Part IX: MSM Furiously Fact-Checking Halliburton: "Wow -- you're even better than most reporters!"

[CorpGovActivist]

During the last several weeks, I've fielded scores of questions from MSM outlets - as they've shown renewed interest in Sherlocking the Halliburton/KBR stories (and Cheney's personal involvement therewith). Based on the inquiries I've received in the last 24 hours, that interest shows no signs of abating anytime soon.

In the past week, I've had the chance to observe - up close and personal - the current status of the intracorporate workings of several different MSM outlets.

Gung-ho reporters run into static from more cautious and gun-shy editors and lawyers. That's understandable.

The name of the game nowadays is "unassailable fact-checking," because no veteran reporter wants to risk his or her reputation, or that of the outlet s/he works for; that, too, is understandable.

Would I have liked to have awakened this morning to banner headlines in all the major papers, and "Cheneygate" graphics on every news network, screaming that Cheney may soon face indictments? Sure. But you know what they say: good things come to those who wait.

None of this means that these reporters, editors, and - yes, even the MSM's lawyers - aren't doing their jobs, and doing them extremely well, in a handful of cases (e.g., some of the best MSM lawyers are equally concerned with protecting the whistleblowers from backlash). Some recent e-mails may help bear out the case for patience.
***********************************************************************
From: X
Date: Sun, Nov 05, 2006 6:19 pm
To: (my e-mail)

Dear Dave,

It was great to meet you. Thanks so much for spending time with me.

I'll keep an eye out for your e-mail.
***********************************************************************
From: X
Date: Mon, Nov 06, 2006 9:01 am
To: (my e-mail)

I found their (certain sources' I gave) names, and have given them calls! It was nice to meet you earlier.
***********************************************************************
From: X
Date: Mon, Nov 06, 2006 11:16 am
To: (my e-mail)

Thanks again for speaking with me. I had also meant to share this article with you, for what it was worth. It was a small one, published last week, before we spoke. (...)
***********************************************************************
From: X
Date: Mon, Nov 06, 2006 11:23 am
To: (my e-mail)

Wow -- you're even better (at fact-checking) than most reporters! (It always helps to shortcut their work for them, if you can.)
***********************************************************************
From: X
Date: Mon, Nov 06, 2006 12:32 pm
To: (my e-mail)

It's not a problem (I had asked whether it would be OK to ask when the next article might run.).. unfortunately, my calls (to key verification sources) haven't been returned. Sometimes lawyers in this town (DC) return calls late in the day, after 6 pm or so, so it's possible that I'll get late call backs. Also, the elections may be messing up people's schedules.
***********************************************************************
From: X
Date: Mon, Nov 06, 2006 2:25 pm
To: (my e-mail)

I didn't call (...) yet. My plan was to wait on calling the people with political backgrounds initially. I wanted to assure myself that I was starting from as many facts as I could before getting into areas where politics and investigations collide. It seemed more intellectually honest, although I might have to reassess that approach (in light of the unreturned phone calls).
***********************************************************************
From: X
Date: Mon, Nov 06, 2006 2:27 pm
To: (my e-mail)

Gosh, Dave, you've done an awful lot for me. I think I'll just have to keep trying, and even if I miss out on a first go-round of a story, I can keep plugging away.
***********************************************************************

It can be - and often is - a thankless pursuit for reporters who truly are "on the job" and "wide awake" to the contours of the story. With any little bit of luck, verification sources who've been "out of pocket" for the elections will check their voicemail and e-mail, and give enough information for some of these stories to be filed later today. If not, though, I pledge to keep doing everything I can to ensure that these stories don't wither on the vine.

Best wishes on this fine Election Day! To see the MSM coverage that has already run so far: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=halliburton+david+smith+nigeria

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&tab=wn&q=halliburton+david+smith+nigeria&filter=0

For additional background, please see the Halliburton threads in my DU Journal: http://journals.democraticunderground.com/CorpGovActivist

- David A. Smith, Editor of www.HALwhistleblowers.org and www.BushBunglesBrigade.org
(not to be confused, ever again, with David R. Smith, the as-yet-unindicted VP of Tax at Halliburton)

[TAPat]

1. Kick to go with the R! nt

[Rosie1223]

2. I'm willing to wait

as long as that smirk gets wiped off Cheney's face.

[CorpGovActivist]

3. Sooner Than Many Think...

... once those gavels change hands.

- Dave

[Blackhatjack]

5. It is always best to be as accurate as possible before muddying the water...

You can imagine the 'stuck pig scream' the BUSHCO characters will send out through their network of MSM sources if there is anything in the allegations that can be proven inaccurate. Their job would be to focus the public's attention on how they are being unfairly charged here, and the one inaccuracy they point to is proof of what they are saying.

I can wait a long time to boat the big fish. Better to be right than first.

[CorpGovActivist]

8. Well Said!

Fishing? Where? When? Fixed or fly?

- Dave

[GliderGuider]

4. K&R from north of the border

I can't remember the last time I felt so optimistic about the future of our neighbours to the south. This has been an utterly remarkable series of threads, and the sense of "teetering on the brink" they generate is palpable.

I belong to a combined virtual/real discussion group called The Ottawa Dissenters, that in many ways resembles a 19th century salon. At our next face meeting the topic up for discussion is "social ignition" - how and why it happens, how it can be fostered, and what aspects of our civilization would benefit from such a transformative blossoming of consciousness. Recent examples of social ignition that spring to mind include the Romanian revolution, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the American Civil rights movement, and the entire year of 1968. The meme of Global Warming may have reached ignition temperature, and as we speak the awareness of Peak Oil is struggling to be born.

Into this illustrious company now comes the Bush Family Evil Empire and all of its myriad corrupt tentacles. This ignition of awareness has been fostered by the tireless work of many, many people around the world, and the fire appears to be well laid. All that remains is for the match to be struck – the occurrence of that single defining event that kindles the flame. 1968 had Woodstock, the Romanians had Timisoara, the Berlin Wall had its images of dancers and hammerers, the Civil Rights movement had Rosa Parks.

I dearly hope that the match that lights this Bonfire of the Humilities will be Cheney’s indictment.

Way to go, Dave. You have laid some mighty flammable kindling.

[Buttercup McToots]

6. "aw that wis puir dead brilliant so it wis"

Press Coverage
Joe Wilson talks about Plame leak at meeting
By John Sullivan, Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record (NY)
November 4, 2006
Town of Wallkill — It took a while for someone to address the former U.S. ambassador with the Richard Gere looks and the wife whose name has become synonymous with allegations of treason.

"I'm sorry, but I've been waiting a long time to ask this," a woman said. "Mr. Ambassador, why is Robert Novak still walking around in the country?"

With that, Joe Wilson, one of the first to question President Bush's claim that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, stood up to talk to an audience who had come to discuss Social Security and Medicare.

He was stumping yesterday for Democratic congressional candidate John Hall, who is running against Rep. Sue Kelly, R-Katonah. Kelly did not attend the event, held at the Town of Wallkill's Community Center.

Wilson lamented, jokingly, that he is known these days mostly as the husband of Valerie Plame, the covert CIA operative whose name was leaked to news columnist Robert Novak by then- U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

The leak is largely believed to have been in retaliation for Wilson's op-ed article in the New York Times criticizing Bush's claim that Saddam Hussein had uranium for making nuclear bombs.

With Hall and Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley by his side, the former ambassador to several African countries slammed those he believed really betrayed his wife and the country.

"When elephants fight, it's the grass that gets trampled," Wilson said, making reference to an African proverb. "Novak is only a blade of grass in all this. There are bigger fish to fry." He named Armitage, Vice President Dick Cheney and Bush's chief political strategist, Karl Rove.

[CorpGovActivist]

9. Armitage/Halliburton Connection

Search on "Armitage" in this filing: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/45012/000126947606000011/shameonvirginiasenators.htm

Other filings I've made with the SEC: http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?company=smith+david+allen&CIK=&filenum=&State=&SIC=&owner=include&action=getcompany

- Dave

[CorpGovActivist]

7. The Resurgence of Salons...

... although they've never entirely died out in DC, there is a resurgence of them here, too!

"I can't remember the last time I felt so optimistic about the future of our neighbours to the south. This has been an utterly remarkable series of threads, and the sense of 'teetering on the brink' they generate is palpable."

Canadian history fascinates me, and the beauty of the Canadian landscape overawes me. I love being up there. From Benjamin Franklin, to the talk of BC joining the U.S. when Quebec was flirting with independence again in the 90s, some Americans have looked longingly to the north and said, "Dang. Coulda, woulda, shoulda gotten Canada, too!"

BushCo. awakened long-slumbering forces in America. We are a pluralistic society, and fear is not a basis for foreign or domestic policy. Some of us even recall that Canada was right there on the beaches of Normandy, fighting the good fight. Lumber disputes and disputes over the comparative merits of our healthcare systems aside, when Canada is worried about the turn of our political discourse, we should reflect: Canada is a good friend, and the honest rebuke of a good friend should never go unheeded.

"I belong to a combined virtual/real discussion group called The Ottawa Dissenters, that in many ways resembles a 19th century salon. At our next face meeting the topic up for discussion is 'social ignition' - how and why it happens, how it can be fostered, and what aspects of our civilization would benefit from such a transformative blossoming of consciousness. Recent examples of social ignition that spring to mind include the Romanian revolution, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the American Civil rights movement, and the entire year of 1968. The meme of Global Warming may have reached ignition temperature, and as we speak the awareness of Peak Oil is struggling to be born."

Great examples. Abolitionism is another good example. The Berlin Wall fell my senior year of high school. Weeks before the demonstrations began, I wrote a scholarship essay - the premise of which was that the Berlin Wall would fall in my lifetime. By the time the essay got judged, the Wall had fallen. I meant by the time I was 40 or 50; my lucky choice of topics nabbed the scholarship, though! I have a chunk of the Berlin Wall sitting on my bookshelf.

For global warming, I think making inland areas understand the devastating consequences to *their* interests will be critical. If you live east of the Rockies, or west of the Alleghenies, your immediate reaction to the prospect of NYC flooding may be, "Eh. Who cares? Sounds like I may be sitting on beachfront property someday." Once it's made clear though that the goods and services exported to those areas would drop exponentially, that may make "immediately unaffected" voters begin to care.

"Into this illustrious company now comes the Bush Family Evil Empire and all of its myriad corrupt tentacles. This ignition of awareness has been fostered by the tireless work of many, many people around the world, and the fire appears to be well laid. All that remains is for the match to be struck – the occurrence of that single defining event that kindles the flame. 1968 had Woodstock, the Romanians had Timisoara, the Berlin Wall had its images of dancers and hammerers, the Civil Rights movement had Rosa Parks."

When you see and hear Congressman Waxman's gavel come down the first time in January, you've witnessed the moment.

"I dearly hope that the match that lights this Bonfire of the Humilities will be Cheney’s indictment."

We aren't approaching the pyre with "matches," but with many torches - each of which, on its own, is sufficient to do the job.

"Way to go, Dave. You have laid some mighty flammable kindling."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_London

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Build_a_Fire

; )

- Dave

[GliderGuider]

11. With torches...

...and pitchforks!

The key to making those "east of the Rockies, or west of the Alleghenies" understand the consequences of climate Change is, unfortunately, drought. While the notion of rising oceans may not concern them, the corn withering in the fields is starting to get their attention.

[CorpGovActivist]

14. Farmers and Miners...

... both stand to lose a lot, both directly and indirectly.

- Dave

[jwirr]

10. Once the election is over our ability to research issues is going

to be one of our most effective tools to help Dems fight back. Especially if we have both houses.

[CorpGovActivist]

13. House Will Be Sufficient...

... though I'm hoping for an upset in the Senate, too.

- Dave

P.S. Even if the GOP retains nominal control of the Senate after today, indictments against Abramoff-tainted GOP incumbents *could* tip the balance between now and January, when the new Congress is sworn in. Exhibit A: George Allen of Virginia, where the Democratic Governor, Tim Kaine, would appoint his replacement, until a special election can be held.

[Blackhatjack]

20. The harder they try to hide corruption, the more it squishes thru their fingers...

When people stay in power long enough, they become cocky and arrogant about ever getting caught, which usually leads to their downfall. By the time they realize they are under investigation, it becomes virtually impossible to coordinate everyone's 'stories' and documentation tends to grow legs and end up in the darnedest places.

If you were an investigator of this corruption, one of the first signs you look for is 'timing' of alibis and inconsistency among the targets. Once you 'turn' one target, they become the 'guide' to uncovering the names and wrongdoing of all the rest. At the beginning it appears things are moving very slowly, but all of a sudden there is a line outside your door of targets wanting to 'cut a deal and cooperate to get a more lenient sentence.'

This pattern repeats itself over and over. Look at the Watergate scandal as an example. The early investigation and jousting took months, but once Dean and others 'turned' the jig was up, and the coverup defense collapsed with a President resigning office.

With any luck at all, we will see a repeat with these scoundrels....

[CorpGovActivist]

24. It's Textbook, with a Twist...

... the Internet and other tech tools make it a "prosecutor's playing field" nowadays, in cases like this one - especially when dealing with dinosaurs who treat e-mail like the cone of silence it clearly isn't.

- Dave

[307 MMS]

12. Patience

We've all heard that "patience is a virtue" and we've known all along that Cheney has been driving this bus. Well it's time for ol'"can't shoot for shit" to be thrown under the bus. This "turd with legs" has so much to answer for, it's just incredible how criminal one man in our gov't can be. And how much power he enjoys. I hope this is the real deal and starts the end of a long nightmare. These people need to be charged with treason and nothing less and I'll be thrilled to see Mr. Arrogance himself, be the first to go down along with his buddy Scooter. Thanks again so much Dave. This will be their tsunami and their Waterloo combined. Keep up the patriotic work!

[CorpGovActivist]

15. Maybe If Any of Them Had Actually Served...

... they'd understand field tactics!

; )

- Dave

[blm]

51. Welling with tears here. It's been such a hard road for my wing of the party.

The corruption exposers take all the risks and all the ridicule with little notice or thanks.

Yet you effect the REAL history of this country more than any other group.

[CorpGovActivist]

52. Some Good Folks on Capitol Hill...

... have all they need in the way of data - today, they get the gavels.

- Dave

[blm]

72. CORRUPTION is number one issue for Americans in exit polls.

This is what it's all about - time for Anti-corruption, open government Democrats to step up and LEAD THIS NATION.

[CorpGovActivist]

74. I Am Loving That Meme...

... did you hear Matthews just name Halliburton by name?

; )

- Dave

[blm]

76. I've been pushing it for over two years here at DU, Corp.

I had been trying to get Dems here to UNDERSTAND what Kerry is really all about, but it's hard when media has distorted him for so long for so many.

Now the exit poll shows that anti-corruption and open government is EXACTLY where most of the American people are at.

[CorpGovActivist]

77. This Will Help Inform...

... the agenda for wielding the gavels.

Halliburton whistleblowers rejoice!

- Dave

[blm]

79. heheh...at some point after this you will have to speak out to DU and get them to understand

about Kerry and what he is about from YOUR vantage point.

There is a reason why Kennedy and Cleland and Hart and Wilson and others trust Kerry.

[CorpGovActivist]

80. Maybe on C-SPAN

; )

- Dave

[blm]

83. maybe with Robert Parry discussing your book.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2612825&mesg_id=2613195

[CorpGovActivist]

84. Thanks...

... that would be nice.

- Dave

[DemReadingDU]

78. People do get it!

Corruption, the root of all evil

[CorpGovActivist]

81. I'm Hearing Halliburton Mentioned ...

... over and over and over!

WOO FRIGGIN' HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Dave

[Straight Shooter]

16. I don't know who this individual is, but I like her/him:

I didn't call (...) yet. My plan was to wait on calling the people with political backgrounds initially. I wanted to assure myself that I was starting from as many facts as I could before getting into areas where politics and investigations collide. It seemed more intellectually honest, although I might have to reassess that approach (in light of the unreturned phone calls).

Seems to me someone has a struggle going on between their ethical conscience and their professional boundaries.

I might add that if "Cheneygate" had been splashed across the papers this morning, it very well could have had the opposite effect, wherein people cynically viewed it as a Democratic "October surprise" and voted for the Repubs out of spite.

Good work, Dave. :thumbsup:

:patriot:

[CorpGovActivist]

17. Some Editors Voiced That Very Meme...

"I might add that if 'Cheneygate' had been splashed across the papers this morning, it very well could have had the opposite effect, wherein people cynically viewed it as a Democratic 'October surprise' and voted for the Repubs out of spite."

Some specifically gave voice to that very concern - especially those with a "liberal" bent (the irony is, they tend to be super extra cautious, since they know they'll be scrutinized hardest by the White House spin machine).

The story isn't going away. As for the reporter in question, s/he has demonstrated - over and over - that doing this story intelligently and factually is the ultimate goal.

First is not always best.

- Dave

[Straight Shooter]

35. Great minds think alike.

;)

Intelligently and factually. That's the kind of journalist/editor/participant I can respect. Thanks, Dave.

[CorpGovActivist]

37. I Agree...

... some veteran MSM journalists still hew to old school values.

- Dave

[druidity33]

75. can't wait...

to find out who gets the scoop! I wonder if it will be a reporter we all know... and what service/publication will first "out" the story in detail.

My guess is the first splash will be by a National Daily (NYT?) and the in depth maybe by Mother Jones or Rolling Stone...

[CorpGovActivist]

82. I Couldn't Fairly...

... participate in that bet.

; )

- Dave

[blm]

55. I agree Straight Shooter.

They would have traced the story back to Kerry and painted it as a some pathological revenge from him. I can't wait till the big media gets broken up.

[originalpckelly]

18. Ironically you were already in a FOX News story:

Which you may already know about:
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2006Nov01/0,4670,SECHalliburton,00.html

[CorpGovActivist]

23. Note the Byline

It's not really Fox's work. They just picked it up.

- Dave

[CorpGovActivist]

19. Another MSM Story, Plus ...

UN investigation/audit into Halliburton/KBR overcharges: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&q=halliburton+audit+united+nations

A certain DUer's prediction, a few weeks ago: http://journals.democraticunderground.com/IdesOfOctober/9

; )

- Dave

[Buttercup McToots]

21. ??? .....11/7/06

http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/cover/november06/07112006/f407112006.html

Presidency denies money laundering allegation against Uba
By Jide Ajani, Political Editor & Rotimi Ajayi
Posted to the Web: Tuesday, November 07, 2006



ABUJA— THE Presidency dismissed, yesterday, the allegations of money laundering and corruption against the Senior Special Assistant (Special Duties) to President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr Emmanuel Nnamdi (Andy) Uba, as gross distortion of facts. The Political Adviser to President Obasanjo, Bashorun Akin Osuntokun, said in Abuja that there was nothing to the reports.

Investigations by the US secret service suggested that the sum of $170,000 (about N25 million at the time) was smuggled into New York on September 22, 2003 by Andy Uba aboard the Nigerian presidential plane, without a report to US customs and border protection as legally required.Uba allegedly handed the money to one Loretta Mabinton, who claimed in court documents that the presidential aide was her fiancéé, and that he gave her the money to take care of his affairs in the US.Part of the money, $45,487.28 (about N6.5 million), was said to have been used to pay Mabinton’s MBNA credit card account, which was deployed to purchase assorted farm equipment that were shipped to Obasanjo Farms in Otta, Ogun State.

The report also quoted a secret service report which it said equally said $91,262.50 (about N12.9 million) was used to purchase a Mercedes Benz car SL500 for Uba, which was to be shipped to Nigeria.The car, and the remainder of the laundered funds, have now been ordered seized by the US District Court of Oregon, being proceeds of bulk cash smuggling, violations of currency and monetary instrument reporting requirements, currency transaction reporting requirements, and money laundering.Loretta Mabinton, the report alleged, had confessed to the US law enforcement agents that she flew into New York on September 22, 2003 and received $170,000 from Uba while he was at the United Nations Plaza Hotel.

The latter had accompanied President Obasanjo to New York to attend a meeting of the United Nations. US law enforcement agents also indicated that the Service’s Atlanta field office had listed Andy Uba as a previous subject of an Advance Fee Fraud (419) investigation, and that the $170,000 was not wired into Mabinton’s accounts because it would have brought attention to numerous other past suspicious transactions.

A United State District Court of Portland, Oregon was reported to have seized large sum of foreign currency from Mr Uba who was alleged to have smuggled the money into the United State using the Presidential jet.

But speaking to Vanguard in Abuja yesterday, Basorun Osuntokun dismissed the allegations as unfounded.He said: “I can assure you that there is no substance to the report. Whatever was reported is grossly distorted and exaggerated.”

[Blackhatjack]

22. Your Log of Visitors to Your Journal/Website Must be Interesting...

... I would suspect that the targets have alerted their MSM hacks to research you thoroughly and be ready to counter the charges they know are coming. Keeping a log of activity could be very useful when determining what action these 'targets' took and when in the timeline of this corruption investigation.

THere just may be an added "bonus" that comes from this story breaking and the ensuing investigation that brings down Cheney --we may be able to discover direct links within the MSM to Cheney and other WH denizens. How are they gonna explain their activity BEFORE the story actually broke if they did not get their info from whistleblowers and/or investigators?

Should be interesting...

[CorpGovActivist]

25. The Best Part of That Is...

1. They were unaware they were being tracked, for months.

2. The data is breathtaking, when displayed for a tribunal to see.

3. Some recently-built Federal courthouses were constructed with the Internet Age firmly in mind, meaning that: A. grand jury rooms are equipped with all necessary high-speed, A/V equipment, etc. to show e-evidence; and B. ditto for actual courtrooms.

- Dave

[stop the bleeding]

26. you are great thinker

I would love to have you on my kickball team in any contest.:toast:

[CorpGovActivist]

27. Kickball?

Dodge ball! Let's all throw a big red rubber ball at KKKarl!

LOL.

- Dave

[Laurab]

32. Does it have to be rubber?

I like bowling, myself!

[CorpGovActivist]

33. They'd Shatter...

... he's so hard-headed.

- Dave

[PerfectSage]

28. Halliburton Closes Deal to Sell Nigeria-Based Lift Boats

More Asset selling.


11:30 EST Tuesday, November 07, 2006

HOUSTON (Business Wire) -- Two Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) subsidiaries, Halliburton West Africa Limited and Halliburton Energy Services Nigeria Limited, announced today that they have finalized the previously announced agreement to sell certain non-core assets to Hercules Offshore, Inc. (NASDAQ:HERO). The sale includes eight lift boats and gives Hercules the right to operate five additional lift boats under an agreement with the third-party vessel owner. The 13 vessels, with an average age of 20 years, are based in Nigeria and operate in the coastal waters of West Africa.

The initial purchase price is approximately $50 million, with additional payments to Halliburton over a three-year period based on an earn-out arrangement. The sale will result in a pre-tax gain for Halliburton of more than $35 million. "As we stated previously, the sale of these assets is in line with Halliburton's decision several years ago to exit the lift boat business," said Cris Gaut, Halliburton's Chief Financial Officer.

Halliburton, founded in 1919, is one of the world's largest providers of products and services to the petroleum and energy industries. The company serves its customers with a broad range of products and services through its Energy Services Group and KBR. Visit the company's Web site at www.halliburton.com.

Halliburton Public Relations, Houston
Melissa Norcross, 713-759-2601
[e-mail]
or
Halliburton Investor Relations
Evelyn Angelle, 713-759-2633
[e-mail]

[CorpGovActivist]

29. Put Another Way...

... BakerBotts' Bilkable Hours aren't cheap: gotta raise the scratch somehow!

; )

- Dave

[PerfectSage]

31. Very Interesting... ...HAL had good Q3 operating cashflow

but mostly because of a share repurchase program their cash position was negative for Q3.


http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/ExtendFund.asp?CompanyID=7147&NumPeriods=4&Duration=1&FiscalQtr=&documentType=3&coname=Halliburton+Company&market=NYSE&PageName=Company+Financials&selected=HAL&symbol=HAL&symbol=SIRI&symbol=&symbol=&symbol=&symbol=&symbol=&symbol=&symbol=&symbol=

Makes me wonder if some time after Sept 22, they realized they're legally screwed. ;) It will be interesting to see if more asset sales keep on showing up in the HAL news.


Halliburton Announces Increase of Share Repurchase Program

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 2006--

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) announced that its Board of Directors has authorized an increase of its existing common share repurchase program of up to an additional $2 billion. The share repurchase program does not require Halliburton to acquire any specific number of shares. This program may be effected through unsolicited transactions in the market and may be terminated or suspended at any time.

In February 2006, Halliburton's Board of Directors authorized an initial $1 billion share repurchase program. As of September 21, 2006, Halliburton had repurchased approximately 29.5 million shares under this program at an average price of $33.31 per share for a total of $983 million.

Halliburton, founded in 1919, is one of the world's largest providers of products and services to the petroleum and energy industries. The company serves its customers with a broad range of products and services through its Energy Services Group and KBR. The company's World Wide Web site can be accessed at www.halliburton.com.

Source: Halliburton

[CorpGovActivist]

34. Not All Share Repurchase Programs Are Created...

... equal. Some are nothing more than transparent - and desperate - attempts to prop up the stock price.

- Dave

[Buttercup McToots]

36. Not sure if this is up here...

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlehybrid.aspx?type=comktNews&storyid=URI:2006-11-07T022008Z_01_N06319105_RTRIDST_0_IRAQ-UN-CONTRACTS.XML&rpc=11

UN watchdog: $22 mln missing in Iraq contracts
Mon Nov 6, 2006 9:20pm ET
Market View
HAL (Halliburton Co )
Last: $31.91
Change: -0.61 (-1.88%)
Revenue (ttm): M
EPS:
Market Cap: M
Time: 12:06pm ET



Stock Details
Company Profile
Analyst Research
Company News:
PRESS DIGEST - New York Times business - Nov 7
UN watchdog: $22 mln missing in Iraq contracts
Halliburton will likely agree to extend SEC probe
More Company News... Email This Article | Print This Article | Reprints <-> Text <+>
WASHINGTON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - An audit of 15 noncompetitive contracts paid for by U.S. government agencies with Iraqi oil money was unable to account for $22.4 million in funds, a U.N.-led watchdog said on Monday.

The audit by KPMG, ordered by the International Advisory and Monitoring Board, or IAMB, said in some cases Iraq did not receive goods, there were "unreconciled payments" and there was no evidence that steps were taken to fix previously reported problems.

The contracts varied, from oil pipeline security, police and military training, printing of the new Iraqi currency to the purchase of vehicles and food.

"In view of these findings, the IAMB recommends that the Iraqi government seek resolution with the U.S. government concerning the use of resources of the (Development Fund for Iraq), which might be in contradiction with the UN Security Council Resolution 1483," the board said in a statement posted on its Web site.



The IAMB, which also includes officials from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, was created by the U.N. Security Council in 2003 to oversee the use of Iraqi oil money while the country was under an interim U.S. administration.

The watchdog's mandate expires at the end of December and its last meeting is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 11-12.

Meanwhile, the IAMB also said an audit by Crowe Chizek accounting firm that looked at Iraq contracts between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Halliburton Co. (HAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root were found "to be reasonable."

"The audit reviewed the findings of earlier audit reports by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) and found that the conclusions reached by the DCAA were supported by the underlying accounting and auditing records," the IAMB said.

But the audit noted that transportation costs incurred by the Halliburton unit for fuel supplies to Iraq between May 2003 and March 2004 were very high, in some cases as much as 86 percent of the total contract costs.

"The IAMB continues to question the reasonableness of these costs and the adequacy of the administration contracts," it said.

The Texas-based Halliburton, formerly run by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, has drawn scrutiny for its work in Iraq, where it was the biggest U.S. military contractor.


© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.

[Blackhatjack]

38. Sure Sounds Like "Shell Game" In Full Force ...

... how quickly can you liquidate assets, turn them into electronic financial credits, divide and recombine with other legitimate funds, and move through numerous entities with lots of other transactions, till they are no longer identifiable....

I would expect lots of hard assets to be sold and the cash to disappear.... but then again I am somewhat cynical about people involved in corruption changing their ways...

[CorpGovActivist]

39. BakerBotts' Bilkable Hours - The Great Intangible

Nice way to transfer shareholder assets - into the coffers of the BushCo. Barristers.

- Dave

[CorpGovActivist]

40. Expose Article on BushCo. Barristers

One outlet is looking into the law firms that routinely represent BushCo., BTW.

; )

- Dave

[SoCalDem]

42. Wasn't Enron involved in a boat scheme? also Africa, I think

:shrug:

[CorpGovActivist]

43. Barges/SPEs

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=barges+special+purpose+entities+enron

- Dave

[Blackhatjack]

44. Let's Go To the DOJ Summary of the Indictment ....

According to the indictment, Enron attempted unsuccessfully in 1999 to sell an interest in electricity-generating power barges moored off the coast of Nigeria. Enron, through Fastow, Boyle and others, then arranged for Merrill Lynch to serve as a temporary buyer so that Enron could record earnings and cash flow in 1999, making Enron appear more profitable than it was.

Imagine! Merrill Lynch was complicit in fraud, and as a result Merrill Lynch made enough to pay executives involved bonuses!

You just can't keep some financial institutions out of a massive fraud when the money to be made is this easy.

[CorpGovActivist]

47. Yup, There Are ML's in This Scandal, Too

The Bushy Bankers.

- Dave

[IdesOfOctober]

30. When's the closeup, Mr. DeMille?

:rofl:

Make sure they light those cavernous dimples!

Ides

[steve2470]

41. k&r nt

[tenndem1]

45. Thank you so much

Thank you so much for all that you and others like you are doing for America.

This is my first DU post; I specifically chose your latest journal thread although I have been voraciously reading many DU threads since the last week in October (the housework and cooking have pretty much come to a halt here at home).

My husband and I have been in a state of shock since the 2000 election. We have viewed the escalating greed and deceit from various members of this administration, as well as those associated with them, with a sense of horror. It is unbelievable that not everyone sees this; my sincere hope is that what you are doing will make it impossible for anyone to deny.

This quote of Charles Dickens sums up my feelings about many of the members of this administration: "The very first word he learnt to spell was *gain* and the second (when he got into two syllables) *money*."

Again thanks - it must feel wonderful to see your years of hard work finally coming to fruition.

[hootinholler]

46. Welcome to DU!

You picked a hellofa day to join ;)

-Hoot

[Buttercup McToots]

48. Welcome TennDem

:hi:

[GliderGuider]

49. Nice entrance! Welcome to DU!

:hi:

I hope this is a great day for you and your great country!

:party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party:

[CorpGovActivist]

50. Wow...Thanks

"This is my first DU post; I specifically chose your latest journal thread although I have been voraciously reading many DU threads since the last week in October (the housework and cooking have pretty much come to a halt here at home)."

Wow. Thanks for speaking up. Whereabouts are you writing in from? As for housework - LOL. Every other November, I just know certain things are going to fall to the wayside for a while. I make sure I have the day after the election off, too (makes it easier to stay up late watching returns).

"My husband and I have been in a state of shock since the 2000 election. We have viewed the escalating greed and deceit from various members of this administration, as well as those associated with them, with a sense of horror. It is unbelievable that not everyone sees this; my sincere hope is that what you are doing will make it impossible for anyone to deny."

The documentary evidence against these folks is compelling. The whistleblowers who've come forward helped the investigators build a solid case.

"Again thanks - it must feel wonderful to see your years of hard work finally coming to fruition."

It ain't over yet, but it's definitely in a much different phase than it was before, and - I hope this comes through - I am very optimistic about America's resiliency, and the ability of the Constitutional framework to more than cope with this whole mess.

- Dave

[tenndem1]

67. Writing from

a rural area in East Tennessee

[CorpGovActivist]

69. Pretty Country; My Mom Gets to Cherokee Reservations...

... pretty frequently, to work with educators there. The Smokies are incredible.

- Dave

[Subdivisions]

53. Hello, tenndem1, and welcome to DU! I have a question...

You said you found the site a couple of weeks ago. I reference your quote:

"My husband and I have been in a state of shock since the 2000 election. We have viewed the escalating greed and deceit from various members of this administration, as well as those associated with them, with a sense of horror. It is unbelievable that not everyone sees this; my sincere hope is that what you are doing will make it impossible for anyone to deny."

I found DU for the same reasons. Things in 2000 just did not look right and the questions since have become uncountable.

My question is this: Were you and your husband politically savvy (meaning you actively researched your candidates and the issues and enganged in activist activities) before 2000, or were you simply carrying out your civic duty to vote with only a cursory knowledge of your candidates/issues?

The reason I ask is that I am curious as to a possible "awakening" of the population as to what is happening to our democracy and, as a consequence, the very fabric of our nation.

I am hopeful.

[tenndem1]

66. Texas Explorer

Thanks for the welcome.

We have always tried to research candidates, but after the 2000 election I just could not believe that so many people where I live could not "see" what I "saw."

To be honest I haven't really seen a lot of "awakening" around here yet, but my hope is that soon it will be impossible not to "wake up." I am hopeful, too; one cannot give up.

[kestrel91316]

54. Welcome to the midst of the fray, lol!

[DemReadingDU]

68. Welcome tenndem1!

:hi:

[Buttercup McToots]

56. Geeez

Just found this site...auld but lots of info on bush/cheney/enron...
http://www.apfn.org/enron/scandalous.htm

http://www.apfn.org/apfn/enron_bush.htm

[CorpGovActivist]

57. The Old Stuff and the New Stuff...

... form a pattern of racketeering activity, which allows prosecutors to string back a necklace of "predicate acts" that go far back.

- Dave

[Blackhatjack]

58. Running the river back to its source, right? ... LOL

Prosecution of crimes is much easier once the targets have engaged in this much wrongdoing. Stopping criminal activity at its source is much more difficult. It takes "targets" cooperating early to nip criminal activity in the bud(as Barney Fife used to say).

BTW if you are a decent defense lawyer, you do the same kind of analysis so that you can adequately advise a client --and that often leads to a plea negotiation early on.

In the case of Cheney, I suspect this is an all or none situation. THere just is not enough leniency out there to cover the kind of criminal responsibility resting on his shoulders. THese kinds of cases make for prolonged investigations and trials, but excellent theatre!

[CorpGovActivist]

61. Bingo...

... also, some of the Sarbanes-Oxley tools are just crying out for first use.

; )

- Dave

[hootinholler]

59. Predicate acts...

Establishes racketeering, no?

Crimes in multiple juridictions unlikely to be otherwise prosecuted, forms the basis of RICO charges, IIRC.

-Hoot

[CorpGovActivist]

60. Yup...RICO Predicate Acts...

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sup_01_18_10_I_20_95.html

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sup_01_18_10_I_20_96.html

- Dave

[Buttercup McToots]

62. Am I off the Yellow Brick road again?

But I did not know this...
Brezezinski (a consultant to Amoco, and architect of the Afghan-Soviet war of the 1970s), Henry Kissinger (advisor to Unocal), and Alexander Haig (a lobbyist for Turkmenistan), and Dick Cheney (Halliburton, US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce).



http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHI203A.html
Part One of a two-part series Players on a rigged grand chessboard: Bridas,

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Argentine oil company Bridas, led by its ambitious chairman, Carlos Bulgheroni, became the first company to exploit the oil fields of Turkmenistan and propose a pipeline through neighboring Afghanistan. A powerful US-backed consortium intent on building its own pipeline through the same Afghan corridor would oppose Bridas' project.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Coveted Trans-Afghan Route

Upon successfully negotiating leases to explore in Turkmenistan, Bridas was awarded exploration contracts for the Keimar block near the Caspian Sea, and the Yashlar block near the Afghanistan border. By March 1995, Bulgheroni had accords with Turkmenistan and Pakistan granting Bridas construction rights for a pipeline into Afghanistan, pending negotiations with the civil war-torn country.

The following year, after extensive meetings with warlords throughout Afghanistan, Bridas had a 30-year agreement with the Rabbani regime to build and operate an 875-mile gas pipeline across Afghanistan.

Bulgheroni believed that his pipeline would promote peace as well as material wealth in the region. He approached other companies, including Unocal and its then-CEO, Roger Beach, to join an international consortium.

But Unocal was not interested in a partnership. The United States government, its affiliated transnational oil and construction companies, and the ruling elite of the West had coveted the same oil and gas transit route for years.

A trans-Afghanistan pipeline was not simply a business matter, but a key component of a broader geo-strategic agenda: total military and economic control of Eurasia (the Middle East and former Soviet Central Asian republics). Zbigniew Brezezinski describes this region in his book "The Grand Chessboard-American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives" as "the center of world power." Capturing the region's oil wealth, and carving out territory in order to build a network of transit routes, was a primary objective of US military interventions throughout the 1990s in the Balkans, the Caucasus and Caspian Sea.

As of 1992, 11 western oil companies controlled more than 50 percent of all oil investments in the Caspian Basin, including Unocal, Amoco, Atlantic Richfield, Chevron, Exxon-Mobil, Pennzoil, Texaco, Phillips and British Petroleum.

In "Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia" (a definitive work that is a primary source for this report), Ahmed Rashid wrote, "US oil companies who had spearheaded the first US forays into the region wanted a greater say in US policy making."

Business and policy planning groups active in Central Asia, such as the Foreign Oil Companies Group operated with the full support of the US State Department, the National Security Council, the CIA and the Department of Energy and Commerce.

Among the most active operatives for US efforts: Brezezinski (a consultant to Amoco, and architect of the Afghan-Soviet war of the 1970s), Henry Kissinger (advisor to Unocal), and Alexander Haig (a lobbyist for Turkmenistan), and Dick Cheney (Halliburton, US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce).

[Blackhatjack]

63. Don't Forget The Taliban Visited The US While Abusing Their Citizens...

... there were rumors of an oil pipeline deal struck which went out the window when we invaded Afghanistan and deposed the Taliban. Of course we set up the new govt with a former Oil Company Exec(Karzai) and I am sure we got a much better deal for the pipeline rights than the Taliban wanted.

[hootinholler]

64. An exercise that would be fun...

Plot the positions of US bases in Afghanistan.

Compare them to the proposed pipline route.

One might see a recurring theme there.

-Hoot

[CorpGovActivist]

91. PetroPolitik?

Say it ain't so.

- Dave

[hootinholler]

92. It ain't so

:evilgrin:

-Hoot

[Buttercup McToots]

65. Up Up

:)

[CorpGovActivist]

70. LOL...Now I'm...

...up, after a power nap (up late doing West Coast calls last night, up early to vote). The usual Election Night celebration was not going to see me awake if I didn't get a nap in.

: )

How are things looking in your neck of the woods today?

- Dave

[IdesOfOctober]

71. First paid job?

Teen columnist for his local paper.

Ides

[bleever]

73. Kicking for the term "bilkable hours".

:thumbsup:

[CorpGovActivist]

90. Kick for the Term, "Indictable Offenses"?

WOO HOO!!!

- Dave

[PerfectSage]

85. Webb Wins Woooooooooooooooo Hoooooooooooo!!!!!!

:toast: :bounce:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyiBabx0eWY

These UNOFFICIAL RESULTS have not been certified and are subject
to change as data is corrected by the local electoral board.
This page will automatically refresh every two minutes.
Results last updated 12:51 AM Wednesday, November 8, 2006.

Select Political Race:

Office: U.S. Senate


Precincts Reporting: 2425 of 2443 (99.26%)
Registered Voters: 4,555,672 Total Voting: 2,323,715 Voter Turnout: 51.01 %
Candidates Party Vote Totals Percentage
J H Webb Jr Democratic 1,148,750 49.44%
G F Allen Republican 1,146,952 49.36%
G G Parker Independent Green 25,719 1.11%
Write Ins 2,294 0.10%
View Results by District Locality Total: 2,323,715

[CorpGovActivist]

86. And the MSM Is Suddenly VERY Interested in the CORRUPTION Angle...

Woo hoo to that, too!

- Dave

[CorpGovActivist]

87. Awesome! Renewed Interest...

... in the Halliburton stories is already flooding in!

- Dave

[eridani]

88. So, do we get a war profiteering commission a la Truman?

Tell us how we can make this happen.

[CorpGovActivist]

89. Tell Waxman You'd Support It!!!

That's how!

WOO HOO!!!

I'm doing my part with the MSM.

- Dave

[CorpGovActivist]

93. Yes, We Do...

... in both houses.

- Dave

[Buttercup McToots]

94. Good Mornin`

What will taeday bring?:)

[CorpGovActivist]

95. The MSM Is Tripping All Over Themselves...

... to elbow each other aside for the Halliburton stories now.

: )

- Dave

[G_Leo_Criley]

96. Then you are pretty busy!!!

Dave... :patriot:

The house and now the senate! Yessssssss!

Make those media types stand in line nicely for their Halliburton fix. :-)

Has anything been heard from old cheney, I wonder? hmmm...

Am off for a long weekend and probably won't be near a computer! Will check in to see what y'all are up to if at all possible though.

The House and the Senate! Media wanting more Halliburton info! Oh my goodness!!!

Take care!

glc

[CorpGovActivist]

97. The Floodgates Are Open...

... and the data that has been so carefully safeguarded can now come gushing out.

- Dave

[Buttercup McToots]

98. Hoots

Hoots
G_Leo_Criley & David
What's happening?
Just got hame...

[Buttercup McToots]

108. Good Mornin`

What's cookin`?

[Buttercup McToots]

99. Good Mornin`

:)

[radfringe]

100. is the drip turning into a trickle?

couple of articles I thought may be of interest:

Buying Cheney’s Blunder
By FLOYD NORRIS
The Ledger | Friday 11/10/06
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061110/ZNYT01/392/1001/BUSINESS

Can a company under investigation by the Justice Department raise hundreds of millions of dollars in an initial public offering? What if there are two separate investigations? Or three?

Next week, we will get an answer to an even more daunting question. Can KBR Inc., as Kellogg Brown & Root is now known, raise half a billion dollars from investors even though four Justice Department investigations are pending, as well as an inquiry by the British government?

KBR is now a subsidiary of Halliburton, the oil services giant. In recent years, it has lost money on most of its operations, but has made that up with profit from its work for the American and British governments in the Middle East, mostly in Iraq.

One of the criminal investigations stems from KBR’s Iraq contracts, with a grand jury looking into issues of fraud in purchasing supplies for the government. Another inquiry is investigating possible overcharges for work that KBR did for the United States in the Balkans from 1996 to 2000.

---snip---

That deal was Halliburton’s $7.7 billion 1998 acquisition of Dresser Industries. Engineered by Dick Cheney, then Halliburton’s chief executive, the merger accomplished a major strategic goal, making Halliburton the world’s largest provider of oil field services.

---snip---

Halliburton began unloading parts of Dresser soon after Mr. Cheney became the vice president of the United States in 2001, and while some Dresser operations have been integrated into Halliburton, the disposal of KBR would remove a major reminder of that deal. That it will have taken more than eight years is a reminder of how long an ordeal can result from a big decision made with poor information.
=======

Halliburton shares may face Democrat headwind
17:10 ET, Wed 8 Nov 2006
By Matt Daily | Reuters
http://elections.us.reuters.com/extras/news/usnN08428344.html

HOUSTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Shares in Halliburton Co. <HAL.N>, the Pentagon's largest private contractor in Iraq, rose slightly on Wednesday, after Democrats regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives, but may face pressure in the near future, company watchers said on Wednesday.

The company, whose engineering and construction arm KBR has been paid more than $16 billion for its work in Iraq since 2002, has been sharply criticized by Democrats for its Iraq work and its links to its former chief, Vice President Dick Cheney.

Shares in the company spent most of the day in negative territory on Wednesday before edging up 0.5 percent to close at $31.87. They had slipped 2.5 percent on Tuesday.

---snip---

Key critic Rep. Henry Waxman is expected to become chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, where he could expand his scrutiny of the company and its links to Cheney.

Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri is seen as a likely head of the House Armed Services Committee. He has said he would take a closer look at defense contract abuses and the Bush administration's Iraq war strategy.

---snip---

Government investigators have probed KBR's billing practices for fuel deliveries, dining facilities and other items, and an ongoing investigation is looking into subcontracting practices, which has yielded a 15-month prison sentence for one former employee for accepting kickbacks from an Iraqi company.

==============

fyi: Halliburton Primer WP article from July 2002
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/articles/halliburtonprimer.html

[Buttercup McToots]

101. When

does the IPO come out?
Next week?
Icky Dicky has been awfully quiet...

[radfringe]

103. KBR'S IPO ODDITY -- October 30, 2006

KBR'S IPO ODDITY
SEC FILINGS MAY CONFLICT WITH GOVERNMENT REPORT
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10302006/business/kbrs_ipo_oddity_business_christopher_byron.htm

October 30, 2006 -- FOR the past two years, this column has pretty much been a voice alone in asking a question that no one at the Securities and Exchange Commission has ever been forced to answer: Are taxpayers really getting their money's worth from the $1 billion a year they lavish on the agency to enforce the rule of law on Wall Street?

Finally, the same question is being asked in Congress, and it has sent SEC Chairman Christopher Cox scurrying all over town to show folks that the 72-year-old agency has still got game.

---snip---

A series of filings by KBR Inc. suggests that deep in the bowels of the SEC's corporate finance department, there sits a nameless but noble public servant who apparently harbors some concerns about the accuracy or completeness of a request by KBR Inc., first filed last April, to sell stock to the public in an IPO.

Since then, KBR has turned in three follow-up filings, the most recent of which was submitted less than two weeks ago.

There's no reasonable way to tell from the filings, which now run to a total of more than 500 pages, why these amendments were asked for, and no such disclosures are required by law. Maybe they should be.

Reason: A report released last week by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, which documents a history of disturbing billing practices by KBR and four other U.S. contractors in the reconstruction effort, appears to have some obvious discrepancies with the company's financials as spelled out in the IPO filings.

These discrepancies may be or may not be relevant. But an investor shouldn't have to figure it out for himself when someone at the SEC might well know the answer.

Yet unless companies that are required to file amended financials are also required to spell out, in plain English, exactly why the SEC has asked for the amended filing to begin with, there's just no way for an investor to know what is actually going on.

----snip----

Meanwhile, the kinds of help that the SEC really ought to be providing to investors, as suggested by KBR's filings, are almost certain not to be delivered.

KBR is a wholly owned subsidiary of Halliburton Inc., the Houston-based oil services company that was once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, which hardly commends it as a topic of inquiry to anyone in the Bush administration.

However, the company's audited filings for an IPO present some troubling possibilities in light of the aforementioned inspector general's report on Iraq reconstruction.

Taken in isolation, KBR's IPO financials seem rather ordinary and unimpressive. The company puts some big top-line numbers on the board - a little less than $10.15 billion in revenue in 2005. But it's so-called "cost of services" (what the company has to shell out as expenses in order to deliver on its contracts) eats up 96 percent of that amount right off the bat, meaning a gross margin of barely 4 percent on the business, which is worse than the gross margin of a supermarket.

[CorpGovActivist]

107. Thanks for Posting These...

... they really do help.

- Dave

[conscious evolution]

102. as well as an inquiry by the British government?

This is interesting.

[CorpGovActivist]

106. Could Soon Be ...

... a geyser.

- Dave

[Buttercup McToots]

104. How's

the afternoon goin`?

[Buttercup McToots]

105. Up Up Up AWa`

:)

[bobthedrummer]

109. kick

[Buttercup McToots]

110. Good Mornin`

What will taeday bring us?:)