Gold Star Dad, 4th of July

John Scripsick Comments on Bush's July 4th Visit

Former President Bush visits Oklahoma for the 4th of July, 2009. John Scripsick, who lost his son in the Iraq war, wrote an op ed piece saying "I wonder what Bush will say in his 40 minutes speech. I'm sure it will be sprinkled with patriotism, independence and how we were only attacked once during his presidency."

At What Cost?

The question above is asked on the site of the Commission on Wartime Contracting as to their recently released report.

Remember the meme at the beginning of the War Drum Beating and the easy certain Corporate "No Bid Contracts" in support of the Wars and Occupations: "They're the only ones in the World who can do the organizing and work needed in support of our Military and the Coalition of Willing!"

Never mind they were connected by the hips to those beating the drums, never mind they were only paper pushers tens of thousands of miles away and sub-contracting out all the work, never mind the many issues of lost billions, shoddy work, bonuses, waste and corruption that almost instantly started coming to light and even with that they were given more, not even handshakes, just here ya go Pallets with Shrink wrapped Blocks of Cash, Millions and Billions, freshly printed and minted!!

I had similar questions as this LTE writer asks, well before the report was issued the other day and this posted today, but than again many of us have had the questions of Defense Spending for years, with extremely little questioning from the greater masses. Especially us Veterans of our previous failed policies as we've watched our brothers and sisters being short changed for their service, short changed and no questions or willingness from the greater masses who don't serve!

No tea parties over billions lost in Iraq?

Where are the tea parties? Where is the outrage from the purveyors of the vaunted, unregulated “free market?”

The Wartime Contracting Commission reports that tens of billions have been wasted on private sector contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan, due to “poorly defined work orders, inadequate oversight and contractor inefficiencies.”...........

The following was released a few days ago, yet I've heard very little talk from the talking heads, Especially the opinionated right wing spinmeisters, they have alot to say about everything else, in this country or so called libertarians and very little from the left, All War Drum Beating Supporters Of, remember there was some seventy five plus percent in favor of destroying an innocent country and many still in favor of occupying two countries while bombing another!

Commission on Wartime Contracting

Contingency Contracting In Iraq and Afghanistan

Interim Report to Congress: 121page PDF

Since 2001, Congress has appropriated about $830 billion to fund U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over that period, America’s reliance on contractors has grown to unprecedented proportions to support logistics, security, and reconstruction efforts related to those operations. More than 240,000 contractor employees—about 80 percent of them foreign nationals—now work in Iraq and Afghanistan, supporting the Department of Defense. Additional contractor employees support the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Dude, Where's My Money?

Waste, Fraud, and Abuse: three words used in an official report describing what has happened to the 380 billion US dollars spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Contractor oversees security guards in Afghanistan

A major security contractor is running an office overseeing armed guards in Afghanistan, a situation at odds with the Pentagon's claim that military officers would be in charge of such sensitive work.

A new report on wartime spending to be made public Wednesday at a congressional hearing says the contractor, Aegis Defense Services, has operated with limited U.S. government supervision...............

War contractor bonuses an outrage

Yes, bonuses paid to the contractors that rival the corporate bonuses paid here..............

US military wasted taxpayer money in Iraq: Report

The first audit released by US Congressional Commission of Wartime Contracting reveals that the military has wasted huge sums of its USD 834b budget on contractors.

The 121-page report on security, logistics and renovation contracts indicates that the US government has failed to oversee the defense expenditures it disbursed to key contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. The report refers to large-scale cases of fraud and mismanagement of contracts during the so-called 'war on terror', which have cost American taxpayers 'billions' of dollars.................

US Senators Webb & McCaskill ask Secretary of Defense to review findings, address immediate concerns identified in wartime contracting commission Report

Following today’s release of the Commission on Wartime Contracting’s interim report to Congress, Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) asked Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to review the Commission’s findings and address a number of critical issues of “immediate concern.”..............

Again the question should be asked "No tea parties over billions lost in Iraq or Afghanistan?" which won't be answered even at further so called "teabaggin" rallies, certainly not by the speakers invited!

This goes along with another question asked years back now by a GoldStar Mom, "For What Noble Cause Mr. President?"!!

Oh, before I go, one more issue and another question, especially to the masses who never serve but cheer on:

Still busssshed....6.08.09: Still More Proof

Corporate Bonuses for Killing Our Soldiers........

U.S. Army paid bonuses to KBR despite questions

The U.S. Army paid "tens of millions of dollars in bonuses" to KBR Inc, its biggest contractor in Iraq, even after it concluded the firm's electrical work had put U.S. soldiers at risk, according to a source close to a U.S. congressional investigation.

The Senate Democratic Policy Committee plans to hold a hearing on Wednesday to examine KBR's operations in Iraq, and question why the Army rewarded the Houston-based company.

The panel says KBR has been linked to at least two, and as many as five, electrocution deaths of U.S. soldiers and contractors in Iraq due to "shoddy work."

What The Hell Has Been Going On In Iraq????

$40M fuel theft from Army prompts global manhunt

A former Army contractor convicted of stealing $40 million worth of fuel from a military base in Iraq is helping authorities search the globe for other suspects in the case.

The thefts occurred in 2007 and 2008 from Camp Liberty in Baghdad.>>>>>>More

We didn't have this much crap War Profiteering during 'Nam, and that was bad enough!!

Blind Amputee Iraq KBR Worker Fights AIG

Blind Amputee Has to Fight AIG for New Plastic Leg, Wheelchair

While Executives Get Bonuses, John Woodson Gets "Cheapest They Could Get Away With"

An Oklahoma man who lost an eye and a leg in Iraq says the giant insurance company AIG refused to provide him a new plastic leg and fought to keep from paying for a wheelchair or glasses for the eye in which he has 30 percent vision.>>>>>More with Video Report

KBR vs. San Marcos Veterans

Greg Foster's Notes

Bryan Hannah, local Iraq Veteran and anti-war activist, and myself spoke to the county court today. The court was supposed to vote on offering a contract to KBR for preliminary work on a county road, FM110. We told the court about the many crimes committed by KBR and its subsidiaries around the globe, including:>>>>>more

KBR vs. San Marcos Veterans Part I


KBR vs. San Marcos Veterans Part 2


KBR vs. San Marcos Veterans Part 3


KBR vs. San Marcos Veterans Part 4

Did Contractor Expose Troops To Toxin? {UpDated}

I caught this report, 12-22-08, and thought I'd pass on, especially if someone missed the report and is or knows an OIF or OEF Vet that might be suffering from something diagnosed or undiagnosed, or might want to get checked. No matter where you were In-Theater I would suggest that All Veterans of Both Theaters get Tests and continue to do so, we had enough problems about Agent Orange and the Gulf War I Vets with 'Gulf War Syndrome', denial from the government and apathy from the country!

CBS Evening News Exclusive: American Soldiers Are Dying Of Lung Cancer - And May Have Been Knowingly Exposed

The military contractor Kellogg Brown and Root, known as KBR, has won more than $28 billion in U.S. military contracts since the beginning of the Iraq war. KBR may be facing a new scandal. First, accusations its then-parent company Halliburton was given the lucrative contract. And later, allegations of shoddy construction oversight that resulted in Americans getting electrocuted. Now, some other American soldiers say the company knowingly put their lives at risk, CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian exclusively reports.

Read {PDF} an Indiana court complaint against KBR, including evidence and images.

Hexavalent Chromium

Guardsmen sue KBR over chemical exposure

The Guardsmen and civilian contractors who worked there have described walking on and sitting near the bright orange powder that was widely dispersed throughout the grounds of the water plant. The chemical was believed to have been left behind by forces loyal to Saddam Hussein.

Some of the Guardsmen already suffer from nasal tumors or respiratory system problems and other health problems, according to the lawsuit. One of the guardsmen may have died from the exposure, though the exact cause of his death earlier this year is still not clear.

Democracy Now: Indiana Guardsmen Sue KBR Over Chemical Exposure in Iraq
Watch/Listen/Read

Iraq's WMD's = Gravely Ill American Soldiers {Updated}

US soldiers assigned to guard a crucial part of Iraq's oil infrastructure became ill after exposure to a highly toxic chemical at the plant

They were bleeding from the nose, spitting blood.

There apparently were hundreds of American soldiers at this site that were contaminated.

And who do they and others accuse

Langford is one of nine Americans who accuse KBR, the lead contractor on the Qarmat Ali project and one of the largest defense contractors in Iraq, of knowingly exposing them to sodium dichromate, an orange, sandlike chemical that is a potentially lethal carcinogen. Specialists say even short-term exposure to the chemical can cause cancer, depress an individual's immune system, attack the liver, and cause other ailments.

And

"Hundreds of US troops, who may not even know of their exposure to sodium dichromate that could one day result in a horrible disease, cancers, and death," he said.

What is 'Sodium Dichromate':

Sodium dichromate is the same substance that poisoned residents in Hinkley, Calif., an incident made famous by the movie "Erin Brockovich" in 2000.

It's one of the extremely dangerous chemical's, potential killers, that industries world wide use, and they know the dangers of exposure to, and under responsible corporations is used with guarded caution and safety checks.

Langford and his former colleagues have said KBR supervisors initially told them the chemical was a "mild irritant". The company, however, eventually acknowledged that sodium dichromate was a potentially deadly substance and moved to clean up the site.

Of course KBR denies and says the safety of the workers and troops are of the "highest priority", what else would war profitteering, incompetent corporate officials say, after all they heed their investors not the worker, troops, or country paying them under the no-bid contracts!

And

The Pentagon has said that the troops' exposure to sodium dichloride at the Iraqi facility did not appear to pose any long-term threat.

But

In yesterday's hearing, however, Langford described for the first time how soldiers guarding the facility had the same symptoms as those who had dangerous levels of exposure to the chemical, complaints that are the foundation for the workers' lawsuit.
"The chromium of Iraq is going to be the same thing as Agent Orange of Vietnam," Langford said after the hearing. "I want something done for them."

Along with one of KBR's own

Edward Blacke, who served as KBR's health, safety, and environmental coordinator for the Qarmat Ali project, said he saw soldiers with "continuous bloody noses, spitting up of blood, coughing, irritation of the noses, eyes, throat, and lungs, shortness of breath."

And

Max Costa, chairman of the Department of Environmental Medicine at New York University, told the committee that ordinary blood and urine tests would not have detected heavy levels of sodium dichromate exposure after a few days. He said that the military would have had to conduct a highly specialized red blood cell test within four months of the exposure to determine the soldiers' risk of illness.
"Most people don't get it right," said Costa, after the hearing. "It is not an established test that medical labs normally do."

Pee in a cup, "You're alright, don't worry!"!

And as we've found out already over and over and over..........................., once again, we've gone through all this before,

But Dorgan said yesterday that the Pentagon has not done enough to monitor the health of the soldiers and ensure that KBR and other contractors are putting safety first.

And what does the esteem congress have to say

"It is almost unbelievable," the senator said during the hearing. "We know that there has been exposure of workers and soldiers to a deadly chemical, and there has been, in my judgment, lack of accountability by those who caused the exposure and lack of accountability at the Department of Defense, regrettably."

Lack of Accountibility??

No F'in S**t Einstein, what have the People been saying all along!!

I give kudo's to the present Congress, at least they are doing their jobs, the jobs that weren't done by the previous Congress. Investigating, Hearings and Oversite as these things keep coming forward, and not a whisper was heard about any of these in the Halls of the 109th Congress.

But the reason you all are there is 'Accountability', from the Top all the way Down, including your own!

Dorgan began investigating the workers' allegations of sodium dichromate exposure after The Boston Globe reported on the case in March.

ACCOUNTABILITY

ACCOUNTABILITY

ACCOUNTABILITY

It's in the Constitution and the Laws of this Country,Use It or We Loose It!!

DPC Hearing
The Exposure at Qarmat Ali:
Contractor Misconduct and the Safety of U.S. Troops in Iraq
Friday, June 20, 2008
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
608 Dirksen Senate Office Building

The Exposure at Qarmat Ali: WMD's Iraq = KBR

The Exposure at Qarmat Ali:

Additional hearing information is available here

Oversight and Accountability Project

Staff at the DPC Oversight and Accountability Project work with whistleblowers, non-profit groups, Executive Branch agencies, and their colleagues on Capitol Hill to protect U.S. taxpayers, uncover waste, fraud and abuse, and hold government officials accountable.
The DPC has focused on contracting abuses in Iraq and in the Gulf Coast region following Hurricane Katrina, pre-war intelligence failures, and continuing homeland security vulnerabilities, among other issues.
Learn more about the Oversight and Accountability Project and access materials related to hearings held by the DPC.
Aware of waste, fraud or abuse that
DPC should investigate? E-mail us.

We are a nation that likes to pride itself on truth, justice, freedom and humanity. {NO MORE!}

Give Some Traffic To the articles. Just picked them up and they were posted in the last 20hrs. or so:

Ark. man, others blame KBR for contaminants in Iraq

An Arkansas man who worked as a contractor in Iraq says he lost his job after warning workers they were being exposed to a cancer-causing chemical there.

Ed Blacke, a former safety inspector for Houston-based contracting giant KBR, says his exposure to sodium dichromate in 2003 gave him chronic thyroid problems and early signs of cancer. He said supervisors initially ignored his warnings about contamination at the Qarmat Ali water injection plant near Basra, Iraq.

Democrats accuse KBR of knowingly exposing workers to deadly chemical at Iraqi water plant

Senate Democrats are accusing defense contractor KBR of knowingly exposing its employees and U.S. troops to a potentially deadly chemical in Iraq in its rush to get the country's oil infrastructure up and running.

Former contractors say Ind. soldiers were exposed to carcinogen

Indiana National Guardsmen who provided protection to defense contractors at a water pumping plant in Iraq were exposed to a potentially deadly chemical, two former workers at the site said Friday.

Troops copped cancer dust

"People are potentially exposed to something that may be very dangerous," says a memo detailing minutes from an August 8, 2003 meeting

These aren't just local rags here in the states, just these few are in the International Edition of the New York Time, from Australia, and google gives some 93 others under 'Sodium Dichromate'.

The People vs. the Profiteers

This is a Must Read found at Vanity Fair

Americans working in Iraq for Halliburton spin-off KBR have been outraged by the massive fraud they saw there. Dozens are suing the giant military contractor, on the taxpayers' behalf. Whose side is the Justice Department on?
by David Rose November 2007