Say 'yes' to clean coal, but say 'no' to General Electric

Conservative host, Bill O’Reilly correctly noted that the United States Department of State has not condemned GE and neither had the Bush administration. Other companies, he volunteered also had business dealings with Iran. Burlingame mentioned that the US Securities and Exchange Commission inquired into GE in 2006, asking “what are you doing, what's your involvement, what's the extent of your contracts”? GE responded: “basically, it’s none of your business; we're complying with law; and our focus is ensuring shareholder value.”

At that juncture, Mr Holton chimed in stating that GE (and others) are providing “corporate life support for our enemies in the war on terrorism when they do business with Iran. It would not have been acceptable in the 1940s to build a hydroelectric plant in Nazi Germany. And it's not acceptable today to be building a hydroelectric plant in Iran. Iran is killing Coalition troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

This last sentence should be disturbing reading to every Australian.

Syria, too, is a lucrative market for GE. And Syria, listed as a “terror state” by the US State Department, is up to its armpits in butchering Coalition troops in Iraq. After all, 90 per cent of the foreign fighters in Iraq pass through Syria.

The main occupation of such terrorists is to detonate suicide bombs and lay improvised explosive devices (IEDs), resulting in the killing and maiming of Coalition forces. These criminals fly into Damascus from all over the Islamic world and enter Iraq through its western border. The Americans call this the “ratline”. And GE is bankrolling the ratline, as Mr Holton said, by giving life support to these terror states.

When asked by Mr O’Reilly if GE is really “helping Syria” or is just “doing business”, Mr Holton replied “they (GE) disclosed this themselves. They're doing business with the Syrian government and the Iranian government. GE says that they're doing business with those governments.”

Ms Burlingame put it best: “I'd like the American people to understand that what GE is doing is within the letter of the law, but is most definitely violating the spirit of the law. We are trying desperately to avoid another war. These sanctions (against Syria and Iran) are to help give our diplomats and our country something to bargain with in diplomatic talks”. She continued “We're trying to turn these countries into international pariahs. And when you give them goods and services, you're working against us.”

It’s hoped that when our state politicians discuss clean coal and deliberate handing over millions of our tax dollars to prop up those who prop up our enemies, that they reflect on the deaths in mid July 2007 of two Australians, both Queenslanders killed by a roadside IED.