Home > Blackwater: a summary of what Americans are paying for with their tax dollars
Blackwater: a summary of what Americans are paying for with their tax dollars
by Open-Publishing - Friday 28 September 2007http://www.chycho.com/?q=node/1023
It has taken a long time for the mainstream media to finally report on what is referred to as “America’s Private Army”. We welcome them to the truth, but unfortunately, as children who have recently discovered that there is no Santa Clause, they seem to be surprised as to the revelations of what is and has been happening.
If their disbelief about Blackwater is genuine, or not, is something that you will have to personally decide. Many believe that the mainstream media has been conveniently asking the wrong questions and looking in the wrong places to find the truth. And if they have known the truth, they have either decided not to report it, or as Dan Rather of CBS Evening News is declaring, they have been forbidden from reporting it.
No matter, we forgive them for their transgressions.
One thing to keep in mind however, since the mainstream media is playing catch-up with the bloggers and the truth movement they will most likely continue to water down the story so that their viewers will not be shocked as to what has been transpiring while they were sleeping.
To help in expediting the knowledge about what American tax dollars have been paying for the last few years consider reviewing the following articles and videos:
Article and Video: Bush’s Shadow Army - “Jeremy Scahill reports on the Bush Administration’s growing dependence on private security forces such as Blackwater USA and efforts in Congress to rein them in.”
Video: The Hidden Massacre of Fallujah (27:07) - The War Crimes the United States is willing to commits to avenge these mercenaries.
Article: Blackwater: Inside America’s Private Army - “Enter a world where the military has become a business – where citizen soldiers work for a private company whose currency comes from conflict. It’s a place some salute and others fear. And it’s right in our backyard. This series was one of three finalists for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.”
Video, Audio and Transcript: Democracy Now! Report: Pivotal Family Lawsuit Against Blackwater USA Blocked from Court, and Moved to Panel with Company Ties - “A landmark lawsuit brought by the families of four employees of the security firm Blackwater USA killed in Iraq three years ago has been partially derailed. This week, a federal judge ordered the lawsuit to be decided behind closed doors in arbitration — allowing Blackwater to avoid public examination of its practices in Iraq.”
Video: Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers (1:15:40) - “Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers is the story of what happens to everyday Americans when corporations go to war. Acclaimed director Robert Greenwald (Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Outfoxed and Uncovered) takes you inside the lives of soldiers, truck drivers, widows and children who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq. Iraq for Sale uncovers the connections between private corporations making a killing in Iraq and the decision makers who allow them to do so. Brave New Films are both funded and distributed completely outside corporate America. Over 3000 people donated to make Iraq for Sale, and it is up to you to distribute it. Give copies to co-workers and organize a screening in your neighborhood. Get involved!!”
Article: Blackwater Mercenaries Deploy in New Orleans - “Heavily armed paramilitary mercenaries from the Blackwater private security firm, infamous for their work in Iraq, are openly patrolling the streets of New Orleans. Some of the mercenaries say they have been ‘deputized’ by the Louisiana governor; indeed some are wearing gold Louisiana state law enforcement badges on their chests and Blackwater photo identification cards on their arms.”
Article: After Fallujah: The Truth About the Blackwater Mercenaries - “Blackwater was founded in 1997. Like dozens of similar companies, it has been growing with amazing speed, thanks to huge contracts from the Pentagon. And Blackwater is just a small piece of a much, much larger trend.”
Article: Protest Grows over Blackwater U.S.A Training Camp - “Blackwater USA, a security company that supplies hundreds of armed civilian personnel for duties in Iraq, is seeking to build a 220-acre training camp on an 800-acre parcel (in eastern San Diego County) that now is dedicated to egg farming and cattle ranching.”
Article: Blackwater Refuses To Leave Iraq Despite Ban - “Despite having their license revoked by the Iraqi government, and being banned from operating in the country all together, The private contractor company Blackwater USA is continuing operations in Baghdad and has refused to pull its operatives out of Iraq.”
Two short Videos: Blackwater killing innocent Iraqi civilians, and an Iraqi sniper killing Americans soldiers - “Many videos have come out of Iraq showing the results of the US invasion. Some have shown the complete brutality of the war, some the humanitarian efforts to save lives, while others show the day to day activity of Iraqi civilians and/or American troops. Two videos however have captured the true nature of this war better then any other that I have seen.”
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