Lawmaker under fire for Marine T-shirt orderBy Sarah Skidmore - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Oct 16, 2007 6:30:06 EDT
PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon Rep. David Wu fought criticism Monday following a report in the Seattle Times that he got the U.S. Marines to buy shirts that can melt in battle, causing severe burns.
The Times reported on the T-shirts Sunday as part of a story about the links between campaign contributions and earmarks, which are appropriations lawmakers tack on to spending bills that often benefit specific companies or organizations.
“These are difficult, cynical times and frequently people look for the worst,” the Democrat told the Associated Press Monday.
Wu helped get a $2 million earmark in the 2006 budget for InSport, a Beaverton company in his district. The report found InSport, parent company Vital Apparel and executives from both companies donated more than $7,000 to Wu.
But a year after the earmark was set, the Marines banned polyester T-shirts for use in combat after finding the fabric melts in intense heat, adhering to the skin.
“This essentially creates a second skin and can lead to horrific, disfiguring burns,” Capt. Lynn E. Welling, the 1st Marine Logistics Group head surgeon, who conducted research in Iraq, told the Seattle Times.
Rest of article at:
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/10/ap_marineshirts_071016/uhc comment: Wu is a Democrat from OR-1, which shows ya how well we take care of the soldiers companies fighting the war in Afghanistan and the occupation of Iraq.
Polyester melts. Shit. I knew that 40 fucking years ago.