'The Most Dangerous Dam in the World'
Just when it seemed I couldn't be surprised by events in Iraq, I see the story of the Mosul Dam.
The largest dam in Iraq is in serious danger of an imminent collapse that could unleash a trillion-gallon wave of water, possibly killing thousands of people and flooding two of the largest cities in the country, according to new assessments by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other U.S. officials.
Even in a country gripped by daily bloodshed, the possibility of a catastrophic failure of the Mosul Dam has alarmed American officials, who have concluded that it could lead to as many as 500,000 civilian deaths by drowning Mosul under 65 feet of water and parts of Baghdad under 15 feet, said Abdulkhalik Thanoon Ayoub, the dam manager. “The Mosul dam is judged to have an unacceptable annual failure probability,” in the dry wording of an Army Corps of Engineers draft report.
U.S. officials are aware of the disaster-waiting-to-happen, and initiated a $27 million reconstruction project to help shore up the dam. So what happened? “Incompetence and mismanagement” have marred the project.
The Army Corps of Engineers’ draft report describes this as “the most dangerous dam in the world,” adding, “If a small problem [at] Mosul Dam occurs, failure is likely.”
Iraqi and U.S. officials realize how serious the situation is, but have decided not to tell Iraqis, for fear of scaring them. I’m not an expert on such matters, but if a trillion-gallon wave of water may burst through an unsafe dam and put much of Mosul under 20 meters of water, shouldn’t the Iraqi citizens be frightened? Maybe if these citizens knew, the problem may be more likely to get fixed in a hurry?
They should rename the dam "Al Queda's Newest Target"
Not unlike the situation GW and company have created by first invading, and then just bungling everything! When the Levee Breaks! What a disaster!
You put Bush in charge of something, anything and this is what you get, one disaster right after another.
Another fine job by BushCo. Incompetence run amok!
I don't believe it. Somebody put their spin on this so GW can get more money into Iraq.
Damn dams!
Ahh, they FOUND an excuse to keep our troops there!
they aren't even going to mention the affect this hydro ELECTRIC dam failure wiill have on the Iraqi National Grid?
Heckuva Dam
What, no luck shoring up the damn with bundles of hundred-dollar bills?
We don't tell them because we want them dead.
Dead people don't fight back.
look, this is all part of the plan of turning iraq into a world class amusement park/resort. however, we first need to eliminate all of the indigenous "wildlife", and then engineer the giant waterslides. so here's an excellent opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, so please stop your bitching.
So, they're not telling the Iraqis so as to avoid frightening them . . .
Ya know, when those people see billions of tons of water crashing toward them and swallowing up their children and parents, they're going to be pretty fucking frightened. The motivation for not alerting those in danger as to their predicament seems a little . . . pointless if the dam actually goes.
I'm sure Vice President Cheney already has a committee formed to explore ways Halliburton can make a huge profit following the flood.
Great Flood Part II?
After all, Iraq WAS the cradle of Civilization.
revko @ 9:
ysbaddaden @ 6:
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaam!!!!!
Just think of the photo ops for the preznit!
People keep insisting there aren't any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and all the while this one is sitting right out there in the open.
Not to sound crass, but I really don't care about this dam. Why are we spending ANY money on this? We didn't build it. It is not our responsibility.
In case anyone forgets, just about two months ago we had a bridge on an interstate highway collapse during rush hour in a major US city! We need to take care of our own infrastructure!
Kansaskowboy @ 3:
He's like the sewer version of King Midas... everything he touches turns to shit.
some dude named steevo @ 1:
No matter how it fails it will be presented as a despicable act by Iran and the Iranian Hitlers. There's not much more market for Al Qaeda, consequently the marketing department is well into the Iran Campaign and doesn't need the distraction.
When chainey goes to Iraq, I wonder how many of our troops volunteer to go hunting with him?
Hmm. Maybe they're setting it up so that Al-Queda will be
responsible for the collapse, which will of course be tied
to Iran. This way, we'll have our excuse to bomb Iran
AND get our troops out of Iraq, and ready for Iran.
duncanidho @ 8:
Come to think of it, with the very little amount of electricity running in Iraq, it's probably the only functional powerplant left in the country... for now.
I think in a country with more Rocket Propelled Grenades than people, announcing that the slightest hit can drown 500,000 people is a tricky situation. Do you not tell them so no one will do it on purpose, or do you tell them so hopefully everyone will aim their rockets away from the dam? hrmm...
Completely agreeing with you some dude named steevo.
What is this? The United States of Iraq? Or the Iraqi States Of America?
U.S should mind their own dam business!
Pun intended.
some dude named steevo @ 19:
Blue Buddha @ 20:
Thanks! I got a chuckle out of your comment. But, at the same time it is disgraceful what this poor excuse for a human being Cheney really is!! The only heart he has is damaged and cold as ice !!!
Until we are ready to replace our invasion/occupation forces with an international peacekeeping force, it's our baby. But Cheney and his intl oil conglomerates want the oil, so we get everything that goes with it. Everything. The Iraqi government is a sham puppet government. So spare me the sovereignty bullshit.
Cheney can take those purple fingers and shove them right up his ass.
Makes me think that If we hadn't invaded and occupied Iraq and the dam had failed that we could have gone in and "saved the day!" Oh hindsight, aint it grand.
Since that isn't the case then if we allow the dam to fail there the Iraqis will have more reason to hate the US. Since we know there is a potential problem we should try to do some good. And don't we have troops in the danger zone below the dam? Don't we owe the troops some safety? If not then bring them home.
Protect them, protect us or get out.
some dude named steevo @ 19:
Well, you did sound crass.
It is ours to fix since we dismantled their engineering departments and sent their engineers running to other countries during the invasion.
So that makes it and any other life threatening infrastructure problem there our problem.
Marley @ 26:
Nice pun, but you are wrong.
We invaded so it IS our business now.
We were so good at making sure that the levees and dams held in New Orleans, and we've done such a bang up job in Iraq so far, I'm sure the Iraqis will be pleased to hear we are thinking about their dam.
bob @ 31:
I seem to remember reading the troops were stationed IN the dam.
They might not want to advertise this.
But then again it would bury all kinds of mistakes.
Right boys?
This could become the New Orleans of the ME.
Marley @ 26:
Yes it is - for all intents and purposes, Iraq may as well be the 51st state.
We broke it - we bought it. That means we fix it.
Man, I hate how paranoid I have become, but to me this sounds like a set-up. The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for this report, saying the dam is the "most dangerous in the world." How would they know? Have they inspected all the dams in China?
I found a good article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7070706.stm
To quote: 'The dam, 45 miles upstream of Mosul on the River Tigris, has been a problem for Iraqi engineers since it was constructed in 1984. It was built on water-soluble gypsum, which caused seepage within months of its completion and led investigators to describe the site as "fundamentally flawed". '
Who is the idiot responsible for building a dam on gypsum? I am not an engineer, but even with my bachelor's in chemistry I know that is a horrible idea. That dam isn't worth saving, just drain the reservoir, demolish the dam, and start again from scratch...
Don't worry Halliburton has already got a no bid contract to deal with this damn. They are going to reinforce the damn with some large bricks of one hundred dollar bills they found in one of their warehouses. On a cost plus basis of course.
some dude named steevo @ 1:
Considering "al Queda" is a CIA op, I agree.
Symes @ 33:
Liberation on the way, no worries Iraqis!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y-ezKlKY9k
lucid fiction @ 15:
You do realize that most "christians" believe that Israel is the cradle of civilization. For them it's forget about real history and solid facts and believe everything that's in the Bible. I'm just saying.
Dam!...there is a weapon of mass destruction.
some dude named steevo @ 19:
For the White House, neither of these rise above eating dog poop as a priority.
Money for highways and dams are better spent building skyscrapers in Dubai.
Dumbya prays for the dam to fail to kill more innocent Iraqi's.
Army Corps is overseeing this. . . .aren't they the same guys who built the levees and floodwalls around New Orleans? Those guys over there are doomed.
And oil's at $94/barrel. Yeehah, Duhbya.
paid for with US taxpayer dollars.
Now we know how to say New Orleans in Iraqi - Mosul. If God won't give Bush and Cheney a Katrina in Iraq, they will make one themselves and blame it on God or Allah.
some dude named steevo @ 41:
Are we sure that we didn't build it?
Dr. Acula @ 48:
Isn't this alone enough to warrant impeachment?
Well what else could go wrong for the Iraqi people?
"My name is George W. Bush, the decider and Chief. I'm here to help."
This is what happens when you put young republican cronies in charge of anything. Things get fucked up. It's what they do best.
jayneen @ 43:
Yeah, it's frightening to wonder what the Vatican has in their vaults.
More than likely, lots and lots of history they don't want the masses knowing.
Bagdad dismisses this remark
Maybe if these citizens knew, the problem may be more likely to get fixed in a hurry?
In most place, yes. In today's Iraq? No.
Symes @ 11:
I hate to admit it, but I think your assessment is correct.
some dude named steevo @ 38:
WTF? Stop being logical. You make the neocons' widdle heads hurt. They want death and drama and no-bid contracts to make incompetent repairs for even more money laundering.
And the freepers will say..."It was God's will".
GW will be asking for more money to repair the Iraq Dam again. Yes the US taxpayers have given 27 Billion dollars already for the repair but the contractors did a poor job and money was stolen. The auditors couldn't account for most of the money and the job was poorly done. Now it's time to give the contractors more money in hopes this time the job will be done. Yes as American bridges are falling and Children have no Health Care and billions of dollars go to propaganda, Israel and other countries that the White House wants as friends, the United States of America goes broke and the American people get nothing for their tax dollars. Our troops are over worked and no replacements even with the immigrants that the US is signing up. We want to attack another country for their oil. Iran will be the third Middle East country the US attacks. Russia and China with full military force will support Iran if they are attacked by the US.
No other country will join the US on an illegal attack on Iran. Now will all the White House supporters and Law Makers with their families volunteer to serve in the attack on Iran. Mitt has 5 sons to join and Rudy has his son. The Bush twins aren't busy right now just drinking and partying and some of the I'm not gay Senators can now join with the don't ask don't tell policy. Look we have prisoners, immigrants and homeless people the Military has signed up why not the rest of those so called cheerleaders for the White House.
lucid fiction @ 55:
No need, just read a simple good history book. 10000 yrs ago the center of civilization was found between the Tigris and the Euphrates.
Incidentally, if you read the bible... at least as far as the old testament is concerned, them Israelites come off as a bunch of peeps with some sort of ADD when it comes to god. Sometimes seems as if some factions in Israel are still pissed off about Babylon...
What I am scared of is the nouveau Christians who try to impose their misquoted and mistranslated book as the new law of the land and the record of our history. In comparison to these loonies, the Vatican seems quite reasonable as the Catholic church has long adopted the position that the bible is not a literal book but rather a set of hyperboles, examples and guidelines. Which is what a parable is supposed to be.
Blue Buddha @ 20:
EXPLAINS ALL OF HIS HEAD SCRATCHING
andy @ 40:
Osama will probably pay to have the dam repaired. He's been building schools, roads, hospitals throughout the Middle East for twenty years.
Hey, he owes his business partner, Bush, anyway. Osama saves the U.S. some money by paying to repair the dam...and he's paid off his debt to Bush/Cheney for letting him slip away in Tora Bora.
As Ralph Kramden once said so astutely..."One hand washes the other...and both hands wash the face."
500,000 civilian deaths? And the problem is...? Seriously, is the dam in competition with the U.S.?
soooooo....... DO YOU THINK WHEN THEY DO HAVE THE OCCASIONAL ELECTRICITY.... AND THE AL-WHATEVER NETWORK.... AND THEY LIVE IN THE F*&^*( CITY.... THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE READ ABOUT THIS BY NOW? okay just a thought....
could someone please pick up a f(&(*^ cell phone and give someone in BAGHDAD a call... and mention......
Frankie: So Mohammad, what's goin on
Mo: Just chillin
Frankie: So Mo... guy upstairs tells me to pass along a message.... something about "build an ark"
Mo: A what?
Frankie: An ARK. Like a BIG boat.
Mo: Why Frankie--- tell me why?
Frankie: Hey Mo.... how long can you tread water?
alternate ending...
Frankie: Hey Mo... You ever see Evan Almighty?
COME ON PEOPLE ...
CALL FEMA.... THEY CAN SEND IN A TRAILER FULL OF ICEBERGS AND A DANCING LIPPIZAN STALLION (HECKOFAJOB BROWNIE)
Just MAYBE the Iraqi's would join together to fix the dam thing if they were told about it.
rain @ 5:
LOL My initial thought exactly
Mark Mywords @ 65:
Nice vent.
Holy cow! We better hurry up and approve another couple of trillion dollars to be spent in Iraq. Sorry to sound cynical, but whenever a news story breaks which seems timely according to the Bush agenda, I feel strongly that this is all part of the propaganda.
They need to name the company who built the dam - Halliburton? Bechtel? Parsons? Turner? Do the corporatists realize that this will make it harder for legitimate American companies (slowly becoming an oxymoron) to get work overseas?
I would automatically disqualify whoever it is from any future bids.
Think Boy Wonder learned any more Guitar chords ... I'm sure the people of Mosul will " 'pree-she-ate" it as much as NOLA did.
some dude named steevo @ 41:
lol! bush has created a iraqi style katrina.... great going chimp!
This is a THREAT...NOT A STORY....
This is a threat by the U.S to the Shiites in Basra...the leadership about what they might do...if they don't tow the line.
I'm telling you ...the dam in not in danger unless the U.S. lets a group of willing Sunnis blow it up.
There's something underneath every story...why would they report this?...It's not for more money....
It's a THREAT....and it's preparing the public for the damn burst ahead of time so that the American Sheeple will not blame Bush ...but rather the Iraqi's.
Get it?
How about commissioning repairs at the dam and hiring IRAQI CITIZENS to work on-site?
Or does that make too much sense?
Just think: now we don't have to invade Iran for more rebuilding contracts! Just let the wave wipe Iraq off the map and then rebuild the intire country! Mo Money! Mo Money!
Another shining example of Bush's continueing efforts to liberate Iraq from.....hope....happiness... civilization.... And the 'let's not tell the locals whats likely to happen' was a nice touch... Now we have confirmation that the average Iraqi is in the same boat as the rest of us... Fed lies and bullshit and obsfication apparently from all sides now..... Hellova way to spread dimocracy (misspelled on purpose)... I'm tellin ya folks, this sure as hell ain't no Jetsons future we're being saddled with...JD
Stu Piddy @ 73:
Now that makes the most sense of all this crap.
"but Bush looked great in a flight suit"-Chris Matthews while the dam breaks
SOOOOO..... DO YOU THINK THIS WAS THE OVAL OFFICE CONVERSATION:
Dick: So, if this dam breaks the water could kill 500,000 iraqi and a 6 foot tall black camel
W: A 6 foot tall black camel ?
Dick: See, I told you nobody would remember 500,000 iraqi
OR WAS IT MORE LIKE THIS
" Dick, tell me"
" What?" - Dick
" Like you've done before."
" Like what?" - Dick
" About them- about the camels. Come on Dick, tell me like you've done before! Please-please-please."
" You get a kick out of them don't you? Okay, I will. Guys like us, that work on oilfields are the loneliest guys in the world. They've got no family and they don't belong no place. They've got nothing to look ahead to." - Dick
" But not us Dick! Tell about us now."
" Well we ain’t like that. We got a future. We've got someone to talk to who gives a damn about us. Them other guys get in a jail they can rot for all anyone cares." - Dick
" But not us Dick. Because I've got you to after me and you got -tell us how its going to be."
" Someday, we're going to have us a little ranch and a couple million of acres, a camel, a goat-" - Dick
" And a camel, goats, and we're going to live off the fat of the land and have llamas - go on, but tell we've got in the garden-"
" Okay" - Dick
" And tell about the camels in winter, and about the stove - and- and- um, uh how the thick cream was on the milk, like, go ahead, Dick, tell it Dick."
" Why don’t you do it yourself. you know all of it." - Dick
" Dick, no! Dick no, its not the same. Its not even the same when I tell it. It's not the same - tell how I'm going to tend the camels."
Let's get right to work putting Michael Brown in charge of this. He'll do a heckuva job.
some dude named steevo @ 1:
No shit! That's exactly what I thought...though this could be disinformation aimed at getting MORE FUNDING....they do have a massive military base...uh I mean EMBASSY to build....
some dude named steevo @ 1:
How do you feel knowing you are smarter than either the government or the media. :(
Absolutely right.
They will blame Iran.
Petraeus & Crocker knew of this in December 2006. Only in the Bush Administration's proud tradition of doing nothing can a serious structural failure be identified and remain a problem for over 10 months.
It's also paving the way for a new contract for a new dam - which will doubtless run billions of dollars over budget, be completed late, and have serious structural failings (to wit, the 'police academy' completed by Parsons Corp.).
Why should Iraqis be treated any differently than New Orleanians? Just keep them in the dark until they drown then fish them out an bury them. Worked in Louisianna.
I almost wonder if it would be better if it did breach. Hard to make war in a flooded country.
Let's hope Petraus is moving every American soldier to higher ground.
The fact that the levees were in bad shape in New Orleans was pretty much common knowledge before Katrina. Did that improve things?
No, let the dam fail, kill thousands and then give Haliburton the contract to clean it up.
Symes @ 33:
You can call me wrong all you want. I can say you have short-term memory. Rewind the propaganda tape 4 years back. The U.S. went into Iraq under the false premise that they were there to liberate the Iraqi people from their oppressive leader and his oppressive regime. The "freeing" of Iraq slowly morphed into an invasion and then into an endless occupation when everyone realized what Bush and Co's really were there for their natural resource: OIL. Based on the the first assertion, technically, the US should make damn sure that the Iraqi infrastructure is the Iraqi people's own business not the US'. But of course because all of it was a bunch of lies, the US can now call this war whatever they want and do as they please? It is just grossly appalling.
Jesus H Christ.
Worried about scaring them? At least then the poor bastards could get out of the frigging way!
This is an outrage.
27 million to shore up a dam...in the US the Republicans would call this a pork project.
Now you have done it C&L! Thanks for letting all the terrorists that read your blog in on the secret!
"George Bush don't like dry people"
bigduke @ 89:
Huh? What the hell is that supposed to mean genius?
The only way this dam will get any attention is if the Green Zone just happens to be in the way if it breeches (or breaks). Can you imagine the backlash if the unthinkable happened and hundreds or thousands of US soldiers died in a flood there? it would mean the end of the war.
bigduke @ 89:
Actually....had you clicked on THE LINK at the top there sparky, you'd see that the Washington Post had released this story first.
quebecois @ 85:
Or will he BETRAUS!!!
Marley @ 87:
Nice twisting there, and you can deny that it's ours all you want (he he) but the fact is WE are the government in Iraq. We dismantled they're infrastructure, drove out their engineers and gave no bid contracts to OUR companies to rebuild (which they haven't). It is ours until we leave.
Condosleeza says "No one could have imagined the failure of the dam".
Liberal AND Proud @ 94:
God, that's funny...and so original. "Betraus".
Sheesh.
Where boosh gets his scientifical infro from:
http://www.dilbert.com/
Ya know, there is something unsettling about the words "dam", "serious danger" and "U.S. Army Corps of Engineers."
I get flashbacks of New Orleans and that levee that was supposedly under the "care" of the USACE for years but never was entirely up to code.
On the tract of public safety, oh, that's just great. Let's keep it a secret so the Iraqi masses can be eliminated via a "catastrophe that no one was prepared for or would ever have imagined".....like 9/11.
So displacing and/or murdering nearly 20% of the population is not enough - now our arrogance and neligence is going to drown another half million. No wonder the rest of the world hates us; hell, I hate us.
Why are you concerned?
Our government and its contractors learned how to do this effectively 2 years ago in New Orleans. That worked out great.............for the contractors.
We're worried about dams in another country half way 'round the world when we should be worried about our very own aging infrastructure in America.
Anyone else out there wondering when the dams on the Colorado river are going to go?
They're built into sandstone walls which is a water soluable rock, for chrissakes!
namned @ 48:
Yes the same people who drowned New Orleans.
I hope they are guarding this dam closely.
some dude named steevo @ 39:
i agree steevo, though it might be wiser to build the new dam before demolishing the old. oh yeah, and lets use iraqi money for this one.
Wow, I know I said a Katrina-style disaster in Iraq was the only way to get us out of there, but I didn't think it was likely to happen. Oh well, at least it'll tear down that Occupation Palace of ours in the process...
Marley @ 90:
March 2002 oil was $25/barrel........today, $95/barrel.......who says it isn't about oil? It's about oil PROFITS!!
"Clusterfuck", and "fubar" do not begin to approach the level of total disaster that this illegal war represents.
It would truly be marvelous if the water were merciful and served only to muzzle all the weaponry, religious nutcases, embassies, and oil rigs.
Permanently.
Toes @ 105:
Don't you worry---Skeletor will handle any disaster in Iraq as defectively as they did here in the USA.
Hmmm....A giant surge of water, killing many, affecting thousands, and destroying a city or two. Sounds familiar. Know I've heard this before somewhere...
YOU'RE. DOING. A. HECK. OF. A. JOB., DROWNIE.
Iraqi and U.S. officials realize how serious the situation is, but have decided not to tell Iraqis, for fear of scaring them. I’m not an expert on such matters, but if a trillion-gallon wave of water may burst through an unsafe dam and put much of Mosul under 20 meters of water, shouldn’t the Iraqi citizens be frightened? Maybe if these citizens knew, the problem may be more likely to get fixed in a hurry?
************************************
Let me see if I've got this straight...
Both the US government and the Iraqi government know that the Mosul Damn is in danger of failure, but they've decided that it's a better idea to keep quiet and potentially let hundreds if not thousands of people drown than give them information which could potentially save a few lives because they don't want to frighten people?!?
At the risk of making a rather tasteless remark...am I the only person who's thinking "Hurricane Katrina -- Take Two"?
The level of incompetence displayed by the current administration is so staggering that it's positively mind-boggling and breath-stealing...
*Headdesk*
No, wait...scratch that. It's more like *Headwall*...*headwall*...*headwall*...
We'll just shrink that Iraqi government to a size we can drown it in a bath tub the size of Iraq. Special thanks to Mr. Norquist.
This just occurred to me...
What if there's a method -- a sick, twisted, and unbelievably callous method -- to this madness? Is it altogether impossible that at least part of the reason why the US government doesn't want to tell the Iraqi public about the dangers of the dam failing is because in a pinch, it potentially provides them with a last-ditch solution to some of their problems?
Think about it -- the dam fails (perhaps with a little assistance? Sounds like it wouldn't take much), hundreds or even thousands of people drown...and hey presto, a large number of insurgents are removed from the equation in one fell swoop. The US government expresses sorrow over the horrible tragedy which "nobody could have possibly foreseen" (which is a phrase they've uttered so often that it's positively trite, not to mention tripe), offers to help Iraq get back on its feet...and quietly begins to clean up on the oil. So what if a large number of innocent civilians die alongside the insurgents? A large number of innocent civilians have died already since the war started -- a war, I might add, which we started on an extremely shaky pretext. Have they allowed that to stop them so far? Not a chance.
Is that scenario impossible? I for one don't think it is. I don't know about you -- but especially at this point, I wouldn't put anything (and yes, I do mean *ANYTHING*) past this administration...
Let me paint the picture here. The damn breaks killing 500K MORE Iraqis. Two major cities are completely destroyed despite the "protection" of the entire US military. The surviving troops will find an Iranian passport next to the burned wreckage of a Ryder truck that was obviously used by the Quds force to take out the damn. BINGO! Iran did it. Time for a nuke.
Just speculating.
two words: NEW ORLEANS.
in this case, rather than gross incompetence and mismanagement, i think it's more like eager anticipation. perhaps NOLA was a dry run. i've heard it was a dry run for many different "plans" up these fascists' sleeves.
and further, as far as incompetence and mismanagement, i do find it hard to believe it's found resting in every damned corner of this administration's wings- every time they fuck something up, oh, it's because such and such is stoopid...for the last year or so, i've believed such fuckups are purely intentional, like going into iraq "w/o a plan/exit strategy." there was actually a plan, but it was a plan to not have one.
anon @ 107:
They'll guard it only as well they're ordered...just like that weapons/explosives cache they were guarding which got looted...this is a clusterfuck of truly EPIC proportions...
Well, the Iraqis won't sign the White House-written oil law that would turn over total control of most of their resources to American companies, so we're intentionally withholding vital reconstruction funds to "encourage" the Iraqis to let us steal more from them.
George's last name shouldn't be Bush, it should be Corleone.
Basically we're saying, "Sign the contract ya mook, or we'll drown your family, see?!"
Maybe if these citizens knew, the problem may be more likely to get fixed in a hurry?
Really? Perhaps the citizens of Mosul would form a political action committee to pressure their local officials to fix the problem, and the local government would respond promptly and efficiently to make sure the problem is addressed?
Maybe I'm cynical, but I think Iraq is a bit too dysfunctional for that to happen.
That's not surprising since instilling fear in US citizens is priority one.
The US knows all about this dam's problems, most especially from their military studies on bombing it and causing that failure directly.
Shock and Awe, y'all.
We had to drown the country to save it.
Jeremy @ 121 "Perhaps the citizens of Mosul would form a political action committee to pressure their local officials to fix the problem, and the local government would respond promptly and efficiently to make sure the problem is addressed?"
They have been addressing the problem since the dam was built. They are addressing the problem even now. But the main point is that the dam is inherently unstable because of the gypsum soils it's built upon, so a PAC would not help, because the problem can't be directly fixed.
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