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The Daily Muck
Not a record to be proud of. The federal government’s crackdown on corrupt contracts for Iraq reconstruction has resulted in a record number of criminal and administrative cases last month, including the $10 million bribery case involving Army Maj. Gen. John Cockerman. Out of the 29 people convicted so far on shady Iraq contracts, seven were convicted in July. Pentagon auditors have questioned at least $4 billion worth of contracts thus far. (USA Today)
The U.S. is preparing to label the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization due to its support of Iraqi insurgents. True, the U.S. has already labeled Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism, but this new step is certainly an escalation in the heated rhetoric that has been fired between the two nations over the past few months. (NY Times)
A student, not a terrorist. That's what Jose Padilla's lawyer spent yesterday afternoon impressing upon the jury during closing arguments. The case against Padilla is wrapping up, with jury deliberations to begin today. The prosecution's case has largely become one of intent, with the final arguments coming down to the issue of whether or not the man arrested on allegations of plotting a "dirty bomb" attack had demonstratable intentions to attack American citizens. (Boston Globe)
Taxpayers for Common Sense has compiled a list of special project appropriations in Alaska. The entire list is worth a look, but some gems include an Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board $500,000 grant that was used partly to paint a Chinook salmon on a Boeing 737 and a $450,000 grant to the University of Alaska to formulate baby food with salmon in it. (AP)
Another organization of concerned professionals is speaking out against Bush's recent executive order on enhanced interrogation. On Monday, the American Bar Association objected to the practice of sensory deprivation and waterboarding. Now the American Psychological Association is expected to issue a formal condemnation this weekend of the same practices used by CIA interrogators. (Salon)
Meet the newest thing for American airport security: Behavior Detection Officers. Already, a dozen airports have scattered individuals throughout the terminal; it is their job to identify potentially dangerous passengers based on their facial expressions and body movements. So the next time you fly, smile! It's for your own safety. (McClatchy Newspapers)
Gen. George Casey suggested yesterday that it would be unwise to extend the length of soldiers' tours beyond the current fifteen months, but he also has no idea when the military would be able to return to their traditional schedule of twelve-month deployments. (Associated Press)
A Delaware judge will not dismiss a shareholder lawsuit against the CEO of data company InfoUSA, Inc. for improperly spending millions of dollars of corporate money, some of which went to Bill and Hillary Clinton. (AP)
Comments (5)
Jake D. wrote on August 15, 2007 10:47 AM:Padilla was a STUDENT . . . the issue is just what was he LEARNING at that al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan?!
some guy wrote on August 15, 2007 11:05 AM:Oh, I get it. You're saying he was a student as his lawyer explained, but at a terrorist training camp and not at a school in the U.S. Golly that's clever.
By the way, IS our children learning?
Jane wrote on August 15, 2007 11:34 AM:I have been defending some fishing expeditions (read proper but neglected Congressional oversight) on the basis of the pervasive fishy smell. I had no idea about the fishy look.
johnnydoughey wrote on August 15, 2007 2:38 PM:Re: Corruption:
Anyone out there have information as to just how much money our dedicated civil servants have actually RECOVERED from these investigations, compared to the COSTS of the investigations?
Anyone want to bet we will learn from the GAO later on that numerous mistakes and countless dollars were wasted during the corruption and bribery investigations and prosecutions...
Of course, I'm not accusing our fine public servants of being corrupt. They are just not capable of fully doing their jobs because they are so overwhelmingly underfunded. They could do a much better job if they were only given a few billion dollars more...
VietnamVet wrote on August 16, 2007 1:10 PM:As a former Government Contracting Officer, I have continually posted comments on other sites as to why nothing has been done to investigate the award and subsequent administration of the Halliburton sole-source contract. The award of this contract on a sole-source basis is highly questionable and its subsequent management even more so. I seriously doubt that its award was in line with the requirements of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) that governs the award and administration of contracts. (Especially use of the contract over an extended period of time, rather than as a temporary measure.) Some time back, emails attributed to VP Dick "Halliburton" Cheney surfaced, as well as some damaging comments by some of those involved in the contract award, that clearly showed that Cheney was involved in the award to insure that it was awarded to his old company, Halliburton. Since then, only silence! There have been leaks of information clearly indicating the possibility of fraud, such as soft drinks sold to the Government at $4 to $5 a can, illegal payments, lack of enforcing penalties for delays and/or non-compliance with requirements, etc., etc. Fairness to the American tax payer cries out for an extensive look at the Halliburton contract as well as the subcontractors. Will we see it? Probably not until this Administration is booted out of office and someone with the guts to proceed surfaces!