‘Blog Items’ Archives
A U.S. Force of 300,000 to 360,000 Supporting the Iraq War?
Writer Don Monkerud adds up the numbers of US troops and contractors in Iraq for tompaine.org: + First he takes the high estimate of 120,000 contractors from the Associated Press. + Then adds the currently reported total U.S. military in Iraq at 145,000. + Plus another 20,000 for President Bush's surge strategy. THAT ADDS UP TO: 285,000. THEN [...]
readings
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-04-07-filipino-veterans_N.htm?POE=NEWISVA This is politics under the motto of paralysis: Should I stay or should I [...]
American Contractor Claims he was Tortured by U.S. in Iraq: ‘My Name Used to Be 200343’
by David Phinney April 5, 2007 -- A year ago, Donald Vance learned what its like to be falsely accused by the U.S. military of aiding terrorists. He was held without charge for more than three months in a high-security prison in Iraq, and interrogated daily after sleepless nights without legal counsel or even a phone call to his family. On [...]
One Tough Job
by David Phinney April 5, 2007 -- The most dangerous job in Iraq?: Asking questions about the missing billions of dollars in Iraq assets. The country's top corruption fighter, Radi al-Radhi, who runs the Public Integrity Commission, tells the Associated Press that 20 members of his organization have been murdered since it began its [...]
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Hello Houston, Tampa, Italy, Kuwait, the Philippines, Iraq, Dubai and Ukraine! Thanks for visiting -- send me an email and let me know what's on your mind (phinneydavid at yahoo.com). Here are some of the locations of IP addresses from recent and regular visitors: The World: Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Canada, United Kingdom, Israel, [...]
New Iraq Contract Lasts Until 2010?
MPRI, Alexandria, Va., was awarded on March 27, 2007, a $15,313,655 firm-fixed-price contract for instructors for the Counterinsurgency Center for Excellence. Work will be performed in Baghdad, Iraq, and is expected to be completed by June 15, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were an unknown number [...]
Media coziness
too many investigations http://mediamatters.org/items/200703260010 Gridiron http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/31/AR2007033101298.html But is it funny? As humor trumped skepticism once again last night, we couldn't help wondering why this charade parade goes on year after year. Or is that skepticism we see every day at [...]
Taking Notice: Contractors Make Up 20 Percent of Iraq Casualties
by David Phinney March 29, 2007 -- Make a note of this: "Now that contractor casualties are 20 percent, people are noticing," a prominent Washington government contracting expert told me today. That includes The Chicago Tribune taking notice: "More than 770 civilian contractors working for U.S. companies have died in Iraq since the [...]
Flip this Palace and Fill those Sand Bags — Big Profits on DynCorp’s Iraq Police Training Program
Mar 23, 2007 -- My story in Iraqslogger.com significantly advances the story on DynCorp's tier-one subcontractor, Corporate Bank, a.k.a., The Sandi Group, in a new series Profits of War.... The Washington-based company headed by a Kurdish Immigrant Rubar Sandi was poised to make $8 million on the construction of a police camp at Adnan Palace in [...]
