Thursday 25th of April 2024

Halliburton Takes Over

Assembled by S.A. Minister For Infrastructure, Patrick Conlon, the five member group to plot the state's infrastructure future include former KBR International Vice President for Infrastructure and head of Asia-Pacific Operations, Andrew Fletcher, as its head and the owner of a KBR acquired company, Malcolm Kinnaird, as a participant. 

You can sense a possible conflict of interest here... in the same manner that U.S. Vice President Cheny needs to distance himself from his former employer, Kinnaird and Fletcher will need to publically ensure that they are fulfilling their obligations to the state and not the corporation.

At the same time, Defence Minister Robert Hill has announced the tripling of the number of troops based in Port Augusta, in a defence expansion that will allow for "full battle group" exercises and the operational shakedown of "new" M-1 Abrahams tanks.

A proposed new transport hub , and the building of 3,000 new homes, near the R.A.A.F Edinburgh base and the Mawson Lakes development, would be carried out by property development group Delfin.  The last time Delfin was prominent on this side of town was in a partnership scheme chaired by the man who was CEO of Kinhill when it was acquired by Halliburton/ KBR, Mr David Klingberg, who is now the Chancellor of the University of South Australia.

Minister Hill has also just announced that he will soon be announcing "which company will work with the rest of the air warfare destroyer team to develope the evolved design of the ship"  I'm assuming he means the designers but not too sure. .

 

This would all be less disconcerting if not for the very close relationship between the Pentagon and KBR.  Even the U.S. Congress is having trouble gettiing the facts 

In all of this railway-related activity, I hope people remember that the line is not a public amenity for another 48 years... in the meantime the freight charges will be paid to.... do I really have to say it ?

This is just the beginning.... to be continued

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It's the middle of July.  I've just found this profile of Andrew Fletcher from when he was Halliburton/KBR Vice President for infrastructure.  At this time he was hopeful that the corp would be building a new defence HQ in Canberra, adding to the list of  the company's contracts in our nation's capital.

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Saturday July 23

A new Adelaide-based army battallion would utilise the railway for transport of equipment and vehicles, according to today's Advertiser,   On reading this my mind went back to this article for some reason.  Remember the bet I made a couple of blogs back?  Still haven't changed my mind..

 The same day's editorial says that defence construction should not be part of a war participation debate   Mr Murdoch is always right.

Speaking of construction, KBR are about to increase their eagerness for Austalian Government awarded foreign aid contracts.  Are you the person for the job? There's a week left to apply.

Perhaps water reclamation facilities in Iraq could be based on the plan that KBR has submitted to the S.A. Government ?  Will Foreign Minister Downer's Ausaid wait until it's carried  out?  Somehow I doubt it

 

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Tuesday July 25.  The South Australian Liberals  have accused the State Government of deliberately concealing the costs of its consultants.
.

I've decided to take the plunge and propose a hypothesis.  Just for"luck" I've posted it from Houston Indymedia  

According to Halliburton Watch, KBR has declared an operational profit of 284 % for the last fiscal quarter 

 

 

Australia and US as one- letter reprint  from Adelaide Advertiser 21/7/05  

Australia's Future Civil Liberty 

 

Private Warriors

FRONTLINE returns to Iraq, this time to embed with Halliburton/KBR, and to take a hard look at private contractors like Blackwater, Aegis and Erinys, who play an increasingly critical role in running U.S. military supply lines, providing armed protection, and operating U.S. military bases.

Private Warriors

Halliburton Billion Dollar Overcharges In Iraq (new report)

With numerous Australian contracts yet to be announced,  what is stopping K.B.R. from doing something like this to the Australian taxpayer?

The A.D.F, The Federal Government of Australia, State Governments (especially South Australia) and local councils should be checking every figure in every contract in lthe light of this report.

Here's another fine example of K.B.R competitive practices... if drivers from other companies are attacked, K.B.R employees are not allowed to assist them 

Adelaide a prime target for spies and informants

200 ADF Reserved are to be trained in counter-terrorism.  This will make us all sleep easier.

Defence Minister Hill, on ABC News tonight (no link available) responded to fears that Port Adelaide may become a terrorist target by saying "That area is secure"  and that further measures would be implemented if considered necessary.

Accoring to a report in Adelaide's Sunday Mail, "Adelaide is now a prime target for spies and
informants
as it becomes a centre for defence systems development and
construction, according to intelligence experts"

.

Making reality

Click.  William Pfaff: Phantom menace.

... A new Bureau of Reconstruction and Stabilization in the State Department is charged with organizing the reconstruction of countries where the United States has deemed it necessary to intervene in order to make them into market democracies. The bureau has 25 countries under surveillance as possible candidates for Defense Department deconstruction and State Department reconstruction. The bureau’s director is recruiting “rapid-reaction forces

Halliburton Australia ex-employee re: government influence

This Webdiary (attached to Bush's speech today) comment by former Halliburton Australia employee Alan Rope forcefully implies coercion of Australian government(s) by the corporation.


"....Can we ask all those pro-Iraq War commentators to have a quick
squizz and comment on this story?

Of course the whole thing is just a beat up by horrible left wing
media, attacking the very integrity of Dick Cheney, GWB and the
Republican Party in general. How dare they, thinking that there could
be any link between VP Cheney and that Halliburton was getting these
contracts without them going to tender. It's all obviously above board,
and everyone should just shut up and go away.

Having myself worked for Halliburton in Australia, after many years
in the oil business, can attest that the Oil Companies themselves, and
now the Oilfield Services Companies, are very adept at manipulating
governments, and public opinion."

Beware of the "Halli-bloggers"!

As usual, Salon hits the nail on the head ... If bloggers get the same press freedoms as traditional media, what will prevent corporations like Halliburton from using blogs to pour unregulated money into politics? Beware of the "Halli-bloggers"! Jozef Virtual Reference

Sticky Fingers

From Counterpunch, a special report on The Making of Halliburton: Sticky fingers Jozef Virtual Reference

it used to be called profiteering .....

Halliburton announced on Friday that its KBR division, responsible for carrying out Pentagon contracts, experienced a 284 percent increase in operating profits during the second quarter of this year.

 

The increase in profits was primarily due to the Pentagon's payment of "award fees" for what military officials call "good" or "very good" work done by KBR in the Middle East for America's taxpayers and the troops.

 

Halliburton Watch

"Life's Good At Halliburton" sing THE ROLLING STONES

In a  song  from  their next album,  titled "My Sweet Neo Con"  Mick Jagger sings:

It's liberty for all / democracy's our style / unless you're against us / then it's prison without trial / but one thing is certain /  Life is good at Halliburton

NB I couldn't find this full version in any single release or print so far, so I've reassembled it from various versions