Nudie-Scan CEO very Friendly with Obama

Earlier today, we explored the friendly financial relationship between members of Congress, former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, the TSA and Rapiscan (a subsididary of OSI).

Further investigation has revealed that OSI CEO Deepak Chopra is good friends with Barack Obama:

Deepak Chopra, Chairman and CEO, was selected to accompany US President, Barack Obama, to Mumbai and attended the US India Business Entrepreneurship meeting, which was held by the US India Business Council (US IBC). The goal of the meeting was to promote further trade between US and India.

Deepak Chopra, OSI Systems President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "I am honored to be selected to play a role in this very important cause.

In 2008, Chopra gave Obama a maxed-out donation of $2,300:

(Click to enlarge)

Please note that Chopra also gave $1,000 to Rep. David Price, D-N.C., chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, in 2007. Not surprisingly, Rep. Price loves nudie scans:

Rapiscan's lobbyists include Susan Carr, a former senior legislative aide to Rep. David Price, D-N.C., chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee. When Defense Daily reported on Price's appropriations bill last winter, the publication noted "Price likes the budget for its emphasis on filling gaps in aviation security, in particular the whole body imaging systems."

The Lonely Conservative points out that Obama's favorite billionaire, George Soros, is getting a piece of the action as well:

As for the company’s other political connections, it also appears that none other than George Soros, the billionaire funder of the country’s liberal political infrastructure, owns 11,300 shares of OSI Systems Inc., the company that owns Rapiscan. Not surprisingly, OSI’s stock has appreciated considerably over the course of the year. Soros certainly is a savvy investor.

(via The Washington Examiner)

In light of the fact that whole body imaging has proven to be a failure in other parts of the world, one can only wonder why this invasive form of security is being thrust upon the American people.

Perhaps there are hundreds of millions of reason$!

UPDATE: Other recipients of Nudie-Scan Cash (From OSI's PAC)...

2010 House

Harman, Jane (D-CA) $4,900

Thompson, Bennie (D-MS) $3,900

Price, David (D-NC) $3,500

Rogers, Mike (R-MI) $2,300

Jackson Lee, Sheila (D-TX) $500

2010 Senate

Burr, Richard (R-NC) $3,500

Feinstein, Dianne (D-CA) $2,000

Reid, Harry (D-NV) $1,000

Wicker, Roger (R-MS) $2,000

2008 House

Thompson, Bennie (D-MS) $4,600

Price, David (D-NC) $4,600

Etheridge, Bob (D-NC) $2,300

Mica, John L (R-FL) $1,000

2008 Senate

Cochran, Thad (R-MS) $4,300

Wicker, Roger (R-MS) $2,500

Dole, Elizabeth (R-NC) $1,000

Burr, Richard (R-NC) $1,000

People who have poured money into OSI's Political Action Committee: 2010, 2008 (h/t: Polemicon)

L-3 Communications Contributions to Federal Candidates

See also: Full Frontal Nudity Doesn’t Make Us Safer (via Memeorandum)

And a story from last March: TSA Agent Arrested-Accused Of Raping 14 Year Old Girl

X-posted

TSA Body Scanning Scam? Follow the Money!

Who could have guessed that the TSA's draconian new security measures, instituted shortly before the busiest travel holiday of the year, would have been so unpopular? Fighting terrorism with inconvenience, humiliation and terrorist acts against small children... What's not to like?

In reaction to the TSA's new rules, November 24 has been slated as "National Opt-Out Day." Airline passengers are encouraged to opt out of having their genitals irradiated and inspected by strangers.

Proponents of Opt-Out Day hope that if widespread, opting out of the pornoscan in favor of the alternative (a thorough groping), will eventually push TSA employees to tell their bosses, "Enough is enough."

Pilots and flight attendants are already saying "no way" to the threat of daily sexual assault.

Who expects this policy to last? How much money will have been wasted on the pornoscanners before the program is finally abandoned? Why go through so much trouble to execute such an ill-conceived and ineffective plan?

For potential answers, follow the money:

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) this week awarded Rapiscan Security Systems a $25.4 million contract using Recovery Act funding for whole body imaging systems that will be deployed at some of the nation's airports, marking the first production award to any company for the imaging systems.

Rapiscan's Secure 1000 system is based on X-Ray technology...

The award is a surprise considering how recently the agency began the pilot tests of the Secure 1000 at several airports.

A less surprising choice for the first production award would seemto have been L-3 Communications [LLL], which has sold about 40 of its ProVision millimeter wave-based whole body imagers to TSA beginning in the fall of 2007.

(Don't feel bad for L-3. They've gotten at least $165 million from Uncle Sam for body scanners.)

Rapiscan has a very cozy relationship with the TSA and other government agencies. Just this year, Rapiscan has been awarded an IDIQ (indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity) contract for up to $325 million from the TSA for its checkpoint x-ray baggage inspection system, $35 million for advanced aviation checkpoint x-ray systems, $3.5 million for cargo and vehicle Inspection systems, $9 million for advanced cargo and vehicle inspection technologies, contracts worth up to $12 million for research, $18 million for cargo and people screening systems, $3 Million for Rapiscan Secure 1000 Portable Body Scanner, $25 million for cargo & vehicle inspection systems. Using my old-fashioned arithmetic, the total for the year is approaching half a billion dollars.

A blogger at ultra-liberal Daily Kos also smells something suspicious:

"Rapiscan's lobbyists include Susan Carr, a former senior legislative aide to Rep. David Price, D-N.C., chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee. When Defense Daily reported on Price's appropriations bill last winter, the publication noted "Price likes the budget for its emphasis on filling gaps in aviation security, in particular the whole body imaging systems."

Very convenient; very cozy! (see Update I below)

Other Rapiscan lobbyists include Peter Kant and Adam C. Emanuel.

Rapiscan also has a financial relationship with former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff (now a peddler of whole body imaging).

Open Secrets charts Rapiscan's recent spending on lobbying:

Data for the most recent year was downloaded on July 26, 2010.

So what if the body scanners end up in the dump after a nationwide revolt? The windfall profits for Rapiscan will have been well worth their investment.

No one can say Rapiscan didn't hustle for the money!

UPDATE I: Nudie-scan CEO is an Obama ally

Rapiscan is one of the two companies that makes the nudie-scanners at airports for the TSA. Rapiscan CEO Deepak Chopra (who has the same name as the more famous Deepak Chopra, M.D.) recently was tapped by Obama to accompany the administration on Obama’s trip to India.

Also, Chopra is an Obama donor.

Chopra gave a maximum donation to Obama in 2008, as well as a $1,000 donation to Rep. David Price, D-N.C., chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, in 2007.

Update II: Full Frontal Nudity Doesn’t Make Us Safer (via Memeorandum)

Update III: Soros Profiting Off Naked Airport Screeners (h/t fuzzislippers)

Update IV: Obama loves Rapiscan CEO

X-posted at Left Coast Rebel