WHO IS TO BE
"DETAINED?"
Look
out – here comes Halliburton again! With its own personal sugar daddy occupying
the the vice president's chair, this giant government contractor keeps getting
multibillion-dollar, no-bid contracts from the BushCheney regime, despite having
been found guilty of shoddy work, massive cost-overruns, and fraudulent
billings.
Its
latest windfall, however, should not merely be worrisome to tax payers, but also
to anyone concerned about the Bushites' anti-democratic penchant to extend
ever-more police and military power over We the People. Halliburton has been
granted a $385 million contract for a most unusual project: building a network
of detention centers across our country. Up to 5,000 people could be "detained"
and held in each of these centers, which are to be run by homeland security
authorities and possibly located on unused military bases
"Detain,"
of course, is a euphemism for "incarcerate" – or "lock up." And "center" is a
gentle term for "prison."
So,
why does America suddenly need to spend a third-of-a-billion dollars to
establish a new mass prison complex in our country? The feds and Halliburton
cryptically say that the detention centers could be needed for "some kind of
mass migration" or for "the rapid development of new programs." When asked what
is meant by the ominous term, "new programs," a Halliburton spokeswoman said she
could provide no additional information.
Another
curious aspect is that the Bushites refer to this as a "contingency contract,"
saying that the detention centers might never be built, but that Halliburton
will have the cash and authority to move quickly if and when given the go-ahead.
The corporation's executive vice president says that Halliburton is "gratified,"
because the deal "builds on our extremely strong track record in the arena of
emergency management support."
This
is Jim Hightower saying... But who is to be managed, and in support of what
policy?
Sources:
"Halliburton Subsidiary Gets Contract to Add Temporary Immigration
Detention Centers," The New York Times, February 4,
2006.
"KBR awarded Homeland Security contract worth up to $385M,"
www.marketwatch.com, January 2, 2006.
"Homeland Security Contracts for Vast New Detention Camps," February 6,
2006.
"Report Adds to Criticism of Halliburton's Iraq Role," The New York
Times, March 29, 2006.
(c) 2006, Copyright - Saddleburr Productions, Inc. This
essay is herein reprinted with the author's
permission.
Posted May 08, 2006
URL: www.thecitizenfsr.org
SM
2000-2011
