...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Friday, September 26, 2003
      ( 11:26 AM )
 
Okay, I'm Really Pissed Off Now

It gets worse and worse. I read a little blurb last night in Dollars in Sense (in their shorts section that doesn't appear online) about the lawsuit filed by Gulf War POWs against Iraq for the torture they endured while held captive. This morning I found more articles that substantiated what I'd read (get ready for it):

U.S. District Judge Richard Roberts of the District of
Columbia awarded more than $959 million to the
ex-POWs and 37 family members.

But money from Iraqi assets has been transferred
to a federal reserve bank, and L. Paul Bremer, the
chief U.S. administrator in Iraq, has told the court
he needs the money to rebuild the country. Justice
Department attorneys have argued that because
Saddam Hussein has been ousted, Iraq is immune
from such lawsuits.

So let me get this straight: The POWs won their lawsuit and were awarded $959 million out of frozen Iraqi assets for them and their families. Under US law, they are entitled to receive that money. But the Justice Department instead moved the money into the Federal Reserve and has decided to hand it over to Paul Bremer to use as he pleases in reconstruction (code word for private contracts). So the POWs get nothing. And Halliburton wins again.

I have two questions (that I can think of right now in the midst of my anger):

1. What right does the Justice Department have over frozen Iraqi assets legally awarded to tortured POWs?

2. How many total frozen Iraqi assets are there that are being used that we don't know about (this is non-tax dollar funds above and beyond the $87 billion being asked from our own pockets)????

I'm so mad I can't even think of what else to say right now.

UPDATE: Uh oh. Dad saw the article. Now he's pissed off. And he's a vet.

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