Iraq war into 6th year, same old story...

[ice grillin you]

this shtein is hilarious....

start at 4:15 mark

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=164644&title=iraq-the-first-5-years

[Diomedes]

his gag with the middle finger was pretty funny too

[Drunkmasterflex]

time for a "edit thread title"

I don't know where you guys get 6th year, we just marked the 5th year.

[Diomedes]

five full years of war have passed, hence we are into the sixth

[Diomedes]

[ATV]

Hey baybuh.

[Sgt PSN]

He has absolutely no idea how many penises her lips were wrapped around while he was gone. 

[General_Failure]

Neither does she.

[Drunkmasterflex]

He has absolutely no idea how many penises her lips were wrapped around while he was gone. 

The poor bastich.

[General_Failure]

So, how are the Iraqi whores? On a scale of 1-10.

[Drunkmasterflex]

I wish I knew.  The thing with Iraqi women is that they are very hot or as ugly as you have ever seen.  Also they don't tend to age well, it is very rare to see an older Iraqi women that is good looking.  My evaluation of females is a little skewed though my exposure to women over the last 6 months has been minimal. 

[Geowhizzer]

I wish I knew.  The thing with Iraqi women is that they are very hot or as ugly as you have ever seen.  Also they don't tend to age well, it is very rare to see an older Iraqi women that is good looking.  My evaluation of females is a little skewed though my exposure to women over the last 6 months has been minimal. 

With the life most of them have to live, not many would age too well.

[Drunkmasterflex]

That goes without saying.

[Diomedes]

One of the greatest swindles of this war was the idea that it could/should be waged with a volunteer only army.  No draft.  Outside contractors providing all the services that in decades past the armed services would have provided for themselves.  It made the war possible for Bush Cheney, as there is no way they could have pulled it off if suddenly everyone in the country had a stake in it.  It also allowed them to funnel amazing amounts of money into the private sector, into quite proveably, their friends' companies.

One story that comes out of this was addressed recently by the NYTimes.  Turns out that KBR, famously stealing our money while overseeing themselves in no-bid billions dollar contracts, can't find a good electrician even while offering hazard pay.  U.S. Soldiers are getting electrocuted daily, fires are common, 13 soldiers have been killed as a result.  Now, thanks to the evil media, Congress is interested in asking some questions about KBR's electrical work.

Here are a couple links to get you started, because you care so much:


NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/world/middleeast/18contractors.html?scp=1&sq=iraq%20electrocution&st=cse

July 18, 2008
Electrical Risks at Iraq Bases Are Worse Than Said
By JAMES RISEN

WASHINGTON — Shoddy electrical work by private contractors on United States military bases in Iraq is widespread and dangerous, causing more deaths and injuries from fires and shocks than the Pentagon has acknowledged, according to internal Army documents.

During just one six-month period — August 2006 through January 2007 — at least 283 electrical fires destroyed or damaged American military facilities in Iraq, including the military's largest dining hall in the country, documents obtained by The New York Times show. Two soldiers died in an electrical fire at their base near Tikrit in 2006, the records note, while another was injured while jumping from a burning guard tower in May 2007.

And while the Pentagon has previously reported that 13 Americans have been electrocuted in Iraq, many more have been injured, some seriously, by shocks, according to the documents. A log compiled earlier this year at one building complex in Baghdad disclosed that soldiers complained of receiving electrical shocks in their living quarters on an almost daily basis.

Electrical problems were the most urgent noncombat safety hazard for soldiers in Iraq, according to an Army survey issued in February 2007. It noted "a safety threat theaterwide created by the poor-quality electrical fixtures procured and installed, sometimes incorrectly, thus resulting in a significant number of fires."

The Army report said KBR, the Houston-based company that is responsible for providing basic services for American troops in Iraq, including housing, did its own study and found a "systemic problem" with electrical work.

But the Pentagon did little to address the issue until a Green Beret, Staff Sgt. Ryan D. Maseth, was electrocuted in January while showering. His death, caused by poor electrical grounding, drew the attention of lawmakers and Pentagon leaders after his family pushed for answers. Congress and the Pentagon's inspector general have begun investigations, and this month senior Army officials ordered electrical inspections of all buildings in Iraq maintained by KBR.

more at link



WashPost
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/18/AR2008071802636.html

Senators seek review of wiring at Iraq bases

Reuters
Friday, July 18, 2008; 7:40 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Five Democratic senators called on Friday for an independent review of electrical work at U.S. bases in Iraq where more than a dozen soldiers have been electrocuted and others injured.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the senators objected to KBR Inc, the Pentagon's largest private contractor in Iraq, reviewing its own performance. The Houston company previously has faced accusations of overbilling, providing unsafe water to soldiers and other lapses.

The lawmakers said inspections should be conducted independently by someone "both well-qualified and objective."

A Pentagon spokesman said KBR was inspecting its own work but that the Army Corps of Engineers and other military agencies were also conducting reviews.

Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, who chaired a hearing last week on electrocution of troops in Iraq, urged the Pentagon to suspend KBR's contract in Iraq and replace the company with "people who know what they are doing."

(a little) more at link




Scene of electrical fire on base near Falluja last month