tele_nut

Let me clarify. My observations are first hand observations, not some surmised factoid derived from an obscure news reporter who has seen about 1/10th as much of Iraq as I have. I am talking about the HUMAN FACTOR of the people on the ground there that work for KBR. The ground war had a build up phase from a military standpoint and the planning for the war was made years and years before Bush and CO even hit the polls. The plans to carry certain contractors was probably a result of loyalty and industry achievement over the course of many years. It's called a relationship. You wouldn't expect someone to create an operating system for you from scratch when you need one NOW and someone already has the instruments in place now would you? That's just seems senseless to me. The DOD went with what they had. KBR and others were ready and willing to go. If you're so concerned I can probably help get you a job over there for what you feel is a fair wage. Then you can put your life on the line and feel better about what you think the government should be paying someone to conduct support ops in a combat zone. In a guerrilla war there are no front lines and no secure rear areas. Climbing mountains is a pretty safe enterprise compared to driving a fuel truck up and down MSR Tampa every day.

I'm not sure actually. Most of the contractors I know that work for KBR are very happy. They don't exactly exist in the same spheres that I do, but since they run virtually everything logistical in nature it is hard to avoid their presence. I would have to assume that if some of them are not being paid then I would speculate that they might be Iraqi national subcontractors. Plus with the way that some contracts are paid out by the government it is sometimes simply a timing issue and their may have been a lag period.

There were no other contractors that had even half the resources of KBR/Halliburton or could mobilize in the time it took KBR to move out and get downrange. Those folks are doing a great job there. So unless you've been there and seen their efforts first hand, seen some of the shit jobs those folks are doing, I suggest you STFU.

Thanks for the word Snoboy. Maybe I'll go surfing instead. Sounds like there is usually a good spring cycle of dumps though?

Any thoughts on this ski area? Worth skipping Whistler to check out?

People that break the law deserve justice. That's about all there is to it. Do the crime, do the time. How hard is that to accept? Personally I think Pelican Bay would be a great place for those Enron/Worldcom fucks to get sent to.

Hey Strickland why don't YOU insert something in your ass now because I heard you like it that way. That's probably what made you think of that to begin with. Fag.

Kill your computer.

Spray is dead.

BORING

No one is threatening anyone knob. It was simply a lighthearted joke. FO.

All I'm saying Iain is that's dangerous to have a racecar in the red...

That's a great shot of Burke on the home page. That guy tried to recruit me to jug and haul lines for him one summer, but I wasn't having any of that shit.

I guess you are all just content with the status quo up to this point? Why don't you post this on the 9/11 survivors webboard or socnet and see how much sympathy you all get. Pansies.

Climbing is dead.

Is it going to be spoken word for certain? He has some pretty good nihilistic dark comedy routines too. I put my fist through the door I hate myself for you I love you Suspicion rules my very soul My knife is sharp, my thoughts are cold

as an uninsured underemployed slightly malnourished with bills to pay including fukin taxes member of the american stagnant economy i would say 'no'. i wouldnt like to know. fuk mars and the spaceship that landed there. Maybe you should try to get a job with NASA. Like as in MOVE to where the jobs are. The stagnant economy is Washington State, not everywhere else.

I notice that they are starting to make them bigger, but quieter. My first course of action upon return to the US is to buy the biggest V-8 truck I can find. Then I'm going to buy a snowmobile so I can yo-yo ski circles around earthie crunchies.

I think everyone's opinion in this matter is pretty viable at this point. Everything is in flux and there is plenty of speculation. My opinion is if you distill the human race down to a fine point we are nothing more than animals competing for resources we know we need to survive. Now some would argue that it is our ability to reason and negotiate that seperates us from animals, but history has shown us time and time again that when competing interests collide, and there is enough at stake, that eventually force will be applied to the mix. The strongest will survive and the weak will be extinguished. I understand that this may not always be the "dominant paradigm" as is oft quoted here, and that I may be a dying breed, but this is still sometimes the reality of the human race. If you don't agree with oil as an energy source then I encourage you to "eschew the dominant paradigm", quit using your car, turn off your heaters, quit consuming goods that are somehow connected in any way to the oil industry, get a doctorate in thermophysics, devote your life to research in achieving more efficient energy sources and change the world as we know it. I sense that it won't happen in my time so I will continue to do everything I can to insure that OUR standard of living is maintained and perhaps even enhanced in the current world. I'm sure that when the oil runs out we will be fighting over water or some other insidiuous resource lurking in the shadows.

I forgot I used to have the avatar Smokey McPot too. I think I gave that one to Curt Gibson (AKA Lucky).

You're right about Russia. They have two things they are really good at. Criminal enterprise and being thugs. If some half ass dictator does go berserker and achieve WMD status it won't be because of their think tank labs hidden in the desert. It will be because Russia sold it to them in some back alley dope deal. Tele_Nut out. It's 1220 in the morning here and I have to get up boucoup early. My boss is nicknamed THE Machine. He just plugs himself into the wall at night. He's killing guys half his age.

I think it (the Middle East) will come around. Iraq and the Iraqi's aren't half bad. Though, who knows what they'll be like in 20 years when they're swimming in money. Hopefully it won't mess them up too bad. Kuwait on the other hand is about the most obnoxious group I've ever seen. Too much money, too little country to do anything in other than drive their cars like maniacs and use up more oil. And Qatar...they treat everyone like peasants. Saudi is a whole other story. I get worried even posting that name on the internet. They'll put your ass on a list. Like I need that headache too. I think the US will prosper greatly from this move, and we will continue to maintain or tenuous foothold on being a superpower for the time being.

I think the benefits of all this will filter down at a later date. I know for alot of people it has created worry and uncertainty about alot of things. I know the war has created tensions. In reality though were some of these 'friendly' nations merely wolves in sheeps clothing? Germany was for a long time a powerful nation. With Russia finally in shambles (thanks to Jihad) they finally have what they have always wanted. A safe eastern border. They are now free to make their move. The fact that France wants to back them in their play is truly one of the sick ironies in life.

In all reality what you just said about OPEC is part of the crux of the issue. OPEC has long threatened to decrease production if certain demands were not met. Since we had gotten into bed with Saudi Arabia over Afghanistan we have been tied to their unscrupulous money/oil politics ever since. 9/11 proved the worthiness of the average Saudi's mindset, and now we are moving out of all our bases there. So now, with Iraq, we no longer need Saudi bases, we've dealt OPEC a low card, AND we have Iran pincered between a coalition controlled Afghanistan and Iraq. This is chess at it's finest. What's not to love?

Right on Jake. You da man!