Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

There's gold in them there Iraqi hills (Molly Ivins moo-moo barf alert!)
Creators Syndicate ^ | June 22, 2003 | Molly Ivins

Posted on 06/22/2003 2:53:00 PM PDT by Carthago delenda est

My, my, my, the great Iraqi Gold Rush is on, and who should be there at the front of the line, right along with Halliburton and Bechtel, but our old friends at WorldCom -- perpetrator of the largest accounting fraud in American history.

WorldCom, shortly to become MCI, has been given a contract worth $45 million in the short term to build a wireless phone network in Iraq. I learned via The Associated Press that Washington Technology, a trade newspaper that follows computing-related sales to the U.S. government, "found WorldCom jumped to eighth among all federal technology contractors in 2002, with $772 million in government sales."

And that is only counting the deals in which WorldCom is the primary contractor. It is actually getting much more as a subcontractor.

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently reached a settlement with WorldCom, fining the company $500 million for its $11 billion defrauding of investors. The company did not have to admit any guilt. "The $500 million is in a sense laundered by the taxpayers," Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, told the AP.

WorldCom got the Iraq contract without competitive bidding, to the anger of rival companies AT&T, Sprint, etc., which actually have experience in building wireless networks, according to AP. A WorldCom spokesman "also stressed the company's deep, overall relationship with the U.S. military and government."

Among those continuing to make a good thing out of the Iraqi war is Richard Perle of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board. According to the Los Angeles Times, last February Perle and the board received a classified briefing on the potential for conflict in Iraq and North Korea, including information on new communications networks.

"Three weeks later, the then-chairman of the board, Richard N. Perle, offered a briefing of his own at an investment seminar on ways to profit from possible conflicts with both countries," wrote reporters Ken Silverstein and Chuck Neubauer.

It's a subject on which Perle is fully qualified. He was forced to resign as the Defense Policy Board's chairman (though he did not resign from the board itself) in late March after it was learned that he had been employed as a consultant by Global Crossing Ltd., which was then trying to get Pentagon clearance to sell itself to an Asian concern.

Perle also serves on the board of several defense contractors and is co-founder of Trireme Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in the defense and homeland security industries.

Also according to Silverstein and Neubauer, Perle's partner at Trireme, Gerald Hillman, has been put on the Defense Advisory Board despite having no background in national security or defense.

One has to scramble to keep up with the Gold Rush and its players. Tim Shorrock has an excellent article in the June 23 issue of The Nation detailing the state of play: Hundreds of major corporations are interested in getting a piece of this pie.

Meanwhile, the invaluable Rep. Henry Waxman of California is keeping an eye on Halliburton. He is raising questions about the company's ties to countries that sponsor terrorism, specifically Iraq, Iran and Libya.

As President Bush begins his two-week, $20 million "shock and awe" campaign fund-raising sprint, we naturally will be keeping an eye on the connections between the campaign contributions and government contracts. And if you think that's too cynical, boy, have you not been paying attention.

One of the many horrors Shorrock found was a statement by Martin Hoffman, former secretary of the Army and close adviser to Donald Rumsfeld, on the privatization of Iraq. He told Shorrock that his strategy is like that of the strategic hamlets program in Vietnam. "That was basic economic development," Hoffman said.

Ooops. The only problem is that the strategic hamlet program was a colossal failure, producing untold damage, chaos and hatred. It was a key reason that we lost that war.

Another player with business interests in all this is Paul Bremer, the American viceroy in Iraq. Bremer's company is Crisis Consulting Practice, set up after 9/11 to advise multinationals on how to handle terrorism.

Naomi Klein concludes in The Nation: "Many have pointed out that Bremer is no expert on Iraqi politics. But that was never the point. He is an expert at profiting from the war on terror and at helping U.S. multinationals make money in far-off places where they are unpopular and unwelcome. In other words, he's the perfect man for the job."

Other efforts to abruptly introduce a capitalist economy into a state-run system have had awful results. The "shock therapy" applied to Russia after the Soviet Union broke up almost destroyed the country, and it still hasn't recovered. Argentina went through a similar process.

So where's a president like Franklin D. Roosevelt when we need him? "I don't want to see a single war millionaire created in the United States as a result of this world disaster," he said during World War II.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Molly Ivins writes for Creators Syndicate. 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: antibush; blameamericafirst; bushbashing; defensepolicyboard; geraldhillman; globalcrossing; hateamericafirst; henrywaxman; iraq; kneepadbrigade; lovedclintonswars; martinhoffman; mollyivins; naomiklein; paulbremer; propagandista; richardperle; thenation; timshorrock; triremepartners
Anybody here with any contrary knowledge pertaining to Ms. Ivins' comments? I have caught her in many a flagrant lie before (paging Florence King for more info!), and I know better than to trust anything she says. Would love to know just how exactly she goes about lying in this column.
1 posted on 06/22/2003 2:53:00 PM PDT by Carthago delenda est
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Carthago delenda est
Read this editorial in yesterday's paper. Was going to post it but I posted Katherine Parker's editorial instead because I was really barfing at Molly Ivins. Remember reading her editorials when Clintoon was in office. Big supporter of Clintoons. Ivins could see no wrong in Clintoons pulling the wool over the public's eye. They way she wrote about anything involving the Clintoons was like their "poop" couldn't smell. She made me sick then and made me sick now. However, I'm glad you posted it.
2 posted on 06/22/2003 3:01:34 PM PDT by lilylangtree
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Carthago delenda est
Dunno, but she is always upset if anyone makes any money off of anything(excepting herserf of course). Gee, who can put in a wireless phone network in Iraq?....a wireless phone company?.....NO!....maybe she thinks the homeless could do a better job? Anybody except anyone who ever gave a dime to the republican party!(in her view)

3 posted on 06/22/2003 3:02:31 PM PDT by Gringo1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Carthago delenda est
"As President Bush begins his two-week, $20 million "shock and awe" campaign fund-raising sprint, we naturally will be keeping an eye on the connections between the campaign contributions and government contracts."

See how she mistakes this President for the last one?

4 posted on 06/22/2003 3:45:43 PM PDT by anniegetyourgun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Carthago delenda est
I wonder if she ever investigated French contracts with Iraq in determining the reasons for their siding against the war on Iraq (or Irack as Barbra Streisand spelled it).
5 posted on 06/22/2003 4:20:42 PM PDT by weegee (NO BLOOD FOR RATINGS: CNN let human beings be tortured and killed to keep their Baghdad bureau open)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Carthago delenda est
Just because Ivins lives in Texas now does NOT mean she's a native Texan. She originates from California...that SHOULD explain a lot.
6 posted on 06/22/2003 4:57:15 PM PDT by Maria S
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Carthago delenda est
In Molly Ivin's world, America is an awful place where a few billionaires have all the money and the rest of the population is starving and homeless. Minorities are regulary lynched and women are forced to slave for their pig-like, bible-spouting husbands who make them have ten babies each. All children wear rags and are forced to work in coal mines or other terrible workplaces. America constantly invades foreign countries making them buy our horrible corporate-made products which deplete the earth's resources and foul the environment.

We are responsible for all the bad things that happen in the world even the ones that happened before we were the U.S. In short America is a hellhole, unless of course a Democrat is in the White House. Then everything is wonderful. And to imagine these horrible things all happened in the space of a few years since Bush became prez. It's a good thing we have Molly to reveal the truth to us. Excuse me while I throw up.

7 posted on 06/22/2003 5:05:27 PM PDT by driftless ( For life-long happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Carthago delenda est
OMG!!! Quick, somebody stop this! Major corporations are about to create BILLIONS of dollars of infrastructure in Iraq, and thousands and thousands of jobs!! Iraqis will be able to make phone calls!!! They could end up with airconditioning and DVD players!!!! Worse yet, some of these corporations might even make a PROFIT!!!!!
8 posted on 06/22/2003 5:45:41 PM PDT by Stultis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Carthago delenda est
So where's a president like Franklin D. Roosevelt when we need him? "I don't want to see a single war millionaire created in the United States as a result of this world disaster," he said during World War II.
. . . and what if, as a result of that arrogance, ambitious people held back some of their enthusiasm and initiative from the war effort, at the cost of American lives? Socialists like dear old Franklin wouldn't know it, and would be happy in their ignorance.

The important thing is not that the Iraq reconstruction be unprofitable, but that it be efficient and expeditious.


9 posted on 06/22/2003 6:18:51 PM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Carthago delenda est
So where's a president like Franklin D. Roosevelt when we need him? "I don't want to see a single war millionaire created in the United States as a result of this world disaster," he said during World War II.
"The New Dealers' War" by Flemming points out--among many other things--that the prosecution of WWII was inimicable to the sustaining of the New Deal. It was in fact necessary for economic incentives to be used in the war industries.

10 posted on 06/22/2003 6:31:26 PM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: conservatism_IS_compassion
TRAVIS CAD Property Information
Appraisal Data Updated
Keep in mind that this "Woman of the People" lives in a 1/2 million dollar house:

TRAVIS Account Number: 03030210030000 Tax Year: 2003
Owner's Name and Mailing Address
IVINS MOLLY T
XXX XXXX AVENUE
AUSTIN TX

787XX

JURISDICTION and VALUE INFORMATION - 2003
Jurisdiction Name Mkt. Val. $522,796.00
11 posted on 06/22/2003 8:28:02 PM PDT by j.frank.dobie (Isn't it great to have a real President again?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Carthago delenda est
No Molly darling, if you would only tell the truth, because I am convinced those of you in the media know this, the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on us was Bill and Hillary Clinton! They endangered our national security so much we may never be safe again! But you know that don't you Molly dear? You liberals are so smuggly secure that your secrets are safe, but more and more people are starting to tell the real stories!
12 posted on 06/22/2003 8:31:34 PM PDT by ladyinred (The left have blood on their hands.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ladyinred
Not far from her friend Ann Richards!

TRAVIS CAD Property Information
Appraisal Data Updated
TRAVIS Account Number: 02080001080026 Tax Year: 2003
Owner's Name and Mailing Address

RICHARDS ANN W


Location
XXX #00XXX
CITY OF AUSTIN, TX
Legal Description

UNT XXX CONDOMINIUM

Assessed Value Tax Rate $565,113.00
13 posted on 06/22/2003 8:40:31 PM PDT by j.frank.dobie (Isn't it great to have a real President again?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: j.frank.dobie
God bless 'em all. Little did we know that they are captitalist dogs after all! What a great country!
14 posted on 06/22/2003 8:42:58 PM PDT by j.frank.dobie (Isn't it great to have a real President again?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: j.frank.dobie
The XXXXX's on addresses etc. are mine. Though it is public information, no need to post it here. The point is made without this info.

Gotta figure these two are more focused on how to get out of the alt. min. tax than how to qualify for the welfare check for those who don't pay taxes!
15 posted on 06/22/2003 8:46:54 PM PDT by j.frank.dobie (Isn't it great to have a real President again?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson