Day: September 2, 2008

Blackwater and Gustav

Last Friday, Blackwater sent out an email. This, of course, is the famous mercenary company that not only has operated in Iraq and Afghanistan, but was actually in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and beyond, in 2005 made $70 million in federal money just off of its Hurricane Katrina contracts. Last Friday, Blackwater sent out an email to its network of independent contractors. The company boasts of having some 20,000-plus individuals that it can call out at a moment’s notice. And the contract was looking for personnel that would be interested in deploying in, what the email said, areas affected by Hurricane Gustav.

And the kinds of individuals that Blackwater was looking to hire for operations potentially in the hurricane zone were law enforcement officers who were sworn, currently sworn, and wanted the specification of their arms status, if they were allowed to use semi or auto, automatic weapons; individuals with arrest powers; armed security officers. And it said that all of the applicants must be US citizens. And so, Blackwater, as of last week, was already starting for this—toward this mobilization.

What we know from experience with Blackwater in the hurricane zone is that this is not a company that believes it needs orders from any government agency to deploy, armed, on the streets of an American city. Erik Prince, the owner of Blackwater—I had this confirmed to me by a senior Blackwater executive—Blackwater’s owner Erik Prince simply decided in Hurricane Katrina to send over 180 men, armed, onto the streets of an American city. And when I interviewed them in New Orleans, they told me that they were there to confront criminals and stop looters.

Now, a week after Blackwater arrived in Hurricane Katrina on the streets of New Orleans, they were hired by the Bush administration through the Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Service, and Blackwater billed the United States government $950—nine-five-zero—$950 per man per day for its operations in the hurricane zone. At one point they had 600 men stretching from Texas through Mississippi and the Gulf. And Blackwater made, as I said, over $70 million just in its federal contracts. That’s doesn’t count the work that Blackwater picked up with wealthy individuals, private businesses, etc.

And finally, what I would say is that several of the men that I talked to were veterans of the Iraq occupation, had just been there two weeks earlier. Some of them were complaining that in New Orleans there wasn’t enough action for them. This is a company that is under multiple investigations, whose operatives are accused of killing civilians. The idea that they would once again be invited to deploy or allowed to deploy, armed on the streets of an American city, I think should be disturbing not just to residents of the Gulf but to all people in this country who are concerned about the fate of those residents of the Gulf right now.

Opportunists to the last!  THis company in NO WAY should profit from the horror of a hurricane.  The need for mercenaries would not be necessary if we had more troops at the disposal of the states.  To have that amount of troops available for hurricanes would mean that dumbass wars need to be avoided.

Is McCain Gambling?

You bet he is!  THis is a piece from the LA Times.

Only four days ago, the nation’s voters were asked to accept John McCain’s assurances that Sarah Palin, known to only a tiny portion of the public and barely to McCain himself, was fully suited to be vice president.

But now the magnitude of McCain’s gamble is becoming clear.

For every piece of the portrait of Palin that the McCain campaign sketches, a far more complicated picture of the Alaska governor is drawn.

The youthful mother of five whose placement on the ticket was meant to reinforce traditional values has now revealed that her unmarried teenage daughter is pregnant — a piece of information that the family and the campaign said they had hoped to keep private.

The woman introduced to America as a reform-minded Washington outsider who opposed the infamous “bridge to nowhere” — the symbol of McCain’s hatred of wasteful spending — originally supported its construction. The governor who in her introductory speech decried the practice of budgetary “earmarks” sought, as the state’s chief executive and as mayor of Wasilla, hundreds of millions of dollars in such federal funding for local projects.
Moreover, Palin has now retained a lawyer to represent her in a controversy the McCain campaign said it had fully researched — Palin’s role in dismissing a state police official who had refused to fire a trooper who divorced Palin’s sister.

On Monday, the McCain campaign dispatched lawyers to Alaska in a move described as an attempt to manage a growing crowd of journalists who have traveled there to inspect Palin’s background. But the move raises the impression that the McCain campaign didn’t know everything about his No. 2 and is now racing to learn what it can while trying to avoid tough questions about the Arizona senator’s decision-making process
One Republican strategist with close ties to the campaign described the candidate’s closest supporters as “keeping their fingers crossed” in hopes that additional information does not force McCain to revisit the decision. According to this Republican, who would discuss internal campaign strategizing only on condition of anonymity, the McCain team used little more than a Google Internet search as part of a rushed effort to review Palin’s potential pitfalls. Just over a week ago, Palin was not on McCain’s short list of potential running mates, the Republican said
The campaign has little room for error. A new CBS News poll found that 66% of registered voters were undecided about Palin. And although enthusiastic support from the GOP base is important, strategists know that McCain cannot win without appealing to moderate voters as well — a bloc that the campaign had hoped Palin’s middle-class roots would help win over

Pakistanis Miss Al-Qaeda’s No. 2

Close but not cigar.  Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.  Did they really?  Or is this just BS to keep US funds flowing?

Pakistani troops narrowly missed a recent opportunity to capture al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri, an official said.

A location in Mohmand tribal region on the Afghan border was attacked after Zawahiri’s wife was seen there, said Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik.

But the soldiers did not find the couple, he said.

Zawahiri was number two – behind only bin Laden – in the 22 “most wanted terrorists” list announced by the US government in 2001 and continues to have a $25m bounty on his head.

Zawahiri was reportedly last seen in the eastern Afghan town of Khost in October 2001, and went into hiding after the fall of the Taleban.

He escaped a US missile strike in January 2006 near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan aimed at killing him.

Is Unlimited Internet Access In Jeopardy?

Last week, Comcast — the second-largest Internet service provider in the country — announced that starting Oct. 1 it would officially set a threshold for monthly Internet usage.

In an online announcement, the service provider said that although it already contacts residential customers who use excessive amounts of bandwidth, it had never provided a specific limit. Now, Comcast said it will amend its user agreement to say that users will be allowed 250 gigabytes of monthly usage

The company emphasizes that its cap is generous and will only affect about 1 percent of its 14.4 million customers. Experts say these customers might include heavy gamers and those who use a significant amount of bandwidth for creating or uploading video.

But industry watchers note that Comcast’s decision is indicative of a trend by Internet service providers to move toward usage-based service plans.

Today In Labor History

02 September

Rioters attack, set fire to Chinese section of Rock Springs, Wyo., kill 28 Chinese miners, wound 15. The “Rock Springs Massacre” resulted from mounting anti-Chinese sentiment over their role as cheap labor and as strikebreakers. Sixteen white suspects were arrested, tried and acquitted – 1885

Operating railway employees win 8 hour day – 1916

Mineowners bomb striking West Virginia coal miners by plane, yet another owner outrage in what was to become known as The Battle of Blaire Mountain. A cease fire was declared the next day – 1921

Macbeth Mine explodes, kills 10 workers at the Hutchinson Coal Co. mine in Logan County, W. Va. Six months later 18 more miners were killed in another explosion – 1936

As female flight attendants testify before a House Labor committee about age discrimination, Rep. James H. Scheuer (D-NY) asks the attendants to “stand up, so we can see the dimensions of the problem.” The airlines were firing most attendants by age 35 because management saw them as no longer attractive – 1965

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) was signed by President Ford, regulating and insuring pensions and other benefits, and increasing protections for workers – 1974

Maliki Becomes His Own Man

While the Bush Administration publicly hails the “progress” within Iraq which has allowed them to turn over control of Anbar province to the Iraqi government, many officials are reportedly expressing private concerns that success has gone to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s head, that he does not fully appreciate the US military’s role as his “enablers,” and that this is leading him to assert an uncomfortable level of independence.

This independence is perhaps most pronounced in Prime Minister Maliki’s stance on the terms of a draft agreement on long-term US military presence in Iraq. Maliki has demanded a “firm” timeline for a pullout, in contrast to America’s “aspirational time horizon,” which would leave the pullout conditional on certain progress metrics. He has also fought America on the question of immunity for US military personnel and contractors, the terms of which would be key to his ability to push the agreement through Iraq’s parliament.

Yet it is also seen operationally. Maliki has pressed the US to turn over control of the Awakening Councils to the Iraqi government, which the US has been reluctant to do. Considerable distrust remains between the faction and the government, as demonstrated by the reticence toward integrating them into security forces, and by the Council’s negative reaction to the Anbar handover.

Anbar Is For Iraqis

Two years ago, Anbar Province was the most lethal place for the Americans in Iraq, with a marine or a soldier dying here nearly every day. The provincial capital, Ramadi, was a moonscape of rubble and ruins. Islamic extremists controlled large pieces of territory, with some so ferocious in their personal views that they did not even allow the sale of bread.

In the past two years, the number of insurgent attacks against Iraqis and Americans in Anbar Province has dropped by more than 90 percent. Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, a homegrown Sunni Arab extremist group that American intelligence agencies have concluded is led by foreigners, has been severely degraded, if not crushed altogether. Since February, as the situation improved, American commanders have cut the number of marines and soldiers here by more than a third, they said.

The transfer of authority codified a transformation that Iraqi and American officers say has been in effect since April: the Iraqi Army and the police operate independently and retain primary responsibility for battling the insurgency and crime in Anbar. The Americans, who had long done the bulk of the fighting, have stepped into a backup role. With the transfer on Monday, Iraq now bears the primary responsibility for maintaining security in 11 of its 18 provinces.

The “good” news continues in Iraq, so maybe our troops can return home to their families.

Stealing McCain’s Thunder

Before I go to my post I want to say that Gustav decided not to visit my area, so my practice of threading water was not needed.  MY heart goes out to those in the hurricane’s path.

As Hurricane Gustav slammed the Gulf coast on Monday before being downgraded to a tropical storm, an unofficial bipartisan ceasefire prevailed, with most Republicans and Democrats pulling their punches while a major part of the country was being battered by the storm.

Normally, Republican speakers this week would be extolling the virtues of McCain and trying to define his Democratic rival Barack Obama as a liberal who would raise taxes.

Instead, the conclave in Minnesota has turned from politicking to raising money for Gustav victims, with U.S. first lady Laura Bush and McCain’s wife Cindy leading the charge.

So Gustav has been a mixed blessing for McCain.  The Pres and Vp have decided to stay in Washington and play cards or something equally as important.  McCain’s pick for Vp is coming with substantial baggage, like the troopergate, as it is being called and the announcement that her 17 year old daughter is pregnant.  Also there are questions about her vetting process.  So, Gustav has given the media something else to fixate on, which will give McCain a bit of a rst—for now.