Families Find Iraq Earnings Carry a Price -- Halliburton

[seemslikeadream]

April 15. 2004 2:29PM Forums

Georganne Hetrick, holds a portrait of her and her husband while sitting with their children John, 9, left, Jack, 10, and Jessica, 9, at their residence in Hilliard, Ohio, Tuesday, April 13, 2004. Hetrick's husband, Bill, is a contractor with Kellogg, Brown and Root, a subdivision of Halliburton, currently working in Iraq, (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)



By ALLEN G. BREED
Associated Press Writer



aid off after 34 years, Al Cayton found himself at retirement age without the means to support himself in his golden years. So at 60, the Pensacola, Fla., man went off to drive trucks in Iraq for the Halliburton Co., lured by the promise of up to $120,000 in cash, tax-free.

"He planned to work until he could draw his Social Security," said his wife of 40 years, Karen.

A roadside bomb put an end to that plan.

Cayton is one of about 30 contract workers who have been killed in Iraq, including an Italian security guard executed on videotape Wednesday. More than 20 workers have been taken captive by militants in recent weeks, and 200 or so have been wounded in the year since war supposedly ended and the rebuilding began.

For many of the contract workers and their families, the job has not been the easy money they had hoped for.


more
http://www.gainesvillesun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040415/API/404150899

[saigon68]

1. Maybe his death will influence others, not to attempt this folly

After this goes on for a few more months only, the Hardened Bush Bots and other assorted killers will feel sorry for this fool hardy behavior.

[seemslikeadream]

10. Bring them home now

Don't you draw the queen of diamonds boy
She'll beat you if she's able
The queen of hearts is always your best bet
Well it seems to me some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the things that you can't get

Desperado
you know you ain't getting younger
Your pain and your hunger are driving you home
And freedom, oh freedom
Well that's just some people talking
Your prison is walking through this world all alone

www.bringthemhomenow.com

[Just Me]

14. PROOF how desperate our own citizens are to achieve a "dream",...

,...that "American Dream",...which was total spoon-fed corporatist crap.

I am sad that "the people" are still being manipulated by a "dream" that is not real,...yet, is accepted as some truth. It is one thing to pursue a dream,....and quite another to pretend that a dream actually exists.

Makes one wonder whether there is a form of cultural schizophrenia or a national psy-op in control. The people,...are definitely NOT in control because,...there is no way anyone could convince me that, any decent human being who held merely the basic facts of what is happening would voluntarily agree with what is actually happening.

[seemslikeadream]

2. Contractors and their families are finding Iraqi windfall earnings carry a

But on Monday night, Mrs. Hetrick received a frantic call.

"I'm done," said a rattled Bill Hetrick, who had just emerged from a bomb shelter. "There's too much going on over here."

The next day, however, the 49-year-old Hetrick called his wife back to say some colleagues had talked him into toughing it out.

Mrs. Hetrick did not know what to say.

"I don't like to tell him that he has to come home," said Mrs. Hetrick, who is working at her family's restaurant while caring for the couple's 10-year-old son, Jack, and 9-year-old twins, Jessica and John. "But I don't want him to think I don't care what happens to him.

"But I think it's time something's done. They need to make it safer or tell them to come home."

Stacy Clark decided not to wait for things to get safer.

more
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/apnews/stories/041504/D81VCKE00.shtml

[Chico Man]

4. "They need to make it safer or tell them to come home"

If it were safe over there, the job would not exist. Cant have something for nothing.

Wake up and smell the profiteering.

[SeattleDem]

9. exactly, job wouldn't pay $120K

people, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is!

If you're being offered $120,000 tax free to drive a truck, you should be able to see there's a catch! you have to drive that truck in a war zone.

If you were being asked to drive a truck in Kansas, I'm guessing the salary would be less.

As horrible as the death of any citizen is, when you are a paid "contractor" in a war zone, you have to imagine there are going to be great risks to life and limb.

[livetohike]

3. This is really sad.

I saw a segment on NBC news (I think)about people in Houston at a job fair for Halliburton. How much do you want to bet that most of those folks worked for Enron at one time?

Or maybe not. But it's a sad commentary on the state of jobs in this economy that people are willing to risk their lives in a war zone in order to make an income.

[seemslikeadream]

7. For Cheney, Tarnish From Halliburton

Firm's Fall Raises Questions About Vice President's Leadership There
By Dana Milbank
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 16, 2002; Page A01


An executive sells shares in his energy company two months before the company announces unexpected bad news, and the stock price eventually tumbles to a quarter of the price at which the insider sold his.




George W. Bush at Harken Energy Corp. in 1990? Yes, but also Richard B. Cheney at Halliburton Co. in 2000.

When Cheney left Halliburton in August 2000 to be Bush's running mate, the oil services firm was swelling with profits and approaching a two-year high in its stock price. Investors and the public (and possibly Cheney himself) did not know how sick the company really was, as became evident in the months after Cheney left.

Whether through serendipity or shrewdness, Cheney made an $18.5 million profit selling his shares for more than $52 each in August 2000; 60 days later, the company surprised investors with a warning that its engineering and construction business was doing much worse than expected, driving shares down 11 percent in a day. About the same time, it announced it was under a grand jury investigation for overbilling the government.

In the months that followed, it became clear that Halliburton's liability for asbestos claims, stemming from a company Cheney acquired in 1998, were far greater than Halliburton realized. Then, in May of this year, the company announced it was under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for controversial accounting under Cheney's leadership that inflated profits. Halliburton shares closed at $13.10 yesterday on the New York Stock Exchange.


more
http://www.hereinreality.com/news/halliburton.html



Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, left, Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell, center, and Desert Storm Commander Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf wave from the reviewing stand after they led a ticker tape parade through the streets of New York, June 10, 1991.
(AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

They're always happiest when there's a war going on somewhere!

[saigon68]

8. What about Morality, Compassion, Principle, Decency

Is all this lost or are we turning into a nation of Judases or worse?

To deliberately help kill in order to make an income.

And no--- the children who are soldiers can't be lumped into this group-- but what about 6 months or a year from Now????????

[llmart]

12. That was my thought exactly.

If there were enough decent jobs in this country that paid a living wage, these people wouldn't even consider this dangerous work (well, maybe a feel greedy people would). Truck drivers used to get paid a decent wage and the ones who are union still do, but those jobs are few and far between.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

5. Amazing that people live and vote in states where labor rights have been

under attack since the 80's then find themselves having to go into a war zone just so theycan retire and they still don't get it.

[kath]

34. Exactimundo!! Out here in OK, the sheeple happily vote for such

abominations as so-called "right to work"

[bluestateguy]

6. Well

Had they not gone to Iraq they would still be alive today. Unlike the soldiers, they had a choice, and they made real money doing it. You take the risks, and sometimes you lose. Very unfortunate and sad.

Perhaps others will now reconsider going to Iraq to profit off of the war.

[daleo]

11. It's a lottery, but the ticket might cost you your life

To be sending 60 year olds into a war zone to drive a truck for a private company, well there is a message in there somewhere.

[seemslikeadream]

13. Two of these sorry souls interviewed on Countdown

Nice to see they are home safe and sound. Cut and run, what about the soldiers you left behind?

[leesa]

15. Exactly what did these people think was going on over in Iraq??

I guess ignorance is blissful only to a point, and then reality hits home, eh?

[DemoTex]

16. E-Z money is ...

Never E-Z.

[saigon68]

17. Agreed Mac

and dead is DEAD

[Eye and Monkey]

18. And war is war.

It's not a place to make easy money.

[saigon68]

19. Except as a Hallibuton Exec N/T

[Eye and Monkey]

28. Right, for corpoRAT executives, it's not war, it's reWARd.

[saigon68]

29. Clever --- And very very true!!!!

sits back in admiration !!!

[Eye and Monkey]

30. I feel honored. Thank you. Mutual.

[saigon68]

20. Hey Mac check this out

US Special Forces flying on a Huges 500 helicopter patrol Baghdad. An Iranian diplomat was gun downed by assailants and three Japanese hostages were released today in Baghdad.(AFP/Nicolas Asfouri)


Found this on Yahoo----

LOOK LIKE ANY SF Rig you've ever seen??

[seemslikeadream]

21. What's up with that?

I just got here. I'm going back to take another look!

[seemslikeadream]

22. Kinda looks like a halliburton logo on there

[saigon68]

23. It's not military--- A lease????

The door gunner is not wearing body armor, and what's up with the yellow shirt ?

[seemslikeadream]

25. Might as well be a bullseye there huh?

[saigon68]

24. TODAY'S WINNING THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS PICTURE !!!!!!!!!

A U.S. soldier checks the bags of an Iraqi schoolboy, during a weapons search operation in the Talbiyah district in Baghdad, Iraq (news - web sites), Thursday April 15 2004. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim

[seemslikeadream]

26. Now they're just like the kids in America

Gun-Wielding Cops Conduct Drug Sweep At School
Drug Sweep Finds No Drugs
KSAT, link
POSTED: 3:52 p.m. EST November 7, 2003

A drug sweep Wednesday morning at a South Carolina school has some parents and students questioning police tactics.

Surveillance video from Stratford High School in Goose Creek shows 14 officers, some with guns drawn, ordering students to lie the ground as police searched for marijuana. Students who didn't comply with the orders quickly enough were reportedly handcuffed.


http://www.thememoryhole.org/policestate/stratford-raid.htm

[saigon68]

27. 2 of my grandparents came from Europe

They fled shit like this.

[seemslikeadream]

31. saigon68 --- look at these pictures

<1stMarines> Camel spiders! From someone stationed in Iraq. He was recently
bitten by a camel spider which was hiding in his sleeping bag. I thought you'd like to see what a
camel spider looks like. It'll give you a better idea of what our troops are dealing with.
Enclosed is a picture of his friend holding up two spiders.





I came across them because I was looking for this

The kid that I watched grow up from across the street is flying one of these right now. His parents put the flag out every day.

[Eye and Monkey]

38. I wonder if you can cook those camel spiders and eat 'em.

With a little sauce picante, maybe?

[Eye and Monkey]

39. Camel spiders likely HOAX. This exact photo is on snopes.com

http://www.snopes.com/photos/bugs/camelspider.asp

According to most spider experts, these claims are all false. Camel spiders (so named because, like camels, they can be found in sandy desert regions) grow to be moderately large (about a 5" leg span), but nowhere near as large as dinner plates; they can move very quickly in comparison to other arthropods (a top speed of maybe 10 MPH), but nothing close 25 MPH; they make no noise; and they capture prey without the use of either venom or anesthetic. Camel spiders rely on speed, stealth, and the (non-venomous) bite of powerful jaws to feed on small prey such as other arthropods (e.g., scorpions, crickets, pillbugs), lizards, and possibly mice or birds. They use only three pairs of legs in running; the frontmost pair (called pedipalpa) is held aloft and used in a similar manner to the antennae of insects. Camel spiders shun the sun and generally hide during the day, coming out at night to do their hunting.

Although whatever is depicted in the photograph above appears to be far too large for camel spiders, the creatures might just look unusually large because they were held close to the camera, creating an illusion of exaggerated size. However, since we don't know the source of the picture, we can't yet rule out the possibility that some other misdirection was involved (e.g., digital manipulation, a misdescription of what the photograph depicts, some soldiers goofing around with plastic figures or something else spider-shaped, etc.).

[seemslikeadream]

40. I thought I put the link -- here it is

http://www.grunt.com/

Camel spiders in UAE
Despite their conspicuous appearance and size, little is known about these creatures and we are not even sure of their exact identity. There are probably three families of solifugids in UAE. These are the long-legged and sandy-coloured Galeodidae and Solpugidae, and the black-coloured Rhagodidae which has shorter legs and is better adapted for digging. The Galeodidae are commonly seen in sandy areas and the largest species is probably Galeodes arabs which is particularly hairy and bulky with limbs spanning up to 150mm. Other species probably occur in the mountains and Rhagodidae are thought to occur around Al Ain.

www.uaeinteract.com/nature/ insect/ins09.asp

6 inches huh?

[Eye and Monkey]

41. The myth-hoax started during the '91 Gulf War. New manifestation.

Check out the link to snopes.com - this 'photo' has been widely circulated during this illegal war and occupation.

If it were true, some jarhead from South Louisiana would be making a bundle selling them spicy-boiled like crawfish.

[seemslikeadream]

42. Well 6 inches is ugly enough for me

Camel spiders in UAE
Despite their conspicuous appearance and size, little is known about these creatures and we are not even sure of their exact identity. There are probably three families of solifugids in UAE. These are the long-legged and sandy-coloured Galeodidae and Solpugidae, and the black-coloured Rhagodidae which has shorter legs and is better adapted for digging. The Galeodidae are commonly seen in sandy areas and the largest species is probably Galeodes arabs which is particularly hairy and bulky with limbs spanning up to 150mm. Other species probably occur in the mountains and Rhagodidae are thought to occur around Al Ain.

www.uaeinteract.com/nature/

[kath]

32. why the fuckity-fuck are their earnings TAX-FREE and in cash????

[Eye and Monkey]

33. It's long-standing IRS rules - out of country for 335 consecutive days

during the tax-year, and your earnings are tax-free.

Cash, I don't know. Maybe they're handing it out from all those suitcases of cash they found in the palaces.

[seemslikeadream]

35. How about a couple of these?

[kath]

36. So if they come home before the 335 consecutive days are up, do they have

to pay taxes?

[Eye and Monkey]

37. Basically, yes.

There's two ways to get the out-of-country INCOME tax exemption. One is the consecutive 335 days. The other is something like "demonstrating that you have you set-up residence overseas".
The second is difficult to prove to the IRS.