Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers

No doubt this will automatically be labeled as "liberal propaganda" by some but the issues tackled in this film should be of concern to everyone, Republican or Democrat.

I must admit that I didn't know much about contracting before this film came along, though I had heard bits and pieces before in the news about Dick Cheney's shady Halliburton dealings. "Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers" truly opened my eyes to the horrendous waste and fraud that is going on in Iraq and the risks that contractors and our troops have been exposed to by companies who were found in some cases to value money more than human life. People might possess the misconception that this film takes a stance against the war and against private contracting in general, but that is absolutely not the case; rather it takes a stand against war PROFITEERING and tells the stories of those who have been personally affected by it. The interviews with family members whose loved ones died needlessly are truly heartbreaking, as is the moving testimony of a former Halliburton employee, Ben Carter, who discovered the company was providing contaminated water to soldiers.

I recommend that everyone show the film to friends, family and co-workers since Brave New Films counts on people and not theaters to distribute their movies. A definite must-see.

Robert Greenwald is a filmmaker I'm familiar with well from his very prolific output of politically charged documentaries (with one regular dramatic feature also) from the past several years, my favorite being Outfoxed. Now he comes with Iraq for Sale, a documentary aimed at exposing one of the gravest injustices to come out of the invasion of Iraq. The contractors who have been given carte-blanche (primarily Haliburton aka KBR) to take control of how the military is taken care of and that just to turn a profit (albeit a major, huge one) people who didn't sign up to fight for the USA die off. Greenwald, as in other docs, takes on the subject matter from two angles- the emotional side, where those close to those who died air their grievances and outrage at losing members of their family and friends; and the factual side, where it's laid out pretty plainly the message- something very, very corrupt and fascist is going on in both the so-called protection of the soldiers and in the Abu-Gharib scandal.

Greenwald's film-making style isn't too bad at all, and is held back from being flashy with the usage of graphics and charts and such when interviewing his subjects. And a lot of the archival footage and testimonies do all add up to something that leaves one with a feeling of near hopelessness (saying near because there should still be hope that this can change). But at the same time I also felt that Greenwald could only go for so much in the 70 minute running time. He un-earths a couple of things I didn't know of, such as the corporations Caci and Titan, one of which was partly responsible for the torture in the prisons (half in military get-up, half in just regular attire, all torturing mostly random civilians). The numbers are also pretty staggering at times, though at this point with the practically one-party rule in the country- where corporate interests go hand in pocketed hand with lobbyists and firms- things shouldn't be surprising at this point. But that it feels a little rushed at times too is my only real complaint overall about the picture.

It's really worth a viewing though, regardless of political affiliation (even as the Right would get uncomfortable and have to take their views into account when seeing Bush and Rumsfeld on screen). It deals with things that should be of consequence to all Americans, who are the ones paying out their tax dollars to intolerable problems in monopolized power structures. It almost comes off towards the last part, in discussing Halburton, like watching something out of a ice-cold communist structure where people in high places getting paid a lot give menial, awful conditions to those who are technically those to take care of. As Greenwald shows to his most prominent point, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and in this case during this 'war on terror' going on in Iraq.

This film shows how our tax dollars were wasted! We are paying contractors at prices far higher than what it costs us for the same thing. For example, buying new trucks every time one of them gets a minor maintenance problem. Another example of abuse is the fact that we are paying $99 per bag of laundry to get it washed by a contractor. Still another example of abuse, is that one of the contractors is supplying water to our troops that contains diseases in it for people to shower in. Also, it shows in detail how we paid to torture war prisoners. Another shocking detail was how the contractors did not get the proper equipment to protect themselves. Additionally, the contract workers were saying in 5-star hotels at night, while our troops were getting tents. What is even more shocking is the connections these companies have with officials, and how contracts to them were awarded without taking bids.

Our country needs to stand up, and hold our people in the white house, congress, the justice department, and our military accountable for these actions. We have spent almost a half a trillion dollars on the Iraq War now, and billions of it were wasted in this abuse of our money by these private contractors. Thanks to Robert Greenwald for getting out the truth to the American public again!!!!!

The story of the connection between the privately held corporations that have profited from the war in Iraq without oversight and the Bush administration has been revealed in bits and pieces over the years. This film attempts to connect the links and highlight the impact that it has had on the lives of those most affected. It is admirable that a first time director would tackle such a feat, but it could be done more successfully. Better editing and a little more research into the issues could have made this film stronger. There are a few things that I find annoying in the film. First is the sloppy use of Powerpoint like graphs & tables. The directors show names of companies and individuals in boxes and lines in between them, but never really backs this up with any explanation of what the boxes & lines represent, much less actually proving that links between the many people mentioned actually exist. The directors also make heavy-handed use of dramatic music, which usually gets on my nerves. If the story is dramatic (which it is) and effectively presented (this could have been done with better editing), such hyperbole isn't needed. A lot of the information has been previously reported in The Nation, The Christian Science Monitor & Democracy Now, what this documentary adds is the personal toll that the privatization of war has had on those who fight it. Many of the interviews are very good, though a bit repetitive in their message. A clearer structure to the film, either by a timeline or using an omniscient narrator, would have made it stronger. As it stands the film is repetitive & I found myself (someone already familiar with the story) nodding off at about the half way point. Some talking heads (NGO representatives, academics, etc.) would have also strengthened this film and give it a bit more analytical edge to it.

Finally the country is waking up to the realization that things are not as they should be. Either here or overseas. The wrong people have the power and the money and wrong people are suffering on account of it. But what can we do? How can I be apart of making it all change or shift gears?

Now there is one strategy placed at your doorsteps. In the driving cinematic film Iraq for Sale. It is a documentary that the masses should see. It is is informative, engrossing, and enraging. Giving us the low down about War Profiteering and its ugly bi product, corporate greed. Is it possible that people could be making money from this unnecessary war? Why, yes it is. I wouldn't be surprised if the very necessity of the current state of affairs stems from this corrupt connection between the companies profiting and the politicians supporting them.

Iraq for Sale is a unique tool that can be used to make a difference simply by joining the grass roots movement and sharing it with the people you know. Host a screening, buy one for a friend, inform people about the movie and its website. In order to move in the direction of change you half to first take one step in the right direction. And that step has always begun with arming the people with knowledge.