Re: Afghan Commerce

From:jmf@joshfryday.com To: gpodesta@gmail.com, john.podesta@gmail.com Date: 2014-03-30 05:55 Subject: Re: Afghan Commerce

You never washed your underpants and socks before. Why are you starting now? Quick follow-on for just you two: Laundry service here is contracted out. Free for service members, but no more than 20 items per laundry bag (strictly enforced). Service is actually pretty good: wash, dry, and fold in 24 hours. In a typical day I dirty a pair of boot socks, a pair of underpants, an undershirt, a pair of athletic socks, a pair of PT shorts, and a PT shirt. Throw in a uniform top and pants and I am at 20 items every three days. I learned yesterday that under the terms of the contract, the US taxpayer pays $25 per bag of laundry. Assuming I have to drop a bag every three days, the taxpayer will pay $250 per month or $1,750 over the course of this deployment on my laundry alone (mind you, we haven't even factored in towels and sheets). One of my coworkers has seven laundry bags and drops off a load of laundry every single day ($5,250 over a 210 day deployment). I'll kindly ask that you join me in being quietly appalled by this. To the extent you wish to describe to others, please do not quote me by name. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- When I learned that I was deploying to support a contracting command, I figured I would learn about the Afghan economy. What I hadn¹t figured was that those lessons would have nothing to do with my official duties. When I stepped off the helo pad at Camp Phoenix and into my office for the first time I was immediately introduced to GS-15 DoD employee. She asked me how many ³cartouches²I wished to purchase. A cartouche, I learned, is a cheap pendant necklace engraved on one side with an English name and on the other with the same name in Dari (or so they claim; it may well say Go Home American Swine for all any of us know). I initially demurred but eventually relented and agreed to purchase three. Even that compromise was met with an incredulous look and a puzzled ³just three?² The interaction seemed odd but I figured that I just happened to arrive as a bulk order was being placed and that purchases like this were atypical. I was wrong. My coworkers spend multiple duty hours each and every day shopping at the bazaars. They buy jewelry. They buy rugs. They buy electronics. They buy fur coats. Fur coats! Not a day goes by without someone coming into my office to show off a new purchase. My Afghanistan workplace is Project Runway and I¹m Tim Gunn‹I disapprove of everything around me and hope everyone will be sent home. Yesterday a handful of them reviewed their bank statements to figure out how much they¹ve spent since being here. Consensus was between five and ten thousand dollars. Throughout my life I¹ve been called cheap. Throughout my life I¹ve been called crotchety. So maybe this is just a continuation of the same but I thoroughly disapprove. Rather than speak up, however, I sit here meekly and feign agreement with the ridiculous notion that a mink fur will look resplendent at the Dyess Officers¹ Club in Abilene, TX when she redeploys this summer. Hope you are well. Love and miss you all. And no, I will not put in purchase orders for you. Gabe -- Gabe Podesta