A television image aired on an Arabic television station April 10, 2004 shows a U.S. hostage who Qatar-based Al Jazeera television said identified himself as Thomas Hamill in front of an Iraqi flag.
Friends and neighbors of Thomas Hamill, a Mississippi civilian taken hostage in Iraq gathered Sunday, April 11, 2004, for a vigil outside the Noxubee County Courthouse, many wearing yellow ribbons and scrawling notes of support for his family after a morning deadline imposed by his abductors passed.
Thomas Hamill, a kidnapped American in Iraq, and his friends and family who are praying for his release. Hammill is by all accounts a decent American and an employee of Kellogg, Brown & Root subsidiary of Halliburton Co, and was captured while providing security for a convoy.
Or, in the minds of some, a war profiteer and the patrons of his bloody largesse. Kos, no stranger to obscene remarks, has this to say today about Mr. Hammill and his employer:
This is the same company that gouged the US military in Iraq for fuel supplies. Cheney is directly profiting from a war profiteering company.
Screw ’em, right?
One of these days Democrats are going to have to live with their words.
And, btw- can someone go take the time to explain to Kos why Cheney is still getting deferred payments from Halliburton. I am sure he has been told 500 times before and still wants to make partisan hay about nothing, so please use small words so he understands. I am tired of dealing with Kos and his scummy friends and apologizers. And by scummy friends, I mean you, Jeff Seeman, and you, Richard Morrison, two candidates for the House of Representatives who seem to like Kos’s rhetoric.
Rick
But hey, at least they’re true patriots, right?
Cordially…
bg
This Democrat disavows such remarks.
Oliver
Halliburton is a war profiteer, that doesn’t mean good people don’t work for them. Not everyone at Enron or Wal-Mart is a bad person, just the people at the top.
Like former CEOs.
capt joe
wow, what a slime trail. “good people work for evil corporations”, intoned Oliver. How many ways can you go with that before intoning Godwin’s law.
IXLNXS
Weren’t laws enacted to counter war profiteering?
Wonder what the charges carry as sentencing.
I firmly doubt you couldn’t find several companies that have found ways to make this a very lucrative war.
Flagwaver
Hey, Oliver and IXLNXS (I’ll BET you do – at least in excess of partisan rhetoric):
Define “war profiteering” for me. Would it include, for example, the fortunes George Soros made off of currency speculation during Gulf War 1??
We know you leftists hate profits, but throwing a loaded word around doesn’t constitute an argument.
You accuse Halliburton of war profiteering – first, define what you mean by “war profiteering,” then give me the evidence (from a source OTHER THAN D.U., or some other left-wing shithole).
Or else just shut the fuck up.
tom scott
Hey Oliver, seems ya’ got that mantra down pat. Could you comment on this.
Growing weary of the barrage of Martha Stewart, Enron, Tyco coverage on the TV? Here is an update on some of the union thuggery going on in the nation.
burnplant
As I looked at those pictures of Mr Hamill:
“I found myself wishing he would just collapse and die.”*
*Rhetoric Mr Cole thinks is okay for him to wish on those he dislikes but has sissy fit when others use the same, admittedly insensitive and over the top, to make a point.
Quote is from Balloon Juice March 20, 2004.
John Cole
I can tell you which post, too, since I wrote it- it was about seeing the loathesome Gore Vidal- who I would not mind being part of history.
burnplant
So only John Cole can say bad things about people who, while you may disagree with what they do or say, deserve to die?
Difference?
burnplant
And let me clarify before you ban me:
If Kos, Atrios, or someone similar had said they wished Perle or Novak or someone similar “would drop dead” you and little green tirants et al could and would be up in arms.
And keep in mind you are the person who was outraged when a commenter used the handle suggesting you “get cancer”…
John Cole
I see a slight distinction between an off-the-cuff remark about a meddlesome, vulgar, despicable human being filled with hate and serious disparagement of an American hostage (who is unfortunately probably murdered and dismembered by now).
I know nuance is not your strong suit, but bookmark this post and maybe you will understand the difference by the time you get to 4th grade.
burnplant
Unlike you, Gore Vidal was a soldier in our American Army. You don’t like his opinions, you wish he would die.
There is no difference. You choose to make a distinction to make yourself feel better about wishing a veteran who you disagree with would “drop dead”. Try as you might, you can’t “Bush” the rest of us into hoping Mr Hamill is dead:
(though who is unfortunately probably murdered and dismembered by now).
Nice try to change the subject though, amateur.
John Cole
Actually, jackass, I served ten years, am a veteran, and I am not sure I waste my time with pissants like you.
I dont hope Hamill is dead- unlike your compatriots. Four bodies were found where Mr. Hamill was captu4red.
Just go away. Actually, go fuck yourself and then go away.
Ken Hahn
Let’s see. Guilt by association Oliver? You list Enron ( known guilty ), Halliburton ( questionable guilt at most ) and Walmart ( personal dislike ) together. Assumtion rejected. Just because you list me in a sentance with pervert and liar Bill Clinton and killer Kennedy does not make me a criminal.
LSU Student
This comment thread is like Alice in Wonderland – devoid of real logic.
Kos’s post mentions only that Cheney is still being paid by a company that was found guilty of war profiteering. (Before you knee-jerk, why did they have to pay money back if they weren’t guilty?)
From this, you conclude that Kos wants a Halliburton employee to die.
I’d refute this, but there is no logic, reasoning, or rationality to refute.There just isn’t.
You make shit up that pisses you off, scream and cuss, and then blame the shit that you made up on liberals so you can feel righteous.Ok, fine. But that doesn’t make it real. It just makes you stupid.
Slartibartfast
“Before you knee-jerk, why did they have to pay money back if they weren’t guilty?”
I must have missed the trial. Can you link me to some transcripts, or something?
“but there is no logic, reasoning, or rationality to refute.There just isn’t. ”
Hey, we’re in agreement!
But let’s see where we are. First, there’s no such crime as “war profiteering”. Second, Halliburton was found guilty of no crime. Third, Cheney’s severance from Halliburton is the same whether they make 100% profit or zero profit. Fourth, Halliburton’s profit margin on their business in Iraq is, so far, in the low single digits.
But why am I wasting my breath? You believe what you want to, independent of the facts.
LSU Student
Well, it’s completely disjoined from my original comment, which was that the rantings here about liberals hoping Americans die were insane, but let’s move on to the subject you bring up, Cheney’s compensation.
The issue isn’t whether Cheney, through the rules of the business world, deserves this compensation. Everyone is quite right that there doesn’t seem anything illegal going on. I’m not aware of anyone who has suggested there is. The problem is that a lot of people think it’s unethical. I certainly have problems with the Vice President raking in 6 figures from a private industry, and that problem is only compounded by the fact that said industry is making billions from government contracts. But even if there were no contracts, it would still be an ethical issue.
As for Halliburton, you assert there is no crime of war profiteering, therefore in ipso Halliburton can’t be guilty. Isn’t that the kind of logic that John Cole calls Clintonesque? If nothing else, Haliburton overcharged America, that’s indisputible. And they were taking advantage of a war situation to do it in, hoping they wouldn’t be caught. They were caught, and they were forced to pay back the money. Normally, this is called “stealing” and you go to a place called “jail.” Halliburton execs didn’t, make what you want of that. What I make of it is that they’re rich and have good friends in high places. Of course, by now we know we shouldn’t expect responsibility or accoutability from this administration.
Love Douglas Adams, by the way.
Slartibartfast
So far, you’ve shown no evidence of any sort of deliberate effort to cheat the country of money.
“As for Halliburton, you assert there is no crime of war profiteering, therefore in ipso Halliburton can’t be guilty.”
No, I asserted that Halliburton can’t be guilty of war profiteering. They might be guilty of crimes related to overcharging on government contracts, but not so’s you’d know it from anything you posted. Evidence?
“And they were taking advantage of a war situation to do it in, hoping they wouldn’t be caught.”
Unevidenced.
“If nothing else, Haliburton overcharged America, that’s indisputible.”
I’m not disputing that. I’m disputing that the assertion that they did so with intent to defraud constitutes anything like evidence.
“They were caught, and they were forced to pay back the money.”
Hmmm…I seem to recall that they gave the money back willingly, without any force being applied. But since you’ve decided not to back up your assertions with fact…
Re: Adams – me, too. He died way too young.
nobody
wasnt the money that cheney was being paid, money he already earned while employed at halliburton?