People go from the government where they are part of the process of purchasing military and security equipment to the corporate and lobbying industry where they sell the same equipment and services.
What puzzles me is why so few people see any potential for a serious conflict of interests.
Apparently very few people have read General Smedley Butler's booklet titled "War is A Racket" (PDF) or have forgotten Dwight D. Eisenhower saying that the military weaponry was theft from the people and that we should be very wary of the Military Industrial Complex.
The big question that should be being asked is: Are we being subjected to these x-ray scans with the increased risk of radiation related cancer because the government's purchase and deployment of these machines enriched Michael Chertoff.
Inquiring minds would like some serious investigation of possible corruption on the part of Chertoff and the purchasing and deployment of these machines and unreasonable searches.
From 12/31/ 2009:
http://gawker.com/5437499/why-is-michael-chertoff-so-excited-about-full+body-scanners
Why Is Michael Chertoff So Excited About Full-Body Scanners?
Heading up the renewed push for those controversial, clothes-penetrating scanners at airports is former homeland security secretary Michael Chertoff. His consulting firm represents companies who make the scanners, but you wouldn't know it from reading the papers.
The Underpants Bomber alerted the world to the possibility of terrorists putting bombs in their underpants. So now everyone is debating whether we should deploy scanners which can see through clothes and show bombs nestled close to terrorists' nekkid bodies. Michael Chertoff, who was Bush's homeland security secretary from 2005-2009, is a huge fan! Yesterday he told NPR:
A couple of years ago we began the process of testing them to see, first of all, if they worked and second, if they could be deployed without unduly restricting the flow of traffic. And the good news is that we were able to demonstrate that they were successful. We could use them without slowing up traffic and we could also protect privacy.From 1/02/2010
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/01/02/group_slams_chertoff_on_scanner_promotion/
WASHINGTON - Since the attempted bombing of a US airliner on Christmas Day, former Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff has given dozens of media interviews touting the need for the federal government to buy more full-body scanners for airports.
What he has made little mention of is that the Chertoff Group, his security consulting agency, includes a client that manufactures the machines. Chertoff disclosed the relationship on a CNN program Wednesday, in response to a question.
An airport passengers’ rights group on Thursday criticized Chertoff’s use of his former government credentials to advocate for a product that benefits his clients.
“Mr. Chertoff should not be allowed to abuse the trust the public has placed in him as a former public servant to privately gain from the sale of full-body scanners under the pretense that the scanners would have detected this particular type of explosive,’’ said Kate Hanni, founder of FlyersRights.org, which opposes the use of the scanners.
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