Oh those adorable rich creepy assholes. What won't they ruin!
Devoted fans of the hideous reality teevee show that is
will recall Booz Allen Hamilton as the multi-billion corporation that Edward Snowden stole things from, making him a traitor because it is illegal and wrong to betray the secrets that an elected government in an advanced democracy gives to private corporations in order to keep American taxpayers safe from knowing what they're paying for.
Sorry, left on the Liz Smith boldface, hang on, adjusting, there we go.
So, Booz Allen.
Booz... Allen.
Hold on to that a second. Let me transition.
Here is a picture of the New York City Public Library on 42nd St in Manhattan, with the famous lion statues out front.
I'm a New York City kid; I grew up to become a teacher, something of a scholar. (A GENIUS!!!!) But anyway even when I was tiny I always had this idea in my head that books and knowledge and learning were wonderful things, to be treasured, and that there were places in this world where That Mattered.
I think I first went to the New York Public Library on 42nd St when I was 14. Mid-1980s. I didn't know what I was doing; some of the unfailingly kind Library employees walked me through the whole process, told me about the concept of "stacks," sat me down... and brought me my books.
It was one of the absolute highlights of my life.
I was a kid working on a freshman high school history paper, about the Battle of Britain, as I recall. I was treated as seriously as any grownup in the whole of the Reading Room.
Changed my life, man. A place that was by any standard beautiful, and also solemn, free, and all about books --
I love that place.
Yeah.
And now of course we come back by ubiquitous vicus of regurgitation to fucking Booz Allen.
So... fucking Booz Allen.
Read that fucking link about what we can't afford publicly as regards the NY Public Library System, and then the one above about what taxpayers give to Booz Allen.
And then read how Booz Allen is planning to get even richer by having the NYC public libraries sell off their publicly owned real estate.
These assholes don't miss a trick. "Oh here is a public good. Let's rob it."And remember -- Booz Allen gets ALL of its money from the government.
Whee, capitalism.