SocraticGadfly: This earmark sure won't fly

March 26, 2009

This earmark sure won't fly

Secret manned surveillance planes purchased under a “black earmark” by the Drug Enforcement Administration suck so bad they’re being sold as cannibalized parts to maximize the money they produce in sale.

And, what is a “black earmark,” you might ask?

Per the story, which has a number of other examples, it’s analogous to the CIA’s black budget. It’s an earmark made in secret.

If you want to know how bad they are, black earmarks are part of what led to Duke Cunningham’s conviction less than two years ago.

Beyond that, the DEA is NOT the CIA; nor is the Coast Guard, also burned by a black earmark. There’s no need for any of its weaponry to be funded in secret.

No comments: