no war profits in this economy, no sir

[Doug Millison]

US Aerospace Giant Says It Will Donate $200 Billion in Next-Generation
Fighter Jets to US/UK War Effort
Company CEO: "Our shareholders are happy to make this generous contribution
from the company's capital reserves to help the war against terrorism.
We've made enough profit in recent years supplying the U.S. armed forces.
This is our gift to the American people and to freedom-loving people
everywhere."--NOT!

Sorry, here's the real story:
"The Pentagon chose Lockheed Martin Corp. over Boeing Corp. on Friday to
build its high-tech, next-generation fighter jet, a contract that will be
worth at least $200 billion, the largest in Defense Department history. Air
Force Secretary James G. Roche announced Lockheed and its partners were the
winner of a $25 billion engineering and manufacturing development contract
that eventually is expected to lead to the go-ahead to build 3,000
supersonic F-35 jets with radar-evading capabilities. [...] Lockheed, based
in Bethesda, Md., has said the contract would add up to 9,000 jobs at its
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics division in Fort Worth, Texas, which currently
employs 11,000. Employees there gathered to watch the announcement and
burst into cheers when Lockheed was chosen. [...] Lockheed shares surged
6.7 percent in after-hours trading after finishing the regular session on
the New York Stock Exchange at $49.92, up $1.02. [...] The Defense
Department gave Boeing and Lockheed $660 million each in 1996 for research
and development of prototypes that could take off quickly, land vertically
and on carrier decks, throw off radar and provide all the high-tech cockpit
gadgetry demanded by modern warfare. [...] The General Accounting Office,
Congress' investigative arm, twice warned the jet could end up costing
more, take longer to build and have performance problems because the
technologies need more development. The Pentagon has said its independent
investigation found the technologies are adequate. [...] "
http://www.salon.com/tech/wire/2001/10/26/lockheed/index.html


* * *

"[...] Improving airport security is among the most pressing tasks of the
United States government, and it didn't take long for the Senate to cast an
extraordinary unanimous vote in favor of federalizing most of those
functions. Such quick, united action on a controversial matter is almost
unknown in that body, where both pride and philosophy tend to preclude
unanimity. But the bill that passed without a single nay in the Senate has
been hog-tied in the House of Representatives for weeks because Messrs.
DeLay and Armey cannot rely on members of their own caucus to vote against
it. [...] Among those present at Mr. DeLay's closed meeting were
representatives of the newly organized Aviation Security Association, a
lobbying outfit formed by the companies which have so badly botched these
responsibilities and now fear losing their lucrative airport contracts.
[...] Consider the issue of money-laundering by terrorist networks such as
Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda organization. Until Sept. 11, the Bush
administration had resisted international efforts to crack down on
offshore-banking centers that facilitate the secret movement of illicit
funding around the world. Despite continued opposition from the banking
lobby, the White House shifted toward a saner view as New York's own
financial center lay in smoking ruins. But Time magazine reports that
Messrs. DeLay and Armey, with support from right-wing think tanks and
banking lobbyists, "thwarted efforts to include an anti-money-laundering
bill" in the recent anti-terrorist legislative package. If liberals were
caught doing anything similar, they would be accused quite reasonably of
giving comfort to the nation's enemies. [...]
http://www.observer.com/pages/conason.asp

* * *

I encourage readers to click on the enclosed urls and read excerpted
articles in their entirety, monitor a broad spectrum of information
sources, and use their brains to integrate their own understanding of the
post-911 Situation.



Doug Millison - Writer/Editor/Web Editorial Consultant
millison at online-journalist.com
www.Online-Journalist.com