[OT] What Is "Terrorism?"

(Catherine Woodgold) wrote:

What is the U.S. government giving out as the official
reason the soldiers are still there?

And what are the real reasons?

Here is one real reason.

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feat...we_455_01.html


The World According to Halliburton
—By Michael Scherer, Mother Jones



July 23, 2003 Issue

The Mother Jones website is featuring a
fascinating (and frightening) map of the Halliburton empire. Created
by Michael Scherer, this interactive map lets you explore the tax
havens, defense-related contracts, and federal energy subsidies in the
company's global web consisting of offices in 70 countries and annual
revenues of $12.6 billion.

Since Dick Cheney took over as CEO of
Halliburton in 1995, after serving as secretary of defense during Gulf
War I, the company has had tight political connections -- revenues
rose 26 percent in his first year. "Federal investigators looking into
charges that Halliburton defrauded taxpayers said that company
officials "had the upper hand at the Pentagon because they knew the
process like the back of their hand."

Scherer shows that Halliburton continues to
remain well-connected. The tax dollars the company receives -- $2.2
billion in defense-related contracts and generous subsidies for
profitable pipeline projects -- "couldn't come at a better time for
Halliburton," Scherer states, "its share price has collapsed under the
weight of asbestos lawsuits, a federal investigation into its
accounting practices, and a drop in oil prices." And Halliburton adds
insult to injury to the American people by avoiding paying taxes,
Scherer notes. "In 1995, the company had nine subsidiaries in the
Cayman Islands, Bermuda, and other countries that serve as tax havens.
By 2002, it had 58."
-- Joel Stonington


http://www.motherjones.com/news/feat...we_455_01.html