Another compelling story to show how the US seeks to keep people around the world under its heel. I am so ashamed at the way we treat other people.
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Peggy McBride, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Quality Assurance lead for the Europe District, teaches a four-day course in construction quality management to Iraqi engineers. The course enhances job skills to achieve a quality product-safely, on time and within budget. Photo by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
DAHUK, Iraq, March 21, 2007 - A class of Iraqi engineers completed a four-day course in construction quality management, enhancing their job skills to achieve a quality product safely, on time and within budget.
The instructor of the course, Peggy McBride is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Quality Assurance lead for the Europe District. McBride explained how the construction quality management course, or CQM, teaches engineers the execution of tasks that ensure construction is performed according to plans and specifications; completed on time within a defined budget, and done in a safe work environment.
"This class gives the Iraqi contractors the ability to meet the Corps' construction contract requirements, and trains them to be contractor quality control personnel," McBride said. "We give them standards that can be applied throughout Iraq."
The 32-hour class develops the engineers' confidence in working with contractors throughout the life of a contract, offering general information about construction quality management - what to look for and how to ensure quality.
"The contractors are responsible for achieving that quality, but the engineers need to understand their role, and make sure they get a good quality product that the Corps can turn over to the Iraqi community," McBride explained.
Class participants receive student workbooks and CD-ROM modules, and training is divided into four phases: introduction, lecture, video clips, and site visits.
"Quality assurance succeeds through a partnership between the contractor and the government," McBride said. "The contractor is responsible for the daily quality of the work, while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' quality assurance employee helps ensure that the contractor's quality control program is effective and productive."
The CQM class is offered to Iraqi associates working for USACE, as well as members of the Provincial Reconstruction Team from the Ninewa Province and C Company, 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion personnel.
"The training improved our engineering experiences and helped develop our technical skills, so we can handle engineering difficulties and fix contracting violations in accordance with the project engineers," said Masuood Muhammed, an Iraqi civil engineer employed in the Corps' Dahuk Area Office, who took the course.
"All contractors should take such classes so they know the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' system" he added. "This will improve the 'lead by example' attitude the U.S. Army implements."
Renas Shwany, an architecture engineer who works with the Province Reconstruction Team, said that although the course curriculum is compact, it was complete. "Everything we learned from this class will be applied to our projects, so we can deliver better quality."
McBride said she and John Carr, Dahuk resident engineer, will offer this course for all Iraqi engineers in the Gulf Region District in Iraq, to include those in the Central and South Districts in Baghdad and Talil, respectively.
This enables the Iraqi government to assume responsibility for their infrastructure and, on a more personal level, enables Iraqi engineers to develop professionally, according to McBride.
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Stories like this should be front page news so we can all wallow in the shame it brings this country!
(the above story is from http://www.army.mil/-news/2007/03/26/2404-iraqi-engineers-learn-new-skills/)
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Comments: 43
Mike - you're not missing anything here. The article is simply the antithesis of the title and introduction.
Yes, it is good to see reports of positive things the military is doing, but how ironic is it that none of these things would have even been necessary if we had not wreaked major havoc and destruction on Iraq in the first place? I suppose it is human nature to continue to try to see at least a little good in a pile of major bad.
I can't stand people who can't think more than 5 minutes from now.
Interesting comment. And how far ahead did the Bush administration think when "planning" out this war? Did they think that they maybe needed more forces? No, Rumsfeld's "thinking ahead" consisted of a quick in-and-out strategy, with a small number of troops, with the Iraqi oil proceeds paying for most of the war, and a throng of grateful Iraqi's just dying to live in a peaceful, Democratic society.
Maybe, John, if they had thought more than 5 minutes, or 5 days, or 5 months from then, they would have known that their lack of planning for when the dust had settled from the initial shock and awe, they would have unleashed centuries old vengence among many sects, as well as opening up the country to outside forces which could use Iraq as a battleground for their own terrorist gains. Don't talk about thinking ahead and in the same breath support this war.
It's great that the corps of engineers is doing good things, but the point is moot since the war was totally pointless to begin with.
The fine job our military is capable of doing is no justification for Bush's imperial war of choice.
Rumsfeld wasn't the right man for the job; so what. He was replaced. The only reason this war is so widely debated is what we're doing at this second -- typing on the Internet.
And I don't think that people who lost loved ones in this war would appreciate your cavaliere attitude towards the "mistakes" that were made that caused their loved one's demise. Think twice before you say "So what?".
I understand Sheryl that you would be infinitely happier if it were OUR soldiers getting killed more often over there, or better yet if civilians in this country started dying from bombs in malls, because Lord knows we deserve it. Fortunately for those of us who have no death wish for ourselves or our soldiers, you are not in charge.
Troy - Oh ye of little faith.
then the comment think before you say that mistakes were made. I fail to see anything wrong with this comment. Mistakes have been made, you cannot predict totally, on what the enemy is going to do, This is no disrespect to the soldiers or their families, The disrespect toward them , is the Dems who dont care that lives were given for this cause, their logic is lets run away, THis is typical of the liberals. They have done it so often in the past, they dont know how to fight, bunch of cowards.
I think I use to have some thoughts like those when I was a kid fresh out of diapers. But then I got older and matured and I saw things differently. I think most libs must be very unhappy, negative people.
Thanks for the positive article, Dale. We've done a lot of good over there. We just don't hear about it often enough.
60,000-66,000 have died since we started the war, and if you notice, most have been beheaded, drug out in the street and shot, or blown up by suicide bombers or IEDS set off by the terrorist factions, NOT U.S. forces.
http://www.iraqbodycount.net/database/
Let the America haters continue to spew their illogic rants... just further proves their malice and ill-contempt for their own nation.
You said, "I understand Sheryl that you would be infinitely happier if it were OUR soldiers getting killed more often over there, or better yet if civilians in this country started dying from bombs in malls, because Lord knows we deserve it."
You completely misunderstand me then. I do not want one more of our soldiers to die. I do not want any more Americans to die here, either. I do not want any more Iraqis to die, either. What a ridiculous, unfeeling, absolutely hateful thing to say to me, another American.
I cannot tell you how fed up I am with people who claim to be Americans, yet spew this total hatred and poison at other Americans who disagree with this war. Yes, I know war means killing and maiming and orphans and destruction and years of fear and distrust to come. That is exactly why I am against this war. Bush got us into this mess based on lies. Lies about Saddam, lies about WMD's, lies about what it would take to "win". We are already the losers here and anybody with any intelligence realizes that major mistakes were made based on these lies and major mistakes continue to be made based on more lies.
The worst part of this whole thing is that Bush has succeeded in bringing out the absolute worst part of human nature in Americans - pushing his rhetoric and lies on people who believe in him, even with good intentions but deluded. The terrorists will not succeed in bringing down this democracy. Bush will succeed in bringing down our democracy by brainwashing and dividing the American public into groups who can actually talk to each other like this.
I'm truely disgusted and ashamed of some of the things I hear on TV and read on Gather during discussions of the war. Bush cannot leave office soon enough for me. Then, hopefully, we can get back to the balanced system of government that we were meant to have and regain a civility of debate in this country that is part of the foundation of any good democracy.
The problem is, that the left ( by this I speak of the voters, not the politicians) tend to be idealists, who like deal with what SHOULD be and the way things SHOULD be dealt with. They FEEL rather than think. "I feel we should be able to sit down and discuss our differences in a mature and civilized manner".
I sounds so good in a sociology lecture when your an undergrad. It all makes sense then. I've heard it said a liberal is just a conservative who has yetto be mugged. I think the vast majority of college students are liberal and they should be, most of them have no life exxpereince to make them feel different. Virtually all the professors on college campuses are far left of center and as such, their teachings reflect it.
The problem arises Sheryl, when SHOULD and ARE, meet and they aren't the same.
You don't any more people to die here, or in Iraq. That's a sweet thought Sheryl. How do you propose we accomplish that?
You know what I'd like? I'd like to eat ice cream and crap 20 dollar bills......
But since neither of what we would like to happen is possible, how bout we deal with what IS. What IS, is we are in a religious war sheryl. I know you don't want it to be, but that just doesn't change it. If you don't believe me, look at some file footage from Al Jazeera from Bin Laden, and alSadr and al Zarquahri. They want you dead Sheryl. They want your kids dead Sheryl, They want everyone who looks like you dead Sheryl. They do not even acknowledge your right to live and exist. While you may be willing to let them live their life peacefully, they are not willing to allow you to do so. (See file footage 9/11 WTC) Or are you so far out there on the fringe that you and Rosie O'Donnell are rubbing elbows?
Sorry to be the one to try to wake you from your utopian dream world Sheryl, but there are a LOT of bad people in the world and unlike you they don't want to share it.
I've travelled all over the world (including the Middle East multiple times), I'm 50 yrs old, I"ve got 3 college degrees, raised a family and held a number of high positions in companies. I'm not stupid or inexperienced in the ways of the world. Nor do I think that there are not evil people in this world. Nor do I think that we will never have to resort to violence to defend ourselves.
What I am saying to you is this - please read carefully:
1) Bin Laden and al Quaeda were NOT in Iraq - they were in Afghanistan and environs. We were justified in going in and searching for them there. The Bush administration BLEW IT on this front and we will probably never be able to recover what we could have done in that country or against the Taliban and al Quaeda there; the result is another devastated country, now pouring heroine onto the world market to further support terrorist activities;
2) we were NEVER justified in invading Iraq. Yes, Saddam was a bad guy, but there are many very bad leaders in the world whose countries we haven't invaded. We have lost many lives - American, Iraqi, Kurd, etc. - in this senseless conflict and devastated yet another country beyond repair AND created a playground for terrorists to boot. Bush has said many times that he wanted to get back at Saddam for trying to kill his daddy and he has used American and Iraqi blood to do it.
3) the really proven method for defeating terrorism is not through traditional military means, but through covert special ops and CIA work in conjunction with other governments, which includes diplomacy and deal-making. This has worked successfully in a number of southeast Asian areas where they have rooted out terrorist cells successfully.
So, please don't assume I'm stupid, or naive, or inexperienced, or ridiculously optimistic when it comes to bad people in the world and what people need to do to stop them. What I'd like is to see our government use more brains and less brainless testosteroned bravado - maybe then we'll see an end to the killing of innocent people and the real bad guys will be brought to justice.
I guess that makes me a neo-con...I would rather have that than the 'boots on the ground" approach.
A recent article you could read as just one of example of American success against terrorism using these types of strategies:
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200703
interesting reading
I guess that makes me a neo-con...I would rather have that than the 'boots on the ground" approach.
I guess we could just bomb the shit out of them.
I'll bet anything after Nancy talks with him, he'll see how bad he's been and stop PDQ. Iran too......I'd bet anything they'd be real receptive to working with our CIA to get rid of the terrorist organizations that they run......Yep it's all making sense to me now.
Can someone remind me again why Libya surrendered their nuclear program willingly and peacefully???? Oh Yeah that's right we blew up his friggin house, funny how that seemed to get through and all of Jimmy Carter's "diplomacy" got Pan Am blown up. Carter's diplomacy worked particularly well with the hostages in Iran too.......They only kept them for 2 years......Releasing them on the day Carter left office to demonstrate their utter contempt for his spinelessness, and probably more than little fearful of what hawkish Reagan might decide to do.....
Yep your right these people just need a good talking to...
BTW Sheryl, Afghanistan was the leading producer of heroine for the last 15 years, The last 2 years has seen the lowest export of it since the 80's...... But again let's not let a little thing like the truth or fact interfere with a perfectly good ideological fantasy.
Violence breeds violence - an eye for an eye for an eye for an eye, etc. I don't want our country to sink to that level of hateful terrorism. We are better than that.
Thankfully, the world knows that the American people don't support Bush's violent strategy and the last elections proved it. We also know that the people of Iran don't support what their leader is doing. Once these crazed people get out of positions of power, maybe we can get back to some sanity among leaders and we can work together to solve the problem of terrorism.
Again, I don't think blowing up countries and innocent civilians will get us anywhere but hated by the people of the countries we are trying to so-call "save".
Britain was daily firebombed by the Luftwaffe.
When dealing with a culture who believes the only good infidel is a dead one, sometimes violence is the only availiable option.Yet we have people like Pelosi doing the Hanoi Jane thing with Syria... one of the main suppliers of arms and suicide bombers to the terrorist factions in Iraq.
If you go to the Iraq body count web site I posted earlier, you will see that your erronious comments about our 'blowing up innocent civilians' is completely unfounded. If you actually studed the civilian deaths, you would realize that almost all the innocents killed have been slaughtered by the terrorist factions. Thanks for playing for the other team.
Funny how in the last presidential election these terrorist organizations were in lock step for wanting Kerry to win and not Bush...........Probably because they just want to be friends.........
Proud to vote on the other side of the terrorist supported ticket.
Sheryl I guess that would make them your constituents wouldn't it?
The America I see, with all it's flaws, is still a place where anyone can succeed if they have the gumption. Where ideals of life, libery, and happiness are still a part of its social fabric. She still is a country that carries the light in a very dark world.
Yes, we are even allowed to be complete conspiracy nuts and even hate our own country such as Rosie O does. Show me any Communist nation or any one that ends in "istan" where you could get away with it.
Alright I might be pushing it a bit to hard but not as hard as the nut jobs!
Thanks my brother!