krs
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posted on June 17, 2002 02:00:09 AM new
Here's a nice clear example of just how lucrative having Bush as president can be for cronies of long standing. Everybody in Texas is using this administration to scratch each other's back and fill all of their pockets with gold, and it's the sort of thing that makes having a *war* so necessary to them.
http://www.motherjones.com/web_exclusives/features/news/halliburton.html
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snowyegret
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posted on June 17, 2002 03:34:38 AM new
Not only does it open up the taxpayer dollars to the contractor's whims, there is just something wrong with the military not being in charge of setting up its own bases. There is also the problem of large #s of privately employed civilians in a war zone. I wonder if they're classed as emergency essential?
And, since when do civilians work cheaper than Spec 4s?
You have the right to an informed opinion
-Harlan Ellison
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caffeitalia
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posted on June 17, 2002 04:27:36 AM new
Embracing a policy trend initiated during the Clinton administration, the Bush White House has advocated the use of civilian contractors to fill scores of government needs.
It also allows the Army to comply with mandatory downsizing guidelines established as part of former Vice President Al Gore's campaign to streamline government. In essence, Brown and Root provides the Pentagon with a private battalion of engineers, janitors and other support staff.
Looks like another insertion of foot into mouth by you democrats. Time for the blame to shift your way.
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Linda_K
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posted on June 17, 2002 05:18:30 AM new
Staff Bio's of MotherJones.com
http://www.motherjones.com/global/staffbio.html
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Helenjw
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posted on June 17, 2002 06:42:05 AM new
It's amusing that after the critical GAO report that Steven Kelman called the corrupt contracts like the one awarded to Brown and Root "a learning curve". LOL!
Helen
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krs
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posted on June 17, 2002 07:09:58 AM new
Not quite, caffe a lottta,
It was never envisioned that downsizing would mean an open door to graft and buddy politics. Downsizing means reducing (now there's aword you've probably become all too familiar with!) it doesn't mean take from paul to pay off your croni-butt-buddy. Doown sizing was meant to REDUCE tazpayer expenditure, not to shift it to the tex-priv sector.
You have a problem with aware and educated women, LindaK? Imagine that.
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Linda_K
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posted on June 17, 2002 08:24:00 AM new
LOL
No, you'd be wrong, once again krs.
Just sharing the credentials of those who are responsible for the publication of your source.
That way, everyone can decide for themselves how much credibility to give them and what they print.
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Helenjw
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posted on June 17, 2002 08:44:48 AM new
Linda
I'll bet you can't find a single staff member there who would enjoy wasting their time 'sharing' thoughts with you.
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Linda_K
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posted on June 17, 2002 08:54:17 AM new
Helen....as usual....you only lower yourself with your insults to myself and others.
If it brings you joy, happiness or makes you feel better about yourself....go for it. I'm comfortable with who I am.
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Helenjw
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posted on June 17, 2002 09:05:52 AM new
Linda, when you tried to insult the source of the article referred to in this thread I was really confused because all of the staff have good credentials.
Instead of commenting on the article, you posted the staff. Isn't that a back ass tactic?
Helen
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krs
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posted on June 17, 2002 09:08:19 AM new
Whoever decides to print it doesn't alter the fact of it one bit, or did you imagine that the contracts are fabricated? Dope, there have always been civilian contractors but there have not always been such obvious ties between the contractors and US elected officials, nor have they been so all-providing.
With blatant disregard for the well-being of the people and the intent of the laws of the land this administration has manipulated an existing condition for the betterment of their most favored private concerns and through them have undoubtably lined the pockets of their supporters as well as of themselves. This is only one example.
To this administration the office of the presidency is a license to steal from the people; the taxpayers; YOU. And you sit like a complacent fool and be happy about it.
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antiquary
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posted on June 17, 2002 09:24:34 AM new
"Founded in 1976, Mother Jones is an independent, nonprofit magazine whose roots lie in a commitment to social justice implemented through first-rate investigative reporting. Winner of a 2001 National Magazine Award in General Excellence, Mother Jones has been nominated for National Magazine Awards nine times and has won four times. Mother Jones has twice been named "Best in the Business" for investigative reporting by the American Journalism Review, and won the 2000 Alternative Press Award for General Excellence."
Mother Jones is one of the most respected independent magazines in the nation by journalists themselves. It is non-partisan and if one searches the archives, the search will reveal many pieces critical of democratic as well as republican administrations. The credentials of the staff are written in a heavily tongue-in-cheek style which is characteristic of those who are secure in their achievements and feel no need to attempt to elevate themselves through pompous pretensions, much like the nouveau upper-middle class who seek to distinguish themselves through ostentation.
The publisher Jay Harris is from my hometown and I have known him for about 35 years. Both he personally and the publication are ethically superior to most of the corporate-owned rags in the nation.
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calamity49
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posted on June 17, 2002 09:24:58 AM new
Not to get you all off track but do you know who Mother Jones was and what she did? she was a cool lady. Definitely not a
Rebublican! There, I'm sort of on track.
Calamity
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Linda_K
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posted on June 17, 2002 10:39:46 AM new
Oh now that's really funny coming from you, especially because of your comments in regards to the sources other posters use.
Whoever decides to print it doesn't alter the fact of it one bit.
But interpretation does.
Most who work for that company are young radical leftists [some doing their internships], some with little experience and the fact that some are from UC Berkeley....a different nation itself...speaks volumes to me. Don't agree? I don't care.
To each his own....but caffeitalia's point was appropriate, IMO.
Calamity - Yes, I read the article about MotherJones. She seemed different to me than the staff there now. Just my opinion, of course.
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Borillar
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posted on June 17, 2002 11:09:09 AM new
"are young radical leftists"
Linda, do you even know what you are saying?
Look up the definition and think about what label you are trying to stick on people that you don't know of.
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Borillar
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posted on June 17, 2002 11:14:50 AM new
> It's the Republican Way...
It surely is!
First, if a Democractic Adminstration does it, it's >>T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E!!<<
But when it's a Republican Adminstration, they say, "That's K00l, Man! Here, let me lift my rearend up a little higher to accomodate you!"
The rest of Americans don't like it either way!
Secondly, it is the usual tactic Republicans use when Republicans are cught with their hands stealing cookies from the Cookie Jar: Shift the Blame, Lie, Slander, Obsfuscate, Adulterate or just outright try to slander and insult those who bring the facts out to you. As if that changes the facts one iota!
Absolutely pathetic!
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Linda_K
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posted on June 17, 2002 11:18:16 AM new
LOL
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krs
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posted on June 17, 2002 11:46:24 AM new
{i}"and the fact that some are from UC Berkeley....a different nation itself...speaks volumes to me[/i].
Really? Please fill us in on your knowledge of the University of California at Berkeley, won't you?
Have you ever visited here? I'm sure that you'd find it to be a far more charming place than the dusty old row of shacks that you inhabit, and OH!, the shopping you could do!
All those lovely and quaint shops filled with things to die for!
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auroranorth
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posted on June 17, 2002 03:18:02 PM new
Berkely ? Like those wall street hypocrites ? what next steal these stocks ?
Lies based on lies pushing lies.
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saabsister
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posted on June 17, 2002 03:31:43 PM new
Uh oh. My late father-in-law got his degree at Berkeley and his niece got her law degree at Duke.
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antiquary
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posted on June 17, 2002 06:04:59 PM new
You have my sympathy, saabsister. How embarrassing! Have they ever....shudder... expressed original or independent thoughts??? If so, did you cover your ears? 
I saw this cartoon posted on another message board so I thought I would share it here. It seemed to fit under the title of this thread.
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auroranorth
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posted on June 17, 2002 09:39:32 PM new
He he he
I hope that those turn coats who led us thru the land of acid and are now stockbrokers suffer from paraquat poisoning or better yet the local homicidal street gang spray paints their heads.
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Borillar
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posted on June 17, 2002 10:41:40 PM new
"Department of Bushland Defense". LOL! And here our detractors claim that WE are the only ones who can see it!
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calamity49
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posted on June 17, 2002 11:18:00 PM new
Linda,
Where is the article to which you refer.
I'd like to see if it has the same info I found back when I was researching women.
calamity
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REAMOND
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posted on June 18, 2002 03:50:40 AM new
If you folks are arguing about which political party has the bigger pork barrel, good luck.
If you think that sweetheart contracts don't go out from republican administrations, you'd be wrong.
If you think that sweetheart contracts don't go out from democratic administrations, you'd be wrong.
If you think that YOUR congressman and senators aren't trying to steer every penny of govt spending into your state, you'd be wrong.
The best one lately is that once great supporter of Bush, Rep J C Watts of Oklahoma. He got his legs cut out from under him by Bush. The Crusader mobile cannon assembly plant is in Oklahoma and the Bush administration canceled the project.
J C Watts doesn't "feel" too republican these days.
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Linda_K
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posted on June 18, 2002 08:53:42 AM new
Mornin' Calamity - I looked and looked for the exact article I'd read, but couldn't find it. This one I'm posting says pretty much the same thing.
http://www.motherjones.com/about_us/mojo_bio.html
IMO Mother Jones activities in fighting for workers rights were wonderful. I applaud her efforts in those areas.
But she was a socialist...and I am against socialism. She was against capitalism...I support it. She was opposed to women's suffrage...thank god it went our way. 
A couple of quotes from her: "I can see no way out save in a complete overthrow of the capitalistic system". "But I see all around me signs of the dawning of the new day of socialism and with my faithful comrades everywhere I will work and hope and pray for the coming of that better day."
Another url you might enjoy reading is: http://www.angelfire.com/nj3/RonMBaseman/mojones.htm
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Borillar
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posted on June 18, 2002 09:35:13 AM new
Hi, REAMOND. You know as well as we do that we are just trolling for Republicans to come in here, indignant as Hell, and try to start an arguement. But, even Linda can see through such an obvious trap (heh heh). Of course, I appreciate it when a Republican does come in here and claim, "It's not really that way - it's this way!" instead of "Your a rotten person for posting that, you dirty piece of trash!" The last type I can do without.
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Borillar
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posted on June 18, 2002 09:44:12 AM new
"But she was a socialist...and I am against socialism. She was against capitalism...I support it."
Linda, I was going to ask you what you had against Socialism. However, I see that any answer that you might make on behalf of your beliefs (they ARE your beliefs, right?) is not going to be based upon a complete understnading of what life was like at the turn of the last century for those people, particualrily the miners. With no concept of why one would want to embrace Socialism over Capitalism for any reason, let alone have any sympathy for the mass of human suffering that unchecked Capitalism was causing back then, any response in support of your views is likely to read as cold-hearted and misguided and unsympathetic to the Human Condition as would most likely not put you in too favorable a light. Instead, I hope that you will first get an education into the facts and then try to seriously think about what your opinions of Mother Jones might be before telling us why you think what you think.
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Linda_K
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posted on June 18, 2002 10:32:28 AM new
See Borillar I don't see issues as black or white as you appear [to me] to see them.
And while sharing my opinions on any subject I don't take into consideration what anyone here thinks of me. I share my beliefs/opinions because they are MINE. So don't worry yourself that others will view me in a negative light because I don't agree with your side of things. Okay???
Take the example of Mary Jones. Things are much different now than then. Management and labor have a much better relationship now, they didn't then. Many corporations go out of their way to treat their employees very fair.
Unions were formed because of the hard work and dedication of people like Mary Jones. Good came from that.
Because I don't want to live in a socialist country, because I don't agree with much the far left proposes, doesn't mean I can't appreciate the good that has been done by someone who is a socialist or a liberal. See??? Not all black or white. In between...taking what I like and disagreeing with the rest.
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saabsister
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posted on June 18, 2002 11:07:55 AM new
Good cartoon, Antiquary. I should send it to that godforsaken liberal cousin of my husband. My FIL, the Berkeley grad, didn't quite fit the stereotype. He was an AF colonel.
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