Gulf War vets who were tortured, beaten and held captive in inhumane conditions by Saddam in 1991 were awarded $1,000,000 from the Iraqi government.

But now the White House says they can't have it...

Nice "Commander and Chief"

 

 

Bush screwing tortured vets!

Gulf War vets who were tortured, beaten and held captive in inhumane conditions by Saddam in 1991 were awarded $1,000,000 from the Iraqi government.

But now the White House says they can't have it...

The Bush administration urged an appeals court Wednesday to overturn a judge's order awarding nearly $1 billion in Iraqi money to 17 Americans taken prisoner by Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s government during the 1991 Persian Gulf War (news - web sites).

The POWs filed suit against Iraq in April 2002 under a 1996 law that allows victims to pursue blocked assets if they've won damage awards against foreign governments that sponsor terrorism.

 

 

U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts sided with the POWs last summer and ordered payment of $653 million in compensatory damages and $306 million in punitive damages.

 

 

But the Justice Department stepped in and said the POWs could not have access to any of the $1.7 billion of Iraqi assets frozen in 1990. It argued that President Bush (news - web sites) formally seized those assets after the invasion of Iraq last year and that the money would be used for rebuilding the country. Judge Roberts reluctantly agreed that the government had the right to block those funds from being used.

Hmmm, Why would we want to give any of that money to the individual men and women who actually did something, when you could give it to giant US corporations (re: Haliburton, etc.) to rebuild the country?

this story has never gotten the attention it deserves, nor the comments

 

as this case has wended its way through the courts the position of the Bush administration [put your own word in here] me

I am not surprised at all. Once again, Bush is looking to close budget holes the wrong way.

I am not surprised at all.  Once again, Bush is looking to close budget holes the wrong way.

This is Iraqi money we froze. I don't think it should be used to plug budget holes. I do understand the rational for using it to rebuild the country. ut cut a little scratch loose for the guys who deserve it.

This is Iraqi money we froze. I don't think it should be used to plug budget holes. I do understand the rational for using it to rebuild the country. ut cut a little scratch loose for the guys who deserve it.

Tex you are right that this is Iraqi money that is at issue, not US money

 

I also think your earlier point is right on that those in DC right now would rather pay Haliburton than our own soldiers