US Senators still feeding from the same trough of questionable companies

(Article changed on January 11, 2013 at 15:53)

(Article changed on January 11, 2013 at 15:43)

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photo from Senator's website

US Senators John McCain, Barbara Mikulski, and John Barrasso continue to rub shoulders with dubious types as they travel the world feeding from the same trough funded by some highly questionable corporate sponsors.

All three Senators were guest speakers to about 250 paticipants from over 50 countries at last November's 4^th Halifax International Forum, a Canadian weekend security 'love-in' for 'has beens, political rejects, & passed use-by date' politicians.

We don't know how much our elected representatives were paid for this particular jolly but it surely can't be much less than fellow speaker and British Member of Parliament, Liam Fox. According to the register of MP's interests, Mr. Fox accepted 'return flights, internal transportation, accommodation and some meals with a total value of 3,228-12 Pounds Sterling' - that's about $5,200 in real money.

Most US readers may not be aware that earlier this year Mr. Fox was fired as UK Defense Secretary over his odd relationship with 'special advisor', former flat-mate, and best man Adam Werrrity.   Mr. Fox had insisted his friend was not working for him officially or unofficially but an investigation revealed they met at the Department of Defense offices 22 times in 16 months and Mr.Werrity accompanied the Minister on 18 overseas trips handing out business cards falsely claiming he was Mr. Fox's advisor.

Fox, McCain, Mikulski, & Barrasso were listed among approximately 100 speakers at the Halifax conference, which the Murdoch media dubbed as a 'non-profit, non-partisan organization, to discuss emerging threats to the world'.

What the 'lamestream' media actually failed to report was that the forum was partly funded by the huge US weapons manufacturer, General Dynamics, and the private mercenary outfit, sorry I surely meant security company, DynCorp.

It may be recalled that in 2008 General Dynamics agreed to pay $4 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the US Government claiming a GD unit had fraudulently billed the government for defectively manufactured parts used in US military aircraft and submarines. This was just the latest incident in a series going back decades to the early 1940s when the company was the target of Congressional investigations into profiteering and unethical business practices, but that probe was cut short as the country started to ramp up military output.

DynCorp might be a more familiar name to readers who recall the company received some notoriety for losing an unfair dismissal case brought in the UK in 2002 by Kathryn Bolkovac. The US policewoman had been sacked by DynCorp when she attempted to blow the whistle on sex trafficking in Bosnia where the firm had a contract running postwar police operations. Her story subsequently became the inspiration for the hit movie 'The Whistleblower', starring Rachel Weisz.

More recently DynCorp has been chastised for its dismal performance in managing a multimillion-dollar contract to train police in post-war Iraq. In Afghanistan the firm provided some of President Hamid Karzai's bodyguards who were subsequently fired for being found drunk and paying for dancing boys and child prostitutes.

You would think our Senators could choose better colleagues and less embarrassing corporate sponsors?