Great Article Re- BLACKWATER Around the World

[snot]

Just wanted to make sure y'all saw this Buzzflash interview at http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/interviews/057 :

Jeremy Scahill Goes Inside Blackwater, the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army

Submitted by BuzzFlash on Tue, 03/20/2007 - 8:54pm. Interviews <http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/interviews>
A BUZZFLASH INTERVIEW

Someone who is deeply linked to the Christian right, and to the current Administration, has turned around and started what has become the world's most powerful private mercenary army. These guys are like neo-Crusaders. To have them on the government payroll to the tune of $750 million, operating in a Muslim country, should be frightening to everyone who understands that.

-- Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army <http://www.buzzflash.com/store/items/524>

* * *

"(W)e have upwards of 100,000 private contractors in Iraq. They are subjected to no effective laws. There's almost no oversight. They operate with almost no transparency.
(snip)

"It really boils down to an absolute subversion of the nation-state and what little semblance of democracy we have in this country. The American people are against the war. But the Administration no longer needs to turn to the army of the country to fight its wars. It can now hire mercenaries from all over the world. So we really are seeing a subversion of democratic processes, a subversion of the electoral system in this country, and a waging of aggressive, offensive wars using private soldiers. 
(snip)

"Blackwater is guarding not just the U.S. ambassador, and the various U.S. occupation outposts around the country, but also ninety Congressional delegations that have gone in and out of Iraq, including Nancy Pelosi. So the United States has outsourced the protection of its most important officials."

(More at http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/interviews/057)

[babylonsister]

1. Also check out Democracy Now! website; they interviewed Scahill

for two days; devastating info there.

[cali]

4. Scahill was amazing- brilliant, fluid

as you said just devastating. Can't wait to read his book.

[soothsayer]

2. Shrubby's lawyer was Blackwater's counsel; new counsel is Ken

Starr. Lovely little cozy world, ain't it?


Chilling!

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. You know, if I were an anti-war congressman I'd be very leery of

being protected by mercenaries in the pay of my political enemies.

Just sayin.

[annabanana]

6. yeppers. . . . . n/t

[soothsayer]

5. so when shrub flees/retires to paraguay, will they launch a coup

on the US using blackwater forces? is that why he's weakening and softening up the military?