» 2009 » February Ms Sparky

“A Slap In The Face” and “Dumber Than Dirt”

Posted on: February 10th, 2009 at 5:37 pm — by Ms Sparky

I am really liking Rachel Maddow from MSNBC!! Great job on two short reports…watch them then check out my comments! If you are having problems viewing the video on Ms Sparky click HERE. Enjoy.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Comment on first report – Anything but debarring KBR from Government contracts is a slap in the face to the families of the soldiers they have killed from electrocution, exposed the deadly chemicals, bad water and so on. Not to mention what they have done to their own employees and the slaves that have been brought in from third world countries.

Comment on second report – They must have recently change convoy security, because we weren’t even allowed to tell anyone when the convoys were scheduled to move. And….if this guy had been in a Blackhawk helicopter with me and started “Tweeting” our location…….some Iraqi would have thought that Allah made it rain Blackberry’s and damn if his didn’t have a US Congressman attached to it!! I may have to start a “Dumb Ass” category!!

Ms Sparky

Posted in KBR, Politics. Tags: KBR, Politics. 3 Comments »

It’s Time To Debar KBR From Federal Contracts

Posted on: February 10th, 2009 at 1:45 pm — by Ms Sparky

Many are calling for a move to debar Halliburton and KBR from doing business with the Federal Government.

“After all, this is a company that makes most of its profits on the back of U.S. taxpayers. And under federal contracting law, the government is required to contract only with “responsible” contractors.” Says Charlie Cray over at the Huffington Post. (Click HERE) The government can ban firms in cases of fraud, antitrust violations, bribery, tax evasion or for actions that reflect “a lack of business integrity or business honesty,” according to federal rules. I do believe that Halliburton and KBR meet those criteria.

In the past year or so KBR has been under serious scrutiny and investigation for their lack of performance on the LOGCAP contract in the Middle East. There have been numerous Senate and Congressional hearings detailing what I fear is only the tip of the iceberg of Fraud, Waste and Abuse. They are under investigation for the wrongful deaths of US soldiers that have resulted in civil suits and will hopefully end in criminal charges and jail time. They are accused of delivering contaminated water and food. Purposefully exposing US troops and their own employees to dangerous chemicals. There have been a large number of lawsuits filed by their own employees for various assaults, rapes, deaths and other injuries. All as KBR hides behind the Defense Base Act. Not to mention the charges, fines and jail time for KBR Exec for the Nigerian Bribery Scheme.

It’s time for the Federal Government including Obama to step up and put a stop to this nonsense. It’s hard for us to back anything Obama wants to do while Companies like Halliburton and KBR continue to rape the taxpayer. It has got to stop.

Ms Sparky

Posted in KBR. Tags: KBR. 1 Comment »

Oregon Soldier’s Electrocution In Iraq Under Investigation

Posted on: February 9th, 2009 at 5:35 pm — by Ms Sparky

Army investigators begin probe of Oregon soldier’s electrocution

By KIMBERLY HEFLING , Associated Press
Last update: February 9, 2009 – 3:15 PM

WASHINGTON – Army criminal investigators have opened a probe into the death of an Oregon soldier who was electrocuted while swimming in Iraq at a U.S.-operated base.

Spc. Chase Whitham’s death on May 8, 2004, has been blamed on a pool motor shorting out that was improperly grounded. Whitham, 21, was in Mosul when he died.

His electrocution death is among five that military criminal investigators have reopened for further study after consultation with the Pentagon’s Inspector General. Chris Grey, an Army Criminal Investigation Command spokesman, said Monday the case was opened in January but he would not provide specifics.

Whitham’s mother, Laurie Whitham, said Monday that investigators told her they were focusing on the origins of electrical problems at the base where her son died. She said she hopes the new probe into her son’s death might prevent future electrocutions, and that it’s been upsetting to hear of others who were electrocuted.

“It just seems like if they saw there was a problem with the pump to the pool in my son’s accident, that they would pay particular attention down the road to any other pump that they would have to hook up, especially one that was going into a shower,” she said in a telephone interview from her home in Hammond, Ore.

Her son spent most of his childhood in Harrisburg, Ore., but he graduated from high school in Eugene, Ore.

Whitham’s death is among 18 electrocution deaths under review by the Pentagon’s Inspector General — 16 service members and two contractors. Some of the deaths were blamed on improperly installed or maintained electrical work. Three deaths occurred when soldiers were showering.

Whitham was serving with the 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Lewis, Washington.

The Army’s criminal investigation division has reclassified another soldier’s electrocution death as a negligent homicide caused by contractor KBR Inc. and two of its supervisors. Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, a Green Beret from Pittsburgh, was electrocuted in his barracks shower in Iraq. An Army investigator said KBR’s contractor failed to ensure that qualified electricians and plumbers did the work. The case remains under legal review; KBR has said it wasn’t responsible for Maseth’s death.

___

Julie Reed of the AP News Research Center contributed to this report (Click HERE to read original article)

Note: If you have information about this tragic incident please email me and I will get you in touch with the appropriate people.

Ms Sparky

Posted in A Soldiers Story, Chase Whitham-US Army, Electrocutions/Shocks. Tags: Army CID*, Army Criminal Investigation Command*, Electrocutions/Shocks. 1 Comment »

Have we forgotten about Sgt Anthony Woodham?

Posted on: February 9th, 2009 at 12:00 pm — by Ms Sparky

The article from the Army Times below just came out! I am thrilled to see these cases reopened. Although they should have been investigated properly the first time, I will give them a second chance to get it right. BUT….what about Sgt 1st Class Anthony Woodham from Rogers, Arkansas? I don’t see his name on the list. Click HERE to read my post about Sgt Woodham shortly after he died in Iraq. His family still does not have answers. They deserve answers.

Army names 2 in reopened electrocution cases

By Matthew Cox – Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 9, 2009

Army criminal investigators have released the names of two soldiers involved in the three additional electrocution death cases that had been initially ruled as accidents.

The service’s Criminal Investigation Command reopened the cases of Spc. Chase R. Whitham and Sgt. Christopher Lee Everett in January along with a third soldier’s case, whose identity has not been released.

“The third soldier’s identification is not being released at this time due to notification of next of kin,” CID spokesman Chris Grey said in a statement Monday. “We have notified some family members that we have reopened the case, but are having trouble locating and notifying the primary next of kin who is out of the country at this time. This is not a new case.”

The Army announced the status change of the three additional cases Friday, which follow the reopening of the case of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, an Army Special Forces soldier who died Jan. 2, 2008, when he was electrocuted in his barracks shower in Baghdad.

In addition to these four Army cases, Naval Criminal Investigative Service has also reopened the probe into the Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class (FMF) David Cedergren, who died Sept. 11, 2004, in an outdoor shower at Forward Operating Base Iskandariyah, Iraq.

The five cases are among the 18 questionable electrocution deaths of troops that occurred between 2003 and 2008.

Results of Maseth’s investigation are not complete, but his family was notified in December that Maseth’s death, initially listed as “accidental,” was now considered “negligent homicide,” The Associated Press reported.

Army CID would not comment on this, saying that the investigation is still ongoing, Grey said.

Whitham, who was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, was electrocuted while swimming in a pool with other soldiers May 8, 2004, in Mosul, Iraq. His case was initially ruled as an accident in August 2004.

Everett, who was assigned to the Army Reserve’s B Company, 2nd Battalion, 112th Armor, was electrocuted while operating a power washer Sept. 8, 2005, in Tagaddum, Iraq. His case was initially ruled an accident in December 2005. (click HERE for original article)

Ms Sparky

Posted in David Cedergren-US Navy, Electrocutions/Shocks, Lawsuits Against KBR. Tags: Army CID*, Army Criminal Investigation Command*, Electrocutions/Shocks. No Comments »

If only the DoD would adopt this wisdom!

Posted on: February 7th, 2009 at 2:20 pm — by Ms Sparky

From “Quotations Of The Day” If only the DoD would adopt this wisdom.

A Senator Dorgan quote from a statement given to Kim Hefling of the AP with regard to awarding KBR new contracts!! It makes sense to me.

“This is hardly the time to award KBR a new contract for work they’ve already failed to perform adequately, and which put U.S. soldiers at even greater risk. Ultimately, contractors must be held accountable, and so should those who continue to award these contracts.” — Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., in a statement after the Pentagon awarded KBR Inc. a $35 million contract involving major electrical work in Iraq. KBR is under criminal investigation in the electrocution deaths of at least two U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

Ms Sparky

Posted in KBR, KBR Contract. Tags: KBR. No Comments »

Court documents say KBR will pay $402 million bribery fine

Posted on: February 6th, 2009 at 7:49 pm — by Ms Sparky

Court documents say KBR will pay $402 million bribery fine

By TOM FOWLER HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Feb. 6, 2009

KBR has agreed to pay $402 million in fines to settle criminal charges that it conspired to bribe Nigerian officials to win work on a massive liquefied natural gas project in that country, according to court documents filed today.

The company is accused of one count of conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and four counts of violating the act.

KBR declined comment.

The government filed a document in Houston federal court called a criminal information, spelling out the allegations, as well as a motion to waive certain procedures. The motion says KBR “agrees to all the facts alleged in the Information” as well as a plea agreement, which was not immediately available.

Last month Halliburton, the former parent company of KBR, said it planned to pay nearly $560 million to settle allegations related to the case, but it’s not clear if that includes the $402 million KBR fines. KBR’s spin-off from Halliburton was completed in April 2007.

Last September Albert “Jack” Stanley, the former chairman of what then was known as Kellogg Brown & Root, admitted he participated in a decade-long scheme to pay $182 million in bribes to land contracts to build a $6 billion gas liquefaction plant on Nigeria’s Bonny Island.

Stanley, of Houston, served as Kellogg Brown & Root’s senior representative on a Madeira, Portugal-based consortium known as TSKJ, which was awarded four separate contracts for work on that complex. (click HERE to link to the original article)

It’s about damn time!!!

Ms Sparky

Posted in Indictments, Convictions & Arrests, KBR, Media Coverage. Tags: Bonny Island LNG, DoJ*, FCPA Violations, Jack Stanley, KBR, KBR Convictions, Nigeria, U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ). No Comments »

Why Hasn’t KBR Been Banned From Winning Contracts?

Posted on: February 6th, 2009 at 1:17 pm — by Ms Sparky

$35M contract despite electrocutions

By KIMBERLY HEFLING – February 6, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense contractor KBR Inc., which is under criminal investigation in the electrocution deaths of at least two U.S. soldiers in Iraq, has been awarded a $35 million contract by the Pentagon to build an electrical distribution center and other projects there.

The announcement of the new KBR contract comes just months after the Pentagon, in strongly worded correspondence obtained by The Associated Press, rejected the company’s explanation of serious mistakes in Iraq and its proposed improvements. A senior Pentagon official, David J. Graff, cited the company’s “continuing quality deficiencies” and said KBR executives were “not sufficiently in touch with the urgency or realities of what was actually occurring on the ground.”

“Many within DOD (the Department of Defense) have lost or are losing all remaining confidence in KBR’s ability to successfully and repeatedly perform the required electrical support services mission in Iraq,” wrote Graff, commander of the Defense Contract Management Agency, in a Sept. 30 letter.

Graff rejected the company’s claims that it wasn’t required to follow U.S. electrical codes for its work on U.S. military facilities in Iraq. KBR has said it would cost an extra $560 million to refurbish buildings in Iraq used by the U.S. military, including Saddam Hussein’s palaces, which among other problems are based on a 220-volt standard rather than the American 120-volt standard.

KBR announced last week it won a new $35.4 million contract from the Army Corps of Engineers to design and build a convoy support center at Camp Adder in southern Iraq. It will include a power plant, electrical distribution center, water purification and distribution systems, wastewater and information systems and road paving.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said the new KBR contract was inappropriate. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said he has formally asked the Corps of Engineers whether it was confident KBR could accomplish it and whether the Corps had any alternatives.

“This is hardly the time to award KBR a new contract for work they’ve already failed to perform adequately, and which put U.S. soldiers at even greater risk,” Dorgan told the AP in a statement. “Ultimately, contractors must be held accountable, and so should those who continue to award these contracts.”

A KBR spokeswoman, Heather Browne, said the company was committed to providing quality services and would comply with the military’s requirements in its work on the Camp Adder contract.

The AP has learned that Army criminal agents have reopened the death investigation of Staff Sgt. Christopher Lee Everett, 23, a member of the Texas Army National Guard. Everett was killed September 2005 in Iraq when the power washer he was using to clean a vehicle short-circuited. KBR and another contractor, Arkel International, performed the electrical work on the device’s generator, according to a civil lawsuit filed by Everett’s family.

“I think it’s something that needs to be done so these electrocutions don’t continue to happen,” said Everett’s mother, Larraine McGee of Huntsville, Texas, told the AP in a phone interview. “There’s no excuse for this whatsoever.” McGee said the Army’s senior criminal investigator at Fort Hood notified her about the reopened investigation.

The AP previously reported that the Army has reclassified another soldier’s electrocution death as a negligent homicide caused by KBR and two of its supervisors. Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, a Green Beret from Pittsburgh, was electrocuted in his barracks shower. An Army investigator said KBR’s contractor failed to ensure qualified electricians and plumbers did the work. The case is under legal review, and KBR has said it was not responsible for Maseth’s death.

The deaths of Everett and Maseth are among the 18 under review by the Pentagon’s inspector general. Some of the deaths have been blamed on improperly installed or maintained electrical equipment. In three cases, service members were shocked while showering. Families of Maseth and Everett also have sued KBR in federal court for wrongful death; the company is attempting to have the lawsuits dismissed.

The Corps of Engineers said KBR has earned $615 million on 30 similar contracts as the newest it awarded to the company and noted that KBR has not been banned or suspended from winning U.S. government contracts. The government can ban firms in cases of fraud, antitrust violations, bribery, tax evasion or for actions that reflect “a lack of business integrity or business honesty,” according to federal rules.

“KBR has not been debarred, suspended, nor have they been proposed for debarment from government contracting,” Corps spokeswoman Joan Kibler said.

KBR was previously owned by Halliburton Co., the oil services conglomerate that former Vice President Dick Cheney once led. Democrats have long complained it benefited from ties to Cheney. (click HERE for original article)

Kudo’s to Kim Hefling!!! And in my not so humble opinion I would say that KBR meets the “a lack of business integrity or business honesty” criteria for being debarred from government contracting! Let’s get on with it!!

Ms Sparky