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Privatize Me...Corporatize
Me.... Blackwaterize Me...
by Jason Miller
12/15/05 "ICH'"--
-- Thomas Paine saw the United States as an "asylum for mankind."
Sadly, under the political and social dominance of the Social
Darwinists, America has become more of an "asylum for the insane".
Torture, state-sponsored terrorism, illegal wars, flagrant disregard
for international law, tax decreases for the wealthy, funding cuts
for social safety net programs, government endorsed racism, and
diasporas in the aftermath of natural disasters are but a few
examples of the handiwork of the wealthy elite as they create a
gross perversion of Paine's vision of the US. Not to worry though.
America’s patrician class now has its own private armies to protect
its gold from the proletariat they so graciously tolerate.
Recently, a company called Blackwater Lodge and Training Center,
Inc. ("Blackwater") unleashed some attorneys on me for an editorial
I published on Thomas Paine's Corner (my blog). The
article was by another writer and I had published it under Fair Use
since my blog generates no revenue. Blackwater's legal
representatives threatened me with a libel suit and demanded that I
depublish the article because it contained factual inaccuracies.
After some research I agreed with them and removed the article from
Thomas Paine's Corner. However, in the course of my
research, I made some startling discoveries about the corporate
mercenaries of Blackwater and their disturbing relationship with the
US government, which clearly illustrates the threat America’s
parasitic aristocracy poses to the poor, working and middle class of
the world.
Martial law? Here?
As some have written and conjectured, the Posse Comitatus Act
(passed by Congress during Reconstruction to prevent the government
from using the military to enforce civilian law) is in serious
jeopardy of going the way of the dinosaurs. Signs of ill portent for
the Act are its statutory rather than Constitutional nature (leaving
it much more vulnerable to legislative changes), the federal
government's use of the military to fight the "War on Drugs" along
America's borders, the precedent set by the deployment of
Blackwater's military proxies in New Orleans, and the Bush Regime's
repeated statement of its intention to rely heavily upon the
military in times of domestic crisis (i.e. during future hurricanes,
a potential outbreak of Avian Flu). Unfortunately, Posse Comitatus
affords the American public about as much protection from martial
law (at the whim of our deranged president) as the levees provided
New Orleans from the ravages of Katrina.
Tell me sweet little lies
In a time that is roughly comparable to that of the Gilded
Age, corporations and the wealthy elite in the United States revel
in their virtually unparalleled power and wealth. Labor unions,
whose membership peaked at 35% of the hourly wage force in the
1950's, now comprise less than 10% of the US work force. The wealth
gap continues to widen to devastating proportions as the middle
class slowly disappears. Statistically, unemployment is relatively
low, but many of those who are working are under-employed or working
multiple jobs just to make ends meet. As the wealthy elite continue
to tighten the screws by raising regressive taxes and lowering
progressive taxes, lowering wages and benefits for the working
class, off-shoring jobs, and cutting social programs, the threat of
riots and social unrest becomes real. Hence the Bush Regime's moves
to lay the foundation for declaring martial law and the rising
fortunes of companies providing private military forces, like
Blackwater.
Blackwater provides an interesting solution to the Bush Regime’s
dilemma in satiating its desire to employ martial law covertly.
Despite their Social Darwinism, America’s leaders prefer to maintain
the illusion of "democracy and freedom" to keep the masses pacified.
Just as they did in New Orleans, the federal government can now
utilize the paramilitary employees of a company such as Blackwater
to replace the overt presence of the US military. Rumsfeld, Chertoff,
and company demonstrated that they can deploy a domestic military
presence “under the radar”, enabling them to side-step potential
public backlash and legal challenges.
Their reach is global and they are not your average
"civilians"
Here is what Blackwater has to say about itself on its Website at
http://www.blackwaterusa.com/:
We have established a global presence and provide
training and operational solutions for the 21st century in support
of security and peace, and freedom and democracy everywhere.
Blackwater's global presence includes Iraq, where the murder of four
of their employees triggered the US military's vengeful attack on
Fallujah in which it committed heinous war crimes and atrocities
against hundreds of Iraqi civilians. Why the four Blackwater
contractors were near Fallujah the day of their deaths remains
unclear. The mainstream media, Blackwater and the US government
claim that they were on security detail protecting a food delivery.
However, some suggest that the claims of protecting a food caravan
were a ruse to cover the fact that Blackwater employees were
completing a military operation. While the facts remain unclear, it
is certain that the mainstream media's portrayal of the Blackwater
victims as "civilian contractors" was significantly inaccurate.
According to the Revolutionary Worker (http://rwor.org/a/1236/blackwater.htm):
Soon after the four U.S. "civilian contractors" died in
Fallujah, it became obvious they weren't "civilians" at all. All
four were trained commandos--at least three had years of experience
in elite U.S. military units. They were working for the private
mercenary army called "Blackwater USA." All were heavily armed. One
carried a Department of Defense ID card.
Revolutionary Worker also indicated:
Increasingly, however, the main work of Blackwater has
been deploying its own mercenary army-- recruited from elite U.S.
military forces (especially from Navy SEALS and Marine Recon), SWAT
police forces, and international "soldiers of fortune." In February
it started training former Chilean commandos--some of whom served
under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet--for use in Iraq.
In August 2003, Blackwater was awarded a $21 million
contract to supply security guards and two helicopters for Paul
Bremer III, head of the U.S. occupation in Iraq. Other Blackwater
operations in Iraq are merely described as full protective teams
"for any threat scenario."
In light of the International Convention Against the Recruitment,
Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries of 1989, the US military
and Blackwater are careful to frame Blackwater's mission in Iraq as
security-related, but many of their employees are former military
special ops, often heavily armed and working in dangerous combat
areas. One would be foolish to believe that they would not become
embroiled in combat, and once they do, the question becomes, “under
the Geneva Convention, are they considered to be civilians or
soldiers?” One particular danger to Iraqi civilians is that
Blackwater "security" personnel are not subject to the Uniform Code
of Military Justice, so if they do commit a crime, there is very
little accountability. In the past, US mercenaries committing
serious crimes while on assignment in foreign nations simply lost
their jobs as punishment. US military and civilian courts lacked the
jurisdiction, will, or capacity to prosecute them. In 2000, the US
Congress passed the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act to
provide a means for punishing civilian (and perhaps mercenary)
personnel assigned to the military for committing crimes in foreign
nations. Unfortunately, this law has yet to make much impact.
Business as usual: rewards for the elites and risks for the
rest of us
Blackwater offers several advantages to the Bush Regime in its
imperialist endeavors. The military can lower "body counts" by
employing more private contractors and fewer military personnel.
Forces provided by Blackwater are less subject to Congressional
oversight and public scrutiny than the conventional military. The
availability of "guns for hire" negates the need for a highly
unpopular draft and helps fill in gaps left by military recruitment
shortages. As far back as May of 2004, the number of employees
deployed to Iraq by private security firms, including Blackwater,
was 20,000.
20,000 is a very significant number. The US government is relying
heavily on private corporations like Blackwater, which demonstrates
the Bush Regime's fetish with privatization (to benefit the wealthy
and corporations) even extends to military operations. Unfortunately
for the American people, as is true with most privatization schemes,
the cost is high to the poor and working class. A typical Blackwater
contract soldier reportedly makes six figures per year. Risking
their lives side by side with people making five times their salary
is tough on the morale of US troops. The lure of higher salaries
naturally leads to a drain of talent from the US military,
particularly in special ops. While the US needs to end its imperial
conquest in Iraq and scale its military down significantly, we still
need a standing army (which is accountable to the representatives of
the people) of qualified, well-equipped individuals to provide for
the national defense. Bypassing oversight by Congress by employing
private warriors, the Bush Regime is increasing its opportunities to
violate the Geneva Conventions and the US Constitution it so
loathes. At the same time, it exposes the American people to the
dangers of the fickle loyalties of avaricious corporations and their
employees.
Since it began its involvement in the Bush Regime's "War on Terror”,
Blackwater has been the defendant in at least two lawsuits. Family
members of the four Blackwater employees killed in Fallujah are
pursuing legal action against Blackwater for failure to properly
equip its employees. Blackwater and its aviation subsidiary also
face litigation stemming from the deaths of three US soldiers killed
in a plane crash in Afghanistan.
Read the following written by Kristin Collins at
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=12400 and draw your own
conclusions about our “friends” at Blackwater:
According to the suit, the plane lacked even the most
basic safety equipment. It had no global positioning system or
radar. Its crew did not wear oxygen masks. And its two pilots, who
had been in Afghanistan only two weeks and had never flown the route
before, failed to take the basic step of filing a flight plan,
leading to a delay in finding the wreckage.
That delay could have been fatal for Miller, who
apparently survived the crash. When his body was found, it was clear
he had gotten out of the wreckage, smoked a cigarette, pulled out a
sleeping bag and tried to find shelter, said Robert Spohrer, a
Florida lawyer who is representing the families.
"These contractors are certainly in a position to make a
lot of money from the government," said Jeanette McMahon, whose
husband, Michael, died in the crash. "But they have to take their
jobs as seriously as the military."
Blackwater officials said Monday they had nothing to do
with the doomed flight.
The company's lawyer, Jonathan Stern of Washington, said
in a statement that the government contracted with Presidential
Airways of Florida, not Blackwater, to transport troops and cargo in
and around Afghanistan.
But the company's Web site says Presidential Airways is
part of Blackwater's aviation services.
As you contemplate Blackwater and its
relationship with the US government, consider the inherent danger
and ethical conflicts involved in using public funds to engage a
private corporation (which exists to generate profit) to supplement
(or perhaps to supplant) the military in its role to "provide
for the common defence". Alarming issues leap to mind like
a panther springing upon its prey.
More frightening still, the Social Darwinists sitting atop the food
chain in the wealthiest, most powerful nation in humanity’s history
now have access to their own paramilitary force. They can unleash
their private army on the "unfittest" when the need arises, whether
it be within America's borders or otherwise. New Orleans is a prime
example. 150 highly trained Blackwater quasi-military professionals
openly armed with assault weapons descended on a tragedy-stricken
city. As hurricane victims taking necessities were called "looters"
and shoot to kill orders were in effect, those who value property
over people saw to it that their interests were well-protected.
Thankfully, Blackwater was there to protect the patrician class from
the "savages" from the Lower Ninth Ward who had the audacity to
attempt survival.
Blackwater is one of many symptoms of a very sick America. Thomas
Paine would feel deeply ashamed of what has become of the nation he
helped forge with his powerful writing.
Jason Miller is a 38 year old activist writer with a degree in
liberal arts. He works as a loan counselor in the transportation
industry, and is a husband with three sons. His affiliations include
Amnesty International and the ACLU. He welcomes responses at
willpowerful@hotmail.com or comments on his blog,
Thomas Paine's Corner, at
http://civillibertarian.blogspot.com/.
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