Contractors at Brave New Films

'No immunity' for Iraq contractors -17 Jun 08

2008-06-17T08:44:43Z

A controversial deal on the long-term US military presence in Iraq will not include immunity for privately hired soldiers working in the country.

Speaking exclusively to Al Jazeera's Ghida Fakhry, the Iraqi foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, said that the US had accepted the demand and it would be stated explicitly in the new agreement.

Watch the video

Outsourcing the Government

2008-07-09T20:17:33Z

When government and business collide, private contractors win big!

Watch the video

Top Generals Getting Paid To Push Pro-War Talking Points

2008-06-07T03:30:36Z

Watch more at www.theyoungturks.com

Watch the video

$740M Baghdad U.S. Embassy Sprinklers STILL Not Working

2008-05-20T02:46:22Z

I posted about this back on October 6th fer chrissakes. Seems the guy in charge declared every a-ok, right before he hit the exit for a well deserved retirement. Oopsy.

WASHINGTON - The fire-fighting system in the massive new $740 million U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is defective, according to documents obtained by McClatchy and U.S. officials, who allege that their concerns were ignored or overruled in a rush to declare the complex completed.
"As far as I know, nothing's been fixed," said one State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared retaliation for speaking to the news media. "The lives of the people who are working in that building are going to be at stake" if the complex doesn't meet building codes, he said.
Last month, 19 days before he retired, State Department buildings chief Charles E. Williams certified key parts of the embassy's fire-fighting system ready for operation, according to the documents McClatchy obtained.

How you can consider this anything but willful negligence is beyond me. It is made even worse by the fact that the company testing and to certify the safety measures is......

Moreover, Williams' thumbs-up was based on tests run by another contractor that was hired, not by the State Department, but by the company building the embassy, First Kuwaiti General Contracting and Trading Co. State Department officials, members of Congress and others have accused First Kuwaiti of shoddy construction and questionable labor practices.

So, months after many, many instances of malfeasance by FKGC they're still being given contracts for life and death inspections.

Iraqi PM Al Maliki Flies To London For "Exhaustion"

2008-01-16T13:48:44Z

Exhaustion. Yeah, I'm betting he's stressed.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki flew to London on Saturday for what he said was a routine medical checkup, but an official in his office said it was treatment for exhaustion.
The official said Maliki, 57, would also undergo a series of routine checkups, including tests on his heart.
"He is suffering from mild exhaustion. He is also going to have a heart scan," the official said.
"He should have gone to London for the checkup more than a month ago but he waited until after Eid (the Muslim Eid al-Adha feast). Now he has a good opportunity to go for the checkup."
State television showed Maliki, who has been in office since May 2006, boarding his private plane at Baghdad international airport. He appeared healthy and walked to the plane from the terminal building.

Hey, if things really are going so swimmingly in Iraq, why isn't Al Maliki being treated in Baghdad? Tony Snow says things were really only "sour" for about 15 months, McCain and Lieberman have declared success on the war and there are no problems with contractors in the country, so what to be stressed about?

Juan Cole's "Top 10 Myths About Iraq" here.

Bush is Insensitive, Apathetic, Stupid and Dangerous

2008-06-28T20:40:45Z

Find out what he thinks about lawless contractors in Iraq, and what the consequences are. Watch the entire show at www.theyoungturks.com.

Watch the video

Whistleblowers v. BushCo and KBR-- An orgy of Bushie Buzzwords

2008-01-12T20:32:56Z

Bully pulpit, bully war, bully anyone who gets in your way:

Barrington "Barry" Godfrey of Houston tried to get mega-contractor KBR to quit overcharging the government for thousands of troops he said the company never fed.
He alleges he was forced out for raising the issue, and that the Justice Department tried unsuccessfully to keep his allegations secret and then refused to join him in a whistleblower suit.

As Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota described it: This is an "orgy of greed". "Greed". That's one of the many familiar words used with regard to the Bush crime family.

"Let's start i.d.ing other Bushie Buzzwords. I see the first one! "Secret".

Alan M. Grayson, who represents ... Godfrey, ... argues that the Bush administration sweeps many cases under the rug, obtains court orders to keep details from the public and that Justice Department lawyers threaten whistleblowers with dismissal of their cases or contempt of court simply for telling people what they know.

Ooo, #2! "Threaten".

"In every one of those cases [he represents 5 of them], the Bush administration has taken no action to punish the war profiteers, or recover the money stolen from the taxpayers," Grayson said.
Godfrey said he made repeated attempts to force the subcontractors to reduce the bills, but that others within KBR blocked his attempts.

#3: "Blocked".

In December 2004, he went on vacation.

When he came back, his cell phone and computer, which contained documentation in connection with the allegations of fraud, had been stolen, the suit said.
Godfrey was suspended for 10 days and told by another KBR executive, "We can't have subcontractor CEO's complaining about subcontract administrators," the suit said.

#4: "Stolen".

Eventually, his suit said, his workplace was so hostile that he decided to leave KBR.

#5: "Hostile".

The Justice Department says the investigation is ongoing, and defends its track record in all fraud-related cases. In addition, it says it has helped recover millions already in war-related fraud cases.

Watchdogs aren't so sure.

#s 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10: "Ongoing investigation", "war-related fraud".

"They did nothing," Godfrey said. "People just tend to ignore this and continue to reward the same contractor ... with more contracts and more business."

Here's my buzzword: "Impeach".

Jeremy Scahill talks to Bill Moyers about Blackwater in New Orleans

2008-07-09T20:05:47Z

Jeremy Scahill talks about his experience running into Blackwater personnel on the streets of New Orleans immediately following Hurricane Katrina, as well as the implications of using private contractors in domestic emergencies: "At one point Blackwater had 600 men deployed down there ... one was complaining to me that there was not enough action down here ... when I got Blackwater's contracts from the department of homeland security, it turns out Blackwater billed U.S. tax payers $950 per man per day in the Hurricane zone."

Watch the video

Blackwater: Unlawful Combatants

2008-07-09T20:06:06Z

Blackwater and other civilian contractors can be called unlawful combatants. Watch the entire show here.

Watch the video

The Listening Post- Blackwater story- 12 Oct 07- Part 2

2008-06-15T21:30:45Z

38 Iraqis have been killed by Blackwater personnel since 2003. We ask what tokk the media so long to get involved.

Watch the video

The Listening Post- Blackwater story- 12 Oct 07- Part 1

2008-06-15T21:30:46Z

38 Iraqis have been killed by Blackwater personnel since 2003. We ask what tokk the media so long to get involved.

Watch the video

Security firm that killed 2 Iraqis tied to U.S. government

2008-01-12T20:27:02Z

Blackwater has company:

The security contractor accused of shooting two Iraqis in Baghdad on Tuesday was working indirectly for a branch of the U.S. government. According to the State Department, the company, Unity Resources Group - which is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates - was providing protection to RTI, a U.S. nonprofit organization under contract to work in Iraq for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Two Iraqi Christian women were killed.

According to its website, RTI has "supported efforts to strengthen government in Iraq" since April 2003, "working under contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)."
"USAID does not direct the security arrangements of its contractors," said State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper. The contractors themselves, said Cooper, are "responsible for the safety and well-being of their employees." A statement from Unity Resources said the group was "aware that there has been a shooting incident... involving one of [its] security teams" and it was "working with the Iraqi authorities to determine the outcome of [the] incident."

Maybe Blackwater can investigate. I hear they do that now, too.

Gates to investigate Blackwater in Iraq

2008-01-12T20:23:11Z

How many investigations does this make? 30? 40?

Unhappy with the Pentagon's oversight of its private contractors in Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has dispatched a fact-finding team to probe further into the problem, officials said Wednesday.

And there's more!

The Pentagon also disclosed that for several months it has been developing additional guidance for American commanders and other senior defense officials on how the Uniform Code of Military Justice can be used to discipline contractors. Prior to October 2006 the code did not apply to contractors.

Why don't I feel better yet?

"He's asked some early questions, he's received some early answers," Morrell said. "Those answers, at least when it comes to the oversight component, have not been satisfactory."
Morrell would not elaborate on what Gates found unsatisfactory.

I bet we can guess.

As a result, Gates sent a five-person team to Iraq on Sunday to "talk to all the key players," including Gen. David Petraeus and Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno — the top two U.S. commanders there — and obtain additional details for Gates by the end of this week, the press secretary said.

I'm sure they'll be completely transparent and we'll find out exactly what's been going on. That should be on the same day I see that pig doing air maneuvers.

Army Captain: Civilian contractors a degree away from being mercenaries

2008-01-12T20:21:57Z

Timothy K. Hsia is an Army infantry captain on his second deployment to Iraq. He lays out how, throughout a soldier's typical day, he interacts with civilian contractors of all kinds, not just personal security types like Blackwater.

The effect of these civilians in the Iraq war has yet to be fully examined, and the legacy of their role will affect how our nation fights its future wars.

Rummy's little revolution, he says, has occurred. The role of civilian contractors is bigger than many realize because there are not enough soldiers. "...Americans are fooled by the actual numbers required to carry out a war."

After the Vietnam War, most of the combat-support duties were transferred from full-time soldiers to National Guard and Reserve units. But today that structure has been undercut as civilians have taken over those jobs. And these civilian contractors in the non-security roles are only a degree away from what we have historically called mercenaries.

All day, every day, soldiers encounter non-Americans doing the work our own men and women once did. Why? Because there is not enough U.S. military manpower. Here is a rundown of jobs and who does them.

The trash being sifted and sorted out of a soldier's garbage bin is conducted by civilians working for Toifor Co.
When the soldier turns in his laundry, it is to an East Asian civilian...
The soldier has the luxury of a hot shower because Indonesian civilians ensure that there is a ready supply of water.
When he enters the dining facility, he is greeted by Ugandan security guards who work for EOD Technology.
While preparing for a mission, the soldier can expect technicians from General Dynamics or other major defense contracting companies aiding Army soldiers in the upkeep and maintenance of essential equipment.
He can expect his Iraqi interpreter to work for a contractor, probably Titan Corp.
[M]any Filipino drivers are responsible for ensuring that most of the heavy equipment -- such as Humvees and Strykers -- reach their destinations after they're unloaded in Kuwait.
On returning from his mission, the soldier will interact with many civilians [many who are Serbs and Croats] hired by KBR, which runs the general support services for the base.

Think these are just temporary fixes? Think again:

[A] temporary fix became a more permanent force that the Romans used when they found their own legions had become too expensive -- economically and politically. Let us hope that the United States does not follow the fate of the Roman Empire in this regard.

Captain Hsia may not be a "Commander on the ground", so the DimBulb In Chief would probably not give him any credibility and might even declare him dead. But the very-much-more-alive-than-Bush's-poll-numbers captain most definitely has his feet on the ground.

More Profiteers, More Death

2008-07-09T18:59:15Z

Here is the newest headline out of Iraq:

Security contractors open fire in Baghdad, killing at least 9

When do we get rules governing the behavior of contractors, like Blackwater in this case, akin to the Uniform Code Of Military Justice? I mean, if we are going to contine to privatize our armed forces--as privatization has worked so well so far in Iraq and in New Orleans--might we want to have rules that govern conduct?

Now I don't know what happened yet, why, because they aren't telling me. Surprise, surprise:

Security contractors opened fire in western Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least nine civilians and wounding 18, Iraqi police said. The US Embassy said contractors working for the State Department were involved in an incident but provided no further details.

I'll be awaiting those "further details."

UPDATE: Wow, it turns out the Iraq Interior Ministry has revoked Blackwater's license to do business in Iraq over this shooting spree. So we ignore it, and it takes action by the Iraqis to get anything done.

Yet, with how close Blackwater is to Dick DeVos (brother-in-law is the scumbag in charge), right-wing nutbag and mass-funder of all that is evil in the universe (including Republicans), I am sure after some pressure, this ban will be lifted...let's see if I'm right.

Guess How Our Guys Are Getting Killed In Iraq?

2008-01-12T20:16:58Z

Why with our own weapons and money of course.

Iraq's deadly insurgent groups have financed their war against U.S. troops in part with hundreds of thousands of dollars in U.S. rebuilding funds that they've extorted from Iraqi contractors in Anbar province.

Yup, the surge sure is working...

Rove's Real Legacy: Blackwater Privatizes National Security

2008-07-09T18:59:19Z

You would never imagine that California would need or want a Blackwater mercenary training facility. And you'd be right: California and the residents near where Blackwater wants to set up shop really don't want Blackwater. After all, the Marines at Pendleton, a few miles down the road, keep us pretty safe.

Blackwater West, as they call it, will be created and run by the same folks who brought us four dead Americans with corpses strung up from a bridge in Fallujah. But as with so much else Blackwater does, the wishes of the people matter not one whit. It's all about a buck and the ideology of fear.

Contractors In Iraq Now Returning With Same Health Problems As Soldiers

2008-01-12T20:04:39Z

This problem will only get worse as Republicans privatize our armed forces that much more, so Halliburton and CACI can swim in green. But being Republicans, they also provide NO HEALTH CARE to contractors upon their return from Iraq, because, you know, it would mean Dick Cheney might have to forfeit a few stock options from Halliburton.

And as you know, Cheny would only trade that for the satisfaction of outing another covert operative or fitting his carotid artery with a Salisbury Steak drip.

Headzup: Cheney's Independence Day Speech

2008-07-09T14:46:28Z

Vice President Cheney honors those he cares about the most. Read more about private contractors here-- www.latimes.com Download daily Catch and Release Comedy™ political cartoons to your mobile phone or iPod at www.headzup.tv

Watch the video

Coalition of the Billing

2008-07-13T21:18:12Z

Well, it finally happened. We now have more contractors working for profit-driven companies in Iraq than soldiers. Take a moment to think about the impact of that. More men for hire (almost all men) then troops in this "war for freedom" or whatever the hell the latest name is. Shocking, infuriating, and maybe to be expected, when the war is launched by those driven by corporate culture and enthralled by corporate cronies. And yet how tragic. This war is now fully and blatantly being run by the companies. And what possible reasons can be given to keep this travesty going? We need to provide profit to the ledger of these companies. This is another sad and defining day, in a long string of them around this tragedy.

Jeremy Scahill Testifies on Defense Contracting, 5.10.2007

2008-07-09T19:48:17Z

Watch the video

The privatization of America's spies

2008-01-12T20:00:44Z

An article in the New York Times today discusses the enormous espionage-industrial complex which has developed in the U.S. government, where private contracts now account for 70 percent of the U.S. intelligence budget. Private corporations are now doing everything from designing surveillance technology to managing case officers overseas. The article goes on to reveal how this system of privatizing intelligence has cost taxpayers billions of dollars from repeated mistakes and mismanagement. Read the full article.

War results in huge profits for DynCorp

2008-01-12T19:58:00Z

As is true for all private contractors in Iraq, continued war in Iraq leads to enormous profits. The latest example came yesterday as the contracting corporation DynCorp blew away Wall Street analysts expection, with profits of $18.9 million for the period ending March 30.

An article from Forbes with the apt subtitle "Greed may be good, war is better" has the full story:

"... as conflict continues to dominate headlines analysts
remain upbeat on military contractors. In a client note, Richard Tortoriello, an analyst at Standard & Poor's, wrote that his outlook for the Aerospace & Defense sub-industry is positive."

Read the full story at Forbes.

Blackwater, America's Private Army

2008-03-22T21:54:28Z

Inside America's private army with extended bonus scenes from Robert Greenwald's documentary "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers"

CACI made $$ torturing at Abu Ghraib then covered it up

2008-07-09T18:59:08Z

Extended bonus scene from Robert Greenwald's documentary, "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers"

Watch the video