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  • FRIDAY JULY 27 2007 9:00 AM

Idiot Slaves Fuck Up Our Embassy



Bringing Democracy to Iraq has been a difficult task. As much as we want the country to follow in our footsteps, it seems it may never happen. At the very least, we can lead by example and show the Iraqis what made America so successful during our early years: Slavery. And what better time and place to introduce the glory of slavery than during the construction of the US Embassy in Baghdad?

Yesterday, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held hearings on the waste, fraud and abuse that occurred during construction of our new, $600 million, kick-ass Embassy.

Two American civilian contractors who worked on a massive U.S. Embassy construction project in Baghdad told Congress yesterday that foreign laborers were deceptively recruited and trafficked to Iraq to toil at the site, where they experienced physical abuse and substandard working conditions.





It just warms the heart to hear that human beings were...

"Kidnapped by First Kuwaiti to work on the U.S. Embassy." Their passports had been confiscated, and they were driven away on buses after landing in Baghdad, then were "smuggled into the Green Zone.”


First Kuwaiti is a contracting firm that was handed the job because no American company “could meet the terms.” We can only assume the “terms” meant they needed to kidnap slaves. Most of the slaves were from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Sierra Leone, which means they could have easily called mom or dad and asked for money for a ticket home. But they didn’t because they were lazy – and First Kuwaiti had taken their passports.

At least they were treated well when they got there.

Foreign workers lived in tightly packed trailers and had "insufficient equipment and basic needs -- stuff like shoes and gloves," Owens said.


Only the weak need shoes. I think Jesus said that.

The right-wing excuse machine will surely say that it is not the United States' fault because it was a contracted, foreign company that built our Embassy with slaves. I think the appropriate response to that is, “Eat my balls.” It was the State Department’s job to oversee the construction of the US Embassy – because it’s a fucking US Embassy. They actually have a division that oversees the construction of Embassies, called the State Department's Overseas Buildings Operations. If you don’t think we watch the construction of an Embassy closely, you are an idiot.

The best thing about slaves is that they do quality work. We only know about one building on the compound – and it’s a useless pile of shit.

In May, the new $22 million dollar Embassy guard base opened. Workers quickly realized the kitchen was a disaster. Appliances did not work, staff were receiving electrical shocks and then the wiring actually began to melt. It was estimated that the electrical problems would take two weeks to fix, but in that time it became apparent the base was a disaster.

The wiring in the dining hall was in such bad shape that officials decided to send all the guards back to their old base. They were concerned that the same wiring was prevalent throughout the guard base and they didn’t want the guards to die in a fire.

Every generator on the base developed leaks.

The fuel tanks were installed without corrosion protection or leak detectors, and fuel had begun to saturate the soil around the tanks. Teflon tape designed for water pipes had been used on the fuel tanks, and that such tape "will dissolve on contact with diesel fuel."


The residential trailers filled with formaldehyde fumes. Thankfully, there was a simple solution.

The trailer manufacturer, a Saudi company called Red Sea Housing Services Co., confirmed to the embassy it had used the toxic chemical in preparing the housing. Red Sea told the embassy to keep the windows open and use charcoal in the rooms to absorb the odor.


Strangely, the open the windows/charcoal fix did not work and the trailers continued to reek of toxic fumes. Since this is the only building on the $600 million dollar Embassy that we know about, the assumption is that the problems exist throughout the compound.

The State Department's Overseas Buildings Operations has kept a "close hold" on the project, making it difficult for anyone else in the government to gauge progress. "We are suspecting we will find the same issues in the new embassy," resulting in months of delays, the official said.


No shit. Who would have thought that no bid contracts and slave labor would lead to poor quality?

 

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xazapdmytinu

xazapdmytinu

Fort Collins, CO
July 2007

JUL 27, 2007 02:10 PM

IDGAS said:
Slave labor = low cost = less taxes = happy people
QED
Slave labor = happy people
So STFU and be happy [s]slaves[/s] people smile smile smile



Slave labor=clearly higher status of paid contractors=more money in their pockets versus those dirty brown people's filthy paws=a healthier domestic economy for a happier and safer america?

I was going to link human trafficking and dog fighting into there somewhere but couldn't find the proper wikipedia articles. tongue

So glad to see tyranny hard at work keeping the world safe for American Supeiority. ARRR!!! I mean democracy...I totally said democracy. surreal

Gnarface_Killah

Gnarface_Killah

Denver, CO
January 2004

JUL 27, 2007 02:21 PM

I'm just going to say it.


Best Thread title ever



Vote Rollins 08

skeptik

skeptik

New Orleans, LA
February 2004

JUL 27, 2007 05:02 PM

freshprncebelair said:

herbancowboy said:
The same thing happens is happening in New Orleans, by the way. Yay privatization and outsourcing!

Down to the trailers.



It's probably also all the same people who do all the construction in Dubai too. The use of slave labor has been a sticky issue for them for a while.

http://hrw.org/reports/2006/uae1106/

And from what I understand, the UAE cares even less about the use of slave labor than we do.



Though, interestingly enough, these workers would rather be in Dubai than Baghdad.

First Kuwaiti's labor practices are already under investigation by the Justice Department amid allegations that foreign employees were brought into Iraq under false pretenses -- such as being told that they were to work in Dubai -- and then forbidden to leave because the company had confiscated their passports.



You know things are pretty bad if slave laborers would rather slave for the UAE than for the U.S.A.

Dark_Templar

Dark_Templar

Auburn, CA
June 2004

JUL 27, 2007 05:43 PM

Kick-Ass Embassy.......... Fuck Ya! biggrin

Skywisdom

Skywisdom

Portland, OR
December 2005

JUL 27, 2007 07:04 PM

smithers_jones said:
If Muslims didn't hate us for our freedom, we wouldn't have to use slave labor to build our massive symbols of occupation.



This made me actually laugh out loud.

emotedcreations

emotedcreations

Germany
July 2006

JUL 27, 2007 11:22 PM

It's not the slaves, but the shitty quality of work that bothers me--contractors...

SPOILERS! (Click to view)
I'm joking. Right?

OhSoOrdinary

OhSoOrdinary

Sunnyside, NY
July 2006

JUL 28, 2007 01:33 AM

Yes! I love it when my tax dollars get wasted!

Wait.... I don't pay taxes...

Why don't I pay taxes?

Oh yeah, I'm in Iraq.

But didn't this happen in Iraq?

But that means... I could... this very room could.... oh, no. *gasp*

Don't breathe.Don't breathe.Don't breathe.Don't breathe.

emotedcreations

emotedcreations

Germany
July 2006

JUL 28, 2007 01:38 AM

boobs?

DrStinkypants

DrStinkypants

Saint Paul, MN
October 2002

JUL 28, 2007 02:07 AM

OpticNerve said:
America. Stalling human progress since for over 20+ years.



It's truly embarrassing.

Sometimes I just wish that America had made massive social, medical, technological, and scientific advancements in the past 20+ years whatever

freshprncebelair

freshprncebelair

Ellicott City, MD
June 2004

JUL 28, 2007 07:17 AM

skeptik said:

freshprncebelair said:

herbancowboy said:
The same thing happens is happening in New Orleans, by the way. Yay privatization and outsourcing!

Down to the trailers.



It's probably also all the same people who do all the construction in Dubai too. The use of slave labor has been a sticky issue for them for a while.

http://hrw.org/reports/2006/uae1106/

And from what I understand, the UAE cares even less about the use of slave labor than we do.



Though, interestingly enough, these workers would rather be in Dubai than Baghdad.

First Kuwaiti's labor practices are already under investigation by the Justice Department amid allegations that foreign employees were brought into Iraq under false pretenses -- such as being told that they were to work in Dubai -- and then forbidden to leave because the company had confiscated their passports.



You know things are pretty bad if slave laborers would rather slave for the UAE than for the U.S.A.



Being a slave in the UAE is a no brainer compared to Iraq. Id rather be a slave in a peaceful area than a warzone, all things being equal.

ogichida30

ogichida30

Concord, CA
September 2004

JUL 28, 2007 03:29 PM

Gnarface_Killah said:




Vote Rollins 08



WORD

darkcharge

darkcharge

Portland, OR
June 2006

JUL 29, 2007 03:09 AM

joker_c said:
I wonder if the manacles pictured have a made in the USA stamp?



No the only thing made in the usa these days is bullshit.

Taxpayer paid for bullshit............ sadness.

SuperCrunch

SuperCrunch

Birmingham, AL
January 2007

JUL 30, 2007 09:27 AM

Fucking disgraceful and atrocious.

Gravel '08

BDeyeD

BDeyeD

Toronto, ON
January 2007

JUL 31, 2007 11:18 AM

I'm just going to shake my head and mutter things to myself... skull

Zarth

zarth

Seattle, WA
December 2004

JUL 31, 2007 11:19 AM

BDeyeD said:
I'm just going to shake my head and mutter things to myself... skull


And be grateful you're Canadian.

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