Iraq corruption whistleblowers face penalties

[Balt]

Saw this linked on Digg.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20430153/

The article is long so I won't copy and paste it here, but I encourage everyone to read the entire thing. One of the most unsettling things about the war in Iraq has been the corruption and fraud that has been committed by contractors, and the U.S. government's total apathy about it. People who report this fraud and corruption are ostracized, and then no one does anything about it.

 

[BoomerD]

I read this this morning. Sad state of affairs, but not out of the ordinary for anyone breaking the BushCo "Code of Silence." I can't think of any administration in US history that was more afraid of the truth coming out about all their dealings. Sure, Clinton tried to hide a blow-job from a fat ugly Jewish girl, Nixon tried to cover up his mis-deeds, but they both pale by comparison to the "Atmosphere of Secrecy" adopted by the Bushies...

 

[Phokus]

Vance said things went terribly wrong in April 2006, when he and Ertel were stripped of their security passes and confined to the company compound.

Panicking, Vance said, he called the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, where hostage experts got on the phone and told him ?you?re about to be kidnapped. Lock yourself in a room with all the weapons you can get your hands on.??

The military sent a Special Forces team to rescue them, Vance said, and the two men showed the soldiers where the weapons caches were stored. At the embassy, the men were debriefed and allowed to sleep for a few hours. ?I thought I was among friends,? Vance said.

An unspoken Baghdad rule
The men said they were cuffed and hooded and driven to Camp Cropper, where Vance was held for nearly three months and his colleague for a little more than a month. Eventually, their jailers said they were being held as security internees because their employer was suspected of selling weapons to terrorists and insurgents, the lawsuit said.

The prisoners said they repeatedly told interrogators to contact Carlisle in Chicago. ?One set of interrogators told us that Travis Carlisle doesn?t exist. Then some others would say, ?He says he doesn?t know who you are,?? Vance said.

Released first was Ertel, who has returned to work in Iraq for a different company. Vance said he has never learned why he was held longer. His own interrogations, he said, seemed focused on why he reported his information to someone outside Iraq.

And then one day, without explanation, he was released.

?They drove me to Baghdad International Airport and dumped me,? he said.

When he got home, he decided to never call the FBI again. He called a lawyer, instead.

?There?s an unspoken rule in Baghdad,? he said. ?Don?t snitch on people and don?t burn bridges.?

For doing both, Vance said, he paid with 97 days of his life.

Man that's f*cked up, but not surprising. What can you expect from Dubya's and Cheney's friends?

 

[theeedude]

That's why we are losing the war. You can't trust Republicans to do what's right for America, when will people learn?

 

[First]

Biggest joke of an administration in U.S. history.

 

[Jaskalas]

Originally posted by: Evan Lieb
Biggest joke of an administration in U.S. history.

Until the ones that come after it.

 

[Termagant]

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Evan Lieb
Biggest joke of an administration in U.S. history.

Until the ones that come after it.

Romney or Ghouliani?

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: Termagant

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Evan Lieb
Biggest joke of an administration in U.S. history.

Until the ones that come after it.

Romney or Ghouliani?

Romney has no chance.

 

[Termagant]

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: Termagant

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Evan Lieb
Biggest joke of an administration in U.S. history.

Until the ones that come after it.

Romney or Ghouliani?

Romney has no chance.

Why, because he's a Morman? You really think Republican primary voters are so shallow they won't vote for a man who has a somewhat non-mainstream religion?

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: Termagant

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: Termagant

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Evan Lieb
Biggest joke of an administration in U.S. history.

Until the ones that come after it.

Romney or Ghouliani?

Romney has no chance.

Why, because he's a Morman? You really think Republican primary voters are so shallow they won't vote for a man who has a somewhat non-mainstream religion?

Yes. Mainstream X-tians will shy away from a man they see as belonging to a cult. (and are probably told too)

 

[ericlp]

I thought about reading it... But why? We got the same thing going on in the white house right in front of you... But no does anything about it....

It is a sad state of affairs and if you think it's a republican problem think again, the Dems are right in line waiting for their share... It's very sad...

-Welcome to America- !!!

 

[Lemon law]

Originally posted by: ericlp
I thought about reading it... But why? We got the same thing going on in the white house right in front of you... But no does anything about it....

It is a sad state of affairs and if you think it's a republican problem think again, the Dems are right in line waiting for their share... It's very sad...

-Welcome to America- !!!

-------------------------------------------------------------

A rather twisted bit of reasoning by ericlp. He is essentially saying that corruption is endemic to to the human condition, but in this particular case, its a matter that GWB&co. neocons thugs and GOP connected white collar criminals are 100% of this problem.

And is now saying the dems would be doing it too if they just had a chance. But thanks to corruption of GWB&co., America is saved from possibly corrupt democrats? And is better off voting GOP and for a government of certain corruption for the GOP thugs and by the neocons because GWB&co. knows how to do corruption right.

ericpl, there is something really sadly wrong with your contention. Sad. Really sad and sorry stinking thinking on your part.

The better answer is that you stamp out corruption everywhere you find it.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: Lemon law

Originally posted by: ericlp
I thought about reading it... But why? We got the same thing going on in the white house right in front of you... But no does anything about it....

It is a sad state of affairs and if you think it's a republican problem think again, the Dems are right in line waiting for their share... It's very sad...

-Welcome to America- !!!

-------------------------------------------------------------

A rather twisted bit of reasoning by ericlp. He is essentially saying that corruption is endemic to to the human condition, but in this particular case, its a matter that GWB&co. neocons thugs and GOP connected white collar criminals are 100% of this problem.

And is now saying the dems would be doing it too if they just had a chance. But thanks to corruption of GWB&co., America is saved from possibly corrupt democrats? And is better off voting GOP and for a government of certain corruption for the GOP thugs and by the neocons because GWB&co. knows how to do corruption right.

ericpl, there is something really sadly wrong with your contention. Sad. Really sad and sorry stinking thinking on your part.

The better answer is that you stamp out corruption everywhere you find it.

How the heck did you get that?

 

[bamacre]

Damn, and all along we thought the Bush administration's stategies were not working in Iraq. We were so wrong, they are working quite well it seems.

Why do it correctly when doing so makes the war so short? You just can only steal so much money in such a short amount of time.

The Bush administration is much smarter than we give them credit for.

 

[Phokus]

Who the hell is rating this thread down? This should be a 5 star thread. It shouldn't matter what political bent you have, even if you're a bush loving neo-con, it should enrage you that something like this is going on.

 

[Balt]

Originally posted by: Phokus
Who the hell is rating this thread down? This should be a 5 star thread. It shouldn't matter what political bent you have, even if you're a bush loving neo-con, it should enrage you that something like this is going on.

haha, I was just wondering that myself. I guess those that are rating it down know that there is no possible defense to be written, so they just make an anonymous rating instead.

This administration has failed to demand accountability from anyone, and everyone knows it. There is no possible retort than can justify the corruption that has taken place. I guess it's just another conspiracy by the left-wing media.