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Should the Left Cheer the Dollar's Drop? How to make the bankers scream: Robert Pollin, world's best obituarist of Clintonomics, explains it all for you. Do police states make people feel safer? Vicente Navarro on Franco's Spain, Cockburn on Ireland in the Fifties under the Catholic Hierarchy, Alevtina Rea on growing up in Brezhnev-time. Capitalism's true utopia? St Clair on the Pentagon's no-bid arms contracts. How's the press doing in Iraq? Patrick Cockburn tells all to Omar Waraich. Get the answers you're looking for in the latest subscriber-only edition of CounterPunch... CounterPunch Online is read by millions of viewers each month! But remember, we are funded solely by the subscribers to the print edition of CounterPunch. Please support this website by buying a subscription to our newsletter, which contains fresh material you won't find anywhere else, or by making a donation for the online edition. Remember contributions are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! or write CounterPunch, PO BOX 228, Petrolia, CA 95558 |
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Other Lands Have Dreams: From Baghdad to Pekin Prison by KATHY KELLY ![]() Today's Stories May 10, 2005 Michael
Neumann May 9, 2005 Louis
Proyect Robert
Fisk Kevin
Zeese Joshua
Frank Sasha
Kramer Andrew
Wimmer Jeffrey
Webber Jeffrey
St. Clair
May 7 / 8, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn Gary
Leupp Saul
Landau Joe
DeRaymond Daniela
Ponce Heather
Williams Gregory
Elich Anis
Memon John
Chuckman Mike
Whitney Ron
Jacobs Colin
Kalmbacher Lance
Selfa Fred
Gardner Ben
Tripp Mickey
Z. Richard
Joseph Dr.
Susan Block Poets'
Basement
May 6, 2005 Patrick
Cockburn Erin
Yoshioka Sam
Husseini Dave
Lindorff Kevin
Zeese Joshua
Frank Dan
Bacher P.
Sainath
May 5, 2005 Carles
Mutaner Carl
G. Estabrook Farrah
Hassen Kevin
Zeese Michael
Leonardi Bennett
Ramberg Ray
McGovern Norman
Solomon Nicole
Colson Brian
Concannon, Jr.
May 4, 2005 Colin
Kalmbacher John
Walsh Greg
Moses Ali
Khan Chris
Floyd Linda
S. Heard Dave
Zirin William
S. Lind Gary
Leupp Website
of the Day
May 3, 2005 Dave
Lindorff Brian
Cloughley Ira
Kurzban Seth
Sandronsky Gilad
Atzmon Michael
Donnelly Alex
Sanchez Peter
Linebaugh
May 2, 2005 Ron
Jacobs Stan
Goff Karyn
Strickler Joshua
Frank Kevin
Zeese Vicente
Navarro
April 30 / May 1, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn Gabriel
Kolko Jennifer
Loewenstein Lee
Sustar Saul
Landau T.W.
Croft Nikolas
Kozloff William
Blum Dave
Lindorff Joshua
Frank Doug
Giebel Steven
Erlanger Fred
Gardner Mike
Whitney Kurt
Nimmo Joe
DeRaymond Michael
Dickinson Mickey
Z. Justin
Taylor Poets
Basement Website
of the Weekend
April 29, 2005 W.
John Green Luke
Brothers Norman
Solomon M.
Junaid Alam Jackie
Corr Hunter
Greer Sharon
Smith Website
of the Day
April 28, 2005 Omar
Waraich Kevin
Zeese Dave
Lindorff Greg
Moses Toni
Solo Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Werther
April 27, 2005 John
Ross Joshua
Frank Ray
McGovern Mark
Donham Dan
Smith
April 26, 2005 Dave
Lindorff Alevtina
Rea Greg
Moses Joshua
Frank Diana
Johnstone
April 25, 2005 Uri
Avnery Alison
Weir Lee
Sustar Leonardo
Boff Gary
Leupp
April 23 / 24, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn Gary
Leupp James
Petras Harry
Browne Fred
Gardner Ron
Jacobs Elizabeth
Schulte Chris
Floyd
April 22, 2005 Saul
Landau Kevin
Zeese Joshua
Frank Mike
Whitney Michael
Flynn Lee
Sustar Website
of the Day
April 21, 2005 Bill
Quigley Dave
Lindorff Jason
Leopold Kathleen
Christison
April 20, 2005 John Ross Kevin Zeese Uri Avnery Website of the Day
April 19, 2005 Jean-Guy Allard Dave Lindorff Neve Gordon Brian Concannon, Jr Murray Hudson Frank B. Ford Monty Python Michael Dickinson Paul Craig
Roberts Website of the Day
Linda Schade
/ Kevin Zeese John Ross Brian McKenna Mike Whitney Patrick Cockburn Dave Zirin Eli Stephens Harry Browne Website of
the Day
April 16 / 17, 2005 Alexander Cockburn Mark Dow Omar Waraich Robert Buzzanco Sherry Wolf Fred Gardner Ron Jacobs Mark Weisbrot John Pardon Yoshie Furuhashi Mike Roselle Ralph Nader Ramzy Baroud Jackson Thoreau Michael Dickinson Richard Neville Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend
April 15, 2005 Brian Cloughley Bill Glahn Mickey Z. Stephanie McMillan Josh Mahan David Russitano Jorge Mariscal Rodolfo "Corky"
Gonzales Tom Reeves
April 14, 2005 Karyn Strickler Pat Williams Jessica Pupovac Joshua Frank Jerzy Mankowski Talli Naumann Antony Loewenstein Virginia Rodino Saul Landau
/ Farrah Hassen Website of the Day
April 13, 2005 Maria Carrión Mike Whitney Terry Jones Dave Lindorff Nathaniel Livingston, Jr. Kurt Nimmo Don Fitz Tom Crumpacker JG Jack McCarthy Kevin Zeese Jeffrey St.
Clair
April 12, 2005 John Wheat
Gibson Kevin Zeese Alan Farago Dave Lindorff Ron Jacobs Nelson P. Valdes Dave Zirin Website of the Day
April 11, 2005 Tom Barry Saul Landau Monique Dols Phil Gasper Mike Whitney Edwin Krales Paul de Rooij Website of the Day
April 9 / 10, 2005 Jeffrey St.
Clair William A. Cook Gary Leupp Alan Maass Laura Carlsen Joe DeRaymond Nikolas Kozloff Dave Lindorff Greg Moses Fred Gardner Justin Smith Ron Jacobs M. Junaid Alam Ira Kay Elizabeth Schulte Jackie Corr Christopher
Brauchli Leslie A. Fiedler Ben Tripp Poets Basement Website of
the Weekend
Hot Stories Alexander Cockburn Subcomandante
Marcos Norman Finkelstein Steve Niva Dardagan,
Slobodo and Williams Steve
J.B. Sheldon
Rampton and John Stauber Wendell
Berry CounterPunch
Wire Cindy
Corrie Gore Vidal Francis Boyle
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May 10, 2005 Pride Cometh Before the FallTaking Direct Action Against HallliburtonBy SCOTT PARKIN Pride ... that is the word Halliburton uses in its advertising. But if anyone looks at the facts "false pride" might be more accurate a pride that comes before the fall. Next Wednesday, May 18th, the Halliburton corporation will have its 2005 annual general shareholder's meeting at the Four Season's hotel in downtown Houston Texas. The company's Chief Executive Officer, David Lesar, will give the shareholder's a report of the company which talks about profits, production and pride. He will talk about the large amount of profits which Halliburton and its subsidiaries have made from no-bid contracts in Iraq. He will talk about producing services that support the American military's occupation of Iraq. Halliburton is spending a lot of advertising dollars to tell their story of pride. They need to because there is a lot to overcome. Lesar will not talk with pride about the company being under constant scrutiny for Enron style accounting with U.S. tax-dollars, corporate cronyism and war profiteering. He will not highlight how DOD Audits find that Halliburton has overcharged U.S. taxpayers by $212 Million! In the days preceding May 18 and out in the streets the day of the shareholder's meeting, an alternative meeting will be taking place as people from around the region and country will converge to demand accountability from the "poster child" of war profiteering. Not only will anti-war and economic justice activists be creating a loud spirited non-violent protest, but the voices of the unheard will be in attendance as well. Not only activists, but former Halliburton employees who were misled about safety conditions, specific jobs and pay will be protesting. Family members of soldiers serving in Iraq, Iraq war veterans and Iraqi's who have seen their nation devastated by war and then sold off to the highest bidder (or given away with no bids as the case may be) will also all be there. Organizers of the week's other events will ensure that Halliburton's shareholders and investors will hear a different story, the story Halliburton would best like to forget. The Halliburton CEO Lesar will not describe to the shareholder's who own the company. According to The Financial Times, Halliburton, the largest recipient of reconstruction contracts in Iraq, has received $18 billion and seen their revenues increase 80% between 2003 and 2004. They has been accused of more fraud, waste, and corruption than any other Iraq contractor -- from allegations of overcharging $108 million for fuel and $24.7 million for meals, to confirmed kickbacks worth $6.3 million. Halliburton is also the only Iraq contractor currently under criminal investigation by the Department of Justice. Besides their unchecked war profiteering, they benefit from relationships with governmental officials, recently and most notably Vice-President Dick Cheney. Cheney from 1995 to 2000 served as CEO of Halliburton and still receives $178,000 annually in salary from them about the same as his salary as vice president! Halliburton was supposed to rebuild Iraq's oil production infrastructure, but after a war in which there were very few oil well fires and Halliburton still delivers gas at fraudulent prices to a country that has the second largest amount of oil in the world. The people of Iraq must be wondering what exactly is Halliburton is doing to reconstruct their country. It can't be improving employment opportunities for Iraqi or US workers. Halliburton and its subsidiaries operate as a non-union company in the U.S. Of roughly 530 locations, only ten sites have workers under union contract. In Iraq, in an attempt to keep Iraqi workers from organizing, Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root contracted with a Kuwaiti company to rebuild the Bargeseeya Oil Refinery in Southern Iraq. Unemployment in parts of Iraq run as high as 60-90 per cent while Halliburton imports Third World workers displacing Iraqi's from work and contributing to their economic disenfranchisement. Recently, former Halliburton employees and family members of employees killed in Iraq have filed a class action lawsuit for "systematically, intentionally, and fraudulently" deceiving them into taking a job in Iraq and failing to protect them. The family members are particularly angry because Halliburton sent a poorly guarded convoy of 19 truck drivers on April 9, 2004 as an apparent 'decoy' on the most dangerous road in Iraq. After an intense 2 hour gun battle, only 11 of the drivers arrived at their destination where they learned that the fuel they had carried was not even needed -- six others were killed, one kidnapped who escaped, and one is still missing. The goal of this next week is to bring a new spirited resistance to Halliburton's corporate occupation in Iraq. Currently, Halliburton and their subsidiary, KBR, provide essential services to support the occupation of Iraq. They provide food services, laundry services and delivery services. They have been tasked with rebuilding Iraq's oil infrastructure. Furthermore, their subsidiary, KBR is contracted to build 14 permanent military bases to make the US occupation of Iraq a permanent one. Halliburton and KBR's presence in Iraq is essential to a long term military and corporate occupation. The shareholder's meeting is only the beginning in a long campaign to pressure Halliburton out of Iraq. Houston activists are using a "people power" strategy of direct action and popular education to exact social, political and economic costs on Halliburton for their operations in Iraq. In the spirit of the Serbian Otpor student movement, privatization resistors in Bolivia and Filipino "People Power" which brought down dictator Ferdinand Marcos, as well as the rich tradition of America's own social movements, Houston activists already have been using community dialogue, teach-in's, film screenings, Halliburton counter-recruitment, humor, non-violent direct action and resolve to stop the war profiteers. In 2003, the anti-war movement used many different means to stop the invasion of Iraq. In 2004, many tried to "un-elect" the invader by supporting another pro-war candidate. The people power strategy targets key pillars of support in the occupation of Iraq and in Houston Texas, that key pillar is war profiteer Halliburton. On April 4th 1967, Dr Martin Luther King said "We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered." Consider Dr. King's words when you look at David Lesar's "pride" in Halliburton's profiting from the war in Iraq. The time is now to begin that shift, the movements to stop Iraq war profiteering are underway. Scott Parkin is a community organizer in Houston, Texas. For more information about the alternative shareholder's meeting, check out www.houstonglobalawareness.org. Further information on Halliburton is available at: Democracy Rising: www.DemcoracyRising.US
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