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TechnoratiThe Jo Daviess County courtroom had plenty of breathing room on Wednesday, Aug. 27, but Martin Hippie promised he could change that if the zoning board gave him a chance.
"If I had known about this earlier, I'm sure we could have packed this room with people opposed to Blackwater," he said. "I think the public has a right to know, and zoning is really a way for us to protect our land."
Representatives of Blackwater had what they believed to be a modest proposal. They said they would like to replace an existing live-fire shooting range with a new one of similar size. The structure will consist of a 60 by 60 foot pole barn-type structure on a concrete slab, and they assured the board that it will not be hooked up to any utilities or increase traffic on nearby roads.
"It will in no way be hazardous or detrimental to the surrounding properties," promised Blackwater employee Eric Davis.
In fact, Davis argued, the new shooting range will reduce noise by using plywood to absorb sound from the firing, and will meet higher safety standards than the current facility.
But opponents argued that Blackwater was improving and expanding its facility little by little, in such small ways that it could escape scrutiny by the county government.
"A training facility is being used on agricultural land, and it seems kind of strange to me," said Hippie, Democratic candidate for the county board. "Either the zoning should be changed, or the use should be stopped."
Dan Kenny, a resident of DeKalb who says he has studied Blackwater's relationships with county governments extensively, also testified against the company.
"Jo Daviess County is a county of rare beauty in the state, and I hope the zoning board will consider that as they consider this application," said Kenny. "I came tonight to urge you to tread carefully along this path that you have entered upon with a private military and security company."
Kenny drew parallels between the modus operandi of Blackwater in Jo Daviess County, and the early stages of training center development in Camden County in North Carolina and San Diego County in California.
In North Carolina, he said, Blackwater purchased 6,000 acres, and initially only built a small lodge. They have since installed a $15 million building, a fast-car driving range, and a helicopter pad.
In San Diego County, after a county board approved a Blackwater training facility, the public demanded a recall election, and the board was removed. Blackwater then withdrew its application and moved to a neighboring county.
"What happened in Camden County, what happened in California can also happen here," Kenny argued. "Small steps. It doesn't even have to be in their name. Right now they're leasing the property."
When zoning laws were first instituted in Jo Daviess County, the land that Blackwater now leases was grandfathered in for special use in an agricultural zone. Andrew Casavant, the previous owner, worked for the police department and opened the area for target practice.
Casavant sold the land in 1997 to First Tactical Site & Co. Kenny produced a copy of the sale records, and pointed out that on the quit-claim deed, Casavant changed the ownership of the land from his name to Midwest Tactical Training Institute minutes before signing over the deed. The assessor's office records still have First Tactical listed as the site owner.
Kenny postulated that the land was originally grandfathered in as a private shooting range, and should have been re-zoned before it became a training facility.
But building and zoning administrator Linda Delvaux said that the land was grandfathered in under a catch-all special uses clause for "other businesses not specifically listed," which only stipulates that the use of the land cannot change. She also asserted that the land was a training facility when zoning was instituted, so Blackwater's use of it should not change its zoning status.
One Blackwater representative, Craig Wainman, told Kenny after the meeting that he recalled training there in 1991 or 1992, and said that even back then, it was called the Midwest Tactical Training Institute. He added that most of the training that happened there in the 1990s is similar to the training Blackwater offers today.
According to Delvaux, Blackwater is free to try and develop the site, as long as the use does not change.
However, before any expansions can take place, they must ask the permission of the zoning board, and approval is not guaranteed.
"Anybody can ask for anything," she pointed out.
Ernie Lieb spoke on behalf of Blackwater, and said that he had done most of the excavation on the site. When he first started work there, officers shot at targets with no backing except the woods.
"After Blackwater took over the site, I was asked to improve that firing range, and we went step by step and evaluated the ranges that needed work. Consequentially, they all needed a lot of work to meet their standards," he said. "They've done a tremendous job of improving the facility."
He praised Blackwater for solving potential ricochet problems and shutting down their current live firing facility until a safer one can be built.
"They continue to look at those ranges all the time, and continue to make them better, and I commend them for that," he added.
"To me, that sounds like expansion, like they've been expanding this slowly over the years without getting any zoning," responded Hippie. "We need to really look into this and do it right."
Hippie urged the board to either vote down the approval, or at least table it until a later meeting, so that more concerned citizens would have a chance to voice their views.
Davis assured the board that Blackwater had no intention of expanding its operation in Jo Daviess County over the 80 acres it already owns.
"There's only so much you can do on 80 acres," he said. "We have no intention of expanding outside of that yellow line. Honestly, we're at our maximum right now."
According to Kenny, a property next to the Blackwater facility will be up for sale later this year.
Many of those who spoke on behalf of Blackwater were former or current police officers who now work with the company.
"Blackwater has been nothing but tremendous in allowing us the use of their property," said Freeport Police Officer Andy Schroeder.
Davis estimated that 80 percent of the people who train at Blackwater today are law enforcement personnel, including two judges. Many other clients are armed security guards. "Then we have just the single mother who lives somewhere where she doesn't feel safe," he said.
"If I wanted to learn to shoot," asked board member Susie Davis, "could I come down there and learn to shoot?"
Eric Davis responded that she would have to pass a felony back ground check, obtain a letter of good character from someone, and present a Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card.
"And if I wanted to bring a group down there to teach them to shoot, for the Olympics, say?" asked Susie Davis.
Eric Davis answered that every member of the group would have to be approved through the same process.
To keep in good standing with the neighbors, Blackwater operates between 8:30 and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Sunday the center is closed, and Davis said he plans to keep his day off. Approximately once a month during warmer seasons, police officers use the area for "nautical twilight" training about half an hour before sundown.
Board member Nick Tranel moved to approve the company's request, pointing out, "It has met all the requirements of the special use standards."
The board members did add a series of conditions to the motion to ensure that Blackwater will use the building as they say they will. Operations at the live-fire range will be restricted to between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., plus two days each month when it can be used until 9 p.m, and it can only be open six days per week. If any lighting is added, it must be downcast with no glare, and designed for security purposes only. The amount of traffic must remain approximately the same.
Board chairman Mel Gratton said that he has visited the Blackwater facility, and has found no problems with it. "We live in a world where people do need to train to protect life and property," he said. "I don't know where you could better site a building like this."
The vote passed unanimously.
The zoning board's recommendation is not final. The subject must go before the county board on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
21 Comments so far
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I did a paper on Blackwater so I did quite bit a research on them. It seems they may be strategically locating throughout the United States. Eric Prince and Blackwater should not be taken for granted. You may get a scene out of a war movie with this group of (citizens).
In the Spokane, Washington/Couer d'Alene, Idaho we are dealing with Blackwater as well. Blackwater purchased The Backup Training Corporation in the last couple years, turned The Backup's website into another super slick Blackwater production, and is now looking to expand operations in our area. The state of Idaho police training academy (POST) has been involved with the Blackwater and even has discussed a joint training center with Blackwater. http://www.komonews.com/news/local/18468869.html
The extent of Blackwater activity here is such that citizens are organizing and attempting to educate the public. As part of that effort, Jeremy Scahill, author of the best-selling book "Blackwater: The Rise of World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" (http://blackwaterbook.com/), will be in Spokane at the Met Bing Crosby Theater on September 30, at 7:00 PM.
David Brookbank -- "Hasta donde debemos practicar las verdades?"
A simple life of 1940's. Gee Texaco was selling gas to GERMANY to bomb the crap out of England. US was selling ships arms around the world to fight a World War they had NOT joined yet but was 2 years old in some parts. Yes things were good when your country was helping get the world at war. Funny how america is doing the same thing today in so many parts of the world. It is real easy for Americans to start a war in some other country and NOT America. Sorry WTC does NOT COUNT
As for the movie didn't he (Stewart) near the end get itno the war end of it with plastic canopies ?
As for the article, police use the place, judges, even training for the Olympics. It is a done deal since if you don't support police single mothers and the Olympics you must be one of those who are against America. FEAR WINS AGAIN
"I would like to end empire building and return to a simpler life with good universal healthcare and good affordable education and real jobs. I wish Jimmy Stewart were running for president and life was a 1940's film. Looey"
LOL. I'll second that, especially since I was about 4 3/4 years old in 1940.
Life was simpler, at least in my working-class NY neighborhood, with a very fine public school and family doctors who made house calls, very inexpensively, and sometimes free, depending ... And, yes, in 1940's films the wicked always got theirs and the message at the end of the film was that GOOD and the good prevailed and lived happily ever after or short of that were cleared from any wrong-doing or stain and honored in some way, alive or dead.
My take now is that maybe that is still true, but sometimes it takes a little longer ... perhaps even many lifetimes before it all works out.
I don't know about you, Looey, but these last eight years have been the most outrageously smarmy and so vicious to so many across the planet ... and exhausting because of the self-serving corruption in our hallowed halls of government, and very few are listening to the citizenry of this country because they really don't care. And that is so disempowering and frustrating.
Jimmy Stewart ... yes, but as important, a cast of those who really start listening and do their jobs for the public that they are there in D.C. and elsewhere to do.
enuf ... THE RNC is introducing Governor Gail Palin at this moment. [radio/no TV], but listening very carefully, sometimes I think is as good, and sometimes better.
peace ... cm
Good for you, Martin, for bucking Blackwater. I hate feeling so helpless in this empire/failing democracy. Blackwater's record in Iraq is evidence that their employees are over paid and unsupervised and that they continue to leave a trail of rape incidents that are not investigated. Their employees are also screwed. No insurance.
Your local police might like the perks they offer in the neighborhood but don't look under the surface. Blackwater is only accountable to thier bottom line and to the donations their owner makes to many.
It's clear that outsourcing war makes an already bad thing worse. Members of our military complain they do the same work for less pay.
There is no hope if McCain wins this election. If Obama goes ahead with a large operation in Afghanistan, it is not likely that he will change the corporate government and outsourcing and all of the hypocrisy around all the wars: drugs, terrorism etc. How more hypocritical is in to spend billions to wage a war on drugs while Afghanistan is leaking opium.
I would like to end empire building and return to a simpler life with good universal healthcare and good affordable education and real jobs. I wish Jimmy Stewart were running for president and life was a 1940's film. Looey
Our view must be what is happening both nationally and globally. U.S./Zionist Israel --individually or in partnership-- acting, arming others, instigating others ... attacking, killing, rounding up, bombing ... oops! oh, more civilians killed ... why, my goodness ... well, it was an accident or huh, WE didn't do it ... ahhh, but we'll investigate. ... Sure.
The expanding Blackwater facilities dotting the U.S. are the spreading home of the Presidium Guard for the Empire. The riot-geared, taser-toting, pepper-spraying state and local police ignoring the Bill of Rights as they go after non-violent protestors wherever they are ... no warrants needed ... just following orders ... Spying, crumbling economy, slave-labor time coming ... Control of food and screwing with it genetically, control of water, control of health with a brain-washed public eating every kind of pill imaginable by the handful, including psychotropic drugs given to tots and teens too.
Read ... reread: Presidential Directive #51, quietly signed by Bush a year or so ago. He and the Director of Homeland Security have full powers as the rest of the government disappears, and that includes powers over the National Guard and State and Local police ... Cute.
Everything points to a creeping takeover. Election ... maybe ... a new president sworn in? ... depending who it is ... if the wrong one ... forget it ... true coup d'etat time ...
... with Blackwater and those Haliburton-built now-empty detention centers waiting to be filled.
Everything is connected ... Bush Crime Family, Cheney, the Neocons, Michael Chertoff & Homeland Security, the ubiquitous Karl Rove and Henry Kissinger, The Justice Department and Michael Mukasey, the corporate-owned cooperative/muzzled media, a bunch in the legislatures, a bunch in the military services, the truly fat cats of the financial/banking systems and who owns and controls them, particular European leaders and England's select leaders, in or out of office, on the band wagon, and so much more ...
The demonstrated power of "the Shock Doctrine" since the 1970's; the
unpublicized North American Union [U.S. government calls it the Security & Prosperity Partnership] treaty signed March, 2005, by GW BUSH ... Canada and Mexico ... Who bothers to consult Congress, except for a very few already on the band wagon? Read it and connect the dots with everything else.
Just about every little piece is out there on the Internet. Many little dots ... when connected ... make one horrendous picture that's just about finished.
But, oh, boy, is that Vladimir Putin one hellava' chess-player and kung fu master or what?
Oh, would I love to be wrong? You bet I would, ... but ever since Election 2000 plus about 5 months into the Bushian administration, my gut knew and then my mind, as I watched it all unfold like a many-tentacled, fire-breathing, sneaky creature ... up to where we are now ... and still ... most of the U.S. public do not have a clue. C'est la vie.
peace.
Most of Congress was well aware of the Blackwater idiocy--The Gov. of NO deputized them during Katrina--so did Naggin. I watched the hearings, and there was much bloviating by Waxman, but nothing ever happnes, They keep expanding. We must let the Dem, candidate know how distasteful the entire thing is to most Americans. We can find a way to do without them. Some say they were in St, Paul, but i have no proof of it. If we let the govt get away with it, they will be everywhere, using your tax dollars tro kill you adn your neighbors. Lets tell Dems that this is NOT acceptable! Read "Blackwater" by Jeremy Scahill, if you havent already.(paperback at Amazon) To me, they are brown shirts and should be in prison, not out shaming ther US all over the world!
Looking at an organization like Blackwater with close associations to the Republican Party, the neo-con party, one must believe that there is a greater plan. Private army's coupled with current large detention camps being built across this nation, and thanks to the Partiot Act, the ability to search your residence and detain you as a terrorist, without a warrant, just for acts of citizenship on behalf of democratic freedoms, is beyond alarming. Private military organizations are to be challenged and ended as soon as legally possible. The risk of the movement to hard Fascism is too great. Surely the people of Illinois know better.
Judah: I'm from Iowa and the Hippie last name is well known. I hope he wins and if not, Mr Hippie keep pressure on your local board, maybe to include some kind of oversite inspection when "training" is going on? Everybody, be very aware that our Democracy is under attack from within, James Madison said it hundreds of years ago,(not quite the exact words, but it goes somethng like) Freedom/Democracy will fail when our liberties are taken away one by one under the guise of fighting a foreign invader(?). I got it at home but that was the jest of it.
Call me paranoid if you will, but it scares the hell out of me that a bunch of right-wing mercenaries are building large "training" facilities that happen to be strategically located around the country. These guys are modern-day SS troopers in the same mold as Hitler's private army during the 1930s. They have been practicing their craft in Iraq and also, as reported on Democracy Now!, in New Orleans during the Katrina fiasco. The 3 a.m. call that Hillary demagogued about will not be to the White House, but, instead, will be Blackwater caving in the door of your house. Martial law will be here soon.
I am Martin Hippie, and I was at the Jo Daviess County Zoning Board meeting with Dan Kenny to protest the special use permit. I am real, but not yet a member of the Jo Daviess County Board. I am the Democratic candidate for the 8th district seat, however, and I have been following Blackwater since they moved into our county over a year ago. They took over a private shooting range that had been "grandfathered" in, and immediately brought in bulldozers and started "improving" the place, but not, according to our zoning board, expanding it, which would trigger a public hearing. Blackwater North is currently training hundreds of law enforcement officers from the region, and provides free access to the range for local cops. The local cops love Blackwater North, of course, but our concerns about what kind of traing they are receiving or the notorious record of it's parent company, Blackwater USA, have not been addressed. This special use request was a perfect opportunity for our local officials to call BWN to the carpet and gain a little official oversight and control, but instead they simply approve the request and moved on. It's like they don't want to get involved, and they are supposed to be our "leaders". Our County officials are clueless as to what's really going on, nationally with our military being sold to private contractors, or locally with the intentions and activities of Blackwater North. Our county officials have their heads in the sand as they let our county be taken over by companies like Blackwater. Such as a 12,000 cow mega dairy being built in our county against their advisory recommendation and with virtually no public input. I've come to believe that the only way we can save our country is to re-build our government and society from the ground up, and that begins at a local level, with our local government and bureaucratic systems. That's why I, Martin Hippie, am running for Jo Daviess County Board. Wish me luck.
Martin, the leadership that you are providing in opposition to this Blackwater surge into neighboring Jo Daviess County is appreciated. I hope that your efforts are recognized and rewarded with your upcoming election to the County Board.
Best wishes, Bill in Dubuque
Good luck, Martin. We need more people like you everywhere!
No we don't. What? Mr. Hippie states that, "A training facility is being used on agricultural land, and it seems kind of strange to me," said Hippie, Democratic candidate for the county board. "Either the zoning should be changed, or the use should be stopped." Oh my! What a radical.
This is why the current statist paradigm of Rethug/Demok is plain foolishness. Both of them accept a series of ideas that we're all to take by faith. Land ownership, governments, and a whole bunch of other things are social constructs, not inviolable laws of the universe. Even if Mr. Hippie succeeds in getting the power of the county board position, what next? Then maybe there's something that he likes that you don't. But, now he has the guns of the state on his side so, guess what? He gets what he wants and you get screwed.
If this thing is 'owned' by Blackwater, why not simply burn it down and keep burning it down until they go away? No one owns anything without others recognizing their 'right' or claim. Fuck Blackwater! Just burn the thing down and save all the hot air blowing at the stupid meetings.
"Society is in every state a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one." --- Thomas Paine, Common Sense
Rebuilding our government and society from the grassroots is what the Greens and most progressives aspire to, but what the Republicans have achieved.
Libs don't much want to get involved in government, perhaps having lost faith in it. Or maybe too busy making a living and can't spare time to run for office.
Or maybe libs prefer working outside the system, going to demonstrations and marches. But since it is clear those routes are being more firmly blocked by the power, it is heartening to see that you are trying to effect change from within.
I think one of the best ways to get progressive change is to fill the Democratic Party with progressives like yourself and to form coalitions with Greens and Indys.
Good luck Martin, and thank you.
When and if there is a revolution, blackwater will be the ruling class's most trusted ally. National guard and reserves may have a problem killing Americans, but blackwater won't. Be afraid - Be very afraid of these hired killers.
ZaZ.....your right...........and there is a growing movement in the U.S. of opposition to the activation of national guard troops for the illegal occupation Iraq. The people of the State of Wisconsin are right now fighting the activation of the 32nd Red Arrow Brigade Combat Team of the Wisconsin National Guard.
The capitalistic "powers that be" who want to rule the world, fear revolt and rising social unrest. Thus we have increasing powers of the security state, the use of National Guard troops to suppress dissent, equipping local police SWAT forces to suppress dissent, and if this doesn't work, they will have BLACKWATER.
Mercenary: That’s the definition of soulless by any account isn’t it?
Blackwater is insidious! Look around people, look at what these mercenaries have done to Iraq! Get ready to have it happen in your back yard ! This company is getting overpriced government contracts to do the dirty work of turning our country into a police state - their uniforms just look different ! They're steeling"our" money that should be going to infrastructure, health care and education and not spent on these pompous, arrogrant little soldiers marching around in their testosterone fog !
just my opinion !
Blackwater is doing this stuff all over the country (as wel as outdside the uS) I dont belive them when they say that you cannot be a convicted felon--how in hell would they know? They hire people from Poland, Uzbekistqan, out of prisons (havent you heard som eof the interviews?)and strtaight out of Pinochet's old regime! This is not accceptable, and I wish teh Dem Party would conm eout against them! Otherwise, a School of the Americas wil be opening soon in a town near you! Make sure your kids dont threateningly step onthe property! Why cant a "progresive" candidate com eout against stuff like this? Is it that hard to say you are anti-war, non-violence, anti-gun ownership? (maybe that last on is a stretch--but guns in DC it too much!)
Looks like the article got hacked, as I don't believe anyone named 'Hippie' is on the board:
To me, that sounds like expansion, like they've been expanding this slowly over the years without getting any zoning," responded Hippie. "We need to really look into this and do it right."
Hippie urged the board to either vote down the approval, or at least table it until a later meeting, so that more concerned citizens would have a chance to voice their views.