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Blackwater Wants $1 Billion to Train the New Afghan Police Force
That's right. $1 billion:
Blackwater Worldwide's legal woes haven't dimmed the company's prospects in Afghanistan, where it's a contender to be a key part of President Barack Obama's strategy for stabilizing the country.
Now called Xe Services, the company is in the running for a Pentagon contract potentially worth $1 billion to train Afghanistan's troubled national police force. Xe has been shifting to training, aviation and logistics work after its security guards were accused of killing unarmed Iraqi civilians more than two years ago.
Yet even with a new name and focus, the expanded role would seem an unlikely one for Xe because Democrats have held such a negative opinion of the company following the Iraqi deaths, which are still reverberating in Baghdad and Washington.
Blackwater was basically kicked out of Iraq for wantonly killing civilians in Baghdad while providing "security" for the State Department in 2007. Even though a US court failed to bring them to justice, Iraq is still pursuing the case and has so little trust in Blackwater or the people it hires that the government has explicitly said former Blackwater employees are not welcome in the country.
American forces are already on thin ice with the Afghan populace because we're killing civilians left and right with, among other things, our drones. Now Blackwater, mercenaries known around the world for their brutality, might get the contract to train the Afghan police? In what world does this seem like a good idea?
It very well may be impossible to train a functioning Afghan police force, especially on the timeline the administration wants. Any incidents with Blackwater employees in Afghanistan would only make the situation worse, and I'm fairly sure the Afghan people don't want their new police force trained in Blackwater techniques anyway, given their history.
If Blackwater gets this contract, which hopefully they will not, I can only see more anger from the Afghan people directed at America in the future.
40 Comments so far
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If this doesn't spark national and international outrage I don't know what will. Obama has supported Blackwater even during his campaign - I know - I called and complained about their use in guarding him prior to the election in his overseas trips - and one of his aids was extremely defensive - stating it was the State Department's decision and Obama would abide by current policy - I remember this distinctly.
Here is one for you. The Outdoor Channel (hunting and fishing) often uses Blackwater training sites to film their 'personal defense' shows. I both called and emailed to complain - never got a response.
The only solutions to depravities such as these are 1) massive turnouts of Progressives during primaries leading up to 2010 Congressional elections and high rates of participation in the election itself, and 2)mobilizing the masses to actually ACT instead of sitting back and watching people such as Sheehan, Swanson, Kelly, Kucinich, Sanders, et al to do all the talking and take all the heat. If you are reading this you had better make a decision and make it quick: either get off your collective asses and become hyper-active, or kiss your collective futures in a civil society good-by.
Lets see.... so we get our neo fascist paramilitary mercenaries to train the young men that we have been randomly murdering for the last eight years, I suppose this means we will be arming and equipping them as well, Hey, this seems like a really good idea to me.
What do you think dynacorp? Yup!
What do you think Halliburton? Sure!
What do you think Triple Canopy? Yo!
GAME ON!
Trainers...
www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-afghan_guardsjan08,0,7290700.story
chicagotribune.com
Former Blackwater guards indicted in shooting deaths of 2 Afghans
David Zucchino, Tribune Newspapers
January 8, 2010
Two former employees of the firm formerly known as Blackwater were charged Thursday with killing two Afghan civilians after a traffic incident in Kabul.
[...]
The indictment alleges that Cannon and Drotleff, who were in Afghanistan to provide weapons training to members of the Afghan army, shot and killed two Afghan civilians in Kabul on the night of May 5.
[...]
"...who were in Afghanistan to provide weapons training to members of the Afghan army, shot and killed two Afghan civilians..."
see here... this is how the weapon works... you aim it people... and kill them... now... we'll take any questions...
Xe what?!
... Services.
As in, "Funeral Services"
xez you.
Xe Services
Backwards
Secivre Sex
If Blackwater gets the contract, I will interpret that as another abysmal failure in judgment by the Obama Administration, another shovel full of dirt toasted out of the hole of depravity it is digging itself into.
If Xe takes over and actually trains Afghanis to police their own country: who gets the heroin?
poppy bush of course.
OMG, I like totally forgot about ALL THAT SMACK, Wow prince's legal fees are all figured out now!!
Really it's just catastrophe after catastrophe, what can top the shitstorm now.
Call in the shitstorm troopers.
Does the State Department get ANY news from alternative media or does it just assume whatever Xe/Blackwater tells them is true?
Sometimes I wonder how much ignorance of the truths we read about every day at Common Dreams and other sites and see on Amy Goodman, et cetera, is because no one in the administration uses any of the same news sources.
And Erik Prince, that conservative scumbag, calls himself a libertarian. Except when he's the one benefitting from government handouts I guess. What a hypocritical piece of garbage.
He also calls himself a "Christian." Go figure.
Nice.
Blackwater/Xe have demonstrated that they are less moral than the US military, and they will be training the next generation of Afghani warriors to take on the invaders.
Less moral than the military = more pay than the military.
Blackwater/Xe should have NO contracts under the "Defund ACORN Act", which applies to ALL government contractors who are under investigation for fraud. Just last week, two of their people have been arrested for murder.
Yes yes yes. Bring out the petards so they can be hoist on their own. I hope there is a lawyer out there somewhere who has the will and means to block this possible contract based on the Acorn Law.
Of course, the whole idea that we, the taxpayer, would pay a billion dollars to ANY private contractor to train a foreign police force is just crazy on many levels. I don't think we should be involved at all. If we are to do training, why not then use the military or a US city or state police force? The states could certainly use the money.
But let's start with blocking Blackwater. Even many in the military hate them.
Joe
Just $1,000,000,000!? After all the overages, quantum liability insurance premiums, and basic nickel and diming, it'll probably be around $30-40,000,000,000. That's still a "Deal of the Century". U.S. middle-class tax payers should rest assured, the Obama-Reid-Pelosi-Lieberman machine totally have their best financial interests at heart. God Bless! ;) ;) Wonder what Rev. Wright has been up to lately?
NO!
BID!
Xe Services will recieve the contract, and there isn't a "bloody dam thing" any of us can do about it!
And for all of those who voted for Obama, I hope you're enjoying your change. We're never leaving the Middle East unless we're thrown out, or the credulous, ignornant and apathetic people of this county turn off their televisions and computers and take to the streets "by the millions" in a "Peaceful" protest, demanding an end to this illegal and horrid Middle East oil and poppy occupation.
I don't see the latter happening anytime soon. The proles are far too content with their feckless inane programing to care. Most likely by design. Whether it's American Idol, Millionare, Survivor, Jon and Kate plus 8, all of this rubbish continues to dumb down their vapid minds.
Not to mention these complicit corporate media whores, spoon feeding the proles their daily dose of propaganda they pawn off as news. Keeping this false left-right paradigm running smooth, while are country is being pillaged from all angles.
It's quite sad watching America fall in such a pathetic and abhorrent manner.
many Americans ARE taking to the streets - the foreclosed homeless.
Guess who got tired of their shidt and kicked them out?
The Philippines!
Old "BlackHeart" showed up in those islands to do massive "training" for their misdeeds around the world, and their atrocities on the local rural population got them the boot!
They are persona-non-grata. The local police forces say they were shocked at their blatant disregard for human life and the rights of citizens. The citizens rallied together, and in a real democracy, the politicians feared for their re-elections and banned them forever.
Guess where BlackEye is going next? To your hometown to suppress rebellion. It's time to read up on American Revolutionary history so that you can figure out what you're going to do. If this thing gets any bigger, you will soon be subject to routine illegal searches of your home at the end of a machine gun.
BlackWater = Redcoat/Hessian Mercenary
It's going to get a whole lot worse. Burn off copies of good CD articles like Ray McGogvern and others and leave them laying around work, doctor's offices, neighbor's coffee tables.... Let's replace American Idol and "Fox-for-dummies" with CD.
Turning your NeoCon neighbors on to CD. I like it. On second thought, I'm not sure they could read Ray's advanced vocabulary.... You might want to give them this one too.... write it at the top of the page:
www.thefreedictionary.com
Hit the little speaker icon and it will pronounce "that big old liberal word" on the speaker.
TJ
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." - Thomas Jefferson
I'm willing to take a wild guess here and say that WAR Monger in Chief Barrack Obama is going to give the Mercenary Unit, BLACKWATER the Billion dollars that they want. And you know who is going to have to foot that bill? You, and Him and Her and Me and ALL the American People.
And then you know what else is going to happen, the people who Oppose this, they will be called a RACIST, because they are against Obama.
And all the people who voted for Obama, who are waiting for him to magically turn around all his WAR Mongering, Tyrannical positions, and become this mythological creature they thought they voted into power, they are going to all say, "oh, it's okay for Obama to pay BLACKWATER a Billion dollars, because, well, it's Obama, and he is so wonderful."
What a Joke!
Yes, that would be my guess too that Obama would give this the thumbs up.
Now that Obama has turned out to offer no hope at all, there can be no hope through the electoral system for approximately 3 electoral cycles. Another 15 years of rule by AIPAC and the MIC. No hope... No hope. The only hope I see is in economic collapse.
Bring America Back !!!!
****What say we add a few more Billions, just for taxpayer chump change, burgers & fries with that ! Then lets do
about 25 more Billions to effect regime change in Iran;
and a quick 50 Billions to solve the Pirate problem in
Somalias waters. ARRRRGGGGG, me laddies and lassies.
****Congress controls the Federal pursestrings, and if we think they are allowing these Bandits to keep their fingers in our Taxpayer Treasury, we are right on !!!!
My prediction is that first of all, Obama may not even directly be asked about this issue, much less be confronted or pressed on it.
Unless a BBC reporter sneaks in over the fence; they aren't so habituated to the Amerikan corporate media infotainwhore "kiss up/kick down" culture that mandates obsequious deference to the sitting monarch.
Secondly, if Obama IS asked to weigh in, I expect him to gravely allow that if 'we' were starting from scratch, 'we' would want to go in a different direction. On the other hand, overall Blackwater and the other security contractors are doing a pretty good job under tough circumstances-- and 'we're' not about to put them out of business.
And he might toss in a parting Vow or Resolve to demand renewed Vigilance by the appropriate oversight authorities to make sure that everything remains copasetic.
By this time next year, he'll stop to kiss a proffered baby after leaving the royal podium, just for good measure.
· Yr Obd't Servant
Lets see if I understand this right - Our "leaders" invaded two countries and killed nearly a million people to prevent those countries from being used as a training ground for terrorists. Now our long wars have made it possible for Afgans to instead be trained by Blackwater/xe, admitted murderers and assasination experts.
Just goes to show that crime and murdering sprees really do pay! And in shovel-fulls, too!! Give me a semi-automatic and let me content for the job. Yippee!!! Who says you can't fight terrorism with terrorism?
Train the New Afghan Police Force - to be just like Blackwater?
If Wall Street wanted to pick a cabinet for this President they would selected exactly the one in place now . Often the most important things are said but missed by so many . The senior Senator from Illinois said on the floor of the Senate "Wall Street owns this place" . The implication of that has been totally missed . On the day Senator Obama was inaugurated as President , Senator H.R. was at the microphone announcing to the world that "Congress was not going to be pushed around . Congress is an EQUAL branch of this government" . The implication of that has been totally missed . What the Wall Street banks want , What "the military industrial complex" want , What the insurance corporations want , What the energy corporations want , and what every other large industry wants has been worked on by their lobbyist for years and we are now at a point where the members of our law makers are prospering , their families are prospering , and their friends are prospering from the inroads industry has made into controlling our government . Nothing can be done by any person or group of persons with out funding so he that controls that funding controls every thing . So , refering back to what the leader of the Senate said : What did that impy ? Every outstanding President we have had was a member of the Washington Good Old Boy's Club and came from a status the whole country knew of . FDR had a relative whose face was carved in a famous mountain side and had been the President of the U.S.A. And LBJ was very well known long before even became VP . The only thing the present President has to offer is the electorate . He came from no where and does not have any famous relatives . But the electorate put him there to do a job they want done and with out a unified electorate the electorate will surely fail in what they want done . So , where will Congress find $1B for Afghanistan if they can not find for this nation's health ?
Jeevee
... and find for the ecological survival of this planet?
The senior Senator from Illinois forgot to say that Wall Street owns this President too!
The adminstration figures that if we and the Afghani's don't want Blackwater training their police, they can always send them to the school of the Americas' for real top notch training!
1 billion of your tax dollars to train people to torture, rape and murder innocent civilians. GET THE HELL OUT.
I was hoping the people who were guarding the USA State Department in Kabul, you know the $200,000 a year employees who ate potatoe chips out of each others anuses' ( no joke) would be available.
What's the difference if it's Blackwater, Dyncorp, or Giuliani Partners? A mercenary is a mercenary, and a recruiter of mercenaries who plan to train an armed force that is tasked with policing an indigenous population in support of America and its puppet colonial administrators, as well as American property acquired by conquest, will be equally corrupt, equally profiteering, equally hated, equally under attacks requiring American military reprisals, and equally distorting of American politics no matter who gets the contract.
Please try to look past symbolic bogeymen. Blackwater is not the evil entity here. It's the people offering the contract, not the people bidding for it.
If this kind of thing has to be done at all, and maybe it does (there are situations where police are necessary -- people do steal cars and burglarize homes), the trainers should come from a neutral Muslim country that has a credible criminal justice record. That way there would at least be hope that some portion of the Afghan civilian population could think that all that's going on is actual training of ordinary police for police work rather than a foreign occupying army training a local armed establishment in support of the occupation.
Blackwater is an evil company, but so are all its competitors. They all exist in response to demand. The rise of Blackwater only parallels the rise of the contracting system, and the crimes of Blackwater only parallel those of its employers. It's the people writing the checks we need to go after, not the people receiving them.
Excellent comment,,a little hard for these fellows to turn down the large money offered.
But what is the point of having a police unit anyway when there are no courts to try offenders,, no established criminal justice system at all?
I suspect these Blackwater (Xe) "trainers" will be used to control the drug trade,, and little else.
I watched more than three hours of C-Span the other night,, ex intelligence and security professionals, and then another hour of Ambassador Holbrooke,, and there was not one mention of drugs or heroin. Not mentioned one time.
I truly suspect that we are taking over the very lucrative drug trade,, enabling the laundering of the drug money, using the drug trade for whatever purposes our directors and planners feel is appropriate.
"The Politics of Heroin," witten by Alfred W. McCoy gives an incredibly well documented account of how heroin is used in war torn regions. I highly recommend it.
I would also recommend reading what the ex head of UNODC wrote about the heroin trade in Afghanistan; he suggested the drug money profits were used to pay for the recent Wall Street bailout,,, the two figures match up very closely.
The only thing that will ever slow Washington down now is a possible tax revolution. We enable their behavior by continuing to send our money there. It's just like giving your alcoholic uncle $20, and then asking him please to slow down on his drinking. Doesn't make any sense. We are out of control.
We see now that nothing we say,write or vote for has any effect,, perhaps until there is more effective international law enforcement little can be done. Wish I had something more cheerful to conclude with!
They will get the billion.