ELF - read the whole thing as they say (hat tip to the Insta-man himself)
MOSUL, Iraq -- Looters had torn apart the seven-room pediatric wing at the medical center and there was no place to treat the children who were lined up in the streets. Kifah Mohammad Kato was desperate and told a U.S. soldier about it in late June on the off-chance he could help. Within a week, a Humvee pulled up with the first installment of $9,600 in cash to fix the wing. Within four more weeks, the building was rebuilt and refurnished, complete with fuzzy blankets in primary colors and Mickey and Minnie Mouse decorations. "It happened so fast I almost couldn’t believe it," said Kato, director of the Sinjar General Hospital. The speed and ease with which reconstruction money is being handed out by the military here contrasts sharply with the delays and controversy surrounding the handling of major reconstruction funds by the Pentagon and U.S. Agency for International Development.
tap, tap, tap. No, nothing on the ol’ surprise meter
The fact that the money comes from seized Iraqi assets, the Saddam Hussein regime’s overseas bank accounts and cash stockpiles found in palaces and the walls of government buildings in Iraq has provided a fortuitous loophole.
I work for Uncle, why can’t I find cash in the walls?
Since the money was not appropriated by Congress, officials of the U.S.-led occupation government in Iraq believe that it does not have to be disbursed under the usual contracting regulations.
Gee Ethel, I can’t find this in the Federal Acquisiton Regulations!
The money for most military projects in Iraq goes through something called the commander’s emergency response program. About $100 million has been allocated so far and the 101st Airborne Division, which oversees northern Iraq, has spent about $31 million of it. It has been used, officials said, for more than 11,000 projects such as hiring a civil defense corps, patching roads and fixing an oil refinery and a sulfur plant.
And the purpose of the NGOs is...? Oh yes, to make the Leftistas feel good |