Barack Obama is not trying to set up government death panels as the idiot Palin has told us, but he sure as hell is continuing to employ Blackwater Death Squads. I believe this to be the most dangerous, if not the most sinister development in American history. Comparisons between the state of our union and the collapsing Roman Empire are a dime a dozen, but when mercenaries begin to outnumber regular military, it becomes a threat and when the mercenaries have an objective which includes an evangelist theocracy, when they openly indulge in orgies, child prostitution, murder, destruction of evidence, illegal arms dealing, money laundering, tax evasion and armed mayhem with impunity while arrogantly refusing to allow congress to examine their books -- the threat demands that overused Roman comparison.
Such use of mercenary troops, immune from Congressional oversight and legal obligation, may or may not be unconstitutional, but it is, in my opinion, unconscionable.
The contract with Blackwater and its subsidiaries was set to expire in May, however the Obama administration has now decided to temporarily extend it through September, according to The Nation. Barack Obama needs to end this danger immediately. If we cannot raise sufficient troops to maintain our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, we need to get out now, because the presence of heavily armed, privately owned military forces loyal to who knows whom in the United States may be the biggest threat to national survival since the Civil War.
"“Sources say the department has agreed to temporarily continue using the subsidiary known as Presidential Airways to provide helicopter transport for embassy employees around Iraq until a new contract with another security company, Dyncorp International, is fully implemented"
ReplyDeletePerhaps this story speaks less of a broken campaign promise by Obama and more about the sorry state of our armed forces. For years, we have known our military forces are stretched thin (almost to the breaking point by some accounts). One implication: It is not easy to simply say to Blackwater, "You're fired," without causing major havoc to an already overburdened military. The Raw Story article makes clear that this contract extension is merely temporary, that a new company, Dyncorp, will take over.
Hopefully, the Blackwater thugs will be investigated and prosecuted in due course and serve time for their crimes. What I am suggesting: Maybe Obama's hands were tied by another artifact of the Bush legacy, and this whole episode will be put behind us once the transition is complete.
I agree that he can only do what he can do, but he can distance himself publicly and loudly. I think he needs to because I think we're going to hear an outcry when some more of the obscene details become public. Blackwater has committed war crimes to rival in ugliness the Empire of Japan. You know who are going to try to make this Obama's war.
ReplyDeleteEven if they are no longer employed by the government, the existence of a far-right army controlled by amoral extremists and of a size to rival the armies of many larger nations is a significant danger to this country.
Here's what we're fighting when you bring up this abomination Captain. The deluded morons that cheer on the abuse committed by rogues employed by Blackwater. These nuts cheer on torture. They cheer on warrentless wiretapping. They view the deaths of thousands of innocent women and children as mere collateral damage.
ReplyDeleteThe right have become experts at villifying people regardless of innocence or outlook.
There are instances that bad things happen attributable to the horrors of war. The psychopathic creeps that commit despicable acts try to cover themselves in that blanket. Idiots choose to believe them.
Captain:
ReplyDeleteBlackwater is a criminal empire. Ditto.
Has committed war crimes. Ditto.
Blackwater needs to be dismantled. Ditto
Indictments and prosecutions. Absolutely.
How can Obama distance himself publicly while extending a contract out of expediency? Not really possible until Blackwater is gone.
For the moment, I give Obama the benefit of the doubt. After all, we did elect him. Undoing the damage of the last 8 years is an enormous task, notwithstanding the contradictions and criminal wreckage with which he must deal. We owe it to ourselves to be patient and hold our fire until we have more evidence. Too early to tell whether or not he betrayed our trust.
The last thing I want to do is to blame Obama for not busting Blackwater on Jan 20. It's his enemies that are saying he's betrayed our messianic faith in him.
ReplyDeleteThey're going to blame Blackwater on him the way they've blamed the recession on him and the previous recession on Clinton.
These are more than just drivers and helicopter jockies -- we have more Blackwaters in Afghanistan than real troops - something like 45,000 of them.
What I want to hear from him is that he's shocked by the accusations and is working to get rid of them ASAP and that the guilty will be punished.
Iraq wants to hear that too after years of these monsters prostituting their children, shooting people for sport and all under legal immunity.
"What I want to hear from him is that he's shocked by the accusations and is working to get rid of them ASAP and that the guilty will be punished."
ReplyDeleteWhen the last of the drivers and helicopter pilots have received their pink slips, that is when Obama, or preferably Attorney General Holder, can pounce. "Playing it close to the vest," as they say, is the only practical recourse until the day arrives when you don't need them anymore.
You may have seen on the news the latest contractor scandal -- this time the culprit is an organization named "ArmorGroup North America, Inc" or AGNA. They were hired to provide security at the U.S. embassy in Kabul Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteAccording to "The Project On Goverment Oversight" (POGO), "When they weren't on duty, some guards - and even supervisors - turned to lewd hazing rituals. Some of these antics occurred in the immediate vicinity of the supervisor's quarters on Camp Sullivan..."
The lewd behavior included, as Rachel Maddow put it, drinking vodka out of [another dude's] "slot B". The story was complete with nude pictures (with black bars, of course).
Apparently, even though AGNA has received repeated warnings, their contract was recently renewed.
Get the full story here.
w-dervish, I saw that story too. There is an irony here. The lunatic rightwing keeps insisting government can't do anything right, although our foreign and military services seem to conduct themselves with more integrity than these private contractors. We experience quite the opposite of contemporary RW rhetoric: It seems the private sector is corrupt as hell, forcing government to step in and clean up the mess.
ReplyDeleteThis is all so disturbing. Quite frankly, Iraq should hold us criminally liable - but how convenient, once again, that this country has never signed onto the international war-crimes treaty - unless I missed something.
ReplyDeleteWe forced Iraq to accept immunity for these barbarians who make Tamarlane look like a saint. We will never outlive the shame and we will never regain the ability to tell anyone anything about right and wrong.
ReplyDelete