[Vision2020] FW: Made in China

[Tom Hansen]

Speaking of things NOT made in USA, a more urgent question might be . . .

Why is the production of US passports outsourced to Thailand?

>From United Press International at:

http://tinyurl.com/5ty433
 
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WASHINGTON, March 26 (UPI) -- A U.S. government agency uses foreign firms 
to make new e-passports and is reportedly overcharging for them, The 
Washington Times found.

The Government Printing Office outsourced the manufacturing of U.S. 
passports to foreign firms and charged the U.S. State Department nearly 
twice what it cost GPO to have them made, the Times reported Wednesday, 
based on its investigation.

The law that established the printing agency states that it can only 
charge what it needs to recover its costs.

Security agencies and the GPO said it has protective measures in place to 
keep blank passports out of the hands of U.S. enemies but the agency's 
inspector general, J. Anthony Ogden, said in October that there 
are "significant deficiencies" in the security of the manufacturing 
process, the Times said.

Ogden's report said the GPO stated it couldn't overcome the "significant 
deficiencies" because of "monetary constraints."

The blank passports travel to Europe where a microchip is inserted in the 
back cover and then onto Thailand where they are fitted with a radio 
antenna. The Netherlands company that makes the covers for the passport 
said in October that China stole the technology for the microchips, the 
Times said.

Michelle Van Cleave, a former counterintelligence official, called the 
possibility of blank passports getting into criminal hands was a "profound 
liability" for the United States. 

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Seeya roound town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

> On Wednesday 22 October 2008 13:55:35 Ellen Roskovich wrote:
> > I was cleaning out some old files when I ran across this.  Back in July
> > 2007 only one person picked up on this and replied to me. . . but today
> > maybe it's a more timely topic.  So, I'm putting it out there 
again. . . 15
> > months later.  Any
thoughts?

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