Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Indignity Immemorial: Bush patronage sinks to a new low

FEMA has awarded SCI subsidiary Kenyon International a contract to handle the corpses of victims of Hurricane Katrina in Baton-Rouge, LA. SCI, whose chairman Robert Waltrip is a Bush family friend and campaign donor, has been embroiled in lawsuits resulting from cadaver dumping and corpse desecration.

King George and Drownie's buddy Joe Allbaugh are linked to SCI (also known, quite inappropriately, as Dignity Memorial) in a scandal in which the then prince
halted an investigation into SCI's practices. To make matters worse, it may have been a no-bid contract in a case where outsourcing wasn't necessary.

Why FEMA chose to outsource mortuary services to a paid contractor is also mystery to Dan Buckner, co-owner of the Gowen-Smith Chapel in the Gulf area. Buckner had planned to serve with the Disaster Mortuary Operational Responses Team, which reportedly told Buckner's partner, Gary Hicks of Paducah, KY, to expect up to 40,000 deaths from Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Upon learning of Kenyon’s contract, Buckner expressed puzzlement. He told the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, "Volunteers would have gone at no charge." [RAW STORY]


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