The internet was lying this morning when it told you that Steve Jobs had a heart attack. God is fine, so no worries.

What's freaky though-Apple's stock fell when the faux-news emerged by a posting by johntw on some intertrader site. It only rose again once Apple's rep denied the claim.

While people on Wall Street are skittish at the moment, the fact that wild specualtion on the web can effect this sort of scenario is pretty freaking scary.

A post about Steve Jobs heart attack saw the stock markets plummeting as much as 5.4 percent in a single day. Later it was confirmed by the Apple spokesman that it was merely a rumour. This caused the stock markets to bounce back. Four years ago Steve underwent a surgery to treat pancreatic cancer. Since then his health has been a worry for investors. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, rose $1.84 to $101.94 at 10:14 a.m. New York time on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Arthur protested, after the judge directed the jury to leave the court room during a procedural squabble, that the judge’s ruling compromised Mazon’s ability to get a fair trial.

“Your honor. I can’t represent my client because you have given the government (prosecutors) so much leeway,” Arthur protested as Judge McDade ruled against Arthur’s attempts to strengthen his clients argument that the War in Iraq had strained the war contract delivery system.

McDade, who is soft spoken and rarely raises his voice, referred to the first trial in which the jury last April deadlocked on the complex charges.

“I gave the defense attorney in the last trial more leeway on issues outside of the scope of cross examination to allow him (Arthur) to address matters to put on his own case for the defense,” Arthur said.
But he said he “won’t allow” Arthur to do it again in this second trial which began Monday in McDade’s court room in the Peoria Federal Building.

McDade offered a chilling warning to Arthur, saying, “Whether or not there will be a 3rd trial in this case by you is questionable.” Arthur said he thought he understood what the softspoken judge said but “wasn’t sure.”

After verbally reprimanding Arthur, McDade cautioned the attorney about his conduct.

The argument erupted when Arthur tried to get a government witness who worked for the U.S. Army that approved contracts to support the War in Iraq to acknowledge that everyone was in a rush to get the contracts serviced.

McDade has already ruled that Arthur cannot argue Mazon is being made a scapegoat by Halliburton KBR, his former employer, that he was “framed,” that Halliburton, worked with the government to frame Mazon, or that Halliburton KBR mishandled dozens and maybe more government contracts.

What remains of Mazon’s defense, which may have swayed the deadlocked jury in the first trial held in Rock Island, is that Mazon, like many other contractors serving the Iraq war, were overworked causing many errors.

During the trial, a government witness and Mazon’s supervisor, Col. Robert Gatlin, said that he and Mazon and others worked as many as 20 hours a day, seven days a week.

Prosecutor Jeffrey B. Lang argued that Mazon inflated the contract to provide fuel to soldiers at garrisoned at a military base that was hurriedly built in Kuwait prior to the Iraq war.

Arthur argued in the last trial and will argue again that Mazon and several other Halliburton contractors had merely tripped up over the conversion of U.S. dollars to the Kuwait Dinars. One Kuwaiti Dinar is equal to 3.3 U.S. dollars. The inflated contract price was increased precisely by 3.3 in an Excel spreadsheet in which the formulas were automatically embedded. By clicking the “cells,” contractors automatically changed the price.

The bid document presented to the court showed the contract was $1.67 million US Dollars but listed as $1.67 Kuwait Dinars. It was then converted to $5.52 million U.S. Dollars through the monetary conversion error.

Lang also challenged claims that the government and Bush administration were intentionally seeking to downplay the trial.

“This is not a political trial. No one from Washington (DC) called and told me to do anything. I got into this because I wanted to. I read a story about this in the Wall Street Journal and I called and asked to be assigned to this case,” Lang said during a break in the trial.

Lang said as many as 60 people have been charged and convicted with contract related corruption, but he insisted that the politically connected Halliburton should not be the focus of the trial.

Critics, though, insist the Bush Administration intentionally pushed the trial to Rock Island for several reasons. Mazon is Ecuadorian American but his skin tone could lead many to mistake him for an Arab American. Since the terrorism of Sept. 11, 2001, thousands of Arab Americans have become victims of American public anger from subtle acts of discrimination and bias in court rooms, businesses and government to acts of vandalism and violence.

Rock Island’s mainly rural Bible Belt constituency might have produced an unsympathetic jury for someone who looks “foreign” and who is alleged to have engaged in corruption with contractors in the Arab World.

Lang brushed the charges aside.

The Peoria jury reflects a slightly better cosmopolitan diversity including five men and nine women, all save with one apparent Hispanic juror and another Asian.

The trial is expected to continue through the middle of October.

(Ray Hanania is providing special reports and commentary from and during the trial which is taking place in Peoria, Illinois. He can be reached at rayhanania@comcast.net.)

5. The Future of Stop Loss

I think all of you know what stop loss is. I know it's an issue that will affect me. Jay will be in Iraq 6 months after his volunteer obligation to the Army expires. Stop Loss was originally delegated to the Secretary of Defense by executive order on September 14, 2001. Military families need to watch the Stop Loss policy closely in the election because as military enlistments decline, the number of soldiers forced to stay in the military on the back end will increase. The Stop Loss policy is the draft on the back-end. Most people are opposed to implementing a draft, but no one has confronted this issue full force. Barack Obama has pledged to end Stop Loss, McCain has pledged to keep it in place. Another issue with Stop Loss is the fact that right now there is a bill in Congress that will give $500 monthly to those who are affected by Stop Loss. This bill will make these payments retroactive. I really don't think $500 is enough for Stop Loss, but that's just my opinion.

4. Watch the Economy Stupid

As we all know, the economy has taken a turn for the worst on Bush's watch. Most economists say the economy will always balance itself out, but government intervention plays the largest role in the counteracting the balancing act of the economy. This is actually a principle of Adam Smith, a demigod for the Republican Party. The war in Iraq is a costly war that is negatively impacting the economy. In addition, there are companies who are banking on the misery of ordinary consumers. People are losing their homes, people are paying more at the pump, people are in debt, and, worst of all, people are losing their jobs at unprecedented rates. Now, our government is bailing out a company that paid its executives tens of millions of dollars this year. Every American will be affected by this awful economy, but American soldiers may be facing less funding due to the irresponsibility of the Bush Administration. Our government cannot pay for every necessity, and that's a reality. We need to elect a president and Congress who understands the impact of the economy. One of the presidential candidates publicly admitted that he knows nothing about the economy. 

3. The Use of Incompetent Contractors 

This is the first war where contractors make up a large percentage of the military work force in Iraq and Afghanistan like Halliburton, KBR, Black Water, and many more. These contractors have negatively impacted our military. Halliburton has destroyed property in Iraq and mismanaged oil fields. KBR (a subsidiary of Halliburton) operates the water and filtration systems on Army bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their systems have been electrocuting and killing soldiers. Isn't it enough that soldiers are faced with violence every day? Should they really be worried about taking a shower because contractors like KBR are incompetent and suffer no penalties for their negligence? Black Water--the infamous mercenaries in this war--have killed innocent Iraqis. As a military wife, you must think about how these situations affect our military. When innocent Iraqis are killed, insurgents are angered and they want to kill American soldiers. The worst part about the contractors in Iraq is their relationship with politicians. We all know that Dick Cheney is the former CEO of Halliburton. He gets some serious stock options because of his former role with the company, so he is profiting from the crappy work that Halliburton and KBR are doing for our soldiers. Erik Prince, the founder of Black Water has personally given more than $200,000 to Republican causes in the last decade. All of these contractors are being awarded no-bid contracts for the work, and they have made billions of dollars from American taxpayers. In the good old days, soldiers took on the responsibilities that are being done by these irresponsible contractors. We need to elect people who won't pay back their buddies or try to profit for war themselves.

2. Health Care for Military Families & Veterans

Universal health care is on the agenda for Barack Obama and health care savings accounts (HSAs) are on the agenda for John McCain. Unfortunately for military families, health care savings accounts are not an option. Military families cannot enroll in high-deductible health plans, which are the cornerstone of HSAs. Universal health care, on the other hand, is something that military families know well. The health care systems established on military bases are a form of universal health care. You go to the Army Medical Centers on an Army base and you pay no co-pay, you pay nothing for prescriptions (if you're a soldier and like $3 if you're a family member), and you receive quality care. My husband had surgery twice this year. The care we received at the private hospital in our hometown, was less than stellar. We waited in the emergency room for 6 hours, we had tons of paper work that had to be filled out before he could be admitted, and the physician's assistant was totally confused about his surgery and thought he was supposed to get the wrong organ out. Did I mention he was in grave pain throughout this process? The army hospital was a completely different experience.  We walked in, we showed an I.D., he had his surgery, the doctors were professional, and everything was great. I think everyone should be able to walk in and show an I.D. and get the care they need, just like members of the military. Actually, I think we should have the same health care that Congress has. Health care is an important issue with the number of injured veterans who are coming home. We need them to have proper care and universal health care can give them the options they need to get specialized care anywhere in the country.

1. The Next Phase of Iraq and Afghanistan

George W. Bush is doing absolutely nothing to change the direction of Iraq. Our president is waiting for this issue to come across the desk of the next president. This may be a good thing since W is not known for making the most intelligent decisions. What's next for the war? There has to be an exit strategy. If we continue to participate in this war just for the sake of participating in it, we will probably lose another 4,000 troops, making the grand total 8,000 lives lost due to the need to invade a country in search of weapons of mass destruction that never existed. Regardless of if you're on the right or the left, we need to make decisions about the direction of the war. One presidential candidate said that he'd rather win the election over winning the war. He also said that he's fine with this being a 100-year war. Every military family needs to really think about this issue. Can Americans afford this war? Is this war a distraction from the war on terror? Contrary to what some people believe, terrorism is alive and well. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan has been a big recruitment poster for terrorist groups. What happens when another September 11 happens? Will we be able to re-group without our military present? Our next president owes military families a timetable for withdrawal. We have to know when to say enough is enough. 

The Top Five Campaign Issues Military Wives Should Watch are my obviously full of my personal opinions about the state of public affairs in our country. I hope everyone will do their homework, and create their own top 5 issues list and determine which candidate will serve you best. This year, we need to think carefully about the decisions we make for the presidency and for Congress because these individuals will be deciding the fate of all military families. Every military wife needs to make this decision for herself and not make your voting decisions based on your husband's decisions. Hillary Clinton, Geraldine Ferrara, and even Sarah Palin have proven that you need to find your voice as a women and be heard. Voting is the best way to be counted and be heard.

As I have learned from a recent electrocution victim our firm is representing, electrocutions can result in any number of physical or neurological disorders as well as debilitating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms.

For more on electrocutions in Iraq, visit Ms. Sparky's Mishaps and Misadventures a website from a former KBR electrician. Ms. Sparky (Debbie Crawford) recently testified before the Senate Democratic Policy Committee on Soldier Electrocutions and seeks to bring attention to safety conditions in Iraq.  She is looking for former contractors and military personal to share their observations regarding electrical safety at camps/bases.

WASHINGTON -- The number of U.S. troops and contractors electrocuted in Iraq is higher than previously reported, and now stands at 18, a senator said yesterday.

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., issued a statement with the revised number after a briefing by the Pentagon's inspector general's office. The IG's office has been investigating the death of a Green Beret from Pittsburgh's Shaler suburb, Sgt. Ryan Maseth, who was electrocuted in January while showering in his barracks in Iraq.

Gary Comerford, a spokesman for the Pentagon's IG, confirmed the department is reviewing investigations conducted by the Army's Criminal Investigation Division and Criminal Investigation Command of 18 possible deaths.

Several of those cases have been deemed accidents because they involved situations such as coming into contact with power lines. Others resulted from situations where individuals were repairing air-conditioning units, providing generator maintenance or using a shower, according to the IG.

The IG's office is also examining the military's response in fixing the problem after the incidents.

Of those electrocuted, 16 were U.S. military personnel and two others were U.S. contractors, Mr. Casey's office said. The military has previously put the tally at slightly lower than 18.

Casey also said as part of the investigation he was told the IG's office is subpoenaing Houston-based military contractor KBR Inc., which holds a multibillion-dollar contract to provide basic services at facilities in Iraq for U.S. soldiers.

Read the entire article in context at: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08253/910620-100.stm ]]> http://bulletortheballot.wordpress.com/?p=132 Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:32:25 +0000 Mr. Bitterness http://bulletortheballot.wordpress.com/2008/09/21/the-financial-stewardship-of-gw-bush/ Think Progress has a short-list of the financial management record of the Bush administration. It alone is reason enough to think twice, and then think again before giving the kind of money and control to this administration that they're proposing.

I emphasize that this is a short list. A comprehensive list would take days to compile.

IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION

-$142 million wasted on reconstruction projects that were either terminated or canceled. [Special Inspector General for Iraq, 7/28/08]

-“Significant” amount of U.S. funds for Iraq funneled to Sunni and Shiite militias. [GAO Comptroller, 3/11/08]

-$180 million payed to construction company Bechtel for projects it never finished. [Federal audit, 7/25/07]

-$5.1 billion in expenses for Iraq reconstruction charged without documentation. [Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction report, 3/19/07]

-$10 billion in spending on Iraq reconstruction was wasteful or poorly tracked. [GAO, 2/15/07]

-Halliburton overcharged the government $100 million for one day’s work in 2004. [Project on Government Oversight, 10/8/04]

-$1 trillion unaccounted for by the Pentagon, including 56 airplanes, 32 tanks, and 36 Javelin missile command launch-units. [GAO, 5/18/03]

KATRINA

-Millions wasted on four no-bid contracts, including paying $20 million for an unusable camp for evacuees. [Homeland Security Department Inspector General, 9/10/08]

-$2.4 billion in contracts doled out by FEMA that guaranteed profits for big companies. [Center for Public Integrity investigation, 6/25/07]

-An estimated $2 billion in fraud and waste — nearly 11 percent of the $19 billion spent by FEMA on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as of mid-June. [New York Times tally, 6/27/06]

-“Widespread” waste and mismanagement on millions for Katrina recovery, including at least $3 million for 4,000 beds that were never used. [GAO, 3/16/06]

DEFENSE CONTRACTS

-A $50 million Air Force contract awarded to a company with close ties to senior Air Force officers, in a process “fraught with improper influence, irregular procedures, glaring conflicts of interest.” [Project on Government Oversight, 4/18/08]

-$1.7 billion in excessive fees and waste paid by the Pentagon to the Interior Department to manage federal lands. [Defense Department and Interior Department Inspectors General audit, 12/25/06]

I could agree with that allegation. The problem is, you guessed it, the name of this blog - The Defense Base Act. But first, let me tell you the facts of this case as set out in the above article.

The suit in question is filed on behalf of Curtis "Bubba" Coffey, who was injured when a co-worker, a Kenyan national, who spoke little English, moved a wrecker in the wrong direction.  

"Coffey's hand was caught in the truck's machinery and his finger "mangled such that, even after multiple treatments and surgery, he does not have use of his finger." The resulting pain means he can no longer work and requires heavy medication to sleep, according to the complaint.

I do not mean to sound unsympathetic to Mr. Coffey's plight. Our firm represents numerous KBR employees in their claims for Workers' Comp benefits, and I think the premise of KBR hiring under-qualified and overzealous employees from around the world may be right on point. We even have one client who was literally run over by a KBR armored truck driven by, you guessed it, an under-qualified driver.

However, like it or hate it, Congress passed 33 U.S.C section 905 in 1927 making the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (and later the Defense Base Act extension to it) the exclusive legal remedy in work related claims coming under its auspices.

The liability of an employer....shall be exclusive and in place of all other liability of such employer to the employee, his legal representative, husband or wife, parents, dependents, next of kin, and anyone otherwise entitled to recover damages from such employer at law or in admiralty on account of such injury or death. 33 U.S.C Section 905.

Therefore the Act precludes injury-related tort claims brought pursuant to state law. The Act is premised on the notion that employers accept the burden of no-fault compensation recovery in exchange for predictable liability for injuries suffered by workers.

One notable exception (although it actually does not appear in the statute) to the exclusive remedy provision of the DBA is the issue of an intentional harm done to the employee by the employer. This is the main issue the "Good Friday Massacre" suit in Texas, Fisher v. Halliburton. The claimants in that case, after a long battle, will finally get to have their day in court where they will need to show that KBR intentionally harmed their own employees, when in an apparent "make money at all costs move," they sent a civilian convoy through an zone KBR knew to be far too dangerous. See our previous blog articles concerning the legal manuverings at the District Court level and then most recently at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals level. Their attorneys have an will have a real challange equating greed with intentional harm rather than negligence or arrogance. Whether negligent or intentional, what KBR did to those men was terrible, and we wish them the best in their fight.

Based on the limited knowledge we have from the ablove article regarding Mr. Coffey's, it is certainly hard to see how hiring unqualified workers resulting in a dibilitating hand injury to the innocent Mr. Coffey could been part of an intention to hurt Mr. Coffey. KBR's hiring policies appear to be halfhearted and negligent, but that just isn't the standard here.

To place things in perspective, these rules only apply in the employer/employee context. For example, if you get rear-ended by a tractor-trailer you can sue the trucking company employing its driver for A) your damages (including pain and suffering) B) and if the employer should never have hired that driver or should have fired him long ago because they knew he was a lousy driver you can bring an claim relating to their negligent hiring/retention.

If you are a fellow trucker for that company and that same lousy driver hits your truck pulling out of a lot, you are stuck with whatever Workers' Compensation benefits are available to you in your state if you are hurt.

And I know what some of you might be thinking - why not just file suits in state court against the employer, settle out of court, then bring your Defense Base Act claim against their DBA insurer having just gotten X amount of cash to go away? If you do that it gives the employer the right to file a lien for the amount of your settlement against your benefits under the DBA. In other words, you can't come out ahead trying that.

Like Fisher v. Halliburton, we will watch this case (Coffey v. Kellogg Brown & Root, No: 2008CV154929) closely.

Republican foreign policy has diminished our ability to act in the global community.  Torture?  Renditions?  Secret prisons?  Guantanamo?  By America and Americans?  Unthinkable.  Deplorable.  Disgusting.  Heart breaking.  George Washington must be spinning in his grave.  Period.

Trickle-down economics has given us declining purchasing power for 90% of American workers and, under the past three Republican Presidents (Reagan and two Bushes), record-breaking budget deficits and national debt!  Reagan gave us our first trillion dollar debt.  Bush has saddled us with a debt-load that has been estimated at anywhere between 4 and 10 TRILLION dollars, depending on which economists you listen to.  The only break we bottom 90-per-centers had was during the Clinton Administration.  Coincidence?  I think not.

The only real suggestion the GOP has for our energy demands is to find more oil... we need to get off oil!  It will run out.  Remember history: America used to depend on whale oil... we "ran out" of whales... and seals, buffaloes, beavers...  There is another way - innovation.  Case in point: Denmark decided in 1973 to become free of the need for Middle East oil and today they are "energy independent."  In fact, Denmark is a net energy exporter.  They sell more alternative energy technology than any other nation in the world.  Plus, The Economist rates Denmark as the single best country to do business in.  We need to get serious about green tech.  As Thomas Friedman says, "Green is the new Red, White and Blue."

When has the GOP ever given us a real improvement to our education system?  No Child Left?  Ha! 

The GOP has a health care plan... their plan is to ensure profits for Big Pharma and the insurance companies while bankrupting the rest of us, even if we pay for insurance that then denies us coverage for serious health issues when they arise.  Thanks, but no thanks.

But the Republicans are "compassionate conservatives."  Right?  I don't think so.  Workplace safety has deteriorated thanks to GOP "reforms."  Remember the mine disasters?  Recall that over the last 7 1/2 years workplace casualty and fatality rates went up for the first time since the 1960s.  This is not the kind of workplace reform I want.  

Remember the FDA inspectors who let tainted meat go into our school lunches and retirement homes?  FDA policy was that meat company profits were too important to shut down the plants for cleaning, even though the inspectors saw signs of contamination in the processing lines...  Compassionate for whom?

What about extending Eminent Domain to allow corporations to confiscate family homes and land for casinos, resort hotels and WalMarts?  This is the new and improved "compassionate conservative" Republican agenda.

There's more.  Can you say, "Katrina?"  Heckuvajob.  Clear Skies?  Air pollution from industry is worse than at any time since the 1970s.  Clean water?  Wrong again, just look at aerial photos of Wyoming.  Financial market deregulation?  Can you recall Enron? WorldCom? Tyco? Citi-Group? Sub-prime mortgages?  All while seeing executive compensation sky-rocket, with multi-million dollar "golden parachutes" for the bastards who gave us the debacles in the first place. 

Now the Bushies are taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac... and planning to pay their CEOs hefty severance packages - how "golden" are they?  With tax-payer funding.  Has neo-conservatism become neo-fascism?  Looking at Halliburton and KBR makes me think so, not to mention the queasy feeling in my guts.  Funded by literally hundreds of billions of dollars in tax-payer CASH... which has been kept off the Federal budget.  Can you say, "Fiscal responsibility?" "Accountability?"  "Overcharges?"  "Bad food for our soldiers in a combat arena?!!"  Say WHAT?  I say, "Enough!"

How about the Constitution and Bill of Rights?  Remember the PATRIOT Act?  Habeus Corpus SUSPENDED?  In America?  Puh-LEEZE!

I learned something in Marketing 460: You can put lipstick on a pig (and some consumers will pay more for it), but underneath the lipstick, it is still just a pig.

An ingenious example of speech and politics occurred once in the United Nations Assembly and made the world community smile.

A representative from Palestine began: 'Before beginning my talk I want to tell you something about Moses.

When he struck the rock and it brought forth water, he thought, 'What a good opportunity to have a bath!'

He removed his clothes, put them aside on the rock and entered the water.

When he got out and wanted to dress, his clothes had vanished.

An Israeli had stolen them.'

The Israeli representative jumped up furiously and shouted, 'What are you talking about? The Israelis weren't there then.'

The Palestinian representative smiled and said 'And now that we have made that clear, I will begin my speech.

It is interesting to read this joke in light of a recent article in the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz that also makes clear that, legally speaking, there are indeed no such thing as Israelis--only Jews:

Tel Aviv District Court Judge Yitzhak Shilo rejected Tamrin's suit stating "a person cannot create a new nationality just by saying it exists, and then say he belongs to it." Shilo then added the real reason: "I can fully declare that there is no Israeli nation that exists separately from a Jewish nation."

If only it were true. If only it were a figment of my imagination and they did not exist and had never existed. But if that were the case I would not have had to endure the incessant Israeli Terrorist Forces (ITF) flying over Nablus, and the rest of the West Bank (and possibly Lebanon) all day today (and in the past couple of days more frequently than usual). Even when I was in the depths of the library showing my students a BBC version of Othello today (which I do not recommend: how is it that Anthony Hopkins gets to play Othello? Really, quite a racist production overall), I still heard them, felt their vibration, breaking the sound barrier, terrorizing the people here. At one point I thought I had felt/heard a bomb from my office today, when I realized that it was just the ITF terrorizing us from the sky.

It's amazing to me that the Zionist state can have such policies and and practices and get away with it. They can get away with lying, cheating, stealing, killing every day. All they have to do is tell the right lie often enough to their intended interlocutor and they can get away with it. Adolf Hitler called this the "Big Lie." It seems that George Bush has gotten quite polished at doing this as well. Last night he gave a performance, aimed at Americans I imagine, to convince them that there is "success" in Iraq. Rami always accuses me of being too literal, but it seems to me that a dictionary definition is in order here. My Oxford English Dictionary tells me that "success" means: "the accomplishment of an aim or purpose." Do we even know what the purposes was? They changed their line so many times it is difficult to recall: weapons of mass destruction (that Americans sold to Iraq), liberating the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein, fighting al Qa'eda (by the way: for the record there was no such thing called a' Qa'eda in Iraq before the Americans occupied and invaded the country), shoo kaman? Unfortunately, most Americans are too ignorant and lazy to know that when Bush tells us "we" have been successful enough to bring 8,000 troops home, they don't realize or research that this represents only 5.5% of the troops who are there anyway. And that taking these troops out will only reduce the numbers to before the so-called surge.

What does success mean when you have 4,000 U.S. soldiers dead and 100 times that number Iraqi and Afghan dead? What does success mean when there are 4.5 million Iraqi refugees--2.5 million internally displaced people and 2 million who fled the country? What does success mean when there are billions of dollars in infrastructural damage not to mention the type of damage done to a society that is centuries old; something Americans don't understand and have no respect for. And what of the curious absence or silence around the contractors like Blackwater and KBR? Will there be a pullout of these people? Notice how no one talks about them when they discuss reducing an American presence: they only ever mention official troops.

Meanwhile Bush celebrates his "success" there is more death and destruction at the hands of the American-Israeli imperial regime (read: this is what success looks like in Iraq and Palestine):

DAMASCUS, Syria, September 10 (UNHCR) – The death of a nine-year-old boy in a road accident on the Iraq-Syria border has focused attention once more on the extremely dangerous and harsh living of hundreds of Palestinian refugees stranded at a makeshift desert camp.

The young refugee, Mohamed Kamal Ibrahim, was due to be resettled soon in Sweden with his family. He died late Tuesday afternoon in an ambulance headed for a hospital in the suburbs of Damascus after he was hit by a reversing truck in Al Tanf, a rag-tag gathering of tents and makeshift shelters housing some 920 Palestinians, including 355 children, in the no man's land between Iraq and Syria.

An Israeli soldier was reported Wednesday as severely beating a Palestinian resident at the Israeli commercial crossing of Kissufim, south of the Gaza Strip.

A Palestinian couple from the West Bank city of Nablus claimed Wednesday that an IDF soldier delayed them in a checkpoint when they were on their way to a local hospital, causing the woman – who was pregnant – to give birth to a stillborn baby.

Bethlehem/Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli forces seized two West Bank Palestinians early Tuesday morning, according to Palestinian Authority (PA) security sources.

Israeli forces raided homes in the Duheisha Refugee Camp south of Bethlehem before arresting 17-year-old Adil Kamal Hammash, a high school student.

Palestinian security sources told Ma’an that soldiers also ransacked the northern West Bank village of Kafr Qalil in an apparently unrelated raid. 20-year-old Salim Mansour was taken from his home during the early-morning raid.

Gaza – Ma’an – The Gaza Strip’s only pharmaceutical factory is shutting down due to the Israeli blockade of the coastal territory, said Marwan Al-Astal chairman of board of directors of Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat factories on Wednesday.

As the bus of 199 prisoners (a number oddly short of 200) pulled into Ramallah recently, many will have seen the images of crying mothers and waving Palestinian flags as yet another indication of Israel's willingness to take risks for peace. Newspapers were filled with op-eds praising Israel for its bravery and courage while the usual international voices hailed it as a step in the right direction.

Much less coverage was given to the 1,751 Palestinians who have been arrested since the last busload of prisoners was released last November. Many of these prisoners were taken from their homes in the night and held without trial for months on end. For those lucky enough to face trial, they are subject to trial by a military court, which does not meet international standards, and are often convicted on secret evidence. It is fairly obvious, given the increase in the number of prisoners and the unjust conditions in which they are held, that Israel's latest prisoner release has little to do with a change in policy.

Instead, Israel's release of prisoners should be seen for what it is, yet another successful public relations coup in a long line of actions aimed at convincing the world that it is desperately seeking peace. Time and again Israel has acquiesced a bare minimum, flaunting it as ostentatiously as possible, to make the world believe that it is striving to meet its international commitments.

Israeli troops invaded the West Bank cities of Bethlehem, Nablus and Jenin kidnapping five civilians on Tuesday dawn, local sources reported.

Soldiers invaded Duhaisha refugee camp located south of Bethlehem and launched a wide scale house-to-house search campaign and kidnapped Adel Hammash, 17, taking him to an unknown destination.

In Nablus district, in the northern part of the West Bank, soldiers invaded the nearby village Kufor Qalil and randomly searched and ransacked several houses before kidnapping Salem Mansur, 20.

Soldiers also invaded the northern West Bank city of Jenin and the Jenin refugee camp, and fired rounds of live ammunition and sound bombs before breaking into and searching a number of houses.

Troops kidnapped three residents from the area and took him to an unknown destination.

This is what "success" is to Americans and Israelis. It is what death and destruction is to Palestinians and Iraqis.

In the wake of his admission in a guilty plea last week that he had resorted to bribes, kickbacks and high-level corruption to secure deals in Nigeria, however, Stanley now lies at the center of a widening scandal in the oil industry that has implications for corporations and governments across the globe.

Stanley's case is the first in what federal officials believe will be a string of indictments in coming months against U.S. corporate executives who have participated in bribing foreign officials in recent years.

Previously Stanley had said that Vice President Dick Cheney, who was CEO of Halliburton at the time, had no knowledge of the bribes. At the time though Stanley was not a cooperating witness. Stanley's sentence will be determined based on his compliance with the plea agreement. Stanley's attorney, Larry Veselka, has said that his client will cooperate fully in any investigation. Cheney's office has refused to comment citing continuing litigation.

And the FBI is actively involved in this case so this case is not likely to disappear into the realm of the Justice Department.

The active involvement of the FBI is particularly worrisome to such people. In contrast to white-collar investigations handled by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission, the FBI is believed to be prepared to use techniques more familiar to investigations of organized crime, including wiretapping and undercover agents.

There is much, much more to this story from ProPublica and PBS' "Frontline".

HT joe cantwell

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The Church of Scientology is even better than Prince at getting stuff taken off the web that they don't like. Scientology is a bullshit cult founded by a half-rate hack. Dianetics is a sham and Battlefield Earth is even worse than the stuff Ayn Rand wrote. If you are a Scientologist, please come to your senses. 'All Hail Xenu' t-shirts are still for sale:

 Great post over at Port Awesome. The Office is terrific. Miss Mayweather also made me aware of this, which if you are a BSG fan, you should appreciate.

Surely you knew your privacy was illusory. No, really.

Here's a whole bunch of stuff you missed.

Uppity? WTF? This was days ago!

I know, I know, you may be thinking, "But, gee, why diss on your host when he was so hospitable to you?"  Well, it's easy to be hospitable when the money you've spent isn't really yours (all's fair in love and war?).  Everyone involved -- key players in the US government, Halliburton and KBR, AlTanmia, and the Kuwaiti government has been scrambling to cover their asses.  It's likely impossible in this case to completely tease apart the bungling ineptitude and the calculated war-profiteering, so let's just concede that they are two sides of the same coin.  Someone could write a book about this one affair...in the mean time, here's the condensed version:

KBR moves into Iraq during the US invasion, and is unprepared to do its job, including being underfunded, vastly understaffed, and not even knowing who it should contact to start the Request for Proposals [RFP; competitive bidding] process for services it needs to start providing -- in this case, fuel delivery.  Altanmia appears out of nowhere [literally...it was formed specifically to profit off the Iraq war].  By adding to and leveraging this confusion and mutually-lucrative ties to power-players the Kuwaiti government, AlTanmia asserts itself through the Kuwaiti government to KBR as "the only option" (in Kuwait).  KBR then says to the US government, "AlTanmia is our only option" (anywhere).  Officials in the US Government -- under pressure to gather Kuwaiti support for the war, deliver scarce or waning supplies into Iraq, or with financial ties to Halliburton -- echo this statement, leading the US to "specifically request AlTanmia" to do the job, effectively circumventing the RFP process.  Never mind that other companies were -- and are still -- available to do the same job for a fraction of the cost.  The US okays a lucrative (for AlTanmia and KBR) no-bid contract high above Fair Market Value.  Then, the state-owned Kuwait oil company Petroleum Corps sends out a fax stating it can deliver the goods at a fraction of the cost as AlTanmia without the need to contract outside of Kuwait (read: without AlTanmia as unnecessary middleman).  Everyone else conveniently denies receiving the fax.  Other companies (including "in-house" US-operated agencies) are discovered as having been available to offer the same services at much better prices.  AlTanmia refuses to open its books to justify its high prices.  When the investigations start, all involved parties start the blame game in a sensitive and precise execution of "deflect suspicion away from yourself and point it toward the others, but not so much that it ruins the symbiosis [parasitism] that's been so profitable up to this point."

In closing, AlTanmia (let's not even touch KBR and Halliburton) owes US taxpayers millions of dollars.  Those millions of dollars, once the contribution of millions of Americans to their government, are now in the grubby hands of a few Kuwaiti and American war profiteers.  And that, folks, is one way to profit off a war!  Or occupation, or whatever you want to call it...

In conversation one night at one of the dinner parties, a KBR representative named "Chris" insisted that he personally has "tried" to keep his hands clean (apparently it's a pretty difficult thing to do), but that a lot of his coworkers were going to get nailed for soliciting bribes and demanding kickbacks...amongst other things.  To tie this back to US politics, the surprising number of support for McCain amongst power players over here makes perfect sense for a couple of reasons:  For historical reasons, a lot of Kuwaitis (at least the upper crust) don't seem to like Iraqis or Iraq.  Also, several people can't continue to profit off of destroyed lives if Obama ends the occupation before every last drop of blood has been bled from the wounds of the many and transformed (like magic!) into economic wealth for the greedy few.

and now for something completely different

In complete contrast, I am constantly and consistently humbled by my new sister-in-law's unflinching benevolence, honor, selflessness, dignity, honesty, and sense of respect for herself, others and the world around her.  In other words, she stands in firm contrast to everything I describe above.  And I couldn't be happier for her, my brother, and the love between them.  Also, I have nothing personal against her family -- they're actually pretty nice people in person.  But whoever believes that their wealth is legit is living in an elaborate fantasy world.

KBR Sued For Forcing Nepalese Workers To Iraq

by Andrew Buncombe

One of America's biggest military contractors is being sued by a Nepali labourer and the families of a dozen other employees who say they were taken against their will to work in Iraq. All but one of the Nepalese workers were subsequently kidnapped and murdered.

The lawsuit says that Buddi Prasad Gurung was forced to work against his will in a warehouse at the al-Asad air base. (AFP Photo)According to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, the Nepalese workers were recruited in 2004 in their home country by KBR and its Jordanian contractors, Daoud & Partners, to work as kitchen staff in a luxury hotel in Amman. Once they reached the Jordanian capital, however, their passports were taken from them and they were sent to Iraq. While travelling in an unprotected convoy, the Nepalis were kidnapped and later executed.

"It doesn't appear that any of them knew they were going to Iraq," said Matthew Handley, a lawyer representing the only survivor and the families of those who were killed. "A few were told they were going to work at an American camp... They thought they were going to work in America."

The lawsuit says that, after the 12 men were kidnapped, the sole survivor, Buddi Prasad Gurung, was forced to work for 15 months against his will in a warehouse at the al-Asad air base before his passport was finally returned. The plaintiffs allege the "illicit trafficking scheme - from their recruitment in Nepal to their eventual employment in Iraq - was engineered by KBR and its subcontractor".

The lawsuit was brought under a new human trafficking law that allows foreign citizens to sue the US government, military or corporations over human rights abuses committed in their countries.

Earlier this year, the US Department of Labour ordered Daoud to make a payment of $1m (£500,000) to be split between each spouse and set of parents of the murdered 12 Nepalis. The company has so far failed to comment on the lawsuit.

The 12 Nepalis were seized by a group calling itself the Army of Ansar al-Sunna. The men were taken hostage on 20 August 2004 and shortly afterwards the kidnappers released a video of one being beheaded and the other 11 shot.

KBR, formerly known as Kellogg, Brown and Root and once a subsidiary of Halliburton, the company of which the US vice-president, Dick Cheney, was once the chairman, said: "The safety of our employees remains KBR's top priority. The company in no way condones or tolerates unethical or illegal behaviour."

© 2008 The Independent

Ronald Reagan, possibly in some folks minds, the absolute best president that the American people have ever had (endured), used to say, "Ask yourself.  Are you any better off now, than you were four years ago?" And the obvious answer would be ... "No."

The economy is in worse shape than the numbers show. When you look at the macro numbers, you fail to look at where all the positives have gone, which is the top 1 or 5 percent.  Between 2001 and and 2007 - this was before the recession - incomes went down $1,000 for the average family. But buying power went down $9,000, if you include college tuition for families with tuition.

So the average family was living at a level of $47,000 in 2001, and is living at a level of $38,000 in 2007. It's worse now, obviously. So for the average middle-class person, it's not just, "Oh, things aren't great."

Things are tough.

According to recent polls, most Americans point to the economy as the top issue they're concerned about. Obama's Grecian or Roman backdrop at the convention doesn't appear on the list of concerns.  This is what he doesn't get. He's busy talking about I don't know - the marble columns in Invesco [Field]. When people are feeling pretty good about things, they like that kind of stuff: "Oh that's fun; Barack Obama's an emperor." When people are hurting, it doesn't work. This dog and pony show doesn't mean anything to those amongst us that are in dire straights.

Day #3 of Democratic convention drew more than 24 million viewers, Neilsen reports, "More than 24 million people watched the third night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention - a 7.5% decrease from 26 million viewers on day two of the convention. ... In comparison to day three of the 2004 convention, which drew almost 18 million viewers, the audience for day three of the 2008 convention was still significantly larger (up by a third to 24 million viewers)."

I asked my neighbor, "You watch the Convention?" and he replied, "No.  I have seen those bastards lie to me before." Or in other words, "I don't know what apathy is, and I really don't care."

Things are going rather well on this train wreck we call the Bush Administration.  A new KBR lawsuit alleges "slavery."  First it was outright lying, thieving on contracts (no bid contracts by the way), then allegations of rape, now we have kidnapping and slavery to add to the list.

A Washington law firm filed a lawsuit yesterday against Iraq contractor KBR, "alleging that the company and its Jordanian subcontractor engaged in the human trafficking of Nepali workers," the Washington Post reported today. The suit states that 13 Nepali men were recruited for kitchen work in Jordan only to have their passports seized upon arrival and "told they were being sent to a military facility in Iraq." TPM Muckraker notes that the complaint calls these actions "slavery":

The suit alleges:  Defendants' actions as set forth above constitute the torts of trafficking in persons, involuntary servitude, forced labor, and slavery. Trafficking in persons in a modern day form of slavery, and along with involuntary servitude and forced labor constitutes a tort in violation of the law of nations and/or in violation of treaties of the United States.

Something else for us to be proud of ... And we wonder why the rest of the world hates us?

The Generals are speaking out.  When you are in the military you are told (warned) to not make a statement about anything concerning the government.  That you do NOT have an opinion as long as you are in service to your country.  Afterward, when you are retired then you can have an opinion.  As in the times of Rome, the Generals are starting to murmur and they speak in terms unflattering to the Emperor.  More ...

John Hagee Ministries was contacted this week to see if erstwhile, big time John McCain endorser Rev. Hagee saw the Lord's hand in reports that President Bush might not speak at the Republican National Convention on Monday because of Tropical Storm Gustav.

If you remember, back in 2006, Hagee declared that "Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans." Hagee said that "New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God," because "there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came."

So naturally someone thought of calling the good  Rev. Hagee's ministry to inquire.

A spokesperson, Kara Silverman, was asked Gustav's possible impact on the Republican National Convention might be seen as punishment against Republicans for their not having done enough to combat the "homosexual agenda," or whether this storm could be attributed to some other target of divine wrath.

Ms. Silverman said Hagee had "no comment."

Finally in all this mess, we find someone with a modicum of intelligence.

000

"This material [cartoon] was published by the Center for American Progress" (online)

halliburton sued for human trafficking

---- Related reading

The army asked me to make bombs for the IRA, told me I had the Prime Minister's blessing ... then tried to kill me

New Blood for Afghanistan - A second chapter ----

China, Iraq reach $3 billion oil service deal - This is the time tested Illuminati tactic during their engineered wars: fuel up someone or a nation through providing or allowing them funding and resources so they have the ability to wage wars for extended periods of time, then attack them and introduce the whatever policies or "solutions" you want.

Russia starting to fall from grace in the world power structure - Its allies are letting them hang out to dry too. "Russia faced diplomatic isolation Thursday over its military action against Georgia and accused the West of heightening tension with a naval buildup in the Black Sea.

The Group of 7 industrialized nations condemned Moscow's "continued occupation of Georgia," and a group of Asian allies led by China failed to follow Russia's lead on independence for two breakaway regions of Georgia."

Hugo Chavez's Venezuelan administration speeds up its moves to take over all the private businesses - No government has any business owning private businesses anywhere near the extent that Venezuela does. Too many accept this type of activity without a peep and even call it good because of the poor man's mentality that prevails throughout the world that says, "oh, if I'm given a couple of good things I have to shut my mouth and take a couple of tons of shit with it too." Sorry folks, but I can't coddle people in these pressing times and deep down, you all know it too.

European Court of Human Rights allows extradition of Pentagon UFO hacker Gary MckKinnon to US

ABC Reporter Arrested in Denver Taking Pictures of Senators, Big Donors - Dumb idiots. Too many cops work so hard to protect those punks who couldn't care less about them and would slit their baby's throat to gain just a little more status in the eyes of their corporate mateys.There are many great exceptions to that and I salute em all.

Russia successfully tests ICBM designed to beat anti-missile systems

Kellogg Brown & Root facing human trafficking lawsuit - It should really read Defense contractor being US Army private slave dealer.