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RaeS, Thanks for all of this. I learned something.
All the corporate complexities...sometimes it is so hard to understand the ramifications of their actions. But in the end, the poor always pay...
posted by
Cynthia
on March 11, 2007 at 8:00 AM
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Yes, several big eruptions of protest...the man's got some gall..
Did you hear about the Mayan priests purifying the ruins after he visited, in case he left behind evil spirits, lol...Poor people of these countries out in the streets booing and jeering him, not just politicians using the opportunity to criticize his policies.
p.s. - sorry about the huge, bold text in my first comment; looks so dramatic...:)
posted by
Katray2
on March 10, 2007 at 8:45 PM
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Oops, the paragraph following in the excerpt didn't paste..
"At the same time, the Venezuelan government often speaks out against the strength of American multinationals, and recently has exerted greater control over the oil industry, with the largest U.S. oil company, Exxon Mobil, publicly chafing at its treatment. Chevron, the second-largest, said last month that the reorganization by Venezuela of its oil industry would cut Chevron's output by 90,000 barrels a day this year."
posted by
Katray2
on March 10, 2007 at 8:20 PM
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Cynthia, from a book "Economic Hitman"
The author appeared on a current events program (a couple of years ago, I think) explaining in greater detail the relationship between the World Bank, U.S. multinationals and foreign policy. He is calling himself an economic hitman, because of his previous career and role in assisting the powers that be in destroying the economies and peoples of third world countries. A whistle blower. I recall reading some very negative press about the author not too long after - accusing him of being a drug addict, delusional, a cunning liar, etc. Not much in m.m. about his allegations, but I did run across this article, which seems to attempt a downplaying of Halliburton's powerhold in Venezuela by listing other U.S. corps. doing business in that country. This excerpt is very revealing, imo..
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/16/business/venez.php
With 10 offices and 1,000 employees in Venezuela, Halliburton recently won a contract to assist Petrozuata, a venture between the Venezuelan national oil company and ConocoPhillips, in extracting oil from fields in eastern Venezuela.
Melissa Norcross, a Halliburton spokeswoman, declined to comment specifically on activities in Venezuela, but said the company had operated there for more than 50 years. In a July filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Halliburton said its energy services group, which helps companies drill for oil, had double-digit sales growth in Venezuela in the first six months of the year, offsetting a decline in Mexico. At the same time, the Venezuelan government often speaks out against the strength of American multinationals, and recently has exerted greater control over the oil industry, with the largest U.S. oil company, Exxon Mobil, publicly chafing at its treatment. Chevron, the second-largest, said last month that the reorganization by Venezuela of its oil industry would cut Chevron's output by 90,000 barrels a day this year.
posted by
Katray2
on March 10, 2007 at 8:16 PM
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factorfiction, not so horrible for me, I don't have a son
or daughter in Iraq or Afghanistan. It's for those families that this is truly horrible.
posted by
Cynthia
on March 10, 2007 at 7:56 PM
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RckyMtnActivist, you made me laugh, that's how I know you are
liberal. Conservatives and right wingers have absolutely no sense of humor...
posted by
Cynthia
on March 10, 2007 at 7:54 PM
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Maj, Military on the cheap??? no, no, it is "privatized"
military and that certainly doesn't come cheap. Our children and grandchildren will all be paying for this...
posted by
Cynthia
on March 10, 2007 at 7:51 PM
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Deeper than that, they'v been trying to do "military on the cheap"
Under Ford and Carter the "Total Force" concept was started, where the National Guards and Reserves would be trained and equipped up to snuff with their active duty counterparts; the other side of the balance was that the states would be more beholden to the Feds for monies to run these units, and they would (supposedly) be inspected to the same standards. Then in the mid Seventies and in paroxysms since then there have been waves of base closures and downsizing of the acitve duty component, but not with parallel increases in support for the reserve component the jobs (like manned aircraft air defense of the U.S.) they were handed required. More and more tasking on fewer and fewer troops, with the balance being contracted to civilians, or accomodated-for by technology, or just plain blown off as unneeded since the fall of the Iron Curtain.
1990-1991: Desert Storm (stopped short so we would talk to Sadaam instead of mullahs).
1992: Bosnia/Herzegovina (we were preparing for a large scale escalation and deployment of mre reservists).
1993: Car bombing which almost brought down one of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers, and retaliatory air strikes; the USA's Somalia invasion. (Lucked out on the first until 2001, and the second failed).
1994: Rwandan genocide. (Failure to repond).
2001: 11SEP'01 terrorist airtrikes against the Pentagon, Manhatten's World Trade Center and very possibly an aborted strike against either the Capitol building and/or the White House; air interceptors failed to bring down the last plane, the passengers did).
And now Afghanistan and Iraq.
Shallow learning curve, you think?
How did our drawdown in military assets affect how we responded or failed to respond to these? How much extra has been spent to hurriedly replace the huge expenditures in armaments and support items rather than using the usual procurement procedures?
posted by
majroj
on March 10, 2007 at 6:30 PM
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It is horrible.
posted by
FactorFiction
on March 10, 2007 at 8:44 AM
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Oh and Cynthia, there was a study done recently that states that
forty-two percent of Americans can be considered with less than average intelligence...they must be the ones watching FOX. LOL
posted by
RckyMtnActivist
on March 10, 2007 at 7:52 AM
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Cynthia...What...you mean FOX has a news channel? LOL Just kidding,
I NEVER watch that channel..it is clearly biased and they are all a bunch of Bush's puppets. I am waiting for everyone to wake up! I'm trying to do my part in that! The amount of damage this administration has done to our country and the world is horrendous. We're not run by a government but by a corporation....it makes my blood boil. BTW, it's good to have found you too! 
posted by
RckyMtnActivist
on March 10, 2007 at 7:49 AM
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RckyMtnActivist, I'm in total agreement with you there,
thanks for commenting and I was pleased to discover your blog! The problem is we have FOX news that tends to get the attention of the people who are most harmed by Bushes policies. They swallow that crap hook, line and sinker...
posted by
Cynthia
on March 10, 2007 at 7:42 AM
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Whacky, you are right..."not surprising"...
posted by
Cynthia
on March 10, 2007 at 7:38 AM
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Maj, that's what such a sick joke about this administration's
and former Republican administrations attck on "big government" and civil service jobs. All this "out sourcing" has been way more expensive and has cost the brake down and crumbling of our entire infrastructure as a nation... A very sick joke that our veterans are now paying the price for.
posted by
Cynthia
on March 10, 2007 at 7:37 AM
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Wiley, The best thing you could do would be to find a particular soldier
and his family, perhaps through the press or by word of mouth and send them a check. I would not trust anyone who says they speak for the wounded in this horrible mess we have now in this country.
posted by
Cynthia
on March 10, 2007 at 7:27 AM
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This is a great post Cynthia....In my opinion this is the worst, most
corrupt administration in history. I think Bush's axis of evil should be ..Monsanto, Halliburton and Cheney! I'm a big time activist and first people need to be aware just how corrupt this administration is and hopefull they will be so angered as to write their Representatives and more! Thanks again!
posted by
RckyMtnActivist
on March 10, 2007 at 7:26 AM
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RaeS, Wow, I was just about to write something about Bush/Chavez
but I had no idea about the Halliburton connection... Where did you get this info??? That Chavez is one smart dude... he sure does know how to cover his ass. It must kill Bush as he gets jeered at by Chavez as he tries to talk about "poverty" (hahahah) in Latin America.
posted by
Cynthia
on March 10, 2007 at 7:25 AM
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Afzal thanks for the comment..
posted by
Cynthia
on March 10, 2007 at 7:21 AM
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That's just awful...not surprising though.
A smile
from Bo =^..^= and a rose
from me!
posted by
Whacky
on March 7, 2007 at 8:24 PM
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pardon the typos
posted by
majroj
on March 7, 2007 at 7:57 PM
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For many years Vets who could have avoided the VA.Just an iceberg's tip.
It used to be a given that a retiree or disabled serviceman could receive at least basic outpatient care and pharmacy at active duty hospitals. During G Bush Sr's watch this was rescinded. Many troops arriving in theater for Desert Storm has health problems, especially the Navy folks' dental condition.
And the VA's media representatives have long been second only to the Bureau of Indian Affairs's for looking like pasty, obese chairsitters, by and large.
Woodruff's article was phenomenal, with two money shots: once with the "two sets of books" quote, and when he challenged the head of the VA who began to lose his temper when caught in a falsehood. Hope the system gets a revamp and not just a bloodbath, then business as usual...with the accent upon "business". A prime example of why some things should remain civil service.
posted by
majroj
on March 7, 2007 at 7:55 PM
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Cynthia
Yes, I can't really comment being a foreigner, but I found that so very sad to see on TV. You've done a great write up here luv, and if there is a site that comes up for us to contribute to for those old soldiers, let me know my friend.
posted by
WileyJohn
on March 6, 2007 at 3:43 PM
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Wow, I should have known
Thank you for informing, Cynthia. It is not surprising, but another ominous sign of where the real power in this country is located...Halliburton, Cheney, Rumsfeld..not that Bush is absolved; he is a willing puppet head. I read awhile back (by an economic/insider author who later stated there was much he could divulge about Halliburton, but that he must tread carefully. A smear campaign was mounted against him shortly thereafter) that Hugo Chavez is "allowed" to retain his position because he recognizes the need to do business, so to speak, with Halliburton. He diminishes the economic hold of U.S. oil companies in Venezuela and while there are hisses and boos about that from Ms. Rice and the Texas boys, as long as he doesn't tamper with Halliburton, he is safe. Chilling..
posted by
Katray2
on March 6, 2007 at 6:08 AM
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Good post .
posted by
afzal50
on March 6, 2007 at 5:40 AM
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