contractors
GRITtv: The F Word: Is BP Too Big To Fail?
Now to the opposite of cuts. Over a year after the biggest oil spill in US history and even as criminal investigations continue, BP is still receiving millions of dollars in government contracts. That's according to a new story by Jason Leopold at Truthout, who notes that only last week Air BP, a division of the oil company responsible for the oil still causing problems in the Gulf of Mexico, was awarded a $42 million contract to supply fuel to Dover Air Force Base. Distributed by Tubemogul.
Email this pageGRITtv: Jan Schakowsky: The War Economy
Recently at Netroots Nation, Laura sat down with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who's been a leader in the fight against the use of private contractors like Blackwater in war zones (and at home). Our friends at the UpTake captured this video for us, as she spoke with Laura about jobs, the economy, military contractors, and the war in Afghanistan--especially the role of women in the conflict there.
GRITtv: August 31, 2010
Recently at Netroots Nation, Laura sat down with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who's been a leader in the fight against the use of private contractors like Blackwater in war zones (and at home). ; Our friends at the UpTake captured this video for us, as she spoke with Laura about jobs, the economy, military contractors, and the war in Afghanistan--especially the role of women in the conflict there.The struggle for green jobs brings together the struggle for sustainability and a cleaner environment and the fight against poverty--a struggle for justice for all. Green for All unites these struggles into one movement, as CEO Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins explained at Netroots Nation, in a personal discussion of her past and present experiences with poverty and the environment.The current stage of the recession sees state budgets hitting crisis points around the country, and one of the areas targeted for cuts has been state univerisities.
GRITtv: Moustache: Softwar
We constantly hear about the size of the military budget, what percentage it is of our spending, what it did to the deficit. But numbers that large can simply become numbing. It's hard to fathom billions. So when Paris studio Moustache created this short film attempting to visualize the amount spent on war, we knew we had to share it with you.
GRITtv: July 20 2010
Former regulator, Savings & Loan investigator, and current Braintruster at the Roosevelt Institute William K. Black says that if Elizabeth Warren isn't appointed to head the consumer protection agency passed as part of the financial reform bill, it will be a clear sign that the agency isn't going to protect consumers at all. While Warren has done the research in the field for 20 years, he notes, other candidates preferred by Treasury Secretary Geithner have fallen more into the Rubin/Summers camp of deregulators. Black joins us via Skype from Kansas City, where he's professor of Economics and Law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, to break down the problems with the financial reform bill and make the case for Warren as the only way for real consumer protection. We constantly hear about the size of the military budget, what percentage it is of our spending, what it did to the deficit. But numbers that large can simply become numbing. It's hard to fathom billions. So when Paris studio Moustache created this short film attempting to visualize the amount spent on war, we knew we had to share it with you. Peace process, proximity talks, one state, two state...though these terms are often tossed around the mass media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they have been rendered virtually meaningless. Instead, we see footage of Benjamin Netanyahu and Barack Obama shaking hands, waxing eloquently on the need for mutual peace as the US simultaneously slips Israeli more tax dollars to further cement their occupation of Palestine. A just peace indeed. Where is this famous peace process? Does it exist? Is peace even a process to begin with? We asked blogger and author Antony Loewenstein and author and co-founder of The Electronic Intifada, Ali Abuminah about how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is reported, what is the role of new media, and how can this start its own viral uprising, independent of mass media banter. Finally, Laura has some thoughts about Top Secret America: the unlimited budget for contractors and the constant cuts for kids.
GRITtv: The F Word: Top Secret: Privatizing Fails
The Washington Post has a new series out on “Top Secret America,” investigating the massive security complex that's sprung up around our war industry. While independent journalists like Tim Shorrock and Jeremy Scahill have been reporting on this for years, the Post brings a new level of attention to the contractors—and the blank check they get from our otherwise deficit-obsessed government.
GRITtv: The F Word: Leaders of War
Who says the president is failing to show leadership? In one area at least, there's no sign of flag or falter. If anything, the administration's only becoming more forthright. Sad to say, that area is military build-up. Last year, the White House made a big deal of cutting a weapons program -- the F-22 fighter jet, for example -- but the cuts conveniently obscured the growth in spending on unmanned aircraft or drones -- the weapons that Pakistanis say killed dozens of civilians in twelve attacks last month -- 43 for every alleged Al Qaeda operative. This year, the president dispensed with the window dressing. No big deal about cuts -- except on the domestic side. While the administration has record $3.8 trillion budget cuts or freezes spending on domestic programs, it requests $708.3 billion for war. That's a $14.8 billion increase over what we're spending now. $548.9 billion for "regular" war, plus $159.3 billion for spending in Afghanistan and Iraq. And oh yes, the administration is asking Congress to increase spending on the US nuclear arsenal by more than $7 billion dollars over the next five years -- despite that pledge to cut the US arsenal and seek a nuclear weapons-free world. In my view, the quote of the day comes from the CEO of a military contractor-funded policy group. Loren Thompson tells Tuesday's New York Times, "The defense industry is pleased but bemused. It?s been telling itself for years that when the Democrats got control it would be bad news for weapons programs. But the spending keeps going on.? Take that you Nobel committee... And to think some complain about Democrats suffering from a lack of direction. The F Word is a regular commentary by Laura Flanders, the host of GRITtv which broadcasts weekdays on satellite TV (Dish Network Ch. 9415 Free Speech TV) on cable, and online at GRITtv.org and TheNation.com. Follow GRITtv or GRITlaura on Twitter.com.
