Question by andy r: What happens when a President and Vice President have no Congressional checks and balances?
“Another hearing took place on Capitol Hill yesterday that was truly chilling to observe. Representative John Murtha’s (D-Pennsylvania) Subcommittee on Appropriations heard testimony from two investigators whose work has been focused on the phenomenon of private military contractors in Iraq. The first to give testimony was Jeremy Scahill, author of “Blackwater: Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army.” The second witness was Robert Greenwald, a documentary filmmaker who recently released a new film titled “Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers.”
Both men painted a stark picture of reality in Iraq. According to Scahill, there are tens of thousands of private military contractors – a kind euphemism for mercenaries – operating today in Iraq.
They are paid with American tax revenues to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while operating with virtually no oversight and free from the strictures of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Dozens of acts of brutality and murder reportedly committed by these contractors have been alleged, but almost no contractor has been punished, sanctioned or even investigated for these acts. Because the Iraqi population does not make the distinction between American soldiers and these private contractors, the questionable activities of these contractors are blamed on US troops, further fanning the flames of outrage and vengeance.
Even more disturbing was the testimony offered by Greenwald. Some excerpts:
I remember clearly my interview with Stewart Scott, a former Halliburton employee. With pain and rage in his voice, he asked how dare Halliburton put its people up at five-star hotels while the soldiers, who he was there to help, were sleeping on the ground. I did not believe him at first, but then he began naming the hotels and the locations. It was all true.
I also spoke with Shane Ratliff, a truck driver from Ruby, South Carolina.
He saw Halliburton advertising a job for truck drivers in Iraq and he signed up. When Shane started telling me that empty trucks were being driven across dangerous stretches of desert, I assumed he was mistaken. Why would they do that? Then he explained that Halliburton got paid for the number of trips they took, regardless of whether they were carrying anything. These unnecessary trips where putting the lives of truckers at risk, exposing drivers and co-workers to attack. This was the result of cost-plus, no-bid contracts.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051107A.shtml
pcpy,
Your response is zombie like. The dead are over it.
Stupid Marx,
Plenty of wise men died to ensure free speech for all. But stupid is as stupid does – deaf, mute, dumb = stupid.
Dear mick,
It’s called an illegal occupation in IRAQ, not America. What I should know doesn’t get revealed because their are cowards who think it better to be quiet.
Wolfpack,
Congress is the people, and your answer makes absolutely no sense.
Al S,
You are still dreaming of a fantasy land, maybe a trip to IRAQ might help your sense of reality.
Best answer:
Answer by Homeless in Phoenix
Saddam and Sons, Iraq 1975 – 2002
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