Let's Be Honest, It is Not About Funding the Troops, It is About Funding the Warprofiteers....

[Blackhatjack]

It is the no-bid contracting Warprofiteers who are lining up to carry away the public largess that Congress is considering approving without a timeline for withdrawal.

The portion of the funding that actually goes into the pockets of the troops is small in comparison.

Bush wants another $50bil to 'support the troops'?

Congress needs to condition further funding not only on establishing a timeline for withdrawal, but on Bush accounting for the funding already allotted --and they can start with the $9bil that the Bush Administration says they cannot account for.

[LiberalEsto]

1. You're absolutely right

Heaven forbid Halliburton should lose a couple million of its ill-gotten gains.

[liberalmike27]

56. Nice

True, and finally I've actually seen a few stories about profiteering, and that Bush friend making money off an oil deal in N. Iraq with the Kurds.

Lord, Bush would have never won had the media explored the Bush family's past as much as they stuck their probe up Clinton's past's butt.

[Virginian]

60. An American company should have those contracts

Haliburton is based in Dubai. It no longer pays taxes in the US.
Does anyone remember the uproar when a Dubai company was going to work at our ports?

Why, then, is it OK to have this foreign corporation feeding our military. That's just wrong all around. That sends the taxpayers' money to a foreign country.

[babylonsister]

2. It's not about bringing democracy to Iraq, it's about running out the clock. The

troops and Iraqis are just collateral damage.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

3. All I want is one politician to say that...just one on national TV.

"Let's Be Honest, It is Not About Funding the Troops, It is About Funding the Warprofiteers...."

[Raster]

35. You'll never hear 98% of Congress say anything near the sort.

The Military/Industrial Machine has their tentacles into just about every Congressperson and Congressional District. War, weapons and infrastructure to wage war is this country's TOP INDUSTRY.

[dickbearton]

37. The Military Industrial Complex has turned America into a fascist state...

All your posting will do nothing about it. It will only end
when it falls in upon itself. We will be destroyed from within
by right wing nuts and the Republican Party. 

[defendandprotect]

43. Right -- and it's the old question, how do the fanatical few rule the many?

FEAR is one answer --

The MIC has been in almost sole power since the end of WWII --
and plus that Truman's establishing the CIA pretty much sealed our fate.

[DUlover2909]

54. Yeah I keep hearing people say the US doesn't make anything.

That's BS. We make the best damn weapons around and we're the biggest arms dealer in the world. Yeah, Japan makes great cars, China makes great clothes, and Germany makes great chocolate. We make M1-Abrams tanks and Phoenix missiles! Yeah! USA-USA-USA (waves flag):patriot:

[Blackhatjack]

4. How else do you explain $500bil spent and the troops do not have equipment they need?

What do the troops have? Well they got contaminated water supplied to them. They were fed post-dated food while contractors sat around and dined on fine food intended for the troops. The government was billed for millions of meals that were never served to the troops.

ANd the troops know exactly who was getting the money. They watch the 'private contracted support personnel' ride around in expensive state of the art vehicles that they do not have. And they know that these 'mercenaries' are often paid 4-10 times what the soldiers are being paid, and they have no obligation to adhere to the Code of Military Conduct.

The troops know. Officials in our government know. The MSM know, and yet we are fed the line that 'Congress must fund our troops.'

[Blackhatjack]

6. Lets K & R this thread and get the discussion on the real issue of 'Bush's funding request' n/t

[La Lioness Priyanka]

5. aint that the truth. nt

[knitter4democracy]

7. Amen and amen to all of that!

Where's the public's money?! He went on and on about how the surplus was our money, so where is it? I want to know, and I think we all have a right to know.

This isn't about the troops, or they'd have the socks they need. They'd have laundry services for free, and they'd all have the best body armor and helmet liners lined with lead.

[Blackhatjack]

10. And it should offend all of us how this Administration has treated returning troops...

Charging them for missing and damaged equipment.

Denying them the healthcare they need, and refusing to give them a disability rating so that they can qualify for assistance.

It is absolutely shameful the way these soldiers have been treated, and their families are outraged as well --but for the most part they remain silent.

There is absolutely no way that this Administration 'supports the troops.'

[knitter4democracy]

26. Sure ticks me off.

I don't know anyone who's okay with any of that. It shouldn't take new charities, though, to raise the money to "pay back" the shattered armor and equipment.

Read anysoldier.com and see what gets me furious when I let myself go there. Our knitting guild is doing helmet liners for the troops, and it disgusts me that we have to take care of their basic needs.

[Virginian]

59. I know what you mean

Our sewing group is making comfort quilts for Fisher house.

First of all, Fisher House should not have to exist because our troops shouldn't be over there getting injured. Secondly, the military should provide this service for the vets, it should not have to come from private donations.

The same goes for the Intrepid. That place should also be funded by the government that caused the injuries.

[bdamomma]

28. how they treating returning troops and the ones who are there.

they are sleeping in moldy tents, infested with bacteria giving them respiratory symptoms. Yea, sure they care about those troops they do not care about them at all. They only support Halliburton, and KBR. sickening really sickening.

[defendandprotect]

44. And that news very slow to reach the public, finally by hearings --

[CrispyQ]

8. That is an excellent point & we should all compose LTTEs to get the word out.

And especially that little tidbit about the missing $9B.

:thumbsup:

k&r

[cali]

11. What we should do is write letters supporting

bringing the war profiteering act to the floor. It's all written, and its a good bill.

[Virginian]

61. war profiteering act?

I didn't know there was one. Tell me more.

[femrap]

9. The troops get nothing...

I was speaking to the mother of a soldier in Iraq. Her son must buy his own uniform at a cost of $250.00 each!!! She is constantly sending boxes of underwear, socks, etc. because the Pentagon charges her son so much for these kinds of items.

Oh...and the troops are required to have these special sunglasses and they cost $80...they break very easily. She has bought 3 pair of them already.

It's a DISGRACE.

I wonder who has the contract to make the soldiers' uniforms??? And I bet they're made in China by poor peasant women who are forced to work 16 hours a day for a pittance. It sickens me.

[Blackhatjack]

13. This Administration's top priority is to protect the warprofiteers interest...remember body armor?

When family members were paying for body armor and sending it overseas to their loved ones in the service, this Administration protected the no-bid contractor suppling 'official' body armor. They told the soldiers that they could not wear the body armor being sent to them from back home, and if they did it would void their life insurance policies if they were killed. (But of course they had no official body armor to give them).

It is a disgrace what our soldiers have been forced to absorb financially so that these warprofiteers could ensure they would wring every dollar out of their no-bid contracts.

[femrap]

30. WAR IS A RACKET...

That's a sign I keep in the trunk of my car....I have 'play money' taped to the sign as well. I never know when I'll run into a good protest/demonstration so it is always with me....along with ATONE FOR THE GREED. In fact, the day of atonement is coming up.

It's all a part of that Military-Industrial-Congressional network that needs to be shattered.

[lonestarnot]

12. That would be the problem!

[mod mom]

14. The bastard wants this extendsion in hopes of improving his "legacy". How immoral

is it to allow more blood to be shed, more destruction, more ill will against our nation in hopes of improving a "legacy" of an awol, lazy, greedy, worthless, evil, spoiled frat boy who places personal gain over lives?

[immoderate]

15. It's not a war; it's a HEIST!

Remember what Deep Throat said, "Follow the money."

--IMM

[Blackhatjack]

17. Boy that would make an Excellent Bumper Sticker! So True! n/t

[immoderate]

18. Thanks. I usually include, "Iraq is a giant money laundry!"

Never thought of a bumper sticker. Good idea.

--IMM

[glitch]

25. THANK YOU. I have been saying this for so long and hardly anyone hears it.

And I want that bumbersticker.

[immoderate]

31. You're vindicated. I get the same treatment.

The most successful heist in history.

When you see it that way, all is explained. Why don't they see it? (DUers excluded.)

--IMM

[glitch]

33. I don't know. Perhaps they still listen too much to the corporate media who ALWAYS frames it as if

it's legitimate. Incompetent sometimes, but always legitimate.

The most successful heist in history does make all their otherwise "inexplicable" behavior so obvious, doesn't it?

Oh well, maybe we can get most of back when we indict them for war crimes, convict them and seize their assets. That won't bring back the dead, but imprisoning their murderers might bring some solace to their families. :hug:

[immoderate]

39. I started at "why all this craziness?"

And my thoughts wandered down several paths, but when I got to "follow the money," WHAM!, it hit me. Everything looked Claritin.

Not everyone is in on the booty though. There are those outer party true believers that are part of the con within a con. It's like "The Sting," combined with "1984."

I think only James Bond can help us.:shrug: He saves the world, the public never knows a thing.

--IMM

[glitch]

40. That's funny - I was just listening to Rachel Maddow talking about some hero poll

Who would you call for rescue - guess who won? MacGyver! This pleases me :)

[rateyes]

16. Shhhhhhhhh. You're not supposed to do that...

speak the truth, that is...it upsets the applecart. :sarcasm:

[chill_wind]

19. Jeremy Scahill (August 13, 2007): The Mercenary Revolution

Our massive Shadow Army-- a dirty secret our Congress and Media won't talk about. DUers know. EVERYONE should be enraged. But how many American voters and taxpayers really get this? What a powerful Dem campaign issue this could be right now. COULD be.... but isn't.

August 13, 2007
Flush with Profits from the Iraq War, Military Contractors See a World of Business Opportunities

The Mercenary Revolution

By JEREMY SCAHILL

If you think the U.S. has only 160,000 troops in Iraq, think again.

With almost no congressional oversight and even less public awareness, the Bush administration has more than doubled the size of the U.S. occupation through the use of private war companies.

There are now almost 200,000 private "contractors" deployed in Iraq by Washington. This means that U.S. military forces in Iraq are now outsized by a coalition of billing corporations whose actions go largely unmonitored and whose crimes are virtually unpunished.

In essence, the Bush administration has created a shadow army that can be used to wage wars unpopular with the American public but extremely profitable for a few unaccountable private companies.


full article: http://www.counterpunch.org/scahill08132007.html

[chill_wind]

21. self-delete-- wrong slot.

[porphyrian]

20. Exactly. The frame that defunding would hurt the troops is a lie. - n/t

[chill_wind]

22. Big K&R--- wish I could kick 20 times! n/t

[leftofthedial]

23. bingo

[Hydra]

24. Yeah

I hate when they say they are "supporting the troops"- they are doing everything BUT!

[bdamomma]

27. of course it is, these people are raping us all.

[defendandprotect]

45. They put Americans into a state of "shock & awe" with 9/11 -- torturing everyone since then ---

[redacted]

29. How was this "funding the troups" pullout objection countered during Vietnam?

Anybody remember? I can't remember offhand and I was in grade school at the time. But I do remember from network TV news and the newspapers that a similar debate took place at the time. Anybody?

[AntiFascist]

32. If you get a chance, see "Iraq for Sale: the War Profiteers"

http://iraqforsale.org/

This is a great documentary that exposes the excesses of Halliburton/KBR and much more.

[Richard Steele]

34. Damn right. By far, most of what we're spending for this occupation is going to PRIVATE CORPORATIONS

Only a small percentage is actually funding our Military.

[Joe Chi Minh]

36. Yes, why not cut out the 'middle man' and bring the troops home.

Then pay the military-industrial complex and big oil directly. Just another form of direct taxation.

[Megahurtz]

38. I Get So Mad

when I see this :mad: because you are right.

[madmunchie]

41. It really is about "Funding the Troops", because if we don't fund the

war, the money alloted to the troops will be reduced to make up for the the portion that has to go to the private contractors. And those lack of funds will be repeated over and over and illustrated on any media that can take pictures. Sad, but true.

[defendandprotect]

46. No -- Money to bring troops home will be funded -- let Bush/GOP ask for that -- !!!

[AntiFascist]

42. Did you notice the #4 story on KO tonight?

Ray Hunt, CEO of Hunt Oil and a Bush crony, also has access to the highest-level Iraqi intelligence as an advisor to the president. Apparently he is betting that the Iraq government will remain splintered, and he has established a contract with regional Kurds involving their oil fields, before the oil agreement of the central government is agreed to. His actions, together with the actions by the president of keeping forces in Iraq indefinitely, are working to keep the government splintered indefinitely, and the Kurd agreement remains in effect.

Consider this together with Saudi Arabia funding al Qaida in Iraq in order to prevent a unified Iraq from competing with Saudi Arabia, and a clear picture of what is really going on begins to form: our military forces are being sacrificed, losing limbs, and suffering brain injuries so that Big Oil can maximize profits, not to mention 100s of billions being spent out of our treasury, further devaluing the dollar and sending the US economy spiraling downward.

[Gonzo Gardener]

47. Makes one stop to wonder how Hunt Oil plans to get that oil out of there...

Maybe they'll try to negotiate with Turkey or Syria to build a pipeline because they sure as hell ain't gonna be able to pipe it south to Umm Qasr. :eyes:

It never made a bit of difference to any of the bastards pushing for this war if Iraqis were liberated, democratized, divided, partitioned, or killed en masse. It didn't make a difference if we did it right or wrong...chaos equals profit to the warprofiteers. All they knew was that they had to get into Iraq and fast. Why? Because Saddam was threatening to stop pumping oil which would have made a substantial impact on the International oil market. He (Saddam) was also demanding a thorough review of UN Article 50 (the corrupt and unjust Food for Oil program). He knew what a review of the program would find and it very well could have been suspended. He had negotiated the sale of oil to India and that could not be allowed to happen. After all, it would have cut into projected profits of Western Petroleum Corporations.

So, this was the immediate threat Saddam posed... not an aggressive WMD attack.

Much to the dismay of TPTB, India, China, and Russia have created a coalition that allows for them to cooperatively purchase oil and gas at lower than market price and it threatens to disrupt US International dominance. Iran is a lesser but important player in the resource wars too. They have a fat gas pipeline into Kazakhstan and are also cooperating with the Indians, Chinese, and Russians to share their resources.

So, we're hearing the drums beating once again for another preemptive war against another purported enemy poised to strike. I do believe I read recently somewhere that a preliminary strike would include a strike on gas lines. (If anyone can find a reference to this, please, post! It's late and I'm feeling lazy.)

Did anyone hear Ambassador Crocker's testimony to Congress on Sept 10-11, 2007? He was summarizing information for Sen. Obama's final question and referred to what was going on now in Iraq as an "Ethno-sectarian war for power & resources". Was he projecting?

So, this war in Iraq is funding the Warprofiteers but it is more, so much more...


I invite everyone to read the articles in the links below.
Gawd, how I love the internet. It is a white hot light during these cold dark times!



Article: 'Restoring Ties' by John Cherian 2000 - Frontline-online http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1726/17260470.htm

Article: 'Comrades in Oil' by Jyoti Malhotra 2005 - Asia Times
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/GH19Df04.html

Article: 'Keeping Iraq's Oil in the Ground' by Greg Palast 2006 - AlterNet
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/61/20480

Article: 'Russia, China, India - Coalition to offset US International Dominance?'
2007 - World News Desk
http://www.realtruth.org/news/070223-001-geopolitics.html

[AntiFascist]

50. Great post!

There's been some posts recently about the AQ Khan network and nuclear threats in Syria. I wonder if this is now a priority target partly for said pipeline from the Hunt Oil field?

I for one will be checking out the links, and welcome to DU! :toast:

[Gonzo Gardener]

52. and a pattern emerges...

It's like a bad comic book story line complete with plotting evil villains, isn't it?

Cheers to you and everyone at DU!

A Beer will go GREAT with the Spicy BBQ Pulled Pork and Onion Rings!

[EFerrari]

48. I almost posted this earlier today but I was too pissed.

It's not about funding the the TROOPS at all!

It's about funding the cabal. :grr:

[Cobalt-60]

49. It's true

The troops see but little of the money.
It's all bound for the pockets of Republican War Profiteers.
I'd like to see the missing $9B plus the rest of the Bs we can demonstrate were gouging and stealing.
I'd like to say before giving them any more.
But I propose not to give them any more even if they do pay back what they've stolen.
It's time this faucet was closed.
I can understand their fear of attack.
I volunteer to open any Democratic Congressman's mail myself if that's what it takes to remove Anthraxschreck from their mind.
Gangster type threats can be dealt with too, quite easily.

[Raksha]

51. K & R - "The emperor has no clothes!"

Just so we're all clear on what you just said...but I think we are.

[ScooterFibby]

53. NO MORE MONEY FOR MERCENARIES!!!

The power of the purse is the power to audit. We have it. We should use it.

DEMAND a full accounting of war spending. Focus on spending for contractors. Bring up the "shadow army".

INSIST that the "shadow army" be withdrawn NOW.

NO MORE MONEY FOR MERCENARIES. Say it loud!

[chill_wind]

55. Preach it, ScooterFibby!

And welcome to DU. (love that handle!)

[Wapsie B]

57. I know of one in particular whose wealth depends upon us taxpayers.

He owns a prosthetics company with a nice juicy contract with the military.

[Blackhatjack]

58. A connected issue little discussed anywhere is that we pay warprofiteers who do not pay US taxes

We have given no-bid lucrative support contracts in the billions of dollars to warprofiteering corporations that have moved their principal place of business OUTSIDE the United States, and pay NO TAXES at all on their profits.

Halliburton moved to Dubai, along with all their incriminating documents.

There are many others who fit the same mold.

There should be an immediate end to funding any corporation with war support contracts which is outside the United States.

[and-justice-for-all]

62. 'It is About Funding the Warprofiteers...'

You are correct.