Cheney's shady
deals all too ignored
The Progressive Perspective
By Curtis Vincent
Art By John Rios
Have you ever entered a raffle for something and read
the official rules saying that employees and their families are ineligible
to win? This rule exists so there will be no improprieties—in fact,
this rule ensures that there will be not even a hint of impropriety.
The reputations and success of the organizations involved depend on our
faith that they can be trusted.
On an individual level we also need to feel trusted.
Don’t we all
strive to live as a good and honorable person? I admit there are those
who don’t strive for that, but I say they are a minority. Repugnant
is the thought of myself profiting at the expense of my reputation, my
good name or my honor.
I say we are entitled to expect those around us to
behave in the same good and honorable way. This applies especially to
our politicians.
During the administration of former President George
Bush, then Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney asked Halliburton to report
on the possibility
of private industry providing military support. Halliburton reported
it would be cheaper to contract out many of the things the military
had been doing on its own.
Coincidentally, it also reported itself to be the
most qualified company to provide those services. The next thing you
know Halliburton’s
getting paid big bucks when we flex our military might. After Bush’s
defeat in ‘96, Cheney became CEO of Halliburton. Of course, there
is no impropriety here.
While at the helm of Halliburton, Cheney reincorporated
dozens of subsidiaries offshore and avoided paying hundreds of millions
of dollars in taxes
to the government according to www.thenation.com. The real beauty of
this is that they keep taking billions of dollars in government contracts,
financing and loan guarantees. Taxes are good when paid by others and
when I get paid with them. Taxes are bad when I pay them. I get it. There
is nothing unpatriotic in that. It’s just a bit of tax-competitiveness
that helps to make them the best. Of course, there is no impropriety
here.
So it is with the charges for daily janitorial service
in vacant buildings, meals that were never served, inferior building
materials invoiced as
the most expensive, overcharging for gasoline in Iraq as reported by
www.pbs.org.
Recently, a former field buyer for Halliburton testified
to Congress that he was told by his supervisors not to worry about the
price of supplies
because the government was paying the bill. They break the law, rip
us off, pay token fines and continue doing business with our government.
Of course, there is no impropriety here.
The Washington Post reported that in France there
was an investigation into an alleged $180 million bribe involving a subsidiary
of Halliburton
(while Cheney was CEO) and access to Nigerian oil.
But then again, what do they know? They’re French. However, The
United States Department of Justice, and the Securities and Exchange
Commission are both investigating a possible violation of the Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act (U.S. law making it a crime for any US citizen
to bribe any public official anywhere in the world.) Of course, there
is no impropriety here.
As reported on “Democracy Now!” on Feb. 17 by Russell Mokhiber
of “Corporate Crime Reporter,” Halliburton has hired an independent
law firm to conduct an internal investigation of the alleged Nigerian
bribe. The lawyer chosen is James Doty of Baker-Botts. This is the same
lawyer that represented President George W. Bush in his purchase of the
Texas Rangers.
One of the senior partners in Baker-Botts is James
Baker. This is the same James Baker that spearheaded the don’t-count-coup and the
Brooks brothers riots in Florida. This is the same James Baker who was
appointed by President George W. Bush to try and negotiate debt forgiveness
for Iraq. In case you hadn’t heard, Baker-Botts is that All-American
law firm representing the Saudis in their defense against a lawsuit filed
by the families of those who died on 9/11 according to msnbc.msn.com.
Independent indeed. Of course, there is no impropriety
here. Cling desperately to that belief. Just don’t call me naïve.
—
This columnist can be reached at collegian@csufresno.edu
|
