Blackwater training 40,000 people/ year in NC. What is happening in the US?

[AlinPA]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2219612,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12

[BelgianMadCow]

1. Good question. 1st rec.

[defendandprotect]

2. Congress should act to stop this PRIVATIZATION . . . very dangerous ---

[Emillereid]

3. Heads up mates -- they're training the new brown shirts right in front of us.

K&R

[peacetalksforall]

9. with money they stole from us and services they have denied -

including our little kids and our soldiers.

[havocmom]

26. Yep. Corporate special police forces = fascism

Brown shirts indeed. The monsters playing the wingers have been carefully cultivating a big crop of hateful beserkers who just froth at the thought of having a wee bit of power.

We are screwn.

got ammo?

[Octafish]

30. Ollie North's idea back in 1984.

Ollie the traitor planned to deputize the Michigan Militia and all the right-wing civilian gun-nuts and use them to round-up foreigners and dissidents in the event of war in Central America. Those arrested were to be interred in abandoned military bases. The idea was part of Readiness Exercise 84, REX 84.

[wildbilln864]

4. They're getting ready to...

fill those civilian detention centers that Haliburton is building!

[AlCzervik]

5. hmm, a privatized national guard?

[Deja Q]

29. I wonder what the pay and benefits are...

[Pavulon]

6. Police courses

I believe they teach advanced firearms training. SWAT training and such. I dont think they have 40,000 people standing around up there.

[SharkSquid]

7. I have gone to a Blackwater run training center

The Masters at Arms in the Navy receive some training from Blackwater and other security firms.

[supernova]

10. I have to say all in all

I don't think orgs like Blackwater are a good idea.

They enjoy looking for trouble.

[tridim]

14. And they're ripped on steroids while packing heat. nt

[supernova]

18. Ain't that a lovely addition?

Sure explains all the stories about them going off half-cocked.

[AlinPA]

12. That sounds a bit better.

[EFerrari]

8. Not only that. They are recruiting from the most corrupt and inhumane

forces all around the world -- from Colombian paramilitaries, torturers from El Salvador, defenders of apartheid in South Africa.

I figured this out: we keep hearing how they recruit retired special forces -- so that we don't question them because we STILL "support the troops", right? The fact is, they are recruiting people from some of the most abusive forces in the world.

[aikoaiko]

11. Training marketable and useful skills nt

More Democrats, liberals, and progressive need to learn how to defend themselves and others with weapons.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

13. Did you know that Blackwater charges $20,000 per person for merc training?

Yes, I know they prefer to call themselves independent contractors, but if mercenary is good enough for the UN, it's good enough for me.

[intheflow]

15. kick

[Golden Raisin]

16. Once again I ask --- Where are the

Democratic candidates & leadership (or for that matter the Republicans) on this? Why are they not speaking out loudly and publicly about the obvious disturbing Brownshirt aspects of the coming to prominence of Blackwater? And where are the Joint Chiefs? Do they approve of a competitive private army responsible, beholden and reporting to private corporate interests with God knows what agenda? The silence is deafening. Of course its more important at the idiotic "debates" to ask questions about UFO's then the growing presence of a private militia of stormtroopers right here in the "Homeland".

[goforit]

17. Wow.

[OneBlueSky]

19. is there any doubt that the long-term plan is to make Blackwater . . .

the de facto federal law enforcement agency in the United States? . . . as well as the corporate arm of the U.S. military? . . .

[Echo In Light]

20. Painfully obvious

[phantom power]

21. Blackwater has "eventual military coup" written all over it.

[havocmom]

27. replace 'military' with corporate and you have it right

Fascism

[leveymg]

28. I predict a good number of the company's directors will be indicted.

Starting with Cofer Black, Buzzy Krongard, and Robert Richer.

This may be the sharp end of the stick: Wiki

On September 22, 2007, U.S. federal prosecutors announced an investigation into allegations that Blackwater employees may have smuggled weapons into Iraq, and that these weapons may have been later transferred to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a Kurdish nationalist group designated a terrorist organization by the United States, NATO and the EU.<99><100><101> The U.S. government was investigating Blackwater for these alleged crimes.<102> On October 4, 2007, the FBI took over the investigation.<103>

According to Prince, he stated in September 2007 that there was a “rush to judgment” about Blackwater, due to "inaccurate information". <104>

[shance]

22. Watch the Panama Deception - that can help better explain.

n/t

[AuntPatsy]

23. This should really be worrisome to many Americans.

[tom_paine]

24. But it isn't. Not really.

Switch the channel. The latest on Brittany is on.

[devilgrrl]

25. They're training to join Hugo Chavez's private army!!!!

:sarcasm:

[redqueen]

31. ZOMG!