I wonder if anything will come of it?WASHINGTON Oct 29, 2005 — Uncle Sam has tried to feed millions of hurricane victims this year with Meals-Ready-to-Eat, or MREs, only to fear that some of them have become Meals-Ready-for-eBay.
The government is looking into whether eBay sellers in Gulf Coast states are trying to profit from military foodstuffs handed out for free following hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.
Representatives for eBay, the online auctioneer company, say it is impossible to prove that any of the meals were meant for hurricane victims. They note that MREs can be bought in camping stores and Army-Navy surplus outlets.
But at least some of the MREs advertised on the Web site are being sold from Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and other Gulf states, and are individually packaged with a disclaimer that clearly notes: "U.S. Government property Commercial resale is unlawful."
"If it's true, that's pretty reprehensible," said Cheryl Guidry Tyiska, deputy director of the National Organization of Victim Assistance. "There are a lot of pretty hungry people down there who could use the food for free."
One seller, identified as from "Louisiana Cajun Country," described being hit "with the eye of Rita." Bidding had reached $50.99 for the seller's unopened case of MREs by Saturday.
"It was very depressing to come back and see that Rita took half our roof with her and left a lot of trees on the fence," the seller wrote. "I am still in a state of shock and a daze. It has really been a mess. I thank God for my solid gold eBay customers. Thanks for your prayers."
Bidding on other MREs, from Biloxi, Miss., to Pensacola, Fla., ranged from 99 cents to over $100. One case, from Lake Arthur, La., was being advertised as "real military issue" for $36.02. Its 12 individually wrapped meals included beef ravioli, chicken with Thai sauce and a veggie burger with barbecue sauce.
E-mails sent by The Associated Press to eBay's MRE sellers in Gulf Coast states went unanswered.
The Homeland Security Department's inspector general has asked investigators to examine the suspicious MREs on eBay, spokeswoman Tamara Faulkner said. In the past, the Pentagon has complained about MRE sales on eBay, Defense Logistics Agency spokeswoman Marcia Klein said. The agency has not decided whether to pursue the current eBay sales, though officials are considering all avenues, she said.
Feds investigating ebay MRE sales
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donelurkin
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 2:32 pm
Feds investigating ebay MRE sales
I heard a radio report on the local ABC affiliate that the U.S. was targeting ebay sellers from the Gulf States who might be selling MREs which were hurrican relief rations. Looked it up and found an AP wire story on it:
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BackwoodsPundit
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2005 1:28 pm
- Location: Deep Creek, VA
Someone else forwarded me this similar link/article:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,173915,00.html
I think it's interesting the whole spin they try to put on the idea of selling MREs on Ebay - that it's bad.
But really...FEMA is *giving* the MREs to people and once they have them, they should be free to do what they want. At least, that's my opinion. If they want to (or need to) eat them, then great. But if they could use the $50 for something else to help them out, then ok, too.
The areas for them to "crack down" on are the areas where MREs aren't actually handed out but are instead diverted for private sell. Sure, that's not kosher. But once they're handed out/distributed to someone, that's pretty much it for FEMA/whoever being able to dictate what's done with them, right?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,173915,00.html
Here was my reply:Hurricane Victims Selling Meals on eBay?
Saturday, October 29, 2005
WASHINGTON — Uncle Sam has tried to feed millions of hurricane victims this year with Meals-Ready-to-Eat (search), or MREs, only to fear that some of them have become Meals-Ready-for-eBay.
The government is looking into whether eBay (search) sellers in Gulf Coast states are trying to profit from military foodstuffs handed out for free following hurricanes Katrina (search), Rita and Wilma.
Representatives for eBay, the online auctioneer company, say it is impossible to prove that any of the meals were meant for hurricane victims. They note that MREs can be bought in camping stores and Army-Navy surplus outlets.
But at least some of the MREs advertised on the Web site are being sold from Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida (search) and other Gulf states, and are individually packaged with a disclaimer that clearly notes: "U.S. Government property — Commercial resale is unlawful."
"If it's true, that's pretty reprehensible," said Cheryl Guidry Tyiska, deputy director of the National Organization of Victim Assistance. "There are a lot of pretty hungry people down there who could use the food for free."
One seller, identified as from "Louisiana Cajun Country," described being hit "with the eye of Rita." Bidding had reached $50.99 for the seller's unopened case of MREs by Saturday.
"It was very depressing to come back and see that Rita took half our roof with her and left a lot of trees on the fence," the seller wrote. "I am still in a state of shock and a daze. It has really been a mess. I thank God for my solid gold eBay customers. Thanks for your prayers."
Bidding on other MREs, from Biloxi, Miss., to Pensacola, Fla., ranged from 99 cents to over $100. One case, from Lake Arthur, La., was being advertised as "real military issue" for $36.02. Its 12 individually wrapped meals included beef ravioli, chicken with Thai sauce and a veggie burger with barbecue sauce.
E-mails sent by The Associated Press to eBay's MRE sellers in Gulf Coast states went unanswered.
The Homeland Security Department's inspector general has asked investigators to examine the suspicious MREs on eBay, spokeswoman Tamara Faulkner said. In the past, the Pentagon has complained about MRE sales on eBay, Defense Logistics Agency spokeswoman Marcia Klein said. The agency has not decided whether to pursue the current eBay sales, though officials are considering all avenues, she said.
The Pentagon pays $86.98 for a case of MREs, or about $7.25 per meal, Klein said. The Web site for a chain of Army-Navy stories in the Washington area listed a case of 12 MREs for $96.
Told of the eBay sales, the acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, R. David Paulison, said he "will not tolerate any type of fraud, and we will pursue it to the fullest extent." FEMA distributed millions of MREs to hurricane victims over the past two months.
eBay spokesman Hani Durzy said the San Jose, Calif.-based company has not received any complaints from government or law enforcement officials about MRE sales in the wake of the recent storms.
Additionally, Durzy said, eBay has asked the Pentagon to cite the law that would prohibits the sale of its MREs, but has not gotten an answer.
"When we asked them to show us a law to show it is unlawful, and they were unable to do so, we said they're legal as far as we're concerned," Durzy said.
eBay does prohibit the selling of expired MREs that are not advertised as a collector's item, Durzy said. Items that would violate the law if sold through eBay are removed from the site, he said.
I think it's interesting the whole spin they try to put on the idea of selling MREs on Ebay - that it's bad.
But really...FEMA is *giving* the MREs to people and once they have them, they should be free to do what they want. At least, that's my opinion. If they want to (or need to) eat them, then great. But if they could use the $50 for something else to help them out, then ok, too.
The areas for them to "crack down" on are the areas where MREs aren't actually handed out but are instead diverted for private sell. Sure, that's not kosher. But once they're handed out/distributed to someone, that's pretty much it for FEMA/whoever being able to dictate what's done with them, right?
So what do hurricane survivors DO with the MRE's?
Hello
I wonder why the government would be so concerned with keeping people from selling MRE's given to them (unless they pretended to be hurricane survivors)? This is a very inefficient way to deal with the War on Terror.
If I were pretending to be a hurricane victim and got MRE's by this subterfuge I would be justifiable prey for the FEMA investigators. Then comes the two words out of my mouth; prove it.
If you have old Civil Defense water cans from the Cold War it is illegal to sell them too? These were another government gimme.
The press, please remember, are liberals. If you profit from something that is yours- and if the government is aiding capitalism- liberals do not like it. This distaste for capitalism, combined with the welfare fraud angle, drives such reporting.
Finally, remember one thing; there is NO drop off site program that I have heard about for MRE's given to disaster victims. We can probably make better use of old rations than the government. A month ago they threw perfectly good British rations in the FDA's incinerator. I can't see good meatloaf/gravy MRE's sitting in a very hot warehouse and rotting- but that will likely happen if Uncle Sham confiscates MRE's GIVEN to us.
FEMA needs to leave us along and exert its incompetence elsewhere- or maybe their efforts to crack down on MRE sales will be as efficient as Katrina relief efforts.
Thanks
KAT
I wonder why the government would be so concerned with keeping people from selling MRE's given to them (unless they pretended to be hurricane survivors)? This is a very inefficient way to deal with the War on Terror.
If I were pretending to be a hurricane victim and got MRE's by this subterfuge I would be justifiable prey for the FEMA investigators. Then comes the two words out of my mouth; prove it.
If you have old Civil Defense water cans from the Cold War it is illegal to sell them too? These were another government gimme.
The press, please remember, are liberals. If you profit from something that is yours- and if the government is aiding capitalism- liberals do not like it. This distaste for capitalism, combined with the welfare fraud angle, drives such reporting.
Finally, remember one thing; there is NO drop off site program that I have heard about for MRE's given to disaster victims. We can probably make better use of old rations than the government. A month ago they threw perfectly good British rations in the FDA's incinerator. I can't see good meatloaf/gravy MRE's sitting in a very hot warehouse and rotting- but that will likely happen if Uncle Sham confiscates MRE's GIVEN to us.
FEMA needs to leave us along and exert its incompetence elsewhere- or maybe their efforts to crack down on MRE sales will be as efficient as Katrina relief efforts.
Thanks
KAT
Actually, that one quote is from Cajun Clara, the one about her roof getting ripped off...that is her! LOL!BackwoodsPundit wrote:LOL.. Cajun Clara gonna get busted?
And by the way, who paid for those MREs in the first place? I think the Government forgets that it is a government of the people, for the people and by the people...they seem to think they own us and the world...Well, they are WRONG!
"THEY CALL ME DIRTY...DIRTYDAVE"
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donelurkin
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 2:32 pm
What I don't get is why the MRE cases have the unlawful to re-sell language on them if there is not actually a law that bans their resale.
I'm pretty sympathetic to people in the Gulf Coast who ended up with an extra case or two of MREs and are turning them into some extra cash. That is no big deal, is it? Something on a larger scale that suggests that somebody is ripping off pallets of the stuff and reselling it might be different.
I'm pretty sympathetic to people in the Gulf Coast who ended up with an extra case or two of MREs and are turning them into some extra cash. That is no big deal, is it? Something on a larger scale that suggests that somebody is ripping off pallets of the stuff and reselling it might be different.
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donelurkin
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 2:32 pm
Just saw on ebay that some sellers are trying to take advantage of this controversy. This dude used to sell a "MRE sampler" but now he is marketing what he calls "legal" MRE's, with a warning that "THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS CRACKING DOWN ON ILLEGAL SALES OF GOVERNMENT ISSUED MREs !! "
http://cgi.ebay.com/24-MIXED-ENTREES-LE ... dZViewItem
I wonder exactly what he is selling. Hate the stuff about how he has been filling hurricane relief orders--huh? They aren't getting actual MRE's from the feds' warehouse?
If I want to go piecemeal, I think I will stick with longlifefood.com
http://cgi.ebay.com/24-MIXED-ENTREES-LE ... dZViewItem
I wonder exactly what he is selling. Hate the stuff about how he has been filling hurricane relief orders--huh? They aren't getting actual MRE's from the feds' warehouse?
If I want to go piecemeal, I think I will stick with longlifefood.com
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donelurkin
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 2:32 pm
Interesting... Did you actually deal with him, or what?
After I posted, I got to thinking about how the asshat who was selling the cold weather rations on ebay ripped off kman's graphics for his auction. I thought that the pictures on this guy's ebay store looked familiar. You know, that sort of cheesy "serving suggestion" with a garnish for an MRE? Well, I looked at the longlifefoods site and lo and behold, they use the exact same pictures for the dairy shakes, the "72 hour emergency kit for 4 people" etc. So either these pics are provided by the manufacturer, or somebody is ripping somebody off.
Whenever somebody runs that "we helped the victims first" crap in a lowly ebay auction my BS detector screams so loud that I cannot concentrate on the screen...
After I posted, I got to thinking about how the asshat who was selling the cold weather rations on ebay ripped off kman's graphics for his auction. I thought that the pictures on this guy's ebay store looked familiar. You know, that sort of cheesy "serving suggestion" with a garnish for an MRE? Well, I looked at the longlifefoods site and lo and behold, they use the exact same pictures for the dairy shakes, the "72 hour emergency kit for 4 people" etc. So either these pics are provided by the manufacturer, or somebody is ripping somebody off.
Whenever somebody runs that "we helped the victims first" crap in a lowly ebay auction my BS detector screams so loud that I cannot concentrate on the screen...