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Bush on Blackwater



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Same Players. Different Scandal.

Did you recieve one? Blackwater Christmas Card

Images Courtesy of Danger Room

..and they say they aren't Christian mercenaries. Welcome, the infamous Blackwater Worldwide Christmas card. My goodness.

Not a Contractor left out..State Department spends Bush's Money, no strings attached

“We always saw it as a growth area because of the conflicts in the world,” Steve Cannon, former DynCorp executive.

It's nice to be in Bush America...as long as your a Defense Contractor. Little oversight, same overhead, and ever increasing profit margins, not a bad deal.

On Tuesday, the State Department released two reports: An audit on DynCorp and the other on the State Department's use of private contractors in general. Here are a few revelations from the reports courtesy of the NYT,

Over the past four years, the amount of money the State Department pays to private security and law enforcement contractors has soared to nearly $4 billion a year from $1 billion, but they said that the department had added few new officials to oversee the contracts.
.....
there were too few American officials in Iraq to enforce the rules that apply to Blackwater and other security contractors. It also found that the conduct of the contractors had undermined the broader mission of ending the insurgency and establishing a democratic government in Iraq.
.....
according to former employees, members of Congress and outside experts..."the office has grown too reliant on, and too close to, the 1,200 private soldiers who now guard American officials overseas."
.....
“The lack of competition does concern us a great deal,” said a senior State Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “We want as many companies as possible.”

And now for DynCorp's swindle on the American people. Remember these next quotes when Bush asks the 'House of Pelosi' to give him more money for waging his "war on drugs",

the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, has issued more than $2.2 billion in contracts for police training and drug eradication in Iraq, Afghanistan, Latin America and elsewhere, according to State Department records. Ninety-four percent of that money has gone to DynCorp.
......
State Department officials viewed it as an interim measure. DynCorp viewed it as an opportunity. “We always saw it as a growth area because of the conflicts in the world,” said Steve Cannon, a former DynCorp executive.

Mr. "boom boom" Cannon was right. Capitalize they did,

Over the next several years, the two small State Department offices issued more than $250 million in police training and diplomatic security contracts to DynCorp for work in Haiti, Bosnia and Kosovo.After the 2001 American invasion of Afghanistan, contracts grew again, eventually bringing the company $400 million a year. The law enforcement office had DynCorp dispatch dozens, then hundreds, of police trainers to Afghanistan. The diplomatic security office had DynCorp send employees to guard the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai.

Former State Department officials and Afghan officials said the DynCorp guards were far too aggressive in their tactics, and their conduct alienated Afghan and European officials, as well as Afghan citizens. Gregory Lagana, a DynCorp spokesman, said the company agreed there was a problem and replaced the guards. “The demeanor, the swagger, was wrong,” he said. “We put a stop to that.” Read the full article here

So let me get this straight. From what it sounds like...the U.S. military is not losing the wars, the sub 'machine gun' contractors are. The military can do the job, that's not the problem. Never has been. The problem lies within the 'contracted work'. All they are doing is causing problems and making US pay dearly for it.

Blackwater is losing the hearts in minds of the Iraqis and DynCorp is losing them in Afghanistan. It's the damn contractors and always has been. Bush's dad employed mercenaries in Latin America and so has his son. Worse, he is moving them into the Sudan.

Wake up America, George 'dubya' Bush and crew are swindling US all.

Same Players. Different Scandal.

If Blackwater Leaves Iraq, who Replaces them?

Blackwater USA have been deemed the "cowboy outlaws" of the colony of Iraq, but if Blackwater leaves, who will guard U.S. diplomats? The question was answered on Friday when a U.S. official stated Blackwater USA's role in Iraq will most likely 'draw down' and that one of the two other 'capable' contractors will take their role.

While no decisions have been finalized, Blackwater's role in Baghdad is likely to be taken over by one of two other contractors who provide security for the State Department in Iraq, the officials said. They are Triple Canopy and DynCorp International. Miami Herald

Not to worry, though. Trigger happy Blackwater personnel will simply switch employers...

''There will be some sort of disengagement process, but it won't be that they're shown the door,'' said a State Department official. "As one builds down, another builds up.''
.....
It's unclear whether Blackwater employees in Iraq could simply switch employers. And, according to congressional officials, the State Department's Diplomatic Security service argues that it cannot operate without the helicopters that Blackwater provides for escort and rescue efforts. Miami Herald

Sneaky, sneaky, bastards. Blackwater isn't going anywhere. They're just getting another employer. The State Department doesn't want DynCorp. They don't want Triple Canopy either, even though they've been guarding the Green Zone since 2005. In fact, the State Department knows that Triple Canopy has hired a bunch of Latin Americans to do the job. The State Department wants Erik Princes' feudal army. They want Blackwaters little black helicopters, armored vehicles, high power weapons, and the trigger happy cowboys with their own definition of America's "hearts and minds" approach to win over Iraqis.

Blackwater USA is not going anywhere. They are the guardians of the colony of Iraq. With $834 million invested in Blackwater contracts the State Department can't afford to let 'em go.

Blackwater's current work order under a State Department contract worth $834 million reportedly runs out in May 2008.

They know their lives depend on them.

Same Players. Different Scandal.

Whose Guarding the Green Zone? Contractors defending the Military

This is a repost, but with the current fiasco going on in Iraq with Blackwater I thought it should be brought back up.

As the Bush Administration plays 4th Branch politics on television nightly, their true crimes against the American public are being committed out of the media spotlight. This Administration is quietly outsourcing U.S. military operations around the globe. When no bid contracts come to mind, one thinks Halliburton, KBR, Bechtel....yet, the contracts the media are not talking about is this Administration's hiring of private sub 'machine gun' contractors to do the tasks of the U.S. military. Blackwater USA, has a companion...Welcome Triple Canopy Inc., America's Green Zone Defenders.

With increasing concerns of the U.S. military being pushed to its limits, the Administration is finding other ways to continue the war effort. Since 2004, Triple Canopy Inc., have been performing security operations for many U.S. military enclaves peppered throughout Iraq. Triple Canopy Inc., founded in 2003 by former U.S. Delta force and Green Beret veterans, has been guarding the Green Zone since they were awarded the winning bid in 2005 over a British based security firm. These private armies pose a 'national security threat' to the United States itself.

"No open policy debate took place; no executive order was publicly issued, And who is in charge of overseeing these armed men? One thing is sure: they are crucial to the war effort.", stated Daniel Bergner of the NY Times.

We already have a military? Do we really need to use privately funded corporate armies, as well? Although Triple Canopy Inc.'s founders might be American, not all their employees hold the same credentials. The current expansion of sub 'machine gun' contractors in Iraq is depleting the ranks of America's special forces veterans. With companies such as Blackwater USA, DynCorp and Triple Canopy Inc., being awarded more and more contracts from the U.S. government the search for qualified 'security consultants' has gone global. Their ranks need to be filled. The search for a qualified pool of talent has taken Triple Canopy Inc. and others to Latin America raising concerns of compromising U.S. military and diplomatic security throughout Iraq.

"...ads seeking former members of the armed forces and police officers interested in working as a security personnel in exchange for "excellent wages" began to appear in newspapers in Lima... ...Hundreds of people applied" stated Angel Paez of IPS

"...about 200 of them American and almost all the rest from Chile and Fiji" wrote Bergner in 2005. "Another concern is that Triple Canopy employees have been recruited mainly in Latin America and speak little English...'A delay in communicating a problem because the guard cannot speak English down his walkie-talkie can have fatal consequences'"

Stop this nonsense. For every sub 'machine gun' contractor added to the ranks of these corporate private armies, another U.S. soldier is replaced by someone not accountable to military justice or the U.S. justice system. The world views these 'employees', not as independent contractors, but as the U.S. Military itself.

Iraq is consuming the U.S. military at an immeasurable rate, yet this Administration continues this so called 'surge' with private armies are not responsible or accountable to the American government. Triple Canopy Inc.'s contract reads,

"...the insurance policy covering the company's personnel will not provide coverage in case of an incident that occurs when employees are off-duty or outside their place of work. If employees are attacked by insurgents at home, for instance, they will receive no compensation..."

What happens when this war comes to a close? Does one think these companies will close up shop and shut their doors? Fighting the war and securing assets through the use of contracted sub 'machine gun' contractors is dangerous, irresponsible, and subversive. Triple Canopy Inc., Blackwater USA, DynCorp, and others are in the business to make money not guard against injustice. Capitalism has gone to far..stop the insanity. End this conflict now. This war should not be fought in terms of profit maximization. More than just Americans are losing their sons and daughters in this quest for oil.

Government contracts are the only way this Administration can continue to fight this war of terror. If the media were not so concerned with "Hollywood IT girls gone bad" perhaps the American public would recognize that their democrazy is being subverted directly under their noses. Save our country from 'W''s vision of our NeW hOmeland, Demand a return to our Nation and the rule of law. Americans should be defending Americans, not Latin Americas defending Americans. This is what occurs when a country insists on invading another without a global coalition. Instead, the coalition of the willing, wants to get PAID and be responsible to no one. Welcome to the Homeland.

Related article:
From Jungles to Deserts: Latin Americans in the War on Terror

Same Players. Different Scandal.

Blackwater USA Magazine Advertisement

Source: Journal of International Peace Operations

My Related Articles:
Has Blackwater USA entered Darfur?
Why Buy when you can Rent...Blackwater USA Revisited
Whose Guarding the Green Zone? Privatizing the U.S. Military
Meet the Men who supply the UN and NGO's with Vehicles

28 years of consecutive Yale alumni in the Oval Office is enough... Democracy subverted! Welcome to our NeW hOmeland.

4th Branch Membership Requirement: Yale alumni Mandatory

Contemporary Yale Alumni

Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi Taliban Spokesman

Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Ernesto Zedillo(former President of Mexico) Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Hillary Clinton, John Ashcroft, Gary Hart, Howard Dean, Dean Acheson, Les Aspin, Porter Goss, Stephen Hadley, John Negroponte, Strobe Talbott, Paul Bremer, Scooter Libby, Paul Wolfowitz, Donald Kagan, Joe Lieberman, John Kerry, David Gergen.....the list is endless.

* Dick Cheney was kicked out of Yale. Instead he started his own post graduate fraternity....The 4th Branch

Same Players. Different Scandal.

Has Blackwater USA entered Darfur?

After four years of genocide in the Darfur region of the Sudan, the United Nations has decided to enter the fight to halt the senseless killings. Late in the night, the UN Security Council along with the UK, co-sponsored a resolution to create a 'hybrid' UN force. Comprised of roughly 20,000 'soldiers' and 6 ,ooo 'civilian police'. Are these police Blackwater USA?

Blackwater has long eyed doing business with the UN in the Sudan. They see the Iraq war winding down and are looking for more opportunities for expansion and the continuation of their 'soldier of fortune' corporate business plan. Chris Taylor, head of strategy for Blackwater, stated in 2006 that

"(his company) has a database of thousands of former police and military officers for security assignments...Blackwater personnel could set up perimeters and guard Darfurian villages and refugee camp in support of the U.N."

"There are a lot of crises in the world...so if they can get their foot in the door, it potentially opens up an entire new business sector" stated Peter Singer of the Brookings Institution.

Blackwater USA's previous acknowledgment of wanting to pursue doing 'business' with the UN in the Sudan leads to an eerie suspicion that they are part of this new 'hybrid' force. Although billed by the UN and British officials, the new hybrid force will have a 'predominantly African character'. What does that mean? Are they going to hire the rebels for cheap...Peruvians, Chileans, Fijians...Malyasians...Who? Triple Canopy Inc. has done the same in Iraq and worse.....they've had the contract to guard the Green Zone since 2005, not the U.S. or British military.

"If Sudan does not comply with this resolution, the United States will move for the swift adoption of unilateral and multilateral measures...now Sudan faces a choice. Sudan can choose the path of co-operation or defiance." stated Zalmay Khalilizad, US Ambassador to the UN, former US Ambassador to Afghanistan, former US Ambassador to Iraq, the infamous double source for the Office of the VP and the Pentagon in the prewar intelligence Debacle, Original PNAC member, CFR member, architect of Afghan Mujaheddin policies (Osama's long time buddy).

Where are these soldiers and police coming from? Who is paying who for what contract? Is the Darfur going to become the 'new Iraq' for privately funded sub 'machine gun' contractors?

Luckily the House of Representatives have learned a little since the days of 'no bid contract Iraq'. In an attempt to keep a tab on U.S. corporations participating in the Darfur resolution force, the House passed the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act(H.R. 180) on Monday. H.R. 180 reads

"....require the identification of companies that conduct business operations in Sudan, to prohibit United States Government contracts with such companies, and for other purposes."

Let US hope the language stays the same.

Privately funded armies are a danger to the United States and the world. Trillions of dollars are spent worldwide on the proliferation of war by nations. We do not need contractors to do the bidding of nations who seek to maximize their profits and minimize their losses. We must not forget that corporate greed and lax oversight gave US Enron, Arthur Andersen, Haliburton, Qwest, Tyco, World Com, and countless other scandoulus companies. Do we really need to risk adding Blackwater USA, DynCorp, and Triple Canopy Inc. to this list. That day nears. Watch the Darfur force unfold...Blackwater USA shall soon appear as a new 'hybrid' force with a 'predominantly African character'.

The cause is noble..but does the means justify the ends. Shouldn't the US be fighting this battle. Is genocide not a cause for US...or is it because China has most of the oil claims to the region, leaving US to fight for 'blood oil' in the Middle East.

Same Players. Different Scandal.

Whose Guarding the Green Zone? Contractors defending the Military

As the Bush Administration plays 4th Branch politics on television nightly, their true crimes against the American public are being committed out of the media spotlight. This Administration is quietly outsourcing U.S. military operations around the globe. When no bid contracts come to mind, one thinks Halliburton, KBR, Bechtel....yet, the contracts the media are not talking about is this Administration's hiring of private sub 'machine gun' contractors to do the tasks of the U.S. military. Blackwater USA, has a companion...Welcome Triple Canopy Inc., America's Green Zone Defenders.

With increasing concerns of the U.S. military being pushed to its limits, the Administration is finding other ways to continue the war effort. Since 2004, Triple Canopy Inc., have been performing security operations for many U.S. military enclaves peppered throughout Iraq. Triple Canopy Inc., founded in 2003 by former U.S. Delta force and Green Beret veterans, has been guarding the Green Zone since they were awarded the winning bid in 2005 over a British based security firm. These private armies pose a 'national security threat' to the United States itself.

"No open policy debate took place; no executive order was publicly issued, And who is in charge of overseeing these armed men? One thing is sure: they are crucial to the war effort.", stated Daniel Bergner of the NY Times.

We already have a military? Do we really need to use privately funded corporate armies, as well? Although Triple Canopy Inc.'s founders might be American, not all their employees hold the same credentials. The current expansion of sub 'machine gun' contractors in Iraq is depleting the ranks of America's special forces veterans. With companies such as Blackwater USA, DynCorp and Triple Canopy Inc., being awarded more and more contracts from the U.S. government the search for qualified 'security consultants' has gone global. Their ranks need to be filled. The search for a qualified pool of talent has taken Triple Canopy Inc. and others to Latin America raising concerns of compromising U.S. military and diplomatic security throughout Iraq.

"...ads seeking former members of the armed forces and police officers interested in working as a security personnel in exchange for "excellent wages" began to appear in newspapers in Lima... ...Hundreds of people applied" stated Angel Paez of IPS

"...about 200 of them American and almost all the rest from Chile and Fiji" wrote Bergner in 2005. "Another concern is that Triple Canopy employees have been recruited mainly in Latin America and speak little English...'A delay in communicating a problem because the guard cannot speak English down his walkie-talkie can have fatal consequences'"

Stop this nonsense. For every sub 'machine gun' contractor added to the ranks of these corporate private armies, another U.S. soldier is replaced by someone not accountable to military justice or the U.S. justice system. The world views these 'employees', not as independent contractors, but as the U.S. Military itself.

Iraq is consuming the U.S. military at an immeasurable rate, yet this Administration continues this so called 'surge' with private armies are not responsible or accountable to the American government. Triple Canopy Inc.'s contract reads,

"...the insurance policy covering the company's personnel will not provide coverage in case of an incident that occurs when employees are off-duty or outside their place of work. If employees are attacked by insurgents at home, for instance, they will receive no compensation..."

What happens when this war comes to a close? Does one think these companies will close up shop and shut their doors? Fighting the war and securing assets through the use of contracted sub 'machine gun' contractors is dangerous, irresponsible, and subversive. Triple Canopy Inc., Blackwater USA, DynCorp, and others are in the business to make money not guard against injustice. Capitalism has gone to far..stop the insanity. End this conflict now. This war should not be fought in terms of profit maximization. More than just Americans are losing their sons and daughters in this quest for oil.

Government contracts are the only way this Administration can continue to fight this war of terror. If the media were not so concerned with "Hollywood IT girls gone bad" perhaps the American public would recognize that their democrazy is being subverted directly under their noses. Save our country from 'W''s vision of our NeW hOmeland, Demand a return to our Nation and the rule of law. Americans should be defending Americans, not Latin Americas defending Americans. This is what occurs when a country insists on invading another without a global coalition. Instead, the coalition of the willing, wants to get PAID and be responsible to no one. Welcome to the Homeland. Same Players. Different Scandal.

Why Buy when you can Rent...Blackwater USA Revisited

With all the 'chatter' in Washington over Al Qaeda 2.0.1's reemergence, Meirs and crews contempt of court, immigration amnesty, and most recent the Congressional sleepover one would think that our democratic policymakers are pushing forward to address the concerns of the American public. Is this the case though? While focusing on these 'episodes' we should not forget about the others.

Currently the US Constitution is under attack. The Bush Administration, with the media in tow, are selling out the foundations of America. The very essence of our democrazy. Most recently our administration have posed the justifications of a 4th branch of government, usurping our historical 3 branches and hiding their crimes from our lawmakers and the American public alike. They are following their own policy of 'cut and run', not from war, but from the American public. Together, both our media and Bush Administration have lost their focus of protecting and informing the nation. Of protecting the virtues laid down for US in our Bill of Rights and Constitution.

Our senators do not need another sleepover, they have been asleep for the last six years. The use and support of Blackwater USA in the Bush Administration is their most serious folly and crime against America. Cheney might have claimed rights to a 'new' 4th branch of government, but in total, the Administration HAVE created a new branch of our military. The military 6th branch. The days of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and even the National Guard are finished. There is a new armed force in town and they are not responsible to the American public, government, or military. They are Blackwater USA. America's new soldier of 'fortune'.

The Bush Administration has successfully added Blackwater USA to the list of military 'options' the U.S. has in its arsenal. This 'new option' is strikingly similar to the Bush Administration in that both claim their actions are not subject to judicial review and oversight. They ARE 'national security'. Can't talk about it.. Sorry America. Executive privilege. Try again...the Administration has subverted you again.

Another addition to the security apparatus for our new 'Homeland', Blackwater USA, is an ominous threat to the destruction of the pillars of our great nation. Currently Blackwater is spreading out across the nation and abroad. Building training facilities, 'bases', hiring 'sub(machine gun)contractors', acquiring defense and aviation companies, and hiring top CIA and former military officials. They are truly forming a privately funded military. Does this not sound familiar to how Al Qaeda functions. Secret training bases, military training tactics, video propaganda, privately funded 'religious' warriors...........Where is the Outrage? If this were any other corporation would this be happening? Blackwater USA is this Administrations response to 9/11 and the 'war on terror' Al Qaeda for the United States, if you will.

We already have a military, a federal and state police force, a national guard, a coast guard, and countless other 'security' divisions within the U.S. The 'war on terror' is consuming our American military force abroad...the majority of our National Guard troops are deployed, we are under a constant 'national security threat' on our soil, our southern border is porous flowing with illegal drugs, immigrants, and weapons....yet our nations media and political leaders play 'sleep over'.

Do we really need/want a privatized 'corporate army'? Especially with no oversight.

Same Players. Different Scandal.

Bush on Blackwater