Vote it UP, mail it OUT, tell the WORLD: Money carried away in DUFFLE BAGS

[chalky]

2.5 STARS? That's all this article rates?
Yeah, we in the know already heard about this, but this is the first I've seen of it on Yahoo. Time to boost it into the mainstream.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/iraq_cash_dc

Cash was loaded onto giant pallets for shipment by plane to Iraq, and paid out to contractors who carried it away in duffel bags.

The report, released at a House of Representatives committee hearing, said despite the huge amount of money, there was little U.S. scrutiny in how these assets were managed.

"The disbursement of these funds was characterized by significant waste, fraud and abuse," said Waxman.

An audit by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction said U.S. auditors could not account for nearly $8.8 billion in Iraqi funds and the United States had not provided adequate controls for this money.

The freepers are unusually silent on the Yahoo discussion boards about this one. Have we actually found a story that they can't spin?

[halobeam]

1. Okay, I'll vote this up...

is this the 8 billion that Galloway was talking about? We should shout from the rooftops.

[CatWoman]

2. Look at this EXCELLENT rant

Re: I HAVE NO RESPECT FOR REPUBLICANS
by: what_ah_ya_retahded (M/Massachusetts) 06/21/05 02:42 pm
Msg: 13405 of 14037
18 recommendations

A brief message to the Knuckledragger wing of the Republican party:
You guys are idiots. Fucking idiots. In fact, I've never seen such a collection of morons in my life, and that includes the Nixon guys.

When I say idiots and morons, I don't mean walking into walls or sticking your hands into vats of bubbling tomato sauce. I mean, you guys are wrong. And you're wrong so often and on such a massive scale that science should come up with a new term for your species: homo stupidus.

The catalyst for this reality-based rant is the Terri Schiavo autopsy. But this isn't about the Schaivos or the ethical and moral questions that arose during that awful episode. It's about looking into the rear-view mirror and seeing that you Bible-thumping shitheads and your attack poodles in the media got it all wrong. Again.

Terri wasn't following that balloon with her eyes, Dr. Bill "Fuckhead" Frist, because she was blind. She didn't say "Mommy," Sean "Shithead" Hannity, because her cognitive abilities were gone. She wasn't strangled, Dr. William "Dick" Hammesfahr, but thanks for proving just how pathetically wrong you "experts" on the rabid right were in this case. You fucked up big-time because you idiots dove into what you thought was a "hot button issue" without a clue what you were doing. You couldn't have been more wrong.

But the Schaivo embarrassment is just one more stinking turd on your Republican "Dungheap of Wrong."

You were all wrong on Iraq. Completely, utterly, insanely wrong on everything. The list has gotten too long to print.

You're wrong on global warming. And now we know you'll resort to doctoring scientific documents to hide your wrongness.

You're wrong on homeland security because we know that our ports, borders and infrastructure still aren't adequately protected. You're so wrong that we've been at terror threat "Yellow" for 1,204 days now, and at "Blue" or "Green" for zero.

You're wrong on those idiotic tax cuts. They haven't stimulated job growth in the slightest, nor have they helped the middle or lower class. Any idiot could see that, and I'm surprised you don't because you are such an extra-special class of idiots.

You're wrong for plunging our country $7.7 trillion into debt. What the fuck were you thinking? Have any of you ever balanced a checkbook in your life?

You're wrong for trying to fool us into thinking that throwing Social Security into the gnashing jaws of Wall Street will solve the (minor) problem we'll face 35 years down the stinking road.

You're so wrong---oh God, how you're just lame-brained here---for ignoring the massive health care crisis in this country. A grade of F- to you...and my extended middle finger, too.

You're wrong on stem cell research. You're wrong on "intelligent design." You're wrong on this crazy missile defense shield. You're wrong to ignore the genocide in Africa. You're wrong to force a cookie-cutter education "plan" on states without paying for it. You're wrong to send an abusive shithead to be our ambassador to the United Nations even though he openly despises it. You're wrong to embrace a radical, hateful religious faction of your party while---wink, wink---you claim to welcome all religions. And you're damn well wrong to suck up to residents of another country (Israel) because you think their destruction is your key to salvation. "Jerusalem's gone! Pack yer bags, Ma!"

There isn't a duncecap big enough to fit your big fat fucking arrogant heads. There isn't a corner big enough for you to take a time-out in. You guys have been so absolutely, positively wrong about everything that it boggles the reality-based mind. And not just wrong---but willfully wrong.

I just wanted you to know that, you filthy, stinking radical Republican hacks. Hope I didn't spoil your golf game.


Posted as a reply to: Msg 13346 by angryfinch

http://news.messages.yahoo.com/bbs?action=m&board=37138469&tid=nmbushboltondc&sid=37138469&mid=13405&um=50&.sig=eD1WxyEC8jRRH688QhLhSw--

[LunaC]

3. Now THAT'S a rant!

Kickedy-doo-dah.

[chalky]

4. Damn! That deserves a place of honor over here at DU.

Maybe you should give it it's own thread. :)

[CatWoman]

5. nah

be my guest, tho.

I'm going to watch the last of the NBA game, before Dean comes on The Daily Show.

This Yahoo poster referenced that thread:


I HAVE NO RESPECT FOR REPUBLICANS
by: markozilla (48/M/Maryland, USA) 06/23/05 03:06 pm
Msg: 148 of 157
2 recommendations

I saw this the other day posted by what_ah_ya_retahded on another board (not sure if he was the original author or not). Although I don't agree with 100% of it, it seems relavant here, too.

http://news.messages.yahoo.com/bbs?action=m&board=37138469&tid=nmbushboltondc&si d=37138469&mid=13405&um=50&.sig=eD1WxyEC8jRRH688QhLhSw--

link: http://news.messages.yahoo.com/bbs?action=m&board=37138445&tid=nmiraqcashdc&sid=37138445&mid=148

[B Calm]

8. what_ah_ya_retahded is telling it like it is, ha ha...

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

12. I'm not one for rants--but that transcended the normal rant.

"Pack yer bags, Ma!"

[BamaBecky]

24. Classic! I enjoyed reading this...............n/t

[babylonsister]

34. "There isn't a corner big enough for you to take a

time-out in"....:rofl: That was perfect!

[SammyWinstonJack]

39. Best. Rant. Ever.

:applause: :applause:

[Misunderestimator]

40. Now watch this swing! GREAT RANT!!

:thumbsup:

[ChiciB1]

43. That Was Fantastic....

I had to copy it so I can send it to my like-minded friends. And if the mood feels right enough to my non-like-minded people!

You hit a home run! Thanks for putting it all together!

[Synnical]

44. That made my Friday afternoon

Thanks and a kick.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

47. That was OUTSTANDING!! Thanks! :-)

[livinginphotographs]

48. Not only he is he dead-on

He can spell a hell of a lot better than most of the posters on the yahoo boards.

[Maestro]

56. Rant, rant, rant.

And love, love, love it!

[democracyindanger]

61. Original link

Credit where credit's due, is all.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/6/15/181030/458

[SalmonChantedEvening]

6. Done!

:kick:

[Dover]

7. Why is OUR money being paid to private companies to guard THEIR

interests and personnel?!!!

[oblivious]

17. Once again THIS WAS IRAQ's MONEY!!!!! Stolen by the invaders.

U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority ordered the urgent delivery of more than $4 billion in Iraqi funds from the U.S. Federal Reserve in New York.

Most of these funds came from frozen and seized assets and from the Development Fund for Iraq, which succeeded the U.N.'s oil-for-food program. After the U.S. invasion, the U.N. directed this money should be used by the CPA for the benefit of the Iraqi people.

An audit by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction said U.S. auditors could not account for nearly $8.8 billion in Iraqi funds and the United States had not provided adequate controls for this money.

WHY DID THE UN RELEASE THIS MONEY, HELD IN TRUST FOR IRAQIS, TO THE INVADERS!!!!!

This is an enormous scandal for both the UN and US.

[Dover]

20. Thanks for that important correction. Yes it IS a scandal of huge

proportions.

[Guaranteed]

63. Yes. I believe I'm going to have to retract my earlier statement.

This is even worse.

And reiterate an even earlier one.

The ridiculousness just keeps getting deeper.

[madeline_con]

59. Good question.

Also, why did all the innocent people in Fallujah have to die for the lives of 4 mercenaries?

What happened to the good old days when the gov. disavowed any knowledge of their 'soldiers of fortune'?

[Guaranteed]

9. They threw away 20...billion...dollars.

Just tossed it at a bunch of mercenaries.

The ridiculousness gets deeper and deeper.

[Blue Belle]

10. Randi was talking about this today on her show...

I was wondering where she got it from...

[chalky]

11. Dug further on the discussion board-found a link to the actual report.

http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov/Documents/20050621114229-22109.pdf

[il_lilac]

13. 501 votes still 2.5 stars nt

[lostnfound]

23. 523 votes still 2.5 stars nt

[struggle4progress]

14. This is why "we can't afford public broadcasting."

[burrowowl]

15. KICK!

[Maru Kitteh]

16. In the words of Frank Barone

holy crap.

[glitch]

18. It's the looting, stupid

now there's a tee-shirt. or bumpersticker.

[Kool Kitty]

19. Think this may be the reason that

the little pissfuck Rove made his disgusting statements? This is starting to get some attention finally?

[Dover]

21. NYT story on this issue >>

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1576726

[Nite Owl]

22. Done

[chalky]

25. Hmmmm. 527 votes and STILL firmly stuck at 2.5 stars.

Gee, Yahoo...is your calculator broken?

[bluedonkey]

49. I was told

yahoo doesn't count votes from discussion boards.Don't use the link from DU,open another window.

[chalky]

51. Thanks, I'll try voting through a new window.

We'll see if that does any good.

[arikara]

26. done

but still at 2.5

[shanti]

27. our treasury is being looted

as we stand by and watch helplessly. :grr:

[WillyT]

28. Done !!!

:kick:

[Nothing Without Hope]

29. Wow - this needs to get out. Voted it up, still only 2-1/2 stars

RECOMMEND THIS STORY
Your Recommendation: (5 stars)
Average (2-1/2 stars)

(539 votes)

[Nothing Without Hope]

30. At a time when many Iraqis have no clean running water or electricity

and living conditions are almost unbearable, the pigs were stealing their money and carting it off in duffel bags. Nauseating.

Must be publicized LOUDLY. War profiteering and oil are what this is about. It's blood money, but they don't care and they never have enough of it.

[alittlelark]

31. This story will NEVER get above 2 1/2 stars.

It does not matter how many vote for it. They have no 'paper trail'.

[chalky]

32. There we have it. Yet another application is found for Diebold software.

n/t

[Junkdrawer]

37. I think the story's been capped at 2.5 stars...

Thank you for your vote.

[Beam Me Up]

33. Holy Shit. The Neocons are DELIBERATELY BANKRUPTING OUR COUNTRY.

They want to bring about the economic collapse of our society so on our poverty we will have no choice but to accept the piece by piece dismantling of our Republic and the institution of their technologically mediated authoritarian rule.

That we can continue seeing it and naming it for what it is may be our best if not only hope of turning this thing around.

[chalky]

36. Remember: THIS WASN'T OUR MONEY. THIS WAS THE IRAQI MONEY.

We "liberated" this money from the Iraqis, then proceeded to hand it out literally by the bagfull to every mercenary & crook who'd signed on to our dirty war.

[Guaranteed]

54. I was under the impression that these were our tax dollars.

It came from the Federal Reserve. Not that it really changes anything.

[oblivious]

55. Please see my post 17. This is important.

[Barad Simith]

35. kicking (nt)

[WePurrsevere]

38. emailing it out... might get it more visable...

although I'm not positive, from my own experince I think it's more likely to show up on "My Yahoo" page (and possibly the Front page) if it shows up as "Most emailed" versus "Rated".

[goclark]

41. And they want to cut MEDICARE!

[Nabia2004]

42. The Spoils of an illegal War - cash payoff out of the back of a truck

Cash payoffs in this day and age? No records, just a war profiteer's wet dream.

[dogday]

45. Wanted to make untraceable payments to different

groups of people.

[Rainscents]

46. I bookmark this... I may need it to show proof that, THUGS are thief!

[nickgutierrez]

50. Wow.

Just... wow.

"Big spender" is a fantastic euphemism for "thief".

"Cash was loaded onto giant pallets for shipment by plane to Iraq, and paid out to contractors who carried it away in duffel bags."

Who was being paid? Why did it have to happen under the cover of night, carried in cash by pallet, and handed out in duffle bags? Could it be because if the Iraqis saw this sort of "mismanagement" going on, they'd do to these people what they did to the contractors in Fallujah? (Remember that? Those gruesome images of charred bodies strung up on a bridge? Yeah.)

In case you were wondering what happened to all that money that vanished, "unaccounted for", from Iraq's treasury... I think we have your answer.

[nicknameless]

52. It didn't count my vote.

I voted & refreshed the page. No additional vote added to the tally. Still 2.5 stars.
:shrug:

[paineinthearse]

53. I'm glad people are becoming aware of Waxman

Do an advanced search in the archives of GD and GDP for key word WAXMAN and you'll hit the jackpot.

[madeline_con]

57. "... could not account for nearly $8.8 billion ..."

Chalk up another bone we can opick with the Repugs come election time.

People don't like their money to disappear, even if they think it went for a good cause!

[oblivious]

60. Please. It was IRAQ's money. The US stole it. See post 17.

[madeline_con]

62. My bad...

for not reading the whole thing.

[madeline_con]

58. "a rush to spend billions...

in the final days before transferring power to theIraqis"

They had to get all their yes-men paid off. And the mercenaries.

[laundry_queen]

64. 648 votes, still at 2.5.

:crazy: