Privatize Me...Corporatize Me.... Blackwaterize Me...

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Thu, 15 Dec 2005 19:12:29 -0800 (PST)

Privatize Me...Corporatize Me.... Blackwaterize Me...

 

 

 

 

civillibertarian.blogspot.com/2005/12/privatize-mecorporatize-me.html

 

 

 

December 15, 2005

 

Privatize Me...Corporatize Me.... Blackwaterize Me...

Jason Miller, Thomas Paine's Corner

 

 

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 or comments on his blog, Thomas Paine's

Corner, at http://civillibertarian.blogspot.com/.