[Vision2020] FW: Made in China

[Kai Eiselein, Editor]

And why are NYC manhole covers made in India???

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From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 3:33 PM
To: "Kenneth Marcy" <kmmos1 at verizon.net>; <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] FW:  Made in China

> 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
>
> ----------------------------------------------
>
> 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.
>
> ----------------------------------------------
>
> 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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Kai Eiselein
Editor, Latah Eagle