Bush Turns to Big Military Contractors for Border Control

[madinmaryland]

WASHINGTON, May 17 — The quick fix may involve sending in the National Guard. But to really patch up the broken border, President Bush is preparing to turn to a familiar administration partner: the nation's giant military contractors.

Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman, three of the largest, are among the companies that said they would submit bids within two weeks for a multibillion-dollar federal contract to build what the administration calls a "virtual fence" along the nation's land borders.

Using some of the same high-priced, high-tech tools these companies have already put to work in Iraq and Afghanistan — like unmanned aerial vehicles, ground surveillance satellites and motion-detection video equipment — the military contractors are zeroing in on the rivers, deserts, mountains and settled areas that separate Mexico and Canada from the United States.

..snip

The high-tech plan being bid now has many skeptics, who say they have heard a similar refrain from the government before.

"We've been presented with expensive proposals for elaborate border technology that eventually have proven to be ineffective and wasteful," Representative Harold Rogers, Republican of Kentucky, said at a hearing on the Secure Border Initiative program last month. "How is the S.B.I. not just another three-letter acronym for failure?"

..snip

Once again, anything this guy proposed is strictly for the Military Industrial Complex.

:grr:

[paparush]

1. Two words ..... Big .... Suprise nt

[underpants]

3. I'm shocked

Two weeks? what is taking them so long?

[sweetheart]

2. A virtual fence

So if they set up webcams along the entire border and put them online,
would that be enough, as then the public would be able to see how
the police are behaving, and the real traffic across the border.

A bunch of webcams would be cheaper than a fence... and way simpler than
putting in a buch of fancy military gear... let freedom of information
do the job, and no need to spend the billions billions.

[CrispyQ]

4. Bloodsuckers.

:grr:

[NotGivingUp]

5. he's found yet another way to enrich his buddies and fuck u.s. citizens

[nancyr]

6. Can we all say Haliburton?

[Marie26]

7. Is that KBR contract for immigrant detention centers

starting to make sense now?

[madinmaryland]

8. Sure is.

[rpgamerd00d]

9. Bush Turns to Tiny Mom & Pop Contractors for Border Control

Please note, that these hard-working, blue-collar, family-oriented mom & pop contractors can't fulfill the job requirements. But at least he didn't turn to "Big Bad Contractors" (tm).

I am just pointing out how ridiculous this topic is.
Tunnel Vision is bad, folks.
Focus on the REAL issues.

[madinmaryland]

11. Huh?

What are you talking about?

[rpgamerd00d]

12. For a huge job, you can't expect Bush to contract a small contractor

Saying that Bush contracted border security to a "Big Contractor" is nonsensical. Of course he did! Duh?
Its not like a small contractor could handle the job order!

[madinmaryland]

13. I don't expect it to be subbed out to a "small contractor"

First of all such a thing does not exist for this type of job. Second of all this should not be going out to any contractor. I would prefer that this be done by the National Guard.

If we did not have half of our NG over in Iraq fighting a war of choice, they would be the ones that should be there.

My problem is what is stated in the artical, is that the "contracts" are going (in many cases no bid) to these guys for work that should be in the hands of the NG. The only folks benefitting are the "contractors" and the shareholder of the contractors. And we the taxpayers get stuck with the tab.

:grr:

[rpgamerd00d]

14. I disagree, I don't think military personnel should be building fences

That is exactly what contractors are for.

Bush is wrong on the "no bid" part, of course. It should go to bid.

[spanone]

10. Bend over Americans here comes another insertion.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. What Military Industrial complex?

Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, Raytheon.

Dylan called them, rightfully, "The Masters of War".

[madinmaryland]

16. That's what it is.

a perpetual war machine.

:grr: