What is Digg?116 Comments
- GrandmaSheila, on 06/07/2008, -2/+63FTA: "As populist movements grow stronger in Latin America, threatening US financial interests as well as the standing of right-wing US political allies in the region, the "war on drugs" is becoming an increasingly central part of US counterinsurgency efforts. It allows for more training of foreign security forces through the private sector--away from Congressional oversight--and a deployment of personnel from US war corporations. With US forces stretched thin, sending private security companies to Latin America offers Washington a "small footprint" alternative ..."
...and soon to a streetcorner near you.... - rcnevada, on 06/07/2008, -2/+42My favorite quote:
Security was extremely tight, and Blackwater barred cameras and tape recorders from the event. "The idea that we are a secretive facility, and nefarious, is just ridiculous,"
These guys make you feel like you can really trust them, don't they? - 55mph, on 06/08/2008, -0/+35"The massive US security company DynCorp is already deployed in Colombia, Bolivia and other countries as part of the "war on drugs." "
Ah, the never ending and very expensive War on Drugs. That's a War nobody wants to win. There's too much money involved. - Intercon, on 06/08/2008, -7/+41
We're done. The United States is over; the great experiment failed. Benjamin Franklin would ***** in his pants if he saw the travesty that his beloved Revolution had become. - blankoboy, on 06/08/2008, -0/+28Headline in US newspapers 2 weeks from now: Jeremy Scahill found dead due to "apparent" suicide.
- Sean42, on 06/08/2008, -1/+29This private mercenary crap has got to stop. All profit and no accountability.
If we need guards or troops, i would much rather see our brave soldiers pull in the income that Eric Prince's goons make, at least they are responsible for what they do. - Intercon, on 06/08/2008, -1/+23PLease use your brain. There is no "charter" establishing a relationship between Blackwater and the U.S. government, there are only contracts. With 70% of the intelligence budget going to private contractors, it should be obvious what the game plan is. Eliminating government oversight and shifting power to corporations. If most of your tax dollars that pay for clandestine services are going to private companies, what you think of as your government has become simply another arm of multi-national coporations seizing control.
The days of national sovereignty are OVER. If you look deeper at the ties between business and this particular administration, you might begin to see a trend over the last 80 years, to bring about a fascist regime in the United States. Blackwater will be the SS of this new government. Some might make light of the comparison, but the key players in the Nazi rise to power and the current politcal dismantling of our government are one and the same. - mkauai, on 06/07/2008, -6/+27Thanks :)
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End the War - Elderon, on 06/08/2008, -2/+22what I wonder about, and maybe it's just me being paranoid is this. Being that blackwater is a private military contracter, ie mercenary group. What happens when the U.S government can't pay them what they want any longer or stops payment? Will we have blackwater guys farming out to whoever pays the most? Do they have a charter that dissallows the use of blackwater against the U.S?
- kingsal, on 06/08/2008, -1/+21Yeah, "Blackwater" -- what a comforting little name you got there.
- wowsah156, on 06/08/2008, -0/+20Where is the incentive for peace when profit is made from death and war? If shareholders in Blackwater are making a fortune then how to the keep that money rolling in? More war and murder. Horrible.
- Rahodeb, on 06/08/2008, -0/+17Run by "Erik Prince" and "Cofer Black". Ttwo of the most evil names I've ever heard.
- noahhoward, on 06/08/2008, -0/+17Modern day samaurai... once the war is over you'll have thugs on the streets.
- GettinReal, on 06/08/2008, -5/+22I thought it was great when those contractors got killed. Who the ***** do they think they are to go into another country and run roughshod over it. If foreign mercenaries came into your neighborhood I am sure you would kneel down and lick the hand. Good for you buddy. You're a real Modern American (aka ignorant coward piece of *****). If Blackwater ever tries to do ***** in my state like they did in New Orleans, I wont hesitate to drop the hammer.
- Neoanarchist, on 06/08/2008, -0/+16This is on of the 10 historical echos from past open societies that turned into violent dictatorships (Mussolini's Italy, Stalin's Russia, Hitler's Germany). The book, The End of America by Naomi Wolf Discusses this. The book, however, isn't stating that we're like those nations nor that we will commit the horrible human rights violations/genocides they perpetrated, however, it does show undeniable links to a process of 10 steps to close down and open society. Establishing a paramilitary force in order to be unaccountable to the citizens or their congress/senate is one of the steps. We are systematically, without doubt, going through those steps and this book frighteningly shows that in crystal clear detail.
Recommended reading (its a cheap and short book, everyone needs to know these things):
http://www.amazon.com/End-America-Letter-Warning-P ... - mikephimikephi, on 06/08/2008, -4/+19If Blackwater were a true mercenary outfit, they would be open to the highest bidder.
Meaning that if China offered twice as much as the U.S. is paying for a contract, then Blackwater would accept the money and willfully wage war against U.S. Soldiers.
However, this is not the case - meaning that Blackwater is not true-to-definition mercenary group. What they infact are, is a paramilitary organization established at the will of the U.S. government to operate above the law. - Sean42, on 06/08/2008, -3/+17Please explain to me what is wrong with using the United States Military instead of Eric Prince's overpriced goons to defend this country. Do we have to outsource every ***** thing that we do to friends of Dick Cheney to make an ass-load of money from. It is really great for troop moral to know that the private goons are getting paid 2X or 3X what you make in the Army, and Prince's goons have been responsible for some of the most horrific killings of Iraqi citizens, which just makes the Iraqi's hate
americans and makes it more dangerous for our troops. - oldhick, on 06/08/2008, -2/+15Why wouldn't you want our troops to be the ones taking risks and keeping people safe in war zones? Why privatize our military?
- mikephimikephi, on 06/08/2008, -0/+13Ronin
- jmignea2, on 06/08/2008, -3/+14I encourage everyone to read Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine. It goes into great detail about the privatization of "national defense" industries.
- jmignea2, on 06/08/2008, -0/+10They may be US-based but make no mistake, they are a business before all and will answer to the highest bidder. For now that just happens to be the United States...
- IIAmusedII, on 06/08/2008, -0/+9Is there actually any good reason for Blackwater even to exist?
- kd1s, on 06/08/2008, -0/+9I've read the book and agree, we're sliding downhill into a closed society.
Here's what bothers me most. Blackwater hides behind a corporate shield. But if you take a corporations view of things, they're a full and legitimate citizen.
So I say charge that citizen for the atrocities committed in the name of the United States. - KoolHow, on 06/08/2008, -0/+9The real sad part of this story is the selling of the U.S. Government. Our tax dollars increasing go to pay for private companies to do the work of government. And with all the lobbyists, special interests, ex and current government employees with stakes in economic interests vying for government monies, our government is being sold.
This is not free market. This is freedom to rampage. And as mentioned previously there are no real loyalties and allegiances other than to the $$$$. When the U.S. fails to be the profit haven that it now is, these companies (with their collected intelligence about the governments, people, businesses and technologies of the world) will go elsewhere with their money and knowledge.
Government working efficiently for the interests of the people, not corporate profits and opportunities is our path of hope for the future.
http://www.changing-history.com - gernblansted, on 06/08/2008, -0/+8Correct. And since these guys are profit (and power) oriented, we should ask ourselves what you get when you combine private paramilitary profiteers, unrestricted access to the Untied States, and tons of cocaine.
- ChristPissed, on 06/08/2008, -0/+8Where in the bible did jesus or any of the apostles have anything to do with running a christo-fascist dirtball mercenary corporation?
- BillE3, on 06/08/2008, -0/+8Have all of you forgotten about Executive Solutions Inc. ? Much larger group formed in Africa, around much longer, always hiring and contracting anywhere in the world. 1800 ESI troops were holding the warlords at bay in Darfur until the U.S. government said is was bad to use contract troops for peace keeping. Interesting dicotomy.
- totorototoro, on 06/08/2008, -0/+8this is not the case...yet. Maybe China just hasn't offered enough to them yet. Do you really think Blackwater is guided by US patriotism and national pride?
- iXam, on 06/08/2008, -3/+10Wonder when MPAA/RIAA will contact Blackwater for some shakedown in Sweden (The Pirate Bay) and Asia (counterfeitting).
- positron, on 06/08/2008, -0/+7Cause of death: Two gun shots to the base of the cranium. Clearly suicide.
- Witchboy, on 06/08/2008, -1/+8The abuses of the last few years go beyond partisanship. A mercenary army that is not accountable to the people is a horrible idea. Go read some history; look into what motivated the founding principles of the US Constitution; those concepts weren't chosen arbitrarily and they didn't fall out of the sky. They were based on personal experience. Unchecked power is not something you want in your country, but we've got it now: Key politicians are above the law and ignore efforts to bring them in line, secret jails, people held without a chance to offer counter evidence, a privatized paramilitary force that is legally exempt from consequence, et al.
- inactive, on 06/08/2008, -0/+7Although I'm sure its not official company policy I would not be surprised if human trafficking was part of that, too.
That is...helping traffic drugs _and_ humans - while getting paid to stop it. - Existenz87, on 06/08/2008, -0/+6Privatized armies like this are really scary. I think read somewhere that at a certain point war will become a conflict between corporations instead of nations.
- inactive, on 06/08/2008, -0/+6Blackwater just about ***** on every single soldier that ever served. It's a shame that many ex-soldiers end up as mercenaries cuz' the US government wants to pay them crap salaries for their service.
- Loxias, on 06/08/2008, -0/+6I'll just start a rationalist party.
- inactive, on 06/08/2008, -1/+7" American company that takes tremendous risks"
LOL you really think they will stop with just having offices in the US?
Were you using this same BS "reasoning" for Halliburton before they moved to Dubai? - ciaran036, on 06/08/2008, -0/+5Americans need to start taking actions to prevent this company from continuing business in this country.
- mcquitty, on 06/08/2008, -2/+7Most companies ban cameras and recording devices. Telephone, oil, financial, manufacturing, retail and software companies usually have a policy against recording devices. Then there's the government. So, to imply a relationship between policies of "no recording devices" to nefarious activities is simply wrong.
- JinnRikki, on 06/08/2008, -0/+5The problem is our military is now the training facility for these mercenaries. Spend a hitch in the Army, Marines or the Navy and advance to a high paid job in Black Ops. Be Afraid, Very Afraid!
- Infidelcastr0, on 06/08/2008, -1/+6I think there are still some corporatist Juntas around the world where your views would be welcome.
- BlacklabelSAR, on 06/08/2008, -0/+5What value would our lives have in a Police State anyway? So what's the loss?
- gothicform, on 06/08/2008, -0/+5"Prince quietly began building Total Intelligence Solutions, which boasts that it "brings CIA-style" services to the open market for Fortune 500 companies."
Great so private companies can now openly buy on the market such services as illegal bugging, harassment and murder. And the Blackwater blackshirts are not in jail why? - mcquitty, on 06/08/2008, -0/+5I will give you a sampling:
Target
Sears
JB Hunt
Intuit
Michaels Stores
AT&T
Verizon
Schlumberger
El Paso Gas
JP Morgan Chase
Bank of America
Thomson Financial
DST Systems
Google
Would you like more? - inactive, on 06/08/2008, -0/+4Kind of like a group of chinese revolutionaries called the Heaven and Earth Society. After the war was over, they turned into thugs and organized crime (now called the Triads) cuz' all they knew how to do was to kill and smuggle *****.
But yes, Ronin is the proper word for fallen samurai but they're not necessarily bad. - byronm, on 06/08/2008, -0/+4What does a larger corporation do when their only contract dissolves? If our next presiden puts an end to the iraq war and doesn't start a confrontation with Iran what will Blackwater do in the years of peace? Do you think a corporation earning as much as they do would sit idly by and burn cash holding onto a large mercenary force or do you think they would actively go out and look for buyers?
They're already entering the civil defense forces. They've been granted access where our very own national guard was refused access (new orleans) so what makes people so naive to the realities of this sh** stain of a company?
I know LOTS of military people are who VERY excited to work for blackwater and guess where blackwater is pushing its largest growth - in the private defense sector. Power plants, oil pipelines, private security/personal security. Tell me - why would you need a MILITARY to do that when we have civil defense and national guard (voluntary) forces? - numb, on 06/08/2008, -0/+4They should change it to something like "Ravenwood."
- RandoTheKing, on 06/08/2008, -1/+5Spy vs. Spy was such a fun game.
- Kyan, on 06/08/2008, -1/+5Alter ego, FWIW. I'd be careful, if I were you...
- Hangly, on 06/08/2008, -1/+5Nationalism doesn't mean Fascism. It means we need an American government that looks out for America and our constitution first, and not for Israel or Europe and not for the globalists.
It's a sad state of affairs when people equate nationalism with racism or Nazism. This is why we keep getting screwed. -
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