Many of us who opposed the continuing Iraqi and Afghanistan wars, it has been difficult to imagine how politicians and others in Washington could continue to sacrifice lives and hundreds of billions in these conflicts. Now there is a report giving an insight into just how profitable these wars are for key companies. For just Iraq alone, some $138 billion went to private companies with an army of lobbyists eager to keep the pipeline of cash flowing. What is rarely striking however is that some ten contractors received 52 percent of the funds and one company received $39.5 billion. That company is Houston-based KBR, Inc., which is an extension of its parent, Halliburton Co. in 2007. That of course is Dick Cheney’s firm.
Many of those contracts going to KBR lacked any competitive bidding process.
This includes the $568-million contract renewal in 2010 to provide housing, meals, water and bathroom services to soldiers — a contract that the Justice Department now says is rife with corruption and kickbacks.
For $40 billion, a single company may be willing to do a lot to keep a war alive. In the very least, it may not be eager to see it end.
Source: ZNet
Thinks Mike,
I forgot that….
I know most of you are familiar with this but for those who are not I invite you to watch this excerpt from President Eisenhower’s farewell speech. It certainly is quite evident of sound advice of the past that is not heeded today whereupon disaster ensues.
DS The reason that Ike was so concerned about this topic is that HE was the one who designed it. His job that Gen. Marshall gave him was to plan for the mobilization of US industry and all facilities for the coming war.Ike did a great job, and so he was concerned that the thing he created did not turn on him and our country. Sort of like Oppenheimer creating the A bomb, he then had severe reservations about going further down the nuclear road.
Gene,
I think the prison sentences should be stacked for each and every crime convicted…. I wonder how Cheneys next trip to Canada will turn out….. You did hear that Bush and Obama have lifetime presidential protection…..you can think Clinton for reducing it to 10 years….. But Obama…. Such a cherry…. Extended it again….
randyjet:
KBR effectively received immunity. A case brought by the family of one of the electrocuted soldiers was dismissed because the court found that it could not consider the liability of the contractor without inquiring into the military decisions that permitted continued use of the facilities when the military knew of the defective conditions. http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/07/20/48585.htm
Mike that decision is outrageous. The doctrine she refers to is for combatant activities and military orders. Being in a rear area and not even remotely connected to combat, I cannot see how the hell that judge could make that ruling. I could understand it if a car bomb blew up and the Sgt was killed because of shoddy construction, THEN the ruling would be reasonable. This is beyond belief..
Raff,
Valuable stock options….
“After all, the chief business of the American people is business. They are profoundly concerned with producing, buying, selling, investing and prospering in the world. I am strongly of the opinion that the great majority of people will always find these the moving impulses of our life.
Of course, the accumulation of wealth cannot be justified as the chief end of existence,” he said. “But we are compelled to recognize it as a means to well-nigh every desirable achievement. So long as wealth is made the means and not the end, we need not greatly fear it…But it calls for additional effort to avoid even the appearance of the evil of selfishness. In every worthy profession, of course, there will always be a minority who will appeal to the baser instinct. There always have been, probably always will be, some who will feel that their own temporary interest may be furthered by betraying the interest of others.”
President Coolidge’s comments are as relevant today as they were in 1925.
KBR Faces Wrongful Death Claims Over Burn Pits
KBR Shocks Troops …To Death
Gene,
I posted the wrong video by mistake. I hope I get it right this time!
The last section of the following Countdown segment talks about the electrocution of military personnel in showers built by KBR in Iraq;
Keith has sure changed a lot since going off the air, Elaine. 😀
Strangely enough, 39.5 billion years is about the same number of collective years Cheney, the Board and the Directors of Halliburton/KBR should be in prison.
For me, a serious point in your blog is: “…a contract that the Justice Department now says is rife with corruption and kickbacks.”
When the so-called Justice department, makes a statement demonstrating a knowledge of criminal activity, should it not be their obligation to pursue those misdeeds and prosecute the wrong-doers? I will not hold my breath waiting for Justice Department action.
In addition, am I wrong to believe that Mr. Cheney can be considered a war crimes suspect, and is it possible that he could be detained for same if leaves the United States?
Frank Hammerstrom
KBR (Killing Boys Remotely) is the same scum who “wired” the showers for our service men in Iraq and thus electrocuting them after a day of war misery. Any charges filed? No, let’s reward them with more no-bid contracts, and ensure continued riches in our stock portfolio.
Some of our lawyers here might be able to say what the facts are. I understand that KBR claimed immunity from the lawsuits arising from the fact that their work electrocuted a number of GIs. Does anybody know what happened to those suits? Were they successful?
AY,
even if LBJ had some of the same ties, have we not learned anything since the 60’s? I want to know how much of the $39 billion Cheney received.
Call me skeptical but didn’t LBJ have some what of the same ties….
Brown and Root was LBJs money man. Halliburton was a seperate company for many decades. Read Robert Caro’s bio of LBJ for all the details. Brown and Root hit hard times when they totally screwed up the South Texas Nuclear project. The entire building B&R had built had to be torn down it was so shoddy and a real contractor broght in to build the thing. WE are still paying for that here in Houston, thanks to the Texas GOP and legislature.
Dick Cheney is the Devil
On a related note, of sorts
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/one-us-corporations-role-_b_815281.html
One U.S. Corporation’s Role in Egypt’s Brutal Crackdown
The open Internet’s role in popular uprising is now undisputed. Look no further than Egypt, where the Mubarak regime today reportedly shut down Internet and cell phone communications — a troubling predictor of the fierce crackdown that has followed.
What’s even more troubling is news that one American company is aiding Egypt’s harsh response through sales of technology that makes this repression possible.
Telecom Egypt, the nation’s dominant phone and Internet service provider, is a state-run enterprise, which made it easy on Friday morning for authorities to pull the plug and plunge much of the nation into digital darkness.
Moreover, Egypt also has the ability to spy on Internet and cell phone users, by opening their communication packets and reading their contents. Iran used similar methods during the 2009 unrest to track, imprison and in some cases, “disappear” truckloads of cyber-dissidents.
The companies that profit from sales of this technology need to be held to a higher standard. One in particular is an American firm, Narus of Sunnyvale, Calif., which has sold Telecom Egypt “real-time traffic intelligence” equipment.
Narus, now owned by Boeing, was founded in 1997 by Israeli security experts to create and sell mass surveillance systems for governments and large corporate clients.
The company is best known for creating NarusInsight, a supercomputer system which is allegedly used by the National Security Agency and other entities to perform mass, real-time surveillance and monitoring of public and corporate Internet communications in real time.
Narus provides Egypt Telecom with Deep Packet Inspection equipment (DPI), a content-filtering technology that allows network managers to inspect, track and target content from users of the Internet and mobile phones, as it passes through routers on the information superhighway.
As I recall from the VP debate in 2000 Cheney stated that his success as head of Halliburton had NOTHING to do with government. Of course, Lieberman just smiled and agreed with him!
I just love the smell of greased palms in the morning.
War? What War, I thought the last war we fought was WWII? At least that was the last time Congress declared war. So what is all this talk of War? Be definition in our constitution we haven’t had a war for 65+ years.
Didn’t I read somewhere….. That Cheney was figuring out thr profits before he got W to strike….