Author Topic: Iraq For Sale - the war profiteers  (Read 1173 times)

Offline crockett

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Iraq For Sale - the war profiteers
« on: July 13, 2007, 03:54:55 PM »
This documentary is airing on Starz Cinema this Sat night @ 10pm. I looked around on the net and found it on google video. At the end of the movie it says to share it with others so I'm posting it up.


I have the video embedded on one of my websites..  http://www.welched.com  and you can also watch it directly @ google  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6621486727392146155&hl=en

All I can say, is if you don't feel sick to your stomach after watching this, then I dunno what's wrong with you. I know our govt has been sold out to big money long ago, but just seeing how bad it is in Iraq pretty much seals the deal.

btw if you served in Iraq and drank water that was supplied by Halliburton, you should see a doctor and be tested for blood pathogens.
"strafing"

Offline Masherbrum

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Iraq For Sale - the war profiteers
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2007, 04:26:33 PM »
There will ALWAYS be "profiteering" in Warfare.   It's a fact of life.   "Wanna get out of a Depression fast?   Start a war!"
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Offline FrodeMk3

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Iraq For Sale - the war profiteers
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2007, 05:43:37 PM »
Mash's right, there-dating all the way back to the Revolutionary war.

I think the question that people find wanting to ask is, was the war STARTED by a war profiteer? Dubya himself had large investments in some defense-related firms. Cheney's old haunt, Halliburton, Which had been a largely oil-industry service provider, got handed all of the rebuilding work, without any delay.I'd think that was the real thing.

Offline Yeager

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Iraq For Sale - the war profiteers
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2007, 05:50:01 PM »
if you don't feel sick to your stomach after watching this, then I dunno what's wrong with you.
====
I pretty much gave up feeling sick to my stomach after watching the 72 olympics.  Everything since then has been icing on the cake.

Good louck though!
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Offline crockett

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Iraq For Sale - the war profiteers
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2007, 05:56:43 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Masherbrum
There will ALWAYS be "profiteering" in Warfare.   It's a fact of life.   "Wanna get out of a Depression fast?   Start a war!"


I think it's a question of how estrangement the profiteering is. It's one thing if the military needs a service that a company can provide. It's another thing to take military personal off the job, just so they can give that job to a contracted company.

If you watch that movie.. about the 1/hour point they really start getting into detail of how much these companies are overcharging for services, and in my mind stealing from me as an American tax payer. Especially when it's been shown time and time again that they are doing a sub par job on the contracted work.
« Last Edit: July 13, 2007, 06:00:34 PM by crockett »
"strafing"

Offline Eagler

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« Reply #5 on: July 13, 2007, 07:20:03 PM »
WW2 profiteered us out of the great drepression
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Offline 1K3

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Iraq For Sale - the war profiteers
« Reply #6 on: July 13, 2007, 07:54:36 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Eagler
WW2 profiteered us out of the great drepression


Your great grandparents were taxed 95%

Blame Leonardo DiCaprio (Howard Hugues) for wasting money on making planes that did not work:aok

Offline rpm

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Iraq For Sale - the war profiteers
« Reply #7 on: July 13, 2007, 11:14:15 PM »
Crockett, why do you hate America? Don't you realise you are emboldening the enemy? AlQueda just recruited 50 new terrorists because of this thread.
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Offline Red Tail 444

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Iraq For Sale - the war profiteers
« Reply #8 on: July 13, 2007, 11:58:36 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Yeager
if you don't feel sick to your stomach after watching this, then I dunno what's wrong with you.
====
I pretty much gave up feeling sick to my stomach after watching the 72 olympics.  Everything since then has been icing on the cake.

Good louck though!


Even I remember that, and you have a point

Offline tedrbr

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Iraq For Sale - the war profiteers
« Reply #9 on: July 14, 2007, 12:35:56 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by crockett
I think it's a question of how estrangement the profiteering is. It's one thing if the military needs a service that a company can provide. It's another thing to take military personal off the job, just so they can give that job to a contracted company.


Shenanigans!  I  CALL  Shenanigans!!!  

This particular argument is B.S for the most part.  The reason the military is so dependent on defense contractors dates back to the DRAWDOWN after the 1991 Gulf War and End of the Cold War.  The military was downsized by a pretty significant percentage.  All part of the peace dividend.  Plus base closures on top of that.

Remember any of this?

Final result was Pentagon juggling numbers as to authorized end strength numbers from the civilian leadership (politicians in D.C.) for personnel and outsourcing many non-combat roles to the civilian sector in order to come under those authorized end strength numbers and keep enough trigger-pullers and combat arms.

For example: Most line companies in the U.S. Army no longer have Medics or Cooks (they are battalion level, and fewer of them), most Clerk positions disappeared in line companies.  Many Quartermaster jobs (laundry is a big one) as well as supply went to civilian contracts.  For Iraq and Afghanistan, there was no where near enough EOD people, so civilians make up a large part of ord disposal and counter land mine work.

You want to push the defense contractors out of those contracts, fine, simply DOUBLE the size of the military the United States fields to do all those jobs.  Takes roughly a year to add each additional 15,000 to 30,000 soldiers to the end strength numbers.... if bonuses are high enough..... which means the 150,000 contractors in OIF and OEF can be replaced in about 5 to 10 years.

War profiteering happens in all wars.  The higher costs of using civilian contractors during a war is offset by not having those folks on the payrolls between the wars.  

And as to why civilians working in a war zone can take home 2 to 3 times the net pay as their military counterparts, you've got to entice enough qualified people to go to a war zone while the stateside economy is doing well and unemployment is around 4 - 4.5%  --- that will cost you.  Turnover among civilian contractors during OIF-I and OIF-II was around 30% for many companies.  1 in 3 did not finish their contract because of the conditions they were living and working in.

Also be advised that Congress and the IRS changed the way they tax overseas pay in 2006, so it is not as good as it once was in regards to what you pay in taxes from the war zone as a civilian contractor.  Also, the civs don't have all the benefits and protections that the military folks do.  Their support structure is not a solid  (not that the military structure is itself all that "solid" in that regards either).
« Last Edit: July 14, 2007, 12:38:21 AM by tedrbr »

Offline x0847Marine

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Iraq For Sale - the war profiteers
« Reply #10 on: July 14, 2007, 12:40:11 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by FrodeMk3
Mash's right, there-dating all the way back to the Revolutionary war.

I think the question that people find wanting to ask is, was the war STARTED by a war profiteer? Dubya himself had large investments in some defense-related firms. Cheney's old haunt, Halliburton, Which had been a largely oil-industry service provider, got handed all of the rebuilding work, without any delay.I'd think that was the real thing.


Lets not forget Prescott Bush.

While US GI's were fighting Nazis, long after after America had entered the war, Prescott Bush worked for, did business with, and profited from companies owned by Fritz Thyssen.... whose companies produced the steel that was said to be the "heart of the Nazi war machine". Prescott Bushs assets were seized under the "Trading with the Enemy Act".

Wonderful family values these Bush people have, little W learned early on how war was good for the family. I seriously thought the Clinton's would be the lowest of the low for awhile, but the Bush family has impressed me with a new level of foulness.

Offline lasersailor184

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Iraq For Sale - the war profiteers
« Reply #11 on: July 14, 2007, 12:55:34 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by x0847Marine
Lets not forget Prescott Bush.

While US GI's were fighting Nazis, long after after America had entered the war, Prescott Bush worked for, did business with, and profited from companies owned by Fritz Thyssen.... whose companies produced the steel that was said to be the "heart of the Nazi war machine". Prescott Bushs assets were seized under the "Trading with the Enemy Act".

Wonderful family values these Bush people have, little W learned early on how war was good for the family. I seriously thought the Clinton's would be the lowest of the low for awhile, but the Bush family has impressed me with a new level of foulness.


http://www.adl.org/Internet_Rumors/prescott.htm

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Offline Thrawn

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Iraq For Sale - the war profiteers
« Reply #12 on: July 14, 2007, 01:06:21 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by Eagler
WW2 profiteered us out of the great drepression


How?

Offline Masherbrum

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« Reply #13 on: July 14, 2007, 02:03:47 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by Thrawn
How?
yer joking right?
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Offline Elfie

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« Reply #14 on: July 14, 2007, 02:40:52 AM »
Quote
While US GI's were fighting Nazis, long after after America had entered the war, Prescott Bush worked for, did business with, and profited from companies owned by Fritz Thyssen.... whose companies produced the steel that was said to be the "heart of the Nazi war machine". Prescott Bushs assets were seized under the "Trading with the Enemy Act".


Even if that were true, I wouldn't hold it against his descendents. That would be like me holding a grudge against you for your grandfather commiting murder. (Not saying he did, just an example) It is in no way fair to you.

Heck a lot of folks did business with the Nazis before we went to war with them. Do you hold a grudge against their descendents as well? The USSR did business with Nazi Germany up until Germany attacked them. Do you hold a grudge against the USSR for that as well?

Come on Marine, you're smarter than this. :)
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