US mulls unusual tactic as Blackwater charges loom
By MATT APUZZO and LARA JAKES JORDAN – 6 hours ago
Charges could be announced as early as Monday in the shooting, which left 17 civilians dead and strained U.S. relations with the fledgling Iraqi government. People familiar with the charges said they may include an aggressive Reagan-era anti-drug law cracking down on assault weapons....
...Though drugs were not involved in the Blackwater shooting, the Justice Department is pondering the use of a law, passed at the height of the nation's crack epidemic, to prosecute the guards. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 law calls for 30-year prison terms for using machine guns to commit violent crimes of any kind, whether drug-related or not.
More of my posts on Blackwater.
Since this post pops up frequently in Google searches, I'm linking newer informational posts to it in the form of Updates: This post has links to articles that highlight Blackwater's shenanigans in San Diego thru OCT 31 '07
Update 9:33 AM 10/5/2007
Stop Blackwater West Encampment and Demonstration
STOP BLACKWATER WEST CAMP, RALLY AND WALK!--- October 6 and 7, 2007 Two day Educational Encampment and Walk to Stop Blackwater in Potrero, California Join us
5 minute video on why Blackwater should be stopped from GoLeftTV
Remember this?
Mercenary camp coming right up!
Well well well, a little birdie sent me this:
Stop Blackwater Demonstration and Public Hearing Thurs.,April 5
SAY NO TO TO BLACKWATER USA'S PLAN TO BUILD A MERCENARY TRAINING FACILITY --"BLACKWATER WEST"-- IN POTRERO!!
Blackwater USA, the private military contractor that trains mercenaries and is under investigation by Representative Henry Waxman's Committee on Oversight and Government Reform plans to build an 824-acre training facility in Potrero, a small town in southeast San Diego County.
We need your help to stop this project!
1. Attend the Scoping Meeting: The County Department of Planning and Land Use will hold a Public Scoping Meeting on Thursday, April 5, 5:30 p.m., at the Planning Commission Hearing Room, Department of Planning and Land Use, 5201 Ruffin Road, Suite B, San Diego, CA 92123. The Scoping Meeting is an opportunity for the public to comment on the project and provide input into what should be covered in the environmental impact statement.
(note: written comments can also be submitted by April 27)
2. Attend the demonstration: THERE WILL BE A PUBLIC PROTEST "NO BLACKWATER! STOP BLACKWATER!" FROM 4:30 P.M. TO 5:30 P.M. , THURSDAY, APRIL 5, ON THE SIDEWALK ON RUFFIN ROAD IN FRONT OF THE COUNTY FACILITY JUST PRIOR TO THE SCOPING MEETING! Please bring signs with this theme. Join with citizens from Potrero who are fighting this project that affects all of us!
WE NEED EVERYONE THERE!!! For more information, please contact The Peace Resource Center of San Diego, 619-263-9301 or info@prcsd.org
Some resources about Blackwater USA:
Documents regarding the :Blackwater West" project and the scoping meeting can be found at: http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dplu/docs/PR/4-27-07/0620001.html
Jeremy Scahill's Nation Magazine article about Blackwater, "Bush's Shadow Army" and view short video at http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070402/scahill
Jeremy Scahill audio interview on Truthdig (mp3)
San Diego Reader article, Feb. 22, 2007, on "Blackwater West" http://www.sdreader.com/php/cityshow.php?id=1566
(Bauder notes: "The company's owner, Erik Prince, has given lavishly to politicians, including former representative Tom DeLay, who left Congress in a lobbying scandal, and Duncan Hunter ($1000 in 2004).")
Read Jeremy Scahill's book: "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercentary Army"; Jeremy Scahill will speak in San Diego on May 1 and 2. Details of both events will be posted at prcsd.org/webcalendar
Hey, it's springtime, San Diego is lovely. Come on down!!!!
And Terry mentions the Golden Eagles that are nesting in the area, which I didn't know about: Blackwater Training Camp Planned in San Diego County
No comments:
Post a Comment