We need more disinterested third parties

Thank goodness for the almighty U.N., right? Those nice centrist peace lovers. Those disinterested third parties. Those arbiters of everything good in the world.

Except for the minor issue of UN embezzlement of the Oil-For-Food program in Iraq for seven years. Oh, yeah, the UN was on Saddam Hussein’s payroll. As was France and Russia, but we already knew that.

Even more disturbing is the $10.1 billion that the General Accounting Office estimates Saddam Hussein was able to salt away “in illegal revenues related to the Oil-for-Food program.” By GAO estimates, recently revised upward, Saddam acquired $4.4 billion via kickbacks on relief contracts and illicit surcharges on oil contracts; plus $5.7 billion via oil smuggling. All this took place under cover of repeated Oil-for-Food “good housekeeping” seals of approval.

An investigation has been launched, in part, on the son of the Secretary General. This makes any Halliburton question look minor by comparison, doesn’t it?

Still waiting for The Daily Show’s take on this one, but I’m a couple of episodes behind. We’ll see what the TiVo has for me this weekend.


This entry was posted on March 27th, 2004 and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

 
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2 Responses to “We need more disinterested third parties”

  1. EarlLantern
    27. March 2004 at 07:31

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    Why? Does the Columbine duo make the DC Snipers look minor by comparison? Or all all the acts just plain wrong?

    Sorry, but this relevation hardly redeems Halliburton or even obfuscates Halliburton’s grave deceptions and misdeeds.

  2. Augie De Blieck Jr.
    27. March 2004 at 11:14

    Halliburton’s “grave deceptions and misdeeds” amounts to a $61 million overcharge for supplied oil.

    The U.N. is embezzling in the billions of dollars AND pretending to be a peace-loving non-judgmental and fairhanded arbiter for world matters. Their hand is in the cookie jar, but nobody ever wants to mention it for some reason. I don’t see this making headlines in any of the places that any of Halliburton’s issues do.

    Halliburton, on the other hand, wins contracts because they’re one of the very very few — and sometimes only — companies qualified to handle certain jobs. They have the experience and they bid well.

    Meanwhile, the UN steals billions of dollars that’s supposed to go feed the hungry in Iraq.

    Yes, I very much think we can make the comparison. And the UN does come out way ahead on this one.