Judge Halts Award Of Iraq Contract

Source: Washington Post

A federal judge yesterday ordered the military to temporarily refrain from awarding the largest security contract in Iraq. The order followed an unusual series of events set off when a U.S. Army veteran filed a protest against the government practice of hiring what he calls mercenaries, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The contract, worth about $475 million, calls for a private company to provide intelligence services to the U.S. Army and security for the Army Corps of Engineers on reconstruction work in Iraq. The case, which is being heard by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, puts on trial one of the most controversial and least understood aspects of the Iraq war: the outsourcing of military security to an estimated 20,000 armed contractors who operate with little oversight.

Brian X. Scott, a 53-year-old Colorado man, filed the complaint in early April. He argues that the military's use of private security contractors is "against America's core values" and violates an 1893 law that prohibits the government from hiring quasi-military forces.

Scott's challenge set off a domino effect, prompting the Government Accountability Office to dismiss protests brought by two major private security contractors the Army had removed as potential bidders -- Erinys Iraq, a British firm, and Blackwater USA of North Carolina.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/01/AR2007060102261.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR

K&R

Another good guy trying his hardest
to clean up a dirty system.

HERO!

and he is from my home state. Woo Hoo!

doesnt he support the troops?:sarcasm:

Congress knowingly throws billions at graft, incompetence and a growing mercenary army
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_kathlyn__070524_congress_knowingly_t.htm

thanks, echotrail.

From that link: ...between February 2003 and February 2006. The GAO identified $3.5 billion in “questioned and unsupported costs” on Iraq contracts.

Iraq for Sale: http://iraqforsale.org/about.php

Facts and research links at: http://iraqforsale.org/facts.php

hard to believe our dem. congress would even
agree to continue funding this farce with this
in your face evidence. Fund the troops my ass,
Its more fund the private army.

KS, always a good read.

America don't need no stinking profit-making republicon war corporations

:patriot:

Not intentional much, is it?

:kick:

How proud am I!

This it the real WOT.

:patriot: And Scott's interests are?

and thank you cal04 for posting this great news. Take that Eric Prince!

Not only do we need to contact Brian and thank him, he is a model of activism. We need to DO something now not just talk.
I know there are extremely creative people here at DU. Please use that creativity to hold this administration, and all of the tentacles thereof, accountable for the crimes they have committed and the crimes they are attempting to commit behind 'We the People's' backs. I know I've used my creativity and joined with others to stop this madness even joining some of you here at DU.
We need to do more now! :dem:

This law suit is good for ALL of us, and I think we need to either contribute to his legal fund or .... something! Anything! Surely there is some way that we can stop the madness of hiring mercenaries to staff these civilian armies with no accountability.

:kick::kick::kick: & R

:bounce:
rocknation

Qui tam

http://www.ashcraftandgerel.com/whistleb.html

from EVDebs link:

Qui Tam : An abbreviated version of the Latin phrase "Qui Tam pro domino rege quam pro si ipso in hac parte sequitur," which means "Who sues on behalf of the King, as well as for Himself." In Qui Tam litigation a private citizen (the whistleblower) who knows of fraud committed against the government may, through his own privately retained lawyers, file a law suit to recover the losses caused by the government fraud. The False Claims Act provides huge financial incentives to citizen whistleblowers to retain attorneys and come forward, prosecute these lawsuits and fight government fraud.

Also, this quote:

"Worse than traitors in arms are the men who pretend loyalty to the flag, feast and fatten on the misfortunes of the nation while patriotic blood is crimsoning the plains of the south and their countrymen are moldering in the dust." Abraham Lincoln

Maybe this is one way to start taking back our country. Maybe we can sue our way back.

If you think about it, there's something so bizarre, so surreal about us having SEVERAL armies in Iraq, all supposedly working together to fight "the Enemy".

Hired Armies.
It's several armies, because we have Blackwater, Titan, CACI and other mercenary firms fighting in Iraq. They have their own equipment, even helicopters.

And where it gets really bizarre, is the Mercenaries make really high wages (like around $400 K/hr), whereas the army grunts only make $250.00/month for combat pay.

And they are supposed to work together????

For answer = see photo above.

Mr. Scott and the judge in his ruling.

By the way, a quick search shows that Scott ran for Sec. of State in Colorado back in 2006, and that he works for the USGS. He's just a guy. Not even someone who should know.

There should have been thousands of attorneys all over this country fighting off this administration.

There's almost nobody home in America. Only a few of us watching. Sickness.

They're the firm that was all tangled up with the Litvinenko poisoning.

(And Blackwater is, of course, Blackwater.)

It'll be real interesting to see how this one comes out.

That must be an interesting part of the story

Good to see our veterans standing up.

I wonder what argument the judge is using to block the contract, since the GAO ruled it wasn't illegal?

that's what the courts are for.

:kick:

Because I'd LOVE to see a favorable, definitive court ruling on this.

This is a forgotten page of history we should all be reminded of -- because it's where the real threat to our own future lies in companies like Blackwater:

http://www.geocities.com/pract_history/homestead.html

From Living my Life, Emma Goldman 1931

It was May 1892. News from Pittsburgh announced that trouble had broken out between the Carnegie Steel Company and its employees organized in the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers. It was one of the biggest and most efficient labour bodies of the country, consisting mostly of Americans, men of decision and grit, who would assert their rights. The Carnegie Company, on the other hand, was a powerful corporation, known as a hard master. It was particularly significant that Andrew Carnegie, its president, had temporarily turned over the entire management to the company’s chairman, Henry Clay Frick, a man known for his enmity to labour. Frick was also the owner of extensive coke-fields, where unions were prohibited and the workers were ruled with an iron hand. . . .

One afternoon a customer came in for an ice-cream, while I was alone in the store. As I set the dish down before him, I caught the large headlines of his paper: “LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN HOMESTEAD — FAMILIES OF STRIKERS EVICTED FROM THE COMPANY HOUSES — WOMAN IN CONFINEMENT CARRIED OUT INTO STREET BY SHERIFFS.” I read over the man’s shoulder Frick’s dictum to the workers: he would rather see them dead than concede to their demands, and he threatened to import Pinkerton detectives. The brutal bluntness of the account, the inhumanity of Frick towards the evicted mother, inflamed my mind. Indignation swept my whole being. I heard the man at the table ask: “Are you sick, young lady? Can I do anything for you?” “Yes, you can let me have your paper,” I blurted out. “You won’t have to pay me for the ice-cream. But I must ask you to leave. I must close the store.” The man looked at me as if I had gone crazy…

A few days after our return to New York the news was flashed across the country of the slaughter of steel-workers by Pinkertons. Frick had fortified the Homestead mills, built a high fence around them. Then, in the dead of night, a barge packed with strike-breakers, under protection of heavily armed Pinkerton thugs, quietly stole up the Monongahela River. The steel-men had learned of Frick’ s move. They stationed themselves along the shore, determined to drive back Frick’s hirelings. When the barge got within range, the Pinkertons had opened fire, without warning, killing a number of Homestead men on the shore, among them a little boy, and wounding scores of others. The wanton murders aroused even the daily papers. Several came out in strong editorials, severely criticizing Frick. He had gone too far; he had added fuel to the fire in the labour ranks and would have himself to blame for any desperate acts that might come.

I didn't know the law was enacted in response to the Homestead situation.

I find it ironic that the steel company was owned by Andrew Carnegie who later went on to become one of the most generous contributors to charities and good causes.

I wonder if this incident spurred his conscience.

Now THAT'S what I call patriotism!!! Outsourcing intelligence functions without so much as running it past Congress? That's a high crime if ever I heard one!

:woohoo:
rocknation

I just HAD to ask, the question goes begging.

I'll be bringing this to the attention of my congressman. Brian Scott is bold and courageous. This is the true meaning of supporting the troops.

http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=148570

I'll post more in a minute.

Another antiwar candidate done in by Diebold/ES&S? Could be.

It's a long, informative article on all manner of mercenaries, but his name does not jump out at me. I'll give it another perusal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercenary

He was a candidate for Sec of State? Not Congress (as per the link above--what it seems to be saying)? The candidate site doesn't give much info. Possibly he got knocked out (by Diebold/ES&S?) in the primary.

Gregorian, could you post the link on Scott running for sec of state in '06

http://www.gao.gov/decisions/bidpro/298370.htm

...a GAO site that shows a decision against Scott of Aug. 18, 2006, but it's not clear on the jurisdiction. It may just be a draft of anti-Scott decision by the GAO's general counsel. (That's who it's signed by. Winning lawyers help the judge draft the winning order, so all lawyers have some such draft in their back pockets.) Not sure how this document fits with the case in the OP. Could be an earlier effort by Scott, that he lost, or an early chapter of this current case, that ended 8/18/06. The current case appears to be 04/07*. This older doc lays all the legal arguments--as the government (Bushite lawyers) shoot each one day. Useful for understanding the case. (News articles are often not very helpful.)

-----

*Cal04, please post the DATE of news articles, as well as source and link--for clarity. And thanks for posting this!)

this does nothing to stop contractors in Iraq. The US will just have the Iraqis hire them and pay them out of monies earmarked for Iraqi reconstruction. And as for crippling the war effort, this has nada effect, it applies only to ARMED CONTRACTORS. Most of the enablers of the war such as truck drivers, cooks, supply personnel are not effected as they are unarmed. Furthermore none of the embedded support contractors such as techs for intelligence software, or any of the other IT techs are effected. The embedded contractors can never be effected by this as their Geneva convention catgory places them on the same level as reporters. This is a good step but I'm afraid it's nothing more than a moral victory..........But I'm still smiling....... :D

Century-old Goon Squad Law Invoked to Prevent Contract to Aegis Defence Systems

(snip
Scott's lawsuit spurred the Army into dropping the protests and prevented them from awarding the contract to Aegis. It remains to be seen if his legal protest will prevent awarding the contract.

Scott invoked the Anti-Pinkerton Act, legislation which Congress passed to prevent the use of organized violence against labor groups.

http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/3041/One_Mans_Lawsuit_Makes_a_Difference


Local Army vet seeks to end use of private armed guards in war on terror
(snip)
So last spring, when Scott saw listings for two contracts that required private security, he posed as a contractor and submitted bids.

"I have no intention of carrying out a contract," he explains. "To protest, I needed to be seeking a contract."

One contract solicited private guards for cargo transports. The other called for guards at gates and gun towers at Camp Victory, a U.S. base in Baghdad.

"Just the fact that the private security guards are placed where there could be an attack — that is a combat role and not allowed," Scott says. "They're replacing troops with mercenaries."

http://csindy.com/csindy/2006-09-07/news4.html

One contract solicited private guards for cargo transports. The other called for guards at gates and gun towers at Camp Victory, a U.S. base in Baghdad.

"Just the fact that the private security guards are placed where there could be an attack — that is a combat role and not allowed," Scott says. "They're replacing troops with mercenaries."

Early on they told us that contractors wouldn't be used for combat. Later we had to flatten Faluja because some Blackwater mercenaries died. We were also told that the CONTRACTORS at Abu Ghraib couldn't be held accountable. I don't think a single one was tried, while several GIs went to, and are still in, jail.

What's private about privatization? We still pay for it.

Very nasty women from Greek mythology. Appropriate name, huh?

At least according to Jeremy Scahill, who wrote "Blackwater, the Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army"...

He was interviewed by Amy Goodman, a few months ago. (Link, below) In that interview, he estimated of the number of mercenaries in Iraq as 48,000:

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/26/1559232

The real number's a mystery, as are the casualty numbers of Iraq 'military contractors' (600+ ??), but 20,000 is probably too low a figure.

The scary thing is that these mercenary outfits are taking their gi-normous profits, and jumping right back into bed with the politicians, to continue funding the war:

From Unconfirmed Sources, check the second to the last paragraph, below:

http://www.unconfirmedsources.com/?itemid=2372


Washington DC : Ucs News) With the US congress questioning the conduct of the war, President George W. Bush has asked private-equity firms to takeover. The two firms Blackstone Group LP and Centerbridge Capital Partners LLC have agreed to back the President and the Pentagon for the next 3 years.
In exchange for the 250 billion dollar cash infusion Blackstone Group LP and Centerbridge Capital Partners LLC will receive a 35% equity stake in the middle east nation. According to sources close to the deal the equity firms' time horizon for a return is no less than 8 years.

Financial leaders are viewing the arraignments with some skepticism, according to critics the debt structure of the deal amounts to little more then a leveraged buyout of a failed state under foreign occupation. Others believe it's a smart move for the President and the two firms.

Some industry watchers are concerned the two firms can't handle Iraq and it's nearly intractable civil and sectarian wars. According to Alan Greenspan, Blackstone Group LP and Centerbridge Capital Partners LLC will need the help of other firms to keep the deal afloat long term. "I can see both Exxon Mobil and the Blackwater Security getting an equity stake in Iraq before the war ends.

As the ink dries on the deal Iraq is wracked by violence and sinks deeper into chaos despite the efforts of investors. For Blackstone Group LP and Centerbridge Capital Partners LLC the war ending IPO seems far away.

The scary thing is that these mercenary outfits are taking their gi-normous profits, and jumping right back into bed with the politicians, to continue funding the war.

We have become completely irrelevant - except as a taxed labor source, aka indentured servants. Politicians need cash; contractors have it...well it used to be ours. We're left out of the circle - except for paying for it, or listening up to some pretty speeches during "election" years.

And another thing (not that you asked) :evilgrin: but I heard Joan Claybrook on Bill Moyers last night, he asked what we were going to do about corruption, and she said, "Organize." Now, this was just after she said she's spent 25 years fighting corruption. You tell me, are things better after 25 years? So, the word that sprung to my mind was CO-DEPENDENT. People have organized and fought for elections and reforms and voice and representation and a seat at the table...and what do we have to show for it???? Bubkuss. (I don't know how to spell that.) Anyway, they humor us with our causes and candidates and then they go right back behind closed doors and continue screwing us over. We don't need another organization. We need a revolution. Those crapheads in Washington are not going to listen to us until they're more afraid of us than they are greedy for the next corporate deal.

Not that you asked.


:rant:

Is there anything in the way of confirmed sources for this?!

Edit: OK, I looked at the site...ya got me! :smoke:

region ends up in a civil war, and there's no U.S. gas to be stolen there?

Let me guess.... :freak:

Since the bush family is accustomed to forcing taxpayers to bail out their crooked sons in business, to the tune of MILLIONS at a time (think the S&L debacle where Neil Bush's S&L got bailed out for several tens of millions) , I would guess the American taxpayer, YOU & ME, are eventually going to pay this "loan" back to the hedge funds.

If I could hate the bush crime family any more than I do, I would.

:kick:

For instance, they state, "The case, which is being heard by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, puts on trial one of the most controversial and least understood aspects of the Iraq war: the outsourcing of military security to an estimated 20,000 armed contractors who operate with little oversight."

How about NO oversight? NONE! There is NO LEGAL SYSTEM to which these mercenaries are subject. Not Iraqi law. Not our law. Not the UCMJ. Not the Geneva Conventions. They are LAWLESS groups of armed mercenaries running around Iraq on God knows what missions--death squads? torture? harming of innocents? intimidation? spying and other black ops? --on behalf of global corporate predator oil interests, World Bank/WTO "free trade" interests, Cheney's private arms deals--WHO KNOWS?--all paid top dollar by you and me.

Now they want to create a private training camp in San Diego, no doubt as a launching pad for torturing and killing union organizers, leftists and peasants in Mexico and Central/South America, in a linkup with their Colombian fascist paramilitary brethren--or to kill US when we get uppity against our own fascist junta. WHO KNOWS?

Totally. Out. Of. Control.

So, when WaPo--one of the most deceitful of the war profiteering corporate news monopolies--says "with little oversight," you can safely translate it as much, much worse than they are saying.

It's interesting that this article was published at all, in that fascist rag. Possibly they are preparing for disclosures of horrors in Iraq that we have not yet heard of, and intend to play the story as out-of-control mercenaries, to deflect blame from the Bush Junta and the U.S. military--whose fat funding must be protected at all costs. If that happens, bear in mind that these mercenaries operate with the leave of the U.S. military, and in coordination with them--and, I have little doubt, in coordination with them on black ops, assassinations, trouble-making, stirring up the civil war, creating incidents that "justify" U.S. bombing/invading neighborhoods. (We know of one such incident--the prep for the war on Fallujah--and massive civilian deaths--in May 2004.) As for Bush/Cheney, they have not only hijacked the US military for their corporate resource war, they have--with our money--created a private army for use worldwide and here. They are responsible for every atrocity in Iraq--every one, including the violence of the civil war. It's their doing, all of it. By design. None of it is "incompetence." They thrive on chaos. "Freedom = the freedom to loot." (--Donald Rumsfeld)

Anyway, beware of Wapo "framing."

and threatens every aspect of peace at home and abroad. It's time to put a stop to them, permanently.

:kick::kick::kick:

It would only take one in Washington to stand up and say the truth about this war... This is why we are at war with Iraq.. Grand Contracts to their buddies to fatten their pockets... It is truly sickening...

In WWII judges would have thrown these slime in prison for even trying this shit.

Of course, the intent of the 1893 law was to outlaw hiring mercenaries as "strike-breakers" and the Declaration of Paris was meant to outlaw maritime privateering, but "fortunately" ( :sarcasm: )the SCOTUS is now mostly strict constructionists, which means they don't care about intent, only how laws are worded.

The War Powers Resolution of '73 required 'clear' (truthful) 'situations' and 'circumstances' in order for US troops to be put in harm's way. The entire situation is a fiction !

all the gays being ejected from intelligence services for their sexual orientation. 3 more linguists ejected last month despite critical shortages: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/23/america/NA-GEN-US-Military-Gays.php

Yes - now my prayers, emails, and letters for the last 4 years have finally been verified! I am so elated I am crying! The is fantastic news!!!!!!:patriot:

Brian X. Scott:yourock:

Before you believe ANYTHING AT ALL in the way of any news anywhere, read "Assault on Reason"
and these links (or ask Cheney about planting stories in the NY Times to justify illegal war):

INSTALLING DEMOCRACY NOW! USG-seized IRAQ media run by defense contractor = $96M Propaganda Project - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=980430&mesg_id=981323
======================
Wednesday, January 14th, 2004
U.S. Journalist Quits Pentagon Iraqi Media Project Calling it U.S. Propaganda
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/01/14/1555223

Listen LINK

We talk to a longtime TV producer about the massive problems he saw in the new U.S.-funded Iraqi Media Network, which he said became an "irrelevant mouthpiece for Coalition Provisional Authority propaganda, managed news and mediocre programs." The U.S. has awarded a $96 million contract to a U.S. producer of communications equipment, Harris Corp., to create a U.S.-funded national media network in Iraq.

According to the head of Harris Corp, the Iraqi Media Network will have 30 TV and radio transmitters, three broadcast studios, and 12 bureaus around Iraq.

After U.S.-led troops ousted Saddam Hussein's regime in April, the state-run broadcasters were seized. Since then, they have been run by a U.S. defense contractor, Science Applications International Corporation. .........

TRANSCRIPT w/ Amy Goodman .. longtime TV producer, Don North, about the problems he saw ...

==========================
Your tax $$$ purchased media outlets in Iraq, and bought reporters too - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x980363#980750

We have to ask,
"To what extent is this happening today and everywhere?"
"To what extent is this happening with other issues too?"

I have been told by major news announcers, "We just read it."
And, worse still, they do not even know who writes it for them!

We have to ask,
"To what extent is news just propaganda and BUSH LIES?"

==========================
Pentagon pays Iraqi papers to print its 'good news' stories
Jamie Wilson in Washington
Thursday December 1, 2005 - The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1654661,00.html

Faced with suicide bombings, claims of Iraqi death squads, and kidnappings, the Pentagon has come up with an innovative solution to solving the problems in Iraq: buying good news. Using defence contractors or intermediaries posing as freelance reporters, the military has been paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by a military propaganda unit lauding the US mission.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the articles are translated into Arabic and placed in Baghdad newspapers where they are often presented as unbiased accounts by independent journalists. Records obtained by the newspaper indicate the US has paid to publish dozens of articles since the operation began this year, with headlines such as "Iraqis insist on living despite terrorism" and "more money goes to Iraq's development".

One military official told the LA Times the military has also bought an Iraqi newspaper and taken control of a radio station, ...........

==========================
Pentagon OK's Propaganda for Iraq (and Possibly Elsewhere) - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x980363#981355
Source: Los Angeles Times, March 4, 2006 - http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-inf
http://www.prwatch.org/node/4517

Declaring it "within our authorities and responsibilities," the top U.S. general in Iraq, George Casey, announced that the Lincoln Group program that covertly places stories written by U.S. troops in Iraqi newspapers will continue. Navy Admiral Scott Van Buskirk is also reviewing the Iraq propaganda program. His review was previously described as finished but not public .....

===========================
The Sword Employs the Pen = "the military's practice of paying journalists"

Center for Media and Democracy » Spin of the Day » Feb 07, 2005

The Sword Employs the Pen - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x980363#981426
http://www.prwatch.org/node/3260

The Pentagon is investigating "the military's practice of paying journalists to write articles and commentary ... and also looking more broadly at Pentagon activities that might involve inappropriate payments to journalists," writes Associated Press. CNN reported on Pentagon involvement with two news websites, Southeast European Times (focused on the Balkans) and Magharebia (focused on North Africa). Some 50 journalists were paid by the Pentagon through a private contractor, Anteon Corporation, ..........

==============================
Pentagon Paid Reporters for Stories Overseas
February 06, 2005 9:00 AM ET
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000789872

WASHINGTON (AP) The Pentagon’s chief investigator is looking into the military’s practice of paying journalists to write articles and commentary for a Web site aimed at influencing public opinion in the Balkans, officials said Friday.

At the request of Larry Di Rita, chief spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the Pentagon’s inspector general, Joseph Schmitz, is reviewing that case and also looking more broadly at Pentagon activities that might involve inappropriate payments to journalists. ...............

==============================
Covert propaganda >> Instances of covert propaganda - http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Covert_propaganda

Lets hope bushco goes down with a crash!!!!!!!
The village idiot is not as powerful as his delusional mind thinks he is.
The house of cards if falling