The Difficulty Finding Truth in News
Al Jazeera, the Mideast-financed news agency, reports today that allegedly billions of our U.S. tax dollars are supporting massive fraudulent profits of many U.S. Defense Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. The proposed scheme involves thousands of poor Indians and Nepalese working for U.S. Subcontractors. There is scant room in this Blog for details, but you will find Al Jazeera’s report via this Link:
Through a friend of mine, I am attempting to speak with a former BBC reporter, who worked for a while with Al Jazeera. Supposedly, this man claims that Al Jazeera’s reporting is itself fraudulent. Until I obtain this man’s viewpoint, I suggest we all look at this story as either potentially painfully true, or possibly a manufactured news hoax. I bring the story to you to exhibit how difficult it is in the world of mass media to distinguish truth from falsehood.
Al Jazeera’s alleged facts are: U.S. Subcontractors illegally guide potential Asian workers to foreign Job Agents, who charge the Asian workers between $1000 and $5000 to get a job with U.S. Defense Contractors. The Agents split the fees with U.S. Sub Contractors. Sam McMahon, a former U.S. General of the Judge Advocate Corps, now apparently attempting to reform U.S. contractor systems, is one source of this information, according to Al Jazeera.
Allegedly, U.S. Contractors are knowingly earning massive profits through what is essentially human trafficking of poor third world workers. By hiring Subcontractors, who actually conduct the fraud, U.S. Primary Contractors legally distance themselves from the crime. A presidential directive has been issued against this practice. However, the practice supposedly continues. Two firms mentioned in Al Jazeera’s report are Fluor and Dyncorp. Similar deals were reported by Yale University Press following the second Iraq war.
Note that while this alleged fraud continues, thousands of U.S. Veterans are still struggling to obtain various legal benefits from an overworked Veterans Administration. Several thousand U.S. Veterans also remain homeless nationwide. It is indeed an amazingly complex world we live in. It takes ever-keen eyes, ears, and brains to keep up with concrete reality versus self interested fantasy.
Aging may not be for sissies, but staying in touch helps keeps you young. Plug on. I’ll report what I find out – when and if I find out.