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Blackwater (now Xi)
#41
Xe, Formerly Blackwater, Poses Biggest Threat to Pakistan's Nukes

Dr Shahid Qureshi

December 28, 2009


Is America out to hurt her trusted ally?
[Image: blackwater.jpg]
Main photo of Blackwater courtesy: opinion-maker.org

(LONDON) - Lawyers from the local bar associations protested outside the 'secret base' of US mercenaries (Xe/Blackwater) inside the 'Sehala’ Police Training College, a few miles from the Kahuta Nuclear Plant. Why did Pakistani media ignore the story?
[Image: 1261972369.jpg]Kahuta Nuke Plant
As the propaganda that Pakistani nukes are likely to fall into the hands of the Taliban continues in the American press, one wonders what might be the U.S. intent.
Seen in the light that American mercenaries have become overt operationally, it appears that the intent is to use them to 'lift’ the Pak Nukes using the threat from the Taliban as an excuse.
It is a most ridiculous statement that the Taliban are going to walk into Pakistani nuclear sites and take control. Are nuclear weapons toys that can be taken away from an errant kid?
It is common knowledge that different sections of the system are stored in different places; "how can Taliban take over all sites and put them together" was my response to a question by Adam Brooks, BBC’s Washington correspondent, in a live program on BBC World Service TV on 23rd December 2009.
[Image: 1261972786.jpg]Tehrik Taliban in Pakistan,
face covered, holding AK-47

Some analysts believe that Blackwater is a bigger threat to Pakistan’s nuclear sites than real Taliban. There are reports that (TTP) 'Tehrik Taliban Pakistan’ is co-sponsored by CIA-Raw-Mossad and perhaps some other interested parties.
In fact TTP is created to fight Taliban in Afghanistan and may be entrapments. The attacks on Pakistan's sensitive institutions are serving the purpose of the enemies of Pakistan including India.
The Al-Qaida threat is like a 'swine flu’ which can be used anywhere from Yemen, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and FATA depending on the aims, purpose and objectives of the Neoconic emerging policies in the concerned areas.
Al-Qaida is a trump card in the hands of the defence contractors and war profiteers, main benefactors of Global War on Terror and of 9/11 terrorism. Pakistan’s spy chief Lt. General Shuja Pasha reportedly gave proof of the CIA’s involvement into destabilising/terrorist activities in Pakistan.
According to some assessments U.S. mercenaries with support of 'locally recruited agents’ are behind the targeted killings of senior Pakistani military officers in the past few months.
ILIM TV - Blackwater / Xe in Pakistan - Full Version

In the current scenario it is irrelevant who gave permission, freedom of movement and a base in the Police Training College a few miles from the "Kahuta Nuclear Plant" to US private mercenaries (Blackwater/Xe) in Pakistan. The most important question is what Rehman Malik and Zardari are doing about it?
According to reports, four U.S. nationals, who were dressed in Taliban clothes, speaking Pashto, were arrested by the police approximately 1.5 miles from the Kahuta Nuclear Plant. They were carrying explosives and dozens of hand grenades in a 4x4 jeep with some kind of spying and jamming equipments.
When they were brought to the police station, people from Rehman Malik’s Interior Ministry and allegedly Salman Faruqui Zardari’s NRO partner and beneficiary got these criminals released without charge and handed over to the US embassy."
Lawyers from the local bar associations protested outside the secret base of US mercenaries (Xe/Blackwater) placed inside 'Sehala’ Police Training College. Even the head of the college, a senior DIG, was not allowed in the US facility.
That reminded me of the reported incident where military dictator General Ayub Khan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs - none other than Zulifkar Ali Bhutto, father in law of President Zardari, wanted to visit a U.S. Base in Peshawar.
His request was turned down by the base commander and he was turned away from the canteen. Soon after, a U.S. spy plane U2 was shot down in the Soviet air space and the pilot was taken into custody. Which obviously resulted in shutting down of the base as well as daily U2 flights.
[Image: 1261973213.jpg]General Ayub Khan

In the current scenario without making corruption a moral or political issue, Pakistan is facing two major internal threats from two individuals. Asif Zardari and Rehman Malik are two major threats to Pakistan’s security and sovereignty.
Rehman Malik is responsible for providing safe passages to Blackwater mercenaries via corrupt police officials day in day out. When there is overwhelming evidence that Blackwater/Xe are involved in terrorism and anti-state activities against Pakistan’s armed forces, nuclear program and assassination of Benazir Bhutto, according to former Army Chief General Aslam Baig (whom she awarded with a medal).
Rehman Malik should be tried in open court for aiding, abetting and procuring for all the incidents when foreign mercenaries, who were released on the orders of his interior ministry. In mid September 2009 a senior police officer Nasir Aftab was sacked by Rehman Malik because he arrested and apprehended armed Blackwater agents. The incident took place in Islamabad when Superintendent intercepted some officers of an intelligence agency and marines of a powerful country riding in a vehicle. He took them to the Margala police station where a brawl took place.
The SP later lodged an FIR against some officials of the intelligence agency. The Acting Chief of Islamabad Police DIG (Operations) Bin Yamin said, "reasons of officers' removal were not mentioned in the letter". So the responsibility comes down to Mr. Rehman Malik. He should be questioned. There is a dire need to identify 'local collaborators’ and 'enemies of the state’ in Pakistan.
[Image: 1261974006.jpg] According to a report filed by Fawad Ali of 'The Nation’ on 14th December 2009, "17 Top Pakistani officials are protecting US interests in (NWFP) province neighbouring Afghanistan. Seventeen officials serving in NWFP on various important posts are active members of the notorious American Khyber Club (AKC) that is believed to be a hotbed of conspiracies against Pakistan; highly placed sources informed The Nation. These officials are facilitating American diplomats, operatives of CIA and mercenaries of Blackwater in their activities stretched across the province and FATA. In reciprocation, the local officials get full support in getting lucrative postings, transfers and getting away with inquiries, etc, sources disclosed and added they are taken care of by Americans who have tons of money at their disposal."
"Those who stand out in serving US interests are posted on the posts of their own choice despite lapse of tenure, and this speaks of increasing American influence in our internal matters," an official said.
Their nominees get U.S. visas in no time and the children as well as siblings of some officials are getting free educations in prestigious institutions abroad.
"These days serving American interests is more fruitful for anyone than serving interests of Pakistan," an official who was made OSD for an unforgivable crime of non-cooperation with foreigners told The Nation.
The top 17 officials who have made American Khyber Club their second home include nine from the District Management Group (DMG), six officers representing the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP), while two are in the Office Management Group (OMG). The PSP officers who take pride in having personal relations with American operatives hail from Peshawar, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Waziristan and Kohat.
[Image: 1261974186.jpg]
They have been spotted roaming around with foreigners in their bulletproof cars and holding secret meetings with them in their offices, which is an open violation of rules and regulations, sources informed.
The DMG officials who are protecting U.S. interests in the region hail from Peshawar, Nowshehra, Swabi, Mardan and Charsadda. They also use the American Khyber Club as their unofficial secretariat.
The officials belonging to OMG and PSC Executive Group hail from Waziristan and Shabqadar. Orders have been repeatedly circulated that government officials can’t meet foreigners (Americans) without prior approval from the authorities concerned but no one seems to be interested in abiding by the rules.
On the other hand, those who are not in the good books of the American Consulate have been given insignificant posts or have simply been made Officers on Special (Spiritual) Duty (OSDs). The sources informed that Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency has reported the matter to the highest authorities in Islamabad.
While talking to the writer the above-mentioned senior journalist, Mr. Fawad Ali confirmed that he has "been threatened by the notorious Blackwater," which forced him to go public to save his life. It looks likes a failed attempt to recruit him? So what did Rehman Malik do as all the police service officers are accountable to his ministry?
Rehman Malik is toeing a "U.S. Plan of using minorities" which is becoming more and more visible - which Iranians clearly understand. The questions one should be asking Mr Malik are:
(a) Why majority of the people and companies hired by Xe/Blackwater are Shias?
(b) Why he always names Sunni sectarian groups/organisations minutes after the incidents.
© Is he settling scores for someone in the name of counter terrorism?
(d) Why he never mentioned Indian Raw after the attack on a Sri Lankan team in Lahore, when Punjab CID warned of India's plan long before the incident?
[Image: 1261974250.jpg]
On the one hand they are supporting Shia minority elements in private security agencies business, but on the other making majority Sunnis realize that less then 5% Shias of Pakistan are ruling the country from Presidency, State Bank, and media.
The so called Shia left pseudo intellectuals have jumped on the U.S. bandwagon everywhere, both Pakistan and Iran should be careful with them. The US strategy of creating sectarianism failed in Iraq and it was allegedly Blackwater and private mercenaries bombing both Sunnis and Shia mosques.
The Obama Administration must bring to justice those 'friendly spies’ arrested in the U.S., who were releasing information about U.S. troop movements in Iraq as IED's were planted on those routes.
A senior based in the region told me that sometimes these private mercenaries establish fake checkpoints, take people away for search, plant remote control bombs in their cars, tell them to collect their papers from the place where explosion is intended, when vehicles get there, devices are exploded.
These people did not know that they were carriers. Private mercenaries are terrorizing people with the help of the locals. The people who killed senior Pakistani military officers were allegedly re-trained by Xe/Blackwater.
It is a fact that soldiers and officers retire at a young age due to type of profession and need to join other professions. Exposure of these snakes in the grass, aiders and abettors of these foreign mercenaries is important.
Blackwater in Pakistan for "Targeted Killings"

According to a report, "The security company of Ikram Sehgal, MD of Pathfinder and Security Management Services (SMS) was brought into the spotlight for being security providers of American embassy, and the strength of 20,000 plus security guards employed in that organization armed with sophisticated weapons and armoured vehicles were discussed."
The cause of frustration is solely based on suspicious activities of foreign agencies and their agents in Pakistan with local backing. It is important to analyze what owners of these agencies are up and to and where they are going. For Example as reported in the media, Mr Ikram Sehgal’s statement, "No harm in recognizing Israel", is not only treacherous but against the state of Pakistan. Mr Ikram Sehgal, chief editor of the Defence Journal, said on Saturday that there would be no harm in Pakistan’s recognition of Israel if Tel Aviv could be pursued to refrain from a pro-Indian policy.
In a lecture at the Department of International Relations at Karachi University, he said if Jordan and Egypt could recognize Israel, why not Pakistan? He does not understand the legality of the issue and historical stands of the father of the nation on the issue. Should this man be allowed to continue run his 'private army’ which could be converted into Israeli army at any time? A few years back Brinks USA was also among those who jumped into the local security business, but a major cause of panic is the recent recovery of weapons during a raid on the residence of Capt. Zaidi of InterRisk security agency and the discovery of illegal prohibited weapons. It was recently reported that an international company SkyPlan is delivering NATO supplies via Sialkot airport. Why has this matter not been fully investigated as to who is behind these activities?
Did Pakistan Armed Forces train Black water/Xe’s local recruits to work against the national interests of the state? As far as Zardari and Rehman Malik are concerned, they have converted Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party into (PPPP) Pimping, Pleasuring and Profiteering Party.
Source: opinion-maker.org
============================================
(Dr Shahid Qureshi is an award winning journalist and writer on foreign policy & security based in London)


[size=12] :: Article nr. 61555 sent on 29-dec-2009 03:57 ECT
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Link: www.salem-news.com/articles/december272009/blkwtr_pak.php
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"The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it." Karl Marx

"He would, wouldn't he?" Mandy Rice-Davies. When asked in court whether she knew that Lord Astor had denied having sex with her.

“I think it would be a good idea” Ghandi, when asked about Western Civilisation.
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#42
[size=12]News Updates from Citizens For Legitimate Government[/SIZE]
31 Dec 2009
All links are here:
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Mufti Usmani holds Blackwater responsible for blast
31 Dec 2009 Contrary to the claim and media reports by the media about Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan taking responsibility of the Ashura bomb blast, Mufti Mohammed Rafi Usmani held US agency Blackwater responsible for the gory incident that claimed more than 40 lives. Addressing a news conference along with Muhammed Taqi, Mufti Muhammed Naeem, Maulana Tanver-ul-Haq and others on Wednesday, Mufti Usmani said that Blackwater was involved in the killing of innocent people in the Muharram procession. He said that soon after the blast, shops in the city’s economic hub were set ablaze which proved that the attack was "pre-planned and organized". Mufti Usmani said that the incident was a conspiracy against Islam and the government totally failed to control the situation, as it was the responsibility of the government to provide security to the citizens and to protect the property... He alleged that Blackwater was hiring youths in Peshawar to carry out attacks and suicide bombings.

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[size=12]Allegation: Blackwater hiring youths in Peshawar to carry out attacks and suicide bombings --Just as the CLG has asserted from the get-go. Wait until Blackwater gets hold of one of Pakistan's nukes, detonates it, blames 'al-Qaeda' and plunges the US into WWIII. I am thinking the lucrative contract for Xe to 'clean up' in the aftermath of the nuclear explosion has already been drafted. Blackwater needs to be eliminated before they become as big as Goldman Sachs and Citi - 'too big' to destroy. --Lori Price


[size=12][size=12][size=12][size=12]The Pre-Ball-Dropping-New Year's Eve Bad News Dump begins: Judge Dismisses Charges in Blackwater Shooting 31 Dec 2009 3:49 P.M. ET A federal judge dismissed all charges against five Blackwater Worldwide security guards charged in a deadly Baghdad shooting. U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina said Thursday that the Justice Department overstepped its bounds and wrongly used evidence it wasn't allowed to see. He said the government's explanations have been contradictory, unbelievable and not credible. Blackwater contractors were hired to guard State Department diplomats in Iraq. Prosecutors say the guards fired on unarmed civilians in a busy intersection in 2007, killing innocent people.[/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE]
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"Where is the intersection between the world's deep hunger and your deep gladness?"
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#43
...followed by more bad news in the Judge's 'decision'....

Blackwater was cleared of guilt for the alleged unprovoked 2007 shootout which killed 17 Iraqis... for use of improper evidence in the case.

A US federal judge has dismissed all charges against five guards from US security firm Blackwater over the killing of 17 Iraqis in 2007.

As well as the 14 counts of manslaughter, they had faced 20 counts of attempted manslaughter and one count of using a machine gun to commit a crime of violence, a charge that carries a 30-year minimum sentence.

:thefinger:
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
Reply
#44
My emphasis in bold.

Quote:US court dismisses charges against Blackwater security guardsUS justice department 'disappointed' by decision to throw out charges against five guards accused of killing up to 17 Iraqis

Ewen MacAskill in Washington guardian.co.uk,
Thursday 31 December 2009 23.24 GMT Article history

A judge in America threw out charges against members of the Blackwater security company yesterday who were accused of killing Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in one of the most notorious incidents since the 2003 invasion.

The ruling will be met with anger in Iraq, where feelings ran high at the time. Fourteen to 17 people were killed in the incident. The Iraqi government had wanted the trial held in Iraq.

Blackwater, now renamed Xe, was notorious in Iraq, where its guards gained a reputation for aggression.

The security guards opened fire while escorting a four-truck convoy of US diplomats through the Iraqi capital on 16 September 2007. At the time Blackwater denied any crime had been committed, saying its staff were operating under official US rules of engagement.

US district judge Ricardo Urbina ruled in favour of the Blackwater men yesterday, saying prosecutors wrongly used against them statements they had given under duress. He said the government's case was built largely on "statements compelled under a threat of job loss in a subsequent criminal prosecution," a violation of their constitutional rights. The state department, which employed Blackwater, had ordered the men to explain what had happened.

Another factor, the judge said, was that the statements had been given under a promise by investigators that they would not be used against them in a criminal case and were only for an internal inquiry.

In a 90-page ruling, Urbina said: "The explanations offered by prosecutors and investigators in an attempt to justify their actions and persuade the court that they did not use the defendants' compelled testimony were all too often contradictory, unbelievable and lacking in credibility."

The US justice department said it was disappointed by the decision.

The use of private security companies such as Blackwater in war zones is not a new phenomenon, but what made it controversial was the sheer number and extent to which the US administration made use of them.

There have been a steady flow of revelations about the extent to which the US military and the CIA involved Blackwater in operations.

Urbina did not say whether he regarded the shooting as illegal, focusing instead on whether the statements of the security guards could be used as evidence.

He said the prosecutors did not stand by the immunity deal that the men reached with investigators, in which their statements could not be used against them. The five guards had faced manslaughter and weapons charges. The charges carried mandatory 30-year prison terms. It is unclear what the ruling means for a sixth Blackwater guard, Jeremy Ridgeway, who turned on his former colleagues and pleaded guilty to killing one Iraqi and wounding another.

The trial had been due to begin on 29 January 29 this year. The five – Paul Slough, Nicholas Slatten, Evan Liberty, Dustin Heard and Donald Ball – had pleaded not guilty. It had been planned that witnesses would travel from Iraq to give evidence. Mark Hulwater, a defence lawyer respresenting Slough, told the Washington Post: "We are very gratified by the judge's thoughtful and reasoned opinion and we are very happy that Mr Slough can start the New Year without this cloud hanging over his head."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec...er-charges

Hmmm. Howzabout testimony obtained as a result of torture, such as water boarding? Will Yanqui judges rule that inadmissible?

I note, in weary passing, that the "duress" here was "loss of employment", not physical threat to health or life.
"It means this War was never political at all, the politics was all theatre, all just to keep the people distracted...."
"Proverbs for Paranoids 4: You hide, They seek."
"They are in Love. Fuck the War."

Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon

"Ccollanan Pachacamac ricuy auccacunac yahuarniy hichascancuta."
The last words of the last Inka, Tupac Amaru, led to the gallows by men of god & dogs of war
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#45
Jan Klimkowski Wrote:My emphasis in bold.

Quote:US court dismisses charges against Blackwater security guardsUS justice department 'disappointed' by decision to throw out charges against five guards accused of killing up to 17 Iraqis

Ewen MacAskill in Washington guardian.co.uk,
Thursday 31 December 2009 23.24 GMT Article history

A judge in America threw out charges against members of the Blackwater security company yesterday who were accused of killing Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in one of the most notorious incidents since the 2003 invasion.

The ruling will be met with anger in Iraq, where feelings ran high at the time. Fourteen to 17 people were killed in the incident. The Iraqi government had wanted the trial held in Iraq.

Blackwater, now renamed Xe, was notorious in Iraq, where its guards gained a reputation for aggression.

The security guards opened fire while escorting a four-truck convoy of US diplomats through the Iraqi capital on 16 September 2007. At the time Blackwater denied any crime had been committed, saying its staff were operating under official US rules of engagement.

US district judge Ricardo Urbina ruled in favour of the Blackwater men yesterday, saying prosecutors wrongly used against them statements they had given under duress. He said the government's case was built largely on "statements compelled under a threat of job loss in a subsequent criminal prosecution," a violation of their constitutional rights. The state department, which employed Blackwater, had ordered the men to explain what had happened.

Another factor, the judge said, was that the statements had been given under a promise by investigators that they would not be used against them in a criminal case and were only for an internal inquiry.

In a 90-page ruling, Urbina said: "The explanations offered by prosecutors and investigators in an attempt to justify their actions and persuade the court that they did not use the defendants' compelled testimony were all too often contradictory, unbelievable and lacking in credibility."

The US justice department said it was disappointed by the decision.

The use of private security companies such as Blackwater in war zones is not a new phenomenon, but what made it controversial was the sheer number and extent to which the US administration made use of them.

There have been a steady flow of revelations about the extent to which the US military and the CIA involved Blackwater in operations.

Urbina did not say whether he regarded the shooting as illegal, focusing instead on whether the statements of the security guards could be used as evidence.

He said the prosecutors did not stand by the immunity deal that the men reached with investigators, in which their statements could not be used against them. The five guards had faced manslaughter and weapons charges. The charges carried mandatory 30-year prison terms. It is unclear what the ruling means for a sixth Blackwater guard, Jeremy Ridgeway, who turned on his former colleagues and pleaded guilty to killing one Iraqi and wounding another.

The trial had been due to begin on 29 January 29 this year. The five – Paul Slough, Nicholas Slatten, Evan Liberty, Dustin Heard and Donald Ball – had pleaded not guilty. It had been planned that witnesses would travel from Iraq to give evidence. Mark Hulwater, a defence lawyer respresenting Slough, told the Washington Post: "We are very gratified by the judge's thoughtful and reasoned opinion and we are very happy that Mr Slough can start the New Year without this cloud hanging over his head."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec...er-charges

Hmmm. Howzabout testimony obtained as a result of torture, such as water boarding? Will Yanqui judges rule that inadmissible?

I note, in weary passing, that the "duress" here was "loss of employment", not physical threat to health or life.

I doubt it. Logic, evenhandedness, and jurisprudence is not their strong suit. :marchmellow: This decision [you have to hear the voice tone of the Judge to believe his fascist mentality] is obscenity cubed - maybe to the fourth power.
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
Reply
#46
Peter Lemkin Wrote:...followed by more bad news in the Judge's 'decision'....

Blackwater was cleared of guilt for the alleged unprovoked 2007 shootout which killed 17 Iraqis... for use of improper evidence in the case.

A US federal judge has dismissed all charges against five guards from US security firm Blackwater over the killing of 17 Iraqis in 2007.

As well as the 14 counts of manslaughter, they had faced 20 counts of attempted manslaughter and one count of using a machine gun to commit a crime of violence, a charge that carries a 30-year minimum sentence.

:thefinger:

Yup. For virtually the first news of the new year, how's that for symbolism? And continuity?

Yet another episode that's shocking but unsurprising.

Life is cheap. Oil is costly.
Reply
#47
Myra Bronstein Wrote:
Peter Lemkin Wrote:...followed by more bad news in the Judge's 'decision'....

Blackwater was cleared of guilt for the alleged unprovoked 2007 shootout which killed 17 Iraqis... for use of improper evidence in the case.

A US federal judge has dismissed all charges against five guards from US security firm Blackwater over the killing of 17 Iraqis in 2007.

As well as the 14 counts of manslaughter, they had faced 20 counts of attempted manslaughter and one count of using a machine gun to commit a crime of violence, a charge that carries a 30-year minimum sentence.

:thefinger:

Yup. For virtually the first news of the new year, how's that for symbolism? And continuity?

Yet another episode that's shocking but unsurprising.

Life is cheap. Oil is costly.

......and O'bomb-em lied and lied and lied....and I can't believe the Average supporter is still 'waiting' for him to deliver. He is delivering - a kinder and gentler and much more articulate and educated SAME DEAL as we had before!
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
Reply
#48
Peter Lemkin Wrote:
Myra Bronstein Wrote:
Peter Lemkin Wrote:...followed by more bad news in the Judge's 'decision'....

Blackwater was cleared of guilt for the alleged unprovoked 2007 shootout which killed 17 Iraqis... for use of improper evidence in the case.

A US federal judge has dismissed all charges against five guards from US security firm Blackwater over the killing of 17 Iraqis in 2007.

As well as the 14 counts of manslaughter, they had faced 20 counts of attempted manslaughter and one count of using a machine gun to commit a crime of violence, a charge that carries a 30-year minimum sentence.

:thefinger:

Yup. For virtually the first news of the new year, how's that for symbolism? And continuity?

Yet another episode that's shocking but unsurprising.

Life is cheap. Oil is costly.

......and O'bomb-em lied and lied and lied....and I can't believe the Average supporter is still 'waiting' for him to deliver. He is delivering - a kinder and gentler and much more articulate and educated SAME DEAL as we had before!

Yep. Can anyone name one policy difference between the Bush and Obama administration? Implemented policy, not vapid rhetoric or promises.
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#49
"I'm sorry, Your Honor, for throwing up on the bailiff. I was just trying to clear the water out of my bronchial tree."
"Where is the intersection between the world's deep hunger and your deep gladness?"
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#50
Nothing particularly new here for a PMC - double billing on costs-plus contracts has always been the norm - but charging the US taxpayer for strippers and prostitutes is a nice touch.

Particularly since Erik Prince, during his faux public meltdown, allowed certain details of Blackwater/Xe/Manchurian Global's holy Christian mission, um Crusade, into the public domain.

From Murdering for Jesus to Fucking for Jesus.

All in a day's taxpayer-funded junket for the mercenary thugs of Blackwater.

Quote:Ex-Workers Accuse Blackwater Security Company of Defrauding the U.S. for Years

WASHINGTON — Two former employees of Blackwater Worldwide have accused the private security company of defrauding the government for years by filing bogus receipts, double billing for the same services and charging government agencies for strippers and prostitutes, according to court documents unsealed this week.

In a December 2008 lawsuit, the former employees said top Blackwater officials had engaged in a pattern of deception as they carried out government contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The lawsuit, filed under the False Claims Act, also asserts that Blackwater officials turned a blind eye to “excessive and unjustified” force against Iraqi civilians by several Blackwater guards.

Blackwater has earned billions of dollars from government agencies in the years since the Sept. 11 attacks, when the company won contracts to protect American diplomats in Iraq and Afghanistan. The former employees who filed the lawsuit, a married couple named Brad and Melan Davis, said there was little financial oversight of the money.

Last year, an audit by the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction and the State Department’s inspector general found that the State Department had overpaid Blackwater $55 million because the company had failed to adequately staff its teams assigned to protect American diplomats in Iraq.

The documents detailing the Davises’ accusations were unsealed after the Justice Department declined to join in the case against Blackwater, which last year changed its name to Xe Services. A Xe spokeswoman did not return a message seeking comment about the case.

In an interview on Wednesday, Ms. Davis said that she and her husband had decided to proceed with the case because “it’s the right thing to do,” and that it was time for “the truth from inside the company” to be made public. If the government is able to recover money from Blackwater as a result of the lawsuit, the Davises could claim a percentage as whistleblowers.

Mr. Davis, a former Marine, performed a number of jobs for the company, including working as a private security guard in Iraq.

Ms. Davis was fired from the company, and she is challenging the legality of her dismissal. Mr. Davis voluntarily resigned from the company.

According to the lawsuit, Ms. Davis raised concerns about the company’s bookkeeping with her bosses in March 2006, when she was handling accounts for the company’s contracts with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. The lawsuit claims she was told to “back off,” and that she “would never win a medal for saving the government money.”

Ms. Davis also asserts that a Filipino prostitute in Afghanistan was put on the Blackwater payroll under the “Morale Welfare Recreation” category, and that the company had billed the prostitute’s plane tickets and monthly salary to the government.

She also said Blackwater management used a subsidiary company, Greystone Ltd., to double bill the government for plane tickets between the United States and Amman, Jordan, which served as a transit point for the company’s employees in Iraq.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/us/11suit.html
"It means this War was never political at all, the politics was all theatre, all just to keep the people distracted...."
"Proverbs for Paranoids 4: You hide, They seek."
"They are in Love. Fuck the War."

Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon

"Ccollanan Pachacamac ricuy auccacunac yahuarniy hichascancuta."
The last words of the last Inka, Tupac Amaru, led to the gallows by men of god & dogs of war
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