The Bush Watch

[Miulang]

Re: The Bush Watch

Yessiree, indeedeedoo. our tax dollars hard at work protecting us from terrorists. Right after 9/11, the FBI engaged on an ambitious, $170 million computer project that would allow it to share information with various other agencies. Four years later, the Agency is forced to admit that might have to scrap the whole project, because, simply, it doesn't work. Then they have to go back to Congress to get more funding to build a new system that DOES work.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...haringsoftware


Here is some interesting information on SAIC for FY 2001, when the FBI contract would have been awarded. Notice that the contractor just happens to hold many IT contracts with the government (I wonder if this FBI project went out to bid???)


Miulang

SAIC
Growth of the company
FY2001
Revenue: $5.9 billion
Employees: 41,000
Net Income: $2.1 billion
Earnings per Share: $8.11

Revenues for the Fiscal Year ended January 31, 2001 (Fiscal 2001) were $5.9 billion, reflecting growth over the prior year of 7 percent. As a result of the company's growth, SAIC now ranks #296 on the FORTUNE® 500 list of the largest U.S. companies. Our strong growth also has made us Business Week's #1 Private Info-Tech Company for the second year in a row and INPUT Government Services' #1 for federal IT security market share.

New commercial business during the first three quarters of the fiscal year included a major agreement with BP, one of the world's largest oil companies. Under the agreement, an SAIC-led team will support BP's North American application and host services.

During the fiscal year, BellSouth selected our Telcordia Technologies subsidiary as its preferred strategic partner for supplying operation support systems infrastructure. Telcordia also provided key software for Sprint's converged voice, video, and data communications network and CTC Communications' converged network.

Numerous large federal government contracts also were awarded to SAIC during fiscal year 2001.

The SAIC and Bechtel National team won a $3.1 billion contract to support the Department of Energy's civilian radioactive waste management program at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.
A team led by SAIC was selected as an awardee of a Defense Information Systems Agency contract to provide information assurance capabilities support worldwide for the Department of Defense and other federal agencies. The total ceiling value of the contract is $1.5 billion.
An SAIC team won an Army Aviation and Missile Command contract to provide advisory and assistance services and support battlefield system readiness under a contract with potential value of $1.25 billion over five years.
An SAIC team was selected to perform systems engineering and integration tasks under a $496 million, five-year contract from the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center.
SAIC won a $200 million fixed-price contract to provide support to the Defense Logistics Agency.
SAIC and its teammates won the Treasury Information Processing Support Services-2 contract, valued at up to $225 million, to provide information systems support to the Department of Treasury and all of its bureaus and services.
Looking to the future, our new, wholly owned subsidiary SAIC Venture Capital Corporation has been identifying and investing in emerging technologies strategic to our continued growth.

[Miulang]

Re: The Bush Watch

When questioned this morning by Congress, Condoleeeeeeeza Rice firmly stated that she couldn't give a timeline for when our troops could be pulled out of Iraq. Instead she spouted the same illogical rhetoric that her boss, the President stated on Saturday (our pullout will be determined by the ability of Iraqi security forces to take over and control the situation). She will be confirmed as the new Sec. of State, but don't look to her to be the "voice of reason" within this Administration when it comes to things like our warmongering.

Miulang

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...senate_rice_13

[Miulang]

Re: The Bush Watch

In response to the Prez' sabre-rattling pronouncement that we would use military force if necessary in Iran if that government didn't get rid of its nuclear arms, the Iranian government in an equally testosterone-induced counter pronouncement indicated that it has the armies that could repel any such invasions.

It's this kind of "one upsmanship" that always get us into trouble. Why can't the Prez and the Iranian government just meet in some neutral place, over a cup of coffee, and talk about things instead of flinging veiled threats at each other? As I said earlier, all signs point to our pulling out of Iraq and heading right next door to Iran. As much as they would like to discredit Seymour Hersh's article about our meddling in Iran since last summer, I think there is more truth to his reporting than the White House dares admit right now.

Miulang

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...nm/iran_usa_dc

[Miulang]

Re: The Bush Watch

We truly have a whacko totally out of touch with reality President leading us. Today, during some pre-inaugural formalities, he addressed the troops
today by saying "much more will be asked of you" in Iraq and elsewhere."

Um, excuse me? The fact that almost 1,400 American troops have died and more than 9,000 have been wounded, with many hurt too seriously to return to combat means that these guys have been slackers? That they have been understaffed and underequipped and undertrained (the Reservists) is their fault? That their tours of duty are sometimes being extended illegally because we can't find enough replacements is their fault?

Geez...give me a break.

Miulang

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...h_inaugural_dc

[Miulang]

Re: The Bush Watch

So where were the 52% of the people who voted for Bush in November when this Washington Post Poll was conducted recently? 58% of those polled disapprove of the Bush Administration's handling of the Iraq war now. 57% believe that the January 30th elections should serve as the catalyst for the start of American troops being taken out of Iraq. Nearly 60% believe that while the elections should not be postponed, that the country will not be more stable afterward.

Hmmm...maybe what the public is trying to tell the Bush Administration is that we no longer want to "stay the course" in Iraq? Maybe it's time for them to determine their own future, even if it means democracy will not prevail?

And people don't want the Bush Administration to meddle with Social Security before they fix the Iraq situation, which probably means that you kids (the under-45 generations) have dodged a big bullet. At least for now the Democrats won't let the Administration force you guys to put all your retirement money into the stock market, while taking away bennies for your grandma and grandpa.

Miulang

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...6073_2005jan17

[Miulang]

Re: The Bush Watch

Condoleeeeeza Rice, the soon-to-be confirmed Secretary of State, announced that 4 more countries have joined Iraq and Iran in the "Axis of Evil". Cuba, Myanmar, Belarus and Zimbabwe now have the dubious distinction of regimes the US feels it must help get rid of.

I say, instead of getting directly involved in these countries' politics, why not work with and let the United Nations do that job? that way we won't directly incur the world's ire as international buttinskys.

Miulang

http://www.informationclearinghouse....rticle7755.htm

[Miulang]

Re: The Bush Watch

The President's Inauguration Speech, which lasted 21 minutes, drew mixed reviews, as would be expected because of the highly partisan election. One thing that does irk me is he totally ignored talking about Iraq and Afghanistan but did talk about spreading liberty and democracy.

Skeptics and paranoiacs might interpret this as an offhanded invitation to meddle in other repressive regimes around the world.

I with him all the luck in the world. The record for 2nd term Presidents hasn't been very good.

Miulang

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...america_reacts

[Miulang]

Re: The Bush Watch

While the President and his cronies are celebrating and exulting over his coronation today, some serious points to ponder:

http://www.truthout.org/docs_05/012105Y.shtml

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: The Bush Watch

Will any or all of the following 34 "scandals" committed by the Bush Administration during the first 4 years in office haunt him and become his legacy? I mean, we're talking serious financial scandals here, particularly the multiple investigations of the government's relationship with Halliburton. All Bubba Clinton did was get caught messing with a Congressional intern, and for that he got impeached. What'll we do to Dubya if the allegations are true?


Miulang

http://www.truthout.org/docs_05/011905D.shtml

[Kalihiboy]

Re: The Bush Watch

Geeze I havent seen such mass protests for a President and the war since January 20, 1973 when Richard Nixon was re-inaugurated. Well we all know what happened to him in his second term. If things dont improve in Iraq soon the protests will get worse and it will take another President (Ford) to finally pull a cease and withdrawal of ALL troops since our current one never admits to making a mistake.

KalihiBoy

[Miulang]

Re: The Bush Watch

Geeze I havent seen such mass protests for a President and the war since January 20, 1973 when Richard Nixon was re-inaugurated. Well we all know what happened to him in his second term. If things dont improve in Iraq soon the protests will get worse and it will take another President (Ford) to finally pull a cease and withdrawal of ALL troops since our current one never admits to making a mistake.

KalihiBoy

I think what's going to happen is if the heat over Iraq does get hot enough, we will withdraw our troops, but instead of bringing them home, they will be shipped to Iran, which the Bush Administration believes is our next target of opportunity. And it's still all about oil and about protecting Israel.

http://www.informationclearinghouse....rticle7763.htm

Miulang

P.S. Here in Seattle, we had a peaceful protest march against the Bush Administration of about 3,000 people last evening. Most of the people in the march are against the Iraq war.

[Miulang]

Re: The Bush Watch

Heehee! This is how wars get started! On the Inaugural review stand last Thursday, the First Family stood and gave the "Hook 'em Longhorns" sign (sort of a reverse "shaka") when the University of Texas Longhorn marching band passed by.

Unfortunately, in Norway, that particular sign is acknowledged as a sign of Satan! Here I thought the Bushes were good church goin' people. So the Norwegian newspapers had to print a story saying that the leader of one of the most powerful countries in the world was NOT giving Norwegians a curse with that hand signal.

Miulang

http://www.thehawaiichannel.com/news...79/detail.html

[Miulang]

Re: The Bush Watch

Remember the Patriot Act? What I didn't know until now was that the primary author of that piece of legislation, which was the catalyst to our rights in this country going into a serious decline, is a Vietnamese-American who fled from communism and now teaches law at Georgetown University and who was a Bush-appointed Assistant Attorney General when he penned the law.

You would think that someone who lived under the iron fist of a repressive government (Vietnam) would want to resist forcing others to live in a country (here in the good old US of A) where an innocent utterance or your financial records might put you on some government terrorist watchlist, wouldn't you?

Miulang

http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/05/20/news-schou.php

[Miulang]

Re: The Bush Watch

This is what went on behind the scenes at the Presidential Inauguration last week. This is the whole laundry list of dos and don'ts for the rabble that attended.

I especially like the one where no one who walked past the Presidential review stand was to look directly at the President or make any sudden gestures (which of course would have gotten the trigger-happy SSA all excited). I also like the one which said the antiabortionists couldn't carry their crosses if they were going to be demonstrating in the crowds.

Yes, the coronation went pretty much as expected. Mercifully, none of the "agitators" who managed to wiggle through the tight security was seriously hurt or killed.

Miulang

http://www.news-herald.com/site/prin...ewsid=13721845

[Miulang]

Re: The Bush Watch

OK, so we should be grateful for the small things, I guess. When the Prez goes before Congress to plead his case for additional funding to support the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, he'll only ask for $80 billion, not the $100 billion everyone thought he would be asking us for.

Yay! He saved us from going another $20 billion into the hole! And lookee what that additional money will buy: more funding for the Army (about 75% of the requested additional budget) so they can have better equipment (that part's OK). The rest of the money will go to some interesting line items.
For instance, he wants to set aside some of the remaining funds to send to the governments of Pakistan and Iraq to keep them on our side. Um, first of all, what makes us think just because we're handing over a passle of money to these undemocratic governments that they won't also be extending their hand to the Chinese or the Russians or whoever else might come a-courting?

And then there's the "small" matter of the $1.5 billion they estimate it will cost to build a new American Embassy in Iraq. Lemme guess: they're going to get Halliburton to do the job, right? What kind of compound can you build for $1.5 billion? Would it cost that much to rebuild the most secure prison in this country? I think not.

Miulang

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT