Ms Sparky » Security Contractors http://mssparky.com Wed, 23 May 2012 22:43:09 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Maybe This is Why the PMSC Industry is Supposedly Cost-Effective http://mssparky.com/2012/05/maybe-this-is-why-the-pmsc-industry-is-supposedly-cost-effective/ http://mssparky.com/2012/05/maybe-this-is-why-the-pmsc-industry-is-supposedly-cost-effective/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 11:26:33 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=29555 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" David Isenberg – (Isenberg Institute of Strategic Satire) – May 15, 2012 – Continuing on with the topic of worker exploitation let’s turn to a recently published, and unfortunately overlooked, article “Cheap help from Uganda” published in Le Monde diplomatique in France.. The article’s subtitle “Slaves [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. Showing The PMSC Sector The Money
  2. KBR maintains that their strong arm policy is effective
  3. Cost plus….minus oversight breeds corruption
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/05/maybe-this-is-why-the-pmsc-industry-is-supposedly-cost-effective/feed/ 0 Billions Wasted, Again: State Likely to Give Up on Costly Efforts to Train Iraqi Police http://mssparky.com/2012/05/billions-wasted-again-state-likely-to-give-up-on-costly-efforts-to-train-iraqi-police/ http://mssparky.com/2012/05/billions-wasted-again-state-likely-to-give-up-on-costly-efforts-to-train-iraqi-police/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 11:12:37 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=29536 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Peter Van Buren – (Huffington Post) – May 14, 2012 – The New York Times reports that the State Department, in the face of massive costs and Iraqi officials who say they never wanted it in the first place, slashed and may soon dump entirely “a [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. State Department Refuses to Cooperate in Audit, Criticized for Handling of Iraqi Police Program
  2. Dyncorp employee Gary Willard killed in attack on Afghanistan Police Training Facility-Updated
  3. Is the US State Department a subsidiary of Dyncorp?
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/05/billions-wasted-again-state-likely-to-give-up-on-costly-efforts-to-train-iraqi-police/feed/ 1 David Isenberg: A Morally Reprehensible Problem http://mssparky.com/2012/05/david-isenberg-a-morally-reprehensible-problem/ http://mssparky.com/2012/05/david-isenberg-a-morally-reprehensible-problem/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 16:17:28 +0000 Ms Sparky http://mssparky.com/?p=29429 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" David Isenberg – (Huffington Post) – May 3, 2012 – I confess: I have an interest in an unseemly topic. Last year I coauthored a report on the subject and testified before Congress about it. The subject is labor trafficking. So let’s give credit where it [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. David Isenberg: Some Things Are Just Unacceptable
  2. David Isenberg: Now Will You Do Something?
  3. David Isenberg: PSCs on Drugs
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/05/david-isenberg-a-morally-reprehensible-problem/feed/ 3 Judge Tosses KBR Defense to Feds’ False Claims Case http://mssparky.com/2012/04/judge-tosses-kbr-defense-to-feds-false-claims-case/ http://mssparky.com/2012/04/judge-tosses-kbr-defense-to-feds-false-claims-case/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:24:29 +0000 Ms Sparky http://mssparky.com/?p=29301 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" “More Cost….More Plus” as the KBR managers used to say! Ryan Abbott - (Courthouse News) – WASHINGTON – Defense contractor KBR cannot deflect fraud claims by accusing the U.S. government of failing to provide “force protection,” a federal judge ruled. Formerly known as Kellogg Brown & Root [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. Judge to Seal Filings in KBR False Claims Suit
  2. Lockheed Martin & SAIC settle False Claims Act case for bid rigging at NAVO
  3. DoJ starts the new year with Maersk false claims settlement
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/04/judge-tosses-kbr-defense-to-feds-false-claims-case/feed/ 0 Vanishing acts and other news http://mssparky.com/2012/03/vanishing-acts-and-other-news/ http://mssparky.com/2012/03/vanishing-acts-and-other-news/#comments Sun, 25 Mar 2012 22:44:50 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=28711 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Tracking Gaddafi: The case against the Canadian accused of aiding a dictator’s son Stewart Bell – (National Post) –  MEXICO CITY – March 24, 2012 –  When a dictatorship falls, the old regime takes flight. And so when Colonel Muammar Gaddafi began losing his grip on [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. Pentagon Acts To Boost Security In Wake Of Fort Hood Rampage
  2. Myths, Misconduct and other news
  3. Who’s sorry now and other news
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/03/vanishing-acts-and-other-news/feed/ 0 Private security contractors get a 3 month reprieve from suspension order in Afghanistan http://mssparky.com/2012/03/private-security-contractors-get-a-3-month-reprieve-from-suspension-order-in-afghanistan/ http://mssparky.com/2012/03/private-security-contractors-get-a-3-month-reprieve-from-suspension-order-in-afghanistan/#comments Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:14:28 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=28698 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Afghanistan extend private security firms closing deadline By GHANIZADA – (Khaama Press) – March 19, 2012 – Afghan interior ministry announced to delay forced cancellation of private security companies in Afghanistan by at least 3 months. All the private security companies excluding those private security firms which [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. Iraq wants to limit private security contractors
  2. Private-Security Firm Sued For (Allegedly) Shooting Up A Cab In Iraq
  3. The State Department says no more foreign private security guards for them
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/03/private-security-contractors-get-a-3-month-reprieve-from-suspension-order-in-afghanistan/feed/ 1 Court documents detail $54 million scheme to defraud U.S. military http://mssparky.com/2012/03/court-documents-detail-54-million-scheme-to-defraud-u-s-military/ http://mssparky.com/2012/03/court-documents-detail-54-million-scheme-to-defraud-u-s-military/#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:34:03 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=28591 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" John Woodrow Cox – (Tampa Bay Times) – March 15, 2012 – On a sunny morning in early September, nearly a dozen federal agents surrounded a three-story, gulffront home on a quiet street in northwest Hernando Beach. They swarmed the house like a SWAT team, wearing [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. Court documents say KBR will pay $402 million bribery fine
  2. Alleged multi-million dollar kickback scheme involving NAVSEA contractor
  3. Active Duty Army Recruiter Pleads Guilty in Texas for Role in Scheme to Illegally Obtain Military Recruiting Bonuses
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/03/court-documents-detail-54-million-scheme-to-defraud-u-s-military/feed/ 1 Canada’s sole source contract to bad boy security firm Blackwater aka XE Services nka ACADEMI http://mssparky.com/2012/03/canadas-sole-source-contract-bad-boy-security-firm-blackwater-aka-xe-services-nka-academi/ http://mssparky.com/2012/03/canadas-sole-source-contract-bad-boy-security-firm-blackwater-aka-xe-services-nka-academi/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:30:49 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=28509 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" U.S. firm linked to civilian deaths hired to train Canadian soldiers “Could the Canadian government find no one better to train Canadian soldiers?” he said. “A sole-sourced contract worries you at the best of times. But to sole-source Blackwater?” Lee Berthiaume – (Postmedia News) – OTTAWA [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. Blackwater/Xe loses $1 Billion contract award after Dyncorp protests
  2. US Air Force intends to offer sole source award to suspended company(updated)
  3. Former KBR Tiger Team leader Jill Pettibone slithers to Xe Services (formerly Blackwater)
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/03/canadas-sole-source-contract-bad-boy-security-firm-blackwater-aka-xe-services-nka-academi/feed/ 0 Family Says DynCorp Lied About Killing http://mssparky.com/2012/03/family-says-dyncorp-lied-about-killing/ http://mssparky.com/2012/03/family-says-dyncorp-lied-about-killing/#comments Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:38:31 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=28456 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Glynis Farrell – (Courthouse News)  – DETROIT – March 6, 2012 – A family claims in Federal Court that DynCorp International covered up the shooting of their son, who allegedly was shot to death by a drunken co-worker in Iraq.       The family of the late [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. Justin Cannon, former Blackwater contractor sentenced for killing Afghan civilian
  2. US Authorizes Killing of American Cleric
  3. Electrocuted soldier’s family, KBR battle over documents
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/03/family-says-dyncorp-lied-about-killing/feed/ 14 McCaskill, Webb Introduce Wartime Contracting Legislation that Could Save Taxpayers Billions http://mssparky.com/2012/03/mccaskill-webb-introduce-wartime-contracting-legislation-that-could-save-taxpayers-billions/ http://mssparky.com/2012/03/mccaskill-webb-introduce-wartime-contracting-legislation-that-could-save-taxpayers-billions/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:10:32 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=28350 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" NEIL GORDON and JAKE WIENS – (POGO) – March 1, 2012 – Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Jim Webb (D-VA) have introduced the Comprehensive Contingency Contracting Reform Act of 2012 (S. 2139), a bill that will greatly enhance transparency, sustainability, and accountability in overseas contingency operation [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. Senators vow to continue work of expiring wartime contracting panel
  2. Commission on Wartime Contracting Aug 11, 2009 Hearing Videos
  3. Wartime Contracting Commission releases final report to Congress
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/03/mccaskill-webb-introduce-wartime-contracting-legislation-that-could-save-taxpayers-billions/feed/ 4 You’re dismissed and other news http://mssparky.com/2012/02/your-dismissed-and-other-news/ http://mssparky.com/2012/02/your-dismissed-and-other-news/#comments Mon, 27 Feb 2012 03:03:45 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=28059 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Defense attorneys were critical of the FBI’s reliance on the informant [Richard Bistrong], an executive of a Florida body armor company [Armor Holdings] who they called a sociopathic liar with a devious mind. They said he was able to persuade federal agents to let him plead guilty [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. DOJ Wants American Contractor’s Torture Suit Against Rumsfeld Dismissed
  2. West Virginia Soldiers’ Lawsuits Dismissed
  3. Who needs Wikileaks – we have NASA and other news
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/02/your-dismissed-and-other-news/feed/ 0 We want our $60 billion back! http://mssparky.com/2012/02/we-want-our-60-billion-back/ http://mssparky.com/2012/02/we-want-our-60-billion-back/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:05:17 +0000 Ms Sparky http://mssparky.com/?p=27892 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" After four years of fighting the good fight and spending countless hours at my computer documenting the rampant Fraud, Waste and Abuse of U.S. tax dollars in the hands of DoD contractors, I have submitted a petition on We the People. We the People was set [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. Iraq: We Lost $1.2 Billion in Equipment Going in; How Much Will We Lose Getting Out?
  2. Oh My God…..My Back!!
  3. $40 Billion in Contracts Tied to Republican Security Advisers
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/02/we-want-our-60-billion-back/feed/ 16 Iraq wants to limit private security contractors http://mssparky.com/2012/02/iraq-wants-to-limit-private-security-contractors/ http://mssparky.com/2012/02/iraq-wants-to-limit-private-security-contractors/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:19:36 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=27821 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" (AFP) – February 8, 2012 – Iraq deeply mistrusts private security companies and wants to limit their operations here, officials say, while the contractors themselves have faced bureaucratic delays and detentions. This mistrust stems from perceived arrogant behaviour by employees of these firms in the past [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. Private-Security Firm Sued For (Allegedly) Shooting Up A Cab In Iraq
  2. The State Department says no more foreign private security guards for them
  3. Security contractors face challenges in Iraq
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/02/iraq-wants-to-limit-private-security-contractors/feed/ 1 Paper or plastic and other news http://mssparky.com/2012/02/paper-or-plastic-and-other-news/ http://mssparky.com/2012/02/paper-or-plastic-and-other-news/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:21:22 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=27758 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Fed / Contractor Compensation Issues Are Burning Red Hot Scott Amey – (POGO) – February 3, 2012 – Compensation was a hot topic this week–here’s a recap of the biggest developments: Monday: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a study that found that federal employees, on [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. Vanishing acts and other news
  2. A matter of interpretation and other news
  3. Clearing the docket and other news
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/02/paper-or-plastic-and-other-news/feed/ 0 That bird won’t fly and other news http://mssparky.com/2012/01/that-bird-wont-fly-and-other-news/ http://mssparky.com/2012/01/that-bird-wont-fly-and-other-news/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:25:39 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=27695 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Hold that Revolving Door! Four-Star General Coming Through Dana Liebelson – (POGO) – January 28, 2012 – The revolving door that carried former Department of Defense honcho William Lynn III to a well-paying job with an Italian defense contractor keeps on spinning – now Gen. James [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. Charging forward and other news
  2. You’ll pay for that & other news
  3. The art of duplicity and other news
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/01/that-bird-wont-fly-and-other-news/feed/ 0 Security contractors face challenges in Iraq http://mssparky.com/2012/01/security-contractors-face-challenges-in-iraq/ http://mssparky.com/2012/01/security-contractors-face-challenges-in-iraq/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:36:12 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=27617 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Problems mount after U.S. troops withdraw from country Fred Pleitgen – (NECN/CNN) – January 24, 2012 – It’s getting harder for private security contractors to do business in Iraq. Government officials say the contractors simply have to follow the requirements for any foreigners. The American Iraqi [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. Iraq wants to limit private security contractors
  2. Hearing: Oversight in Iraq and Afghanistan: Challenges and Solutions
  3. How Does The “US-Iraq Security Pact” Affect KBR And Other U.S. Civilians?
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/01/security-contractors-face-challenges-in-iraq/feed/ 2 You’ll pay for that & other news http://mssparky.com/2012/01/youll-pay-for-that-other-news/ http://mssparky.com/2012/01/youll-pay-for-that-other-news/#comments Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:09:25 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=27450 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" “When I served four years in the military, it wasn’t so that Bechtel, KBR, Halliburton and all the other corporations could make money and buy politicians to further drag out the war and create policies that support all that,” Bodell said. “I fought for the Constitution, [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. That bird won’t fly and other news
  2. Charging forward and other news
  3. A matter of interpretation and other news
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/01/youll-pay-for-that-other-news/feed/ 0 David Isenberg: Gun? Check. Radio? Check. Lawyer? Check! http://mssparky.com/2012/01/david-isenberg-gun-check-radio-check-lawyer-check/ http://mssparky.com/2012/01/david-isenberg-gun-check-radio-check-lawyer-check/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:46:06 +0000 Ms Sparky http://mssparky.com/?p=27546 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" David Isenberg – (Huffington Post) – January 20, 2012 – Some things just seem to go together: day and night, bread and butter, Romeo and Juliet, Abbott and Costello, Crosby and Hope, Batman and Robin, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, Cheech and Chong, Sonny and Cher, [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. DynCorp, EEOC settle harassment, retaliation suit
  2. EEOC sues DynCorp for hostile work environment in Iraq (Updated)
  3. David Isenberg: KBR is Asking for It
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/01/david-isenberg-gun-check-radio-check-lawyer-check/feed/ 0 Flexing Muscle, Baghdad Detains U.S. Contractors http://mssparky.com/2012/01/flexing-muscle-baghdad-detains-u-s-contractors/ http://mssparky.com/2012/01/flexing-muscle-baghdad-detains-u-s-contractors/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:42:33 +0000 Ms Sparky http://mssparky.com/?p=27456 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT and ERIC SCHMITT Published: January 15, 2012 BAGHDAD — Iraqi authorities have detained a few hundred foreign contractors in recent weeks, industry officials say, including many Americans who work for the United States Embassy, in one of the first major signs of [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. From the US Embassy in Baghdad
  2. All Charges Are Dropped In Blackwater Shooting in Baghdad
  3. Thomas Manok sentenced for bribery in Baghdad
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/01/flexing-muscle-baghdad-detains-u-s-contractors/feed/ 3 Thinking about working in Iraq, think again… Don’t go there!!! http://mssparky.com/2012/01/thinking-about-working-in-iraq-think-again-dont-go-there/ http://mssparky.com/2012/01/thinking-about-working-in-iraq-think-again-dont-go-there/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:57:07 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=27386 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" The U.S. Embassy is aware of cases where discrepancies in permits or paperwork have resulted in legal action, including detention, by Iraqi police and other entities. Detentions often last 24-96 hours or more. The Embassy’s ability to respond to situations in which U.S. citizens are arrested [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:
  1. Kahn has the guts to say what we’re all thinking!
  2. How Do You Like Working For KBR? JobVent.com
  3. Iraq car bomb kills U.S. contractor (Updated 06/24/11)
]]> http://mssparky.com/2012/01/thinking-about-working-in-iraq-think-again-dont-go-there/feed/ 4