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Greater Buffalo (NY) residents are currently being treated to billboard ads like the one above, thanks to the fact that Bush's Department of Homeland Security seems to have decided to outsource its "war on terror" programming to humorously-named 'humanitarian' organisations like the American Red Cross.
Now, I know what you're thinking: "The American Red Cross? The noble and 'unaffiliated' humanitarian aid group? Getting involved with the promotion of the bogus "war on terror"? Is there some large government grant up for grabs or something?"
Seems to be so, but there's much more than that.
The Red Cross, an allegedly non-profit non-government agency, received $60 million of government money in 2003 (rising to $83 million in 2005) not to mention a formal request in 2005 by the US Senate Committee on Finance to supply lots of details about its "practices and effectiveness", which included requests for "details of employee contracts and salaries paid to executives and whether or not any employees "used any property that the Red Cross owned or leased (such as an automobile, aircraft, real estate, credit card, etc.) for any purpose other than to further the organization's exempt purposes".
Heavy stuff! Won't the Senate Finance Committee be surprised when they realise that, in an indirect sort of way, they themselves awarded the Red Cross large chunks of taxpayers' cash by way of the Dept. of Homeland Security.
What is already obvious however is the fact that the current American Red Cross chairperson, the appropriately-named Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, is a close associate and ideological soul-mate of the Bush government. It was Bush, after all, who appointed her as US Ambassador to Finland in 2001. McElveen-Hunter is, after all, Chief Executive Officer, and owner of Pace Communications, Inc., the largest custom publishing company in America (based on revenue). Pace Communications' clients include United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Holiday Inn, NCR, Radisson Hotels, and Toyota. Pace Communications, Inc. is ranked as one of the Top 200 woman-owned companies in America by Working Woman magazine.
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| American Red Cross
'Chairthing' - McElveen-Hunter |
More than that, McElveen-Hunter was one of just 15 people who raised more than $1 million for Bush's presidential run, and personally gave $102,750 to Republican candidates and party committees during the campaign, including $100,000 in soft money to the Republican National Committee. She also contributed $5,000 to the Bush-Cheney recount effort.
She also headed Bush's campaign effort to raise money from women, a campaign called "W is for Women."
Hmmm...George 'Women' Bush, I admit it does have a nice ring to it.
So what can we say here? "Conflict of loyalties" perhaps? Or is there no conflict here at all, because, reading the above, it is clear that McElveen-Hunter's loyalties are anything but conflicting - she's a Bushite through and through, and what better position for a Bushite than at the helm of both a large American corporation and an allegedly 'humanitarian' organisation like the American Red Cross.
9/11 Profit-Making
For McElveen-Hunter, September 11th was something of a boon. Not only was her company, Pace Communications, enjoying large profits from the sale of reading material for the doomed passengers on the 9/11 planes, but the American Red Cross made several hundred million dollars in donations that they chose not to distribute. The 'humanitarian' organisation also solicited funds and blood donations for Red Cross activities for the victims of the attacks.
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| Bernadine Healy-Touchy-Feely
- ex-President of the American Red Cross |
As for the 9/11 blood, it too was wasted because, according to America's Blood Centers, no national blood drive was needed on that day, since localized blood drives in the affected areas would be sufficient to meet the demand. In the end, the American Red Cross had to destroy some blood, unused, which of course is extremely fitting since it was always the plan of the Bush government that many Americans, not just those murdered in the attacks, should pay in the blood sacrifice that was 9/11.
On a happier note, in the aftermath of this scandal, Dr. Healy was relieved of her position, and received a severance payment of $1,569,630 for her trauma. Now we know why only 30% of donations went to victims.
In the following years, things didn't improve and lessons were not learned, at least not lessons about how to embezzle public money quietly. In 2006, investigations of allegations of fraud and theft by volunteers and contractors within the American Red Cross Katrina operations were launched by the Louisiana Attorney-General and the FBI.
So when the next fake "terror attack" occurs in America, it might be a good idea to think twice before giving any money, blood or support to the American Red Cross, the American government or any of the many institutions that have fallen under the sway of the psychopaths in power in the White House.
Now to the final, and I believe, most important point: why do all of these corporate-robber Baronesses bear a striking resemblance to what Anne Coulter will surely look like in 20 (or maybe 5) years?
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| Anne Coulter - Corporate and 'Humanitarian' Organisation Swindler of the future? |
For more on the ignoble history of the American Red Cross, see this link.
Not so subtle manipulation with the date on the billboard - 11-9, 2009 instead of 9-11, 2001 - sheesh. These women do all have that same plastic, no-soul look of Coulter, although in that pic, Coulter looks like she'd come out on top in a boxing match - or since it's Coulter, maybe a knife fight? ~shivers~ - ick.