http://mssparky.com Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:45:02 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 http://mssparky.com/2011/12/lawmakers-secure-provision-in-ndaa-to-bring-transparency-to-war-contracting-process/ http://mssparky.com/2011/12/lawmakers-secure-provision-in-ndaa-to-bring-transparency-to-war-contracting-process/#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:03:43 +0000 Ms Sparky http://mssparky.com/?p=26839 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Blumenauer, Wyden, Schrader, Merkley Secure Provision in NDAA to Bring Transparency to War Contracting Process Thursday, 15 December 2011 17:57 Amendment A Legislative Response To Classified Immunity Deal For Contractor KBR That Exposed Oregon National Guardsmen To Toxic Chemicals In Iraq WASHINGTON – Today, Congress sent [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. The naked truth about transparency and other news…
2. KBR’s Process For Returning Deceased Employees To The US
3. Cozy and secure with contractors and other news

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/12/lawmakers-secure-provision-in-ndaa-to-bring-transparency-to-war-contracting-process/feed/ 0 http://mssparky.com/2011/12/hearing-oversight-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-challenges-and-solutions/ http://mssparky.com/2011/12/hearing-oversight-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-challenges-and-solutions/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:58:34 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=26809 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Gov’t Investigators Testify on Iraq & Afghanistan Rebuilding Witnesses: The Honorable Gordon S. Heddell Inspector General U.S. Department of Defense (Click HERE for testimony PDF) The Honorable Harold W. Geisel Deputy Inspector General U.S. Department of State (Click HERE for testimony PDF) Mr. Michael G. Carroll [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. CWC holds hearing on DoD’s (lack of) oversight of wartime contracts
2. Security contractors face challenges in Iraq
3. Senators question oversight of contracts in Iraq

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/12/hearing-oversight-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-challenges-and-solutions/feed/ 3 http://mssparky.com/2011/12/igs-push-for-greater-whistleblower-protections-for-contractors/ http://mssparky.com/2011/12/igs-push-for-greater-whistleblower-protections-for-contractors/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:07:20 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=26698 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Whistleblowers have saved taxpayers more than $27 billion since 1987 through the False Claims Act (FCA) award program. However, this program offers no protections to whistleblowers who witness waste, mismanagement and other illegalities, POGO Director of Public Policy Angela Canterbury will tell a Senate subcommittee today [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. McCaskill calls for greater accountability for contractors
2. Iraqi government detaining foreign civilian contractors with greater frequency
3. Bunnatine Greenhouse settles whistleblower suit after she was injured by boobytrap

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/12/igs-push-for-greater-whistleblower-protections-for-contractors/feed/ 0 http://mssparky.com/2011/11/mccaskill-calls-for-greater-accountability-for-contractors/ http://mssparky.com/2011/11/mccaskill-calls-for-greater-accountability-for-contractors/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:46:21 +0000 Ms Sparky http://mssparky.com/?p=26517 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Following new report from federal watchdog, Senator calls again for suspending federal work with bad contractors PoliticalNews.me – WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 17,2011 – Citing the case of a private contractor that was never held accountable for negligence in the death of a U.S. servicemember, U.S. [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. Sen. McCaskill Rips DCAA on Audit Accountability
2. IGs push for greater whistleblower protections for contractors
3. Iraqi government detaining foreign civilian contractors with greater frequency

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/11/mccaskill-calls-for-greater-accountability-for-contractors/feed/ 5 http://mssparky.com/2011/11/senate-investigates-counterfeit-parts-in-military-equipment/ http://mssparky.com/2011/11/senate-investigates-counterfeit-parts-in-military-equipment/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:56:32 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=26201 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Washington, DC - November 8, 2011 – A Senate Armed Services Committee investigation found over a million suspect parts in the Pentagon’s supply chain, mostly from China. Committee leaders say the counterfeit parts are a danger to U.S. troops and cost taxpayers. Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. US military investigates contractor work force (with docs-updated)
2. Kustom Products provided military with faulty helicopter parts, U.S. alleges
3. Hero soldiers ‘thrown in the trash’: Military dumped body parts of dead servicemen killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in LANDFILL

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/11/senate-investigates-counterfeit-parts-in-military-equipment/feed/ 0 http://mssparky.com/2011/11/poor-contracting-oversight-supports-human-trafficking-erodes-u-s-moral-standing/ http://mssparky.com/2011/11/poor-contracting-oversight-supports-human-trafficking-erodes-u-s-moral-standing/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:31:19 +0000 Ms Sparky http://mssparky.com/?p=26122 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Dana Liebelson – (POGO) – November 2, 2011 – U.S. taxpayers are inadvertently funding human trafficking and worker abuse because of the federal government’s poor oversight of contractors in war zones, POGO Director of Investigations Nick Schwellenbach told a Congressional panel today. Schwellenbach wasn’t the only [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. KBR Subcontractor Accused of Human Trafficking Continues to Win U.S. Contracts
2. Your Tax Dollars Are Supporting Human Trafficking In Iraq
3. More DoD Investigations of Allegations of U.S. Contractor-Fueled Human Trafficking

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/11/poor-contracting-oversight-supports-human-trafficking-erodes-u-s-moral-standing/feed/ 6 http://mssparky.com/2011/10/hearing-are-government-contractors-exploiting-workers-overseas/ http://mssparky.com/2011/10/hearing-are-government-contractors-exploiting-workers-overseas/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:33:35 +0000 Ms Sparky http://mssparky.com/?p=26002 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Witnesses Panel I Ms. Liana Wyler, Senior Analyst Congressional Research Service Mr. David Isenberg, Independent Analyst and Writer Mr. Nick Schwellenbach, Director of Investigations, Project on Government Oversight Mr. Sam W. McCahon, Founder McCahon Law Panel II The Honorable Kenneth P. Moorefield, Deputy Inspector General for [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. Poor Contracting Oversight Supports Human Trafficking; Erodes U.S. “Moral Standing”
2. Organized Labor Wants To Help U.S. Workers Overseas
3. TIPs for the DoJ on filing their case against KBR (Updated 5/3/2011)

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/10/hearing-are-government-contractors-exploiting-workers-overseas/feed/ 10 http://mssparky.com/2011/10/sending-troops-home-could-pave-way-for-more-non-competitive-defense-contracting/ http://mssparky.com/2011/10/sending-troops-home-could-pave-way-for-more-non-competitive-defense-contracting/#comments Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:46:30 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=25893 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" R. Jeffrey Smith – (iWatch News) – October 22, 2011 – Out go all the U.S. troops by year’s end, President Obama said Friday about Iraq. And in go the contractors, along with some familiar contracting problems, say other government officials and independent experts. As the [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. Samir Itani got rich sending expired food overseas to U.S. troops in the Middle East
2. Troops home from Iraq & other reasons to give thanks on Thanksgiving
3. Obama announces end of Iraq war, troops to return home by year end

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/10/sending-troops-home-could-pave-way-for-more-non-competitive-defense-contracting/feed/ 1 http://mssparky.com/2011/10/senators-experts-to-watch-for-dod-contract-reforms/ http://mssparky.com/2011/10/senators-experts-to-watch-for-dod-contract-reforms/#comments Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:10:47 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=25864 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Matthew Weigelt – (Federal Computer) – October 19, 2011 – A member of the Wartime Contracting Commission asked senators to question the depth of support that defense officials have for major reforms in contracting operations during wartime or emergency situations — what are technically called “contingency operations.” “Policies [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. Two Senators Send Letter To Unseal Wartime Contracting Commission Records
2. Senators vow to continue work of expiring wartime contracting panel
3. Security experts question Army reservist’s top secret clearance

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/10/senators-experts-to-watch-for-dod-contract-reforms/feed/ 0 http://mssparky.com/2011/10/complacency-for-non-compliance-and-other-news/ http://mssparky.com/2011/10/complacency-for-non-compliance-and-other-news/#comments Sun, 09 Oct 2011 14:30:05 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=25622 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Several US diplomatic cables published by antisecrecy group WikiLeaks have discussed the flourishing sex tourism and flesh trade industry in the Philippines.  This, even before the ruckus caused by US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr., who claimed that 40% of all male foreign tourists [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. Non-compliance, no problem keep on doin’ whatcha do to US
2. Hall of shame inducts/indicts new members & other news
3. The art of decadence and decay & other news

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/10/complacency-for-non-compliance-and-other-news/feed/ 0 http://mssparky.com/2011/10/where-is-the-peace-dividend-examining-the-final-report-to-congress-of-the-commission-on-wartime-contracting/ http://mssparky.com/2011/10/where-is-the-peace-dividend-examining-the-final-report-to-congress-of-the-commission-on-wartime-contracting/#comments Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:40:54 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=25627 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Committee On Oversight & Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa – Preview Statement – October 4, 2011 – Today we welcome Congressman Christopher Shays – a former member of this committee, Mr. Michael Thibault, who co-chaired the commission’s work with Congressman Shays, and other members of the [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. Wartime Contracting Commission releases final report to Congress
2. Commission on Wartime Contracting Interim Report
3. Two Senators Send Letter To Unseal Wartime Contracting Commission Records

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/10/where-is-the-peace-dividend-examining-the-final-report-to-congress-of-the-commission-on-wartime-contracting/feed/ 0 http://mssparky.com/2011/10/are-contractors-overcharging-the-government-do-you-have-to-ask-really/ http://mssparky.com/2011/10/are-contractors-overcharging-the-government-do-you-have-to-ask-really/#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:17:50 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=25607 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" FOOD SERVICE MANAGEMENT CONTRACTS: ARE CONTRACTORS OVERCHARGING THE GOVERNMENT? Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight The federal government spends billions of dollars every year on contracts for food service management at military installations and bases, hospitals, and government buildings and through the federal school lunch program. [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. Contractors and Government: Till Death Do Them Part
2. POGO Study: Contractors Costing Government Twice as Much as In-House Workforce
3. Battle Royale Brewing Between Government Contractors, Auditors

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/10/are-contractors-overcharging-the-government-do-you-have-to-ask-really/feed/ 1 http://mssparky.com/2011/09/senators-vow-to-continue-work-of-expiring-wartime-contracting-panel/ http://mssparky.com/2011/09/senators-vow-to-continue-work-of-expiring-wartime-contracting-panel/#comments Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:30:20 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=25377 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"   (To watch the entire hearing click HERE) Charles S. Clark – (GovExec) –  September 22, 2011 – Harry Truman “would be shocked,” Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., told a Senate panel Wednesday during the final hearing on the expiring Wartime Contracting Commission that was modeled on [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. Two Senators Send Letter To Unseal Wartime Contracting Commission Records
2. Commission on Wartime Contracting Interim Report
3. Commission On Wartime Contracting Hearing September 14, 2009 Video

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/09/senators-vow-to-continue-work-of-expiring-wartime-contracting-panel/feed/ 2 http://mssparky.com/2011/09/ignorance-is-waste-and-other-news/ http://mssparky.com/2011/09/ignorance-is-waste-and-other-news/#comments Sun, 18 Sep 2011 15:27:22 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=25195 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" A culture that has allowed massive waste of taxpayers’ dollars has become business-as-usual at the Department of Defense.  Particularly in today’s fiscal environment, this cannot be tolerated.  If this is not corrected, the Department’s ability to continue defending the Nation and to provide for its national [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. Short changing taxpayers and other news
2. Tyrants of the Pentagon and other news
3. The spoils of sole sourcing & other news

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/09/ignorance-is-waste-and-other-news/feed/ 0 http://mssparky.com/2011/09/rep-tierney-says-penalty-for-afghan-contractors-too-small/ http://mssparky.com/2011/09/rep-tierney-says-penalty-for-afghan-contractors-too-small/#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:34:16 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=25214 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Richard Lardner – (Associated Press) – WASHINGTON – September 15, 2011 – An Afghan-owned security company accused of operating an illicit protection racket received “a slap on the wrist’’ from the Defense Department despite ample evidence of wrongdoing, according to a senior House Democrat critical of [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. US taxdollars pay for armed thugs in Afghanistan
2. Armor Holdings Agrees to Pay $10.2 Million Criminal Penalty to Resolve Violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
3. Afghan presidential decree bans security firms

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/09/rep-tierney-says-penalty-for-afghan-contractors-too-small/feed/ 2 http://mssparky.com/2011/08/windfalls-of-war-kbr-the-governments-concierge/ http://mssparky.com/2011/08/windfalls-of-war-kbr-the-governments-concierge/#comments Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:47:28 +0000 Ms Sparky http://mssparky.com/?p=24967 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" KBR’s umbrella contract to provide everything from showers to rebuilding airfields tops $37 billion. “It’s like a gigantic monopoly,” says one critic. After a decade of war, KBR’s umbrella contract tops $37 billion Sharon Weinberger – (The Center for Public Integrity – iWatch News) – August [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. Army’s LOGCAP contract is epic failure
2. KBR Loses Afghanistan to Fluor & Dyncorp
3. KBR’s LOGCAP III contract extended in Iraq LOGCAP IV task orders canceled

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/08/windfalls-of-war-kbr-the-governments-concierge/feed/ 4 http://mssparky.com/2011/08/former-kbr-tiger-team-leader-jill-pettibone-slithers-to-xe-services-formerly-blackwater/ http://mssparky.com/2011/08/former-kbr-tiger-team-leader-jill-pettibone-slithers-to-xe-services-formerly-blackwater/#comments Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:54:00 +0000 Ms Sparky http://mssparky.com/?p=24623 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Xe Services Names Jill Pettibone as Chief Administration Officer August 18, 2011 09:33 AM NEW YORK–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–USTC Holdings, LLC, the investor consortium that acquired Xe Services, LLC including its main holding U.S. Training Center, Inc. (USTC) in December 2010, today announced that Jill Pettibone [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. Government contractors overbilling for services — YA THINK?
2. KBR paid to kill anything that walks, crawls or slithers in Iraq
3. Safety team warns of ‘catastrophic’ wiring in Iraq

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/08/former-kbr-tiger-team-leader-jill-pettibone-slithers-to-xe-services-formerly-blackwater/feed/ 0 http://mssparky.com/2011/07/bunnatine-greenhouse-settles-whistleblower-suit-after-she-was-injured-by-boobytrap/ http://mssparky.com/2011/07/bunnatine-greenhouse-settles-whistleblower-suit-after-she-was-injured-by-boobytrap/#comments Wed, 27 Jul 2011 03:16:49 +0000 Ms Sparky http://mssparky.com/?p=23936 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" (The Bunnatine Greenhouse segment is after the Noraway attacks. I couldn’t figure out how to separate them or fast forward. It’s well worth your patience.) EXCLUSIVE: Fired Army Whistleblower Receives $970K for Exposing Halliburton No-Bid Contract in Iraq Bunnatine “Bunny” Greenhouse, the former chief oversight official [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. Vodka butt-shot contractor ArmorGroup settles with DoJ, how they will celebrate?
2. Tamimi, the unlucky “13th defendant” settles with the U.S.
3. T. Christian Miller – Injured War Contractors Sue Over Health Care, Disability Payments

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/07/bunnatine-greenhouse-settles-whistleblower-suit-after-she-was-injured-by-boobytrap/feed/ 4 http://mssparky.com/2011/07/pentagon-legislative-proposals-to-strengthen-contractor-oversight-shot-down-internally/ http://mssparky.com/2011/07/pentagon-legislative-proposals-to-strengthen-contractor-oversight-shot-down-internally/#comments Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:21:44 +0000 Forseti http://mssparky.com/?p=23680 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" Nick Schwellenbach – (POGO) – July 14, 2011 – Did the Pentagon ignore proposals by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) to increase oversight of federal contractors and save taxpayer dollars? POGO has obtained documents outlining legislative proposals submitted by the DCAA to Pentagon leadership back [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. Pentagon adopts “don’t ask don’t tell” policy on contractor oversight
2. Defense Contractors Block Auditor Access to Records, Insiders Say
3. Vodka Butt-Shot Contractor (ArmorGroup) STILL Guarding the Kabul Embassy

]]> http://mssparky.com/2011/07/pentagon-legislative-proposals-to-strengthen-contractor-oversight-shot-down-internally/feed/ 0 http://mssparky.com/2011/07/jury-says-no-rape-no-fraud-in-jamie-leigh-jones-rape-case-against-kbr/ http://mssparky.com/2011/07/jury-says-no-rape-no-fraud-in-jamie-leigh-jones-rape-case-against-kbr/#comments Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:54:48 +0000 Ms Sparky http://mssparky.com/?p=23499 Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky"

Ms Sparky - is a post from: "Ms Sparky" by khou.com & The Associated Press Posted on July 8, 2011 at 3:32 PM HOUSTON – A federal jury on Friday ruled that a woman who sued KBR over an alleged sexual assault in Iraq was not raped, and the company did not commit fraud. Jamie [...] Other related posts from Ms Sparky:

1. Jury deliberating Jamie Leigh Jones case against KBR
2. Closing arguments set for today in Jamie Leigh Jones rape case
3. Jamie Leigh Jones rape case against KBR/Halliburton begins today (Updated)

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