by seahorse » Fri 03 Mar 2006, 00:11:32
Ever since KBR publicly announced they were contracted to build a "detention facility" for the Department of Homeland Security, I've been wondering what that means.
Let's assume that the powers that be in the United States, like most here, agree that the United States is facing a severe economic crisis, probably from multiple fronts - lack of faith in dollar, energy crisis, etc. This ultimately means Americans will continue to lose jobs, and will want someone's head as people always do when they are mad, broke and hungry. How would that cultural anger be channeled?
I can't help but suspecting that the United States will channel its economic frustration on "immigration." Already, we see the "broken borders" making the news daily. We also see the rise of "the minute men" and a proposal in Congress to build a wall across the US/Mexican border.
It only seems logical, then, that if another depression hits America, a very likely target for all that frustration will be the "hispanics" taking all our jobs. We already see some of this frustration with the re-building of New Orleans. Locals are saying the illegal immigrants are taking all the rebuilding jobs that should be going to the locals. After the Civil War, when the slaves were freed, the KKK arose. There is a good historical argument that the rise of the KKK, made up of poor white workers, was in direct response to the new competition on the job market by freed slaves - basically, an ideological response to economic displacement. The same thing essentially happened in pre WWII Nazi Germany. A destitute German people needed simple answers to their economic woes and blamed it on the Jews.
I wonder if the same pressures are now building in the United States which would cause or could cause the internment of immigrants in the "detention facilities" being built by KBR? Maybe, the US will be smart enough not to do anything with Iran or the Middle East, but I find it hard to believe that the US will sit by and watch Chavez, Castro and others form any anti-U.S. alliances in its own hemisphere, especially in light of the Monroe Doctrine.
The KBR contract has to be a reflection of something, and the above was simply one take on what it may reflect. I'm interested in hearing any other thoughts about what the KBR camps may reflect and what it may all lead to, especially if there were a depression or serious recession.