That headline reads nicely, except for the Soldiers who died and their Families.  I could of written it like this: Vice President Dick Cheney’s Former Company’s Subsidiary is Electrocuting Soldiers in Iraq, but I didn’t… you can thank me later.

However, just as the Vice President could care less about America, it seems a transference of ideology has occured to his former company and its subsidiaries, notably Kellogg Brown-Root (KBR). Even if they aren’t at fault for electrocuting our Patriots fighting for their country in Iraq (supposedly), they are at fault for poisoning them.

A little educative history lesson first, about KBR, Haliburton, and how this whole private contracting mess got started.  When Dick Cheney was Sec. Def. he commissioned a report for a study into how effective private contractors could be for the military… or something to that nature (read Wikipedia if you care).  The report was written by none other then Haliburton, a private contracting company (for things like construction, life-cycle management services, and oil drilling).  After leaving as Sec. Def., Cheney goes to work for Haliburton, and eventually through some shrewd, but nonetheless ’business appropriate’ tactics, becomes the CEO of the largest private contractor in the world.  Then in 2000 the CEO, of the largest private contractor in the world, is tapped to be Bush’s running mate, and future Vice President.

So, when the Iraq, we really can’t call it a war, War began in 2003, Haliburton, and it’s subsidiaries, were contracted to provide many of the services the Military once dolled out to it’s own troops (like cooking, cleaning, laundering (clothes not money), building bases, etc.).  The contract was not given to any other companies, and was only given to Haliburton and by default its subsidiaries.  This is a type of soul source no-bid contract that stifles (or eliminates) competition and undermines the free market, which conservatives are all for, but somehow act against.

Now, let’s travel back to the present day.  Nothing in the history lesson above is meant to bring about anything illegal, because nothing illegal was committed.  What I’ve done is simply present the basis for immoral and disingenuous business practices.  The premise being, if a business can’t conduct itself in an honorable, moral, and respectable manner are its services really going to be carried out in an honorable, moral, and respectable manner?

Moreover, is KBR not at fault in these electrocutions? Quite possibly it was the Army who installed the machinery which led to the electrocutions.

Recently, KBR has broken from Haliburton, not because they disliked each other, it’s just because that’s what companies do when they look like monopolies, they split apart so as not to have anybody ask questions.  The Contractor in Chief, Cheney, is still in office, and la-di-da the world still turns, for most.  Not so, for a former soldier of Pittsburgh, “Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, [who] died January 2 [2008?] of cardiac arrest after being electrocuted while showering at his barracks in Baghdad” -CNN. Along with 12 others who have died since the invasion in 2003 because of similar electrifying showering situations. 

The water pumps for the showers at some military bases in Iraq, where these soldiers were killed, were improperly grounded, which allowed an electric current to run through the system.  Whenever a soldier would use such a hazardous shower, the soldier would eventually feel an extreme electrical surge over their entire body (because, as I believe, the water comes from a faucet positioned above the user of the shower) which would undoubtedly lead to some sort of heart failure and death.

The water pumps in question were most likely bought, installed, and initially operated by the Army in 2003, the first year of the invasion.  The pumps were made in China and no mention is given as to which company they were bought through.  Why is the American Military buying equipment made in China?  Because they’re stupid? Yes? OK, glad to have established that.

A year after the invasion, in 2004, the Army issued a statement to its soldiers on the ground that 5 had been electrocuted and killed because of improper electrical grounding, which means at least 7 died after 2004.  The problem arises when did KBR actually take over the the operation of the pumps at the bases, and did they know of the previous electrocution follies caused by the pumps at the time they took over operation? They finally noted in a January 21st [2008?] memo that the pumps did not meet U.S. safety standards.

So, the Army was negligent from 2003 till the KBR takeover, in which time a certain number of soldiers died, giving way to negligence by the Army.  Then after KBR took over, another certain number of soldiers died, which means KBR was now negligent.  It seems that because of the timeline, Staff Sgt. Maseth was killed under KBR’s negligence period.

What’s sad is that all this time soldiers have been dying for the same reason.  The Army connected the dots in 2004, but the soldiers kept on dying due to electrocution.   It seems that because of bureaucracy, private contracting, and shear stupidity 12 soldier had to die, I wonder what kind of confidence our soldiers have in their Army now?  I have none.

[CNN]