Congressman Defends War Profits

Staff / Truthdig May 16, 2007 Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., objects to the notion that it is improper to pay a private contractor four times as much as a U.S. soldier doing the same job: "It's actually somewhat of an insult, if I go down to Fort Stewart and tell 'em they're underpaid, because they're really not motivated by pay as much as they are by patriotism." If only Halliburton felt the same way. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Legal Stealing’

Staff / Truthdig May 10, 2007 This is the four-minute highlight reel from "Iraq for Sale" that documentarian Robert Greenwald wanted to screen for Congress as part of his testimony. Republicans blocked him from doing so. If you haven't been following the outrageous war profiteering going on in Iraq -- like many of our elected officials -- this is a must-see clip. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Real Time’ Panelists Look at Katrina Aid Debacle

Staff / Truthdig May 7, 2007 Bill Maher assembled a panel, consisting of actors Sean Penn and Gary Shandling and Democratic Leadership Council Chairman Harold Ford Jr., to speculate about the myriad reasons (none of them good) why the U.S. turned down hundreds of millions of dollars in aid offered by other nations after Hurricane Katrina. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Halliburton Relocates to Dubai

Staff / Truthdig Mar 12, 2007 Oil giant Halliburton has decided to move its headquarters to the United Arab Emirates in order to better exploit Mideast opportunities. The controversial company has had much success in the region, with no-bid contracts in Iraq helping it pull in $22.6 billion in global revenues in 2006. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Oversight Hearing Reveals Contractor Abuses

Staff / Truthdig Feb 8, 2007 Last year, the Army vehemently denied allegations that Halliburton had hired Blackwater, another private contractor, to provide security in Iraq, but in a hearing before the House Government Oversight Committee on Wednesday, the military reversed itself. The committee also made public an e-mail from a Blackwater employee who frantically demanded that the firm properly equip its guards, four of whom were killed hours after the message was written. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Stealing Iraq’s Oil

Staff / Truthdig Jan 8, 2007 The Iraqi parliament is expected to vote on a US-crafted law that would open the nation's oil industry to exploitive foreign control If the bill passes, it would give foreign investors up to 75 percent of Iraq's oil profits until costs are recouped, and then twice the industry standard after that This law is a naked admission that the U invaded Iraq, at least in part, for its oil. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Robert Scheer: Ike Was Right

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Dec 27, 2006 Many critics of the war suggest that the U.S. remains in Iraq because it wants that nation's petroleum. But oil is not the primary reason. Instead, look to the military-industrial complex, a threat that President Eisenhower warned of in the 1960s. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Perils of No-Bid Contracting

Mike Luckovich / Truthdig Nov 30, 2006 Dig deeper

‘Halliburton: Because Orphans Just Don’t Make Themselves’

Staff / Truthdig Oct 29, 2006 Check out this stinging satire of Halliburton from "Real Time With Bill Maher." (h/t: Crooks and Liars) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Belated Justice: Army Cancels Halliburton Contract

Staff / Truthdig Jul 13, 2006 We're a bit late to this story, but we couldn't let it go un-blogged HUURAH! You know the old saying: You can overbill some of the government agencies all the time, all the government agencies some of the timebut you can't, apparently, charge $45 for a case of soda and get away with it forever. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Fecal Matter in Soldiers’ Water? Sure, Says Senate

Staff / Truthdig Jun 21, 2006 Senate Republicans shot down a measure that would have enacted oversight on the practices of private contractors in Iraq. As a result, companies like Halliburton are free to continue doing things like exposing U.S. soldiers in Iraq to water contaminated with fecal matter. The Nation has the details. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Rebuilding of Iraqi Pipeline as Disaster Waiting to Happen

Staff / Truthdig Apr 25, 2006 It's not just insurgent attacks but also incompetence and mismanagement by entities like Halliburton and the Army Corps of Engineers that are holding back the rebuilding of Iraq. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )