» 2009 » May Ms Sparky

KBR’s Bill Bodie is “boo hoo-ing” again

May 31, 2009 — Ms Sparky

After the most recent round of KBR hearings on May 20th, the NY Times came out with an editorial (see below). It was good, but didn’t really get entertaining until Bill Bodie, Interim President of KBR responded. Pathetic attempt to redeem themselves. Just more of the same…..We didn’t do it. It’s not our fault. The media is being unfair. You got it all wrong.

Here it is. You decide.

New York Times Editorial
KBR Does It Again

Published: May 23, 2009

Far from suffering for its shoddy military contracting in Iraq, Congressional investigators have found that KBR Inc. was awarded $83 million in performance bonuses. Even worse, more than half came after Pentagon investigators linked faulty KBR wiring to the electrocution of four soldiers intent on relaxation. One soldier died taking a shower and another in a swimming pool.

How such settings became part of harm’s way for the military was the question put to an electrical engineer hired by the Army who reported finding that 90 percent of KBR’s wiring work in Iraq was not done safely. Some 70,000 buildings where troops lived and worked were not up to code, according to the engineer, who told a Congressional hearing of “some of the most hazardous, worst-quality work I have ever inspected.” (Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in Bodie Babble, Senate & House Committee Hearings. Tags: Bodie Babble, Misc, William "Bill" Bodie. 1 Comment »

Is KBR guilty of Human Trafficking in…..Americans?

May 27, 2009 — Ms Sparky

I have received several emails in the last few months asking why KBR is not being investigated and prosecuted for Trafficking In Persons (TIPS) violations with regards to their own American KBR employees.

The United Nations definition of human trafficking is “The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation”.

That just screams KBR. I have to wonder if KBR actually used this definition as a model to establish their LOGCAP personnel management program.

There are COUNTLESS reports of KBR employees being subjected to threats and intimidation if they didn’t “comply”. I myself was threatened to be sent to Fallujah during the height of the conflict there if I didn’t “just shut up”! Those who know me are laughing their asses off right now. But seriously. KBR misleads you to get you over there. You are 1000′s of miles away of from home. It’s nothing like they said it would be. Most were not making close to what the recruiter promised. You get over there and find out you aren’t even working for KBR. Just as recently as last Wednesday, we heard testimony from a former electrician, who was threatened with “Chicken or Pasta?” if he didn’t do what he was told to do, and that was illegal. You have no “true” recourse against, harassment, intimidation, threats, assalt, rape, fraud or other crimes. If you do decide to quit, you are LAST priority on the manifest and could end up sitting at Camp Victory for days or longer. (Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in Iraq Human Trafficking, LOGCAP III - KBR. Tags: Employee Issues-KBR, Human Trafficking. 19 Comments »

Forbidden – Access Denied

May 26, 2009 — Ms Sparky

Most of my “blogging time” is actually spent talking to people and forwarding them on to subject matter experts, investigators or attorney’s. I spend way more time on the phone than I do on the computer. I am just too busy to sit there and try to figure out who is specifically visiting my blog. Every now and then I look at the top 50 or so IP addresses. I recognize most as the DCMA, Senate, House, OSD, Rock Island, US District Court, Pentagon, KBR, Fluor, K&L Gates (KBR Attorney’s), Stanley Consultants, McKenna Long & Aldridge (KBR attorney’s). This list goes on and on. Then there is this one IP address that has hit my site close to 4000 times in the last few months. “Hmmmmm. Who could that be?” I ask. You got to love the internet. As my six year old grandson says “just google it”! Low and behold, this IP address belongs to none other than Pathway Forensics LLC a private investigation company from Houston that specializes in computer forensics. (Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in GOV. CONTRACTORS, LOGCAP III - KBR. Tags: Reports & Investigations. 14 Comments »

Honoring Those Who Gave It All!

May 24, 2009 — Ms Sparky

Finally, a three day weekend. The Interstates are clogged with people anxiously trying to get out of town. Campgrounds and beaches are overflowing. Friends and family come together. BBQ’s are fired up and the beer is cold. The deafening roar of the Indy 500 as it gets underway. Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of Summer.

Unfortunately, many have forgotten what Memorial Day is all about. (Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in Holiday Tribute To Soldiers. Tags: Holidays, Memorial Day. 1 Comment »

The DCMA will not let KBR fail

May 23, 2009 — Ms Sparky

When the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) issued a Level III Corrective Action Request (CAR) to KBR on September 11, 2008 a rumor surfaced that this CAR had actually left Iraq as a Level IV and was then lowered to a Level III by DCMA in Washington DC. But there was no way for me to prove that.

The issuance of a Level IV CAR would have meant sure termination of KBR’s contract. As it should have been.

After the last hearing the Senate Democratic Policy Committee published KBR’s most recent Level III CAR on their website. I was alerted by a very observant reader to take a look at the footer in the attachments. Of the 48 attachments to this CAR, 40 of them have this in the footer:

HQ-08-LOGCAP-001 LIV

Note the “LIV”. That means Level 4. This confirms to me that this CAR in fact did leave Iraq as a Level 4 and was downgraded by the DCMA in Washington. So now I must ask why? Why would the DCMA in Washington NOT take the recommendations of those with first hand knowledge of the issue? Those who investigated and wrote the CAR in Iraq?

Would it draw attention to the complete and utter failure of the DCMA to oversee KBR’s contract?
Did the DoD think that KBR could not be replaced?
Was there some back room DoD deal that KBR could stay at all cost?

They are correct on the first point. The DCMA oversight of KBR has been a complete and utter failure from the beginning. But, they are completely wrong on the second point. KBR could have easily been replaced by a competent contractor. It was not necessary to replace every single KBR employee. Bring in new management, because that is the biggest problem. Replace every manager from the top down to the PM or Site Manger level and then go from there. You could sweeten the deal and entice managers with bonuses to ensure a smooth transition. For those who won’t cooperate, escort them out of the country in handcuffs! It might be a little confusing at first. But you would be money ahead in the long run. You would at least be making forward progress. Right now you are just throwing good money after bad. And on the third point, I’m thinking YES!

The DCMA in Washington should have paid a little more attention to detail when they downgraded the CAR and no one would have been the wiser. But, now we are and now we want to know why you are protecting KBR.

Updated May 24, 2009 8:24am PST: Click HERE to view CAR # HQ-08-LOGCAP-001 LIII Deficient Quality System – Level III Corrective Action Request, the CAR in question.

Ms Sparky