Reply #28: John Shaw

[seemslikeadream]

Monday, October 13

in iraq

Al Jazeera reports in US launches Iraq contract agency that a new agency is being created to facilitate sub-contracting work in Iraq. The new agency was apparently announced at the most recent conference held in London.

Oddly enough, the new agency will be under the Pentagon, not the State Department. The US administration appears to have difficulty with recognizing the necessity of clearly defined boundaries. All subcontractors will now be viewed as working directly as US military contractors. Given the current status of security, that does not appear to be a wise and well thought out strategy.
The US said it plans to create a new agency, under the auspices of the Pentagon, to deal with awarding contracts related to the rebuilding effort in Iraq.

The new agency, which has yet to be named, will start work at the beginning of November under the direction of retired admiral David Nash, according to the US Deputy Under Secretary of Defence for International Technology Security, John Shaw. The unit will be charged with coordinating the distribution of sub-contracting work in Iraq, notably by US groups Bechtel and Halliburton, the main contractors in Iraq's reconstruction.

Shaw agreed there were “divergences” over the process between the US Agency for International Development (USAID) - which awarded the main contracts under the supervision of the State Department - and the Pentagon.

more
http://blogistonpost.blogspot.com/2003_10_01_blogistonpost_archive.html

Iraq Telecom

Information Gatekeepers Inc. to Hold Half-Day Executive Briefing on Opportunities in the“Telecommunications Reconstruction in Iraq” in Washington DC Sept. 29As part of its “Executive Telecom Briefing Series,” Information Gatekeepers Inc. (IGI) is planninga half-day briefing on “Telecommunications Reconstruction in Iraq” on September 29, 2003 between8 am and noon. The program will include four to six speakers from Government and Industry whohave been intimately involved in the planning and funding of projects for the telecommunicationsreconstruction in Iraq. The keynote speaker will be the Honorable John Shaw, Deputy Undersecretaryfor International Technology Security, office of the Secretary of Defense.Some of the topics to be covered at the briefing include:-Status of the telecommunications reconstruction in Iraq-Plans for funding of major projects-Major players in the reconstruction program-Present state of the Iraq networks-Contracts awarded and planned-How to obtain information on new projects-Meet with key officials from government and industry
more
http://www.biz-lib.com/info/28908.pdf


WASHINGTON—The Pentagon has asked Coalition Provisional Authority head L. Paul Bremer to revoke the three regional mobile-phone licenses in Iraq, according to documents and e-mails obtained today by RCR Wireless News.
The Department of Defense said action is necessary in light of an investigation that found possible illegal activity and fraud in connection with the three wireless operators and their alleged ties to a former business associate of toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

“Wholly aside from allegations of criminal wrongdoing, this memorandum is to inform you that my investigation also uncovered a fraud on the Ministry of Communications by Orascom, Atheer and AsiaCell,” said John Shaw, DoD’s undersecretary for international technology security, in a June 14 correspondence to Bremer.
Shaw said the matter has been referred to the FBI for further action.

It is unclear whether Bremer, attempting to engineer next week’s handover of political sovereignty to a reconstituted Iraqi government—will act on Shaw’s recommendation.

“To fail to act to revoke the licenses before June 30 will in effect ratify the CPA role in the corruption of the process over the past year. Prompt action to rescind the licenses, however, will send a clear message to those who would use the transition to ensure the success of similar nefarious schemes in other sectors,” said Shaw in a June 15 e-mail to Bremer.
A Bremer aide told Shaw the matter has been referred to the CPA general counsel.

more
http://www.rcrnews.com/

Congress made a different judgment. It deemed all crimes within the INA's definition of "aggravated felony" to be particularly serious when committed by an alien, because such crimes are integral to international terrorism, drug trafficking, and organized immigration crime, which do threaten physical (and other) harms. See, e.g., 1994 House Hearing, supra, at 124, 125, 181 (connecting visa and passport fraud to terrorism and drug-trafficking); 1989 House Hearing, supra, at 18 (statement of Jack Shaw, Assistant Commissioner, INS) (listing immigration fraud, along with crimes of violence and drug smuggling, as "activity represents the greatest threat to public safety"), 26 (racketeering is "major law enforcement problem[] involving aliens").

Congress was especially intent upon addressing the harms associated with alien smuggling and related offenses. See H.R. Rep. No. 22, supra, at 7-8 (discussing alien smuggling rings and their involvement in other crimes); H.R. Rep. No. 469, supra, Pt. 1, at 116 ("Alien smuggling is often linked to other crimes, such as drug smuggling and trafficking, prostitution, racketeering, and severe labor law violations."); Testimony of Doris Meissner, supra, 1995 WL 110438 (organized immigration rings engage in criminal activities and enterprises including counterfeiting, illegal acquisition of firearms and explosives, narcotics smuggling and trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering activity such as extortion, bribery, obstruction of investigation by violence, and financial fraud); 1989 House Hearing, supra, at 36 (statement of Jack Shaw) (discussing crimes of alien smuggling rings), 44 (same). As Representative McCollum of Florida explained, aliens in organized crime rings "extort large sums from * * * illegal immigrants in return for passage to the United States and for the fraudulent documents they need to obtain entry. In many cases, these illegal immigrants * * * are forced into involuntary servitude, prostitution, and other crimes in order to repay these fees. In some cases * * *, the attempt to smuggle these illegals goes tragically wrong and people die." 141 Cong. Rec. 4394 (1995). Representative Kennedy likened alien-smuggling to the "slave trade." Id. at 4395-4396; see H.R. Rep. No. 469, supra, Pt. 1, at 117 ("many smuggled aliens are victims, more than beneficiaries," of alien smuggling). Congress thus reasonably determined that smuggling-related crimes are "serious crimes that threaten public safety and national security." H.R. Rep. No. 469, supra, Pt. 1, at 107.

more
http://supreme.lp.findlaw.com/supreme_court/briefs/01-1491/01-1491.mer.usa.rtf