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Congress to probe private military contractors in Afghanistan

Redress

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Congress to probe private military contractors in Afghanistan - CNN.com

December 17, 2009 4:42 p.m. EST-Washington (CNN)

Congress is launching a broad-ranging investigation into possible waste, misuse and corruption tied to billions of taxpayer dollars used to support private military contractors in Afghanistan.

Among the questions being raised is whether money provided in a nearly $2.2 billion trucking contract in the war-torn country went to pay off local warlords and the Taliban.

...

"Serious allegations have been brought to [Congress'] attention that private security providers for U.S. transportation contractors in Afghanistan are regularly paying local warlords and the Taliban for security," said Rep. John Tierney, D-Massachusetts, who chairs the House National Security and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee.

"After a preliminary inquiry, it has been determined these reports warrant a full-scale ... investigation. If shown to be true, it would mean that the United States is unintentionally engaged in a vast protection racket and, as such, may be indirectly funding the very insurgents we are trying to fight."

Sometimes congress actually does something worthwhile. I don't know for sure if there is any crime here, but it certainly warrants investigation and hopefully improvements in our process come out of this.
 
Sometimes congress actually does something worthwhile. I don't know for sure if there is any crime here, but it certainly warrants investigation and hopefully improvements in our process come out of this.

Can't speak for AFG, but I can tell you that in Iraq it is atrocious.

It sickens me to think how many Iraqis are walking around with thousands, maybe millions of dollars from fraudlent U.S. Govt. contracts.

There have also been many thefts of Govt. money by military personnel. Those are only the ones that got caught. I'm sure there are many more.

In Iraq: 2003-2004, one of my additional duties was a paying agent for projects. I walked the streets of Mosul with tens of thousands of dollars in my cargo pocket. As long as I brought an Iraqi in to sign for it, it was legit. There were no secondary checks at all. Most people in the military wouldn't steal...but there are some who would and did. And I bet a lot of them got away with it.
 
Can't speak for AFG, but I can tell you that in Iraq it is atrocious.

It sickens me to think how many Iraqis are walking around with thousands, maybe millions of dollars from fraudlent U.S. Govt. contracts.

There have also been many thefts of Govt. money by military personnel. Those are only the ones that got caught. I'm sure there are many more.

In Iraq: 2003-2004, one of my additional duties was a paying agent for projects. I walked the streets of Mosul with tens of thousands of dollars in my cargo pocket. As long as I brought an Iraqi in to sign for it, it was legit. There were no secondary checks at all. Most people in the military wouldn't steal...but there are some who would and did. And I bet a lot of them got away with it.

That sound a little different than this case. Essentially, as I understand it, the contractors are paying protection money to the enemy, and essentially billing us for it.
 
Why did anyone think private contractors for the war was a good idea?
 
I'm surprised that people are pretty quiet about this. Their tax dollars are indirectly funding the enemy.
 
I'm surprised that people are pretty quiet about this. Their tax dollars are indirectly funding the enemy.

I thought it was a big deal when I saw it. I think the quietness has to do with the fact it's not really a debate topic. Who is going to come out in favor of paying protection money to the enemy?
 
Why did anyone think private contractors for the war was a good idea?

You do understand that this has been going on for 1000 of year right, what you think thi sis something new for the 21st Century:shock:
 
I've long been against Blackwater (Xe) and all Military contractors. It's absolutely disgusting that these organizations exist.

The Blackwater trial in early 2010 is going to be extremely alarming. I've talked with, and read about, some former Blackwater contractors who were paid to do some fairly inhumane things. I don't want to go through the allegations, as I am still uncertain to the validity. But the personal sources I trust.
 
Pretty good discussion on old thread, plus my feelings on Private Contractors:

RIGHT HERE
 
Why did anyone think private contractors for the war was a good idea?
Yup, they've never been used ever, until Bush, right? :roll:
 
Private Contractors = Necessary Evil.

Monitoring Private Contractors = Necessary at all times. They're just like other businesses.
 
Private Contractors = Necessary Evil.

Monitoring Private Contractors = Necessary at all times. They're just like other businesses.
Wait for it!

*** it's Bush's fault***
 
Which has exactly what to do with what Orius said?

He read into it and probably assumed that Orius was referring to the use of Contractors in the War in Iraq (under Bush), which is a valid conclusion, considering most people will jump straight to the most recent or...shall we say vivid...examples of a topic without considering all the lines of thought or entire history on the subject.
 
He read into it and probably assumed that Orius was referring to the use of Contractors in the War in Iraq (under Bush), which is a valid conclusion, considering most people will jump straight to the most recent or...shall we say vivid...examples of a topic without considering all the lines of thought or entire history on the subject.

Orius is not most people. This habit people have of assuming what people are saying, without them saying it is getting annoying. I am willing to bet Orius is aware the practice of using contractors predates Bush.
 
One of my former workshop students went to Iraq as a Marine reservist and came back seriously hurt. We were talking and he asked me if I knew how much money Dick Cheney was worth. I said, "No but I'll bet it's a lot." He mentioned the name of a company Cheney owned or had a serious investment in (I had never heard of it and it wasn't Haliburton.) He said the amount of money this company was fleecing from the U.S. taxpayer must have been staggering. I asked him, "why?" He said one gentlemen that worked for that company that simply opened and closed the doors to a gym the troops used had a salary of $120,000 a year.

Anyone know how much one gallon of fuel costs the military in Afghanistan? Try $400.00. And some of you right wingers are whining about the potential cost of health are reform. Get real!

$400 per gallon gas to drive debate over cost of war in Afghanistan - TheHill.com
 
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Thank god for companies like Blackwater, making it easier to kill our enemies.

Well, not really.

Actually, not at all.

They don't lethally target. Their only kinetic action is defensive. And they usually shoot the wrong people.

If anything, they are a major detriment to U.S. led operations in theater.
 
Orius is not most people. This habit people have of assuming what people are saying, without them saying it is getting annoying. I am willing to bet Orius is aware the practice of using contractors predates Bush.
I was trying out a neo-con preemptive strike. :rofl
 
One of my former workshop students went to Iraq as a Marine reservist and came back seriously hurt. We were talking and he asked me if I knew how much money Dick Cheney was worth. I said, "No but I'll bet it's a lot." He mentioned the name of a company Cheney owned or had a serious investment in (I had never heard of it and it wasn't Haliburton.) He said the amount of money this company was fleecing from the U.S. taxpayer must have been staggering. I asked him, "why?" He said one gentlemen that worked for that company that simply opened and closed the doors to a gym the troops used had a salary of $120,000 a year.

Anyone know how much one gallon of fuel costs the military in Afghanistan? Try $400.00. And some of you right wingers are whining about the potential cost of health are reform. Get real!

$400 per gallon gas to drive debate over cost of war in Afghanistan - TheHill.com

And you "left wingers" will soon realize that Health Care Reform is not too much different from the $400 gallon of gas when you start seeing bills for $200 syringes and $500 cases of gauze. Corruption by any other name is just as ****ed up.
 
And you "left wingers" will soon realize that Health Care Reform is not too much different from the $400 gallon of gas when you start seeing bills for $200 syringes and $500 cases of gauze. Corruption by any other name is just as ****ed up.

Showing you have no clue as to why the fuel cost in Afghanistan is so high. Hint: it has to do with the fact the region is at war, and is not transportation friendly.
 
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