War Profiteering in Iraq

[Demeter]

Friday, May 11, 2007
War Profiteering in Iraq

The following is from Robert Greenwald's testimony to the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Defense about war profiteering.

I also spoke with Shane Ratliff, a truck driver from Ruby, South Carolina.

He saw Halliburton advertising a job for truck drivers in Iraq and he signed up. When Shane started telling me that empty trucks were being driven across dangerous stretches of desert, I assumed he was mistaken. Why would they do that? Then he explained that Halliburton got paid for the number of trips they took, regardless of whether they were carrying anything. These unnecessary trips where putting the lives of truckers at risk, exposing drivers and co-workers to attack. This was the result of cost-plus, no-bid contracts.

Another young Halliburton worker named James Logsdon told me about the burn pits. Burn pits are large dumps near military stations where they would burn equipment, trucks, trash, etc. If they ordered the wrong item, they'd throw it in the burn pit. If a tire blew on a piece of equipment, they'd throw the whole thing into the burn pit. They burn pits had so much equipment, they even gave them a nickname - "Home Depot."

The trucker said he would get us some photos. And I naively asked, how big are they, the size of a backyard swimming pool? He laughed, and referred to one that he had seen that was 15 football fields large, and burned around the clock! It infuriated him to have to burn stuff rather then give it to the Iraqis or to the military. Yet Halliburton was being rewarded each time they billed the government for a new truck or new piece of equipment. With a cost- plus contract, the contractors receive a percentage of the money they spend. As Shane told me, "It's a legal way of stealing from the government or the taxpayers' money."

Robert Greenwald is the director/producer of "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism," as well as many other films. He is a board member of the Independent Media Institute, AlterNet's parent organization.
Labels: Halliburton, Iraq

posted by Raymond Weber @ 6:53 PM
http://www.economicpolicymonitor.com/

[brentspeak]

1. k & r

Nothing I'd like to see more than every Halliburton exec wearing pinstriped outfits on a chain-gang.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

2. If this is true and can be documented...

...I can't imagine that even corporate owned MSM would give Halliburton/KBR a pass on it.

[babylonsister]

3. Not a peep from the MSM so far. Check this out if you haven't:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x27833

[Gregorian]

4. This was documented on LinkTV over a year ago.

I am not saying anything negative by that statement. I'm just reaffirming that I have seen this.


I also want to hear more about the Afghanistan massacre. The 3000 soldiers who were placed in cargo containers and killed. We're getting there. We're digging up the buried past.

I feel like Rambo. We're coming to get you!

[slipslidingaway]

6. Afghan Massacre-The Convoy of Death

http://www.democracynow.org/afghanfilm.shtml


No denial from Afghan Embassy

http://www.cbc.ca/disclosure/archives/documents/030408_afghan_pr.pdf



"Mass graves of thousands of victims were found by the United Nations but no official investigation took place."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Massacre_-_the_Convoy_of_Death_(film)



snip>> and I agree

"It may not be easy for Americans to summon much sympathy for Taliban or Qaeda prisoners. But the rules of war cannot be applied selectively. There is no real moral justification for the pain and destruction of combat if it is not to defend the rule of law. The line is tough to hold even in a conventional conflict. In a proxy war, it's much more difficult. The dead at Dasht-e Leili are proof of that."

http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/afghan/2002/0826memo.htm

[Gregorian]

7. Such a significant crime, with so little attention.

Even that Wiki page is almost devoid of any content. Amazing.

We went roughshod into those countries, committing atrocities as we went.

I've always done very poorly in history classes because I have no interest in war. But what our country has done should be punished. I just hope justice is pending and not dead.

[slipslidingaway]

9. Glad you mentioned this incident as maybe a few more will be

aware of what was done.

[slipslidingaway]

5. K&R n/t

[OneBlueSky]

8. that's what war is all about . . . if there weren't huge profits in it . . .

it wouldn't be so common . . . check out what Gen. Smedley Butler had to say about war many years ago . . .

[Demeter]

10. kick for truth