I recently came across an investigative article by NBC News about corruption at Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), which has seen more than its share of alleged corruption over the last year. Last year, two border patrol executives had to leave due to allegations of sexual misconduct and most recently, more CBP executives were seen partying in photos with “a wealthy Mexican tequila maker who hoped to make a Border Patrol-branded tequila.” Border patrol tequila sounds kind of meh, but so is much of the work of CBP.

The reason for this new celebratory mix of Tequila is to “celebrate” the 100 years of operation of the Customs and Border Patrol agency. CBP is planning a big shin-dig in El Paso on May 25. It’s coming up soon so grab your tickets!

It is intriguing to note that three of the biggest sponsors are companies that receive large contracts from CBP. Here is who they are:

• Dedrone is a company that intercepts drones. I could not find out how much Dedrone is getting from CBP, but what I found interesting is that I read in an online magazine called “Drone Life” – which is fascinating that drones have become so pervasive in the military that they actually have a “life” – that last December CBP awarded $90 million to 5 drone companies to make drones for surveillance on the border. 5 companies will make drones for $90 million and one company will stop them for X amount of dollars; enough to sponsor the 100 year blowout party for CBP.
• LMI is a company that provides services that include “program management, lifecycle logistics management, environmental planning support, and technical and engineering support.” I am not entirely sure what all that means, but in October they won a contract worth $604 million so sponsoring a party for CBP seems the very least they can do.
• Lastly, there is Qinetiq (pronounced Kinetic). I tried to get a clear sense of what Qinetiq does, but it sounded so similar to LMI that I could not tell the difference. One thing I found out about Qinetiq is that back in 2008 one of the executives of Qinetiq was a man named Stephen Cambone. Cambone was one of the neoconservatives in the Bush administration that pushed the US into the illegal invasion of Iraq. He left his government position for Qinetiq and once there he won a large government contract from the very office he had led. Cambone was reprimanded by Congress, but there is no evidence that Qinetiq had to refund the government the money they had been awarded.

I share this because I am constantly amazed at how much money the government awards to companies – many of whom are stocked with former government employees – who provide, from an outside perspective, seemingly redundant services. The revolving door between government and contractor contacts has shown that enormous amounts of money can easily be transacted if you know the right people.

I also share this because we in Washington DC are in the midst of budget season and the proposed budget from the Mayor has slashed vitally important programs that people depend on, while upping the budgets for developers, police, and the owner of a fairly crappy basketball team. Yet, even while the challenges for those working for justice are immense, there are glimmers of hope; hope through the incredibly hard work of advocates and organizers working for real solutions to crime and mass incarceration, climate change, immigration, poverty, and so much else.

Here is just one example. After 3 years – 3 years! – a bill called the Healthy Homes Act, which will remove gas appliances from low-income housing and replace them with electric appliances, finally passed the Council about a month ago. Given that we at the Festival Center have gone solar and entirely electric in our kitchen, we have actively been involved in this incredible coalition.

Well, at the very last minute, the lobbyists working for Washington Gas got Councilmember Kenyon McDuffie to offer an amendment that was full of misinformation. The coalition moved quickly with other Councilmembers to debunk the lies Washington Gas was spreading. Thanks to the amazing coalition leadership of the Washington Interfaith Network, Interfaith Power and Light, and the Sierra Club, they got coalition members to make calls to Councilmembers to oppose the Washington Gas amendment, and Councilmember McDuffie instead offered an amendment that the Department of Energy and Environment should tell residents about the impacts of the bill. DOEE thus sent to the Council estimates that it would save households anywhere from $200 to $600, with the savings going up to $1,100 if a household adds solar.

In the end, the Healthy Homes Act was unanimously passed! And it only took 3 years!

These two stories show the juxtaposition of how government can be twisted by former government employees and powerful lobby interests who work the system to direct tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars towards at the very least specious ends, and the incredibly hard and persistent work of people who believe in justice and will not rest until they achieve it.

Organizing works!

Now, we just need to get it funded…