No More Space to Dump Waste in Lebanon? How About Iraq?

After satisfying our need to pollute our land, sea and air with waste, we’ve apparently started to use Iraq as a new dumping ground according to one Iraqi who has been contracted by the US Army there to dispose of their waste:

An Iraqi who runs a company that disposes of U.S. military waste since the war began defended American contractors. “The Americans properly separate the hazardous material from the plastic and scrap metal,” Qahtan Khalaf said. He pinned the blame on Lebanese and Kuwaiti companies who receive the recycled parts, then mix it with the toxic material and send it back to Iraq. “That’s how they get rid of things.”

The dumping issue had arisen from an investigation done by The Times in which they have found that the Americans failed to properly dispose or recycle their waste. The only finger-pointing towards Lebanon comes from Qahtan Khalaf, the Tikrit-based owner of al-Shefar Group:

“The Americans properly separate the hazardous material from the plastic and scrap metal, and then pass it on to Kuwaiti and Lebanese companies. Some of the companies then mix it back together and pass it on to Iraqi companies.”

Iraqi companies who do what then? Dump it in their backyards? Maybe fingers should be pointed in other directions.

An Iraqi woman carries a sack over her shoulder as she makes her way to the garbage dump close to where she and her family live on the southern outskirts of the city of Karbala. Sawaf/Getty

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“Lebanon… [a] security risk and nobody ever goes there…”

What would have been some mundane topic about Kenyan public servants receiving higher travel allowances when visiting foreign countries has turned into Beirut/Baghdad bashing by the Tom Odege, the secretary-general of the Union of Kenya Civil Servants:

Apart from Iraq or Lebanon which are security risks and nobody ever goes there, the agenda here is to eat at the top,” Mr Odege said.

I couldn’t stop from laughing. Here’s the US travel warning to Kenya:

The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the risks of travel to Kenya.  American citizens in Kenya and those considering travel to Kenya should evaluate their personal security situation in light of continuing threats from terrorism and the high rate of violent crime.

Basically, my point is you shouldn’t throw stones at you neighbors when you house is made of glass. Mr. Odege, your certificate is in the mail.

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From Baghdad: I’ve Landed in Beirut

US Senator Roland Burris may have had a Freudian Slip followed by fumbling comments as he spoke to reports on his Monday trip to Iraq:

At one point during a conference call with reporters, Burris said he had landed in Beirut, not Baghdad. He also said he was “a thousand miles away,” underestimating the distance to Iraq. And he mispronounced the name of U.S. Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of the Multi-National Force-Iraq.

I actually think a Looks Like Beirut Certificate is in order, don’t you? Maybe that would help straighten him up.

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