A note from the Boss...

[Seascamp]

This from the CEO of the outfit I work for and I thought I'd pass it along. If anyone would like to know who "XX" is, just send me a PM. So anyway, all of us have to endure the bashing, lies and fabracations put forth by the media these political season days and thats just very sad, very sad indeed.

Scamp


"The current violence in Iraq has been the subject of daily coverage in the world media, including recent reports that made specific reference to XX activities there. Unfortunately, some reports have contained inaccurate statements about our "pulling out" of Iraq, and in general questioned our commitment to the rebuilding effort. While I am reluctant to engage in a public debate with the media over our activities, I want you to have the facts.

We were one of the first companies to commit people and resources to the rebuilding effort, and have had up to 50 volunteers in Iraq at any point in time working to restore power and oil and gas processing capabilities. We remain very proud of our participation in the effort to help stabilize the lives of the Iraqi people.

The safety of our teams has been, and continues to be, our top concern. For the past few months we have been meeting weekly, or more frequently if required, to review security conditions. We have engaged the best security advisors available and adhered to their recommendations, instituting what we believe are world-class safety and security measures in a very difficult environment.

Several weeks ago, we determined that it was no longer safe for our employees to move about in Iraq. Many were relocated to nearby countries until it was determined that safe re-entry and travel to work locations could be accomplished. At about the same time, the Coalition Provisional Authority decided to restrict travel in Iraq, and those restrictions remain in place today. We are monitoring the situation on a continuous basis to determine when full work effort can be resumed.

At no time have we considered pulling out, or walking away from our commitments in Iraq. We signed up to do a job, and we will do everything possible to complete the task.

I want you to be as proud as I am of the XX effort taking place in Iraq, particularly the courageous employees who are doing this work and security teams we have hired to protect them. We have had to endure the loss of two security personnel from the team assigned to protect our people in Iraq when they came under attack several weeks ago, and I know you join me in extending our thoughts and prayers to their families.

We work in over 100 countries around the world, many of which are not considered "safe" by a reasonable global standard. We take risks in these countries every day, but only after taking all necessary steps to manage, or mitigate, these risks. The situation in Iraq requires extra effort and diligence, which we will continue to exercise. We will also, in true XX style, do everything we can to get the job done.

Thanks again to all the employees directly involved in this heroic effort. The rest of us will do everything we can to help you do your jobs as efficiently and safely as possible. Iraq will be around for a long time, and we fully expect to be there too."