Part VI: Halliburton & White House: A Backpedal Built for Two

[CorpGovActivist]

(sent a short while ago to my distribution list of trusted MSM journalists; threads I - V appear in my journal: http://journals.democraticunderground.com/CorpGovActivist)

Subject: Halliburton's Backpedal Built for Two: Or, How "The Google" Got 'Em

From: [e-mail]
Date: Fri, Nov 03, 2006 7:24 am
To: [e-mail]
Cc: [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

Ladies and Gentlemen:

If you appear in the bcc: line of this e-mail, please feel free to write back for more information. If you appear in the cc: line, I urge you to start pedaling on Halliburton's backpedal built for two - Tony Snow at the White House can supply the extra pair of legs.

Vice President Cheney was not "out of the loop" on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act bribes paid in Nigeria on his watch as CEO. Those bribes were not paid by "rogue elements" within Halliburton, the sacrificial lambs offered up by the Company so far notwithstanding. Richard B. Cheney is the Spiro T. Agnew of this Administration, many times over.

As the recently-spotted shredder truck at the Vice President's official residence attests, Vice President Cheney has felt the sudden urge to do some "fall cleaning," so to speak: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=cheney+shredding+truck

In the Halloween Halliburton filings earlier this week, we saw that Halliburton and BakerBotts (the law firm of James Addison Baker III, consigliere to the Bush Family) are in an all-fire rush to hurry up and push through the KBR spinoff. That, ladies and gentlemen, is simply not going to take place without a shareholder lawsuit being filed (if you'd like to receive the Complaint, and you appear in the bcc: line, please feel free to write back).

We also saw that Halliburton made a curious disclosure in its 10-Q on Halloween - which the AP picked up on: on page 16 of the main portion of the filing, we read that, "In September 2006, the SEC requested that we enter into a tolling agreement with respect to its investigation. We anticipate that we will enter into an appropriate tolling agreement with the SEC."

The AP, as usual, put 2 and 2 together, noting the timing of my letter to certain lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and of my own SEC filings, the first of which happened on September 21, 2006: http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?company=smith+david+allen&CIK=&filenum=&State=&SIC=&owner=include&action=getcompany

Here is one outlet's pick-up of the AP story (once "the Google" - as the President calls it - caches more outlets, this story should appear elsewhere, too; though this source is fitting, given the "island" banking Halliburton likes to engage in to pay bribes to foreign leaders): http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20061102/business/business1.html

The AP noted the new Halliburton disclosure on Halloween, and then went on to inform its readers that: "A former KBR employee has asked Congress to investigate what he claims are Halliburton's efforts to cover up violations of the anti-corruption law and to mislead federal investigators. David A. Smith said in a filing with the SEC in September that he mistakenly received emails from a company attorney on how to handle federal investigations - notes he says were intended for David R. Smith, a vice president with Halliburton's tax group."

One thing I would like to point out: the "other" David Smith is *extremely* key; he's not "just" any other VP. He appears in the Halliburton Annual Report (Form 10-K) each year as one of the Executive Officers of the Registrant: http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?type=10-k&dateb=&owner=include&count=40&action=getcompany&CIK=hal

He was so key, in fact, that Cheney's second-in-command at Halliburton is the signatory for his employment agreement, signed in 1998, when Cheney was CEO, and Dresser Industries - the Bush Family asbestos connection - was being acquired by Cheney to remove the embarrassing asbestos issue from the 2000 election: http://contracts.corporate.findlaw.com/agreements/halliburton/smith.emp.1998.09.29.html

Dick Cheney has ZERO plausible deniability here. His political epitaph might as well read: "The Google Got 'im".

I have had the good fortune to work with some extraordinarily gifted lawmakers (from both sides of the aisle) on these policy issues. I have also had the good fortune to work with truly dedicated, hard-nosed skeptics who have more than earned the right to call themselves investigative journalists. I look forward to reading their finished product in the next few days - as I'm sure many voters will as well.

Cathy Mann, Halliburton spokesflak, apparently misunderstands her job, and she apparently misunderstands who pays her salary. She is not paid to tell lies for David J. Lesar and his executive cabal with certititude. Rather, she is paid to tell the truth to the owners of Halliburton with rectitude. She has characterized my claims as groundless, baseless, and "completely without merit."

I assume she is ready to repeat that assertion, under oath - and without invoking the Fifth - on Capitol Hill, once Congressman Waxman has that gavel in his hands. That's a prospect I look forward to - and I say that as a Republican registered as such since before I cast my first Presidential vote for Bush 41.

Those of you who would like to receive copies of:

1. The SEC Comment Letters I have received since September - which shed a great deal of light on areas where the DOJ and/or SEC might be focusing their newly-extended investigations;

2. My responses thereto; and/or

3. My forthcoming Complaint, seeking to stop BakerBotts' getaway car spinoff of KBR (http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?company=kbr&CIK=&filenum=&State=&SIC=&owner=include&action=getcompany)...

... are welcome to write back (but only if you appear in the bcc: line). As for Ms. Mann and her fellow paid spokesflaks: I'd suggest warm-up exercises before hopping on that backpedal built for two. Both sides of your mouths may be limber, but this backpedaling business is a whole different exercise.

Have a good weekend,

- David A. Smith, Editor of www.HALwhistleblowers.org AND www.BushBunglesBrigade.org
(not to be confused, ever again, with the as-yet-unindicted David R. Smith, VP of Tax at Halliburton)

[stop the bleeding]

1. yes

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2548452&mesg_id=2555790

about Cheney and Smith and Nigeria


btw - can't wait to see the results of your interview from yesterdy

[CorpGovActivist]

2. Which One?

The sit-down last evening was a get-acquainted meeting. I am spending more time talking to reporters these days than any human being ought!

; )

Actually, some of them have some *great* stories to tell. In fact, all of the best ones do.

- Dave

[stop the bleeding]

3. all of them

of course ;)

[CorpGovActivist]

4. Well, We'll All Just Have to Wait and See...

... me included.

: )

- Dave

[Generic Other]

5. Backpedal made for two...

You have a wonderful way with words!

Having followed most of the links you provided us this past week, I have discovered a new and interestingly non-linear way of learning about an issue. I appreciate your methodology given the complexity of the story. It's hard to get up to speed on the issues. And you wisely realize that what we dig up for ourselves, we will more likely retain and understand much better than something passively spoon-fed to us.

Let's hope after Tuesday, a whole lot of investigations will be able to go forward with renewed vigor! And those backpedalers better look in the rear view mirrors. Objects in mirror may be closer than they seem. :)

[Buttercup McToots]

6. Good Morning...

Looks like a busy news day...

[CorpGovActivist]

8. I Find That the Sunday Papers...

... tend to do the best exposes. And Mondays before Election Day have an uncanny knack for holding last-minute bombshells.

; )

- Dave

[DemReadingDU]

25. Is there anyone who would prevent this expose

from being reported?

Would threatening letters be sent to the investigative journalists to prevent their agencies from reporting?

Could A.G. Gonzales stop this from getting to the masses before election day?

You are so close, and we appreciate you letting us see these scandals, yet, is there anything that could forestall this now?

Thanks!

[CorpGovActivist]

29. Any Effort to Quash the Story at This Point...

... will merely compound the obstruction of justice that has already taken place.

- Dave

[Buttercup McToots]

26. I think

it is kinda strange that the AC face seems all of a sudden everywhere...
I watched him for nervous ticks and/or buggie eyes...
David, I am sure this is spreading around the underground...in some fashion...
What ye think, celtic brother?
Are the trogs just puttin` a good face on, or are ears tryin` tae hear whats buzzing about...?


:popcorn:
ps
what is SSP and who is involved again?
Buttercup

[CorpGovActivist]

30. A Full-Court Press by the Cabinet...

... is not, in and of itself, unusual or unexpected in any election cycle.

- Dave

P.S. PM me about SSP?

[Buttercup McToots]

47. k

I did.

[CorpGovActivist]

7. Thank You, and Those Objects...

... really are much, much closer than they seem. If you squint, you can just make out the words, "true bill" and "indictment" near the top.

; )

"You have a wonderful way with words!"

Maybe one of these days, one of 'em will end up in Bartlett's.

"Having followed most of the links you provided us this past week, I have discovered a new and interestingly non-linear way of learning about an issue. I appreciate your methodology given the complexity of the story. It's hard to get up to speed on the issues. And you wisely realize that what we dig up for ourselves, we will more likely retain and understand much better than something passively spoon-fed to us."

That, plus, each person has a unique set of data in his/her own head. Something I may have overlooked will fire a synapse in someone else's brain.

Without the eagle-eyed reader at Wonkette, I wouldn't have known about the shredder truck, for instance, and wouldn't have been able to incorporate that tidbit into this morning's e-mail.

Without the eagle-eyed reader here, who pointed out the full AP story from the Jamaican source, I wouldn't have had the "island" banking tidbit to throw in.

We are all each other's teachers.

"Let's hope after Tuesday, a whole lot of investigations will be able to go forward with renewed vigor!"

Let me take that out of the arena of "hope," because I know for a fact that it's already happening.

The rearview mirror bit was priceless! You took a basic idea, and added your own twist. Awesome!

- Dave

[stop the bleeding]

9. your welcome and thank you - that is what DU is great for.

Without the eagle-eyed reader at Wonkette, I wouldn't have known about the shredder truck, for instance, and wouldn't have been able to incorporate that tidbit into this morning's e-mail.

Without the eagle-eyed reader here, who pointed out the full AP story from the Jamaican source, I wouldn't have had the "island" banking tidbit to throw in.

We are all each other's teachers.



some side fun for ya!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2554724&mesg_id=2560178

&

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=358&topic_id=3589&mesg_id=4518

[CorpGovActivist]

11. Awesome! Thanks for Those!

Hey, do you think the DNC will offer me "political asylum"?

LOL.

- Dave

[leveymg]

12. That was the best scene in Jurassic Park

Along with the lawyer lunch in the portajohn.

[leveymg]

10. A question and comment, please.

Q: What specifically puts Cheney into "the loop" of the Nigerian bribe scandal and the $180 million slush fund? Was Dick on the Cc list or referenced in the e-mail string you read? Cheney's #2 indeed signed the papers that hired David R. Smith as Halliburton VP-Tax in 1998, but what is there to connect Cheney with either the slush fund or the damage control operation after DOJ notified the company of its investigation?

Comment: Thanks for your time to answer some of my questions yesterday. After our talk, I appreciate more clearly that there are some answers that will be coming from the upper floors, and that it will be worth the wait to learn the outcome. I look forward to developing this story further with you.

On a related note, Duncan Hunter introduced a rider to fire Bowen and SIGIR: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/world/middleeast/03reconstruct.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

I'd say, that was bad timing for Hunter. Wonder if there are enough shredders in DC to deal with anticipated demand?

[CorpGovActivist]

13. Mark - I Enjoyed Our First Sitdown Yesterday ...

... and I'm glad you did, too.

"Q: What specifically puts Cheney into 'the loop' of the Nigerian bribe scandal and the $180 million slush fund? Was Dick on the Cc list or referenced in the e-mail string you read?"

The Vice President - and some of his key EOP staffers (including some who have become household names, thanks to "Ness" Fitzgerald) - was named as playing a crucial role in the effort to "respond" to the Federal information requests that sparked the panic-stricken "root" e-mail from the dunce of a Halliburton attorney who included me on the cc: list by mistake.

As we discussed yesterday evening, the cc: list included what I have nicknamed "the damage control crew," which included, but wasn't limited to: (1) in-house counsel; (2) external counsel; (3) in-house PR flaks; (4) external PR flaks; (5) Investor Relations (on the off chance that institutional investors in Halliburton's stock caught wind of the matter before a fully-formulated response was ready); (6) lobbyists; and ***(7)*** "Government Relations," which is NOT the same thing as lobbyists.

Government Relations was more about (--------> not an actual quote, but a paraphrase), "I'll be seeing X tomorrow at a breakfast seminar in DC. I'll be sure to put a bug in his ear that we could really use some help on pinching this off."

This is how the political appointees (e.g., at DOJ) got wind of the need to bring pressure to bear on the careerists, who were trying to do their jobs.

"Cheney's #2 indeed signed the papers that hired David R. Smith as Halliburton VP-Tax in 1998, but what is the connection with either the slush fund or the damage control operation after DOJ notified the company of its investigation?"

The reason that David R. Smith was looped in - or was intended to be, the dunced-up, doltish mis-direct notwithstanding - was that his group was being asked to work on an explanation for the tax status of that slush fund. That's his connection. He's not just any old VP. As I noted in my e-mail this morning (see the OP of this thread), he's been the "money man" since Dresser times. This guy is like Al Capone's bookkeeper.

"Comment: Thanks for your time to answer some of my questions yesterday. After our talk, I appreciate more clearly that there are some answers that will be coming from the upper floors, and that it will be worth the wait to learn the outcome. I look forward to developing this story further with you."

I enjoyed meeting you! Yes, it is important that: (1) I don't step on the toes of the ongoing investigation; and (2) their efforts yield the big fish they've been seeking all along. I think it truly will be "worth the wait" to learn the outcome. They started this chain reaction; I was merely a catalyst.

"On a related note, Duncan Hunter introduced a rider to fire Bowen and SIGIR:"

Duncan Hunter is a joke. His sweetheart real estate deal with State Street should be more than enough to keep him quiet right now, and he should be looking at hiring legal counsel of his own, not introducing sweetheart riders to try to save Cheney's bacon: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=duncan+hunter+%22state+street%22

"I'd say, that was bad timing for Hunter. Wonder if there are enough shredders in DC to deal with anticipated demand?"

As I posted in another thread: can you picture a terabyte or a petabyte?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terabyte

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petabyte

Shredders do them little - if any - good at this point.

To get an idea of the (unclassified) Federal agencies that house that sort of data, type in the words terabyte or petabyte in the full text search, and change the radio button to "Both" active and archived documents, to see the RFPs that have called for IT vendors capable of maintaining that kind of data farm: http://vsearch2.fbo.gov/servlet/SearchServlet

; )

Thanks for the sharp questions and follow-ups. Hopefully, my "non-responsive" answers will be taken in context from now on.

; )

- Dave

[stop the bleeding]

16. cool I can not wait to see the outcome of the sit down from yesterday

As we discussed yesterday evening, the cc: list included what I have nicknamed "the damage control crew," which included, but wasn't limited to: (1) in-house counsel; (2) external counsel; (3) in-house PR flaks; (4) external PR flaks; (5) Investor Relations (on the off chance that institutional investors in Halliburton's stock caught wind of the matter before a fully-formulated response was ready); (6) lobbyists; and ***(7)*** "Government Relations," which is NOT the same thing as lobbyists.

Government Relations was more about (--------> not an actual quote, but a paraphrase), "I'll be seeing X tomorrow at a breakfast seminar in DC. I'll be sure to put a bug in his ear that we could really use some help on pinching this off."

This is how the political appointees (e.g., at DOJ) got wind of the need to bring pressure to bear on the careerists, who were trying to do their jobs.



hmmmm... :)

[CorpGovActivist]

17. For the Record, Mark Does Not Work...

... for Fox News.

LOL.

: )

- Dave

[leveymg]

21. Let's see how fast I'd get fired from that job!

That was a g-o-o-d one.

Now my name will come up on a GOOGLE search with Fox News! That's really confusing the record!! LOL.

I wonder if the bad guys use randomizers and GOOGLE bombs to spoof or slowdown on-line investigators?

[CorpGovActivist]

37. You Should See Some of the Advanced...

... disinfectant algorithms that fight just that sort of dirty trick.

They're out of their league in the Information Age.

- Dave

[leveymg]

40. That reminds me of Herblock cartoons from the 1950s

For every new missile system, there had to be an anti-anti-anti-missile missile . . . .

What you're talking about is a lot like Cold War Rand Institution high-concept stuff, updated to InfoWar applications. It's been pretty mind-boggling for a long time.

I think you would fit in at NSA. That's a compliment.

[CorpGovActivist]

49. No Such Agency

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=herbert+yardley+cryptology

You know where those agencies recruit from, quite heavily?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=counterintelligence+intelligence+recruitment+ivy+league

Besides Bamford's stuff (e.g., how Western Union gave over copies of citizens' telegrams, etc.), you might also enjoy this more recent look at the recruitment efforts at Harvard and elsewhere: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=harriet+spy+harvard+moran

When they tested me for the Gifted Program in kindergarten, my mom hid my IQ test. She made me stay home from high school the day the ASVAB was given: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=asvab+military (two of her brothers fought in Vietnam; one emerged a hero who'd been written up in Stars and Stripes, the other emerged a broken shell of his former self).

When the NROTC letter arrived, she was resigned to my going into the Navy (I wanted to use/further develop my foreign languages for military intelligence/military attache work). When DODMERB said that Crohn's was disqualifying (after I'd already been sworn in as a midshipman), I think she was probably relieved: http://www.google.com/search?as_q=dodmerb+crohn%27s&num=10&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=.mil&as_rights=&safe=images

The Captain, USN, who led my NROTC unit said that he thought I'd find a way to serve my country in spite of the medical disqualification.

"I think you would fit in at NSA. That's a compliment."

Funny you should say that. Some of my Harvard profs said the same thing.

- Dave

[leveymg]

73. Since you've been so revealing

Have you heard of Yeoman Radford?

http://www.watergate.com/silentcoup/5.htm
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:FW3rj7PyM50J:www.watergate.com/stories/obit.asp+Yeoman+Radford&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950CE4DF143BF93AA35755C0A965948260&sec=&pagewanted=print

[CorpGovActivist]

78. The Intelligence / Counterintelligence Communities...

... serve a vital, unsung role - and keeping a watchful eye on one another is part of that process.

- Dave

P.S. Some in those communities disagree, vociferously, with the new boundaries. Many consider themselves Constitutionalists first, intelligence analysts second.

[leveymg]

18. Love that search engine. Thanks for the new toy!

Department of AF seems to have a bottomless appetite for bytes. Wonder what percentage of all those petas -- how many zeros is that? -- are really going to feed NSA?

Anyway, you wrote: "The Vice President - and some of his key EOP staffers (including some who have become household names, thanks to "Ness" Fitzgerald) - was named as playing a crucial role in the effort to "respond" to the Federal information requests that sparked the panic-stricken "root" e-mail from the dunce of a Halliburton attorney who included me on the cc: list by mistake."

Let me double-check your response, here. Is that a clear yes -- the now-VP and other now-household names -- were Cc on that e-mail? If so, that, alone, is enough to issue a subpoena to anyone and everyone on that list, IMHO. Except the target, of course. Have you matched the Cc list to the list of those called to testify by Fitzgerald? How do they match up? One would also have to ask, why haven't subpoenas been issued? Or, have they?

You may have already have given the link for Al Capone's bookkkeeper being Dresser's bag man since Prohibition, but I haven't seen it. Can you give us a link on that info about David R?

Finally, the nice thing about paper is that the NSA or FBI can't turn it into bytes, if it's not word processed on-line or -- how quaint, written by hand -- and delivered by courier. Better than that, use a one-time pad, and even the NSA might have a hard time decyphering it. See how shredders (and burn bags) are still relevant?

Anyone sighted a lot of smoke coming from the vicinity of the Naval Observatory, lately?

Thank you, David.

[stop the bleeding]

20. this?

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/45012/000004501206000124/ed10k2005_final.htm - sorry if I am getting in the way ;)


from page 11 of the filing


David R. Smith Vice President, Tax of Halliburton Company, since May 2002
(Age 59) Vice President, Tax of Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.,
September 1998 to May 2002

[leveymg]

22. He's the guy, but here's the toy

I referred to: http://vsearch2.fbo.gov/servlet/SearchServlet

[CorpGovActivist]

36. Should Go further back...

... to the Dresser Days, too.

- Dave

[FogerRox]

52. ALA Gribbins ?

[CorpGovActivist]

54. You're Like a Bulldog with a Chew Toy on That!

LOL.

PM me.

- Dave

[stop the bleeding]

57. "The Google"

returns a Dave Gibbins VP of Halliburton not sure what kind of VP though

can't find anything more than this refernce that Gibbins made to reporters concerning campaign contributions.

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:ZQIlzWkmIL8J:www.endgame.org/halliburton.html+Gribbins,+dressers,+cheney,+lesar&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1


I feel like I am missing what everyone else already knows :banghead:

[CorpGovActivist]

58. I Don't Know If This Helps Or Hurts...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=schopenhauer+talent+hits+a+target+no+one+else+can+hit+genius+see

: )

- Dave

[CorpGovActivist]

32. FedBizOpps Is Where Road Meets Rubber on Federal Contracts

This is where Proposal Managers - myself included - find out about upcoming Requests for Proposals. It's where we find out who in the competition is getting which contracts.

"Department of AF seems to have a bottomless appetite for bytes. Wonder what percentage of all those petas -- how many zeros is that? -- are really going to feed NSA?"

One of the little-known facts in America is that the UNITED STATES COAST GUARD plays a very pivotal role (even pre-9/11) in relaying information between civilian and military agencies: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=united+states+coast+guard+civilian+military

Makes perfect sense, once you think about it for a moment. Civilian craft stranded? Or drug dealers bringing in a shipment of drugs by boat? The USCG needs to coordinate with nearby civilian authorities, for rescue or interdiction, right?

Further out to sea? There would be a need to be able to communicate information with the U.S. Navy, right?

SIGINT infrastructure is a fascinating field of study: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=united+states+coast+guard+civilian+military+sigint

I especially enjoy James Bamford's stuff: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bamford

Ever been out Telegraph Road here inside the Beltway? Ever wonder how it got its name?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=telegraph+road+coast+guard

Lots of IT ops out there, according to the public signage.

"Let me double-check your response, here. Is that a clear yes -- the now-VP and other now-household names -- were Cc on that e-mail?"

Your original question asked whether he was cc'ed or referenced. He was referenced, as were people in the EOP.

"If so, that, alone, is enough to issue a subpoena to anyone and everyone on that list, IMHO."

From where I sit, other aspects of the e-mail exchange more than satisfy that threshold.

"Have you matched the Cc list to the list of those called to testify by Fitzgerald? How do they match up? One would also have to ask, why haven't subpoenas been issued? Or, have they?"

Excellent questions, asked ahead of a prudent time to answer. I know you'll understand.

"You may have already have given the link for Al Capone's bookkkeeper being Dresser's bag man since Prohibition, but I haven't seen it. Can you give us a link on that info about David R?"

Check out the latest annual report for Halliburton, the 10-K, and search on "Smith," which lists out his progression of duties, from Dresser to present: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/45012/000004501206000124/0000045012-06-000124-index.htm

"Finally, the nice thing about paper is that the NSA or FBI can't turn it into bytes, if it's not word processed on-line or -- how quaint, written by hand -- and delivered by courier. Better than that, use a one-time pad, and even the NSA might have a hard time decyphering it. See how shredders (and burn bags) are still relevant?"

Scanners and OCR technology are a wonderful thing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_character_recognition

Especially when old dinosaurs from the Nixon-Ford era repose too much trust in burn bags: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=pentagon+burn+bags+incinerator

That is known, in the trade, as "a false sense of security."

; )

"Anyone sighted a lot of smoke coming from the vicinity of the Naval Observatory, lately?"

And if so, which color? Has a new VP been chosen?

- Dave

[stop the bleeding]

38. "Anyone sighted a lot of smoke coming from the vicinity of the Naval Observatory, lately?"

interesting question with neat answer(s)


http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:epFPe4aOe00J:www.whitehouse.gov/history/life/vpresidence.html+Naval+Observatory,+cheney&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1


http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:H3cGH2jqT-AJ:www.wonkette.com/politics/dick-cheney/shreddin-with-dick-211028.php+Naval+Observatory,+cheney&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3

[hootinholler]

61. Don't forget DIA either...

"The WOT requires collecting relevant data and turning it into knowledge that will enable us to detect and preempt the plans of an elusive, skilled enemy dispersed across the globe. Although many obstacles remain, we are making significant progress in the area of information sharing. The Joint Intelligence Task Force for Combating Terrorism (JITF-CT) at DIA is a prime example of effective intelligence cooperation in the WOT. In the area of counterterrorism, we are making significant progress toward transparency and full information sharing. JITF-CT has experts from 12 intelligence and law enforcement organizations, and JITF-CT personnel are embedded in 15 other organizations, including some forward deployed personnel."
- http://appropriations.senate.gov/hearmarkups/record.cfm?id=221423

I know there are petabytes involved in that program.

Don't forget speech to text tech either.

-Hoot

[CorpGovActivist]

62. How Could Anyone in Alexandria, VA Forget the DIA?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Intelligence_Agency

With those listening devices in plain view just across the Potomac, it's hard not to remember they're there: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=dia+potomac+listening+defense+intelligence

"Don't forget speech to text tech either."

; )

That would suggest secretly-recorded conversations, something about which no Halliburton/KBR whistleblower knows, I'm quite sure. :sarcasm:

LOL.

- Dave

[PerfectSage]

42. For bribery charges to 'stick' to Cheney...

...he had to 'know' of the bribery. Cheney just knowing of the coverup would be good for obstruction of justice charges? Did Cheney know/approve of the nigerian bribery?

'The reason that David R. Smith was looped in - or was intended to be, the dunced-up, doltish mis-direct notwithstanding - was that his group was being asked to work on an explanation for the tax status of that slush fund. That's his connection. He's not just any old VP. As I noted in my e-mail this morning (see the OP of this thread), he's been the "money man" since Dresser times. This guy is like Al Capone's bookkeeper.'

If David R. Smith was the "money man" since Dresser times. I'd guess he knows all the skeletons in the Bush family closet. HaHa
;)

[CorpGovActivist]

51. Good Questions to Ask...

"Cheney just knowing of the coverup would be good for obstruction of justice charges? Did Cheney know/approve of the nigerian bribery?"

I think those are magnificent questions, best answered during the hearings on drafting articles of impeachment in the House.

"If David R. Smith was the 'money man' since Dresser times. I'd guess he knows all the skeletons in the Bush family closet. HaHa"

Good guess. Not "all," but certainly, "many."

: )

- Dave

[PerfectSage]

96. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

'I think those are magnificent questions, best answered during the hearings on drafting articles of impeachment in the House.'

Enquiring minds want to know.

Articles of Impeachment :bounce:

On yesterday's thread... ...someone suggested that the source of the funds might have looted from Enron's offshore shell corporations that Enron was using to cook their books?

[CorpGovActivist]

97. I Think What Will Emerge...

... is that similar methods, but separate accounts, were used. That way, if one set of funds got found out, the others would remain "safe" and "compartmentalized."

- Dave

[stop the bleeding]

14. not sure if this helps - but here it goes

http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:e6uexA4w0ZQJ:www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/09/26/politics/main575356.shtml+cheney,+halliburton&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

The report says a public official's unexercised stock options and deferred salary fall within the definition of "retained ties" to his former company.

Cheney said Sunday on NBC that since becoming vice president, "I've severed all my ties with the company, gotten rid of all my financial interest. I have no financial interest in Halliburton of any kind and haven't had, now, for over three years."

Democrats pointed out that Cheney receives deferred compensation from Halliburton under an arrangement he made in 1998, and also retains stock options. He has pledged to give after-tax proceeds of the stock options to charity.

~snip~

Cheney was chief executive officer of Halliburton from 1995 through August 2000. The company's KBR subsidiary is the main government contractor working to restore Iraq's oil industry in an open-ended contract that was awarded without competitive bidding.

Does this count for something??



btw the link for the NYT's is for subscribers - can anyone put up a clean one - I know I have an account - can't remember the userid/password right now.

[CorpGovActivist]

15. It Helps, But a Finer Lens...

... might help.

One thing that Congress could - should? - do immediately is to tighten the rules for "blind trusts" that are used by anyone at Cabinet level or above in the Executive branch.

Then, Congress could - should? - take a dose of its own medicine there.

- Dave

[Minnesota_Lib]

19. A piece of advice: watch your back. Seriously.

Great work, btw. Keep it up. :toast:

[leveymg]

24. If Cheney is smart, he'll let nothing untoward happen.

Can you imagine the shitstorm -- after all the FBI and DOJ and Capitol Hill staffers Dave has talked to -- if anything bad were to happen? It would be like a dirty-bomb explosion in DC.

Besides, Dave is just one of many people who are whistling right now. He is, however, the only one who's repeating the tune at DU. For which we thank him.

Thank you, Dave.

[CorpGovActivist]

41. *shrug* I Adhere to the Quaint Notion That...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=to+whom+much+is+given+much+is+required

I have been greatly blessed with family and friends who sustain me and make me laugh, and I have been blessed with teachers and (grand)parents who made learning enjoyable and relevant. The only way I know how to repay my teachers is by doing what that fine education prepared me to do.

- Dave

[CorpGovActivist]

35. I Have a Good Friend...

... who calls her, by turns, "The Hobgoblin," or the "Jack-o-Lantern," or some variation thereof.

; )

Thanks for the words of caution.

- Dave

[kitkat65]

23. A couple of things I've always wondered about this war.

Cheney was secreteary of Defense on the first Gulf War but they didn't get rid of Saddam then when it would have been a lot easier.

So, I've always wondered if the decision not to pursue regime change was made because Cheney, Poppy and Friends saw the potential to make wads of cash by waiting and setting key players in place and then invading. Just how many PNACers were part of Poppy's administration anyway?

It also seems to me that the chaos of Iraq is more by design then incompetence. A violent slight of hand, if you will, to distract while the thieves pocket America's wallet. And the longer they can keep the chaos going, the more cash they can amass.

[Blackhatjack]

31. Consider this possible scenario....

... Saddam's oil for food program is working with Halliburton and other soon to be Iraq war contractors, and they are making a ton on that relationship even though they are prohibited by US law from engaging in any such activity with Iraq according to the terms of the UN sanction.

Saddam begins to direct more of his 'under the table evasion of sanctions business' to Russia and European companies, cutting into Halliburton and other US companies profits from this illegal activity.

The UN oil for food scandal hits, an investigation led by Paul Volker immediately finds Saddam's pervasive network of illegal sanction busting sales of oil and also finds US/European companies to be the biggest participants in the criminal enterprise. He also finds that the top UN officials and their families are being paid enormous bribes for turning a blind eye to the illegal enterprise. Volker's access to documentation is immediately curtailed, and roadblocks are erected at every turn. Volker turns out a report anyway that is unbelievably damning, and the report is secreted and never sees the light of day.

Halliburton and others see the 'end of doing business with Saddam' on the horizon, and determine they need a different manner of extracting huge profits out of the situation now that the oil for food scandal stands to cut off their flow of money and expose their wrongful activity. So they decide the time is right to 'take out' Saddam, engorge themselves on troop logistical support contracts during the fight and reconstruction phase, and then concoct a relationship with the new Iraqi government similar to that they had with Saddam.

Poppy Bush thought they had weakened Saddam enough that his people would overthrow him and we would not be in the postwar occupation/reconstruction business. Of course he was wrong. However, the fact that Saddam survived overthrow made him an appealing target for sanction busting companies like Halliburton --since where there is oil, there is always money to be made.

George had bigger ideas than Poppy, they would overthrow Saddam --Halliburton and friends would move and monopolize Iraq's oil, use the base of Iraq to control oil flow in the region and reward his oil company friends and use their financial support to establish a permanent Repub majority in this country.

How is that for a possible explanation??

[kitkat65]

33. Good lord, how many heads does this beast have?

So many scandals, so little time.

[CorpGovActivist]

45. The Sins of the Fathers...

... are being visited upon this generation of Bushes, and rightfully so.

- Dave

[Buttercup McToots]

48. Goodun

:-)

[CorpGovActivist]

39. I Personally Am of the Opinion...

... that there was "realpolitik" going on during the first Gulf War. I think there were some very savvy analysts who realized that - absent Saddam as strong man - Iraq would Balkanize.

Look what happened once the Yugoslavian strongmen were replaced. Look what happened to the FSU (Former Soviet Union) when the Moscow strongmen were replaced.

Those totalitarian regimes held together an unnatural confederation of ethnic groups in each case. Seriously, what does Tajikistan have in common, culturally, with Byelorussia?

Ditto for the Kurds in the north of Iraq, vis-a-vis the ethnic groups elsewhere in that country. Iraq was formed as an unnatural League of Nations mandate.

Bush 41's foreign policy team knew that the moment they even tried to transcend the original mission, the coalition would fall apart (e.g., Turkey would have gone ape at the prospect of a Kurdistan on its southern border: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PKK).

Did you read Scowcroft's book - the one he co-authored with Poppy? Don't disbelieve everything they write.

- Dave

[Blackhatjack]

59. I agree with you on the Bush 41 Gulf War strategy.....

... so my question is why did not Bush 43 know any of this?

It is unbelievable that 43 did not realize that occupying a conquered land is much more difficult and costly than bringing that land to heel. Just reinforces my belief that 43 is a mental lightweight with an overabundance of intellectual incuriosity and arrogance.

[CorpGovActivist]

60. That, Plus a Lot of Those Nixon-Ford Retreads...

... saw this as a chance to manufacture the glory they thought they missed out on.

AND, it's a mass psychosis of certain sons and daughters of the so-called "Greatest Generation" - needing to prove to their parents that they're equal to carrying on the torch.

When you grow up in the shadow of "The Greatest Generation," does that create an impulse to one-up them? The answer, writ large, is found in the disconnect between Bush 41 and Bush 43.

- Dave

[Blackhatjack]

63. I'm A Little More Cynical ... I think Money & Power Are Prime Motives...

.... I tend to believe that the greed and thirst for power are more powerful catalysts than an attempt to prove they were just as good as the Greatest Generation.

I think they are devoid of any feeling whatsoever regarding how they are viewed by their fellow man except as it affects what they want to accomplish for selfish motives.

[CorpGovActivist]

65. The Blackhearted Branch...

... is there, for sure.

But I really do think some started out just wanting to prove to Poppy that they were worthy, too.

- Dave

[SharonAnn]

125. He's the "Hood Ornament" of this administration. Mere figurehead.

[PerfectSage]

27. Ya gotta love Google

Background for Halliburton Asbestos liabilities for newbies like me.

http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:CPFPjIqa2mEJ:www.halliburtonwatch.org/about_hal/asbestos.html+halliburton+asbestos&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=4

<snip>
In 2004, Halliburton fired the chairman of KBR, Albert Jack Stanley, after discovering he violated the company's "code of business conduct" by accepting "improper personal benefits" related to the Nigeria contract. In other words, $5 million of the bribe money was found in Stanley's personal bank account in Switzerland. The Swiss government later shut down Halliburton's bank accounts which French investigators believe were used to finance the bribes.

Stanley was personally hired by Cheney, who in 1999 was quoted as saying, "We took Jack Stanley … to head up the organization and that has helped tremendously." <snip>

Is this how Stanley goofed? ie He kept some of the bribe money for his self and put in a Swiss bank account where bank secrecy laws aren't strict.?

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


http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:BZ734U25LiYJ:www.beliefnet.com/index/index_307.html+gratitude&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=2

I feel gratitude for all your efforts, Dave. Thanks:applause:

[CorpGovActivist]

43. Stanley's Jackalope Tactics...

... were all hat and no cattle, and his bravado and bluster tipped a lot of the wrong people off within Halliburton/KBR as to where to look.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackalope

- Dave

P.S. In vino, veritas, and some of those "Texans" can't hold their liquor!

[PerfectSage]

28. US To Close Iraqi Reconstruction Oversight Agency -NYT

US To Close Iraqi Reconstruction Oversight Agency -NYT


??????????????????????????????????? :wtf:


10:12 EST Friday, November 03, 2006

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- An obscure provision in a huge military authorization bill that President George W. Bush signed two weeks ago terminates the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction on Oct. 1, 2007, The New York Times reported Friday.

The clause was inserted by the Republican side of the House Armed Services Committee over the objections of Democratic counterparts during a closed-door conference, and it has generated surprise and some outrage among lawmakers who say they had no idea it was in the final legislation, the newspaper reported.

The federal oversight agency, led by a Republican lawyer named Stuart W. Bowen Jr., has sent U.S. occupation officials to jail on bribery and conspiracy charges, exposed disastrously poor construction work by well-connected companies like Halliburton Co. and Parsons Iraq Joint Venture, and discovered that the military did not properly track hundreds of thousands of weapons it shipped to Iraqi security forces, The Times added.

The office was always envisioned as a temporary organization, and some advocates for the office have regarded its lack of a permanent bureaucracy as the key to its aggressiveness and independence, The Times said.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who followed the bill closely as chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, said she still does not know how the provision made its way into what is called the conference report, which reconciles differences between House and Senate versions of a bill, the newspaper reported.

Neither the House nor the Senate version contained such a termination clause before the conference, all involved agree, the report said.

A Republican spokesman for the committee, Josh Holly, said lawmakers should not have been surprised by the provision closing the inspector general's office because it "was discussed very early in the conference process," the report added.

The termination language, The Times said, was inserted into the bill by Congressional staff members working for Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., who is the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and who declared on Monday that he plans to run for president in 2008.

"It appears to me that the administration wants to silence the messenger that is giving us information about waste and fraud in Iraq," said Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who is the ranking minority member of the House Committee on Government Reform.

Holly, who is the House Armed Services panel spokesman as well as a member of Hunter's staff, said that politics played no role and that there had been no direction from the administration or lobbying from the companies whose work in Iraq Bowen's office has severely critiqued, the report added.


(END) Dow Jones Newswires
11-03-06 1010ET
Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

[CorpGovActivist]

44. Senator Susan Collins of Maine (Mentioned in That Article)

I personally think that a lot of Democrats are going to be surprised to learn how moderate GOP lawmakers have quietly worked with their Democratic counterparts on Capitol Hill, out of true patriotism - putting partisan concerns behind their oaths of office.

I personally believe that Senator Collins of Maine - along with a small handful of others - are true heros.

Senator Collins has the distinction of becoming the very first student delegate to the United States Senate Youth Program to have actually become a sitting United States Senator: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=susan+collins+maine+%22senate+youth%22

I was one of two students representing West Virginia in 1990. These are the sorts of "simple things we have in common" that open doors in DC.

Some may have noticed the small number of GOP Senators I included in the cc: list of my letter to Senators Byrd and Rockefeller: http://www.shareholdersonline.org/pdf/092006senateinvestigationrequest.pdf

(Not to mention the redacted bcc: list)

- Dave

[bleever]

34. Your letters are well-written.

:)

[CorpGovActivist]

46. My Drawings Leave Much...

... to be desired.

; )

If it doesn't entail stick figures, I'm outta my depth (which makes me in awe of artists; I love museums).

- Dave

[FogerRox]

50. Contract - rebuilding in Iraq

Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR) is a subsidiary of Halliburton, the energy company formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney. By the time Cheney left Halliburton for the vice presidency, the company had extensive involvement with the Pentagon. While secretary of defense for Bush Sr., Cheney awarded Halliburton a $3.9 million contract to "study and then implement the privatization of routine army functions." Adm. Joe Lopez (ret.), former commander in chief for U.S. forces in southern Europe, as well as Cheney's aid under the elder Bush, is now the senior vice president at KBR and responsible for military contracting.

KBR was given a 10-year contract entitled Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP). This is a "cost-plus-award-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity service," an open-ended mandate for privatization anywhere in the world, according to journalist Pratap Chatterjee. Whereas it used to take 120 to l80 days to deploy private companies to foreign military bases, a 72-hour notice is now all that is required. KBR was also given $16 million to build a 408-bed prison for Afghanistan's enemy combatants in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Project%20Censored/CensoreNews_2004.html

[CorpGovActivist]

53. I Worked on the LOGCAP III Bid, As Well As...

... RIO II, the Afghan Embassy Rebuild, DTRA CTRIC task orders, etc.

RIO II is key, and you can expect to hear lots more about this one: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all&q=%22rio+ii%22+halliburton+kbr

- Dave

[Buttercup McToots]

55. Kinda off topic

but are they really building a huge secret embassey/palace in Iraq?
Or should I just stay on the main internet highway, and not wander off course?
Just wonderin`:crazy:

[CorpGovActivist]

56. Buttercup...

... I have a marvelous joke for you, via PM.

For now, remember what Glenda told Dorothy: "Follow the yellow brick road!"

: )

- Dave

[conscious evolution]

64. I just noticed something

I wonder what Ides would think?

[CorpGovActivist]

66. Hmmmm...

... did you see this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2512483&mesg_id=2545575

; )

- Dave

[IdesOfOctober]

100. Ask me no questions...

... I'll tell you no lies.

Ides

[conscious evolution]

101. how was your day?

Anything interesting come up?

[IdesOfOctober]

102. SSDD

LOL.

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

67. Friday fodder Part 1

http://www.consumersforpeace.org/news_help_response_from_cheney.html

HELP ME GET A RESPONSE FROM MR. CHENEY
On August 22, 2006 I sent the draft of an article to the press office of Vice President Dick Cheney, asking that he give a response. I have called three times since then, and each time I’ve been told that someone would get back to me. This hasn’t happened. Please call the Vice President’s press office and ask that Mr. Cheney respond. The phone number is: [phone]. And, if you have time, please let me know what you are told.
Here is the article I sent:
DRAFT – CHENEY Oil article
By Nick Mottern
Director, ConsumersforPeace.org
I asked a former State Department intelligence officer whether ExxonMobil was involved in the State Department planning running up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The person said they did not know of any involvement, but if there were, it would have been through the office of Vice President Dick Cheney.
The State Department official was telling me that, effectively, the go-to person for oil companies in the Bush/Cheney organization is Cheney, who is also possibly the go-to person for all matters of significance to the organization. He is a natural choice for oil officials because he was involved in oil deals for years before he became Vice President.
MARC'S "SCOOTER"
An investigation of independent oil trading and Marc Rich, published in July 2005 by Business Week, described Rich, then 70 and reportedly worth at least $8 billion, as the creator a shadowy, global oil trading system in which great profits can be made by buying oil from "some of the most corrupt or politically unstable places on earth...These are the new frontiers where major U.S. oil companies fear to tread because of sanctions, embargoes and anti-bribery and anti-terrorism laws."
And the article notes: "The majors (major oil firms) are the bread and butter" of Rich and his associates. It cites a Senate report saying that half the crude oil shipped out of Iraq through bribery under the Oil for Food Program was sold to major oil companies.
Rich is reported by various articles to have been not only involved in illegal oil trading with Iraq but that, over the years, he has violated sanctions against oil trade with apartheid South Africa, Iran, Cuba and Libya.
Rich fled the United States in 1983 for Switzerland to escape prosecution for racketeering and non-payment of $48 million in corporate taxes and, Business Week reported, "other violations that could have resulted in 300 years of jailtime." His companies pleaded guilty to some charges, the article said, paying about $200 million in fines, but Rich remained "the most wanted white-collar criminal in U.S. history until his controversial pardon on President Bill Clinton's last day of office in 2001."
When Congress held hearings on the Rich pardon in 2001, one of those testifying on Rich's behalf was I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Libby told Congress that Rich's tax problems resulted from faulty legal interpretations by the Justice Department. Libby, who was to become Cheney's chief of staff, provided legal representation for Rich from time to time between 1985 and 2000.
Libby was indicted in October 2005 for lying and obstruction of justice in the investigation of the Bush Administration's "outing" of CIA employee Valerie Plame.
CHENEY PLAYS IN "RICHLAND"
In a detailed examination of Cheney's lucrative job as head of Halliburton from 1995 to 2000, Jane Mayer, writing for The New Yorker in February 2004, describes Cheney as having been able to override Central Intelligence Agency and State Department objections to win a U.S. government Export-Import Bank loan of nearly $500 million for the Russian Tyumen oil firm. This deal enabled Halliburton to contract with Tyumen for oil development in Siberian oil fields. Halliburton's press release announcing the deal in October 1998 said Tyumen is "one of the six largest Russian oil companies" with "proven oil reserves of 4.3 billion barrels and probable and possible reserves of 6.1 billion barrels."
Mayer reports that Cheney "almost lost the Export-Import loan when the State Department attempted to block it, on the ground that Tyumen was involved in illegal activity." Cheney, the report continues, who personally lobbied for the loan, "was particularly incensed by the involvement of the Central Intelligence Agency, which sided with the State Department."
In the Tyumen initiative, Cheney was engaging Halliburton in a part of the world where Rich was a central figure in oil. "In the early 1990s after the Soviet Union collapsed," Business Week said, "Rich quickly became the most powerful trader there." And: "Rich had long ties with Mikhail Fridman, and his mammoth Alfa Group," which owns Tyumen Oil, the recipient of the Export-Import loan.
The Public i reported in 2000 that Tyumen's lead lawyer at the influential Washington law firm Akin Gump was James Langdon, a Bush "Pioneer", that is a person who raised $100,000 or more for the Bush campaign. In June, 2000, the report said, Langdon organized a $2.2 million fund-raiser for Bush.

[Buttercup McToots]

68. Part 2

HALLIBURTON AT THE SADDAM OIL PARTY
snip>
Business Week reports that Fridman's Alfa group paid "illegal surcharges to Saddam (Hussein) during Oil for Food, which Alfa denies."
The article also reports that Rich bought oil from Alfa units during Oil for Food; one of the units was Tyumen, Halliburton's oil development partner. Various reports suggest that Rich and his associates played a substantial role in getting oil past sanctions against Iraq.
Halliburton is also connected to Iraq oil through one of its branches, Dresser Industries, which provided oil equipment to Saddam. Mayer reports, as do others, that Halliburton "illegally evaded U.S. sanctions by conducting its oil-service business through foreign subsidiaries that had once been owned by Dresser (Industries)", a firm Halliburton bought in 1998 under Cheney's guidance. And Mayer says, "The use of foreign subsidiaries may have helped the company to avoid paying U.S. taxes."
WELCOME TO NIGERIA AND OTHER PLACES OF SADNESS
Rich has long involvement in Nigerian oil, getting purchasing priviliges from succeeding governments. Chido Nwanga, writing for USAfricaonline in March 2001, reported that "Rich has been a key player for well over 25 years in Nigeria's export of its crude oil...In fact, at certain points in Nigeria's recent economic history, Marc Rich has been the kingpin." Reports say that Rich was involved in shipping Nigerian oil into apartheid South Africa and that he may have been the primary oil sanctions buster.
Follow the link...

[Buttercup McToots]

71. Mark Rich

I remember him...

[Buttercup McToots]

76. A PLAME GAME?

Link:
http://www.consumersforpeace.org/news_help_response_from_cheney.html


A PLAME GAME?

The Daily Kos reported in July 2005, that Valerie Plame, who was "outed" to journalists as a CIA undercover employee as early as June 2003, was working for a CIA cover business called Brewster Jennings and Associates and that this entity, shut down after the "outing", apparently had the responsibility to monitor developments in weapons of mass destruction. But it was involved in reporting on the oil trade, particularly as it related to Saudi Arabia and the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO). ARAMCO is a combine, involving the Saudi royal family and major U.S. oil companies, that runs Saudi Arabia's oil fields. Plame described herself to friends as an energy analyst.

Depending on Plame's responsibilities within Brewster Jennings, she would have been in a position to know a little or a great deal about Marc Rich, his colleagues and relationships that may exist between Rich, Cheney and Halliburton.

[stop the bleeding]

77. now that is a most interesting find

thank you

ARAMCO is a combine, involving the Saudi royal family and major U.S. oil companies, that runs Saudi Arabia's oil fields. Plame described herself to friends as an energy analyst.

Depending on Plame's responsibilities within Brewster Jennings, she would have been in a position to know a little or a great deal about Marc Rich, his colleagues and relationships that may exist between Rich, Cheney and Halliburton.

[Buttercup McToots]

79. Yellow Brick Road

I found my way back;)

[CorpGovActivist]

81. I Was About to Dispatch...

... the St. Bernard Wing of the Flying Monkey Battalion to go find you!

(You know, the ones with flasks of whisky hanging around their necks?)

- Dave

[hootinholler]

114. Brandy! Not whisky.

Brandy will warm you but whisky will put you to sleep, or so the old monks claimed.

I like what ol Buttercup returned with. I'm thinking less nukuler now.

-Hoot

[CorpGovActivist]

115. You Fill Your Barrels Your Way...

... and let Buttercup and me at the whisky!

; )

- Dave

[stop the bleeding]

86. that part(s) that I like besides the PLAME GAME

HALLIBURTON AT THE SADDAM OIL PARTY

Business Week reports that Fridman's Alfa group paid "illegal surcharges to Saddam (Hussein) during Oil for Food, which Alfa denies."

The article also reports that Rich bought oil from Alfa units during Oil for Food; one of the units was Tyumen, Halliburton's oil development partner. Various reports suggest that Rich and his associates played a substantial role in getting oil past sanctions against Iraq.

Halliburton is also connected to Iraq oil through one of its branches, Dresser Industries, which provided oil equipment to Saddam. Mayer reports, as do others, that Halliburton "illegally evaded U.S. sanctions by conducting its oil-service business through foreign subsidiaries that had once been owned by Dresser (Industries)", a firm Halliburton bought in 1998 under Cheney's guidance. And Mayer says, "The use of foreign subsidiaries may have helped the company to avoid paying U.S. taxes."

The Iraq oil world under Saddam appears to be much like the Iraq oil world of today, one made for, and to some extent by, Rich and his colleagues, a world in which there is no accountability and in which great wealth can be accumulated illegally. There has been no reporting on the current handling of Iraqi oil in terms of who is buying and shipping it and who are the beneficiaries.


WELCOME TO NIGERIA AND OTHER PLACES OF SADNESS

Rich has long involvement in Nigerian oil, getting purchasing priviliges from succeeding governments. Chido Nwanga, writing for USAfricaonline in March 2001, reported that "Rich has been a key player for well over 25 years in Nigeria's export of its crude oil...In fact, at certain points in Nigeria's recent economic history, Marc Rich has been the kingpin." Reports say that Rich was involved in shipping Nigerian oil into apartheid South Africa and that he may have been the primary oil sanctions buster.

Halliburton is reported to be under investigation by Justice Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission and French officials in connection with bribery charges in Nigeria. An SEC spokesman said that the agency would have no comment on whether or not an investigation is underway.

Mobolaji Aluko reported in Nigeria Village Square in June 2004 that the Halliburton investigation involved $180 million in bribes that may have been paid by the firm to smooth the way for a $6 billion gas liquification plant it built for Shell Oil. The bribes, which were said to have been paid between 1995 and 2000, are believed to have passed through a company, Aluko reported, "operated by a British lawyer, Jeffrey Tesler (a Halliburton employee for 30 years), alleged to be connected with high government officials such as former Oil Minister Don Etet and military head of state late General Sani Abacha."

USAfrica cited a report in 1998 by James Rupert of the Washington Post Foreign Service that: "Nigeria's main trading partners in the Abacha era have been the London-based firms Arcadia and Addax, and the Swiss-based Glencore, which was under the control of Marc Rich..." The Nation reported in October 2004 that "Tesler was the financial advisor to the late dictator Gen. Sani Abacha and controlled his personal fortune, while at the same time working for Halliburton."

The Nation also reported that French investigators were targetting Cheney in relation to the bribes, which occured during his tenure as head of Halliburton. The French got involved because a French company was part of the construction venture. And the Nation quoted Journal du Dimanche: "...it is probable that some of the 'retrocommissions (bribes)' found their way back to th U.S.", and the French report asked whether the money might have gone to Halliburton officials or the Republican Party. The Nation noted: "These questions have gone unasked by America's media."

[CorpGovActivist]

88. The Parts Enron Retirees and Others Hurt Will Like...

Disgorgement of ill-gotten gains: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=disgorgement+proceedings+ill-gotten+gains

Treble damages under RICO: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corrupt_Organizations_Act

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=rico+racketeering+treble+damages

And they deserve every penny.

- Dave

[stop the bleeding]

69. Another news story(s) for the pile

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8L4FDRG3.htm

http://www.localnewsleader.com/kindred/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=21552

from the last 2 days - no new info that I can see - but this is added wood to the fire

[CorpGovActivist]

70. Thanks for Doing the Roundup!

Riding herd on those press clippings is a real service. Thank you!

- Dave

[stop the bleeding]

72. from Reuters only hours old - now we are talking about it hitting the wires

http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=governmentFilingsNews&storyID=2006-11-03T140214Z_01_N03304820_RTRIDST_0_ENERGY-HALLIBURTON-SEC.XML

WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Halliburton Co. (HAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said it will likely agree to regulators' request for more time to investigate allegations that the world's No. 2 oilfield services group was involved in a scheme that paid bribes to Nigerian officials.

The company said in its quarterly filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday that the SEC requested a so-called "tolling agreement" for its formal investigation.

Such an agreement puts off the time when a statute of limitations goes into effect for an investigation.

The regulators, as well as the U.S. Justice Department and Britain's Serious Fraud Office, are looking at whether a consortium, in which Halliburton's KBR unit had a 25 percent stake, made payments to secure construction work for a multibillion-dollar natural gas liquefaction complex in Nigeria.

[CorpGovActivist]

74. AP, Bloomberg, and Reuters...

... are in the race of their lives this weekend, along with some other MSM outlets doing final fact-checking.

: )

- Dave

[stop the bleeding]

75. now on MSN

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.asp?feed=OBR&Date=20061103&ID=6165304

same article

on edit this is the Friday news dump that I asked about this morning - this will be a perfect storm by the Sunday papers :evilgrin:

[CorpGovActivist]

83. Seeding the Thunderclouds...

"this will be a perfect storm by the Sunday papers"

Stories like this don't break "overnight," common misperceptions notwithstanding. These news outlets must go through extensive fact-checking and cross-checking. Understandably trigger-shy editors and lawyers often restrain the reporters involved, until there is no possible doubt.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_papers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate

Too many "journalists" are Woodward Wannabes - but are unwilling to do the same sort of legwork he did.

- Dave

[stop the bleeding]

87. no doubt

These news outlets must go through extensive fact-checking and cross-checking.


seems like they could have gotten a good bit of the fact checking out of the way just by following the DU threads put out on this for the last week.

I can not wait for it to begin to rain.

[CorpGovActivist]

89. Low-Rumbling Thunder

Can you hear it?

- Dave

[stop the bleeding]

94. yep - like this one

http://www.hemscott.com/news/latest-news/item.do?newsId=37142877337385

same info but another set of rain drops

[CorpGovActivist]

95. I Hope the Skeptics...

... enjoy the rain just as much as those who never gave up hope. I hope the rain washes away a little of their cynicism and skepticism, too.

The system works. It's imperfect, but it works.

The Founders were geniuses.

- Dave

[stop the bleeding]

98. another one - 15 hours old but seems to be a bit more in detail(s)

this time around

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_1390.shtml

The payments were made during Cheney's tenure, and according to the Boson Globe, "If such payments were made and Cheney approved them, he could be guilty of violating the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act."

Mr Tesler swears that Cheney knew about the bribes. He testified under oath in May 2004 that he made payments to Jack Stanley, while Stanley was president of KBR, and specifically testified that Cheney approved the payments.

~snip~

A French magistrate has officially placed Mr Tesler under investigation for corruption of a foreign public official and is said to be offering him a deal if he implicates Dick Cheney.

Sources within the French legal system contend that there is more than enough evidence to indict Cheney on charges of bribery, money laundering and misuse of corporate assets.




Really throwing around "bribes and Cheney" in the same sentences :)

[CorpGovActivist]

99. Vice President Cheney Should Have at Least as Much Grace as Agnew...

... and just resign.

- Dave

[hootinholler]

121. I wonder if that would unseal any indictments...

If the Dick resigns. Speaking of sealed indictments, anyone know where to search to get a list of them?

-Hoot

[CorpGovActivist]

124. *Whistles Innocently*

"Speaking of sealed indictments, anyone know where to search to get a list of them?"

You might send a PM to Blackhatjack.

; )

- Dave

[DemReadingDU]

122. Dick, grace?

He shot his friend in the face. Dick has no grace. I don't think the dickster will resign.

edit to add: Unless he gets indicted, hmm, that's a nice thought!

[CorpGovActivist]

123. The Articles of Impeachment Hearings...

... would originate here: http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/index.html

; )

[PerfectSage]

128. It's almost like the....

... 'Ding Dong, The wicked witch is dead' song from the Wizard of Oz. :toast:

[IdesOfOctober]

129. ROTFLMAO!!! David's friends...

... can work with that.

BWA HA HA HA!

Thanks for putting the idea in my head.

Ides

[CorpGovActivist]

130. Did You Mean Dick or Lynne?

; )

- Dave

[DemReadingDU]

118. Yep, I can hear it!

[Subdivisions]

80. So is it safe to assume that the dramatic and suspenseful

intro music is building to a climactic crescendo this weekend?

[CorpGovActivist]

84. I Hear a Tragic Dirge...

... for powerful men and women, who should have known better.

- Dave

[CorpGovActivist]

111. Some More...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=halliburton+tolling+agreement+nigeria+filing+sec

- Dave

[IdesOfOctober]

112. BWA HA HA HA HA!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2566616&mesg_id=2566616

Ides

[IdesOfOctober]

113. duplicate

[Independent_Liberal]

82. CGA, I have one thing to say to you...

:yourock:

Giving this sucker a kick!

PS

Did you see IRAQ FOR SALE? If so, is it any good?

[CorpGovActivist]

85. Thank you...

... you have no idea how much it will mean for other whistleblowers to hear that, too, as they come forward publicly and reveal themselves.

- Dave

[Buttercup McToots]

91. I feel like a cub reporter...

:blush:

[CorpGovActivist]

93. Howso?

We all skin our knees - or else we're not trying hard enough.

: )

- Dave

[Buttercup McToots]

104. Haven't you ever heard

of Jimmy "Cub Reporter" Daily Planet?
LOL

[CorpGovActivist]

106. LOL...Yes, But Still Not Sure...

... how that fits you. You've dug up some great stuff!

- Dave

[PerfectSage]

90. US Sens: Eye Keeping Iraq Inspector-General Office Afloat

16:03 EST Friday, November 03, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP)--Senate supporters of an investigator's office that has unearthed waste and fraud in the rebuilding of Iraq say they will try to keep it alive, setting up a potential showdown with a Republican lawmaker who helped pass legislation to shut it down.

Led by Stuart Bowen Jr., the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction tracks spending in the multibillion-dollar effort to rebuild Iraq - a process moving slowly because of corruption and overcharging as well as wartime violence.

The agency's work has resulted in four criminal convictions and, most recently, evidence that a Halliburton (HAL) subsidiary exploited federal regulations to hide details on its contract performance.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, plans to introduce legislation next week that would extend the office's life for about another year.

The inspector general's office "has proven to be a much-needed watchdog auditing reconstruction contracts in Iraq and spotlighting numerous cases of waste, fraud and abuse," Collins, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said Friday.

Sen. John Warner, R-Va., who chairs the Armed Services Committee and met with Bowen this week, said he supports extending the office's work. Also on board are Democratic Sens. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.

The office, which began work in January 2004, was supposed to be temporary from the start, lasting until much of the $18 billion initially allocated for reconstruction was spent.

Earlier this year, Collins pushed through the Senate a measure that would allow the agency to review more than $6 billion in additional funding aimed at stabilizing Iraq - in effect keeping the IG office in business.

But that provision, added to a major defense bill, was stripped from the final legislation when it was negotiated with Rep. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

Democrats said the office was being killed by Hunter, R-Calif., and other administration loyalists to bury bad news. Bowen, who was appointed by President George W. Bush and worked for him when Bush was governor of Texas in 1994, has surprised many with the aggressiveness his office has shown in its investigations.

Hunter's spokesman did not respond to phone calls and email requesting comment.

"This is par for the course for this Congress which goes to great lengths to avoid any accountability," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said, "Republican leaders in Congress are turning a blind eye to the realities on the ground by insisting that the office be closed rather than pushing for desperately needed change in Iraq."

Bowen said Friday that he believes his efforts were strongly supported by the Bush administration.

"I operated at Congress' direction so I don't have expectations about the future of the organization," he said in an interview on C-SPAN. "And we certainly will operate ... completely and thoroughly until Oct. 1."

The inspector general offices at the Pentagon and State Department are expected to take over the group's work after next fall if its life is not extended.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "has full confidence that the inspector general's office of the State Department will be fully capable, competent and professional in carrying out these duties."

The Senate convenes one day next week for bill introductions. Congress fully returns from its election-season recess the following week.

[CorpGovActivist]

92. Duncan Hunter Sealed His Fate...

... with that one.

- Dave

[IdesOfOctober]

103. Dear President Kerry...

I am writing to you regarding your first year's batch of Presidential Medals of Freedom: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Medal_of_Freedom

You see, I have a friend, who I think you know, who I think deserves to be considered.

(...)

Rejoicingly yours,

Ides

cc: Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguished_Civilian_Service_Awards_Board

[Buttercup McToots]

105. Hoots Ides!

:patriot:

[IdesOfOctober]

107. Get ready...

... it's gonna be right grand!

Ides

[CorpGovActivist]

108. A Fitzgerald Flagdown

I just got word that something may break on Fitzgerald/Plame/Armitage this weekend. Heads-up, but please don't shoot the messenger if it doesn't come to pass.

- Dave

[DemReadingDU]

126. Hm, maybe something to do with a sealed indictment?

just a wondering :)

[CorpGovActivist]

127. Reporters and Bloggers...

... don't always share two ways, so I'm looking forward to finding out, too.

; )

- Dave

[PerfectSage]

109. Defense Contractor Led By Ex-Treasury Secretary Bids For Army Deal

16:24 EST Friday, November 03, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP)--A small defense contractor now controlled by former Treasury Secretary John Snow is taking on Halliburton Co. by bidding for one of three U.S. Army contracts worth up to $50 billion each to provide food and shelter to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Within days of Snow becoming chairman of the New York hedge fund that owns IAP Worldwide Services Inc., the company submitted its bid for huge U.S. Army contracts that will be awarded by year-end.

Cerberus Capital Management LP owns Cape Canaveral, Florida-based IAP, which is led by former executives from Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root.

KBR is currently the U.S. Army's sole contractor for providing food and shelter to the military in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the Army now wants multiple contractors for these services and KBR is bidding again. Some defense analysts are predicting both KBR and IAP, which is run by former KBR executives, will each win one of the 10-year deals that start in 2007.

IAP Chief Executive Al Neffgen, who joined the company in December 2004, served as KBR's chief operating officer of government and infrastructure for the Americas Region, while president Dave Swindle was vice president of KBR's business acquisition and national security programs before joining IAP in April 2005. Chuck Dominy, a retired Army lieutenant general, joined IAP in July 2005 after serving for years as Halliburton's chief lobbyist in Washington.

IAP was founded in 1990 by a former Army logistician as the U.S. was preparing for Operation Desert Storm and now has 5,500 employees. Cerberus became majority owner in May 2004.

IAP, which has smaller logistics and maintenance pacts with the Navy and Air Force, last month said it submitted a proposal for the Army contracts with a team that includes Lockheed Martin Corp. and Electronic Data Systems Corp., as well as Home Depot Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Sodexho Alliance SA of France.

An Army spokeswoman said bids were due Oct. 31, but she declined to provide details about the proposals. An IAP spokeswoman said Swindle, its president, was traveling in the Middle East and unavailable to comment.

Defense industry analysts said other potential bidders on the Army logistics deals include DynCorp International and L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. Representatives from those firms either did not return calls or declined to comment.


(END) Dow Jones Newswires
11-03-06 1624ET
Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

[CorpGovActivist]

110. They Just Keep Trying to Hustle ...

... this game of pool, huh?

; )

- Dave

[hootinholler]

116. Did you notice the name of that company's president?

Swindle.

:rofl:

-Hoot

[CorpGovActivist]

117. I Worked for Dave Swindle's Group at KBR

No joke.

"Dave Swindle was vice president of KBR's business acquisition and national security programs before joining IAP in April 2005..."

Business acquisition? That includes proposals, bids, etc. My boss reported to him.

- Dave

[hootinholler]

119. Gotta love it...

Now there has to be a word for a persons name coinciding with other properties of life.

-Hoot

[CorpGovActivist]

120. Oh, We Made Plenty of Jokes about It...

... at the time.

What a blast from the past!

If Swindle's involved, there's a swindle involved. Soooooo glad this has been brought to my attention. This opens up a whole new line of inquiry for the reporters and Feds.

: )

- Dave