Blackwater and Gov't Entanglements

[Gorilla]

Why are you disturbed by this?

There have been men doing this for ages.

I'm not really shocked by corporate participation in warfare. America is a war economy in almost every sense of the concept.

Why do I find them disturbing?

Its because they're held even less accountable for what they do and they've been given paramilitary authority for the US government or whoever else they work for and their own political agendas (not hard to guess what a corporation values above all else). As long as corporations like these stay in favor with the state, I doubt we will ever see any kind of regulation of the scope of what they do or even get a glimpse into their basic ROEs. And to be honest, it would not surprise me at all if corporate paramilitary firms were torturing people or doing inhumane things in the theatres they operate in. They've got quite the interest track record when it comes to handling civilians in Iraq.

Additionally, look at how much respect the recent attempt of the Iraqi Government to ban them from the country over the possible unprovoked killing of civilians.

When do we say this has gone too far? Why are they expanding beyond protecting specific targets and being used to supplement military forces (starting since Afghanistan)?

[Celeste]

Originally Posted by The Dragon

...I'm surprised to hear about them in the news because they are supposed to be a private firm, and I thought open knowledge about them was hush, hush.

Yes, Sister.

The imbalance of evil reveals itself to the awakened mind...the concept of "privacy" is nearly extinct in Amerikkka.

All in the name of the Red, White and Untrue.

[MadameX]

Originally Posted by Baba Ahmed

A trinity of the government, the military, and private industry. He strongly alluded to a coming Facist's State. Were not the Gestapo and Brown Shirts governmental forces for Hitler? Need anymore examples, peep into pre-and during WWII and Italy's breaking away for the so-called Allies of some of their cousins.

Hmm. Sounds like history could be repeating itself. People need to open their eyes and smell the coffee .

[Celeste]

Originally Posted by DBlack

Actually that's not true. We have never used wholesale privatized mercernaries in a theater of war. We have used private security firms for small scale and precision targeted protection needs, but that's only as a supplement to primary military assets.

There are hundreds of such AMerican based mercenary firms in Iraq right now.
Our special forces ops groups have usually handled the high value targets here and abroad.

See Bush and his War architects new there was a military asset shortage. They also new that private military sector had a novel chance here to make hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Money for Blood is what these groups provide.

What Bush has allowed should be criminal. Did you also know that we withdrew from the International Criminal Courts under Bush? He did so because he new the Iraq war was internationally illegal and that mercernaries for hire was also illegal.

And what do you think this says to our soldiers that don't get to make 100-300 dollars and hour? These mercanary firms get to operate without accountability and have been responsible for hundreds of killings, most of which are undocumented.

You can't defend the indefensible.

I hear you, Brother...it can boggle the mind.
But it also focuses the spirit.

We're dealing with a sort of mass-psychosis---crimes against humanity are painted with the veneer of respectability and everyone is expected to move on to the next soundbite.

Good to see so many of us peeling back the layers and confronting reality.

(Images of Bush and echoes of the Nuremberg trials...)

[The Dragon]

Originally Posted by Celeste

Yes, Sister.

The imbalance of evil reveals itself to the awakened mind...the concept of "privacy" is nearly extinct in Amerikkka.

All in the name of the Red, White and Untrue.

You are absolutely right but I thought they would be carefull as to not allow the media to be singing (like they are now) about them. For instance, they have not allowed the media to elaborate, to my knowledge the truth about American being Fascist instead of being a Democracy....

I heard they sent Blackwater to Louisiana after the storm and floods!! Now you know that is too low; I can believe the Bush administration did this because when It all went down I remember hearing stories about the National Guard being blocked from coming in, now why would they do that if they did not already have some type of military presence there at the time??

Eventualy the NG was allowed in but I do remember hearing stories news wise that at first their entrance was blocked.

[Baba Ahmed]

Somebody mentioned the book about Blackwater; yesterday I borrowed a copy from a local Public Library. I hope the following excerpt isn't too long.

"In the bigger ideological picture, Blackwater executives fancy themselves part of a '"just"' mercenary tradition. '"This is nothing new,"' asserted IPOA'S Doug Brooks. '"Even George Washington had contrators."' It is a line that Blackwater executives love. Indeed, they often cite the statues in Lafayette Park acrosss the street from the White House as monuments to their trade and tradition. In the middle of the park is a statue of President Andrew Jackson on horseback. Flanking the four corners of the park are statues of mercenaries who fought on the U.S. side in the Revolutionary War: France's Gen. Marquis Gilbert de Lafayette and Maj. Gen. comte Jean de Rochambeau; Poland's Gen. Thaddeus Kosciuszko; Prussia's Maj. Gen. Baron Frederich Wilhelm Van Steuben (the object of Prince Group general counsel Joseph Schmitz's obsession). '"The idea of contractors on the battlefield, contractors doing this sort of thing, that it's a new idea, is just wrong."' Erik Prince told a military conference in 2006. Citing the statues at Lafayette Park, Prince said, '"Those are four military officers, foreign officers, contractors if you will, that came here and built the capability of the continental army, the continental army was having a tough time until they showed up. On Von Steuben's statue it says he gave military training and discipline to the citizen-soldiers who achieved the independence of the United States. That's what we're doing in Iraq or Afghanistan, wherever we get hired and authorized to do so by the U.S. government, we're giving them the capability to defend themselves, and to clean out their own problems, so you don't have to send big conventional military to do that. You know, German mercenaries fought on behalf of the union in the Civil War, even won the medal of honor."' Cofer Black echoed the narrative: '"There is nothing new in this. What we are really talking about is the management of this for the good of the country and to acheive the objective. Lafayette Park could be called Contractor Park for our heroes that came to this country that trained us, trained our forebears."'***
- From Blackwater...pgs 375-376.
================================================== ===

***Baba note: my "forebears" were not either French, German, Polish, and definitely not Prussian!!! In other words the Project for a New American Century, nor Jimmy Carter's Global 2000 or Bush's "God is on my side" none of dat is talking to you Black folk; nor really about us! He's referring to his God; not your's. Nor is Erik Prince talking 'bout you when he says, "our heroes." Our ancestors were generally enslaved. Its about conflicts, battles, wars and struggles btween blood cousins! None who has ever been peaceful to you nor our ancestors. A new "European" is an old "Eu-rope-an" in shirts, neck ties and two piece suits, crowned with college degrees or should I say "Knighted?"

[DBlack]

Our government is exploiting our very own troops. If they really wanted to be ethical and fair, they would over more financial incentives to legitimate armed services personell and not subcontract mercenaries.

[Baba Ahmed]

I agree but Blackwater's classification is legal and accepted by this gov't. They've gotten so sophisticated that their newest subsidary is incorporated in the Bahamas as a non-profit!

Also, altho I wasn't exact before, but this nation is following an established tradition of their "forefathers." No joke.

[afrocentric]

okay bro ahmad, i am LISTENING..

[Baba Ahmed]

Greetings Afrocentric - thanks and so am I. For this info is not simply to show this mass of renegades, tho legally accepted by this gov't, and their actions in Iraq now. But remember these are the same mercenaries contracted to run amuk in New Orleans' 6th & 9th Lower Wards; i.e., where Black and other people of color WERE concentrated. Brutha Malik Rahim's organization has since day 1 given 1st hand reports of Blackwater and the Nat'l Guard's killing actions, along with what's called vigilantes. What I'd called white people in Blackwater, are now seened to have been from any one or more Central American & a few South American countries, e.g., Colombia - tho not Brazil. Hungry veterans of other wars against civilians, hired killers who want adventure, uncontrolled by gov't agencies - outside even this nation's political bible, the U.S. Constitution. They are not bound by it - nowhere! To assure this status, they've incorporated as non-profits in such island nations as the Bahamas. As one member of the CRC (Center for Constitutional Rights) wrote: "Unlike police officers, they are not trained in protecting constitutional rights..... Thee kind of paramilitary groups bring to mind Nazi Party brownshirts, functiong as an extrajudicial enforcement mechanism that can and does operate outside the law...(that) is an extremely dangerous threat to our rights."

So I'm watching and listening too! So, what we gon do when they come for us who sit comfortably at our computers? And on our couches? That's my main point. 'Cause there's very little I can do, individually or within a group, about problems that this nation's Department of Defense and its State Dept. appear unable to rein in. Like a sista at another forum admonished us: we be talking about all such matters while Black people are killing each other; raping each other; selling drugs to each; abandoning our children; by default givng them over to Social Service agencies...etc kwk etc.

Understand? Its said that history repeats itself; well maybe certain conditions appear time and time again; but folk can be agents of somewhat controlling their own destinies. As we witness a repeated scenario mirroring ancient Rome's fall in this administration's fall - what we gon do? For ourselves? If nothing else Afrocentric tell your children the truth as u see it. Do not follow the confusing reports thrown at us by money hungry mainstream media. CNN, Fox etc are also worked by people like me and u. They too are brainwashed! Ever notice how they try to show emotions, e.g., over what just happened to the Iranian leader? A pattern we've seen bfore with Sadam Hussein. It was portrayed in the 1970s with this same nation, Iran. Then as now Black folk were setting a stage for our own children manifested today. I say to Hell with Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, blah blah blah - we have similar situations right here in our homelands!

SAVE OUR CHILDREN!
================

EDIT: BY BCOMING MORE SELF EDUCATED