WHAT THE $#@^#! BLACKWATER AND THE RED CROSS

[Marleyb]

Anyone else notice they seem to have gotten away with murder in New Orleans, and then changed the subject? They have stolen even more money from the American people and given it to FEMA who is giving it to Halliburton, Bectel, Red Cross and faith based organizations. In the meantime, only small groups of volunteers are actually helping and they are being harrassed by FEMA. They are even blaming the crappy economy on the hurricanes. And now this...

"Yesterday I drove to the Algiers Red Cross distribution point which is located in the southern section of the Algiers neighborhood near the middle-class white section of town. As soon as I walked in, I noticed a frowning young man in a khaki shirt and black hat with a sidearm and corporate logo prominently displayed.

Blackwater Security is now providing security to the Red Cross! That's right, you heard correctly. Armed mecenaries are providing security to a (supposedly) humanitarian relief organization. I spoke with three Red Cross volunteers about what was going on with their distribution and pointed out that Blackwater is a group of armed mercenaries - corporate contractors who have a very bad reputation. I offerred the question - who are they accountable to?"

A well meaning volunteer from Vermont said that the Blackwater guys were very nice and they offered protection. I asked, "Who do you need protection from?" The conversation ended.

So if you donated money to the Red Cross, you are supporting extra-legal armed mercenaries who were observed shooting people out of French Quarter windows following Katrina. Hurricane relief at gunpoint. Aren't you proud?"

http://www.realreports.blogspot.com/

[pitohui]

1. don't ppl get tired of crapping on the red cross

if you don't want to give, don't

if you would give elsewhere, fine

but if the point is to actually discourage giving to ppl who are in great need, you should be ashamed of yrself

where all these wild attacks on red cross & other charities coming from

[SpiralHawk]

2. Give elsewhere, by all means

[SammyWinstonJack]

24. I will. nt

[Marleyb]

9. reality check

The point is to expose the truth about what is happening. As I am sure you know, the corporate news doesn't tell us the truth. They told everyone the way to help the people of New Orleans is to donate to the Red Cross. I have been reading blogs from real people there, and it seems that the Red Cross is nowhere to be found. With the millions of dollars that have been donated, everyone should have what they need by now, not being given the run around.

So the question is, if the Red Cross are the good guys, why do they need blackwater security to protect them? What is going on?

[MildyRules]

15. Because even good guys get shot at

sometimes. Are you saying that "good" guys don't need protection?

[Marleyb]

17. I just really doubt

that mindless thugs are shooting at Red Cross workers. If they were, I believe it would be because they need supples. However, I have read far more stories about blackwater being the mindless thugs themselves.

I don't know what is going on, but I doubt many people would support paid mercenaries in New Orleans, especially being involved with the Red Cross. They seem to be practicing for the future which is looking more frightening every day. Their obvious intention now is to get rid of posse comitatus, and when they get that, well, sorry not enough national guard, we have to use our corporate armies. Do you trust corporations to protect your interests or theirs?

I just read this about national guard practice "Operation Urban Warrior where actors posed as American citizens who were Unconstitutionally seized from their homes by the military and police. These Americans: were rounded up and confined behind barbed-wire"



"The actors were told to demand to be let free and state that they had rights. They were also told to demand food and water. The troops in turn were taught to ignore them and to order them to behave in an orderly fashion. "Civil disobedience will not be tolerated" was one of the many disturbing statements heard to emanate from the military’s loud speakers."

okay, maybe I am just freaking out....but WHAT.THE.FUCK!!

[Craig3410]

20. Link please for the last paragraph?

Geez, I can't believe that's happening, but since it almost definately is, I'd like to read anything else about it.

[IndyOp]

21. Operation Urban Warrior - Link Please! (nt)

[Marleyb]

22. I wish I were just paranoid...

but after the fighter jet lack of response on 9/11, the way they used it to attack Iraq...and now the way they stood by while thousands died in New Orleans, actually prevented others from helping...I put nothing past these people!

here's a link
http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/urbanwarrior/

"MISSION STATEMENT: To support the national military strategy of preparing for the threats of a new century and a changing enemy. To enhance domestic national security. To conduct and refine disaster relief and humanitarian assistance operations for use in the United States and abroad. To conduct urban combat operations and ready Marines for the likelihood that battles in the 21st Century will be focused in the world's rapidly expanding urban areas."

pictures from Oakland
http://www.infowars.com/ouwmar9901.html
more info
http://infowars.net/Pages/Sept05/270905Martiallaw.htm

[IndyOp]

23. Can you get to the articles at these links? I can't --

Marines Use Actors for Experimental Training
Marines Prepared for Protesters

I think you are right to be concerned. Perhaps even right to be very concerned.

[IndyOp]

25. The picture above is for a drill run in 2000 -

still concerning, but not post-Katrina.

[FreedomAngel82]

26. Definitley worth looking into

It is very strange how they would have this group instead of national guard members. :shrug: I just don't trust this group at all either.

[Helga Scow Stern]

10. According to Los Angeles Times letter, RC has received $7000 per victim

of Katrina, but each victim will see only a very small amount of that.

[sarcasmo]

12. The rest has to pay Blackwater and their CEO who makes 450,000

The CEO of the Red Cross.

[flordehinojos]

11. i think the point was being made that the money was not going to thepeople

in need. it was going to bush's paid mercenaries.and hypocritical right winged faith based organizations. the poster was posting from the affected area. the poster ought to know what they are talking about. and democracynow.org can give you some enlightenment on the blackwater mercenaries in N.O. being paid by the bushites and their evil empire.

[TNDemo]

3. A question about Algiers.

My daughter's boyfriend had just finished rehabbing his house in Algiers and put it on the market by owner when the hurricane hit. Apparently it has survived the storm. What is the real estate market like in Algiers now? Are lots of people looking for a place or is it a ghost town? I have been wondering what will become of the place now.

[pitohui]

6. it may have just gone up quite a bit in value

because algiers did so well in the storm & because there was so much destruction of housing inventory & ppl still need places to live, its value may be substantially higher than it was on aug. 27

i have not been to algiers but undamaged houses & apartments in st. tammany parish have seen a huge increase in price, & the roads are seeing a huge inc. in traffic, because of all the displaced ppl

the boyfriend may want to consider getting a good real estate broker/appraiser, because he might be able to do v. well selling or leasing the house at this time

[TNDemo]

7. Thanks.

I'll pass that on. He is currently in Baton Rouge with my daughter.

[undergroundpanther]

4. These evil people

use charity the church the good guy badge to do bad things and take our rights away,

When will people STOP trusting the appearance of goodness as in religion and charities,that seem to pay their top executives more than what goes to help people. Never trust a two faced do good-er criminal.
Maybe people should just get together with their neighbors who can and work their own charities drive stuff to disasters and give it away THEMSELVES to the suffering instead of relying on organized crime dressed up as charity ,corporate middlemen,and the re thugs and their mercenaries..

In fact why don't we just stop buying stuff we do not absolutely need ,stop paying the fed government in april set up orgs to oversee taxes to to just pay the states and starve the neocon beast?

Why don't we bring out the guillotines? The Dem's are letting these pigs run all over us. I always thought there was something strange about how RC sucked up to tyrants when they reported human rights violations instead of exposing the ugly guts of tyrannical regimes,THey are a suck up to tyrants. Organized crime posing as charity.

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. *sigh* I can hardly keep up anymore

If you are able to listen to local stations, it all sounds VERY fucked up down there.

I'm wayyy up north of there (Chicago area) but managed to tune in a NO radio station last night on the car radio. Call in/news talk radio program. I'm not at all familiar with the area, so bear with me...anyway, a woman near Jellystone Park called in to report her experience in trying to fill out papers for assistance. Through the grapevine, they heard there was an office open in Jellystone Park that they could go and fill out 'the papers'. Apparently, there is no office set up for her location to do this.

She wanted to get things going to get her name into the system, so she got over there. On the door was a sign "For Jellystone Park Only". There was no line. They would not let her in or allow her to fill out papers telling her they "only had enough papers for Jellystone Park". As this was taking place, another woman came to the door saying she is "a member" and was allowed in. The caller said she could see 3 or 4 other people inside sitting at tables before the door was closed and she was completely turned away.

By the way, the caller was black. I honestly do not know if Jellystone is a white area or not. But that this woman was black and not getting the services/resources in her area was part of her point. She said they are "privatizing" the services. What she really meant was something else though.

[pitohui]

8. jellystone in robert, louisiana?

that is a campground not a town

anyone living in jellystone now is either a displaced person who lost their home or else an aid or construction worker

robert is a rural area, mostly white, the red cross is not going out of its way to shit on ppl, the problem is that they have limited resources & they have had a great deal of trouble getting to all the small towns like robert where ppl have lost their homes due to wind damage -- i don't believe robert would have had any flooding but ppl lost homes to wind and tree fall as far north as meridian, mississippi, much less robert

yes, there is a lot of confusion & ppl are having trouble getting the debit cards from red cross, i don't know the story behind that, it is not a white/black thing, ppl in st. tammany parish (white) are complaining abt it too -- and as you say, they are complaining in robert & many other rural areas where red cross has had difficulty getting access

seems to me it's a matter of too many ppl in distress chasing too little money

no one is being helped therefore when you sit on yr hands & refuse to give, it just means more ppl waiting in line who may discover that location has run out of debit cards before the red cross gets to them in line

i got my cash from fema not red cross so i can't really suggest anything more except that if ppl are in need, they keep trying, and if ppl are NOT in need, they PLEASE stop trying to discourage others from giving, the money is badly needed, long lines of ppl are standing out in the heat in lines & dropping of heat exhaustion waiting to get their funds

red cross is a non-profit, with many many many volunteers on the staff

this job is so big there would be problems & hassles no matter who was running it

crapping on red cross because they are not all-powerful is less than helpful

[Norquist Nemesis]

13. Thanks for the info and clarification :)

As I said, I'm not familiar with the area ...at all. Honestly, I don't recall whether the woman stated it was a RC or FEMA office. I was only relaying what I had heard on the radio last night.

As far as Jellystone being a camp, it struck me as odd that the caller said the other woman identified herself as "a member". That explains it. Thanks. :)

It's good to know that you're making some progress. My heart goes out to you and all of the people that were hit by the hurricanes. You're all in my prayers.

[elehhhhna]

14. fema field reps are next. they are the ones who DO care, (mostly),

but they're demoralized, demonized, etc.

A close friend will be sent south next weekend. He's an ex-fire chief, building dept. manager, and long time FEMA field guy who truly gives a rip and knows the system(s) well after so many years.

This guy's carried folks singlehandedly out of burning buildings--no chickenheart--but he's fearful of the negative reaction of our fellow Americans when he gets where he's going this time. (Leaves Oct 1, hasn't been told where, yet.)

The demons in FEMA are the Bushites--not the workers.

Pass it on.

[Marleyb]

16. I agree

I am sure that is the case with the Red Cross workers as well as FEMA folks, but someone at the top has different intentions. I just can't stand the idea of them getting away with treating our fellow Americans this way. So many people thought all they had to do was donate to Red Cross and all would be taken care of and that is not the case at all.

And FEMA!!! WTF were they doing turning all the aid away that could have saved thousands of lives?? It's criminal! Instead they have changed the subject, the fight between Brown and local officials, Russert calls out Broussard on the timing of the mom that died in the nursing home, but NO ONE is questioning the criminal actions of FEMA officials. Like this list of crimes for instance...

Pattern Emerges in Katrina Lack of Response Stories
http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=8066
This is not about red tape, it looks more like murder to me.

This definately was...
"Everybody’s suffering would have been eased if the emergency relief effort mounted by the hospital’s owner, Universal Health Services in King of Prussia, Pa., had not been interfered with by FEMA. Company officials sent desperately needed water, food, diesel fuel to power the hospital’s generators and helicopters to ferry in the supplies and evacuate the most vulnerable individuals.

Bruce Gilbert, Universal’s general counsel, told me yesterday, "Those supplies were in fact taken from us by FEMA, and we were unable to get them to the hospital"

They still haven't told us the body count. FEMA has hired a body dumping firm to take care of it. I just can't stand it anymore! We cannot let them get away with this and move on. If we do, they will be coming for us next! I think we need to march on New Orleans.

[elehhhhna]

19. Just don'[t route that march through Gretna, m'kay?

[hunter]

18. Who's paying Blackwater? That's the question.

I'd guess the feds are paying them to hang around and make themselves "useful."

[NYC]

28. That's a very important question.

I want to know who is paying Blackwater to "guard" the Red Cross.

[uppityperson]

27. Red Cross isn't helping many either anyway

There are individual wonderful RC workers, but as a whole the organization raises huge amounts of money by having a huge advertising budget, then doesn't use it wisely in providing services for those who need them. Blackwater, Red Cross, wouldn't suprise me.

Donate to Salvation Army, NOT Red Cross.

[markus]

29. I think Blackwater is there to protect them from

the Salvation Army.

They're pretty formidable, compared to the Red Cross.