Halliburton unlawfully sent civilian truckers into combat in Iraq

[Jcrowley]

Halliburton unlawfully sent civilian truckers into combat in Iraq
19 Sept., 2006

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (HalliburtonWatch.org) -- Former Halliburton employees in Iraq told a Senate committee yesterday that the company's KBR subsidiary (1) knowingly puts unarmed civilian truck drivers into extremely dangerous war zones in violation of military law, (2) hires employees through a Cayman Island subsidiary in order to avoid U.S. laws, (3) deliberately overcharges U.S. taxpayers "in true Enron-style" for recreational services provided to the troops, and (4) escapes punishment because the Bush administration successfully circumvents "whistleblower" laws that expose unscrupulous contractors.

Listen to the audio of the 1 hour and 44 minute hearing at this link.

The former employees disclosed their personal experiences with Halliburton to the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, an unofficial committee controlled by the Democrats. Although the committee has no subpoena power or official standing since the Democrats are the minority party, it is the only venue in the Senate that has investigated a number of war contractors in Iraq, including Bechtel, Parsons and Custer-Battles.

"One question haunts me," former Halliburton truck driver in Iraq Edward Sanchez told the committee. "Why would KBR/Halliburton knowingly send unarmed non-combatant civilians in military tankers down a closed road where there was an ongoing battle, when they knew that we would be injured or killed?" Sanchez was injured, and seven of his fellow truckers killed (another presumed dead), after Halliburton sent his 19-truck convoy down a road the company knew was particularly and extremely violent on that day, Good Friday, April 9, 2004. The incident is commonly referred to as the "Good Friday Massacre." One of the truckers in the convoy, Tommy Hamill, was kidnapped after the attack and later released.

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/news/dpc_hearing091806.html

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. You know, I have some compassion for these people, but if you'll

remember, some of the first people to take these jobs were Libertarian/Republican types who were all for this war because of the opportunities that it would create. These people supported privatization and thought they were going to make $100,000 a year driving a truck. You know, someone should have told these Republican opportunists, that if it sounds too good to be real, there's probably a catch somewhere.

[Jcrowley]

2. I know what you're saying- watch this

Halliburton ambush in Iraq caught on video
21 Sept., 2006

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 (HalliburtonWatch.org) -- HalliburtonWatch has obtained the first video of an ambush against a Halliburton convoy in Iraq that resulted in the deaths of three truckers who worked for the company's KBR subsidiary.

Watch the video by clicking this link.

The video, shot on Sept. 20, 2005 by KBR truck driver Preston Wheeler, shows what initially appears to be a routine convoy of sixteen-wheeler trucks delivering supplies to U.S. troops.

But the convoy enters tiny Iraqi towns along the highway and children begin throwing rocks at the trucks.

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/news/ambush.html

[datasuspect]

5. i couldn't watch that

and not be disturbed by it. i give two fucks if he had a southern accent.

i didn't see anything in it that had anything to do with libertarianism, republicanism, what have you.

saw a good ole boy in fear for his life.

saw no one come to this aid.

"i'm getting shot at 10-4 come back."

fucking hell.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. "Saw a good ole boy in fear for his life."

Well, maybe I should make an effort to see it, then.

I just wish these good ole boys would learn from their mistakes, and learn some humility in the process.

[datasuspect]

9. what, driving?

i live in southeast texas, where "good ole boy" is a good term to use. it is a compliment, not a term of derision.

most of them are apolitical and largely politically ignorant - easily moved by patriotism, but mostly in a vacuum, like most americans are. most people were taught to trust their government and still do. that is why patriotism sells. i don't let myself be too hard on people like that.

most of the time they are too busy fixing, building, and driving things anyway.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. You have got to be kidding me.

You live in Texas where good ole boy is a good term and you all trust government.

Well, I live in Florida where good ole boy is another word for white mafia and they don't trust government; in fact, they conspired for the last twenty years to destroy property rights so the developers could run helter-skelter across this state building inadequate developments and leaving the mess for homeowners to fix. But even then it's not easy to fix, because the good ole boys have taught everyone that it's okay to steal common ground and showed them how to do it, so that legacy leaves the community divided.

I sure wish your good ole boys in Southern Texas were in the majority, because the last few elections suggest you're a minority.

[datasuspect]

15. well i live in an uncharacteristically blue district in a sea of red

and most of the people i know who throw that appellation around are salt of the earth types. regular folks getting by in a poverty-stricken county that is one of the largest petrochemical refining areas of the U.S. (still can't figure that out).

[Jcrowley]

16. Hard to have

anything other than a human response to that chilling video and wish that all remain unharmed.

As I was watching it I have to say my initial reaction was that no American has any right whatsoever to be in Iraq. When you break it down it's their house.

My brother's next door neighbor went to work in Iraq for Halliburton. He was making a lot of money and was in it just for that reason. He quit and came back after a couple months and was pretty shaken by his experience.

[datasuspect]

4. i hear what you are saying

but my father has been a driver for more than 30 years and tried to get one of those KBR jobs (he hauls oil in the U.S.). thankfully he didn't get it (age).

he cut his political teeth at the precinct level in chicago in the 60s and has been a democrat his whole life.

i'm going to give many of those KBR drivers a lot of slack.

you can get paid 35,000 - 50,000 stateside or go there and make 100,000 tax free. who wouldn't want to make a better life for their family?

in the first months of that "act of raw naked aggression" bush undertook, plenty of people were lied to.

i'm sure that plenty of people, if they had known then what is known now, would have made different decisions. although many, many civilians still work in iraq, kuwait, and afghanistan.

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. Just as long as you hear what I'm saying.

This is how the Republicans hook people. By waving the carrot of easy money. So people close themselves off to everything else. I'm not saying we shouldn't support the truckers now, I'm saying that we should never forget how they got there in the first place, so that it doesn't happen again.

[datasuspect]

8. yes

but i find it very hard to place blame, in this specific instance, on those drivers.

they were under the impression prior to going there that the war was over and that all they would be doing is driving. everyone is being lied to.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. And how are they going to vote next election?

Taking a page out of the Republican handbook, how many times are we going to bail out Republicans from their foolhardy decisions? At what point do you let them understand the pain and torture they create for themselves, so they aren't so quick to inflict it on others?

Republican motto:
Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats forever.

My motto:
Give a Republican a country with regulation and he lives day to day; Let him destroy regulation and we all starve.

[datasuspect]

11. i asked my one friend

who works on outboard motors who he might considered voting for.

he has a good business sense, decent human being, helps people.

his answer: "joe, i can't vote, i'm a felon."

[The Backlash Cometh]

13. Yes, well I know all about that. I live in Florida, remember?

The good ole boy network in this State made sure that your boy, Joe, couldn't even vote in my state, either. Should he move here.

[Tanuki]

14. Please encourage your friend (or help him) look into

the possibility of having his voting rights restored! I don't know what state you live in, but here in Tennessee, the ACLU estimates that 100,000 former felons are eligible to have their voting rights restored, but many aren't aware of this fact or have no idea how to go about petitioning. The NAACP is on top of this and your local chapter, or the local ACLU, can probably give you the information you need for your state. This is a huge issue.




Edited for typo

[datasuspect]

3. damn

pretty damn chilling.