The Columbus Institute of Contemporary Journalism (CICJ) has operated Freepress.org since 2000 and ColumbusFreepress.com was started initially as a separate project to highlight the print newspaper and local content.
ColumbusFreepress.com has been operating as a project of the CICJ for many years and so the sites are now being merged so all content on ColumbusFreepress.com now lives on Freepress.org
The Columbus Freepress is a non-profit funded by donations we need your support to help keep local journalism that isn't afraid to speak truth to power alive.
Today, a little noticed vote took place in the Senate.
S.AMDT. 2476 was killed on a what was essentially a
straight party line vote. That amendment to the 2006
defense authorization bill, sponsored by Byron
Dorgan(D-ND), would have established a Special
Committee of the Senate on War and Reconstruction
Contracting, similar to the Truman Commission which
oversaw US contractors during WW II. That commission
saved US tax payers the equivalent of billions of
current US dollars.
Given the number of unbid contracts granted in Iraq,
and elsewhere, not to mention the $8.8 billion in
taxpayer dollars that simply disappeared during J.
Paul Bremer's tenure as Proconsul in Iraq, it would
behoove Congress to begin taking its oversight duties
seriously. That the Republicans in the Senate, decided
to kill the amendment raises serious questions. Not
the least of which is, "Just what are you trying to
hide?" Indeed, what is it that you don't want found
out? Don't you think that we, the people deserve some
accounting as to how our tax dollars are being used,
abused or outright stolen?
Senate Republicans, should be ashamed of themselves.
They were elected to do the people's bidding, not that
of their campaign contributors...Not that of the
RNC...The people. Shame on you all.
