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Two months has passed since the Democratic Policy Committee hearing on Burn Pits in Iraq and Afghanistan where Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) gave a verbal lashing to KBR. Although KBR did not attend, a video of the hearing is online for all to see.

The good news: The burn pit at Joint Base Balad is closed! The bad news: There are dozens more. KBR operated approximately 100 burn pits across Iraq and about 30 in Afghanistan, according to lawyer Susan Burke. Burke represents Russell Keith, an army medic and one of the witnesses at the Senate hearing. He suffers severe health problems from inhaling the toxic burn pit smoke during his service in Iraq. Civil and class action lawsuits are pending before Judge Roger W. Titus in federal court in Maryland. Burke says that the cases will not go to trial for at least another two years.

KBR is scheduled to release legal documents on January 29^th to the prosecution. Maybe this will solve the burn pit mystery. KBRs contract with the military, LOGCAP, says that KBR is responsible for the safety of waste disposal, yet they claim, KBR never operated or provided support services for the burn pit at Joint Base Balad. Hopefully, these documents will clarify the situation. Three possible KBR answers:

1. Stick to your guns response: KBR never operated or provided burn pit services at Balad. KBR does not place human body parts in burn pits.

2. Play dumb response: I didnt understand what you meant by operated a burn pit.

3.Magic response: The burn pit appeared out of thin air.

Not so much has changed yet for former KBR workers and US soldiers. Keith is still footing his Parkinsons disease medical bills.

And one of the few members of Congress who seriously tried to expose contractor fraud and abuse during the wars -Senator Dorgan - is not seeking reelection in 2010. While he describes his work in the Senate as a labor of love, spending the next six years there is not on his to do list. If his thirty years in the Congress is any indication of his popularity back home, the great state of North Dakota will miss him. But his retirement announcement probably isnt as devastating to KBR.

He said about KBR: When you have contractors that have demonstrated that they have fleeced the government agency or the taxpayer, I dont think there should be a slap on the wrist or a pat on the back. They should be debarred. This is the most significant waste and fraud in the history of our country. Its not even close.