Well, Entropy, I’m a cynical kind of guy, and I won’t take any public announcement of Halliburton at face value. Hell, this is the rea of global communication, it almost doesn’t matter anymore where a headquarter is situate. Why go through the complicated and costly effort to relocate to a place almost on the othr side of the globe? This project comes with some serious drawbacks for the management. Moving from the US to Dubai, with their families, certainly isn’t something the executives took lightly. But the explanation for this bold move doesn’t really hold water. Isn’t the majority of Halliburton clients in the US? It were the jobs for the DoD that provided the huge profit of the last years, not some middle east governments.

So, no, this explanation stinks. There have to be other reasons behind the relocation, and the first thing that comes into almost everybody’s mind are those reports about Halliburton’s involvement in contract fraud.

Soros doesn’t mind a tax break any more than the oil boys.

Well, if Halliburton thinks it’s good for their operations, who am I to question it? I’m sure they looked at the security situation closely before coming to this decision.

Well, I think the same concerns the US coast guard, among many reasonable voices, had about the port deal apply here, too (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/26/national/main1346503.shtml ). The US simply can’t guarantee the same level of security against spying and infiltration in a foreign country where militant islamists may easily blend into the population and where US agencies don’t have authority than in the US. You certainly won’t state here that it makes no difference if the logistics center for the US army is located in the US or in Dubai, no? Or do you doubt that managing the supply for US troops in Iraq is a sensitive business? Hmm…

And the name is Gray, not Dave, Entropy. I didn’t star in ‘2001′…

You seem to suggest the move could potentially damage “sensitive operations directly effecting [sic] the security of US troops.” Do you have any evidence for that or is it just speculation?

Dubai is great for any number of reasons. I don’t see working there as a security risk. Even the US Navy pulls its ships into the nearby port of Jebal Ali so sailors can get some R&R there.

Hmm, I guess this answers Jim’s question. The taxes will still be paid in the US.

Don’t forget the third point, Jim: What about subpoenas and arrest warrants? Can they be successfully delivered in Dubai, or is it a safe haven for white collar criminals hiding from US jurisprudence?

A great place for toursits and business men doesn’t necessarily have to be a great place to plan and manage sensitive operations directly effecting the security of US troops, Entropy. Apples and oranges.

Entropy…you mentioned the liberal media’s interest in this story.

It will be interesting to see if the Soros funded Media Matters for America, or CREW, include this as part of their outrages of the day this week…given their patron’s new investment in Haliburton hahahahahahaha….

I can’t wait to hear it – but then, I really don’t need to wait. It won’t get much of a mention on the Right I’d wager, though I’ll admit I haven’t checked to see.