[Goodwin]

But if it collapses all sides can say Al Qaida did it.

[vladekad]

Damn!

[nAKMzyBN]

Originally posted by Wezil
But if it collapses all sides can say Al Qaida did it.
Come on, Wez. Don't try to cover up that this is all Bush's fault.
The rat bastard has been going all over the world, sabatoging dams.
You know how he is.

[Grainiary]

So... maybe we should fix it? Or perhaps we'd prefer it breaks "on our watch" so we can be blamed for it?

Surely there is some Halliburton division that does dam repair...

edit: ah, right, so when I read the article...

A 27 million dollar US reconstruction project to help strengthen the dam has been marred by incompetence and mismanagement, according to a report by a US oversight agency, the Post reported. Why does this not surprise me? Incompetence and mismanagement. US government. Bush Administration. They fit together so snugly!

-Arrian

[gregmcal]

I don't mean you. I mean, well, it's looking like I might mean Arrian.

[griddle]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
I don't mean you. I mean, well, it's looking like I might mean Arrian. I'm delighted you thought of me.

Bad dam design - not Bush's fault
Deterioration of the dam - not Bush's fault
US project to fix the dam marred by incompetence and mismanagment - potentially Bush's fault.
That the US is even in Iraq to deal with this **** - absolutely Bush's fault.

-Arrian

[TopcigsCOM]

You keep blaming the UN Sloww yet it is only Americans that interpret the resolution (1440 whatever) as authorization for the invasion....

[Zvmwissq]

Incorrect. I'm not going to argue about the Cease Fire.
It was a Cease Fire. It was broken. Personally I couldn't care less about what the U.N. thought or thinks. It wasn't their aircraft being shot at while patrolling the U.N. sanctioned No Fly Zone.

[DeedPatmeda]

I absolutely do, along with Bush, Sr. who decided to go along with them and not rip Hussein out screaming and clawing the first time.

[accotMask17]

If you can get a couple of bad dams lined up, you can perhaps get lucky and have a massive chain falure as water breaks one after another. Spectacular. The Chinese managed to do this back in the 1975, lining up 62 dams to achieve a world record.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banqiao_Dam

Yes, there was also a terrible human cost. But if we can't joke about it what can we?

[Oriesssedleli419]

Originally posted by Arrian


UN: don't invade. we'll do what you want and stop trying to weaken sanctions!
US: screw you guys! Charge! fixed.

[Trebbinsa]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
fixed. Bravo

Unfortunately there's really no sign the US approach proved to be any better then the UN's. Iraq certainly doesn't looks fixed.


I find it odd that this ill-conceived dam is being brought up by SlowwHand to tie it to the 'Blame US/Bush' rethoric. I don't see the point.

[bebeacc]

Originally posted by VetLegion
If you can get a couple of bad dams lined up, you can perhaps get lucky and have a massive chain falure as water breaks one after another. Spectacular. The Chinese managed to do this back in the 1975, lining up 62 dams to achieve a world record.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banqiao_Dam

Yes, there was also a terrible human cost. But if we can't joke about it what can we? I broke the dam.

[Ivanaishere]

Originally posted by Thue
Except for the fact that the Wikipedia article says that one of China's foremost hydrologists was critical about the construction. That was why I was wondering if the Chinese could access that page. It speaks to a huge government screwup to me.

[TopcigsCOM]

Originally posted by VetLegion
If you can get a couple of bad dams lined up, you can perhaps get lucky and have a massive chain falure as water breaks one after another. Spectacular. The Chinese managed to do this back in the 1975, lining up 62 dams to achieve a world record.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banqiao_Dam

Yes, there was also a terrible human cost. But if we can't joke about it what can we? To be fair back in those days Mao was busy executing or locking up in reeducation camps all of the "stinking intellectuals" including most of the civil engineers. That meant virtually everything built in China in the 60's and 70's was total rubbish built by untrained peasants who had little idea of how to do it properly. Those dams were destined to break before they were even built.

[boltondd]

There is a bit more in the BBC version I saw.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7069109.stm

I particularly like this bit

It was built on water-soluble gypsum, which caused seepage within months of its completion and led investigators to describe the site as "fundamentally flawed".

Presumably good ol' Saddam wanted a dam and any engineers who tried to point out it wasn't a good idea are buried under it.

[Raj_Copi_Jin]

Reading the Wiki article on the Chinese damns, it seems there was a competent engineer in charge of the project but all of his safety measures proved to expensive/time consuming for the party bosses.

As for the Iraqi dams, considering all the pre war hype about securing them as fast as possible to keep Saddam from blowing them up, I am suppriseds certain groups have not made a greater effort to do that themselves.

[Alulursuifold]

give those bastards something REAL to complain about now at least...

[obHQNsY2]

hey talk to God. Noah had to deal with the same stuff...

[bestonline]

Originally posted by AAHZ
hey talk to God. Noah had to deal with the same stuff...
Noah had to build a dam ?

Damn !


On a side note,

Finally the US can bring something to the Iraqi people other than war and guess what, the chicken hawks on this forum are *****ing about getting out. Good to see you are having your priorities straight