"Faulty Body Armor May Have Endangered Bush"

[GreenPartyVoter]

WASHINGTON (AP) - 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.

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.

Prosecutors have gathered documents showing that Second Chance was alerted as early as 1998 by the Japanese material maker, Toyobo Co., that there were problems with Zylon maintaining its protective properties under certain conditions.

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20050926/D8CS3L483.html

[shaniqua6392]

1. Anything I say can and will be used against me

in a court of law. Therefore, I can not comment. Good thing no one can read my mind.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Ditto *g*

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

5. LOL, great minds and all that! See my post at the same time n/t

MKJ

[acmavm]

7. You and a whole bunch of us. There would be a mass round up

tomorrow.

Oh maybe not. I understand Alberto is busy organizing the peepee police.

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. The "peepee police" *snickering*

[karlrschneider]

15. Well, you beat me to THAT one!

:evilgrin:

[Walt Starr]

22. I have one thing to say about your post

no comment.

:evilgrin:

[Mr_Spock]

25. BIG GRIN - WINK WINK

I know what you were thinking. How did I know right away?

[gulfcoastliberal]

29. LOL

I was wondering when the mind-meld pic would show up? At last, the perfect post!

[Mr_Spock]

31. That was some of my best work there

:D

[gulfcoastliberal]

32. You rock, Mr. Spock! Live long & prosper!

:yourock:

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

2. It was on NBC Nightly News tonight. I had many thoughts about this

story, none of which I'll be posting here.

They really played up the gwb was wearing defective vests part.

That is all. MKJ

[Ksec]

4. One can only dream..

I mean dream about better armor......Yep.

So dont come knockin.

[sinkingfeeling]

Gee, couldn't they have gotten the word out sooner? I mean 2 years?

[TheFarseer]

6. "second chance body armor" just doesn't sound good n/t

[peekaloo]

8. Damn. That could drive a man to drink.

}(

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. Ooh! Yer evil-bad! *g*

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Second Chance is one of the largest sellers of BA in the US

and have had the contract for the Pres since Carter.... so my question, not that I am cynical is, how among the cronies is geting into the bidness?

[dflprincess]

12. So, suppose this goes to trial

and suppose the prosecution uses the line about "Faulty body army may have endangered Bush". Where will they find 12 people who will convict on that? I'd say the best the Justice Department can hope for is a hung jury.

[LiberalEsto]

13. No doubt it was supplied by Halliburton

Message:

It's OK to give our troops defective body armor and defective vehicles in Iraq, where their lives are in danger every minute of every day.

It's NOT ok to give defective body armor to the so-called President, who is surrounded by Secret Service agents day and night, and travels in heavily shielded, bulletproof vehicles.

[Ksec]

14. We should dig into this

See who picked this company and if there are any connections. The history of this administration would warrant such a search

[symbolman]

16. This is hilarious

the irony - of course these assholes hire corps friendly to them, lots of nepotism (wonder if it was a no bid contract) and then get FAULTY Equipment - someone trying to save a nickel..

Just like good old Halliburton, HOW'S IT FEEL BUSH, to know that you have the same protection as the poor bastards you send off to die to make you rich?

[Spike from MN]

27. Probably not quite the same as what the troops got.

Dubya probably got the plates that go IN the vest. The troops don't. I ran into a guy that was in the Army Reserves and had spent a year in Iraq. They were given bulletproof vests all right but it took 8 months before any of them were given the goddamned plates that actually go in the vests. Damn! And yeah, his group had to up-armor their Humvees and do all the other things you hear about because they're not being properly provided for. These poor bastards were coming under fire regularly and didn't have squat for protection but it's a big thing that Dubya's vest wasn't up-to-spec? Screw that.

Other than that, I'll refrain from further comment on the matter. See post #1 if you have any questions. ;)

[WillyT]

30. LOL !!! - Reminds Me Of Lenin's Quote...

"The Capitalist will sell us the rope from which they will hang."

I mean... can't, while they are ripping US off, at least get some quality material???

Or are they too busy ripping each other off at the same time?

:wtf:

[morgan2]

17. thats ashame

a filthy bloody shame.

[Stephanie]

18. He wears it all the time

That's why he was sweating so much in Louisiana. You could see the outline of it under his clothes.

[Ksec]

19. Im surprised Pickles wears it

You would think it would make her look fat and shit

[Stephanie]

21. true

that surprised me too

[NYC]

28. That may explain why her clothes always look too tight.

I hadn't thought about body armor.

[Skidmore]

20. Should thank his lucky stars that he's not sitting in one of those

Hummers in Iraq with that armor on. Wonder if they appreciate the irony. He's not worth one skin cell of any of the boys serving there.

[dannofoot]

23. How long will wait...

...for the headline of "Faulty Bush Armor Has Endangered Troops."

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

24. They just had this on the NBC news.

It blew me away. NBC just ratted dumbya out that he wears body armor. I remember the right-wing nuts (they weren't called freepers then) making cracks that Clinton wore armor. I don't ever remember it being publicly stated that Clinton wore it, just rumors that freepers went ape shit over. Clinton's such a chicken, blah, blah, blah.

Wonder what they'll have to say now that dumbya's been publicly outed?

best

[Mr_Spock]

26. Chickenhawk in chief

:D

[BringEmOn]

33. It's kinda like watching a busload of neocons driving over a cliff...

...with two empty seats.

[tritsofme]

34. Good God

These have to be the most incompetent people ever.

They think they can lead a global war? They can't even properly protect their own POTUS.