SOMEBODY is finally getting a taste of his own medicine...
Faulty Body Armor May Have Endangered Bush
Sep 26 2:14 PM US/Eastern
By JOHN SOLOMON
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON
The Justice Department is investigating whether a company sold defective bulletproof vests for President Bush, federal agents and local police and then waited nearly two years to alert customers that the body armor could be unsafe.
Did they do it on purpose? Opps
I thought body armor just wasn't that big of a deal to these guys. Bush certainly doesn't seem worried about body army when it comes to our soliders in Iraq. Oh, right. It's only when it's his ass on the line. Still, what an interesting opportunity to compare the free market and government response...
A former research chief for Second Chance Body Armor Inc. is cooperating with the criminal investigation and testified this month that the Secret Service tested and bought some of the defective vests for the president and first lady Laura Bush. The Pentagon obtained the same armor for elite troops who guard generals, according to transcripts obtained by The Associated Press.
Many sales occurred well after Michigan-based Second Chance had been alerted that the Japanese-made Zylon synthetic material in the vests was degrading faster than expected from heat, light and moisture exposure, allowing bullets to potentially penetrate the armor, according to the former employee's testimony and other company documents.
Don't worry, I'm sure some of our service members would be happy to solder some old Humvee parts and metal pipes onto the vests, fix them up in a jiffy!
Unlike Bush, who continues to FAIL our troops, in this instance SOMEONE felt a moral obligation to blow the whistle:
"Lives and our credibility are at stake," Westrick wrote then-Second Chance president Richard Davis in a Dec. 18, 2001, memo. "We will only prevail if we do the right things and not hesitate. This issue should not be hidden for obvious safety issues and because of future litigation."
How niave, yet refreshing. I can hear Karl Rove rolling his eyes. It get's better:
Westrick urged Davis to "immediately notify our customers of the degradation problems," let those with pending orders cancel them and cease all executive bonuses to save money so the company could pay for a replacement initiative, the memo shows.
What is this guy, a socialist? Can you IMAGINE Bush coming out and freezing tax breaks for the wealthy to pay for body armor for the troops?
But Second Chance customers were not alerted to the problems until September 2003 _ after a California police officer was shot to death wearing the vest and a Pennsylvania officer was seriously wounded.
Oh, well. I hope some of the money from the yacht that executive bought bought with his bonus will trickle down through the economy....We sure could use it. /snark
