for Justice. The study
found more than 120 separate
design flaws or security threats in
the three machines most
commonly purchased by local
election authorities under the
auspices of the Help America
Vote Act. Together, the three
systems will account for about 80
percent of all voting machines
that will be used in the upcoming
Congressional elections.
The study investigated both
optical scanner and touch-screen
machines, and included systems
that produced paper receipts.
The Brennan Center’s Task Force
on Voting System Security found
that all tested technologies
contained serious risks. The
report singled out systems with
wireless components as the most
vulnerable, but noted that even
machines that produce a voter-
verified paper receipt must be
regularly audited. Task Force
Chairman Lawrence Norden said
that to ignore the threat of
election fraud would be
“unrealistic.”
The world’s three largest
manufacturers of voting machines
are Diebold, Sequoia, and
Election Systems and Services.
Spokesmen for an industry trade
group dismissed the report as
speculative. it's all true
systems that will be most widely
used in this November’s elections
all pose significant security risks,
according to a comprehensive
study by the non-partisan Brennan
Center for Justice. The study
found more than 120 separate
design flaws or security threats in
the three machines most
commonly purchased by local
election authorities under the
auspices of the Help America
Vote Act. Together, the three
systems will account for about 80
percent of all voting machines
that will be used in the upcoming
Congressional elections.
The study investigated both
optical scanner and touch-screen
machines, and included systems
that produced paper receipts.
The Brennan Center’s Task Force
on Voting System Security found
that all tested technologies
contained serious risks. The
report singled out systems with
wireless components as the most
vulnerable, but noted that even
machines that produce a voter-
verified paper receipt must be
regularly audited. Task Force
Chairman Lawrence Norden said
that to ignore the threat of
election fraud would be
“unrealistic.”
The world’s three largest
manufacturers of voting machines
are Diebold, Sequoia, and
Election Systems and Services.
Spokesmen for an industry trade
group dismissed the report as
speculative. it's all true
Traffic
| redstat |
CIA Policy Raises Price of Freedom
American workers with pensions
A Washington, D.C.-based research
library has sued the CIA in federal court
for the intelligence agency’s newly
implemented policy of imposing fees for
processing requests made under the
Freedom of Information Act. The
National Security Archive, which is
affiliated with George Washington
University, brought the suit after the
CIA assessed search and duplication fees
on more than 40 of the Archive’s FOIA
requests since 2005. The National
Security Archive had been routinely
receiving fee waivers since a 1989 federal
ruling recognized its status as a news
organization.
According to the lawsuit, in late 2005
the CIA began to apply a range of
restrictions to FOIA requests that are
not contemplated under the Act itself.
library has sued the CIA in federal court
for the intelligence agency’s newly
implemented policy of imposing fees for
processing requests made under the
Freedom of Information Act. The
National Security Archive, which is
affiliated with George Washington
University, brought the suit after the
CIA assessed search and duplication fees
on more than 40 of the Archive’s FOIA
requests since 2005. The National
Security Archive had been routinely
receiving fee waivers since a 1989 federal
ruling recognized its status as a news
organization.
According to the lawsuit, in late 2005
the CIA began to apply a range of
restrictions to FOIA requests that are
not contemplated under the Act itself.
Among the new criteria are
requirements that the requested
material “concern current events,” and
“interest the general public.” In
unilaterally implementing the policies,
the CIA appears to have given itself
broad discretion as to its compliance
with the statute.
In a statement, National Security Archive
Director Thomas Blanton said “This
policy is a clear attempt to prevent
journalists from getting information out
to the public.” The National Security
Archive maintains the world’s largest non
governmental library of declassified
federal documents and records. It has
received numerous awards for its work,
including the 2005 Emmy for
Outstanding Achievement in News and
Documentary Research. it's all true
requirements that the requested
material “concern current events,” and
“interest the general public.” In
unilaterally implementing the policies,
the CIA appears to have given itself
broad discretion as to its compliance
with the statute.
In a statement, National Security Archive
Director Thomas Blanton said “This
policy is a clear attempt to prevent
journalists from getting information out
to the public.” The National Security
Archive maintains the world’s largest non
governmental library of declassified
federal documents and records. It has
received numerous awards for its work,
including the 2005 Emmy for
Outstanding Achievement in News and
Documentary Research. it's all true
100
60
20
%
union non-union
source: AFL-CIO
one nation, under surveillance
red state rebate
Community Cameras Can't Catch Crooks
FDA Enforcement
Calls in Sick
Calls in Sick
networks has increased over the past
few years exponentially, in most
instances the cities that use the
equipment have not codified rules or
policies that limit possible abuse of the
technology. Moreover, states and the
federal government have not established
laws setting limits on the use of video
surveillance networks or regarding
retention of images.
Cameras are trained 24/7 on parks,
apartment complexes, streets, schools
and inside buses and subway rains. The
mayor of Chicago has proposed that
every business in the city that is open for
12 hours would be required by code to
install video monitoring of their
doorways at their own expense. These
cameras would be networked to police
computers giving the Chicago police a
window into every business in the city.
Although it is certain that your
movements will be surveilled if you live
in a large American city, many studies
have shown that you will not be safer
even though you have ceded your
personal privacy. Officials in St.
Petersburg FL said that public
surveillance video equipment installed in
that city has not produced a single
criminal prosecution. Police officials in
the UK have abandoned placement of
video surveillance cameras because they
have not noticeably reduced crime over
a ten-year period. it's all true
few years exponentially, in most
instances the cities that use the
equipment have not codified rules or
policies that limit possible abuse of the
technology. Moreover, states and the
federal government have not established
laws setting limits on the use of video
surveillance networks or regarding
retention of images.
Cameras are trained 24/7 on parks,
apartment complexes, streets, schools
and inside buses and subway rains. The
mayor of Chicago has proposed that
every business in the city that is open for
12 hours would be required by code to
install video monitoring of their
doorways at their own expense. These
cameras would be networked to police
computers giving the Chicago police a
window into every business in the city.
Although it is certain that your
movements will be surveilled if you live
in a large American city, many studies
have shown that you will not be safer
even though you have ceded your
personal privacy. Officials in St.
Petersburg FL said that public
surveillance video equipment installed in
that city has not produced a single
criminal prosecution. Police officials in
the UK have abandoned placement of
video surveillance cameras because they
have not noticeably reduced crime over
a ten-year period. it's all true
Flush with federal Homeland Security
Administration grants, American cities
and small towns have begun to invest in
public video surveillance networks to
monitor the activities of residents.
Although the benefits are unproven,
many local officials believe that video
monitoring reduces crime and congress
has appropriated vast amounts of money
to states and cities in a furious attempt
to create a national bulwark against
foreign terrorists.
The Scripps Howard New Service
performed a survey to find that more
than 200 cities in 37 states watch public
space and the private individuals who
inhabit it with police monitored digital
surveillance equipment. The number
does not include more than 300 cities
that use traffic monitoring cameras.
Video monitoring equipment has
become cheaper and more
sophisticated. Digital surveillance
cameras have the ability to read an
automobile license plate from 5000 feet
and many cities are deploying cameras
with night vision lenses. Software
applications can listen for sounds such as
gunshots, scan the faces of people in
public places using facial recognition
technologies and can even be set to
detect ‘suspicious' body movements.
The news service found out that while
the proliferation of video surveillance
Administration grants, American cities
and small towns have begun to invest in
public video surveillance networks to
monitor the activities of residents.
Although the benefits are unproven,
many local officials believe that video
monitoring reduces crime and congress
has appropriated vast amounts of money
to states and cities in a furious attempt
to create a national bulwark against
foreign terrorists.
The Scripps Howard New Service
performed a survey to find that more
than 200 cities in 37 states watch public
space and the private individuals who
inhabit it with police monitored digital
surveillance equipment. The number
does not include more than 300 cities
that use traffic monitoring cameras.
Video monitoring equipment has
become cheaper and more
sophisticated. Digital surveillance
cameras have the ability to read an
automobile license plate from 5000 feet
and many cities are deploying cameras
with night vision lenses. Software
applications can listen for sounds such as
gunshots, scan the faces of people in
public places using facial recognition
technologies and can even be set to
detect ‘suspicious' body movements.
The news service found out that while
the proliferation of video surveillance
A review of enforcement actions
taken by the Food and Drug
Administration released recently by
the House Committee on
Government Reform revealed a
significant reduction in the
enforcement of the nation’s health
laws since 2000.
The committee reported that
enforcement actions by the agency
have dropped more than 54 percent
in the past five years. FDA
enforcement has declined to a 15
year low since Bush took office in
2000. During this same period, the
agency’s seizures of mis-labled or
dangerous products have declined by
44 percent.
The agency has failed repeatedly to
take action after it's own
investigators had found cause for
enforcement. In 138 instances,
inspectors from FDA have
recommended that law enforcement
actions should commence, but the
agency’s administration declined to
proceed against the violators.
The lax trend in enforcement led the
author of the report to conclude
“the people who've been making
decisions at the FDA have decided to
favor industry.” it's all true
taken by the Food and Drug
Administration released recently by
the House Committee on
Government Reform revealed a
significant reduction in the
enforcement of the nation’s health
laws since 2000.
The committee reported that
enforcement actions by the agency
have dropped more than 54 percent
in the past five years. FDA
enforcement has declined to a 15
year low since Bush took office in
2000. During this same period, the
agency’s seizures of mis-labled or
dangerous products have declined by
44 percent.
The agency has failed repeatedly to
take action after it's own
investigators had found cause for
enforcement. In 138 instances,
inspectors from FDA have
recommended that law enforcement
actions should commence, but the
agency’s administration declined to
proceed against the violators.
The lax trend in enforcement led the
author of the report to conclude
“the people who've been making
decisions at the FDA have decided to
favor industry.” it's all true
redstateupdate.net
...there's a certain
set of values you
learn in that
experience."
Washington DC 05.05.06
set of values you
learn in that
experience."
Washington DC 05.05.06
verbatim number 11.5
"If people want to
get to know me
better, they've
got to know my
parents and the
values my parents
instilled in me...
get to know me
better, they've
got to know my
parents and the
values my parents
instilled in me...
and the fact that I
was raised in West
Texas, in the middle
of the desert, a long
way away from
anywhere, hardly...
was raised in West
Texas, in the middle
of the desert, a long
way away from
anywhere, hardly...
