Scene: Architects’ offices in Kabul and Washington linked on Zoom call
Construction company CEO: Now we have to face legal action because you said the building was ready for occupancy.
Irresponsible project manager: It was. Or, at least, most of it was.
Construction company CEO: And what part of the construction wasn’t ready?
Irresponsible project manager: We hadn’t finished with the effluent systems.
Construction company CEO: You mean the sewage lines?
Irresponsible project manager: Uh…yes.
Construction company CEO: Have you seen the video that the plaintiffs took, sewage running through the lower floors, an old lady slipping and falling, cars ruined in the basement garage, much of our equipment lost, the elevator…Hell, we lost some of our construction crew. What am I supposed to say to their families? The building virtually burst, partially collapsed; we’ll probably never be able to repair it, and we are liable for any reconstruction and damage to neighboring buildings.
Irresponsible project manager: Well, we finished most of the construction. Not getting the sewage out was just an oversight.
Construction company CEO: On whose part?
Irresponsible project manager: Remember that you hired me after the contract had been signed and the construction had begun.
Construction company CEO: But you never said we needed an extension which any sensible person would have mentioned. Did you do any actual assessing? The contract allows for force majeure changes. Surely, you were aware that circumstances dictated a more thorough review of the construction’s progress and the possibility that the nearby sudden rise in crime had made immediate occupancy untenable for most, if not all, the residents. We promised them luxury accommodations in a safe building. That’s what a good manager does, assesses the actual circumstances. Yes, the company would have lost some money by prolonging the job, but now we’re in jeopardy of losing not only more money than we would have lost, but also of losing our reputation with the tenants who bought the condos and the townspeople who looked to the new construction with expectations of a center for the neighborhood’s revitalization, one that would bring in investors, new schools, shops…
Irresponsible project manager: My crew did the best it could. For the most part we handled the situation. You should be proud of the job we…
Construction company CEO: Handled? I’ll ask you again, have you seen the videos?
Irresponsible project manager: Under the circumstances, I think we did the best job we could do.
Construction company CEO: We’re going to be paying for your rush to completion for years to come. I don’t know whether the company can survive. I should fire you now.
Irresponsible project manager: But you should be proud of the work I did and the way I got the job done on time.
Construction company CEO: Proud? On time? Look at the reality. This was a disaster for the residents who thought the neighborhood was improving. You’re like the student who says, “But Teach, I got some of the answer right. Doesn’t that count? Shouldn’t I get an A for effort?”
[Irresponsible project manager turns and simply walks away under the direction of an aide]
Characters in this one-act play:
Construction company CEO is played by the American People
Irresponsible project (production) manager is underperformed by Joe Biden; understudy, also underperformed by Anthony Blinken
Crowd: Abdul, Manila, and Khadijah
People in architect’s office played by Lloyd Austin, Mark Milley, Afghani National security Advisor played by Hamdullah Mohib, Scott Miller * and **
Stuntmen and women: Falling to injury and death played by Ahmad, Sayed, Fatima, and Najibia.
Dead construction workers: played by actual US soldiers, now permanently on leave from life
Production:
Casting director: American electorate
Special effects run by people running alongside a military cargo plane
Camera operators: Anyone with a cell phone
Gaffer is Joe Biden
Boom operator/sound mixer: Abdul Rehman Al-Loghri an ISIS-K suicide bomber released from the Parwan prison at Bagram just days before the attack
Editors: Compliant left-leaning media
Scene location is Afghanistan’s Kabul Airport with alternate location at Bagram Airfield
*CNN report at https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/12/politics/austin-scott-miller-step-down-afghanistan/index.html
**NPR report at https://www.npr.org/2021/07/12/1015237287/top-u-s-commander-in-afghanistan-relinquished-post-scott-miller#:~:text=Gen.%20Scott%20Miller%20has%20served%20as%20America%27s%20top,Frank%20McKenzie%2C%20the%20head%20of%20U.S.%20Central%20Command
Construction company CEO: Now we have to face legal action because you said the building was ready for occupancy.
Irresponsible project manager: It was. Or, at least, most of it was.
Construction company CEO: And what part of the construction wasn’t ready?
Irresponsible project manager: We hadn’t finished with the effluent systems.
Construction company CEO: You mean the sewage lines?
Irresponsible project manager: Uh…yes.
Construction company CEO: Have you seen the video that the plaintiffs took, sewage running through the lower floors, an old lady slipping and falling, cars ruined in the basement garage, much of our equipment lost, the elevator…Hell, we lost some of our construction crew. What am I supposed to say to their families? The building virtually burst, partially collapsed; we’ll probably never be able to repair it, and we are liable for any reconstruction and damage to neighboring buildings.
Irresponsible project manager: Well, we finished most of the construction. Not getting the sewage out was just an oversight.
Construction company CEO: On whose part?
Irresponsible project manager: Remember that you hired me after the contract had been signed and the construction had begun.
Construction company CEO: But you never said we needed an extension which any sensible person would have mentioned. Did you do any actual assessing? The contract allows for force majeure changes. Surely, you were aware that circumstances dictated a more thorough review of the construction’s progress and the possibility that the nearby sudden rise in crime had made immediate occupancy untenable for most, if not all, the residents. We promised them luxury accommodations in a safe building. That’s what a good manager does, assesses the actual circumstances. Yes, the company would have lost some money by prolonging the job, but now we’re in jeopardy of losing not only more money than we would have lost, but also of losing our reputation with the tenants who bought the condos and the townspeople who looked to the new construction with expectations of a center for the neighborhood’s revitalization, one that would bring in investors, new schools, shops…
Irresponsible project manager: My crew did the best it could. For the most part we handled the situation. You should be proud of the job we…
Construction company CEO: Handled? I’ll ask you again, have you seen the videos?
Irresponsible project manager: Under the circumstances, I think we did the best job we could do.
Construction company CEO: We’re going to be paying for your rush to completion for years to come. I don’t know whether the company can survive. I should fire you now.
Irresponsible project manager: But you should be proud of the work I did and the way I got the job done on time.
Construction company CEO: Proud? On time? Look at the reality. This was a disaster for the residents who thought the neighborhood was improving. You’re like the student who says, “But Teach, I got some of the answer right. Doesn’t that count? Shouldn’t I get an A for effort?”
[Irresponsible project manager turns and simply walks away under the direction of an aide]
Characters in this one-act play:
Construction company CEO is played by the American People
Irresponsible project (production) manager is underperformed by Joe Biden; understudy, also underperformed by Anthony Blinken
Crowd: Abdul, Manila, and Khadijah
People in architect’s office played by Lloyd Austin, Mark Milley, Afghani National security Advisor played by Hamdullah Mohib, Scott Miller * and **
Stuntmen and women: Falling to injury and death played by Ahmad, Sayed, Fatima, and Najibia.
Dead construction workers: played by actual US soldiers, now permanently on leave from life
Production:
Casting director: American electorate
Special effects run by people running alongside a military cargo plane
Camera operators: Anyone with a cell phone
Gaffer is Joe Biden
Boom operator/sound mixer: Abdul Rehman Al-Loghri an ISIS-K suicide bomber released from the Parwan prison at Bagram just days before the attack
Editors: Compliant left-leaning media
Scene location is Afghanistan’s Kabul Airport with alternate location at Bagram Airfield
*CNN report at https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/12/politics/austin-scott-miller-step-down-afghanistan/index.html
**NPR report at https://www.npr.org/2021/07/12/1015237287/top-u-s-commander-in-afghanistan-relinquished-post-scott-miller#:~:text=Gen.%20Scott%20Miller%20has%20served%20as%20America%27s%20top,Frank%20McKenzie%2C%20the%20head%20of%20U.S.%20Central%20Command
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