Peace and Security

September 18, 2006 - The Campaign for America's Future has released a new report today, "War Profiteers: Profits Over Patriotism in Iraq" (pdf). Although the findings aren't new, the way connected corporations are squandering billions of public resources bears repeating.

August 15, 2006 - Of the many issues facing state and local governments, one of the most fundamental is privatization: the transfer of public assets and resources to private interests. It raises some of the most basic questions of why we have government, and who should be in charge of it -- people and their elected representatives, or companies who ultimately answer only to their owners and stockholders.

August 11, 2006 - Yesterday, the Department of Defense issued a report that identifies a major threat to troop morale -- and it's not cramped quarters, bad food, or escalating foreign entanglements. The culprits are predatory financial institutions that operate outside of military bases.

July 26, 2006 - Houston-based Halliburton, which to many had become synonymous with "contract abuse" after high-profile scandals in Iraq, may finally be taking a financial hit for its controversial dealings.

July 1, 2006 - When your solution to everything from foreign policy to immigration and hurricane relief depends on the military, the strain can reach the breaking point. The Associated Press reports:

June 26, 2006 - Most of what's said about the "costs" of the Iraq war is about dead U.S. soldiers and squandered billions in money. Both are huge tragedies, but neither come close to the scale of horror inflicted on innocent people in Iraq. Stories like this one in today's LA Times are few and far between:

June 21, 2006 - After the 2004 elections, the Republican Party talked a lot about their plans to make "inroads" into new constituencies, the two big ones being African-American and Latino voters.

May 27, 2006 - As evidence of contracting scandals in Iraq and beyond proliferate, a campaign is mounting for Sen. John Warner (VA) to call for a thorough investigation:

May 5, 2006 - As we've said before, U.S. officials are well aware of the rampant cronyism and corruption surrounding contractors in Iraq -- the problem is that they won't do anything about it.

April 6, 2006 - Bush is coming to North Carolina to pump up support for the war effort. But the polls show that residents of North Carolina -- which bills itself "the most military friendly state in the country" -- are increasingly disillusioned with his foreign policy.