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The Daily Muck
Former employees of the contractor hired to build the American embassy in Iraq testified to observing abuse of foreign employees in construction of the enormous project. The individuals told lawmakers that construction workers were crammed into trailers, paid pittances for their labor, made to work without safety equipment and denied the right to time off for prayers. (McClatchy Newspapers)
The Law Council of Australia, the country's bar association, has released a scathing review of the trial of David Hicks, concluding in their report that, "The 'trial' of David Hicks, which took place in March 2007, was a charade." (Harper's)
We know it's tough keeping track of all of the outstanding investigations against members of Congress; we have a tough time staying on top of all of them as well. Here's a handy list of investigated lawmakers from coast to coast. (NY Times)
The White House has likely come to expect dissent from Sen. Specter (R-PA) when it comes to the capabilities of the Attorney General. But apparently Specter didn't mind rehashing his thoughts on Gonzales to members of the press corps, even if they were on Air Force One. While waiting for the President to ride, the senator (who was hitching a ride back to Washington) broke the unwritten rules of the Presidential plane by criticizing a member of the President's cabinet to onboard reporters. (NY Times)
The Army is requiring a soldier who hosts the website ShamSchool to remove all material from his site or face a dishonorable discharge. ShamSchool was featured material from past correspondence courses and has been reportedly at the center of a widespread trend of soldiers cheating their way through certification courses, including those from advanced weaponry. (Boston Globe)
Jim Nicholson has resigned his post as Secretary of Veteran Affairs, but he is facing a new suit in the suicide of a former marine. The soldier's parents are suing the former Secretary for negligence after their son was denied mental health care upon his return from Iraq. (Associated Press)
The President, as well as several members of his staff, refrain from drinking alcohol; is it too much to ask that NASA also hire itself a few teetotalers? A panel created after last year's bizarre "astronaut love-triangle" is expected to report that at least two astronauts have been determined drunk by flight surgeons and other astronauts, but both were still allowed to fly. (NY Times)
Comments (36)
j swift wrote on July 27, 2007 9:46 AM:"Former employees of the contractor hired to build the American embassy in Iraq testified to observing abuse of foreign employees in construction of the enormous project. The individuals told lawmakers that construction workers were crammed into trailers, paid pittances for their labor, made to work without safety equipment and denied the right to time off for prayers. (McClatchy Newspapers)"
wow, just what the small government wingnuts types would like to see in this country. A revival of comapany towns and robber barons, yeeehaw!
pocket wrote on July 27, 2007 9:54 AM:Love the Handy-Dandy table of investigations/convictions on Congressional members. What is disappointing though is that the headline is somewhat miss-leading. It alludes to a bi-partisan problem. And you would yell out loud, “Finally, congress has figured out how to work in a bi-partisan fashion!” But after reading the article, you would be wrong….
As we all know (except for one avid TPM commenter), it’s mostly a republican problems (83% of those listed in the table were republican’s). But the article does not make that clear until halfway through.
Loved the comment about how Specter was really lucky that King George was in a good mood and didn’t kick him off the plane.
Roberta wrote on July 27, 2007 10:41 AM:Pocket, what I noticed was that only a couple of Republicans are names in the article, while both Dems are. Okay, there are only two Dems to name and the article is mostly about Dolittle, but I guess I'm just sensitized to this. It's not like I don't have a reason to be, though.
joseph loiacano wrote on July 27, 2007 11:36 AM:rewiring is time and money
joseph loiacano wrote on July 27, 2007 11:39 AM:someone mustbeusing my name and address
johnnydoughey wrote on July 27, 2007 12:11 PM:Concerninig contractors...
Apparently, we still believe in slavery, as we are actually paying out tax dollars to continue it. What the 13th amendment:
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction
neglected to state was the exception rule:
Rule 1: No branch of the government needs to pay attention to the constitution if it is more valuable to the various members to ignore it...
Legalize wrote on July 27, 2007 1:28 PM:"Former employees of the contractor hired to build the American embassy in Iraq testified to observing abuse of foreign employees in construction of the enormous project. The individuals told lawmakers that construction workers were crammed into trailers, paid pittances for their labor, made to work without safety equipment and denied the right to time off for prayers."
Why, that's the very description of Republican Utopia! In order to preserve American Freedom we MUST use slave labor!!!
Diverik wrote on July 27, 2007 3:13 PM:Legalize: "Why, that's the very description of Republican Utopia!"
This is, after all, the party of Tom Delay who called the indentured foreign workers in sweatshops in the Marianas Islands a "free market success". Republicans apparently have no problem turning a blind eye to this kind of abuse if it suits their purpose.
http://www.salon.com/news/1999/02/04news.html
wagonjak wrote on July 27, 2007 3:54 PM:Senator Specter mouths off all the time about the shortcomings of the Bush administration, but it's all a bunch of BS blathering!
Whenever it comes down to putting his vote where his mouth is, he's missing in action.
In spite of his numerous criticisms of Bush policy, Arlan will go down as one of the main enablers for this criminal administration-both in its horrifying war and its illegal and outrageous internal policies.
We're all waiting to see some cojones Arlan!
wagonjak wrote on July 27, 2007 3:54 PM:Senator Specter mouths off all the time about the shortcomings of the Bush administration, but it's all a bunch of BS blathering!
Whenever it comes down to putting his vote where his mouth is, he's missing in action.
In spite of his numerous criticisms of Bush policy, Arlan will go down as one of the main enablers for this criminal administration-both in its horrifying war and its illegal and outrageous internal policies.
We're all waiting to see some cojones Arlan!
The Oracle wrote on July 28, 2007 2:45 AM:"The individuals told lawmakers that construction workers were crammed into trailers,..."
Just curious.
Were these "trailers" over in Iraq supplied by the same Indiana trailer manufacturing companies that supplied FEMA with formaldehyde-soaked trailers for homeless Gulf Coast residents following Hurricane Katrina?
When I first heard mention of these toxic formaldehyde trailers being supplied to FEMA, I thought of all the trailers over in Iraq, housing not only the "slave labor" employed by private contractors, but also other private contract employees and even our soldiers stationed on "Bush-permanent" Iraqi military bases.
In other words, has anyone living in any trailer over in Iraq, on a military base or in the Green Zone, become sick with some mysterious malady after living in a trailer for awhile?
It wouldn't surprise me. Nor would it surprise me to learn that the Pentagon (and private contract companies) have kept this "illness" under wraps, especially if Iraqi trailers were manufactured and provided (at taxpayer expense) by the same companies that dumped formaldehyde-laced trailers on FEMA. Nope, it wouldn't surprise me at all.
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