A Marine's Mom asks if anything will be done about the Contractors and Conditions
By John Amato Monday Aug 04, 2008 7:00pmHer son is on his second deployment in Iraq, where his military camp recently burned to the ground as a result of an electrical fire. Mary Hornig thinks journalists should be asking if anyone is going to do anything about shoddy contracting - and whether there is any limit to what will be asked of the armed forces.
Q. Who has responsibility for shoddy contracting resulting in electrocutions and fires on military sites in Iraq? Where is the accountability? Why are our servicemen and women risking injury and dying in showers and housing units in Iraq?
Q. Will Halliburton contractors continue to be awarded electrical contracts based on past sub-par performance?Q. Will military personnel be compensated for their losses resulting from electrical fires and if so, at what percentage of their losses?
Supporting the troops is just another Republican talking point.
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"Q. Who has responsibility for shoddy contracting resulting in electrocutions and fires on military sites in Iraq?"
My God has it gotten to the point that our troops don't just have to worry about the enemy but the possibility that they will die every time they take a bath?
the only way wingers can win is by lying.
http://cabdrollery.blogspot.com/2008/08/pastiche-of-lies.html
A: "Go fuck yourself!"
Why is the press not covering these things? There have been several stories about potentially fatal contracting problems in Iraq. I just don't understand it. This would seem to be a story that would have wide appeal, would help America, and would play well with both Left and Right.
Oh, wait...
Contractors = Haliburton
Haliburton = Dick Chaney
Dick Chaney = Corporate Influence
Corporate Influence = CBS/NBC/CNN/PBS/FOX/etc
CBS/NBC/CNN/PBS/FOX/etc = No Story
never mind....
sluggo @ 4:
No Story = Hollow Man, which starred Kevin Bacon. (sorry, I just had to...)
I apologize for being off topic:
Has anyone noticed that the amount Hatfill got, roughly $5 million, is the same amount they gave Habbush?
"Supporting the troops is just another Republican talking point. "
Along with "fiscal conservatism" and "family values".
the fire was a result of a "contracting error" - Carlin would have had a field day with this disgusting bastardization of the English language. Accidentally signing your journeyman shortstop $7 million per season when you meant to offer $700 000 is a "contracting error" - what happens in Iraq with these electrical failures and with the water contamination is Halliburton negligence. Period. They could give less than a shit about the lives of the people they represent.
Catch-22
I dunno. Who is she asking? Who should she be asking. Who is responsible? Seems like military which reports to? Wait, wait, wait, give it... the executive branch! So its Bush's responsibility. So lets have him ask the Vice President to check it out, he can call Haliburton and, oh wait, hmmm, oh lady, you kid is screwed. Nice question though.
This is my last post, not that anyone cares, but I'm getting too crazy about this shit.
And nothing I have said should be taken as being critical of our men/women in uniform. They are the best! Lets stop wasting them.
This is an interesting story. Polish soldiers who were accused of war crimes (some Western countries unlike the US do punish for things like that) published a bunch of photos that they took in Iraq on a "military-classmate" website to defend their good names and show how the Iraq war of Bush's making really looks like:
http://www.koledzyzwojska.pl/artykul/nowe-zdjecia-wojennych-okropnosci
http://www.koledzyzwojska.pl/artykul/oto-jest-prawdziwa-wojna
Since "impeachment is off the table" and these poor soldiers don't really have many options in this world of truthiness and relative justice, the lady on picture 7 and 14 or whichever you feel like picking, wouldn't probably mind to tell Bush or McCain to burn in hell for this crime, especially McCain given the fact he wants 100 years of it.
Sounds like a great talking point for Obama:
Accountability for failed support of our troops!!
WHo is going to fix this??
WHEN is it going to be addressed??
WHO is performing oversight on this???
7.5 into Bushco and people still think anyone takes their questions seriously?!?!?
A: Well, since "impeachment is off the table", this administration couldn't give a fuck about your son or any other member of the armed forces who are endangered by their bad choices. So, stop wasting out time with these silly questions, m'kay?
Move on people, nothing to see here. @ 10:
I care. And I, too, feel the same way sometime. But C&L offers me a chance to vent and to realize I am not alone. Hope you change your mind. We're all in this together.
ars
is this relevant ?
A very short answer to her question--NO. As long as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid control the agenda, forget anything getting done on contractor corruption. They voted for this. They live with it. Demand hearings, demand impeachment, demand new leadership.
Move on people, nothing to see here. @ 10:
have you read that excerpt from the book 'Killing Generation' !
worth reading , but mega depressing at the state of humans to inflict cruelty and death on innocents.
enough @ 17:
and whose husband is a shareholder in MIC companies, enough to cover a good sized table prob.
Well said, Jo @ 15.
Many of us feel like Move on @ 10 does. We are all in this mess together. We (the internet) are all we have now. Sad.
Pffft, stupid mom. "Journalists" will report on it just as soon as the Pentagon issues a press release saying it's conducting an investigation, the results of which will be available, oh, let's say never...
There is no accountability for what was done either by commission or by omission by American or allied nations civilian contractors. These companies are not subject to either American or Iraqi laws, rules and/or regulations. These companies have received no bid contract, they have not fulfilled the terms of the contract and they have been paid in full. They have no reason to do more. Haliburton is moving to Dubai, I believe. They should get no more contracts with our government from now on because of this.
Why should halliburton provide anything less than sub-standard service?
They were given the rights to work in Iraq on a no-bid contract.
When they were caught over-charging for work that wasn't completed, did they get kicked out?
When they were caught providing the service members with contaminated drinking water, were they kicked out?
The only possible motivation halliburton has to actually provide the service they are getting paid for is, if the troops in Iraq, themselves, were to revolt and turn their arms on halliburton. That's the only way halliburton will move on any of this.
There is no oversight and no sense of morality. The only way things will change is if they find themselves on the wrong end of a rifle and I don't see that happening. Our troops are too honorable and unfortunately, too used to being bent over the table to do anything about it.
This will go nowhere.
Dear Mom,
Sorry but your kids were fucked the moment they signed on the dotted line. But at least now they say "yes Maam" and make their beds. I hope it was worth it.
Oh yes, I almost forgot.
THE WAR IS A LIE!!
Two weeks ago a Marine Lt. died in Afghanistan when the building he was sleeping in collapsed. No bombs. no IED's. Just some contractors working on the roof without checking to see if anyone was inside. They screwed something up, and the building collapsed. Tell this mom she should feel fortunate her kid is still alive. People don't always live through "contractor errors".
What's the problem? Bush's cronies are making trillions! Mission accomplished! A-hehehe, a-hehehe........
My heart goes out to this mom. I know she is so worried about her son. To answer her question, the truth would be that nothing is going to happen to these people under the republicans and this administration.
They will go no paying these criminals, as if they are doing top of the line work and it's just too bad the troops will continue to suffer and die, in their missteps.
Oh but these things will come to an end, but only if we mass together in numbers so massive, they will never be able to stop us. It's power in numbers and the strong among us will have to stand up for the weakest, because as we can clearly see, their are still those who will not budge.
Sad but true.
Axis of Greed = Bush Cheney McCaine
God bless and give strength and healing to this
mom and her son.
Light a candle for our soldiers at Gratefulness.com
freedomguide.blogspot has some interesting ideas and links to what we can do to stop the crimes of bush and the fed.
her son could refus to go to iraq, saying this was was based on lies (see suskind's latest) and is therefore illegal, and based on the nuremberg argument, i would rather not participate in an illegal war, even at the expense of my own freedom.
but that would take balls. our military hasn't shown that they can think for themselves, but just take orders from the chimperor in chief.
Bush under the direction of Cheny had this all carefully set up in advance. He knew exactly what he was doing .... as for "support our troops" .... that's just hog wash to keep people thinking he really cares.
Jo @ 15 and Ferrofluid @18,
Thanks for recognizing that some of us can just feel down. I'll read Killing Generation. But, posting can just blow off so much steam. C & L does a great job, but after awhile, its just not enough. I want to go have some fun, but feel very guilty knowing about the needless suffering, like the last page of the Korean war book, "The Bridges over Toko Ri".
Its the total disregard for the over-hyped "rule of law" that we, the center of the bell curve of income cling to. Its difficult realizing the level of hypocrisy we have bought into. I don't know what to do. I am concerned for my four off-spring and my grandchildren.What will they see over the next 40-50 years?. We were supposed to be the leaders, but Bush and company, took over, worse yet, WITH RELATIVE EASE!And so few seem to care.
Face it, we, as a society, are no better at being human beings than any other country. We have just been a very successful one, economically.
from DemocracyNow!.org
Shoddy Contractor Work Blamed for Spike of Electrocutions in Iraq
A Senate investigation has found sub-par electrical work by private contractors on US military bases in Iraq has been more widespread and dangerous than the Pentagon has disclosed. The New York Times reports many more US soldiers have reported being electrocuted in Iraq than the thirteen acknowledged by the Pentagon. At one building in Baghdad, US soldiers reported being electrocuted in their living quarters almost daily. In one six-month period beginning in August 2006, at least 283 electrical fires destroyed or damaged US military facilities. The shocks have led to at least one death and dozens of serious injuries. The Pentagon has ordered a review of all buildings maintained by the military contractor KBR in Iraq.
It is a crying shame that this thread has so few posts, while the Toby Keith thread has over 300. I'm not sure what that says about all of us, but it makes me a bit uncomfortable.
Shouldn't the Armed Services Committee be looking into this? Isn't that McCain's claim to "experience"? I know I've heard him use his position on this committee as part of his "experience" mantra.......what is he doing about this and what has he done since 2003?
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