Did the blind pig find an acorn at last?
When I was in Saudi we watched an amazing transformation every week. A water truck bearing the words "Nonpotable Water" would hook up to our metal buffalo that bore the words "Potable Water." Somewhere in the plastic hose in between them the purification would take place. We only used that water to wash our clothes with, so it didn't matter to us.
I don't know what kind of set-up this camp in Iraq has -if their water is piped in or not, but the folks there probably wouldn't have had too much use for poop water.
Posted by floridacracker at January 23, 2006 01:10 AMThere was a time when most, if not all, support services for troops were provided by troops. Then came the "Peace Dividend", those few months of "peace" that followed the general recognition that the Cold War was moving toward finality. The U.S. quickly began drawing down the active Army but found that in order to sustain it, many positions were converted to contract employees. Today we have fewer troops served by a growing army of contractors but with little savings, if any, to show for it and the same potential for screw-ups as before. As for the "Dividend", I always thought that it was the "Peace", but it seems to have been used as an opportunity for a different dividend: more contracts and more politics.
Congress is responsible for raising an Army and along with DoD approval, it has chosen to throw an enormous slice of the defense budget to defense contractors to provide basic support such as food, water, and sanitation. Congress, including Dorgan, should step back from the temptation to play it out as a game of political "gotcha" and examine why civilians are now in the middle of combat zones performing these essential services.
People have been swinging and missing at Halliburton as a proxy for the administration. Looks like this one might have gotten hit out the park. Oh, it's going to be a game of "gotcha" for sure.
Posted by: Donnah at January 23, 2006 10:02 AM First ! to TFHR; What did your comment have to do with the potable/non-potable note? On Halliburton, I have known of this company since working in the "Oilpatch", and out there when we need something done right, and done now, we call GOD! Halliburton will accomlish their mission, plain and simple! The same is true with KBR. Want to pay less? You'll get less!
On potable/non-potable water- To the military, and rightly so, all water, (get that? all water),for human contact, not yet filtered to whatever standards are prescribed, (they change with time), in the contract, must be designated "not-potable". "Poop water", (and there is that), is not designated as non-potable water, but rather as "Waste Water" It has its own designation, and always has, whether military or civilian. Get real! What good reason could an American have to supply people with "bad water"? What American would tolerate recieving even the first load as bad water. I think people should cut back on the Kool-Aid on things like this.
nuf sed
My Saudi experience was thrown in as a bonus. None of y'all has to address all my drivel.
We're not talking about waste water here. We're talking about river water contaminated by waste. According to the article, it was chlorinated, but still too contaminated to drink. It sounds like the "brown water" that is available in some communities to use on your lawn. It's cheaper.
The more you have to purify water, the more it costs. That right there could be a motive for supplying it.
Believe it or don't, but I think this is the story that's going to stick. It sounded believable enough to me.
Posted by: Donnah at January 23, 2006 06:25 PM