Blackwater: A Brief History Of Slime
When I initially started to do research on this post, I had intended to focus primarily on the use of private contractors in war zones in general. But, the more I read about Blackwater USA, the more troubled I became. What follows here is a condensed version of what I've come across. I say "condensed", because, quite literally, something new would come out about Blackwater every day. These are some of the things that I find interesting, and some things that I had never heard about at all. I didn't focus on the war crimes they have allegedly committed, as that would have been several posts in itself...
Blackwater USA's founder, Erik Prince, was born June 6, 1969 in Holland, Michigan. His father, Edgar D. Prince, was the founder of the The Prince Corporation, whose claim to fame(and fortune incidentally) was the lighted vanity mirror most of us have embedded in our car's sun visors. He also co-founded the radical, religious right's Family Research Council. In fact, Erik was among the first team of interns that Gary Bauer took on in Washington at the Family Research Council. The Prince family's ties to the Christian Fundamentalist right, cannot be understated. Prince's father was one of the primary bank rollers of Newt Gingrichs' 1994 "Republican Revolution". Young Erik and his family are also very close to James Dobson and his Focus on the Family Prayer Warrior Network. Over the years, Erik has contributed over $250,000 dollars to various Republican candidates. And also some Green Party candidates in 2006 to try to defeat Democrats in a few races. I think it's safe to say he's a staunch, and loyal Republican.
Prince attended the United States Naval Academy for a short period, before leaving and attending Hillsdale College as an economics major. After graduation Prince went to work as an intern for George H.W. Bush's administration, but this was cut short due to ideological reasons...he felt as though the administration was not "conservative enough for him". Prince was quoted in a local Michigan paper as saying, "I saw a lot of things I didn't agree with—homosexual groups being invited in, the budget agreement, the 'Clean Air Act', those kinds of bills". After leaving the Bush (41) administration, he served as an intern to California Republican Representative Dana Rohrabacher, former Reagan speech writer, denier of global warming, and most recently a staunch proponent of his good friend(and convicted felon), Jack Abramoff...
The Founding of Blackwater USA
Prince joined the United States Navy in 1992 where he served as a Navy Seal Officer. Some of his deployments included Haiti, parts of the Middle East and Bosnia. His tenure as a Navy Seal was cut short in 1995 with the unexpected death of his father. Upon returning home to be with his family, Prince's mother, Elsa, decided to sell the Prince Corporation for $1.4 billion. Damn. Lighted , vanity mirrors paid off quite well. Suddenly, Erik Prince found himself to be a billionaire. There are many published reports suggesting that he absolutely loathed leaving the military. So, what's an ex-Navy Seal billionaire to do with his time and money? Why, start his own paramilitary, of course. Mr. Prince moved to Virginia Beach in 1997 and personally financed Blackwater U.S.A, buying 6,000 acres of swampland in North Carolina to set up a school for "special operations operators". The monstrosity that has become Blackwater was born.
Blackwater East
So, what exactly does Blackwater do at this compound? The short answer is they train mercenaries and law enforcement agencies. Both domestic and foreign. Here is a short propaganda video of theirs that details some of the activities that are going on at the compound.
Oh, yea. This video fails to mention the life sized, mock Columbine High School they have on premises for training purposes. That creeps me out. So, what's wrong with a guy supporting his political party, as long as it's by legal means, and starting his own security firm? Absolutely nothing. Last time I checked this was America. The problem isn't owning a private security firm. The problem is when you cross the line from being a security firm, to being a well financed, fundamentalist ideology driven, small, formidable private army. Private army you say? Here's where it gets a little crazy...
Blackwater Aviation
Aviation Worldwide Services and Presidential Airways were founded in 1998 by Blackwater. This serves as their "aviation division". It currently consists of, approximately, 22 rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, including the CASA 212 cargo plane. However, the company has recently struck a deal with Brazil that will send, at least, five EMB-314 Super Tucano counter-intelligence, light attack aircraft. Blackwater aviation recently won an indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) type contract for $92 million to "provide all fixed-wing aircraft, personnel, equipment, tools, material, maintenance and supervision necessary to perform passenger, cargo and combi Short Take-Off and Landing air transportation services between locations in the Area of Responsibility of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan". Incidentally, they were awarded this contract only days after Erik Prince testified before the Senate about the shooting by Blackwater personnel that resulted in the deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians. It is being reported that the FBI investigation into the matter has concluded 14 of the 17 shootings were unjustified...but I digress. There is another Orwellian-er, interesting "wing"(no pun intended) to Blackwater aviation. Blackwater Airships LLC is an ambitious effort that would make any super villain extremely proud.
Founded in January 2006, With a mission statement "to build a remotely piloted airship vehicle (RPAV). Although seemingly different from the traditional Blackwater mission, this new venture to provide a persistent surveillance capability is fully consistent with the Blackwater goal of offering solutions which help to protect our forces wherever they are deployed and support our homeland security." Blackwater seems to want to get in on some of the multi-billion dollar blimp action that the Pentagon has recently announced it is adamantly seeking. Blackwater owns an airport in Camden County, Virginia which includes a 6,000-foot-long, 80-foot-wide runway, another perpendicular airstrip 2,550 feet long and a 20,000-square-foot hangar, according to county records. The airport also contains a 66,569-square-foot, two-story metal building with nearly 300 rooms. Now Blackwater has it's own small air force, and a surveillance blimp division.
Blackwater Spy Agency
Total Intelligence Solutions, LLC was launched in February of 2007. Erik Prince hired Cofer Black, former CIA Director's Special Assistant for Counter-terrorism as well as the National Intelligence Officer for counter-terrorism, to oversee the venture. Mr. Black was made (in)famous by his installation of the "extraordinary rendition program", or the sending of prisoners to countries in which we know they will be tortured during interrogation. I don't think I'll be sending him a Christmas card this year, how about you?. Using the C.I.A. connections he's made over the years, Mr. Black has amassed, and still is amassing, a "mini-C.I.A." of retired "spooks". T.I.S. states, "Total Intel is the answer to those complex and often fast-breaking requirements. We provide a one-stop service able to meet all the intelligence, operational and security needs required by today's global business environment." They are targeting Fortune 1000 companies, supposedly. Now Blackwater has a subsidiary that basically gives them their own, small, highly trained and highly "connected" spy network...Do I see a pattern here?
Blackwater Maritime
Blackwater Maritime Security Solutions with a mission statement stating they "Will also provide international anti and counter-piracy, and anti and counter-terrorism security programs led by the world’s finest maritime special operations and security professionals. BMSS will soon offer its complete tactical maritime security training services aboard fully operational maritime platforms. This capability allows BMSS to conduct real-world tactical training for maritime force protection units while underway, at anchor, or in port". Hmm...do I smell a small fleet of "training ships" in the near future. Blackwater is soon to have it's own "mini-navy".
Blackwater Armored
Blackwater is even venturing into the armored vehicle market with, "The Grizzly". An armored vehicle designed to withstand roadside bombs...and haul ass. Seriously.
Hurricane Katrina
Immediately after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, and I do mean immediately...180+ Blackwater workers where on the ground in Louisiana less than 36 hours after the levee's broke...without a contract from the U.S. government. A short time after however, Blackwater landed a $73 million contract to protect FEMA staff helping with the Katrina recovery operation. This was Blackwater's first foray into domestic operations.
Blackwater West and North
If you thought Blackwater USA was just going to relegate itself to North Carolina and Virginia, I have a surprise for you. They're coming to a town near you! They are trying to build an 824 acre compound about 45 miles East of San Diego, near the rural community of Potrero. This will be "Blackwater West" Although, the local townspeople are in fierce opposition to the idea. This also happens to be part of the area that was recently affected by the wild fires in California. "But I live up North", you say?. Never fear-er...wait...scratch that, for they have Blackwater North. An 800+ acre swath of land about 100 miles outside Chicago, and about 25 miles from Mount Carroll, IL. But wait...there's more...Blackwater has also applied for operational licenses in every coastal state in the United States.
"Liberal" Ties, as well?
Even though Erik Prince has an incredibly strong bond with extreme right wing Conservatives, the old adage still rings true. If you want to know the truth, just follow the money. The first two Federal contracts Blackwater ever received were during the Clinton administration. In February 2000, Blackwater wins its first federal contract. The company is entered into the General Services Administration contracting database for government-approved goods and services. This enables it to compete for larger, longer-term federal contracts. October 12, 2000, the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen...Blackwater gets its first long-term federal contract to train sailors for the U.S. Navy. By 2001, Blackwater's federal contracts totaled $736,906. Thanks Bill. Another recent incident has been all over the news lately, the shooting of 17 Iraqi's by Blackwater employees in September. It seems a couple weeks before Mr. Prince was scheduled to testify before the Senate concerning this event he hired a PR firm to do damage control(like any corporation would). Mr. Prince chose the services of Burson-Marsteller. Their CEO is Mark Penn. And Mark Penn just happens to be Hillary Clinton's Chief Political Strategist. Her Karl Rove, if you will. Coincidences? Maybe so, but there's one thing I'm sure of. No matter who wins the '08 election, be it Democrat or Republican, Blackwater will still be around for a long time. It's not just a Republican/Religous Right issue.
My Thoughts
Well, like I said before, I did not intend to specifically focus on Blackwater in this post. I just became, more and more concerned the more I read. My concerns are really two-fold. One, it obviously doesn't take a rocket scientist to connect the dots and see what's really going on here. Having a private security firm is one thing. But, having a small, private army is quite another. I look at it like this. I remember after the OKC bombing, there was a push to come down on some of the private militias in the US. Do you think the Federal government would allow any one of these groups to attain the kind of weaponry Mr. Prince has acquired-much less assemble his own spy network staffed by ex-CIA employees? I think not. Whether it is an insane, skinhead militia, or an insane Christian fundamentalist corporation, I believe it's dangerous for a group like this to have an obscene amount of weaponry at their disposal. That's how coup's happen. Not only that, but if a company like Blackwater knows that they are likely to get multi-million dollar contracts after terrorist attacks, or natural disasters(fires...maybe a levee breaking?), it wouldn't take a great stretch of the imagination to consider the possibility of them carrying out attacks themselves, just for business. That's just putting to much power in the hands of a few. Keep in mind I'm totally for the Right to Bear Arms. I just don't believe the founding fathers meant for it to cover jets, armored personnel carriers, nor a spy network.
Second, is the whole private contractor issue itself, and this is a pretty straight forward reason I believe. Anyone who has read my posts, or listened to my music, know that I oppose the war in Iraq. There are somewhere between 160,000-180,000 private contractors carrying out work in Iraq right now. We(the US) have around 160,000 soldiers in Iraq. When we have more private contractors than we do troops on the ground, something has been seriously fucked up somewhere down the line. Granted, not all the contractors over there are like Blackwater. There are people over there doing legitimate work to help rebuild Iraq, they are not all mercenaries trying to destroy anything that moves. But, my thinking is this. If we have more private corporation contractors over there than we do troops, it seems only logical to say if we didn't have those private contractors over there, we wouldn't be fighting a war in Iraq right now. It would take a military draft to have enough troops to occupy the country any further. And that would be political suicide given the popularity of the war at this stage. Right? Or am I a fucktard? So, there you go. That's my advice on how to bring our troops home. Pass legislation severely limiting the use of private contractors. But that will never happen, as the private contractors are made up of old friends in Washington and huge political donors. It's a thought though. I sure don't hear any of our politicians with any rock solid plans for getting us the hell out of Iraq.
Ready to hear about a real life Kaiser Soze? A man who has nearly single handedly supplied the majority of weapons for most conflicts, worldwide, since the fall of the Soviet Union. A man who has worked for The U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. State Department, and FedEx among others-as recently as 2006. A man who is an International fugitive wanted by numerous governments, the U.N., and Interpol. Yet, the U.S. Government still employs him and, possibly, helps him evade prosecution??...
Viktor Vasilevich Bout was born on January 13, 1967 in Tajikistan to Russian parents. Although, even this is disputed. As with all cunning super-villains, little is known about Bout before his military career. He is known simply as "Viktor B" by International investigators, because he goes by so many different aliases. Regardless, we do know that he graduated from the Institute for Military Interpreters in Moscow in 1991 and is said to be fluent in six languages. He held several positions in the Soviet military before being stationed in Angola as a translator. His KGB career would be short-lived however, as the collapse of the Soviet Union left Bout unemployed. This would also be short-lived...
After leaving the KGB in 1993 Bout founded an "air transport service", Transavia Export Cargo, in Belarus. It was during this time he utilized some of the contacts he had made while in the Soviet military. He began acquiring planes destined for the scrap heap, including a trio of old Antonovs, Soviet-made cargo planes that could carry upward of 20 tons—for $40,000 apiece. According to Bout associates, his senior contacts in the GRU(the secretive Soviet military intelligence network) were critical for his start-up. He then began supplying weapons which aided Belgian soldiers in Somalia. The Belgians were not his only customers at this point in time however. Another of his early customers was the Islamic State of Afghanistan, whom later became known as the Northern Alliance(remember them? our "allies" in Afghanistan). It is estimated that between late 1992 and 1995, Bout had supplied $50 million+ in arms to various Afghan warlords. Chump change by no means. In 1995 Bout founded the "Trans Aviation Network Group", in the Belgian city of Oostende, and continued to supply the Islamic State of Afghanistan with weapons. That is, until the Taliban overthrew the government in Kabul, and drove the remaining members to a few Northern provinces...oh snap! Now they suddenly become known as the Northern Alliance(witty huh?). In May of 1995 the Taliban intercepted one of Bout's shipments to the Northern Alliance, capturing plane and crew. Russian diplomats tried for several months to procure the release of the men and plane, to no avail. Then, out of the blue, in August of 1996, the men "escaped" captivity and flew out of Afghanistan in their plane...and Bout had a new arms customer. The Taliban.
Ok. Where are you going with this, you say? Stay with me...
After several years of living a luxurious lifestyle in Belgium, in 1997 the Belgian press began reporting on Bout's shady dealings. Under the pressure of an investigation by the Belgian authorities, Bout decided to set-up shop in the United Arab Emirates. This would become his "main base of operations". This same year he founded "Air Cess", which would later become synonymous with his dark deals. Air Cess was based in Equatorial Guinea, and registered in Liberia(and had headquarters in Miami, Florida until 9/11). Air Cess would go on to supply arms to nearly every conflict around the Continent of Africa-continuing until present day. He personally supplied weapons, more often than not, to both sides of conflicts in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland and Uganda...to name a few. Viktor Bout had established himself as the "Pablo Escobar" of the gun trafficking industry. He hired unemployed soldiers of Russia's eviscerated air force and arms industry, building a loyal outfit of about 350 employees which included daredevil pilots, ground crews adept at keeping the decaying planes aloft(his fleet, which grew to nearly 60 aircraft by 2000, often carried legitimate wares such as flowers and fish), weapons suppliers, financial advisers, and even a gem expert who flew along on African sorties to inspect the blood diamonds Bout was sometimes paid with. Bout, by this point, was notoriously known for delivering weapons anywhere, anytime, and to anyone willing to pay. Of course, like all criminals, you can't do business forever without attracting attention. By the late 1990's Bout was on the radar of International authorities for his arms deals from Africa to Columbia to Lebanon, and anyplace in between with enough cash to afford his services.
During the last years of the Clinton White House, factions inside the CIA and the NSC were both well aware that Bout's air fleet and global infrastructure rivaled those of many NATO nations—and wanted him targeted for arrest. But, the effort fizzled out in the first months of the Bush administration. In an effort to underscore the urgency to apprehend Bout, Lee Wolosky, who was the top NSC official leading the effort to nab Bout, briefed Condoleezza Rice's national security team in the summer of 2001. They then scheduled a pre–presidential briefing meeting for September 11, 2001. Needless to say, apprehending Viktor Bout was pushed to the proverbial back burner. That is until associates of his approached the U.S. Government with an offer they couldn't refuse...
Here's were it gets very interesting(in a fucked up, shady kind of way)...
Only days after the attacks of September 11th, associates of Bout's were meeting with U.S. intelligence officials. These agencies were interested enough to allow Bout to fly to the United States on at least two occasions for face-to-face discussions of his sales pitch. One month later Bout made three flights to Afghanistan. The cargo? U.S. Special Forces and CIA operatives. Michael Scheuer, former head of the NSC's Bin Laden unit, made this comment concerning the event, "Bout could not have done what he did without the help of Princes, Kings, and Presidents". I couldn't agree more, sir. But, as it turns out, these three flights were only the beginning of a budding relationship between the U.S. Government and Viktor Bout. Bout began providing weapons, helicopters, trucks and communications to the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, according to U.S. documents and officials. At the same time he was still arming the Taliban and Al-Qaida. Bout's connections with the Taliban didn't end with their overthrow in November 2001. Following the collapse of the Taliban, Bout's airlines were used to ferry Taliban and Al-Qaida gold out of Afghanistan to Karachi, Iran, the UAE, and Khartoum. If we've learned one thing about this asshole, it's that he will sell anything to anyone willing to pay.
In 2002 both Belgium and Interpol issued warrants for Bout's arrest. He decided it might be a good time to move back to Moscow...where they do not extradite to other nations. All while the U.S. turned a blind eye. Some European officials suggest that the U.S. has even helped Bout evade arrest. As the Interpol warrant began circulating around the world, European intelligence agents developed intel that Bout was going to be flying to Greece from his new hub in Moldova. When Bout's plane left the runway, British agents sent out an encrypted message notifying their superiors in London to prepare for his imminent arrest in Athens. But shortly after the encrypted message was sent, the aircraft suddenly went off its flight plan, disappearing into mountainous terrain. 90 minutes later the plane reappeared on radar screens, and when it landed in Athens, Greek and British special forces stormed the aircraft, only to find it empty except for the pilots and a few passengers. "There were only two intelligence services that could have decrypted the British transmission in so short a time," says one European intelligence official familiar with the operation. "The Russians and the Americans. And we know for sure it was not the Russians."
When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, Bout's air-freight services were used by the U.S. military and by Halliburton, its subsidiary KBR, Federal Express and other contractors delivering everything from munitions, grenades, tents, to mail for the troops, according to flight records and U.S. military and civilian officials who monitored the flights. Oh, and remember the shipment of 200,000 AK-47's that the U.S. Department of Defense "lost" this past summer? You got it, the plane carrying that shipment was owned by none other than Viktor Bout. Or, how about the CIA "rendition" flights of prisoners to various unsavory countries that love to use torture? Once again, Vikot Bout's planes were involved in the vast majority of known flights. See a pattern here?
In 2004, the Bush administration began to press for Bout to be left off of planned UN sanctions, in spite of French efforts at the UN in March 2004 to freeze his assets and enforce an outstanding Interpol warrant for his arrest. Under pressure from the International community, Bush signed an executive order in July 2004 that made it illegal to do business with Bout or any of his companies. In May 2005, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control froze the assets of Bout, three of his associates and 30 of his companies, again making it explicitly illegal to do any business with him. But while the Treasury and State departments, as well as parts of the Pentagon, tried to shut off Bout's access to U.S. tax dollars, portions of the military and intelligence communities kept feeding him business...for almost two years after such contacts became a direct violation of a presidential directive. During which time his companies flew, literally, hundreds of flights for the Pentagon...costing the American taxpayers $60,000+ per flight.
These days, international initiatives to hunt down Bout have been mostly abandoned, confined to sporadic efforts by the U.N. and U.S. Treasury Department to freeze his assets. The CIA no longer has analysts specifically assigned to monitor his flights and follow his activities. "They're all working on counterterrorism now," says a U.S. official. So what does Viktor Bout, a man who has blood on his hands from arming countless wars, do nowadays? According to intelligence sources who have followed his activities for years, Bout is living in a luxury apartment complex in Moscow, where he is occasionally spotted eating at an upscale sushi bar he favors. Meanwhile, the Russian government denies he has committed any crime, and therefor refuses to honor any International warrants for his arrest.
Over the past year, Bout's aircraft have been discovered delivering weapons to the radical Islamic regime in Somalia, and to Hezbollah in Lebanon, where he was sighted during last summers conflict with Israel.
Ummm...shouldn't we do something about this fucker? Maybe it's just me.
This is my take on the Republican Debate the other night on Fox "news". Almost indescribable. I say almost, because I give it a good damn try, and also touch on the topic of Ron Paul in the debates...
Alright, just a couple quick thoughts about the "Republican debate" last night on Fox "news". I made a vow to myself long ago, never to spend too much of my time talking about that "news" channel. But, having partially witnessed this..."event", I feel the need to opine a bit.
I was up late doing some work on my computer before crashing out. As luck would have it, I reached the Republican debate, before I reached an old episode of the 'X-Files' on my guide.
Now, I have to confess, I'm not a Fox "news" watcher and have yet to witness a Presidential debate on this network. But, what I witnessed was a spectacle indeed. I don't know how to best describe the atmosphere, let alone the candidates. If British Parliament and a 1930's era, German rally had a child...it would be the Presidential debate on Fox "news". Sadly, that is the best way I can describe the atmosphere.
By the time I tuned in, the Giuliani/Romney "lovefest" was in full effect. I swear to you, right here, there were several moments when I thought they were literally going to start making out on the stage. Eeww. They sounded like they both already knew they have the party's nomination, and are just playing this out to see whose President and whose Vice President. And, is there a written agreement somewhere with Fox that states anytime in which Giuliani is talking, Romney's mic has to be left on, and vice versa? It's fucking creeping me out. When Giuliani's talking about 9/11, in response to a question "about boxers or briefs?", I shouldn't have to hear Romney's "stalker-in-your-house", heavy breathing. Not to mention his goulish laughter. Or, hell, I might want to hear Romney tell me a little bit more about how he would like to turn our government's bureaucracy into one, big, Wal-Mart and not have to listen to Giuliani's mic picking up his heartbeat(I heard it beats 911 times a minute...that's unproven though), or a phone call from his wife.
"But, it was a debate. What about what the candidates had to say?", you ask. Glad 'ya did. More on that in a minute, I'm not done tripping on the "surrealness™" of this debacle.
And with the exception to the rule, Dr. Ron Paul, who the fuck is writing these "one-liners" for these candidates? The writers for, the now defunct, "1/2 Hour News Hour"? I guess they have some time on their hands. But, back to my point. It was ridiculous how many "one-liners" were tossed about(Even Fred "the head" Thompson mustered the gumption to lob a few haha's). I honestly could not believe what I was seeing.
The candidate's thoughts? Well, from what I gathered from the Giuliani/Romney orgy of rhetoric, they are scared of Hillary Clinton. Why else would you talk about her as much as they have been doing? There is only one other reason, but I doubt it. And that is, they have some dirt on Hillary that they have been sitting on for 8 years that could cause "a funny thing happened on the way to the White House" moment. I'm pretty sure all of the dirt(or most of the really damaging stuff) has been brought out, but you never know. Money and power can find out a lot of things for you. Hillary Clinton may be a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them. She would not run if she didn't believe she could win. And that frightens the piss out of "MittLiani™". Which is why they are both trying to take her on directly-to try to force her to "mis-step". Good luck with that one fellas.
And timers! Those used to mean something in debates, remember(a few years ago)? Not now. The bell "dings", and these 65 Couric, turds keep talking for 30-45 seconds. And then, will be given another 30 seconds to elaborate. Oh, yea. And there is one other thing. That only happens if you're one of the "top tier guys"(whatever that means in a supposed democracy). Dr. Ron Paul isn't considered one of these candidates (besides having more money in the bank than several of their "top tier" guys) by Fox "news", of course, and was alloted minimal time to speak(again) compared to the rest of the field. It seemed at times that there were a sole contingent in the audience that was there only to shout down Dr. Paul's answers. Like the one moment when he, correctly, pointed out that 70%+ of American citizens want our troops home from Iraq now. To be fair, there were many well deserved applauses for Dr. Paul, as well. I honestly felt bad for Ron Paul, at a point. Well, bad isn't the correct word. I felt his frustration, I guess. I came to the realization that, although he's speaking nothing but the truth, Republican voters are never going to give him a chance. So, why even bother with these Fox "news" debates? Fuck 'em. It just gives Hannity fodder for later. I can appreciate the argument that it is "free face" time on national television, but the only people who are watching Fox "news", are only watching Fox "news". They are the hardcore, conservative, I hate liberals, I love Ann Coulter, Christian fundamentalists that just vote for a candidate, because they have an (R) beside there name on the ballot. They are like a cult. And a cult that has been brain-washed on Fox "news'" perspective...and that would be the perspective of Roger Ailes, Fox "news" President and Ruppert's right hand. Oh, yea. He also happens to be a "Media Advisor" to Giuliani's Presidential campaign. Fair and balanced like.
Summary of the debate: It was a sickening, sensationalized, one-way, "MittLiani™" love fest. Needless to say, I will be skipping any further Fox "news" debates, forums, programs, or commercials. No change there.
POST SPOILER ALERT(sort of): It concerns the U.S. Governments aiding and sheltering of two terrorist groups who are operating from inside Iraq. This post is a "must read" for anyone wanting to get a perspective of the ongoing tension between Turkey and the Kurds of Northern Iraq that you aren't seeing on CNN, NBC, etc. Nor, will you be getting it in The New York Times, Washington Post or Newsweek. I believe Alex Jones may have mentioned something about it on infowars awhile back, I can't recall. But that's not exactly main stream news.
Well, well, well...This is an interesting, if not plain frightening, situation we potentially have on our hands here. For those of you who may have been out, say on the International Space Station, over the last several weeks and haven't heard the news, Turkey has amassed somewhere between 60,000-140,000 troops along the Northern Iraqi/Turkish border. Oh, yea. One other rosey little tidbit...their Parliament(unfortunately not featuring George Clinton, nor Bootsy Collins) gave the Turkish military authority to carry out cross-border operations into Iraq to go after a Kurdish terrorist group, called the "Kurdish Workers’ Party", or the PKK, for carrying out terrorist attacks inside Turkey. What the hell does this have to do with me, Joe Six-Pack, and why should I be concerned? More on that in a minute. First let's take a look at the PKK. I'll keep it brief, you're not in history class for God's sake...
The PKK was founded in the 1970's. Their ideology is a Marxism/Leninism and Kurdish Nationalism blend(Communist/Islamic terrorists, I know...try not to laugh...they're still terrorists). The PKK's goal appears to be to set up an independent, Socialist, Kurdish state, consisting of territory which it claims is Kurdistan. This territory comprises parts of SE Turkey, NE Iraq, NE Syria and NW Iran. Officially formed in 1978, it didn't take too long for the PKK's Socialist ideology to clash with the "right-wingers" in Turkey. A bloody campaign ensued, including assassinations of some of Turkey's prominent political figures. Between 1978 to 1982, the Turkish National Security Council recorded a staggering 43,000 incidents it described as acts of terrorism. In 1997 the group was officially put on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist organizations. In 1999, the PKK's leader, Abdullah Ocalan, was captured and 4,000+ well trained fighters sought refuge in Northern Iraq-where they would later be met with gas attacks from Saddam Hussein, but that's another rant.
So now you're sitting there saying to yourself once again, "Ok...I'm Joe Six-pack. WTF does that have to do with me"? "These guys sound like assholes and should be stopped". Well, that's where it gets a little murky. You see, since the invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq in 2003, Turkey(a fellow member of NATO) has lobbied the U.S. hard for the reigning in of the PKK. But, despite the PKK having the "not-so-distinguished" honor of being on the State Department's terrorist organization list, arguably nothing has been done to "reign them in". Probably, due to the fact that Northern Iraq has been relatively stable compared to the rest of the country. Although, at this point that doesn't say too much. Around 70% of the U.S.'s supplies for the war in Iraq travel via Turkey. If chaos breaks out in the Northern part of the country, this doesn't bode too well for supply lines. But, even worse than that, in my opinion, it sets a terrible precedent that can only lead to chaos.
"So, let me get this straight", you are saying. "There has been a terrorist group operating out of Northern Iraq with an amount of support/protection from the U.S., and they have been carrying out attacks against Turkey-without consequences?". You're paying attention, cool. That's exactly what I'm fucking telling you. Bad things indeed. But, there are potentially worse things afoot? Neah...it can't be so. 'Tis so. 'Ya see, there is another group the U.S. military really likes. They are headquartered in Southern Iraq, and go by Mujahadeen-e-Khalq(MEK). Oh, and great news(insert sarcasm emoticon here), they are also on the State Department's list of terrorist organizations! A brief history of MEK...they are a real piece of turd work...
The MEK is not your "run of the mill", Anti-Western group, but an organization with a high political presence in Western capitals(scary, I know). The MEK was founded in the 1960's by some college educated, Iranian "leftwingers" whom opposed the country’s pro-Western ruler, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The group took part in the Islamic Revolution that replaced the Shah with a Shiite Islamist regime led by the Ayatollah Khomeini. Their ideology? Glad you asked. A Marxist/Islamic blend. I see a pattern here. Of course, this blend of beliefs soon put the group at odds with the post-revolutionary, Iranian government. Before engaging the Iranian government in a bloody campaign, in 1981 the group was driven from it's base on the Iran/Iraq border. They resettled in Paris before relocating back to Iraq later on in the 1980's. The MEK has spent 17+ years in Iraq. During which time they worked diligently for Saddam Hussein in the Iran/Iraq war. They currently have 3000+ "soldiers" located in Iraq with one singular goal...to destroy their arch nemesis, their Lex Luther-if you will...The Islamic Republic of Iran(You know...Dick Cheney's obsession). In June 2003 French authorities raided a MEK compound outside Paris and arrested 160 people, charging 10 with conspiracy to commit terrorist acts. Are you still with me? Here's where it gets interesting...
Despite its being on the State Department's terrorist organization list, the MEK remains in an odd sort of limbo. On April 15, 2003, the U.S. Army signed a cease-fire permitting the MEK to keep its weapons and use them against any Iranian fighters crossing into Iraq. Yes. You read that correctly. The U.S. signed a fucking cease-fire with them. This infuriated the State Department, which then convinced Bush to undo it, leading to the somewhat bizarre sight of U.S. troops surrounding MEK camps in May of 2003. Disarming its fighters only to take up positions to protect them.
The U.S. State Department considers MEK a terrorist organization -- meaning no American can deal with it. U.S. banks must freeze its assets. And any American giving support to its members is committing a major motherfucking crime. The U.S. military though, has a different view of the group. They regularly escort MEK supply runs between Baghdad and its base, Camp Ashraf.
"The trips for procurement of logistical needs also take place under the control and protection of the MPs," said Mojgan Parsaii, vice president of MEK and leader of Camp Ashraf. You're fucking kidding me, right?
In 2003 Secretary of State Colin Powell wrote Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to remind the Pentagon that the MEK's forces in Iraq were supposed to be U.S. captives, not allies. To no avail it seems.
How can this be? Well, funny you should ask. Because, according to U.S. documents, coalition forces regard MEK as protected people under the Geneva Convention. Refresher. They are designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Surely you remember all "the fuss" over granting the prisoners at Guantanamo "Geneva Convention status". It's not happening. But, we will grant a terrorist organization-designated so by the U.S. government those very rights? What sort of sick, bizzaro world have I awoken too?
But, of course, it gets even better. The group also enjoys the protection of the International Committee of the Red Cross. "The ICRC has made clear that the residents of Camp Ashraf must not be deported, expelled or repatriated," according to an ICRC letter.
Which brings me back to the Turkey precedent. What do you think would happen if Turkey went into Northern Iraq to take on the PKK? Anyone? Anyone? Yep...Iran would be all over the other assholes to the south, the MEK. This would obviously be chaos. I'm sure Syria would find some reason to "jump in", as well. It would lead to all out regional chaos. You think oil is expensive now, flirting with $90 a barrel? You drive too Joe Six-pack. I can't imagine, don't want to really, what the situation could be like a few weeks after Turkey invaded Iraq. It could be very, very bad. Not to mention Pakistan is imploding in upon itself a short distance away. You have sons, daughters, cousins, friends, mothers and fathers Joe Six-pack. That's why you should care.
Moral of the story: Don't support terrorist organizations.
Don't support Administrations that support terrorist organizations.
I have been urged to start a blog a lot lately. Well...I have succumbed to your peer-pressure. I wanted a place to, not only opine, but a place with some of the news resources that I like. So, if you don't feel like listening to some guy rant about things that he's probably not qualified to rant about, please browse some of the links and reach your own informed opinion. There are some informative sites laying about. Knowledge is power. Knowing is half the battle. All that shit.
Rest assured, I will be expressing opinions here that will not be liked by all people. If you don't agree with me, please at least consider what I'm saying for a moment. If you still don't agree with me, please go elsewhere. I'm sorry to have wasted your time. Life goes on.
This will be an ongoing process. I will be adding things often, so check back and see what's happening - p.c.
