BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Peace
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 11:54 PM

I disagree. It was definitely NOT OK, regardless of who gave them the contracts.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 11:50 PM

I don't think anybody is in love with Halliburton. It seems that they are the only company that can handle certain things.

The Clinton administration awarded them no bid contracts but that was OK. Al Gore said they were great.

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: dianavan
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 11:32 PM

I saw that article, brucie, and couldn't help but wonder ...

How do you manage government property without keeping an accurate inventory?

Ohhhh...maybe thats how government property ends up on the black market and/or in the hands of terrorists or insurgents. If its needed to continue waging war and making profits, I guess you just call it business as usual. Maybe thats what Bush refers to as political capital.

d

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Peace
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 09:51 PM

Here's another good article from the San Jose Mrecury News, Nov. 27, 2004

        Posted on Sat, Nov. 27, 2004

Halliburton dealt new setback in Iraq probes

A third or more of the government property Halliburton was paid to manage for the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq could not be located by auditors, investigative reports to Congress show.

Halliburton's KBR subsidiary ``did not effectively manage government property'' and auditors could not locate hundreds of CPA items worth millions of dollars in Iraq and Kuwait this summer and fall, Inspector General Stuart W. Bowen reported to Congress in two reports.

Bowen's findings mark the latest bad news for Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, which is the focus of both a criminal investigation into alleged fuel price gouging and an FBI inquiry into possible favoritism from the Bush administration.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Peace
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 09:46 PM

Good article.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 09:40 PM

U.N. deserted leads in oil-for-food investigation

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Peace
Date: 26 Nov 04 - 03:03 PM

GUEST:

I don't understand what the other guy is trying to say. Hell, you're correct on the asbestos thing. What Canada is doing is bad. Did someone give you the impression that Canada doesn't do bad things? Take us to task for that and you'll have my support. Insult my country for no good reason and I will suggest you kiss my arse. Please allow me to suggest that. Get rude with me it gets returned.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Little Hawk
Date: 26 Nov 04 - 02:14 PM

Your comeuppance has been too long in coming, super Ted. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 26 Nov 04 - 11:49 AM

Damn! I was otherwise engaged on another thread! Pistols at dawn I fancy eh Little Hawk?

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Little Hawk
Date: 26 Nov 04 - 11:12 AM

100! Ha!

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Little Hawk
Date: 26 Nov 04 - 11:12 AM

Wait, no, this is 99.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Little Hawk
Date: 26 Nov 04 - 11:11 AM

99

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 26 Nov 04 - 09:50 AM

98

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Greg F.
Date: 26 Nov 04 - 09:37 AM

And in the asshole department, he doesn't hold a candle to some of the right-wing nutcase posters here like, well...............

never mind.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Little Hawk
Date: 26 Nov 04 - 09:09 AM

I keep waiting hopefully for the title of this particular thread to vanish below the line...but no...

Okay. Kofi Annan may be an arrogant...

But he can't touch Wolfgang in that department! Or Clinton Hammond either, for that matter.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Nov 04 - 07:17 AM

brucie,

So, if news is not new, you see no need to discuss it. Therefore, why do you complain about the treatment your country gets for not supporting the US efforts in Iraq? OLD NEWS!

Amd what is this about Canada refusing to stop exporting asbestos to the world, to benefit the 1000 or so remaining miners? Even the US has recognized that asbestos is a health risk- I guess it is ok, as long as the Canadians make good money off the suffering of others.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 25 Nov 04 - 09:31 PM

U.N. peacekeepers face abuse charges

And although the 150 charges of rape, pedophilia and solicitation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo may be the United Nations' worst sex scandal in years, chronic problems almost guarantee that few of the suspects will face punishment.


M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Peace
Date: 25 Nov 04 - 04:54 PM

. . . and all this is in aid of WHAT? Nothing here is new news.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 25 Nov 04 - 08:50 AM

The only chance for the survivors of Darfur may be a mass divestment campaign

A woman and teenage girl who were raped and abducted by soldiers in western Darfur have claimed that the Sudanese army organized airlifts of sex slaves to serve as the "wives" of government soldiers in Khartoum. . . . "Each of us was raped by between three and six men," said Bokur [Hamis, 21]. "One woman refused to have sex with them, so they split her head into pieces with an axe in front of us." -Benjamin Joffe-Walt, Sunday Telegraph, London, September 19

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 25 Nov 04 - 08:45 AM

As the Oil for Food corruption investigation infolds we will see who is the corrupt villian in this Iraq matter.

What is the latest about the humanitarian crisis in Sudan?

Kofi Annon has backed off of his ultimatim.

UN secretary-general Kofi Annan ruled out sanctions on the Sudanese government, saying that Khartoum's pledge to restore peace after 21 years of bloody fighting was good enough.

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Peace
Date: 25 Nov 04 - 12:39 AM

I am not about to whitewash the UN. But in the process of not doing that, I also will not whitewash the USA.

The cost to my country's refusal to participate without UN sanction has been an economically depressed cattle industry. We have paid a high dollar price. Most of us will be a long time forgetting that.

So while I agree with some of your sentiments with regard to the UN and its shenanigans, it does not make the US cops of the world, and nor does it make me appreciate its tactics with my country.

Bruce M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Boab
Date: 24 Nov 04 - 10:52 PM

Well---you must be in an exhausted state by now, Doug R! Molotov has been chuntering ceaselessly for a book's worth and some odd hours over and above. Just so you don't feel lonely, you do have company in your amusement. I find the ravings of Molotov more laughter-inducing than those of Seinfeld by a fair margin. What does set the teeth on edge, however, is the fact that some folk take the man seriously---some even agree with him! I did him the courtesy of checking on some of his blue clickies. The last one I looked at referred to TWO committees [all good-ole USA in absolute total content] which were sitting in some kind of weird judgement of Kofi Annan and the operations of the U.N. Now this would be a fairly harmless diversion for the sages involved, if only they were doing it for their own little satisfaction. But they [think they] aren't! The world is expected to take their ramblings as being of much greater import than all that can be accomplished by a U.N. which is comprised of every nation of the world having a genuine interest in the welfare of ALL the Earth's people. Unfortunately [and I think you must concur here] all the nations of the world do NOT believe in settling controversy by international discourse. Or even in keeping reasonably up with the funding which, by universal agreement, they are supposed to supply. If they do not believe in these things, should they not just keep themselves quiet? They'd look less ridiculous if they did. Molotov and his many thousands of friends, however, are more inclined to shove those facts in the faces of others and think that they've scored thereby. What folks like him don't get is the FACT that the "facts" that he is holding up in this instance for all to see SHOULDN'T BE facts at all!
    If there is provable mismanagement of funding in the UN organisation, please bear in mind that the USA is one of the top group of nations involved in it. They themselves, if they have been as closely in touch as they should, must bear some of the blame which is being so triumphantly tossed around.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 24 Nov 04 - 06:23 PM

Brucie:

The thread is about Kofi Annon's corruption and his attempts to cover it up.

The purpose of the thread is to expose the fact that the reason the US had to go it alone in Iraq is because a bunch other countries mainly Russia, France and Germany, plus officials of the UN, had a good thing going and did not want the US to break it up.

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Peace
Date: 24 Nov 04 - 04:41 PM

Molotov,

Regarding the link you provided:

Congress goes after internet spying

This is down towards the bottom of the article--statements. I hope this means that Congress will look into Echelon also. Americans aren't just at risk from other people.

As to the UN over-looking stuff in the oil-for-food thing. That's true. But what does it have to do with what ever you're arguing?

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Peace
Date: 24 Nov 04 - 03:59 PM

Hell, Doug. Last time I was on the ropes I still lasted two more rounds. Fight ain't even started yet.

Bruce

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Peace
Date: 24 Nov 04 - 03:58 PM

Molotov: No problem. I wouldn't put it past Iraq to have WMDs. Maybe from the Russians, maybe from the US.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: DougR
Date: 24 Nov 04 - 02:26 PM

Boab: no, I'm not uneasy. I find it a bit amusing that Molotov, who is obviously a talented pot stirer, has got so many of you folks backed up against the ropes, merely by offering facts for you to consider.

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 24 Nov 04 - 11:18 AM

Such contempt of the rule of law by the U.N. is revealing. Published reports have suggested that as many as 270 U.N. and foreign officials may be caught up in the Oil for Food scandal, including those from some of the nations which opposed U.S. military operations in Iraq - France and Russia.

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 24 Nov 04 - 11:10 AM

Brucie:

You are right. I jumped the gun on that story. My apologies.

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Peace
Date: 23 Nov 04 - 11:00 PM

Thought they were test kits.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 23 Nov 04 - 10:14 PM

I will bet Amos is glad he didn't get a whiff of this:

In this USA Today slide show, the second image is of the 40 vials labeled sarin. The caption reads:

Marines discovered 40 vials of suspected sarin gas while searching a house in Fallujah, Iraq. It was secreted in a briefcase hidden in a truck in the courtyard of the house. Two motars tubes, three motar rockets, compass and fire maps also found.

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Boab
Date: 23 Nov 04 - 05:46 PM

Molotov---STOP! You're making Doug R. uneasy-----

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 23 Nov 04 - 12:09 PM

No.

Another gem of intelligence by Brucie.

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: freda underhill
Date: 23 Nov 04 - 07:02 AM

Molotov, you're not related to a certain M.G by any chance are you?

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: dianavan
Date: 23 Nov 04 - 01:23 AM

Here you go Molotov, whether Bush likes it or not.

http://www.globalcentres.org/html/project9.html

d

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Peace
Date: 23 Nov 04 - 01:18 AM

You seen his daughters lately?

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 23 Nov 04 - 01:17 AM

I was just trying solidify your loose collection of thoughts into a firm statement.

So George Bush is responsible for the UN being corrupt too?

Sheeit. Next thing you know we will find out he is responsible for ugly women.

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Peace
Date: 23 Nov 04 - 01:07 AM

Let's just make it L 19.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: dianavan
Date: 23 Nov 04 - 01:06 AM

Molotov - Do not put words in my mouth!

Just because the U.N. is dysfunctional doesn't mean its because there is anything wrong with Annan. The fact that the U.N. is dysfunctional may have more to do with the amount of power the U.S. has than anything else.

d

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 23 Nov 04 - 12:34 AM

So you claim that even if Annan and the UN are on the take it is OK but if George Bush wants to do something about it, it is not OK?

What is Martins approach?

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: dianavan
Date: 22 Nov 04 - 11:51 PM

Neither.

I'm saying that Bush is an arrogant asshole who is trying to 'shrug off' Martin's approach to solving a problem. Bush seems to think he is the only one who has 'the answer'. His answer is war which is unacceptable to most of the world.

d

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 22 Nov 04 - 10:52 PM

Are defending the UN or attacking the US?

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: dianavan
Date: 22 Nov 04 - 08:59 PM

Since you dislike the U.N. and Kofi Annan in particular, perhaps you would be interested in the L20 group Paul Martin is putting together to respond to security and health problems worldwide.

Then again, I'm sure you wouldn't because you are one of those "the U.S. can go it alone" guys.

Lets see how far a my way or the hiway policy gets you, big guy! The dollar just keeps going down, down, down and where it stops nobody knows.

d

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 22 Nov 04 - 07:34 PM

Who at the U.N. took illicit money from Saddam...is an important question, and worth pursuing. But so is the matter of who covered up for Saddam; who pushed to continue and expand a program so derelict that it failed to nab more than $17 billion in illicit deals, and so secretive that investigators have spent much of the past year trying simply to get their hands on information the U.N. should have made public at the time. It is worth asking whose welfare was enhanced, whose domain was expanded, whose coffers filled with $1.4 billion delivered as a percentage cut of Saddam's oil revenues--and who has failed to this day to take on board the thumping lessons about the need for transparency at the U.N.

That would be

Mr. Annan.

He is not protecting the U.N. At great cost to whatever noble aspirations the U.N. once had, and to all societies that value integrity over Potemkin institutions, he is protecting himself.

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Truth Fairy
Date: 19 Nov 04 - 11:31 PM

In February 1953, the United Kingdom and Egypt concluded an agreement providing for Sudanese self-government and self-determination. The transitional period toward independence began with the inauguration of the first parliament in 1954. With the consent of the British and Egyptian Governments, Sudan achieved independence on 1 January 1956, under a provisional constitution. The United States was among the first foreign powers to recognize the new state. However, the Arab-led Khartoum government reneged on promises to southerners to create a federal system, which led to a mutiny by southern army officers that sparked 17 years of civil war (1955-1972). In the early period of the war, hundreds of northern bureaucrats, teachers, and other officials, serving in the south were massacred.

The National Unionist Party (NUP), under Prime Minister Ismail al-Azhari, dominated the first cabinet, which was soon replaced by a coalition of conservative political forces. In 1958, following a period of economic difficulties and political maneuvering that paralyzed public administration, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Abboud overthrew the parliamentary regime in a bloodless coup.

Gen. Abboud did not carry out his promises to return Sudan to civilian government, however, and popular resentment against army rule led to a wave of riots and strikes in late October 1964 that forced the military to relinquish power.

The Abboud regime was followed by a provisional government until parliamentary elections in April 1965 led to a coalition government of the Umma and National Unionist Parties under Prime Minister Muhammad Ahmad Mahjoub. Between 1966 and 1969, Sudan had a series of governments that proved unable either to agree on a permanent constitution or to cope with problems of factionalism, economic stagnation, and ethnic dissidence. The succession of early post-independence governments were dominated by Arab Muslims who viewed Sudan as a Muslim Arab state. Indeed, the Umma/NUP proposed 1968 constitution was arguably Sudan's first Islamic-oriented constitution.

Dissatisfaction culminated in a second military coup on 25 May 1969. The coup leader, Col. Gaafar Nimeiry, became prime minister, and the new regime abolished parliament and outlawed all political parties.

Disputes between Marxist and non-Marxist elements within the ruling military coalition resulted in a briefly successful coup in July 1971, led by the Sudanese Communist Party. Several days later, anti-communist military elements restored Nimeiry to power.

In 1972, the Addis Ababa agreement led to a cessation of the north-south civil war and a degree of self-rule. This led to ten years hiatus in the civil war.

Until the early 1970s Sudan's agricultural output was mostly dedicated to internal consumption. In 1972 the Sudanese government became more pro-Western, and made plans to export food and cash crops. However, commodity prices declined throughout the 1970s causing economic problems for Sudan. At the same time, debt servicing costs, from the money spent mechanizing agriculture, rose. In 1978 the IMF negotiated a Structural Adjustment Program with the government. This further promoted the mechanized export agriculture sector. This caused great economic problems for the pastoralists of Sudan.

In 1976, the Ansars mounted a bloody but unsuccessful coup attempt. In July 1977, President Nimeiry met with Ansar leader Sadiq al-Mahdi, opening the way for reconciliation. Hundreds of political prisoners were released, and in August a general amnesty was announced for all opponents of Nimeiry's government.

Arms Suppliers

Sudan relied on a variety of countries for its arms supplies. After independence the army had been trained and supplied by the British, but after the 1967 Six-Day_War relations were cut off. At this time relations with the USA and West Germany were also cut off.

From 1968-1972 the Soviet Union and eastern block nations sold large numbers of weapons and provided technical assistance and training to Sudan. At this time the army grew from a strength of 18,000 to roughly 50,000 men. Large numbers of tanks, aircraft, and artillery were acquired at this time, and they dominated the army until the late 1980s.

Relations cooled between the two sides after the coup in 1972, and the Khartoum government sought to diversify its suppliers. The USSR continued to supply weapons until 1977, when their support of marxist elements in Ethiopia angered the Sudanese sufficiently to cancel their deals. China was the main supplier in the late 1970s.

Egypt was the most important military partner in the 1970s, providing missiles, personnel carriers, and other military hardware. At the same time military cooperation between the two countries was important.

Western countries began supplying Sudan again in the mid 1970s. The United States began selling Sudan a great deal of equipment around 1976, hoping to counteract Soviet support of marxist Ethiopians and Libyans. Military sales peaked in 1982 at US$101 million. After the start of the second civil war, American assistance dropped, and was eventually all but cancelled in 1987.

Second Civil War

In 1983 the civil war was reignited following the government's islamicization policy which would have instituted shari'a law, among other things. After several years of fighting, the government compromised with southern groups. In 1989 it appeared the war would end, but a coup brought a military junta into power which was not interested in compromise. Since that time the war has raged across Sudan.

The ongoing civil war has displaced more than 4 million southerners. Some fled into southern cities, such as Juba; others trekked as far north as Khartoum and even into Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Egypt, and other neighboring countries. These people were unable to grow food or earn money to feed themselves, and malnutrition and starvation became widespread. The lack of investment in the south resulted as well in what international humanitarian organizations call a "lost generation" who lack educational opportunities, access to basic health care services, and little prospects for productive employment in the small and weak economies of the south or the north.

Peace talks between the southern rebels and the government made substantial progress in 2003 and early 2004, although skirmishes in parts of the south have reportedly continued. The two sides have agreed that, following a final peace treaty, southern Sudan will enjoy autonomy for six years, and after the expiration of that period, the people of southern Sudan will be able to vote in a referendum on independence. Furthermore, oil revenues will be divided equally between the government and rebels during the six-year interim period. The ability or willingness of the government to fulfull these promises has been questioned by some observers, however, and the status of three central and eastern provinces remains a point of contention in the negotiations.

Darfur conflict

A new rebellion in the western province of Darfur began in early 2003. The rebels accuse the central government of neglecting the Darfur region, although the two rebel groups fighting there appear to be divided on the question of whether to seek secession from the Sudan or the overthrow of the government in Khartoum. Both the government and the rebels have been accused of atrocities in this war, although most of the blame has fallen on Arab militias allied with the government. The rebels have alleged that these militias have been engaging in ethnic cleansing in Darfur, and the fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, many of them seeking refuge in neighboring Chad. In February 2004, the government declared victory over the rebellion shortly after capturing Tine, a town on the border with Chad, but the rebels say they remain in control of rural areas and reports indicate that widespread fighting continues.

Kofi Annan has been talking about a solution to this humanitarian crisis for 9 months and has not accomplished anything.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 19 Nov 04 - 11:18 PM

It remains to be seen if this latest "action" has any affect on the crisis.

How many people have died while Kofi Annan has been dragging his feet?

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: dianavan
Date: 19 Nov 04 - 10:31 PM

Looks like Kofi has brokered a deal in Sudan. Still, it will take time for aid to reach the people. Looks like there is also a polio outbreak as well.

However, thanks to Kofi Annan, the north and the south have agreed to rule the country together and split the oil profits in the new year. All of this remains to be seen but hey - lets give peace a chance.

d

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Peace
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 11:51 PM

Unlike Halliburton that came by it honestly.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 11:47 PM

The UN's coalition of the bribed...
Benon Sevan, the sidekick of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan who ran Oil-for-Food, secretly got lucrative rights to illicit oil from Saddam himself

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 11:36 PM

Saddam paid bombers with oil money

M