The World's Highest Paid Undertaker and George Bush Do New Orleans

[buzzsaw_23]

Funeralgate Hits Texas

by Robert Bryce

What began as a citizen's complaint against SCI in January 1998 has since grown into a scandal revolving around campaign contributions, and the influence they may buy. All of the politicos who intervened on SCI's behalf received major contributions from SCI's political action committee, or PAC. Did that money convince them to help SCI -- the world's largest death care company -- and to punish the agency that investigated SCI? Whether that was the reason or not, the state officials took positions that may hurt consumers. SCI's prices are routinely among the highest in the funeral business. One consumer advocate, Lamar Hankins, the president of the Funeral & Memorial Societies of America, says the company routinely engages in "price gouging." But campaign cash, not consumers, is at the heart of this scandal. And the scandal promises to grow as the lawsuit -- filed by former TFSC director Eliza May -- works through the discovery process. The suit alleges that May was fired because she "repeatedly and in good faith reported violations of the law and conduct that she reasonably believed to constitute violations of the law."

<snip>

Five days after issuing the document stating that Waltrip talked to the governor about the letter, Waltrip's lawyers changed their story. In a second, "supplemental" response to interrogatories, filed on June 16, the lawyers said that Waltrip did not talk to Bush about his problems with the TFSC. The supplemental document says that while Waltrip was in Bush's office waiting to talk with Joe Allbaugh, Bush's chief of staff, the governor "passed by on the way to a press conference or other appointment," and although Bush "exchanged pleasantries" with Waltrip, their discussion was "not substantive; they did not discuss the content" of Waltrip's letter complaining about the TFSC. The document adds that Waltrip "has never discussed" with Bush his complaints about the TFSC. Perhaps Waltrip or his lawyers realized that implicating the governor in the dispute would damage Bush's presidential campaign.

<snip>


SCI CEO Robert Waltrip
is the world's highest paid undertaker.
photograph by F. Carter Smith

And why did Allbaugh get involved? Did he, as Bush's chief of staff, simply make his own decision to intervene on behalf of SCI? Could Allbaugh have been persuaded by a $35,000 political contribution? Allbaugh, who left the governor's office on July 1 to work full time as campaign manager for Bush's presidential campaign, hasn't been deposed yet, but he will be soon. And he will be a key witness when May's case goes to trial, as will Bush's legal counsel, Margaret Wilson.


Gov. Bush's role in the SCI scandal
is being called into question.
photograph by Jana Birchum

More at:http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/vol18/issue45/pols.sci.html


FEMA OUTSOURCES BODY COUNT TO FIRM THAT SETTLED CORPSE
DUMPING, DESECRATION SUITS-

FEMA outsources Katrina body count to firm implicated in body-dumping scandals


The Federal Emergency Management Agency has hired Kenyon International to set up a mobile morgue for handling bodies in Baton Rouge, Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, RAW STORY has learned.

Kenyon is a subsidiary of Service Corporation International (SCI), a scandal-ridden Texas-based company operated by a friend of the Bush family. Recently, SCI subsidiaries have been implicated in illegally discarding and desecrating corpses....

FEMA and then Blanco outsourced the body count from Hurricane Katrina -- which many believe the worst natural disaster in U.S. history -- to a firm whose parent company is known for its "experience" at hiding and dumping bodies.

The Menorah Gardens cemetery chain, owned by SCI, desecrated vaults, removed hundreds of bodies from two cemeteries in Florida and dumped the gruesome remains in woods frequented by wild hogs, investigators discovered in 2001. In one case, a backhoe was used to crack open a vault, remove corpses and make room for more dead bodies...


http://rawstory.com/news/2005/FEMA_outsources_Katrina_b...

[Stephanie]

1. Wow.

Welcome to DU.

[buzzsaw_23]

5. A bit more past and present

Past:
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Attorneys suing a cemetery company accused of recycling graves showed grisly photos and video footage Thursday of crushed burial vaults and human remains discarded in the woods.  

They also presented internal documents they say show Menorah Gardens & Funeral Chapels in West Palm Beach and its owner, Houston-based Service Corporation International, were aware of the grave desecrations. SCI is the world's largest cemetery company.

The attorneys represent 10 families who say their loved ones were dug up and dumped in the woods, buried in the wrong graves or buried in vaults on top of each other instead of side by side as the families had paid
for. More than 1,000 people could become part of the class-action lawsuit, they said.

http://www.hereinreality.com/funeralgate.htm

Present:
"From what I understand, Kenyon had some questions about the contract," FEMA spokesman David Passey.

And now Blanco has stepped in and signed a contract with Kenyon on behalf of the state of Louisiana so that the retrieval of the dead will be delayed no longer.

Every politician who's crossed paths with Katrina is on a tightrope. They'll either be wounded beyond repair or just possibly they'll have their careers made. So I don't discount the possibility that Blanco is grandstanding here or mischaracterizing the situation.

But what happened exactly? Did FEMA bring them in and then dawdle?

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

[katinmn]

2. Find the worst company you can, and it will have a relationship with *

This one involving abuse of corpses is the worst.

[TomInTib]

3. Changing my will right now...I was going to be cremated, but now

I'd like to be left out in a hot, humid place to fester and get all maggoty and liquified. Then I'd like some intrepid souls to don breathing masks, heavy gloves, and scoop me up and make little pies topped with Cool Whip to throw at * and Waltrip. I could die a peaceful death, knowing that.

[fiveleafclover]

4. So there's no way in hell

we're going to get anything close to an accurate death toll. That's just incredible. What's the toll up to now, offically? Last I heard it was 423, I think. Please! Where are they going to dump them all? The Gulf?

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Surprise..another bit of *'s past that we did not read about during the

Presidential campaigns

[Stephanie]

8. We knew about this

We denizens of the dark dungions of the internets knew it, anyway

[BrklynLiberal]

9. But this, like most of *'s secrets were never revealed by the media to

the vast voting public. I am sure Jim Hatfield is not the only journalist who paid dearly for trying to tell the truth about Dimson.

[buzzsaw_23]

7. In case some late nighters want to see the ghouls

who'll be doing the body counts.

[buzzsaw_23]

10. kick n/t