Lets talk about Blackwater

[oldwirehands]

Is the DEA Contracting Blackwater?

Kurt Nimmo
Infowars
August 3, 2008

On Friday, August 1, The Agitator blog posted the following: “Bruce Mirken of the Marijuana Policy Project sends the photo below. It’s from a series of L.A. Times photos from a federal raid on a medical marijuana clinic in California. I wouldn’t draw too many conclusions from it. But it is a little disconcerting.”

So disconcerting, apparently, the L.A. Times pulled this particular photo from its slideshow and fed it into the memory hole.

http://freespeech.vo.llnwd.net/o25/pub/images/blackwater-dea.jpg
Man dressed as a Blackwater mercenary partakes in a DEA raid on a Culver City medical marijuana dispensary.


Maybe this particular DEA agent gets his jollies dressing up like a Blackwater mercenary — and maybe he is a Blackwater mercenary. I leave it up to you to decide, although the latter as opposed to the former makes more sense, that is unless the DEA has relaxed its dress code to the point of absurdity.

“As a U.S. Marine, I would have faced charges for simply wearing my camouflage utility uniform into a store,” writes Tim King for Salem-News. “There are these things called standards that the Corps and other military and police groups are obligated to follow. It is to avoid giving someone the wrong idea about who you are and your application in society. I guess Blackwater and the federal marijuana plant warriors don’t care what people think.”

Is it a stretch to conclude Blackwater operates domestically? Last week, Raw Story’s David Edwards and Muriel Kane wrote a story about Jeremy Scahill, who detailed Blackwater’s foray into intelligence. Blackwater is not only providing intelligence to “foreign governments, but to Fortune 500 corporations.” Moreover, Blackwater’s Total Intelligence Solutions appears to be a catch-all for former CIA spooks, including J. Cofer Black, who ran the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program. As Tim Weiner wrote for the New York Times on January 20, 2002, the CIA now operates domestically, never mind this is prohibited by its charter.

Recall FEMA and the DHS contracting Blackwater after Hurricane Katrina. Blackwater mercenaries were even “deputized” by the Louisiana governor. “What is most disturbing is the claim of several Blackwater mercenaries we spoke with that they are here under contract from the federal government and the state of Louisiana,” wrote Daniela Crespo and Jeremy Scahill for Alternet on September 12, 2005. “That raises a key question: under what authority are Blackwater’s men operating? A spokesperson for the Homeland Security Department, Russ Knocke, told the Washington Post he knows of no federal plans to hire Blackwater or other private security.”

As Wayne Madsen noted last October, Blackwater is now in the business of “training” domestic law enforcement in the United States — in Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia, New York, Indiana, Virginia, New Jersey, Florida, Oregon, Alaska, and elsewhere. Madsen’s exhaustive list also indicates the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration receives training from Blackwater, although a Google search does not return mention of such training (this video, however, claims to show Blackwater and the DEA jointly training counternarcotics police in Afghanistan).

As it turns out, the DoD has tapped Blackwater to work its “counter-narcoterrorism activities,” along with Raytheon, Lockheed, and Northrop Grumman. As I wrote last November, “the military-mercenary complex is expanding operations” and the Pentagon’s “Counter-Narcoterrorism Technology Program” is just the ticket — and in the case of Blackwater and the others, a handsome meal ticket.

Considering all of this, is it possible Blackwater is working with the DEA here in America? I’d say the possibility is more than fifty percent they are.

Now that John McCain has called for the military to be used in American cities to “fight crime” — crime that is largely related to illegal drugs — no doubt Blackwater will be tapped, as they were in New Orleans, even though the DHS claimed ignorance of the fact. Of course, McCain’s idea was not his own, and it will not be limited to crime infested inner cities, but will be expanded in order that the commoners get accustomed to the idea of martial law and mercenary thugs in black uniforms toting automatic weapons.

I know Infowars is usually posts a lot of fluff but this article seems legit to me.

[oldwirehands]

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/04/inside_the_bell.html

Inside the Belly of the Blackwater Beast
By Sharon Weinberger EmailApril 06, 2007 | 10:55:06 AMCategories: Mercs

What does the inside of a Blackwater training facility look like? Defense reporter Nathan Hodge (and husband of DANGER ROOM contributor) gives our readers an exclusive glimpse inside the company's 7,000 training facility in North Carolina.

Read on.....

Blackwater: Lawyers, guns and Money

by Nathan Hodge

MOYOCK, N.C.—First rule of Blackwater is: You do not talk to the clients.

Back in October, I travelled to Camden County, North Carolina for the unveiling of Blackwater HK International Training Services, a joint venture that offers high-end firearms training courses developed by private security firm Blackwater and gun manufacturer Heckler & Koch.

Black1 It was a rare glimpse inside the Blackwater's 7,000-acre training facility. Perhaps like no other private security firm, Blackwater projects a certain mystique; and even when the gates were open to a visiting group of reporters, an atmosphere of high secrecy surrounded the place. Chris Taylor, Blackwater's vice president for strategic initiatives, greeted our group in the lobby of the company's vast new headquarters building, which bears an odd resemblance to a Cabela's retail outlet.

"We're glad you're here," he says. "It will help dispel the myths about Blackwater ." But first, the ground rules. Number one: no unauthorized photography. Blackwater trains military and law enforcement personnel, many of whom serve in harm's way; the company, Taylor stressed, respected the need to protect their identities. Blackwater seemed to be counting on a cooperative audience.

Our small press delegation was composed largely of professional gun reviewers, defense trade reporters and a writer/photographer team from the Washington Times. Still, we began the morning by signing a sheaf of waivers – agreements that presumably would release Blackwater and HK from liability in the event of an accidental firearms discharge. A Blackwater camera operator would tag along on the morning excursion.

After a safety orientation, we headed out to the range. It's hard to understate how massive the Moyock facility is. The place has 34 shooting ranges, three driving tracks and an airfield. It boasts several " shoot houses" (for indoor shooting drills), a maritime training facility (for hostile boarding practice) and a breaching facility (for breaking down doors), as well as a full armory.

It's like a military base – without the golf course. And more construction was underway. Earth movers and dumptrucks rumbled around the property, where a new runway and hangars were being built. Blackwater was even building a chapel: the company has its own staff chaplain.

It's all part of the decade-old company's phenomenal growth.

Since September 11, 2001, Blackwater has seen a surge in demand for its services, including a major State Department security contract . In that respect, the Blackwater/HK training venture was a classic exercise in "cross-branding." By joining with Heckler & Koch, Blackwater leveraged the name recognition of a firearms manufacturer that provides high-end weapons to military and law enforcement customers around the globe.

Black2 That marketing message was driven home on the shooting range, where Heckler & Koch instructors give a live fire demonstration of the HK hardware, including the HK45 , a .45 caliber pistol developed as a possible candidate for the Joint Combat Pistol (a recently suspended U.S. military competition) and the 4.6mm MP7A1 Personal Defense Weapon, a compact, concealable weapon that packs nearly the same punch as a assault rifle. It was impressive, though one of the gun writers complained he couldn't get a good three-round burst out of the rapid-fire weapon.

For the experts, the real stars of the show were the HK416 and HK417 rifle and carbine systems. Heckler & Koch developed the HK416 as an "off-the-shelf" alternative to the 5.56mm M16 rifle and M4 carbine in service with the U.S. military (The HK417, a prototype chambered for the NATO 7.62 cartridge, was also on display). Visitors handled the weapons with appreciation: They eliminate a major design flaw in the M16/M4 family, a direct gas impingement system that makes the rifles require constant cleaning and lubrication.

One of the HK instructors put on a show, immersing the HK416 in a container of water, then covering it with sand. After grabbing the rifle out of the sandbox, he gave it a quick shake and then fires off a magazine on full auto. It's like a lethal version of a vacuum cleaner demonstration, and much more convincing.

The training venture was about more than just HK weapons: there was also the merchandise. Blackwater and HK are marketing brand-name apparel stitched with the logos of each company, and the junketeers went home with some excellent swag, including a fleece embroidered with the Blackwater HK International Training Services logo. Their gift bag also included Blackwater ball cap, an HK pen, and – for the men at least – a pair of cufflinks with the Blackwater bear paw logo. It's more than just trade shows tchotchkes.

Blackwater also has a separate line of business marketing its own brand name tactical gear. This includes load bearing vests, magazine pouches and slings. It's very much the style of the US contractor: accoutred with the latest in high-speed tactical equipment. It's exactly the image Blackwater wants to present; a company on the " Fast 50" list with a proud and recognizable brand and a long list of government customers.

The company's prominence, however, cuts both ways: For anti-war activists, Blackwater now ranks up with Halliburton subsidiary KBR in the rogue's gallery of war profiteers. Left-leaning websites vilify Blackwater founder Erik Prince and his family for their Republican party ties.

Litigation is also a sensitive topic. Blackwater first made major headlines in 2004, when four of its contractors were killed in a gruesome ambush in Fallujah, and the company has been tied up in a wrongful death suit with the families of the four men. An aircraft accident in Afghanistan also prompted a lawsuit.

In that respect, Blackwater has done itself few favors when it comes to managing its image, whether it was hiring the Alexander Strategy Group (a casualty of the Abramoff lobbying scandal) to shape its message in Washington, retaining Whitewater special prosecutor Kenneth Starr to help make its case before the Supreme Court, or simply putting Bush/Cheney '04 bumper stickers on its vans. While it may be a sound business move to avoid comment on litigation, it presents an image that is vulnerable to caricature: secretive, militaristic, pro-Republican.

So what will happen with Blackwater's expansive vision? Much may come down to politics. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) recently singled out Blackwater in an oversight hearing on Iraq contracting practices. During that hearing -- which featured testimony from families of Fallujah ambush victims -- a company attorney confirmed that one of its contract employees had shot and killed an Iraqi security guard in the protected International Zone. The company whisked the contractor out of the country; no charges against the shooter have been made public.The killing could make an interesting test case for new laws governing contractors on the battlefield.

The legal environment is shifting rapidly for companies like Blackwater, and a recent change in law – quietly inserted into a defense authorization bill by Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-S.C.) – would place contractors operating in places like Iraq under military jurisdiction. It may also help close the legal loophole that allowed contractors, previously exempt from Iraqi law, to escape prosecution for wrongdoing.

Such cases may prompt the military toward a broader re-think of its dependence on the private sector in conflict zones. (A recent case in point: Two Air Force lieutenant colonels faced prosecution after a "road rage" incident in Kabul that involved a Blackwater contractor.) So while Blackwater was opening itself up a little, company leaders have been keen to stay on message.

As Taylor said in welcoming us: "Today is about HK and Blackwater. This is not a free-for-all; this is not an opportunity to ask questions about litigation or the future of Blackwater."

[GiggsOho]

http://www.pgcbooks.ca/images/cover_art/blackwater_hr.jpg


Frightening, Fascinating, and tremendously well-written expose' on it. I'm about halfway through it, was going to wait until after I finished to start a thread.

They set an unbelievably frightening precedent.

[GiggsOho]

Scahill has also replied to all the articles saying Blackwater has "shut down security" in Iraq.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/23/usa.iraq

Anyone who thinks Blackwater is in serious trouble is dead wrong. Even if - and this is a big if - the company pulled out of Iraq tomorrow, here is the cold, hard fact: business has never been better for Blackwater, and its future looks bright.

[oldwirehands]

I was going to pick up that book not long ago. I'll definitely want to check it out just so I can become even more pissed/scared. They're mentioned in The End of America by Naomi Wolf. That was a good book as well.

[GiggsOho]

I was going to pick up that book not long ago. I'll definitely want to check it out just so I can become even more pissed/scared. They're mentioned in The End of America by Naomi Wolf. That was a good book as well.

Damn, I was going to go with a book called "Just How Stupid Are We?" by Rick Shenkman, but I think I may have to read this book you speak of after reading Scahill's book.

Good look.

Here is an excerpt that I just happened to come upon. This is only %0.0000000001 of how frightening this book gets.

http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/760/blackwaterwl5.jpg

[saysmydoctor]

Scariest organization in America.

[Nevuk]

Someone really needs to remind our government about how Rome fell...

[open mind]

it pisses me off to no end that my cousin in-law works for blackwater and that there's a halliburton building 3 blocks away from my house.

[Biliard]

Someone really needs to remind our government about how Rome fell...

Not sarcasm, but can you elaborate?

[boykosaurus]

http://www.pgcbooks.ca/images/cover_art/blackwater_hr.jpg


Frightening, Fascinating, and tremendously well-written expose' on it. I'm about halfway through it, was going to wait until after I finished to start a thread.

They set an unbelievably frightening precedent.

gah, one more book to add to the list that I hope I get to soon.

[Nevuk]

Not sarcasm, but can you elaborate?
Rome hired a bunch of mercenaries and eventually their army was highly unreliable due to it being mercenary based, and they were frequently warring with people who made up their mercenary forces. Pretty much when a government is forced to rely on mercenaries its a sign of the end.

[Biliard]

Rome hired a bunch of mercenaries and eventually their army was highly unreliable due to it being mercenary based, and they were frequently warring with people who made up their mercenary forces. Pretty much when a government is forced to rely on mercenaries its a sign of the end.

I see, but I do not think we are dependent on mercenaries to provide our military. We need to be careful to not get too invested in this course of action.

[GiggsOho]

I see, but I do not think we are dependent on mercenaries to provide our military. We need to be careful to not get too invested in this course of action.


Read the book. Your opinion will change.

[Biliard]

Read the book. Your opinion will change.

I will pick it up before I leave for school

[saysmydoctor]

I see, but I do not think we are dependent on mercenaries to provide our military. We need to be careful to not get too invested in this course of action.
Hi, I'm American History and this trend we are talking has happened constantly with me, if not mercenaries, then whole countries acting by proxy. Any questions, feel free to open a book.

[Biliard]

Hi, I'm American History and this trend we are talking has happened constantly with me, if not mercenaries, then whole countries acting by proxy. Any questions, feel free to open a book.

Hi, I'm Bill.

[GiggsOho]

Bumping because I have finished the book.


For all the recent conspiracy theory talk as of late in this forum, this is something that everyone (coughANARCHYINTHEUScough) needs to read and be aware of. Fuck chipping, this is 10x more scarier, because ITS VERY VERY REAL.

[boykosaurus]

I got about halfway through then the semester started :/

[Jason Tate]

Hi, I'm American History and this trend we are talking has happened constantly with me, if not mercenaries, then whole countries acting by proxy. Any questions, feel free to open a book.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5112WE7VFWL._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_ PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Collapse-Societies-Choose-Fail-Succeed/dp/0143036556/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220264694&sr=8-2)

[Matthew]

Good song, but not their best. I prefer "Jesus is Just Alright with Me."

[RangerDan]

GO see the Blackwater website look at online app.. You people need to understand that Blackwater only hires X spec ops people and X spec ops people operated under SOCOM while in the military. If you know anything about the military you would understand that SOCOM is a private company with-in a company."the US armed forces". Its like they never really left the military! BLACKWATER! is what we need in Iraq and trashganistan cause the insurgents all operate the same way . Insurgents don't take POW'S nor do they feed displaced civilians. The Army does. Give Blackwater the right to do what is needed the insurgance DO NOT play fair! You want the US military to play fair right? In some cases you need an organiszation thats willing to take a blackeye for something! I'd rather Blackwater to this job and not the Army or Marine corps.

[oldwirehands]

GO see the Blackwater website look at online app.. You people need to understand that Blackwater only hires X spec ops people and X spec ops people operated under SOCOM while in the military. If you know anything about the military you would understand that SOCOM is a private company with-in a company."the US armed forces". Its like they never really left the military! BLACKWATER! is what we need in Iraq and trashganistan cause the insurgents all operate the same way . Insurgents don't take POW'S nor do they feed displaced civilians. The Army does. Give Blackwater the right to do what is needed the insurgance DO NOT play fair! You want the US military to play fair right? In some cases you need an organiszation thats willing to take a blackeye for something! I'd rather Blackwater to this job and not the Army or Marine corps.

So who do you work for?

[GiggsOho]

GO see the Blackwater website look at online app.. You people need to understand that Blackwater only hires X spec ops people and X spec ops people operated under SOCOM while in the military. If you know anything about the military you would understand that SOCOM is a private company with-in a company."the US armed forces". Its like they never really left the military! BLACKWATER! is what we need in Iraq and trashganistan cause the insurgents all operate the same way . Insurgents don't take POW'S nor do they feed displaced civilians. The Army does. Give Blackwater the right to do what is needed the insurgance DO NOT play fair! You want the US military to play fair right? In some cases you need an organiszation thats willing to take a blackeye for something! I'd rather Blackwater to this job and not the Army or Marine corps.

lol at someone who obviously working for the company not knowing all about the company he works for. A+ job pal.

Why don't you go ask the Chilean operatives working with you what part of the U.S. military they were in, if in fact you do work for Blackwater. My guess you will get an answer of "Que?"

SOCOM is not a private company, it's an extension of the military. Furthermore, the U.S. Armed Forces is not a company, it is the Military. Someone with the moniker of RangerDan should be smart enough to realize that.

Whether it's Blackwater, the Marine Corps, or the Army, the Constitution is law. The fact that Blackwater circumvents the Constitution and military protocol is an absolute farce and disgrace. Don't gimme that bullshit line about "THE INSURIGENTS DONT PLAY FAIR" when Bremer's CPA Order 17 is the furthest thing from fair I can think of.

Please take your weak rhetoric somewhere else.

[open mind]

GO see the Blackwater website look at online app.. You people need to understand that Blackwater only hires X spec ops people and X spec ops people operated under SOCOM while in the military. If you know anything about the military you would understand that SOCOM is a private company with-in a company."the US armed forces". Its like they never really left the military! BLACKWATER! is what we need in Iraq and trashganistan cause the insurgents all operate the same way . Insurgents don't take POW'S nor do they feed displaced civilians. The Army does. Give Blackwater the right to do what is needed the insurgance DO NOT play fair! You want the US military to play fair right? In some cases you need an organiszation thats willing to take a blackeye for something! I'd rather Blackwater to this job and not the Army or Marine corps.

what the fuck are you talking about?

[TK]

Bumping because I have finished the book.


For all the recent conspiracy theory talk as of late in this forum, this is something that everyone (coughANARCHYINTHEUScough) needs to read and be aware of. Fuck chipping, this is 10x more scarier, because ITS VERY VERY REAL.


What book have you been talking about?

[shit stroll]

What book have you been talking about?
http://www.amazon.com/Blackwater-Rise-Worlds-Powerful-Mercenary/dp/1560259795

[shit stroll]

has anyone read the shock doctrine by naomi klein?

[oldwirehands]

http://www.amazon.com/Blackwater-Rise-Worlds-Powerful-Mercenary/dp/1560259795

Reading all the one star reviews is interesting. They're all upset because the book apparently bashes new-conservative Republicans and Bible thumping Christians. Which I'm going to assume that most of those reviewers are one and/or the other. Maybe the book is bias (I haven't read it yet. I'm just going off of what the reviewers said) but even if thats true, it doesn't change the fact that the Christian faith plays a huge part in the Republican party and that is scary. I have no problem with people independently believing in a faith but religion and politics have no place together. The constitution was set up to protect and give people their natural born rights in the world. That is what I love so much about it. And we see it being overlooked, bashed, and ignored by high-ranking officials who run this country.

"The Constitution is just a God damn piece of paper."
-George W. Bush

[boykosaurus]

has anyone read the shock doctrine by naomi klein?

I've got it in my books to read basket. The video for that book is very intriguing.

[anthony051]

I read a book about Blackwater a while back, before they got banned from the middle east.

[boykosaurus]

Um, they're not banned?

[anthony051]

I thought I heard something in the news that they were no longer allowed to associate themselves with American Forces in the Middle East because of all the controversy surrounding they're operations, and the fact that they are essentially able to act outside of the Chain of Command that the U.S. Military is held to.

My bad if I'm mistaken.

[GiggsOho]

I thought I heard something in the news that they were no longer allowed to associate themselves with American Forces in the Middle East because of all the controversy surrounding they're operations, and the fact that they are essentially able to act outside of the Chain of Command that the U.S. Military is held to.

My bad if I'm mistaken.


The company pulled back their operations in Iraq. Not sure if they left totally, I'd be willing to bet they haven't.

It's not like the company is defunct now, they have too many subsidiaries that are equally as dangerous.

[boykosaurus]

Yeah, I'd imagine they still are guarding ambassadors and such, but they're certainly not operating at full capacity like they were earlier.

[anthony051]

I dunno. I think we can all agree that Eric Prince is an idiot... But other mercenary outfits like Triple Canopy are pretty much in the dark, yet they are rivaling Blackwater in scandal... Perhaps someone should make a "Let's talk about the less known third party mercenary companies" thread.

[anthony051]

The company pulled back their operations in Iraq. Not sure if they left totally, I'd be willing to bet they haven't.

It's not like the company is defunct now, they have too many subsidiaries that are equally as dangerous.

Also, sorry for DP but I am too drunk to care...

I stand corrected then. I haven't really followed the company in and of itself as of late.

[EchoPark]

My uncle Mel was an employee of Blackwater in Afghanistan during 2002- 2004. He was a former 12 year veteran of the Army and applied with Blackwater. After 9/11 he wanted to do his part to help the country and as he had extensive experience in large jet engin mechanics. He was assigned to an aircraft as the flight engineer which was responsible for ferrying troops,supplies and logistical support between Kabul over the Hindu Kush mountains into Bagram.

Tragically on 24 November ,2004 my Uncle and 5 other men(2 other Blackwater employees and 3 Military officers,1 a Colonel) were killed when their plane crashed into the side of the mountain.

It was later revealed that Blackwater had hired these 2 pilots even though they had minimal flight time and the cause of the crash was that they attempted to take a shortcut to their destination by flying through an unfamiliar and unchartered area of the mountains.

For anyone interested in what happened you can read about it here

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/02/blackwater.afghan.crash/index.html

For a complete transcript of the cockpit flight data recorder

http://hamptonroads.com/node/66361

in the above link, my uncle is ROWE

[Burn That Shit]

GO see the Blackwater website look at online app.. You people need to understand that Blackwater only hires X spec ops people and X spec ops people operated under SOCOM while in the military. If you know anything about the military you would understand that SOCOM is a private company with-in a company."the US armed forces". Its like they never really left the military! BLACKWATER! is what we need in Iraq and trashganistan cause the insurgents all operate the same way . Insurgents don't take POW'S nor do they feed displaced civilians. The Army does. Give Blackwater the right to do what is needed the insurgance DO NOT play fair! You want the US military to play fair right? In some cases you need an organiszation thats willing to take a blackeye for something! I'd rather Blackwater to this job and not the Army or Marine corps.

8.3/10

[Duexy]

GO see the Blackwater website look at online app.. You people need to understand that Blackwater only hires X spec ops people and X spec ops people operated under SOCOM while in the military. If you know anything about the military you would understand that SOCOM is a private company with-in a company."the US armed forces". Its like they never really left the military! BLACKWATER! is what we need in Iraq and trashganistan cause the insurgents all operate the same way . Insurgents don't take POW'S nor do they feed displaced civilians. The Army does. Give Blackwater the right to do what is needed the insurgance DO NOT play fair! You want the US military to play fair right? In some cases you need an organiszation thats willing to take a blackeye for something! I'd rather Blackwater to this job and not the Army or Marine corps.


jokes

[Art Isn't Safe]

Step 3: Develop a thug caste When leaders who seek what I call a "fascist shift" want to close down an open society, they send paramilitary groups of scary young men out to terrorise citizens. The Blackshirts roamed the Italian countryside beating up communists; the Brownshirts staged violent rallies throughout Germany. This paramilitary force is especially important in a democracy: you need citizens to fear thug violence and so you need thugs who are free from prosecution.
The years following 9/11 have proved a bonanza for America's security contractors, with the Bush administration outsourcing areas of work that traditionally fell to the US military. In the process, contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars have been issued for security work by mercenaries at home and abroad. In Iraq, some of these contract operatives have been accused of involvement in torturing prisoners, harassing journalists and firing on Iraqi civilians. Under Order 17, issued to regulate contractors in Iraq by the one-time US administrator in Baghdad, Paul Bremer, these contractors are immune from prosecution
Yes, but that is in Iraq, you could argue; however, after Hurricane Katrina, the Department of Homeland Security hired and deployed hundreds of armed private security guards in New Orleans. The investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill interviewed one unnamed guard who reported having fired on unarmed civilians in the city. It was a natural disaster that underlay that episode - but the administration's endless war on terror means ongoing scope for what are in effect privately contracted armies to take on crisis and emergency management at home in US cities.
Thugs in America? Groups of angry young Republican men, dressed in identical shirts and trousers, menaced poll workers counting the votes in Florida in 2000. If you are reading history, you can imagine that there can be a need for "public order" on the next election day. Say there are protests, or a threat, on the day of an election; history would not rule out the presence of a private security firm at a polling station "to restore public order".


I think the Boy Scouts is a paramilitary group.

[Love As Arson]

For those already outraged at the AIG bonus scandal, here is a fact that should add more fuel to the fire: The Obama administration has paid the mercenary firm formerly known as Blackwater nearly $70 million to operate in Iraq and, according to The Washington Times, may keep the company on the payroll months past the official expiration of its Iraq contract in May. I reviewed Blackwater's recent transactions with the Obama State Department and discovered a $45 million payment to Blackwater on February 4, 2009 for "protective services-Iraq." It is described as a "funding action only." Here is the interesting part: The estimated "Ultimate Completion Date" is 5/07/2011.

The Washington Times (as described below) reported on a $22 million payment to Blackwater on February 2. Combined with the $45 million payment I discovered, that's nearly $67 million in 72 hours. Not bad for a company supposedly going down in flames.
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/132171/president_obama%2C_why_did_you_pay_ blackwater_%2470_million_in_februar y/

[Burn That Shit]

Ugh, that's really terrifying that Obama is continuing to contract with Blackwater.