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Age: 61
Sign: Cancer
City: DANBURY
State: CONNECTICUT
Country: US
Signup Date:
04/27/05
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Sunday, September 07, 2008
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Blackwater endeavors to present a new image
Category: News and Politics
Blackwater 2.0: 'Operator Disneyland'
August 26, 2008 Military.com | by Christian Lowe
MOYOCK, N.C. -- It's a name that's become synonymous with the murky world of counterinsurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan - where the subtle tones of the enemy's colors blend in with innocents.
In a war like this, no one is secure and the military has its hands full, so the American government has turned increasingly to civilian contractors who pick up the slack where military and federal security personnel left off.
One of the most recognizable players in the private security industry is Blackwater Worldwide, the company founded by former SEAL Erik Prince in the mid-1990s. Though the company is best known for its burley, highly-trained security guards who are often pictured flanking State Department officials and ambassadors in Iraq or Afghanistan, there's more to this sprawling, 7,000 acre compound here in the swampy coastal plains of North Carolina's northeast than meets the eye.
"It's a Disneyland for operators," said Blackwater founding member and current president Gary Jackson during an August 22 tour of the company's grounds. "They come here and they just can't believe it."
With an array of firing ranges, shoot houses, an aviation support fleet and a roster of trainers capable of delivering instruction on any kind of martial skill known to man, Blackwater has become a juggernaut in the world of private military companies.
Originally founded as a training and target manufacturing company, Blackwater has launched a media offensive to shake off its reputation among critics as a "shoot-first-ask-questions-later" band of bearded mercenaries. Two high-profile incidents in Iraq propelled the normally secretive company onto America's front pages, and the news wasn't good.
In March 2004, four Blackwater contractors were ambushed and mutilated in Fallujah, Iraq, sparking a brutal invasion of the city that was soon halted after the fragile Baghdad government balked at the public outcry. The incident sparked a furious debate over how prepared security contractors were to deal with the insurgency and added fuel to simmering resentment from traditional military forces angry that they had to come to Blackwater's rescue only to be pulled back before the job was done.
Then in September of last year, Blackwater guards securing a State Department motorcade were accused of killing as many as 20 Iraqis when they claimed their convoy came under fire in Nisoor Square in busy downtown Baghdad.
Though Blackwater claims a perfect record in securing its clients, some say it comes at the cost of highly aggressive tactics and civilian bullying.
In the wake of those scandals and the nagging pursuit of anti-Blackwater lawmakers, the company is working to burnish its image by going back to its roots: training and logistics services -- call it "Blackwater 2.0."
"Our biggest growth units are international training and aviation," Jackson said, explaining that his company now has only two personal security detail contracts. "I literally can't put enough airplanes out there."
With dozens of ranges that cater to everything from long distance shooters, to demolitions technicians to super-secret "tier one" special operations forces, Blackwater is hard to beat when it comes to the sheer breadth of military tactics training a force could do here - particularly at a time when communities increasingly shun the environmental impact of military operations in their backyards.
In fact, the Virginian Beach police department has a 40 year lease with Blackwater -- 30 miles from the coastal city -- to train its officers, since range space is so limited where they work, Jackson said.
And the company's entrepreneurialism doesn't stop there. In a corrugated steel airplane hanger, a row of three Blackwater-designed mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles sit in various stages of assembly. The company missed the initial order for standard MRAPs after the services reduced their buy, but the company's new MRAP II -- dubbed the "Grizzly" -- boasts greater protection against armor-penetrating explosively formed penetrator bombs and could be a player for future orders that meet that growing threat, Blackwater officials say.
They're even working on cooking-grease-fueled vehicles, power-generating windmills and airship surveillance drones.
But, ironically, it's Blackwater's re-emphasis on training that's caught the ire of lawmakers in Washington who question why the Pentagon hires out instruction critics say should be taught in the services' own school houses.
Blackwater got its first contract from the Navy after the bombing of the Cole exposed a shortfall in tactical training capacity for its sailors. After 9/11, that need increased as Sailors were called upon to board suspicious ships, defend their fleet from attackers and man defensive positions in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere.
Today, Blackwater continues that training at its facility here, bussing in Sailors from Norfolk every day to practice takedowns on the company's "ship in a box" -- stacked, floating containers assembled to mimic a ship's bridge. So far the company has trained about 130,000 sailors and says that in any one day over 5,000 students could be firing, jumping, fighting and blowing things up on a Blackwater range.
Virginia Democratic Senator James Webb, a vocal critic of Blackwater and other private military companies, has asked Pentagon chief Robert Gates to study how much training civilian companies provide the DoD and to analyze whether it would be more efficient for the services to do it on their own. Gates passed the question on to Joint Chiefs chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, who's looking into the matter.
To Jackson, all this talk gets his blood boiling. In his view, Blackwater responds to the needs of its customers when all else has failed, and he sees no problem with filling in on training that the services can't do themselves without significant investment.
"The Navy can't build that [training] infrastructure in 20 years. The only way they're ever going to get there is to start the draft," an exasperated Jackson said. "The thing that really upsets me the most is that [training] is run by contractors."
"No matter who wins the election, it doesn't matter. It's not going to stop."
© Copyright 2008 Military.com.
2:25 PM
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2 Comments - 2 Kudos
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Tuesday, September 02, 2008
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Choo choo train goes off track
Current mood:  sore
Category: News and Politics
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Currently
listening
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Another Time Another Space
By
Citrus Sun
Release date: 2001-02-27
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4:13 AM
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10 Comments - 10 Kudos
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John has an infamous reputation for being a hot head
Current mood: sore
Category: News and Politics
With a nod of Thanks to mary (CRONE) ...
A fellow Vietnam POW of McCain's warns of the candidate's "quick and explosive temper" and suggests McCain is exaggerating his imprisonment.
I Spent Years as a POW with John McCain, and His Finger Should Not Be Near the Red Button
by Philip Butler, Military.com
John McCain is a long-time acquaintance of mine that goes way back to our time together at the U.S. Naval Academy and as Prisoners of War in Vietnam. He is a man I respect and admire in some ways. But there are a number of reasons why I will not vote for him for President of the United States. When I was a Plebe (4th classman, or freshman) at the Naval Academy in 1957-58, I was assigned to the 17th Company for my four years there. In those days we had about 3,600 midshipmen spread among 24 companies, thus about 150 midshipmen to a company. As fortune would have it, John, a First Classman (senior) and his room mate lived directly across the hall from me and my two room mates. Believe me when I say that back then I would never in a million or more years have dreamed that the crazy guy across the hall would someday be a Senator and candidate for President! John was a wild man. He was funny, with a quick wit and he was intelligent. But he was intent on breaking every USNA regulation in our 4 inch thick USNA Regulations book. And I believe he must have come as close to his goal as any midshipman who ever attended the Academy. John had me "coming around" to his room frequently during my plebe year. And on one occasion he took me with him to escape "over the wall" in the dead of night. He had a taxi cab waiting for us that took us to a bar some 7 miles away. John had a few beers, but forbid me to drink (watching out for me I guess) and made me drink cokes. I could tell many other midshipman stories about John that year and he unbelievably managed to graduate though he spent the majority of his first class year on restriction for the stuff he did get caught doing. In fact he barely managed to graduate, standing 5th from the bottom of his 800 man graduating class. I and many others have speculated that the main reason he did graduate was because his father was an Admiral, and also his grandfather, both U.S. Naval Academy graduates. People often ask if I was a Prisoner of War with John McCain. My answer is always "No - John McCain was a POW with me." The reason is I was there for 8 years and John got there 2 1/2 years later, so he was a POW for 5 1/2 years. And we have our own seniority system, based on time as a POW. John's treatment as a POW: 1) Was he tortured for 5 years? No. He was subjected to torture and maltreatment during his first 2 years, from September of 1967 to September of 1969. After September of 1969 the Vietnamese stopped the torture and gave us increased food and rudimentary health care. Several hundred of us were captured much earlier. I got there April 20, 1965 so my bad treatment period lasted 4 1/2 years. President Ho Chi Minh died on September 9, 1969, and the new regime that replaced him and his policies was more pragmatic. They realized we were worth a lot as bargaining chips if we were alive. And they were right because eventually Americans gave up on the war and agreed to trade our POW's for their country. A damn good trade in my opinion! But my point here is that John allows the media to make him out to be THE hero POW, which he knows is absolutely not true, to further his political goals. 2) John was badly injured when he was shot down. Both arms were broken and he had other wounds from his ejection. Unfortunately this was often the case -- new POW's arriving with broken bones and serious combat injuries. Many died from their wounds. Medical care was non-existent to rudimentary. Relief from pain was almost never given and often the wounds were used as an available way to torture the POW. Because John's father was the Naval Commander in the Pacific theater, he was exploited with TV interviews while wounded. These film clips have now been widely seen. But it must be known that many POW's suffered similarly, not just John. And many were similarly exploited for political propaganda. 3) John was offered, and refused, "early release." Many of us were given this offer. It meant speaking out against your country and lying about your treatment to the press. You had to "admit" that the U.S. was criminal and that our treatment was "lenient and humane." So I, like numerous others, refused the offer. This was obviously something none of us could accept. Besides, we were bound by our service regulations, Geneva Conventions and loyalties to refuse early release until all the POW's were released, with the sick and wounded going first. 4) John was awarded a Silver Star and Purple Heart for heroism and wounds in combat. This heroism has been played up in the press and in his various political campaigns. But it should be known that there were approximately 600 military POW's in Vietnam. Among all of us, decorations awarded have recently been totaled to the following: Medals of Honor -- 8, Service Crosses -- 42, Silver Stars -- 590, Bronze Stars -- 958 and Purple Hearts -- 1,249. John certainly performed courageously and well. But it must be remembered that he was one hero among many -- not uniquely so as his campaigns would have people believe. John McCain served his time as a POW with great courage, loyalty and tenacity. More than 600 of us did the same. After our repatriation a census showed that 95% of us had been tortured at least once. The Vietnamese were quite democratic about it. There were many heroes in North Vietnam. I saw heroism every day there. And we motivated each other to endure and succeed far beyond what any of us thought we had in ourselves. Succeeding as a POW is a group sport, not an individual one. We all supported and encouraged each other to survive and succeed. John knows that. He was not an individual POW hero. He was a POW who surmounted the odds with the help of many comrades, as all of us did. I furthermore believe that having been a POW is no special qualification for being President of the United States. The two jobs are not the same, and POW experience is not, in my opinion, something I would look for in a presidential candidate. Most of us who survived that experience are now in our late 60's and 70's. Sadly, we have died and are dying off at a greater rate than our non-POW contemporaries. We experienced injuries and malnutrition that are coming home to roost. So I believe John's age (73) and survival expectation are not good for being elected to serve as our President for 4 or more years. I can verify that John has an infamous reputation for being a hot head. He has a quick and explosive temper that many have experienced first hand. Folks, quite honestly that is not the finger I want next to that red button. It is also disappointing to see him take on and support Bush's war in Iraq, even stating we might be there for another 100 years. For me John represents the entrenched and bankrupt policies of Washington-as-usual. The past 7 years have proven to be disastrous for our country. And I believe John's views on war, foreign policy, economics, environment, health care, education, national infrastructure and other important areas are much the same as those of the Bush administration. I'm disappointed to see John represent himself politically in ways that are not accurate. He is not a moderate Republican. On some issues he is a maverick. But his voting record is far to the right. I fear for his nominations to our Supreme Court, and the consequent continuing loss of individual freedoms, especially regarding moral and religious issues. John is not a religious person, but he has taken every opportunity to ally himself with some really obnoxious and crazy fundamentalist ministers lately. I was also disappointed to see him cozy up to Bush because I know he hates that man. He disingenuously and famously put his arm around the guy, even after Bush had intensely disrespected him with lies and slander. So on these and many other instances, I don't see that John is the "straight talk express" he markets himself to be. Senator John Sidney McCain, III is a remarkable man who has made enormous personal achievements. And he is a man that I am proud to call a fellow POW who "Returned With Honor." That's our POW motto. But since many of you keep asking what I think of him, I've decided to write it out. In short, I think John Sidney McCain, III is a good man, but not someone I will vote for in the upcoming election to be our President of the United States. source
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Currently
listening
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Another Time Another Space
By
Citrus Sun
Release date: 2001-02-27
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4:00 AM
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6 Comments - 4 Kudos
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Feeding America - an urgent action request
Current mood: sore
Category: Life
Please consider giving what you can ... Thanks!
The food crisis of the last few months has left our warehouses nearly EMPTY. Now Hurricane Gustav is slashing into the Gulf Coast, and we urgently need your help to stock the shelves with food in disaster areas. With two million evacuees and an unknown number more in the path of Gustav, the need for food is going to skyrocket in the coming days. Please help now. Every dollar you give will provide $30 worth of food. Normally, we would have a reserve of food ready to rush to those in need. NOT NOW. Exploding demand caused by the slumping economy and spiraling food and fuel costs has virtually emptied many of our food banks. And as evacuees begin reaching out for help -your gift is more urgently needed than ever. With every dollar providing $30 of food, you can see how big your impact can be: A gift of $50 provides $1,500 worth of food. A gift of $100 provides $3,000 worth. Please give to our Disaster Relief Fund in the next 24 hours! ____________________________ America's Second Harvest is now Feeding America As of September 1, 2008, America's Second Harvest will be called Feeding America. Research has told us that making this change will not only make our mission of fighting hunger and feeding Americans in need relevant to more people, but it will allow for increased awareness of a problem that is hidden to most — 35 million Americans facing hunger. As our new name suggests, our mission is the same as always — to feed America's hungry.
2:52 PM
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2 Comments - 6 Kudos
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Sunday, August 31, 2008
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For all the right reasons
Current mood: sore
Category: News and Politics
2:43 PM
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8 Comments - 12 Kudos
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Saturday, August 30, 2008
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Opportunity to help
Current mood: sore
Category: Life
Your donation of $10 will purchase 30 minute prepaid calling cards, and allow our men in uniform to call home to the states. The link to the page follows their brief bio. Please consider supporting our troops in this simple, inexpensive way.
About them: The USO is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the troops by providing morale, welfare and recreation-type services to our men and women in uniform. The original intent of Congress — and enduring style of USO delivery — is to represent the American people by extending a touch of home to the military. The USO currently operates more than 130 centers worldwide, including ten mobile canteens located in the continental United States and overseas. Overseas centers are located in Germany, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Qatar, Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guam, and Kuwait. Service members and their families visit USO centers more than 5.3 million times each year. The USO is the way the American public supports the troops.
https://www.uso.org/donate/custom.aspx?id=877&
1:47 PM
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3 Comments - 8 Kudos
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Thursday, August 28, 2008
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Activist alert - dairy hormone rGBH petition
Current mood:  awake
Category: News and Politics
Please join me in telling Eli Lilly that consumers don't want artificial hormones in their milk, at
http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/t/5915 /campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=25389
Eli Lilly recently acquired the artificial dairy hormone rBGH from Monsanto and is spreading misinformation about its benefits. As you may already know, Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone is injected into cows to make them produce more milk.
Besides the documented increase of infections in dairy cows injected with rBGH, which necessitates increased use of antibiotics, there are ongoing questions about links to cancer in humans.
Thanks,
11:18 AM
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1 Comments - 6 Kudos
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Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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Recession-proof employment
Current mood: awake
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers
Job searching has become a bit of challenge in today's uncertain economic climate. If a lucky job seeker finds a job in this recession, he may have to ask himself if he'll still be employed in six months to a year.
However, Kiplinger magazine found five "recession-proof" industries that will provide will assuage job seekers fears. In addition to providing job security, these industries are a perfect fit for veterans and allow them to apply many of the skills obtained in the military to the civilian workforce.
Here are the five industries that are recession-proof:
- Health Care. An increasingly aging population fuels demand in this field. And these careers should stay in demand for years to come. Some specific jobs with stable prospects include nurse, physical therapist and physician assistant.
- Education. Grade-school teachers who specialize in high-demand fields such as math, science or bilingual education should have an easier time finding and keeping a job.
- Security. Crime doesn't stop in a recession. That makes jobs, such as police officers, detectives, private security guards and international security experts a good bet. In the off chance that a police officer is layed-off or loses his job, he'll be able to find a job easily because demand in high.
- Environmental Sciences (Green Collar Jobs).
The green collar industry has become an ideal career choice for job seekers. The BLS expects environmental careers including ecologists, hydrologists, environmental chemists and others, to grow to 25 percent over the next decade, reports Kiplinger.
- Government. Regardless of the job market and economic situation, the federal government must press on. In fact, due to an aging workforce, the government is hiring a lot lately. There are a lot of job opportunities for job seekers in their 20s in the federal government, and there are several openings across a broad range of fields.
12:21 PM
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4 Comments - 6 Kudos
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Tuesday, August 26, 2008
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Target
Current mood: disturbed
Category: disturbed News and Politics
Okay, so if Barack Obama is potentially a target for assassination attempts (see my earlier blog about the plot uncovered last night in Colorado), does that mean you'd be wasting your vote if you chose him? Does it portend massive racial upheaval and riots far beyond those which followed the acquittals of the police officers who beat Rodney King in L.A. if (God forbid!) it should happen?
Good Lord, virtually every single public figure out there today, whether in this country or elsewhere, has people who plot against them. And sometimes those plots succeed. It isn't right, but that's a sad fact of life in this day and age.
So, because this might befall the person at some point in time, does that mean they shouldn't be afforded the opportunity to create meaningful change and try to set things on a new course? They know the risks. What is it then, if you would deny them the chance, conscientious objection?
8:36 PM
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8 Comments - 8 Kudos
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On Modification
Current mood:  sneezy
Category: Food and Restaurants
I freely admit it, I have an innate fear of "modified" foods and the risks they pose to the folks who ingest them. I think that, whether we're talking about genetically modified, Monsanto-branded foods like corn and wheat, irradiated foods like spinach, or foodstocks which may be modified in the future in order to stave off some real or imagined threats.
So I got a bit of back-of-the-neck hair-raising this afternoon when I saw this article from today's New York Times, "Deadly Pathogen Harms Florida Citrus Groves." Now I loves me my ruby red grapefruit, navel oranges, blood oranges, lemons, limes and orange juice. Lately I can't afford these the way I once did, but I buy Tropicana "Lots of Pulp" OJ when I can find it on sale, and occasionally a quart of blood orange juice.
The article scares me because it says "leading scientists" think that transforming commercial varieties genetically is the key to making them disease- and pest-resistant. I happen to be of the opinion (along with many other folks) that "modified" foods pose great potential risks to the end users (that's you and me) by introducing chemicals and their byproducts into our systems, which can serve as triggers for cancer and other diseases.
Now I'm wondering how much I really do love those citrus products, and whether it's enough for me to say, "Aw, to hell with it, go ahead and poison me!"
What say you?
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/science/26citrus.html
8:18 PM
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7 Comments - 6 Kudos
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