The U.S. government has unveiled plans to build a $1 billion embassy in London:
The new embassy, on a former industrial site behind Battersea power station known for its gay clubs, will be designed by Kieran Timberlake, the Philadelphia architect.
A moat 30 metres (100ft) wide and rolling parkland will separate the building from the main road, protecting it from would-be bombers and removing the need for the blast barriers that so dismayed the people of Mayfair.
The State Department sought to play down the cost of security measures, noting the expense of London building work. But the price puts the London embassy above the US’s most fortified missions, including the Baghdad embassy, which cost $600 million (£390 million) but required a further $100 million of work on air conditioning, and the Islamabad embassy, still under construction, which has cost more than $850 million.
A moat? Do they plan to have archers and catapults as well?
Don't forget the cauldrons of boiling oil to pour down onto people trying to scale the walls. :)
Posted by: jdogg | February 25, 2010 at 11:16 AM
No worries. Ron Paul questioned Hillary Clinton just this week about the London Embassy. Clinton replied that 11 existing buildings 'we rent' are being sold to consolidate U.S. operations into a single building. If I understand Hill's logic, she is stating that the U.S. currently rents 11 buildings. How does one sell buildings they currently rent? "We're not asking for additional or new money."
Again, how does the U.S. sell 11 buildings which they currently rent in order to fund a billion dollar fortress?
vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBQWhA4ZaD8
Posted by: Jack Slater | February 27, 2010 at 09:41 AM