Links
- Irish Aires Home Page
- IA Houston Links
- IA Links Page
- IA News Links
- Irish Aires Archived
- IA Email Lists
- Irish Aires Blog
- IAUC
Archives
- October 2004
- November 2004
- December 2004
- January 2005
- February 2005
- March 2005
- April 2005
- May 2005
- June 2005
- July 2005
- August 2005
- September 2005
- October 2005
- November 2005
- December 2005
- January 2006
- February 2006
- March 2006
- April 2006
- May 2006
- June 2006
- July 2006
- August 2006
- September 2006
- October 2006
- November 2006
- December 2006
- January 2007
- February 2007
- March 2007
- April 2007
- May 2007
- June 2007
- August 2007
- September 2007
- October 2007
- November 2007
- December 2007
- January 2008
- February 2008
- March 2008
- April 2008
- May 2008
- June 2008
- July 2008
- November 2008
- December 2008
- February 2009
- April 2009
- May 2009
- January 2010
- April 2011
- May 2011
- June 2011
- July 2011
- August 2011
- February 2012
News about the Irish & Irish American culture, music, news, sports. This is hosted by the Irish Aires radio show on KPFT-FM 90.1 in Houston, Texas (a Pacifica community radio station)
February 15, 2007
Tim Spicer / Aegis Defense Contractor Action Alert from PFC
PFC ACTION ALERT...Please forward
US Congressional hearings are being held this week into
private contractors in Iraq . The hearings were announced
after audits conducted by the special inspector general
uncovered billions of dollars in Iraq reconstruction funds
that have been misspent or are simply unaccounted for.
Concerns about the use of private security companies in
Iraq have flourished in recent years. One private security
contractor in particular, warrants intense scrutiny.
Please contact your local Representatives and ask the
following questions about the award of a $293 million
contract to Aegis Defense Services as well as questions
about the use of private security contractors in general.
Contact the US Congressional Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform and ask the Committee to consider the TEN
Questions outlined below in relation to Aegis and ex
British Army LT Col Tim Spicer
U.S. House of Representatives
2157 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Tel (202) 225-5051
fax to 202-225-4784.
Send The Email Through
http://oversight.house.gov/contact.asp
10 Questions about the Aegis contract.
1) How was a company with no prior experience in Iraq
awarded a $293 million dollar contract? Why was the
contract renewed after receiving poor performance ratings
from the GAO?
2) Has former British Army General James Ellery's
involvement in the award of the Aegis contract been
investigated? At the time the contract was awarded he was
a senior advisor to the Provisional Coalition Authority
(CPA). Soon after the contract was awarded Mr. Ellery left
this post and took up a position with Aegis managing the
RSSS contract in Iraq . Mr. Ellery currently serves on
the board of directors of Aegis.
3) What information about the background of Aegis CEO Tim
Spicer was evaluated when the $293 million contract was
awarded?
4) At the time the contract was awarded, was the CPA aware
that Spicer had justified a human rights abuse, the murder
of 18 year old Peter McBride by soldiers under his command
in Belfast in 1992. In justifying the murder, Spicer
portrayed a version of the events in his sworn affidavit
and later in his autobiography that was dismissed by the
trial court as fictional.
5) Was the CPA aware that Spicer's statement in his
autobiography that his soldiers should not have been
convicted showed a blatant disregard for British and
International law? Do the CPA and the U.S. Military
consider it important for the head of a private security
company conducting military operations in Iraq to be able
to demonstrate that he understands under what circumstances
those under his command could use lethal force ?
6) Was the CPA aware that Spicer, as the head of his
previous company, Sandline International, had been
investigated for Sandline's activities in Sierra Leone and
in Papua New Guinea ?
7) Was the CPA aware that Sandline's activities in Papua
New Guinea led to Spicer's arrest and a coup against the
government ?
8) Was the allegation investigated that Spicer requested
and received blank end user certificates for small arms ?
9) Did the Pentagon investigation into the March 2006 Aegis
shoot-to-kill "trophy video" include evidence from all of
those present in the SUV from where the shootings occurred?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BDByPfIavQ
10) Did those who conducted the Pentagon investigation take
evidence from any of those fired upon or indeed from any
Iraqi civilians?
----
Last week US Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur made some
interesting comments on the Pentagon's contract with Tim
Spicer at a House Committee hearing on Friday:
"I will say this, both in closed door meetings and in
public, I have yet to find a person other than the auditor,
who is able to shed any light on how it was that Aegis, a
foreign corporation, was given a contract where now we have
the second-largest force in Iraq, larger than the Brits,
headed by someone named Tim Spicer.
Who signed that contract, and what are those 20,000 people
doing, many of whom are foreign mercenaries? What are they
doing? Why can't I get any answers out of our Government?
What is happening inside the Department of Defence? What
are those people doing over there?
The last answer I got was, well Congresswoman, you''ll have
to go over to Central Command over in Baghdad . OK, I'll
go, but why can't I get answers on that as a member of this
committee? "
http://www.serve.com/pfc/
US Congressional hearings are being held this week into
private contractors in Iraq . The hearings were announced
after audits conducted by the special inspector general
uncovered billions of dollars in Iraq reconstruction funds
that have been misspent or are simply unaccounted for.
Concerns about the use of private security companies in
Iraq have flourished in recent years. One private security
contractor in particular, warrants intense scrutiny.
Please contact your local Representatives and ask the
following questions about the award of a $293 million
contract to Aegis Defense Services as well as questions
about the use of private security contractors in general.
Contact the US Congressional Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform and ask the Committee to consider the TEN
Questions outlined below in relation to Aegis and ex
British Army LT Col Tim Spicer
U.S. House of Representatives
2157 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Tel (202) 225-5051
fax to 202-225-4784.
Send The Email Through
http://oversight.house.gov/contact.asp
10 Questions about the Aegis contract.
1) How was a company with no prior experience in Iraq
awarded a $293 million dollar contract? Why was the
contract renewed after receiving poor performance ratings
from the GAO?
2) Has former British Army General James Ellery's
involvement in the award of the Aegis contract been
investigated? At the time the contract was awarded he was
a senior advisor to the Provisional Coalition Authority
(CPA). Soon after the contract was awarded Mr. Ellery left
this post and took up a position with Aegis managing the
RSSS contract in Iraq . Mr. Ellery currently serves on
the board of directors of Aegis.
3) What information about the background of Aegis CEO Tim
Spicer was evaluated when the $293 million contract was
awarded?
4) At the time the contract was awarded, was the CPA aware
that Spicer had justified a human rights abuse, the murder
of 18 year old Peter McBride by soldiers under his command
in Belfast in 1992. In justifying the murder, Spicer
portrayed a version of the events in his sworn affidavit
and later in his autobiography that was dismissed by the
trial court as fictional.
5) Was the CPA aware that Spicer's statement in his
autobiography that his soldiers should not have been
convicted showed a blatant disregard for British and
International law? Do the CPA and the U.S. Military
consider it important for the head of a private security
company conducting military operations in Iraq to be able
to demonstrate that he understands under what circumstances
those under his command could use lethal force ?
6) Was the CPA aware that Spicer, as the head of his
previous company, Sandline International, had been
investigated for Sandline's activities in Sierra Leone and
in Papua New Guinea ?
7) Was the CPA aware that Sandline's activities in Papua
New Guinea led to Spicer's arrest and a coup against the
government ?
8) Was the allegation investigated that Spicer requested
and received blank end user certificates for small arms ?
9) Did the Pentagon investigation into the March 2006 Aegis
shoot-to-kill "trophy video" include evidence from all of
those present in the SUV from where the shootings occurred?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BDByPfIavQ
10) Did those who conducted the Pentagon investigation take
evidence from any of those fired upon or indeed from any
Iraqi civilians?
----
Last week US Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur made some
interesting comments on the Pentagon's contract with Tim
Spicer at a House Committee hearing on Friday:
"I will say this, both in closed door meetings and in
public, I have yet to find a person other than the auditor,
who is able to shed any light on how it was that Aegis, a
foreign corporation, was given a contract where now we have
the second-largest force in Iraq, larger than the Brits,
headed by someone named Tim Spicer.
Who signed that contract, and what are those 20,000 people
doing, many of whom are foreign mercenaries? What are they
doing? Why can't I get any answers out of our Government?
What is happening inside the Department of Defence? What
are those people doing over there?
The last answer I got was, well Congresswoman, you''ll have
to go over to Central Command over in Baghdad . OK, I'll
go, but why can't I get answers on that as a member of this
committee? "
http://www.serve.com/pfc/
