Blackwater Public Forum
October 26th, 2007 Blackwater Satellite Photo: 36.27 N 76.12W |
I live just 30 minutes south of the Blackwater Training Center, the company which has been in the news much of late for killing Iraqi civilians. Locals here in North Eastern North Carolina overwhelmingly support Blackwater, which is one of the area’s largest employers (600 locals), against the charges.
While I do feel Blackwater provides a valuable service training police officers and military personnel, I harbor a great deal of distrust toward the firm’s military operations in Iraq. I don’t like the idea of America hiring mercenaries to represent us overseas, and wrote a letter to the local paper about it:
I find it unsettling that we have a large den of mercenaries just a few day’s march to the north of us. U.S. Army infantry officer Robert Bateman described an encounter with Blackwater in Iraq, where a caravan of contractors ran cars off the road and sent Iraqi civilians diving for cover as they fired randomly into the air. Another Blackwater mercenary got drunk and murdered a bodyguard for the Iraqi vice president. He was sent home with a small fine.
How do these actions serve American efforts to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people? How does such deplorable behavior accomplish anything but generate more animosity towards Americans and spawn more insurgents? Blackwater is putting our soldiers in danger, and our government has a responsibility to hold them accountable.
The problem with contracting out our national defense is that mercenaries work outside of the military chain of command. We can’t court-martial them, throw them in the brig, or put them in front of a firing squad when they work against American military interests.
The Romans had a large mercenary army, and whenever the city could not meet its monetary demands, the soldiers sacked Rome, raiding and pillaging their payment by force. The American Government has paid Blackwater $1 billion so far for services in Iraq.
If we are going to contract out our Nation’s security to private firms, then these companies must be held accountable to Military law and subject to the chain of command. When their tactics endanger our troops, they should be immediately dismissed. When they murder, they should go to prison.
If Blackwater has American interest at heart, it will comply with the American Military’s honorable codes of conduct and rules of engagement.
- “Hold Blackwater to Military Codes,” The Daily Advance, 10/18/2008.
Last night, Blackwater hosted an open house at its training center in Moyock, North Carolina, and I was able to attend. As this was a forum for local residents only, proof of local residency was required, and a Channel Three News van was forced to wait outside the premises. I was nervous about coming onto the compound as I was turned away a week earlier, but not before snapping this photo of the security gate:
 Blackwater’s Intimidating Front Gate |
My impression of the compound? Not Impressed. The airstrip was dinky, barely long enough to land a C130 on, and the three helicopters parked around the squat control tower were all non-military. The obstacle courses, firing ranges, and driving course were all ho hum. This wasn’t the “den of mercenaries” I had made it out to be. If Blackwater were ever to get out of line, the Coast Guard base where I work is more than capable of kicking their butts.
Blackwater is certainly not the “Deathfang’s Midnight Posse of Merciless Skull Warriors” the blogworld and Blackwater employees make it out to be.
There was free food at the forum, and President Gary Jackson reviewed the company history and fielded questions from local residents about the future of Blackwater and it’s relationship to the locality. Here were some notes of interest from the forum:
- Few people showed up, maybe 20 out of 300 seats allowed, as the wrong phone number was published in the Daily Advance. The DA blames Blackwater. Blackwater blames the DA. The DA did not publish the correct number when I figured it out and e-mailed them the correct one a week ago.
- The DA reported seven protesters arrested at Blackwater, but Jackson estimated there were at least 50 protesters total.
- The company has pulled requests for midnight shooting permits, which would allow Police officers in training to get their requirements in during peak daylight hours in the summer, and other permit requests to avoid generating controversy. Jackson noted that area residents had much worse to worry about with the Navy’s proposed OLF and NASA’s Shuttle Emergency Landing site both seeking residence in the area.
- When asked how the 2008 elections would affect Blackwater if the Democrats took control of the American government, Mr. Jackson pointed out that Blackwater won its first government contract under Bill Clinton, and that the American Military is overstretched and exhausted; therefore, outsourcing would continue. He said that Hillary Clinton was the next president of the United States, and that it would have no impact on Blackwater’s business.
- Blackwater’s contracts are with the Department of State, not Department of Defense. This is an important distinction we in the media need to keep in mind.
- Mr. Jackson believes all Americans should be required to serve in either the Military or Peace Corps for three years following High School.
- Mr. Jackson, for the most part, avoided expressing his personal political leanings, regularly stating that he had to watch what he said for fear of the press, and that he was sure, “someone in this room has a tape recorder.” He also asked that person to “Be gentle.”
- After the presentation, I picked up a business card from Director of Operations, Tamara Stocks, to follow up on receiving charity support from Blackwater for Port Discover Children’s Science Center.
- When I got to meet Mr. Jackson, I found out that I was the person he thought had the tape recorder, and asked me if I was with the press. A coworker from the Coast Guard base explained who I was, and when he learned that I wrote Aviation Logistics Software, told me to send him my resume.
Overall, the open discussion and chance to see the big bad Blackwater wasn’t all that impressive did much to improve my opinion of the company. Their business focus is still training our soldiers and training our law enforcement. That being said, I remain critical of the company’s services in Iraq for (1) Blackwater’s working outside the chain of command without oversight and (2) that one Blackwater contractor in Iraq ($600 a day) costs the same as seven US Soldiers ($85 a day). This money would be better spent increasing the number of troops in Iraq or increasing our soldier’s salaries and benefits, but this is an issue for DoS and DoD to take the heat for.
You might wonder why I didn’t grab the opportunity to confront President Gary Jackson about these two issues and learn his opinion on them. Well, for one thing, the forum was for the local community and local concerns. Not the time and place for some great big political debate occurring on the International Scene. For another thing, I was far too enamored with my NEW OFFICIAL BLACKWATER T-SHIRT AND HAT!!!
 YEE-HAW!!! Go Blackwater! |
A company that gives away free t-shirts and hats can’t be all-bad. Of course, I might get riled up again should Blackwater carry through with its plans to change its logo, but that’s a future blogpost.
Hahaha, I love it. I went there once before, shoot a rifle.
Boring stuff there.
:/
sorry, that was me, the nicko
Man you are way easily bought!
Are you going to write to the paper again and take back the ‘den of mercenaries’ remark?
My conscience tells me I should, but I’m sure I’ll find a way to rationalize away the guilt.
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You know, I always thought there was a Paris Hilton / Blackwater connection…
-BMF
Well… I was gonna delete this spam comment, but the replies are too funny. : )
although, security organizations have ups and downs. I sympathsize for blackwater I worked security my whole adult life and, I will allways have respect for PSD’s and, Executive Protection cause i’ve gotten my dick wet into EP anyone in my immediate circle will be protected with extreme predijuice. heck, i honor blackwater and, if people talk shit i’ll be the first one to give open invitations to engage in a street fight with a balisong anytime any place.
have a good one sir.
So basically, Daniel, you’re saying that you automatically honor anyone who’s done the same job as you, to the point of a fistfight?
So like, if you were a garbage man, you would challenge me to a fistfight if I said anything about garbage men, and would have sympathy for garbage men who unnecessarily killed a bunch of people?
Similarly, if you were Muslim, you would have sympathy for fellow Muslims that killed someone — for example, a suicide bomber — because they were on your team, and you apparently automatically honor whatever team you are on, without any additional justification, right?
Clint,
Actually he’d challenge them to a knife fight. Balisong is also known as a butterfly knife… but anyway you’re point doesn’t change.
Daniel,
The truth of the matter is I will respect any man that stands up for what they believe in. I won’t always agree with them, but I will respect that they believe in something enough to put their life on the line.
The problem becomes, do you believe in what you do? Do you trust your commanders enough that they put you in harms way for the greater good? Do you trust yourself enough to realize when you are in a situation that you shouldn’t be in?
I guess what I am trying to say is that you make it sound like you will stand up for Blackwater because they carry a gun an get shot at. I would like to think that this is not the case.
-BMF
Daniel,
I think your pathetic butter-knife challenge sums up your immature anti-American position. Threatening violence against people for their opinions is about the most un-American anti-democracy action a person can take.
When you get out of military school, you’re going to have to deal with people who don’t agree with you on a daily basis. Grow up son.
- ry
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The above translated from Russian:
I have no idea what that’s about.
Tell him there’s an excellent hostel in Romania…
Hello my friends :)
;)
I received a card statement yesterday, and discovered that there was an unauthorized charge from the InfoSys Technologies LLC in the amount of $11.98
I wanted to resolve the problem and called their customer support number 5176390760, but I reached their answering machine.
From the message I found out that the best way to contact them would be through e-mail support@infosystemplates.net
I wrote a letter about my problem to the noted e-mal address, and within 25 minutes I received a reply that the situation will be reviewed, and in about 5-8
hours, I will receive a notice to my e-mail, and then, during 72 hours they will make a refund.
Today I have received a refund and want to take back all the claims for InfoSys Technologies LLC.
The mistake was corrected very fast, and they have shown themselves as a serious business partners.
Besides, I got a free version of their software as compensation.
Good work, keep it up!
I don’t get it :(
Sorry. The site’s been getting spammed a lot lately and I haven’t been around to delete it away. This is a good thread for it though. : )