posted on April 1, 2003 02:21:25 PM new
I'd be interested to know what the war supporters among us think about this:
"The Spoils of War"
By Michelle Mairesse
[from www.hermes-press.com\spoils -- this site has great cartoons and photos]
Weeks before the Bush administration let slip the dogs of war in Iraq,
grubbing for the spoils of war had already begun in Washington.
The evidence appeared in a leaked 99-page document from the US Agency
for International Development. Usually, USAID posts contracts on the Internet
for open bidding, but this plan, ?The Vision of Post Conflict Iraq,? went
secretly to only five American companies. In early March, the agency invited
these favorites to submit bids for the largest reconstruction effort since
the end of World War II:
Bechtel Group, Inc.
Fluor Corporation
Halliburton Company
Louis Berger Group Inc.
Parsons Corporation
USAID offered $900 million in government agency contracts for
reconstruction
of Iraqi roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, power grids, water systems and
civic services in ?Post Conflict Iraq.?
Some Americans murmured that we could use some of those services here
at home, where we endure pot-holed roads, tottering bridges, overcrowded
schools and hospitals, inefficient power grids, polluted water systems and
civic services wrecked by unregulated privatization and cronyism.
The London Times (3/6/03) complained that the USAID document and others
like it indicated that "America has been planning a war regardless of
international
opinion," and that only American companies would be the beneficiaries. Quite
right. Bush administration chickenhawks have planned to attack Iraq since
1997. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the other chickenhawks don't
give a fig for international opinion concerning the methods they use to promote
their agendas.
When Rumsfeld was president of Searle Corporation he grew frustrated
over the Food and Drug Administration's refusal to approve Searle's dangerous
artificial sweetener, aspartame, which the body converts to formaldehyde.
As part of Reagan's transition team in 1977, Rumsfeld appointed a Defense
Department contractor as head of the FDA and got aspartame approved.
Recently, Rumsfeld has been questioned about his membership in a Swiss
firm that illegally sold war materiel to North Korea, but both he and the
Swiss have suffered a memory lapse.
As for the Times' complaint about favoritism, administration spokespersons
brushed aside such complaints by invoking the ?urgent circumstances? clause
in government procurement procedures plus the wartime requirement of Pentagon
security clearance, which the five American companies had already secured.
Over the past two election cycles, the very well-connected Favored Five
who got the nod from USAID contributed among them a total of $2.8 million,
68% to Republicans.
Fluor contributed more than $483,000. Fluor was well-connected; its vice
president of strategy and government services recently served as the acting
assistant secretary of the Army, where he directed its $35 billion-a-year
procurement budget. We can assume he picked up a few pointers.
Bechtel contributed $1.3 million between 1999 and 2002. Bechtel has employed
a former Defense Secretary, a former Secretary of State, and a former CIA
Director before each of them served in government. Although Bechtel
is currently
facing allegations that it was one of the 24 companies that illegally sold
weapons to Iraq during the ?80s, the Ashcroft Justice Department is
not expected
to embarrass anyone.
Kellogg, Brown & Root and parent company Halliburton, headed by Vice President
Dick Cheney from 1995 until 2000, gave more than $709,000 to our unbribable
politicians, presumably as a token of affection. Halliburton contributed
$17,677 to Bush?s presidential campaign. Halliburton currently pays Cheney
$1 million a year in deferred fees (part of his $20 million retirement bonus),
but Cheney insists that he has no conflict of interest. Cheney refuses to
release minutes from his meetings with energy company executives, including
those from Enron.
During his stint as CEO of Halliburton, Cheney promoted Arthur Anderson's
illegal accounting practices, the same practices that wiped out the Arthur
Anderson accounting firm. Although the Securities and Exchange Commission
is conducting an ongoing investigation of Halliburton?s shady dealings, and
there are allegations of questionable dealings with Iran, like Bechtel?s
with Iraq, the firm remains at the top of USAID?s contractors list.
Some of the criticisms of USAID and its vision of post-war reconstruction
could have been averted. The planners envision a military governor assisted
by a civilian. A pacified Iraq is to flourish under the command of General
(Viceroy?) Tommy Franks. Serving under Franks will be retired Lt. General
Jay Garner, who will head the new Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian
Assistance. He is a leading figure in the US Lobby group the Jewish Institute
for National Affairs and a friend and adviser to Ariel Sharon.
Unfortunately, Garner?s profile is unlikely to recommend him to most
Iraqis. He has been a strong proponent of high energy laser weapons on the
battlefield. He won the allegiance of the Kurds after Gulf War I, a feat
that rankles with a majority of Iraqis. After retiring as a three-star general
in 1997, he became president of SY Technology, a provider of communications
and targeting systems for missiles. Garner sued a former military colleague
who accused him of obtaining government contracts without undergoing the
bidding process. The case was settled out of court. Over the years, Garner
has publicly made pro-Zionist statements. Once again the insensitive, tone-deaf
Bush administration, which prefers to govern by fiat, chalks up
another egregious,
in-your-face appointment.
Garner will administer both reconstruction and humanitarian aid
contracts.
He plans to hire 100 ?free Iraqis? now living in the United States to staff
postwar government ministries overseeing police, the courts, and the military,
and supervise the approximately 2 million Iraqi bureaucrats presently serving.
Another 300,000 Iraqi soldiers will be employed (cheap labor?) in construction
projects sponsored by USAID.
The whole setup sounds like Afghanistan on steroids. Maybe they haven't
noticed lately, but Afghanistan has reverted to tribal warfare; the women
are wearing tents again, and DynCorp has a contract for providing 200
body-guards
to protect the appointed President, Karzai.
The leaked USAID plan stirred up consternation in Great Britain. Although
British troops were slated to share dangers with American troops in the event
of war, the spoils of war appeared to be moving into the American sector.
Even as the five American construction behemoths submitted their bids, British
Petroleum and Shell were pressuring their government to nail down exploration
rights in postwar Iraq. Control of Iraq would mean control of the world?s
second largest oil reserves, where of 70 proven fields, only 15 have been
developed. Both British companies are on record as favoring a
production-sharing
contract splitting oil revenues between Iraq and the international companies
that would develop the fields.
No matter what the chickenhawks say about setting the oil aside for
the Iraqi people, American oil developing firms have a record of behaving
like the camel who stuck his nose under the tent flap and insinuated himself
gradually into the whole tent.
The Brits had reason to worry. In January, The Wall Street Journal,
usually perceptive in these matters, made a prediction, saying that ?the
early spoils would probably go to companies needed to keep Iraq's already
rundown oil operations running, especially if facilities were further damaged
in a war. Oil-services firms such as Halliburton Co., where Vice President
Dick Cheney formerly served as chief executive, and Schlumberger Ltd. are
seen as favorites for what could be as much as $1.5 billion in contracts."
And you can make book on that in London.
The Favored Five were reportedly offered $1.5 billion by USAID, while
only $50 million was allotted to non-profit groups (such as CARE, Save the
Children, and Oxfam), the multilateral organizations that have proved their
worth in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, and southern Africa. These do-gooder
groups just don't get it. Chickenhawks have only contempt for people who
work for nothing. Chickenhawks are deferential to their God but love Mammon.
After all, Lewis Berger Group was already at work
reconstructing Afghanistan,
and Halliburton (through its subsidiary Brown and Root) was already on the
ground in Turkey and Kuwait servicing US troops to the tune of close to a
billion dollars. (Brown and Root also supports army operations in Afghanistan,
Djibouti, Georgia, Jordan, and Uzbekistan.)
After receiving open bids for smaller contracts, on March 24, USAID
officially awarded Stevedoring Services of America a $4.8 million contract
to reopen and operate Iran?s only deep-water port at embattled Umm al Qasr.
A much more lucrative contract, initially worth an estimated $600 million,
will be awarded soon to a firm capable of rebuilding bridges, roads, hospitals,
and water-treatment plants. Representative Maxine Waters commented, "I think
there's a serious irony in the administration letting contracts to rebuild
bridges that they haven't bombed yet."
The Chicago Tribune (3/20/03) feels betrayed by Republicans, who have
always claimed to be the party of fiscal responsibility. The Tribune calculates
that the tab for invading Iraq ?could exceed $100 billion--more than the
annual budget for the departments of Energy, Commerce, Housing and Urban
Development, Interior and Justice combined. Worse still, the actual expense
for bombs, bullets and fuel is the least of the cost of Bush's plan for Iraq.
For years to come, American taxpayers will also be on the hook for running
and rebuilding a country devastated by economic sanctions and war.
?Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki has said the occupation of Iraq
could require ?several hundred thousand soldiers.? The Congressional Budget
Office estimates it could cost up to $45 billion a year, and could take several
years. It's not far-fetched to imagine the United States burning through
half a trillion dollars over the next decade.?
Yes, it could happen. Yale economist William Nordhaus believes that
rebuilding Iraq will cost up to $600 billion over 10 years.
During World War II, everyone sacrificed. Food, fuel, and other
commodities
were rationed, military conscription was universal, and the very rich paid
up to 90% of their income in taxes. During Gulf War II, high-pressure army
recruiters enlist the poor, the very rich get massive tax cuts, and the budget
masters slash services to veterans.
At present, the United States has more than a million men and women
serving in five military commands girdling the globe. We have
treaties guaranteeing
the survival of Israel, Taiwan, South Korea, and even France.
But why stop there? If the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz is to be believed,
last year Under Secretary of State John Bolton told Israeli officials that
after defeating Iraq the United States would "deal with" Iran, Syria and
North Korea. So that?s the plan: Tomorrow the world.
What were these people in charge of our destiny thinking of when they
marched us into this morass?
It's obvious, isn't it? The chickenhawks have no intention of taking
out Saddam Hussein, rebuilding Iraq, and exiting. Even 58 years following
World War II, American troops are still stationed in Germany and Japan.
Iraq is a plutocrat's dream: the most advanced of the Arab states, with
the best-educated population, though surrounded by desert, blessed with water.
Iraq is the keystone to southeast Asia, and, lest we forget, sits on all
that oil.
Did I mention that Saddam Hussein trades in Euro currency, not in dollars?
The chickenhawks will fix that too.
Senator Byrd, you are not alone. We, the majority that elected Gore
and got Bush, also weep for our country.
posted on April 1, 2003 02:31:29 PM newSenator Byrd, you are not alone. We, the majority that elected Gore and got Bush, also weep for our country. Somebody's still harping on that one? Obviously they haven't noticed how their 'voice' was once again not heard in the Nov. 2002 elections, when they could have made their point/statement on the 2000 election.
The question is not what a man can scorn, or disparage, or find fault with, but what he can love, and value, and appreciate. J. Ruskin
[ edited by Linda_K on Apr 1, 2003 02:33 PM ]
posted on April 1, 2003 03:17:28 PM new
Load of Bull.... that is what I think, anyone can make up a "leaked" document and try to factually put it out as truth.
1997 would of had to have been Clinton and company, not Bush...
posted on April 2, 2003 12:41:53 PM new
That's right 12-pole
deny, deny, deny. Without anything to back it up.... At least Roadsmith had the common curtesy of a link. You just deny it out of hand. What a woos!
It is all for der Furher, Heil, heil, heil!!!
"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both boldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar."
- Julius Caesar
posted on April 2, 2003 12:49:56 PM new
By the way Roadsmith....I have my own observations and opinions...
I have watched some of these "briefings" by that war command. They show bombs blowing up non-descript and unremarkable buildings meanwhile stating "there goes a command center or there goes a ammo depot" and i keep thinking to myself....how the heck do they know what they are? Then it comes to me! We had "inspectors" in Iraq. Apparently this war was a forgone conclusion and the US sent advance artillery spotters just as Saddam suspected they would be. Know that "Chemical weapons Plants" that Powell pointed out to the UN. It apparently is still standing because inspectors did find out it WAS a bakery.
The inspections were a farce and lie perpretrated by the US
"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both boldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar."
- Julius Caesar
posted on April 2, 2003 01:31:19 PM new
"Know that "Chemical weapons Plants" that Powell pointed out to the UN. It apparently is still standing "
Did you ever think that bombing chemical weapons plants may not be such a good idea ? yea thats drop some bombs on the plants and see how much chemical agents can be released. Use of a little common sense about that wouldn't hurt.
posted on April 2, 2003 06:23:21 PM new
If that is so....then tell me.....why have they hit the other "suspected" sites? The palaces and such...INCLUDING that actual chemical plant. It was a suspected WOMD plant, but turned out to be a ordinary chemical plant.
Doesn't seem like your statement holds water does it?
Buzzzzzz..
Spin again.....
"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both boldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar."
- Julius Caesar
[ edited by mlecher on Apr 2, 2003 06:24 PM ]
posted on April 2, 2003 07:04:02 PM new
Well, your the one that just told us about all the advanced spotters so I would say they did there job and determined that the palaces struck had no WOMD. Anyways, I am not wasting my time on you , you have your opinons and a visit from god himself would't change your mind so more power to ya. I'll only choose battles worth fighting and your not one of them so have a good one and God bless the troops and our president !
posted on April 2, 2003 08:13:06 PM new
I really didn't mean to start another fight. I just truly wondered what the supporters of this war would say to this article I posted. Well, I think I'm beginning to get the picture!
