The government of the United States of America has been under siege by its enemies for decades. Ironically, the right wing destruction of critical infrastructure and services in the name of deregulation and lower taxes consolidates the power that our democracy granted the government in the hands of a corporate oligarchy with no commitment to the rule of law, human rights, or individual freedom.
It takes a brave man or a strong union to stand against the privateers who have stolen the commons and privatized public service. Not too long ago the phrase private security brought to mind rent-a-cops patrolling shopping mall parking lots and retired police officers supplementing their pensions as night watchmen. Today we think Blackwater. Ninety percent of Blackwater’s business comes through US government contracts. Most of those are no bid. Under the Bush administration, the country has begun to outsource military and intelligence work that we as citizens have expected our government to deliver. The government so far has failed to effectively control their actions [pdf] and the Department of Justice is either unwilling or unable to hold them responsible for their illegal actions.
According to Scott Horton,
Blackwater is anything but a “normal” security contractor. Its relationship with the Bush Administration is truly extraordinary in many respects. Blackwater is an unabashedly political entity, which aligns itself fully, and ideologically with the Republican Party. Its founder and owner, Erik Prince, who has been profiled very effectively by Jeremy Scahill in his comprehensive book, Blackwater, was born to wealth and privilege in the family of an automobile parts magnate with a long track record of involvement in Republican and Religious Right politics.
Democrat Marshall Adame is running for congress against incumbent Republican Walter “Freedom Fries” Jones in the 3rd Congressional District of North Carolina. Adame, a US Marine for 22 years and a Vietnam veteran with two sons in the US Army currently serving in Iraq, says,
I have interacted with many mercenary groups, including Blackwater. There is no place in the American force structure, or in American culture for mercenaries. They are guns for hire; No more, no less. The primary motivation is money. In most cases it does not matter who’s money.
Private Security Organizations as extensive as Blackwater, for example, should not be allowed to operate in war zones as augments of the United States of America. Private Armies represent the very things we depise as a people. Servants to the highest bidder with true allegiance to no-one.
According to the Raleigh News&Observer Blog, Blackwater responded with the following internal communication, a message that spawned some hate mail and threats:
All:
There is a man named Marshall Adame who is running for congress in our district. He just put a quote online which says he wants this company and all of us to cease to exist.
Do you like your jobs? Are you sick and tired of the slanderous bullshit going on in DC?
If so, would you all mind joining me in reminding Mr. Adame that he is running for office in our backyard. Tell all your friends and family too. We welcome their assistance in making this point very clear to Mr. Adame……
Anyone who wants to send a letter may do so at the following address…..
MARSHALL ADAME FOR CONGRESS
PMB #161
1250 WESTERN BLVD. #L2
JACKSONVILLE, NC 28546His email is info@marshalladame4congress2008.com
He was too cowardly to put a phone number on the web. I ask that you keep your comments to Mr. Adame professional (well, mostly professional). We help him if our comments get threatening or too crass. Let’s run this goof out of Dodge….!
Bill Mathews
Executive Vice President
Blackwater Worldwide
850 Puddin Ridge Road
Moyock, NC 27958
Blackwater is just the most visible and extreme example of the emergence of lawless power in the vacuum of democratic government regulation under rightist rule. Garbage disposal services also come to mind. I’ll save that for another blog post.
You can contribute to Marshall Adame’s campaign for Congress in the 3rd district of North Carolina at ActBlue. It’s not enough to elect Senator Clinton or Senator Obama to the Presidency. We have to give them a Democratic majority that will work with them.
Technorati Tags: vote Democratic, cleaning up the trash, time for a change, support peace candidates, if you can’t find a peace candidate at least vote Democratic
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Stu Savory 02.17.08 at 11:35
Time for a change???
A Message from John Cleese - British comedian
[note from fp... while still mildly amusing to the gormless, lager-swilling soccer fans of the European Union, the eight year old item posted here by Stu has lost all charm in the USA. The fact of its misattribution to Cleese, the fact that with repetition it has become less and less funny over the years and that it is tediously lengthy warrants this draconian edit. Here then, in its stead, is a link to a history and the several variations of the less than relevant "Message from Cleese." As an aside to my friend Stu, I would have hoped for a comment more to the point here, a learned treatise on the use of mercenaries in the 100 Year War or something.]