WEDDING THIS WEEK

My wonderful daughter Allison and Ben Lawhon
Will be married this Saturday in beautiful Cashiers, North Carolina


Allison and Ben will return to their home in Boulder Colorado
following a trip to Nevis in the British West Indies

Allison is a University of Tennessee Graduate in graphic arts
This is her neat Wedding Website

We will return to blogging on Monday.

Iraq work helps Halliburton 1.6 Billion Dollars

October 29, 2003: 11:50 AM EST Houston-based Halliburton, the world's largest oilfield services company, said third-quarter net revenue jumped 39 percent to $4.1 billion, mainly due to the work its KBR engineering and construction group is doing for the U.S. government in Iraq and elsewhere.

Halliburton said Iraq contributed $900 million in revenue and $34 million in operating income in the quarter, and about 5 cents a share of the quarter's earnings per share. The company, where Cheney was CEO from 1995 to 2000, has come under intense scrutiny in the past year for its no-bid contract, worth up to $7 billion, from the U.S. Army to repair Iraq's oil infrastructure.

Cheney, the Army, and Halliburton -- which has so far been paid about $1.6 billion under that contract -- all deny the company has benefited from any special treatment from the government in winning the contract.

The price gouging felon Corporate Welfare recipient Halliburton has it's hand in your pocket.
This is a miserable failure on the part of lawmakers

BIG TAX BREAKS FOR HALLIBURTON/BECHTEL

Generous new tax break for Bechtel and Halliburton?
Joint Committee on Taxation, says bill provides $142 billion in corporate tax relief.

Bechtel, which hired a former commissioner of the IRS to lobby on its behalf, has won support from Republicans in the House for a generous new tax break. The break, which was to be taken up Tuesday by the House Ways and Means Committee, was originally intended to help shore up U.S. factory jobs by reducing the tax rate for domestic manufacturers to 32 percent from 35 percent.

But the bill now includes a provision sought by Bechtel, an engineering conglomerate that is one of the biggest recipients of government contracts for Iraqi reconstruction, that would reduce taxes on "architectural and engineering services." The new provision would also benefit Halliburton, which now has a Pentagon contract to repair Iraqi oil facilities. Another company, Fluor, which recently won a $102 million contract to work on Iraq's electrical system, would receive a tax reduction as well.
.
The value of the tax break remains unclear, and there was confusion on Monday over whether it would apply to profits earned on the billions of dollars of work that the companies do outside the United States. But the provision is merely one example of many special-interest items that have been attached to what Republican and Democratic lawmakers both consider a vital tax bill. The general purpose of the legislation is to replace a longstanding tax break for U.S. exporters that the World Trade Organization has declared an illegal trade subsidy. The bill would repeal the existing tax break, which is valued at about $55 billion over the next 10 years, and add new tax breaks totaling about $142 billion over the same period.

Donald Alexander, a former IRS commissioner is lobbying for Bechtel. The WTO estimated the old tax break was worth $22 million a year to architectural and engineering companies. The new provision could be far more valuable than that. Bechtel, a privately held company that does not disclose its full financial results, had revenue of $11.6 billion last year. About $9 billion of that was in the United States. Most of Halliburtons 12 Billion in revenues came from overseas. This is a miserable failure on the part of lawmakers

According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the bill would provide $142 billion in new corporate tax relief.

ink from the squid: investing in the future
MORE GREATEST HITS AROUND THE WEB
SouthKnoxBubba has a rant worth reading

Shock and Awe is in the League of Liberals

WTF is it Now? is in the League of Liberals

Maybe you should read the Democratic Veteran

The Poison Kitchen is in the League of Liberals - maybe you should check it out and join too.

T-Rex

Please welcome Major Barbara of Arms and the Man to the League of Liberals
Please welcome and continue to be Sick of Bush

Please welcome The Felonious Elephant to the growing League of Liberals. An Elephant never forgets to blogroll

Please welcome member number 30 Speedkill and remember those blogrolls.

Read Rush Limgbaughtomy for the latest on the growing Mutual Fund Scandal

HALLIBURTON EMPLOYEES must write letters to improve Corporate Image

HALLIBURTON CHIEF ISSUES MARCHING ORDERS TO EMPLOYEES.

Employees of HALLIBURTON have been instructed by the CEO to write letters to newspaper editors and Congress in an effort to "restore fairness and accuracy" after revelations that the company was overcharging US Taxpayers by 217million dollars on gas delivery while feasting at the public trough.

The president of military contractor Halliburton has asked employees to join a "Defending Our Company" campaign by writing to newspapers and lawmakers to counter criticism of the firm's no-bid contract in Iraq. Dave Lesar said in the Oct. 17 memo that he is offended by "those who are distorting our efforts" to restore Iraq's oil industry and provide other services to the U.S. military there. He cautioned workers to "be positive,"

Lesar, who is president, CEO and chairman of the company, said, "Now I'm asking you to help by writing a letter to the editor of your newspaper." He listed "some facts that you can use to help deliver your letter." With a subject line of "Defending Our Company," Lesar also told workers "it would be helpful to write to your representatives in Washington, D.C., asking them to support fairness and accuracy."

Among Lesar's suggestions for the letters to newspapers:
1)"Halliburton makes our troops more comfortable in a difficult environment by bringing shelter, supplies, clean uniforms and mail from home."
2)"Halliburton is proud to offer its global resources at this critical time in the Middle East."
3)"Halliburton has successfully helped to restore needed services in Iraq that will help bring some sense of normalcy for those who have suffered losses."

The e-mail also included suggestions for making the letter effective, telling employees to "write from the heart and use your own words and, where possible, use first-hand stories." "It's OK to show your pride in your work and your co-workers, and to mention your own experience with Halliburton," Lesar said.

Nothing like a little pressure from the boss and a script to follow to get those employees to express their true feelings. Wonder what the odds on job security are for the authors of less than flattering letters. Heck Dave why don't you hire a few ghost writers to pen I love Halliburton letters and send them to every newspaper in the country? But that idea has been tried last week with the Army - oops too slow.

The LEAGUE OF LIBERALS is PERFECT

.
THE LEAGUE OF LIBERALS BANNER IS DISPLAYED

The League of Liberals comes roaring out of the gate in their first official week in the contest to deliver a staggering 100% (yes, 100%) participation rate among their 27 members. Full results are:

.
League of Liberals: 27 of 27 = 100.0 % participation
Blogger Alliance: 40 of 89 = 44.9 % participation
Axis of Naughty: 6 of 24 = 25.0 % participation

"I am therefore declaring the League the winners for this week effective immediately, and their logo now hangs in the place of honor atop the Showcase. Congratulations to the League for their victory!" NZ BEAR

CONGRATULATIONS FELLOW LIBERAL LEAGUERS

New Blog Showcase Winner Patrick Taylor and the Poison Kitchen become the first Canadian Charter Members of The League of Liberals Please welcome The Poison Kitchen and update those blogrolls for Patrick who blogs from beautiful Halifax, Nova Scotia.

INDIGO OCEAN is a former New blog showcase winner we have heard from on the League of Liberals comments. Read Mindfullness V. Concentration and Leave No Corporation Behind on her beautiful blog with exquisite photos from Hawaii. We encourage Indigo Ocean to join our League of Liberals

This prodigious pachyderm ponders the crimes of Republican Politicians
Please welcome The Felonious Elephant to the growing League of Liberals.
An Elephant never forgets to blogroll

Smart Solid and Stimulating SPEEDKILL slips into the League of Liberals.
Please welcome member number 30 Speedkill and remember those blogrolls.

Natalie Davis at All Facts and Opinions has an excellent Sunday Sermon on Steps to Recovery from Bible Abuse
Is Kynn at Shock and Awe a "Spongite" (if you know what that is) or are the folks at The Boar's Head hypocrites? Make up your own mind

Democratic Veteran has the good news from Illinois. The slide continues and gathers momentum

Follow Eric Idle on his Greedy Bastard Tour with Pen-Elayne on the Web

Susan Madrak over at Suburban Guerrilla has something in common with Cher. Is it the wardrobe?

Earl Dunovant says Black Conservatives make his head hurt. Check it out at Prometheus 6

Maru at WTF is it NOW has the scoop on Faux News threat to sue The Simpsons for a parody news crawl: POINTLESS NEWS CRAWLS UP 37 PERCENT ... DO DEMOCRATS CAUSE CANCER? FIND OUT AT FOXNEWS.COM ... RUPERT MURDOCH: TERRIFIC DANCER ... DOW DOWN 5000 POINTS ... STUDY: 92 PERCENT OF DEMOCRATS ARE GAY ... JFK POSTHUMOUSLY JOINS REPUBLICAN PARTY ... OIL SLICKS FOUND TO KEEP SEALS YOUNG, SUPPLE ... DAN QUALYE: AWESOME ... ASHCROFT DECLARES BREAST OF CHICKEN SANDWICH "OBSCENE" ... HILLARY CLINTON EMBARRASSES SELF, NATION ... BIBLE SAYS JESUS FAVORED CAPITAL-GAINS CUT ... STAY TUNED FOR HANNITY AND IDIOT ... ONLY DORKS WATCH CNN ... JIMMY CARTER: OLD, WRINKLY, USELESS ... BRAD PITT + ALBERT EINSTEIN = DICK CHENEY ...
"Fox News has told the Simpsons creators that it might confuse the viewers." NO KIDDING It looks like a FAUX NEWS FEED to me.
Does Rush have AIDS? What is the deal with that rapid weight loss? Is treatment just a cover story?
My good friend Jack of The Peoples Republic of Seabrook posted this picture withcomments about extremists on the Left who are doing damage to Liberals by these anti-American flag burinings

Kevin Hayden at Reach Em High Cowboy Noose Network has an excellent post on Censoring the Dead about the ban on pictures of returning coffins from IRAQ.

Barbara at The Mahablog remembers the Berlin Airlift and touches on these same Anti-war movement demonstrations and A.N.S.I.R.

Arms And The Man keeps us up to date on Who's Making A Killing On Killing In Iraq
Please welcome Major Barbara of Arms and the Man to the League of Liberals

Sick of Bush is sick of the lies, the soildiers who have died, the mothers who have cried and the money they have pried from everyone but the wealthy corporate well connected Republican interests in America. Please welcome Douglas and continue to be Sick of Bush.

This prodigious pachyderm ponders the crimes of Republican Politicians
Please welcome The Felonious Elephant to the growing League of Liberals.
An Elephant never forgets to blogroll
Smart Solid and Stimulating SPEEDKILL slips into the League of Liberals.
Please welcome member number 30 Speedkill and remember those blogrolls.