Feeling more secure now?

But it's not about security, is it? It's about money, barrels of money to business friends of the administration under the guise of protecting us from terrorism. (For interesting facts on Unisys, scroll to the bottom.)

Audit Finds Mismanagement Drained
$1 Billion Project
by Eric Lipton
New York Times

WASHINGTON, April 1 — Mismanagement of a $1 billion technology contract by the Transportation Security Administration resulted in the expenditure of the entire budget long before all of the needed computer and telephone equipment was installed, according to an audit released Thursday by the inspector general of the Homeland Security Department.

The contract, with the Unisys Corporation, called for the installation of computers, pagers, cellphones, radios, telephones and a high-speed network to serve the agency's 65,000 employees at its headquarters, 21 field offices and 429 airports.

The $1 billion was supposed to be enough to finance the project through 2009, the audit said, but most of the money ran out this year before many projects were complete.

Federal security directors at some airports had to rely on dial-up Internet connections to get e-mail messages and information on schedules, training and attendance for airport screeners, although all of them now have high-speed connections. Read more...

(Don't subscribe to NY Times online? Don't like giving them your personal information? Go to BugMeNot to get an anonymous password.)

About Unisys ("One of the top ten global outsourcers," says their Web site): According to the Center for Public Integrity, as of 2002 Unisys, which has been in and out of legal hot water for decades, ranked 15th overall in total campaign contributions at $626,239--well behind Bechtel and Kellogg, Brown and Root, but still substantial. To find out what they got on their "investment," go here.

Did I mention that there's a proven alternative to this disgusting pay-to-play system?