US chiefs honoured in secret by Britain

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

Antony Barnett, investigations editor
Sunday June 18, 2006
The Observer

The government has been secretly awarding honours to senior figures in the US military and foreign businessmen with lucrative public sector contracts, The Observer can reveal. The Observer has obtained a Foreign Office list detailing all non-British citizens who have been awarded honours since 2003 - the first time the complete three-year dossier has been released.

It has emerged that Riley Bechtel, the billionaire boss of the US-based Bechtel Corporation, which has won lucrative transport and nuclear contracts in Britain, as well as making a fortune from the Iraq War, was secretly awarded a CBE in 2003.

This award has never been made public either by the British government or Bechtel. At the time Jack Straw, now Leader of the House of Commons, was Foreign Secretary.

Although there is no suggestion of any wrong-doing, questions are being asked about whether the Foreign Office kept the awards quiet for fear of a political backlash.

More: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,,1800267,00.html

Damn. It's like kudzu.

[daleo]

1. What's the point of an honor

If you have to keep it secret?

[IndianaGreen]

2. Neither the British nor the American governments feel they owe

an explanation to their respective populations. If they had listened to us, Blair would not have gone to war with Bush.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. I think it's like a kids' secret club at school

You pass notes to each other on class, saying "you're my bestest friend - but don't tell anyone!". I suspect they let a few other powerful people know - "this is a favoured businessman, so if you want to get your own British government contracts, behave like him".

It's roughly the equivalent of the Masons - but without the vague tendency to be philanthropic.

[Benhurst]

3. More proof it's time for that little turd Tony to go. NT

[IChing]

4. General Tommy Franks "Mr. shock and awe" and other US war criminals

The list shows that under Straw the Foreign Office awarded honours to several senior US military personnel involved in the Iraq invasion.
These included the US military commander General Tommy Franks,
known as 'Mr Shock and Awe' for his role in devising the battle plan for the 2003 invasion.

Others include Vice-Admiral Timothy Keating,
who was in charge of all maritime forces involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom;

Rear Admiral Barry Costello, commander of the Third Fleet and Task Force 55 during the Iraq invasion;
Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Childress;
and General Tad Moseley, chief of staff to the US Air Force.

[rodeodance]

6. te he. they have to do it secretly. of course it is political to keep it

silent!!!

[fedsron2us]

7. The MBE, OBE and CBE are the 'toilet cleaners awards'

according to Michael Winner who recently turned one down.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,1785105,00.html

If you are not offered a knighthood then you are essentially lower class scum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_British_Empire

Maybe that explains why the boss of Bechtel wanted his humiliation at the hand of the British government kept secret.

[lovuian]

8. Its more like a Secret Society Bash Lets face it the

New World Order needs to reward its troops...