Halliburton gives soliders contaminated water

[Jeanette X]

http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4394502&nav=2HAB

A-P Enterprise: U-S troops exposed to contaminated water in Iraq, Halliburton documents say


WASHINGTON Halliburton employees say they told the defense contractor that contaminated water was being used by U-S troops and civilians at a U-S military base in Iraq.

But the employees say they couldn't get Halliburton to inform camp residents of the problem.

The contaminated water came to light in internal company documents The Associated Press obtained from Senate Democrats who are holding a public inquiry tomorrow.

One of the memos was written by the official for Halliburton's K-B-R subsidiary, which was in charge of water quality in Iraq and Kuwait. He writes -- quote -- "we exposed a base camp population to a water source that was not treated."

Bottled water was used for drinking, but a water expert says the tainted water was used for everything else, including making coffee. Someone who worked at the base in Ramadi says he was among many people who got sick.

A Halliburton spokeswoman says the company did not find any contaminated water nor medical evidence of illnesses.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[Kulturkampf]

I tis really too bad that this got out late, and that the water was not treated.

However, it is also too bad that people are going to pretend that this is somehow a blunder we should blame on conservatives.

To me, this is like reporting a car crash or when an ambulance team messes up and goes to the wrong scene of a crime -- a tragedy in many ways, but the only people to blame are isolated individuals who did not properly execute their job.

It is not a political issue.

Do you think politics has anything to do with this?

[ziggytrix]

I think it's sad that you think any criticsm of KBR cannot have a politcal slant to it.

[kahljorn]

As far as I know part of politics is the governing of business and business ethics. Besides that, the fact that haliburton manages to get every important job assigned by the americans would give it a political slant of sorts.

[ScruU2wice]

YES! this is the thread that's going to unravel the bush administration! You're going down Mr. Bush, or should I say President Hitler...

[kahljorn]

I work my acts of terrorism explicitily through this web forum.

[Kulturkampf]

I would say that business ethics definitely play a role in politics -- but where is the corrupt business here? I see it not, but rather i see a shitty mistake that someone made.

It is not as if someone at Halliburton called up the water folks they outsourced to and said: "I dislike American soldiers and I am cruel, so let's not purify some water and give it to them!"

[Geggy]

You're clueless, KKKampf

Unarmored vehicles, no body armor, MREs lacking, poisoned water...what's next? We find out that the water is coming from the New Orleans flood? Army helicopters in Iraq transporting wounded solders to ER being suspended?

Jesus christ

[mburbank]

"But the employees say they couldn't get Halliburton to inform camp residents of the problem."

See, bad water is maybe a mistake. Refusing to report bad water to the folks using it, even after your own employees have informed you the water is bad? That's not a mistake, it's a decision.

A decision by a huge company that got a no-bid contract for military support in Iraq. That used to be run by the Vice President. That got that no bid, no competition, anti-capitalist contract from a government all three branches of which are controlled by the Republicans, not in any grand conspiracy way, but in that the house , senate and presiency are all actually really controlled by republicans.

It's more like you report a car wreck. And then the insurance company and the police refuse to admit it happened, and the police won't call an ambulance so you have to do it yourself and wonder if the police might get angry. And then it turns out that the police and the insurance company both work for the same people and even though they keep screwing up and taking bribes and doing their jobs all wrong, the never, never get fired.

[Geggy]

Everytime you open your mouth, Max, you have this wonderful ability to continually inform others what I think