Here's what's wrong with America
(1) After the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines, tells a British audience that she's "embarassed that the President is from Texas," the country-music group is booed at concerts, albums sales plummet, radio stations stop playing their songs, and the country trio is forced to make a tearful half-apology on network TV.
(2) When actors Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon make statements against the war, the Baseball Hall of Fame cancels a scheduled 15th anniversary showing of their film "Bull Durham." The Hall's director says their statements are dangerous and put U.S. troops in danger.
(3) In the aftermath of the war in Iraq, the Halliburton Corporation, VP Dick Cheney's old stomping ground, was awarded a no-bid contract to reconstruct Iraq's oil fields. This contract was given to Halliburton with no congressional approval and no public discourse.
And yet, the average Joe Idiot American is more concerned with #1 and #2 than #3. That's what's wrong with America.
Oh wait, maybe people just don't know all the facts about #3. So let's look a little closer.
Not only is Halliburton given preferential treatement because their former CEO is Vice President of the United States; they're being allowed to direct the reconstruction of Iraq's oil fields even though they have a history of illegally selling products and services to enemy countries!!!!!!
Federal laws prohibit U.S. companies from doing business in Iraq, Iran, or Libya, countries which the State Department says support terrorist activities.
Yet, Halliburton cleverly got around these laws by setting up subsidiaries in countries like the Bahamas, or the Cayman Islands, which don't have those inconvenient restrictions.
The U.S. government wasn't totally fooled by this. In fact, in 1995, Halliburton was fined $3.8 million for re-exporting goods to Libya via a foreign subsidiary. Yet, Halliburton still does business in Libya today. Libya!!!
In February 2000, Halliburton opened an office in that cosmopolitan foreign capital, Tehran, to direct offshore drilling efforts. According to their press release, "We are committed to position ourselves in a market that offers huge growth potential." In Iran. A country on the State Department's terror list. Halliburton is "committed" to doing business in a terrorist nation.
Terrorist activities don't bother you so much?? OK. What about rip-offs?? What about companies that overcharge the goverment, stealing money directly from the taxpayers???
Halliburton has been accused, on multiple occassions, of overcharging the federal government for services rendered. Last year, the company agreed to pay a $2 million settlement to the U.S. government to avoid a lawsuit.
So, let's recap. We have a company that has business deals with American enemies, a company that has systematically ripped off the American taxpayers.
Is this company punished? Are they forbidden from bidding on government contracts for a period of time???
No! They're given a HUGE contract -- without a bid process -- to reconstruct Iraq's oil industry, all because the Supreme Court elected an administration that's never heard the phrase "conflict of interest." And no one cares about this. No one cares, and so Bush and Cheney are doing whatever they want, because they're allowed to.
Well, one person cares. Representative Henry Waxman, a Democrat from California, is outraged by all of this. He has written a formal letter of protest to Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, asking why Halliburton, with their abysmal track record of traitorous and unscrupulous business dealings, has been given such preferential treatment.
Of course, he knows why. And he knows his protest won't change anything. But at least he's asking the question. And I'm proud of him for doing so.
I'm also proud that he's Jewish. And I don't think that's too much of a coincidence. Jews are always among the strongest proponents of fair play, of staying within the rules. Yes, he's a Democrat (like most Jews), which gives him extra incentive to accuse the administration of shady dealings. But, he's right. He's on the moral high ground here.
He also knows that countries like Libya and Iran are even greater threats to Israel than they are to the US. Israel is our only true ally in the region, our only Middle East friend that, as the area's lone democracy, is guaranteed not to have an entirely new, anti-American government tomorrow. No other country in the region can say that -- a bullet to the head of any Arab leader would throw his country into chaos.
So Waxman understands the threat and the problem of allowing American businesses to sell products and services to enemy nations. Halliburton knows those rules, and has tried to circumvent them by creating subsidiaries based outside of the U.S. Yet, it's still an American company, and its former CEO is now the number two man in the nation, for heaven's sake. They should be forced to play by the rules, and if not, they should be punished.
Instead, they're rewarded, and no one cares.
(2) When actors Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon make statements against the war, the Baseball Hall of Fame cancels a scheduled 15th anniversary showing of their film "Bull Durham." The Hall's director says their statements are dangerous and put U.S. troops in danger.
(3) In the aftermath of the war in Iraq, the Halliburton Corporation, VP Dick Cheney's old stomping ground, was awarded a no-bid contract to reconstruct Iraq's oil fields. This contract was given to Halliburton with no congressional approval and no public discourse.
And yet, the average Joe Idiot American is more concerned with #1 and #2 than #3. That's what's wrong with America.
Oh wait, maybe people just don't know all the facts about #3. So let's look a little closer.
Not only is Halliburton given preferential treatement because their former CEO is Vice President of the United States; they're being allowed to direct the reconstruction of Iraq's oil fields even though they have a history of illegally selling products and services to enemy countries!!!!!!
Federal laws prohibit U.S. companies from doing business in Iraq, Iran, or Libya, countries which the State Department says support terrorist activities.
Yet, Halliburton cleverly got around these laws by setting up subsidiaries in countries like the Bahamas, or the Cayman Islands, which don't have those inconvenient restrictions.
The U.S. government wasn't totally fooled by this. In fact, in 1995, Halliburton was fined $3.8 million for re-exporting goods to Libya via a foreign subsidiary. Yet, Halliburton still does business in Libya today. Libya!!!
In February 2000, Halliburton opened an office in that cosmopolitan foreign capital, Tehran, to direct offshore drilling efforts. According to their press release, "We are committed to position ourselves in a market that offers huge growth potential." In Iran. A country on the State Department's terror list. Halliburton is "committed" to doing business in a terrorist nation.
Terrorist activities don't bother you so much?? OK. What about rip-offs?? What about companies that overcharge the goverment, stealing money directly from the taxpayers???
Halliburton has been accused, on multiple occassions, of overcharging the federal government for services rendered. Last year, the company agreed to pay a $2 million settlement to the U.S. government to avoid a lawsuit.
So, let's recap. We have a company that has business deals with American enemies, a company that has systematically ripped off the American taxpayers.
Is this company punished? Are they forbidden from bidding on government contracts for a period of time???
No! They're given a HUGE contract -- without a bid process -- to reconstruct Iraq's oil industry, all because the Supreme Court elected an administration that's never heard the phrase "conflict of interest." And no one cares about this. No one cares, and so Bush and Cheney are doing whatever they want, because they're allowed to.
Well, one person cares. Representative Henry Waxman, a Democrat from California, is outraged by all of this. He has written a formal letter of protest to Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, asking why Halliburton, with their abysmal track record of traitorous and unscrupulous business dealings, has been given such preferential treatment.
Of course, he knows why. And he knows his protest won't change anything. But at least he's asking the question. And I'm proud of him for doing so.
I'm also proud that he's Jewish. And I don't think that's too much of a coincidence. Jews are always among the strongest proponents of fair play, of staying within the rules. Yes, he's a Democrat (like most Jews), which gives him extra incentive to accuse the administration of shady dealings. But, he's right. He's on the moral high ground here.
He also knows that countries like Libya and Iran are even greater threats to Israel than they are to the US. Israel is our only true ally in the region, our only Middle East friend that, as the area's lone democracy, is guaranteed not to have an entirely new, anti-American government tomorrow. No other country in the region can say that -- a bullet to the head of any Arab leader would throw his country into chaos.
So Waxman understands the threat and the problem of allowing American businesses to sell products and services to enemy nations. Halliburton knows those rules, and has tried to circumvent them by creating subsidiaries based outside of the U.S. Yet, it's still an American company, and its former CEO is now the number two man in the nation, for heaven's sake. They should be forced to play by the rules, and if not, they should be punished.
Instead, they're rewarded, and no one cares.
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