Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl? ... 20/1337226

nvestigative journalist Jeremy Scahill joins us to talk about his new book, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army." Scahill writes, "Blackwater is the elite Praetorian Guard for the 'global war on terror,' with its own military base, a fleet of twenty aircraft, and 20,000 private contractors at the ready. Run by a multimillionaire Christian conservative who bankrolls President Bush and his allies, its forces are capable of overthrowing governments." From Iraq to New Orleans, Blackwater has continued to pull in multi-million-dollar government contracts, mostly without accountability and in near-secrecy. [includes rush transcript]

Four years ago today, the US invasion of Iraq was in its opening hours. Hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries later, another date marked later this month has taken on nearly as much significance. March 31st, 2004. Four employees of the private U.S. security firm Blackwater USA are ambushed as they drive through the center of Fallujah. In images broadcast around the world, their burnt corpses are dragged through the streets. Two of them are strung up from a bridge. This is an excerpt of the PBS documentary, "Private Warriors", going back to that day. >---->

http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/ ... tart=17:36
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl? ... 20/1337226

Video - http://judicial-inc.biz/b..lackwater.video.htm

Massive security contractor faces growing protest in rural California town over 842-acre base

This is very disturbing!

SAN DIEGO -- Potrero, California boasts a broad swath of meadowland that currently houses derelict chicken coops.

Surrounded by the Cleveland National Forest, the property boasts a former chicken ranch and includes an environmentally sensitive, protected agricultural preserve southeast of San Diego.

But if private security contractor Blackwater USA gets its way, this 850-strong community will soon host an 824-acre military training base, replacing the erstwhile chicken ranch with fifteen firing ranges and an emergency vehicle operator’s course the length of ten football fields.

A RAW STORY investigation has already led to the dismissal of one lawyer connected to the project. The inquiry has also discovered that California congressman Duncan Hunter -- ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee -- is a client of the firm, Blackwater USA, a massive US security contractor in Iraq, and minutes of a planning meeting raise questions about whether Hunter was involved in lobbying for the project.

At a Feb. 8, 2007 planning meeting, Vice President for Blackwater West Brian Bonfiglio said Hunter was one of the firm's clients.

WELL WORTH THE LONG READ AT THE LINK!