Why Are We In Iraq ?

[Peter Hansen]

The government officials would like us to believe that the reasons we are in IRAQ are as simple as Mom, Apple Pie and Democracy. Perhaps after viewing the following clip http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/103.html
you may think otherwise. Perhaps Money, Power and Greed may be the REAL motivating factors.
As far as I am concerned , "THE SURGE" is not ...and will never work as long as political correctness shackles the hands of the finest military force in the world. As General Patton had said "When fighting the enemy , make sure it is the other poor BASTARD that dies for HIS country.
I am not here to pontificate or moralize......but merely to make money for myself and others . Bottom line......when you play with a stacked deck , you win more often . Halibuton HAL and Blackstone Group have friends in HIGH places and are definitely 2 aces! One of the officiers of BX .....Just happens to be on the Council of Foreign Realtions ......wow that is so convenient and definitely no conflict of interest there .......LOL.
Any comments on the video clip or stox would be aprreciated .......Thanx!

[peanuts]

here's your answer: http://www.energybulletin.net/7707.html

here's your stock: ICE

For now, oil is priced in US dollars... imagine what could happen economically if the two became directly unconnected

[Peter Hansen]

WOW maybe a Laundramat in Iraq not bad?

According to information from the Video clip above .....The US government is billed 99 dollars per bag of laundry washed in Iraq .......wow what a markup.....and when ya sell a 75K truck .....dont include a supply of filters ..so that when the engine blows , Haliburton gets to sell the government another one .....Wow nice to know people in high places !

[billyjoe]

Pete,
I'm as patriotic as the next guy, but I don't believe in following the president, right or wrong. If one of my boys were ever to get drafted during this mess I'd take him to wherever he wanted outside of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan. Bush doesn't speak for me or even the majority of citizens.

------------billyjoe

[mrmarket]

Many Americans still think we are at war with the country of Iraq. It boggles the mind at how low the average intelligence setpoint really is.

[skiracer]

Many Americans still think we are at war with the country of Iraq. It boggles the mind at how low the average intelligence setpoint really is.

this is the fleecing of America by a group of thieves. can anyone actually believe they can justify what they have done as far as privatizing every minute part of the logistics of running this operation in Iraq. and just a coincidence that Halliburton and their subsidiaries are the ones running the show. they have stolen hundreds of billions from the American taxpayer. no wonder they want 20,000 more troops. that's over $2 million more a day in just laundry billings. we should all just stop paying our taxes. don't send in the money unless they can give a decent accounting for what they have spent. and in 8 years of this administration they have not given one account of how they have been going about this. on top of that do you think that not one of our legislators knew exactly what has been going on. it's a travesty and we should tell them to shove it up their asses. don't pay your taxes and see where they get the money and how fast it will stop.

[IIC]

Ski...let me know when visiting hours are at Leavenworth.

I really get so tired of people complaining about the USA and never doing anything about it.

You don't like America???...I'd be happy to pay for a one way ticket to Angola for you.

Stop complaining and start trying to change things if you don't like it here.

Posting your political objections on a Stock forum is not my idea of contributing to a better life in America.

I don't like a lot of the way things are in my neighborhood (Which I happen to have been a local activist on many issues) up to the Federal level, which I have never taken an activist stance on...But, I'm of the ilk that if you don't like it...You got three choices...Try to do something about it, leave or shut up and live with it.

[skiracer]

Ski...let me know when visiting hours are at Leavenworth.

I really get so tired of people complaining about the USA and never doing anything about it.

You don't like America???...I'd be happy to pay for a one way ticket to Angola for you.

Stop complaining and start trying to change things if you don't like it here.

Posting your political objections on a Stock forum is not my idea of contributing to a better life in America.

I don't like a lot of the way things are in my neighborhood (Which I happen to have been a local activist on many issues) up to the Federal level, which I have never taken an activist stance on...But, I'm of the ilk that if you don't like it...You got three choices...Try to do something about it, leave or shut up and live with it.

Doug,
I've got more bodies in hand to hand combat than you have on your fingers and toes. I've done everything that this country has asked me to do for it and more. I'll probably rot in hell for some of it and you tell me that I can't voice me opinion. I never said that I didn't like it here just that this administration is a group of thieves and they have been fleecing this country for the past 8 years.
What have you done in your lifetime to make it better or to preserve our way of life. This administration is selling us out and apparently your naive enough to believe it. By the way Ernie initiated the thread I didn't. It was supposed to be an open forum. I'm not shoving anything down anyone's throat just voicing an opinion like you. And you should know me enough by now to know that I could care less what you think.

[mrmarket]

Ski...let me know when visiting hours are at Leavenworth.

I really get so tired of people complaining about the USA and never doing anything about it.

You don't like America???...I'd be happy to pay for a one way ticket to Angola for you.

Stop complaining and start trying to change things if you don't like it here.

Posting your political objections on a Stock forum is not my idea of contributing to a better life in America.

I don't like a lot of the way things are in my neighborhood (Which I happen to have been a local activist on many issues) up to the Federal level, which I have never taken an activist stance on...But, I'm of the ilk that if you don't like it...You got three choices...Try to do something about it, leave or shut up and live with it.

Doug,

I think that Skiracer IS doing something by sharing his opinion and providing a point of view for for others to think about, accept or reject. The ones who keep silent are the ones who we need to be more concerned about.

[Peter Hansen]

Mr Market I agree

Mr Market.....I agree with your opinion expressed above. I also realize that what Doug had said in his comments above ....i.e. that the Forum is Primarily a fianancial site is true .....but sometimes it is good to deviate slightly from the forum and introduce a topic to liven up the discussions. Yes political issues are very tricky, and they can incite some violent reactions. It was never my intent to do this by starting the original post .
Life is short , why spoil it with petty aruments . Be happy, enjoy life and remember ......"Live each day as if it were your LAST day.........and one day ....you will be right ........think about it!

[billyjoe]

Today's Headline July 10th "China Executes Former Food and Drug Chief for taking Bribes". I hope our officials give thanks everyday that they were born in U.S.A.

-------------billyjoe

[riverbabe]

Tax Payer Revolt

I owned HAL when KBR was spun off this year. I declined the KBR stock because, just reading the prospectus, it was clear to me that there were a lot of shady things going on. I told my broker I wasn't going to touch it with a ten foot pole, and he said he personally was not either for the same reasons. And I used to respect KBR because of the engineering work they did 20+ years ago. What a change and what a disappointment to me personally.

I agree with Ski on this one. We need to take a stand. If these companies are stealing tax payer dollars, we the taxpayers should simply go on a tax strike. It should take the government less than 24 hours to sit up and take notice. I will volunteer to help organize it. We start by convincing companies to put a moratorium on payroll tax withholding, at least federal. We want to keep the states running so the moratorium wouldn't have to be on state withholding or even on social security withholding. With the mood in this country right now re. Iraq I think there would be sufficient support for this type of strike to make it meaningful. A tax payer revolt seems a very appropriate way to express our displeasure.

And, come to think of it, there are probably enough participants in this forum alone, scattered around the country, to be a nucleus for organizing such a national revolt. Is anyone else here with me? I am deadly serious here. Riverbabe

[peanuts]

America the beautiful

What a wonderful country we live in to be able to distribute our thoughts without fear of government retribution or censorship.

Some of the successes of America can be attributed to its ability to adapt new ideas and change old governmental systems to reflect a better way of doing things. This can sometimes take years, but can also happen very quickly. There is a process to effectively facilitate change. Not paying taxes has also been such a daring and reprehensible action that even some of our countries early revolutionaries couldn't bear to cast tea crates into Boston Harbor without dressing up as Native Americans in disguise.

A governmental system which doesn't work in fairness to all is a system nonetheless. Systems can change. Unfortunately, for the time it takes to effect this change, it still needs money to keep doing whatever good things are already in place, while at the same time doing the bad things which need to change.

Perhaps an effort to focus on a positive and constructive system change would be more benefitial to all citizens than a disruptive and negative defiance to the current system.

I'll take Abraham Lincoln over Mahatma Gandhi any day.

[IIC]

Doug,

I think that Skiracer IS doing something by sharing his opinion and providing a point of view for for others to think about, accept or reject. The ones who keep silent are the ones who we need to be more concerned about.

Fair enough...I happen to reject his proposal that we all become tax evading felons.

However, my take is that he is really just a harmless blowhard that in reality has no intention of organizing, much less leading a taxpayer revolt.

[riverbabe]

Fair enough...I happen to reject his proposal that we all become tax evading felons.

However, my take is that he is really just a harmless blowhard that in reality has no intention of organizing, much less leading a taxpayer revolt.

However, a River/Ski team might be very effective! All it takes is courage and conviction and both of us have those in spades.

And Peanuts, this would not be as disruptive as you might imagine. It could be a one-day event that sends a powerful expensive message.

Doug, a moratorium just postpones sending that amount of taxes on that particular day. It doesn't mean those taxes will be evaded. It means we just aren't sending them today. It's a wake-up call, not a felonius act. And we probably will incur some kind of late payment penalties.