Halliburton and the Axis of Evil

When you hear “Iran” and “nuclear” in the same sentence, you probably imagine thousands of hysterical rioters and looters, a fire-breathing Mullah with his finger on The Button, and Halliburton?!?!?

While Dick Cheney and his little sockpuppet are whipping up hysteria about Iran having nuclear weapons, Halliburton — Cheney’s alma mater — has been working with Iran’s nuclear development team. They’ve sold centrifuges and detonators specifically for use in a nuclear reactor, according to Halliburton sources.

Cyrus Nasseri, a senior member of Iran’s nuclear team, has allegedly accepted $1 million in bribes from Halliburton while providing them with Iran’s nuclear secrets. Halliburton and the White House have both refused to comment on this.

Halliburton officially discontinued its work last Spring with Cyrus Nasseri, but has still been working with him in an “advisory capacity.”

The U.S. has laws prohibiting companies from doing business with “rogue, terrorist-sponsoring” countries — including Iran, Syria and Libya. Halliburton has a Cayman Island subsidiary which somehow wiggles out of these pesky restrictions.

Halliburton has been doing business in Iran since 1995. They’ve been in violation of U.S. sanctions at least since 2001, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Halliburton has been making about $40 million a year through its Iranian dealings. This is tiny compared to their multi-billion dollar contracts in Iraq.

Halliburton is probably the biggest and best-known violator of these U.S. sanctions. Conoco-Phillips and General Electric have also conducted massive operations in Iran and Syria.

There’s so much American business activity in these countries, that basically anyone with a retirement or investment portfolio probably has money invested in “rogue, terrorist-sponsoring” countries.

Is it just me, or are there a few contradictions here? Bush has said “we will make no distinction between the terrorists and the countries that harbor them,” and “money is the lifeblood of terrorist operations.”

Our civil liberties are going the way of the hula hoop. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are being shat on. And this is all being done in the name of “fighting terrorism.” “If __________________ then the terrorists have won.” Remember those wacky TV ads saying if you use illegal drugs you’re financing al Qaeda.

Fear of terrorism is the driving force behind everything from the Patriot Act to the Iraqi invasion. Terrorists are out there, lurking, just waiting to strike as soon as we let our guard down. And every time Bush starts slipping in the polls, or another White House scandal erupts — “Terror Alert!!”

And yet some of the largest American corporations are doing billions of dollars worth of business in the exact countries that are supposedly “sponsoring terrorism.” We’re spending ourselves into bankruptcy and wrecking our own quality of life just to fight The Terrorists, and Big Business is in bed with them.

Things are getting curiouser and curiouser.

cross-posted at Bring It On!