October 18, 2003
Quote Of The Moment #0028
"Contractors insist their fees are modest and profit margins slim."
And: "The fee is part of our competitive position and not something we disclose -- but I can disclose that it is quite small."
However: "White House officials did not respond to requests for comment."
Posted by Eddie Tews at October 18, 2003 09:11 PM
Comments
http://www.dukesatire.com/articles/mississippi.htm
Duke Activists Demand U.S. Pullout from Mississippi ‘Mississippi a total failure under American occupation,’ says chalk graffiti
During a strident protest on the Chapel’s steps, members of the Duke and Durham community demanded that the United States immediately pullout from the embattled state of Mississippi.
“America’s unilateral control of Mississippi has created a place with one of the worst education systems in the nation,” remarked protestor Abigail Chen. “For too long, the U.S. has neglected this poor state, letting it devolve into an almost unfixable quagmire. I think it’s time we just counted our losses and left Mississippi to the Mississippians.”
Members of the Duke Progressive Union, one of the protest’s sponsors, added that while most people admit that Iraq has security problems, they fail to consider the constant danger that average Mississippian has to endure.
“I mean like all the soldiers and Iraqis dying in the Middle East is bad enough,” stated Progressive Union secretary Kavita Pavel. “But has the Republican administration given one thought to how dangerous it is to live in Mississippi? Over 28,000 people died there in 2002, like way more Americans than have been killed in Iraq. Mississippi also has the highest traffic fatality rate in the country and over the last decade 130 people have been killed by tractors. We need to pullout as soon as possible and divest quickly from John Deere.”
Some protest attendees believe that the United Nations should be brought in to alleviate the disaster of this impoverished, unsafe southern state.
“Clearly, our go-it-alone approach has failed,” said Professor of Sociology Ernest Raines. “What we need is a multilateral force under the control of the United Nations that will come in, administer much needed assistance and, with any luck, give these poor people a fighting chance. How can we allow Mississippi to fester any longer under the weight of an oppressive American regime that allows them to eat so much damn deep-fried food?”
Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry sees the worsening situation in Mississippi as an American failure particularly caused by the reckless domestic policies of presidents like George Bush.
“Had I been around back then, I probably would have voted to make Mississippi a state,” said the Massachusetts Senator. “However, seeing how poorly George Bush and his unfeeling Republican allies in the White House have been handling the governing of this area, I am beginning to second guess the reasonableness of this decision. Mississippi needs the aid of the international community now. From Jackson to Tupolo, Decatur to Meridian I urge all entities of the United States Government to disband at once and leave this problem to much more capable French, Norwegian and Sudanese peacekeepers.”
Opponents argue that leaving Mississippi would, in the long run, be worse for the state and that the bad news from the area is being exaggerated by a liberal and sensationalist press.
Yet the prevailing sentiment, at least among the protestors, is that it’s time for the U.S. to realize its mistakes and withdraw without delay. As some graffiti on the Brian Center Walkway tersely declaimed: “Mississippi has been a total failure under American occupation. U.S. out of Mississippi!”
-- Posted by: hi dippie on October 24, 2003 08:41 PM