Blackwater Fever
It’s new, it’s so bad they named it after the hated American mercenaries, because it kills the innocent just like they do. Slamming Blackwater is always fun and really adds some zing to this story suggesting that an Iraqi malaria epidemic is being kept secret. Too bad these moron reporters not only don’t know their subject, they apparently don’t know how to use Google. IPS News:
FALLUJAH, Mar 26 (IPS) - Iraqi doctors in al-Anbar province warn of a new disease they call “Blackwater” that threatens the lives of thousands. The disease is named after Blackwater Worldwide, the U.S. mercenary company operating in Iraq.
“This disease is a severe form of malarial infection caused by the parasite plasmodium falciparum, which is considered the worst type of malarial infection,” Dr. Ali Hakki from Fallujah told IPS. “It is one of the complications of that infection, and not the ordinary picture of the disease. Because of its frequent and severe complications, such as Blackwater fever, and its resistance to treatment, P. falciparum can cause death within 24 hours.”
What Iraqis now call Blackwater fever is really a well-known medical condition, and while it has nothing to do with Blackwater Worldwide, Iraqis in al-Anbar province have decided to make the connection between the disease and the lethal U.S.-based company which has been responsible for the death of countless Iraqis.(*)
The disease is most prevalent in Africa and Asia. The patient suffers severe intravascular haemolysis — the destruction of red blood cells leading to kidney and liver failure. It also leads to black or red urination, and hence perhaps the new name ‘Blackwater’.
Great hit on Blackwater. Unfortunately for these shoot-from-the-hip scribblers, the common name for falciparum malaria goes back to the 19th century, colonial days in Africa and Asia, when pissing black meant you were going to be dead soon. It’s a problem the Iraqis and U.S. military are going to want to get on top of quick. Anyway, the top listing in a Google search on blackwater fever dates to 1992. :
While we waited for Judith’s translation, I glanced at the patient’s clear plastic urinal. It was almost full and the urine was brown, a deep mahogany brown. Suddenly, as if it had been kicked in just the right spot, my brain’s gearbox came unstuck.
Have you ever heard the term blackwater fever? I asked Barbara.
Um, no, she answered, then gave me an expectant look.
I pointed to the urinal.
In the old days they used to call falciparum malaria–the most severe form of the disease–blackwater fever because the intense destruction of red cells it causes turns a patient’s urine black. My hunch seemed farfetched, though. Many other diseases cause dark urine, and malaria is no longer indigenous to this country. Virtually all U.S. cases– about 1,100 in 1990–are found in travelers or newly arrived immigrants. Most American doctors never even see a case. I could hardly wait to hear where this guy had been.
…
He left China by crossing through Burma, came the reply. On foot. All the way. The journey took about two weeks.
Now his symptoms began to make more sense. Eastern Burma is a hotbed of malaria, especially falciparum malaria, which is resistant to chloroquine, the standard drug used to treat the disease. And the incubation period for malaria is two weeks. Had he been bitten by a malaria-carrying mosquito in the jungles of Burma, the fevers and headaches wouldn’t have started until he arrived in the United States.
In the old days, back before Bush lied, people died. The IPS article also suggests there’s a conspiracy out there to keep a lid on an Iraqi epidemic. Given their bias-induced inaccuracy in other aspects of this reporting, I have to wonder whether this nitwit reporters misinterpreted and distorted the nature of that situation as well. Democracy Project posits they’re not morons, they’re accomplished propagandists and fabulists. Thanks for the IPS history lesson, DP. I guess I’m going to have to go with moron propagandists.
Turning an old disease into a new Bush-bash is what thinking progress is all about. At least the aptly initialled TP didn’t try to erase all trace like another putz did.
Commondreams.org NewsCenter, Breaking News and Views for the Progressive Community, helpfully runs the insightful IPS “Blackwater” article. Astute readers quickly catch on to the faux aspects. “g l tirebiter” links here and tirelessly nips at the lefty tire. Tiresome lefties admonish the tirebiter for linking to a right-wing site. They opt for a false-but-true approach to the mercenary epidemic scandal. Here’s a good one:
Malarial in Iraq? Ummmmmmmm! My best guess is that this was introduced by the US, or Black Water, as another member of the “coalition” to help gain the upper hand in the massacres being committed against the Iraqi peoples.
* The number of Iraqis killed by Blackwater security personnel probably have not been tallied, but I don’t think that’s what these two accuracy-challenged scribblers mean when they say “countless.” Counting the Iraqi dead at the hands of U.S. forces, Iraqi forces, al-Qaeda, Shiite death squads has been problematic and given to distortion. I don’t imagine Blackwater’s total approaches that of any of those parties, but who knows.
Welcome, Instapundit, Weekly Standardbearers, Surberistas, Grapevine, even you Commiedreamers, etal. War is Hill. This is where we separate the men from the stooges. Praise Allah and pass the homemade ammunition. You only die once. Hold on, this guy needs more dead people, some of them will have to die again. Someday, this war will be over. But firsdt, we’ve got three more months of eye-gouging.
Topics: Iraq, medicine, moronocy
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:41 pm on Wednesday, March 26, 2008
18 Responses to “Blackwater Fever”
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March 26th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
[...] Iraqis name a disease after an American unit — two centuries before it existed! Jules Crittenden catches a wire service with its gullibility down. [...]
March 27th, 2008 at 12:17 am
[...] Jules Crittenden, via [...]
March 27th, 2008 at 1:10 am
In the 1985 movie “Out of Africa”, the character Berkeley Cole tells Denys Finch Hatton “my water’s gone black”, indicating that he has blackwater fever and is going to die.
March 27th, 2008 at 1:38 am
[...] since our above friend is currently in N.C. doing some training, here’s a related story: I think that it’s more about idiot reporters than it is about [...]
March 27th, 2008 at 6:20 am
Giving Journalists a Bad Name
Jules Crittenden catches some fictionalists - they are NOT journalists - with their pants down. An outfit with whom I was happily unfamiliar, called IPS, or Inter Press Service News - ran an article about how Iraqi doctors are naming
March 27th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Cables, dispatches and memoranda
Cables, dispatches and memoranda for 3/27/2008…
March 27th, 2008 at 9:32 am
[...] named her for Sir Edmund, years before he was famous. Some idiots believe this nonsense while other people have some sense to google. Either way, Blackwater is nothing but a courageous outfit that we should be proud to support. Too [...]
March 27th, 2008 at 10:54 am
[...] aware of this via Chief Glenn, who linked to and thus instalanched into blogospheric conciousness Jules Crittenden’s, Bruce Kesler’s, and K. Crary’s blog entries on [...]
March 27th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
[...] Quite funny: Iraqi doctors have named a disease after US company Blackwater Worldwide. The reason? The disease “threatens the lives of thousands.” Not only that, it also quicks very quickly: once someone is infected with it, he or she may die within 24 hours. Sadly though, the disease isn’t new: “Unfortunately for these shoot-from-the-hip scribblers, the common name for falciparum malaria goes back to the 19th century, colonial days in Africa and Asia, when pissing black meant you were going to be dead soon.” But it’s still humorous, isn’t it? Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
March 27th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
You expect brazen lies from propagandists, but the number of people willing to believe the lies proves there’s no bottom to the depth of human stupidity.
March 27th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
[...] or red urination, and hence perhaps the new name ‘Blackwater’. Crazy, right? One problem. The disease has been called "Blackwater fever" for decades. Rather than let that abundantly obvious fact get in their way, this news organization/reporter [...]
March 27th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
The fact that there may be multiple associations with a name doesn’t make the new one any less valid. Calling the disease Blackwater Fever for more than one reason makes it a pun–which is the way the unconscious mind works, in dreams, and art of all kinds, just to name 2 examples. And when we don’t pay attention to the unconscious, it makes itself known in conscious life–making us do irrational things–make associations in names and Freudian slips, etc. Confusing oil with blood, for example, or projecting our ownership of WMDs onto other people–you know, things like that. Iraqis associating this disease with Blackwater mercenaries shouldn’t be a reason to criticize them for being propagandists (of which no one is more guilty than the ‘Blackwater’ administration) it should be taken as an opportunity to understand how BW and the US are seen by the people there because of what it (we) have done there.
Just a couple of random gleanings: To say that BW is “nothing but a courageous outfit that we should be proud to support.” is ludicrous on so many levels I don’t know where to start. But it’s the “nothing but” that really makes that statement art. Nothing is “nothing but”. And try reading Naomi Wolf The End of America. Yes, the number of people willing to believe lies is astounding. The fact that Bush was close enough to Kerry to cheat lie and steal his way into office again is proof of that. Clear Skies, Healthy Forests, Patriot Act, Tort ‘Reform’, No Child’s Behind Left and a 1000 other acts are proof of that. Global Warming/cancerous cigarettes/evolution deniers are proof of that. The US and the world may never recover from the depths of human depravity this administration has shown, and effective abuse of symbols has been its main weapon–well, abuse of symbols and torture have been its two main weapons. And mass murder. Amongst its weaponry have been such diverse elements as….
When you’re finished with Wolf go on with Naomi Klein The Shock Doctrine. And mix in some Dahr Jamail, Winter Soldier testimony and Johnny Got His Gun. It’ll be good for what ails you.
March 27th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Wow J4. I hope you’re writing that from Sweden or someplace more sharing and caring and unwilling to take a moral stand than nasty old America.
You must be really miserable when the Dims are in power, what with all the wars they have led us into, all the poor GI’s they got killed, and all the overpriced socially harmful legislation they have come up with over the years.
Wasn’t Wolf the silly bint who finally figured out years later she was being sexually harassed by one of her old commie professors or something?
Great role model, thanks.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Jules, there’s an alternate explanation for the Blackwater Conspiracy™ here. Even J4 ought to like it.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:58 am
[...] Blackwater Fever [...]
March 28th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
“Yes, the number of people willing to believe lies is astounding.” Says a guy who gets his info from Naomis Wolf & Klein and believes every single word. I know, a state of constant moral outrage can make you feel really good about yourself, especially if deep inside you know you have nothing to fear. But come on, you´re not going to rely on left-wing lies like a soft cushion for the rest of your life? You´re not going to ossify at such a young age, right? Maybe you are dwelling a little too much on “dreams, and art of all kinds” and the unconscious and even the subconscious. That´s Hippie crap. Instead, why don´t YOU get off the conspiracy theories and read something challenging for a change? Get a good conservative reading list, but start with Liberal Fascism and 50 issues of The Weekly Standard.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Next they´ll blame Sarkozy for the “french pox”.
May 27th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
VoC:
Moral stand? The US? On what exactly?
Native American genocide and continued systematic oppression? Slavery and continued systematic oppression? Supporting Saddam Hussein, or attacking him once he got inconvenient (PR and world monetary policy etc.)? Creating, supporting and negotiating with the Taliban on an oil pipeline, or attacking them when the USSR was gone and the negotiations failed? A lifetime (yours, mine and more) of coups and invasions and mass murders and felony murders and theft on the grandest scale in history, both here and abroad? A moral stand on that is to be against it. Anything else is a moralistic stand.
Actually I’m writing from the US. Grew up in a middle class Republican household in Pennsylvania and have been deliberately moving left ever since. Not a big fan of war or any violence no matter who commits it, so you’re certainly right about me not being happy with Democrats. But I’m not sure what socially harmful legislation you mean. Unless you mean, well, all of it, because you believe people are essentially bad and need to be punished to grow up and stay in line, and believe that helping “weak” or “undeserving” people is evil. I can’t agree with you on that. My belief about good/bad people is a bit too complicated for this space but I do believe in people helping people, so some of that legislation was OK with me, imperfect though it was.
wf:
Who said I’m young? Who said I believed every word? Who said I haven’t read conservatives, starting long before Edmund Burke and continuing to the present? Thank you for your concern but my moral outrage is healthy, under control and entirely appropriate given the rapid drive toward fascism we are undergoing in the age of worldwide world-dominating neoconservative theocratic corporatism.
As a psychotherapist I shouldn’t be, but still, I am always amazed at people who deny that we are more, and deeper, than we appear. Hippie crap? Well here’s some more, spouted by such hippies as Christ (Matthew 25:40), Buddha, the writers of the Upanishads and the Koran and the Torah, Hesiod and a bunch of other Greek guys on whom our civilization is founded, Lao Tzu, Tolstoy, Gandhi, King, Thoreau, Emerson, T.S. Eliot and a few (billion) other people:
We are all connected.
We are all connected. No one gets out alive, and whatever you accomplish in your short life, if it is done with care and awareness, benefits both you and others; if not, is at the expense of both you and others. And nothing is a higher calling than to be aware of our oneness with others, human and other. No one gets out alive, and there is nothing more to hope for than that which comes to us and from us as a result of our real, physical, psychological, somatic, social, political, spiritual, ecological and otherical connection to all. Conservatism stands opposed to the wisdom of millennia, the wisdom of what is called the “Perennial Religion,” and if it also depends on denial of the existence of the unconscious in a Know-Nothing ahistorical nihilism, on a person’s refusal to face his or her personal history which mirrors his or her refusal to face communal history (and geological history, in this age of science deniers) then it is not only wrong and destructive, then it’s well, it’s really wrong and incredibly destructive. Get into therapy. Take two years and call me in the morning.
I have many swift arrows in my quiver which speak to the wise, but for the crowd they need interpretation. Pindar, Olympian Odes II, I.
PS
Just one example of what Gregory Bateson would have called this epistemological mistake: We’re spending more money than everyone else in the world combined on weapons that don’t work, either in the immediate or deeper sense, because on the rare occasions when they do in the immediate sense we end up killing people more efficiently and thus become less secure, not only because those people have friends and relatives. … Never have so few spent so much for so little, or wasted the lives and property of so many for so dumb a reason.