Omnibus Bill Includes Border Fence-Gutting Amendment (This is outrageous!!!)

Business Wire ^ | 12/17/2007

[Ultra Sonic 007]

MAXWELL, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The omnibus Consolidated Appropriations bill includes a little-known provision that guts the major provisions of the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This provision -- buried on page 123 of Division E of the Consolidated Appropriations Act - contradicts the Secure Fence Act’s specific mandate of a double-layer fence covering 854 miles of the U.S-Mexico border.

Grassfire.org has been tracking this provision which was first introduced quietly by Sen. Hutchison this summer as S.Amdt. 2466 to H.R. 2368 (the DHS appropriations bill). “The Hutchison amendment gives DHS virtually total discretion over how and where the fence is built,” says Grassfire.org President Steve Elliott. “In fact, DHS would not be required to build fencing in any particular location -- and the double-layer mandate is totally gone.”

In its report on the “Fence Funding Hoax,” Grassfire has chronicled how the plan to gut the Secure Fence Act was actually hatched the day the bill passed the Senate in 2006. (View that report.) “I find it odd that such an important amendment which releases DHS from specific requirements of an existing law would be passed by a simple voice vote in the Senate and then buried in the massive omnibus bill,” says Elliott. “The American people reasonably expect that a double-layer fence will be built but Congress has always had other plans. This amendment should be stripped from the final omnibus bill.”

Resources:

Text of omnibus bill: http://www.rules.house.gov/110_fy08_omni.htm

(To view Hutchison Amendment, select “Division E” and view page 123)

Grassfire.org’s special report on the Funding Hoax:

http://www.firesociety.com/article/19402/

For more information about Grassfire.org, or to schedule an interview with Grassfire President Steve Elliott, contact Ron De Jong at 757-487-7900 or email ron@grassfire.org

[Kimberly GG]

“Jorge gave Kay her marching orders.”

She’s been in his pocket since day one on this issue. Neither she nor Cornyn are to be trusted with our sovereignty and security!

[Hardastarboard]

One of our Fellow FReepers used to have a tag line “Why isn’t there a virtual fence around the White House?”

[airborne]

Completely believable.

This Administration is working with the Dems to transfer our rights over to illegals.

Republicans get their cheap labor force for their big business donors and Democrats get the voters they want to stat in power.

And we get screwed. Again.

[Calpernia]

SBInet is a program created under U.S. Customs and Border Protection to design a new integrated system of personnel, infrastructure, technology, and rapid response to secure the borders.

DHS awarded this contract to Boeing. But, Boeing outsources its IT work to Computer Sciences Corp.

DynCorp was bought by Computer Sciences Corp. in 2003.

DynCorp is a client of Bracewell & Giuliani:
http://www.bracewellgiuliani.com/index.cfm/fa/lawyer.profile/attorney/d77551aa-3106-4b0a-9319-b99bc0b27eb4/Kristin_A_McLaurin.cfm

Bernie Kerik, from Giuliani Partners, is the one that oversaw a $50 million police-training contract for the defense contractor DynCorp.

Kerik spent $1.2 billion to train 35,000 troops in Jordan even though France and Germany offered to provide training for free. He also bought $20 million worth of rifles and revolvers from Jordan when the weapons could’ve been obtained for far less in Iraq.

Kerik hired Iraqi policemen without background checks who later turned out to be hardened criminals. He re-hired policeman formerly employed by Saddam Hussein and bragged of training 37,000 new officers.

More:
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/outrage?pid=2058

[Calpernia]

Check this thread again. It gets worse.

[subterfuge]

That’s our government. Night-time, back-door deals and bill introductions. Sleaze-balls every damn one of them.

[Calpernia]

I would prefer a stocked mote.

[Calpernia]

I think already spent. Cause look at this: http://infowars.com/articles/ps/dyncorp_slave_ring_state_dept_cant_account_for_billion_paid_to_dyncorp.htm State Dept. Can't Account For $1.2B Paid to DynCorp: Audit Excerpt: The contract gave DynCorp the job of building police training facilities and deploying hundreds of police trainers to instruct a new Iraqi police force. Developing a police force was considered central to stabilizing Iraq, but the effort, led first by the State Department and then by the Defense Department, has been criticized by administration opponents as well as by the bipartisan commission on the war led by James A. Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton. The State Department said it had improved monitoring of DynCorp, but in a letter to auditors department officials said that it would still take �three to five years� to reconcile fully the payments made to the company during the first two years of the training contract, beginning in February 2004. As a sign of the confusion, the State Department reported to auditors that as part of its work in Iraq, DynCorp had purchased a $1.8 million X-ray scanner that was never used and spent $387,000 to house company officials in hotels rather than in existing living facilities. Then, later, the State Department said those costs were actually incurred in Afghanistan, according to the audit. State Department officials say they have always said the spending occurred in Afghanistan. (snip) A review of DynCorp's spending over the past year identified $29 million in overcharges by DynCorp, including $108,000 in business travel, according to a State Department letter in response to Mr. Bowen's auditors. A separate review by the Defense Contracting Audit Agency found that DynCorp had billed for $162,869 of labor hours �for which it did not pay its workers. Gregory Lagana, a DynCorp spokesman, said the amounts involved were small fractions of the $1.2 billion paid to DynCorp since 2004. He said that if DynCorp filed an erroneous charge the company would reimburse it, adding that DynCorp had already reimbursed the State Department for $72,000. There was no intentional misbilling, Mr. Lagana said. It could be just a documents problem. He said that the company initially struggled with some record-keeping, but that it had informed the government whenever it found errors. We fully acknowledge that we have some problems with invoicing, he said. It's something we're working really hard to clean up. (snip) And Boeing contracts out their IT work to them now through Computer Sciences Corp. This is who our Border Fence contract went to? I hope not.

[Calpernia]

I think already spent. Cause look at this:

http://infowars.com/articles/ps/dyncorp_slave_ring_state_dept_cant_account_for_billion_paid_to_dyncorp.htm
State Dept. Can't Account For $1.2B Paid to DynCorp: Audit

Excerpt:

The contract gave DynCorp the job of building police training facilities and deploying hundreds of police trainers to instruct a new Iraqi police force.

Developing a police force was considered central to stabilizing Iraq, but the effort, led first by the State Department and then by the Defense Department, has been criticized by administration opponents as well as by the bipartisan commission on the war led by James A. Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton.

The State Department said it had improved monitoring of DynCorp, but in a letter to auditors department officials said that it would still take �three to five years� to reconcile fully the payments made to the company during the first two years of the training contract, beginning in February 2004.

As a sign of the confusion, the State Department reported to auditors that as part of its work in Iraq, DynCorp had purchased a $1.8 million X-ray scanner that was never used and spent $387,000 to house company officials in hotels rather than in existing living facilities.

Then, later, the State Department said those costs were actually incurred in Afghanistan, according to the audit. State Department officials say they have always said the spending occurred in Afghanistan.

(snip)

A review of DynCorp's spending over the past year identified $29 million in overcharges by DynCorp, including $108,000 in business travel, according to a State Department letter in response to Mr. Bowen's auditors. A separate review by the Defense Contracting Audit Agency found that DynCorp had billed for $162,869 of labor hours �for which it did not pay its workers.

Gregory Lagana, a DynCorp spokesman, said the amounts involved were small fractions of the $1.2 billion paid to DynCorp since 2004. He said that if DynCorp filed an erroneous charge the company would reimburse it, adding that DynCorp had already reimbursed the State Department for $72,000.

There was no intentional misbilling, Mr. Lagana said. It could be just a documents problem. He said that the company initially struggled with some record-keeping, but that it had informed the government whenever it found errors. We fully acknowledge that we have some problems with invoicing, he said. It's something we're working really hard to clean up.

(snip)

And Boeing contracts out their IT work to them now through Computer Sciences Corp.

This is who our Border Fence contract went to? I hope not.

[Just A Nobody]

America is bleeding out from a thousand different wounds and there’s not a damned legal thing we can do to stop it.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth.....

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,

[Just A Nobody]

O.M.G.!!!

This connect the dots game is getting out of hand!

There are some still trying to defend him over here...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1941065/posts

[Just A Nobody]

nothing in this paragraph shall require the Secretary of Homeland Security to install fencing, physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors in a particular location along an international border of the United States

Speechless...don't want to get banned!

They make laws and abolish laws.....

[Liz]

Nice catch. More Kerik fuel for the Rooty fire.

[RasterMaster]

This is EXACTLY why we cannot trust the “Johnny come lately” (on immigration) candidates who now claim to be hawks on the border issue. They have already proven what they will do once in office.

[DemEater]

I’m sure all this is just a coincidence. Sarcasm/

[kabar]

The Fence Act of 2006, passed in October prior to the mid-terms, was just political cover for the pro-amnesty types. The Senate passed it 80-19 with Hillary, Obama, Biden, and Dodd voting for it. All the Reps voted for it except Chafee.

Heath Shuler's SAVE Act promises to be something similar, i.e., give cover to the blue dog Dems and RINOs.

[Calpernia]

I posted about that topic but on this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1940451/posts
Iran says U.S. report a “declaration of surrender”

The The National Intelligence Estimate is the report from the National Intelligence Council and has contracts with some of Giuliani’s businesses.

[Just A Nobody]

FYI ping ~~~~~~~~

[kalee]

Anyone know how NC’s duo voted on this disgrace?

[Just A Nobody]

Yes, I saw that. Still, there are FReepers burying their heads in the sand trying to defend the indefensible. We need the least offensive candidate we can find, doncha know!

Gotta run...later!