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Monday, September 18, 2006

Halliburton Responds to Iraq for Sale

Robert Greenwald's new documentary Iraq for Sale has already sparked a reaction from Halliburton... He writes:
We are amazed that they [Halliburton] openly admit to not seeing the film, and then proceed to attack it because they can "deduce" its content! I kid you not. Maybe they can deduce what happened to the billions they overcharged.

They accused us of being "privately funded," which is their pathetic effort to smear the 3,006 of you who contributed to make the film happen! Perfect for a corporation where the head guy, David Lesar, one of THE top war profiteers, made over $40 million.

They attack us for getting the facts wrong, with no mention of any facts we got wrong. Then THEY distort the facts -- one of my favorite being, "By all accounts, KBR's logistical achievements in support of the troops in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan have been nothing short of amazing."

They cite 411 million meals served, but neglect to mention how many they overcharged for. They cite 5.85 billion gallons of water, and still haven't responded on how many gallons were contaminated.

And it goes on and on... read it for yourself if you want a good laugh. http://iraqforsale.org/hbattack.php

We think it's time for Halliburton CEO David Lesar to own up, and since he's not going to do it himself, we will do it for him. Watch this television ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAxIO0VtTiY

The fight is going to get tougher, harder, and meaner. The media attention on the war profiteers is escalating: CBS News, the Washington Post and the LA Times all featured stories this weekend. The stakes are significant and Halliburton, CACI, Titan, and Blackwater* are all watching very closely and will do everything possible to secure their profits.

Read more at the Iraq for Sale blog.

* Speaking of Blackwater, I have been hearing ever more about this very scary company. Laura Flanders recently interviewed Jeremy Scahill, who has done some incredible in-depth investigative journalism covering Blackwater in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and in Iraq. The interview (Listen to the Mp3) offers a nice summary of who/what Blackwater is, and why we should be concerned. I visited their website this weekend (www.blackwaterusa.com) where they describe themselves as "a professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations firm".

Military privatization... just a bad idea: pricey, dangerous, ineffective, and hard to control. It brings the U.S. perilously close to being a Failed State according to commonly used definitions, because it lacks a "monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force". Makes ya think, huh?

Of course, Blackwater seems to have no qualms about creative marketing. Their Orwellian description says they "have become the most responsive, cost-effective means of affecting the strategic balance in support of security and peace, and freedom and democracy everywhere."

UPDATE: WATCH IT HERE FOR FREE

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