NEW PRISONS: BUT FOR WHOM?

Halliburton Job Raises Suspicions

Look out - here comes Halliburton again! With its own personal sugar
daddy occupying the vice president's chair, this giant government
contractor keeps getting multibillion-dollar, no-bid contracts from
the Bush-Cheney regime, despite having been found guilty of shoddy
work, massive cost-overruns and fraudulent billings.

Its latest windfall, however, should not merely be worrisome to tax
payers, but also to anyone concerned about Mr. Bush's anti-democratic
penchant to extend ever-more police and military power over We the
People. Halliburton has been granted a $385 million contract for a
most unusual project: building a network of detention centers across
our country. Up to 5,000 people could be "detained" and held in each
of these centers, which are to be run by homeland security
authorities and possibly located on unused military bases. "Detain"
of course, is a euphemism for "incarcerate" - or "lock up." And
"center" is a gentle term for "prison."

So, why does America suddenly need to spend a third-of-a-billion
dollars to establish a new mass prison complex in our country? The
feds and Halliburton cryptically say that the detention centers could
be needed for "some kind of mass migration" or for "the rapid
development of new programs." When asked what is meant by the ominous
term, "new programs," a Halliburton spokeswoman said she could
provide no additional information.

Another curious aspect is that the administration refers to this as a
"contingency contract," saying that the detention centers might never
be built, but that Halliburton will have the cash and authority to
move quickly if and when given the go-ahead.

The corporation's executive vice president says that Halliburton is
"gratified," because the deal "builds on our extremely strong track
record in the arena of emergency management support."

But who is to be managed, and in support of what policy?

Jim Hightower is the best-selling author of "Thieves In High Places:
They've Stolen Our Country And It's Time To Take It Back."