Thursday, March 13, 2008

"Reality? Thanks, not interested."


Via Think Progress, we're introduced to yet another depressingly ignorant conservative:

In a press briefing on Monday, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell dismissed KBR’s gross negligence. He responded by joking about how everyone knows the water in Iraq is unsafe, and advised everyone to avoid drinking it:

You know, we’ve all been to Iraq several times. Everywhere you go they make it perfectly clear that you don’t want to drink the water, so I’m a little surprised myself that this is an issue. As I understand it, the bottled water, which is what you’re supposed to be drinking in Iraq, had no issues whatsoever in the testing that was done. Evidently, there was some issue with some of the other water that was, I guess, primarily meant for washing. […]

But I think our encouragement is always — for journalists and warfighters alike is read the signs and just drink the bottled water.


Well, I'm sure that's delightfully helpful advice ... except for the fact that the troops weren't getting sick from drinking the water (emphasis added):

Dozens of U.S. troops in Iraq fell sick at bases using "unmonitored and potentially unsafe" water supplied by the military and a contractor once owned by Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, the Pentagon's internal watchdog says.

A report obtained by The Associated Press said soldiers experienced skin abscesses, cellulitis, skin infections, diarrhea and other illnesses after using discolored, smelly water for personal hygiene and laundry at five U.S. military sites in Iraq.

The Republican Party: Because even stupid people should feel like they belong somewhere.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

KBR/Haliburton are a bunch of lying, theiving weasels. I surely was not sad to see them marched off of KAF.

Cameron Campbell said...

"skin abscesses, cellulitis, skin infections, diarrhea and other illnesses"????

WTF?

I've washed with untreated stream water on hiking trips and never gotten anything like that... are they getting effluent to wash with?

CC said...

Cameron:

That's exactly what they're getting. From the IHT article linked to above (emphasis added):

"At Camp Q-West, KBR inappropriately delivered chlorinated wastewater for showers and latrines without informing military preventive medicine officials, the report said."

In other news, support the troops. Or something like that.

Ti-Guy said...

are they getting effluent to wash with?

Overheard outside Q-West shower facility: "Hey, where are all these peanuts and corn coming from?"

E in MD said...

Overheard outside Q-West shower facility: "Hey, where are all these peanuts and corn coming from?"

By Blogger Ti-Guy, at 11:21 AM


EWWWW!