Don't Love That Dirty Water

(with apologies to The Standells)

ABC and other media outlets have reported that Kellogg, Brown, and Root (which is, of course, a subsidiary of Halliburton, as I’m sure we all know by now), according to testimony of former Halliburton employees at “Camp Junction City” in Iraq, provided untreated water to base personnel for “showering, shaving, and laundry.”

(That sound you heard was Dick Cheney’s heart skipping a beat in joy because that meant an uptick in the company’s share price – see, the cost of cleanup means higher company compensation from the government as part of their “cost plus” arrangement. However, in case The White-Haired Prince Of Evil experienced this palpitation for any other reason, some may want to keep the paddles ready just in case.)

The ABC news link mentions that KBR company spokesperson Melissa Norcross stated as follows:

"Although these individuals claim to have been adversely affected by the water at the site, they have provided no medical evidence to substantiate their claims," she said.

Ms. Norcross, somehow I believe that, if Ben Carter and Ken May were to produce the “evidence” you seek, then you would become as utterly nauseated as they are. Also, patient medical information happens to be confidential, such as the test results of your last pap smear.

This note at the end of the ABC story is “business as usual” also:

Halliburton is not sending any representatives to today's inquiry, and no Republicans are participating in the inquiry.

That’s a great, big, raised-on-high-middle-digit aimed at the whistle blowers and the committee from those good corporate citizens at Halliburton. And you’d better believe the Repugs would avoid this committee like those kids in the swimming pool in “Caddyshack” avoided the Baby Ruth bar.

This link from Halliburton Watch provides more interesting details, including this choice item.

Carter and May also describe instances where a site manager urged everyone to conceal contamination information from the company's health and safety department. According to May, statements were made in an "All Hands Meeting" by then Site Manger Suzanne-Raku Williams, Warren Smith, and acting Medic Phillip Daigle suggesting that if anyone became sick, it was probably from the handles from the port-a-lets toilets and not from water contamination. In response, Ken May resigned out of disgust and frustration.

Yep, those bad “port-a-let” handles also cause syphilis and gonorrhea too. Didn’t Carter and May watch the Army training films?

And I haven’t even mentioned how KBR enforces its strict standards in food preparation yet, have I?

Seriously, if you want to do something about this (the equivalent of chopping at a brick wall with a butter knife at this point, I know, but that’s the type of fight we’re looking at with the Repugs in charge – and, now as always, it must be said yet again: THANK YOU RED STATE VOTERS!), then sign this petition from Rep, Louis Slaughter to set up a Truman-style commission such as the one our former president founded during World War II to investigate fraud and waste.

If you’re hoping for the “DLC-Repug-Lite-Democrats” to do it for us, keep hoping. As Truman himself might say were he with us now, the buck stops with you and me.