To the Middle Easterners
We less government types – want less government everywhere.
By that we mean – we want our government to do less everywhere.
If other nations want to be stupid and have their governments do more – that is their problem. Unless or until it affects us. Prior to that – it is not our responsibility to attempt to solve their stupidities.
Because no matter how noble our nation-building intentions – our executions have always stunk on ice. (See: Afghanistan. See also: Iraq, Egypt, Libya,….)
And no matter how noble our intentions – the people we’re “helping” – rarely view us as helping.
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre knew this:
“The most extravagant idea that can be born in the head of a political thinker is to believe that it suffices for people to enter, weapons in hand, among a foreign people and expect to have its laws and constitution embraced. No one loves armed missionaries; the first lesson of nature and prudence is to repulse them as enemies.”
Once this Original Sin is committed – invading a nation to “fix” it – your subsequent choices devolve into being ever less and less attractive.
This less-attractive-options truism – is true even if we haven’t invaded a nation. Being invited to be in places in which we shouldn’t be – creates these problems.
Until we ultimately end up over a barrel like this one – over which we’ve been for at least a decade.
Behold Kuwait corrupt contractor Agility. With whom our Defense Department (DoD) has had corruption problems for at least a decade.
This from 2009:
U.S. Slaps New Fraud Indictment on Kuwait’s Agility:
“U.S. authorities filed a new indictment on Monday against Kuwaiti logistics firm Agility, which is accused of defrauding the U.S. military in the Middle East on multibillion-dollar supply contracts.
“The new indictment contained no new charges against Agility, the Gulf’s biggest logistics firm and the main food supplier to the U.S. military in Iraq and Kuwait.
“Instead, it extended existing charges to include two company affiliates: U.S.-based Agility DGS Holdings Inc and Agility DGS Logistics Services K.S.C., which is based in Kuwait.”
As a May 2017 final result of these 2009 charges:
Defense Contractor Resolves Criminal, Civil and Administrative Liability:
“Agility pays $95 million and gives up $249 million in claims to DOD.”
Which means Agility was charged at the very beginning of the Barack Obama Administration. But spent the entirety of the Barack Obama Administration with charges pending – and We the People only received justice when the Donald Trump Administration took things over.
Because we have engaged in overseas missionary wars in the Middle East for decades – we have opened ourselves up to getting screwed like this for decades.
But the number of companies who can do the kind of work we need done when engaged in overseas missionary wars – is sorely limited. Se have to keep using the same corrupt companies over and over and over again – even though we know they keep screwing us.
It also helps when you have a corrupt man inside the DC government. Or a corrupt woman.
Kuwait Called on Hillary Clinton to Nix Criminal Fraud Case Against Defense Contractor Agility:
“In 2009, Kuwait called on then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to intervene with the Justice Department and help nix a criminal fraud case against a Kuwait defense contractor Agility Public Warehousing Company….
“In a letter to Clinton dated December 5, 2009, then Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Sabah writes that ‘in consideration of the special relations between our two friendly countries, we ask that this dispute be settled amicably without having to resort to criminal adjudication.’
“Kuwait has donated between $5 million and $10 million to the Clinton Foundation.”
Aha – there it is. In the Clinton State Department’s pay-to-play operational model – $5 to $10 million talks and walks huge.
DoD rules state that while a contractor is charged as Agility was – they are ineligible for future contract consideration.
Thanks to Agility and Kuwait greasing the Clinton skids, Agility spent the entirety of the Obama Administration – receiving a grand total of FIFTEEN waivers from said ineligibility.
Since 2009, the DoD issued a total of 24 waivers. Agility all by its onesies – received 71% of them.
Which means the Obama Administration time and again allowed the corrupt Agility – to time and again rip off We the People.
In part, again, because by engaging in overseas missionary wars – we set ourselves up to be repeatedly screwed. Because there just aren’t that many contractors with which to deal.
As the Obama DoD admitted – when issuing its very first Agility waiver:
“Insufficient time exists to mobilize another contractor to replace Agility….”
As the Obama DoD repeatedly admitted – while repeatedly issuing Agility waivers in Pez-dispenser fashion. They time and again stressed the potential damage to military operations if they were forced to enlist a new contractor.
As the Trump DoD also just tacitly admitted. Having just finally adjudicated Agility’s corruption case – they last July gave Agility yet another DoD contract.
The short term solution:
Get the Congressional Armed Services Committees to finally apply some oversight to what we keep doing with Agility – and what Agility keeps doing to us.
That means you, Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Jack Reed (D-RI) – and all your Committee members.
That means you, Representatives Adam Smith (D-WA) and Mac Thornberry (R-TX) – and all your Committee members.
The long term solution:
Get the US to stop engaging in overseas missionary wars.
Thereby mostly limiting our exposure to corrupt crony contractors – to just the domestic variety.
This first appeared in Red State.