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ot: Black water conficates guns and they are on which team?
Question:
As the threat of forced evictions now looms in New Orleans and the city confiscates even legally registered weapons from civilians, the private mercenaries of Blackwater patrol the streets openly wielding M-16s and other assault weapons. This despite Police Commissioner Eddie Compass’ claim that "Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons." Officially, Blackwater says its forces are in New Orleans to "join the Hurricane Relief Effort." A statement on the company’s website, dated September 1, advertises airlift services, security services and crowd control. The company, according to news reports, has since begun taking private contracts to guard hotels, businesses and other properties. But what has not been publicly acknowledged is the claim, made to us by 2 Blackwater mercenaries, that they are actually engaged in general law enforcement activities including "securing neighborhoods" and "confronting criminals." That raises a key question: under what authority are Blackwater’s men operating? A spokesperson for the Homeland Security Department, Russ Knocke, told the Washington Post he knows of no federal plans to hire Blackwater or other private security. "We believe we’ve got the right mix of personnel in law enforcement for the federal government to meet the demands of public safety." he said. But in an hour-long conversation with several Blackwater mercenaries, we heard a different story. The men we spoke with said they are indeed on contract with the Department of Homeland Security and the Louisiana governor’s office and that some of them are sleeping in camps organized by Homeland Security in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. One of them wore a gold Louisiana state law enforcement badge and said he had been "deputized" by the governor. They told us they not only had authority to make arrests but also to use lethal force. We encountered the Blackwater forces as we walked through the streets of the largely deserted French Quarter. We were talking with 2 New York Police officers when an unmarked car without license plates sped up next to us and stopped. Inside were 3 men, dressed in khaki uniforms, flak jackets and wielding automatic weapons. "Y’all know where the Blackwater guys are?" they asked. One of the police officers responded, "There are a bunch of them around here," and pointed down the road. "Blackwater?" we asked. "The guys who are in Iraq?" "Yeah," said the officer. "They’re all over the place." A short while later, as we continued down Bourbon Street, we ran into the men from the car. They wore Blackwater ID badges on their arms. "When they told me New Orleans, I said, ‘What country is that in?,’" said one of the Blackwater men. He was wearing his company ID around his neck in a carrying case with the phrase "Operation Iraqi Freedom" printed on it. After bragging about how he drives around Iraq in a "State Department issued level 5, explosion proof BMW," he said he was "just trying to get back to Kirkuk (in the north of Iraq) where the real action is." Later we overheard him on his cell phone complaining that Blackwater was only paying $350 a day plus per diem. That is much less than the men make serving in more dangerous conditions in Iraq. Two men we spoke with said they plan on returning to Iraq in October. But, as one mercenary said, they’ve been told they could be in New Orleans for up to 6 months. "This is a trend," he told us. "You’re going to see a lot more guys like us in these situations." If Blackwater’s reputation and record in Iraq are any indication of the kind of "services" the company offers, the people of New Orleans have much to fear. —–
Response:
> That raises a key question: under what authority are Blackwater’s > men operating?
This editted story that you posted without a link is below even you. If you would have run the entire story, everyone would know that Governor Blanco has Deputized these mercenaries. One more bonehead move on the part of the Ms. Blanco. Bye, John
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"and Feds" and you missed two words. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> That raises a key question: under what authority are Blackwater’s > men operating? > This editted story that you posted without a link is below even you. > If you would have run the entire story, everyone would know that Governor > Blanco has Deputized these mercenaries. One more bonehead move on the part > of the Ms. Blanco. > Bye, > John
Response:
more on missing words Unprofessional – WaPo’s Rathergate by Armando Mon Sep 12th, 2005 at 10:06:04 PDT (Bumped. This is critical stuff, especially with DavidNYC’s own post directly below on our media’s failures the past four years, and I want to make sure Kurtz reads it. I know he checks this site — kos) As most know, the Washington Post, in an act of gross unprofessionalism, relied on a BushCo anonymous source in printing a significant falsehood. Howie Kurtz misses the point: On Sept. 4, the paper cited the "senior Bush official" as saying that as of the day before, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco "still had not declared a state of emergency." As The Post noted in a correction, Blanco, a Democrat, had declared a state of emergency on Aug. 26. . . . Post National Editor Michael Abramowitz calls the incident "a bad mistake" that happened right on deadline. "We all feel bad about that," he says. "We should not have printed the information as background information, and it should have been checked. We fell down on the desk." Spencer Hsu, the article’s co-author, says he "tried to make clear that the source came from the administration, and that he was blaming the locals, which I believe our story made clear and broke ground in explaining by uncovering the National Guard dispute." Should the paper identify the source who provided bad information? "We don’t blow sources, period, especially if we don’t have reason to believe the source in this case actually lied deliberately," Hsu says. Howie — the story is NOT about whether WaPo should blow its anonymous source — the story is about WaPo’s egregious unprofessionalism. Howie, Spencer, Michael, have you guys heard of Google? How about a telephone? It would have taken you all of 10 seconds to check that fact. Or better yet, did you have any state officials as sources for your story? And if not, why not? Were you just doing stenography for BushCo? Finally, why would you need a source to go anonymous on a fact that was a matter of public record? The point is simple — this was horrendously bad journalism. The fact that Blanco DID declare a state of emergency was central to the story. The fact she DID declare a state of emergency completely undermined the story. The fact is that the Washington Post’s journalism on this story is every bit as bad or worse than the journalism much berated by you Howie in Rathergate. Though the stakes were not as high politically as is in Rathergate — the journalism was worse. At the least, CBS had documents they were looking at, though they were not properly verified, IMO. At the least, CBS gave the White House a chance to respond. Here, the Washington Post had nothing but the word of a BushCo official – the false word. And they ran with the story anyway. And they did not give Blanco a chance to respond. If Dan Rather had to go, who has to go at the Washington Post? One last thing – you want to do a followup story on this WaPo? I got one for you — how is it that a high BushCo official did NOT know that Blanco had declared a state of emergency. Is that not scandalous in and of itself? Do you think THAT merits a story? Or is it too embarrassing for you
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Wrong John boy… these guys have several different employers
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why is it that we have to depend of furin newspapers for this kind of info? Jamie Wilson in New Orleans Monday September 12, 2005 The Guardian Hundreds of mercenaries have descended on New Orleans to guard the property of the city’s millionaires from looters. The heavily armed men, employed by private military companies including Blackwater and ISI, are part of the militarisation of a city which had a reputation for being one of the most relaxed and easy-going in America. After scenes of looting and lawlessness in the days immediately after Hurricane Katrina struck, New Orleans has turned into an armed camp, patrolled by thousands of local, state and federal law enforcement officers, as well as 70,000 national guard troops and active-duty soldiers now based in the region. Mercenaries guard homes of the rich in New Orleans Jamie Wilson in New Orleans Monday September 12, 2005 The Guardian Hundreds of mercenaries have descended on New Orleans to guard the property of the city’s millionaires from looters. The heavily armed men, employed by private military companies including Blackwater and ISI, are part of the militarisation of a city which had a reputation for being one of the most relaxed and easy-going in America. After scenes of looting and lawlessness in the days immediately after Hurricane Katrina struck, New Orleans has turned into an armed camp, patrolled by thousands of local, state and federal law enforcement officers, as well as 70,000 national guard troops and active-duty soldiers now based in the region. Blackwater, one of the fastest-growing private security firms in the world, which achieved global prominence last year when four of its men were killed and their bodies mutilated in the Iraqi city of Falluja, has set up camp in the back garden of a vast mansion in the wealthy Uptown district of the city. David Reagan, 52, a semi-retired US army colonel from Huntsville, Alabama, who fought in the first Gulf war and is commander of Blackwater’s operations in the city, refused to say how many men he had in New Orleans but indicated it was in the hundreds. Asked if they had encountered many looters so far, Mr Reagan said that the sight of his heavily armed men – a pump action shotgun was propped against the wall near to where he was standing – was enough to put most people off. Two Israeli mercenaries from ISI, another private military company, were guarding Audubon Place, a gated community. Wearing bulletproof vests, they were carrying M16 assault rifles. Gill, 40, and Yovi, 42, who refused to give their surnames, said they were army veterans of the Israeli war in Lebanon, but had been living in Houston for 17 years. They had been hired by Jimmy Reiss, a descendant of an old New Orleans family who made his fortune selling electronic systems to shipbuilders. They had been flown by private jet to Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, and then helicoptered to Audubon Place, they said. "I spoke to one of the other owners on the telephone earlier in the week," Yovi said. "I told him how the water had stopped just at the back gate. God watches out for the rich people, I guess."
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For Immediate Release 202-347-1122 According to an email to staff yesterday, Pentagon Inspector General Joseph Schmitz informed Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld that he will be resigning from his position. His last day will be September 9, 2005. An unconfirmed lead is that Mr. Schmitz will become CEO of a holding company of Blackwater. To receive a copy of the letter and to learn more on this developing story, contact Eric Miller at POGO. Click here to see Mr. Schmitz’ bio. Founded in 1981, the Project On Government Oversight is an independent investigative non-profit whose mission is to expose corruption in order to achieve a more accountable federal government.
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A New Orleans blogger’s point of view: from http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/ Saturday, September 10th, 2005 7:29 pm Interviews "Ok, so Shane and I took to the streets today to see who exactly was out there and why. Obviously, I was most interested in the guys carrying assault rifles and patrolling around all the major buildings. That’s who we started with. We went by Hibernia Bank where water was being pumped out what looked to be a basement into the street — a lot of water – steady pumping. The security guys were armed to the nines (whatever that means 
) and while very very friendly and apologetic, insisted they could not be interviewed. Understandable, since it is a major bank. We talked to some guys splicing the submerged fiber cable at the corner of Camp and Poydras on the south side of the intersection. The were trying to get expedia and telcove patched up. The guys said that most of the rest of the city and the surrounding suburbs would have to wait for weeks — wait for the water to drain and then for Entergy to come in and do their thing first. Then we walked down Poydras toward the Dome. When we got near Le Pavillion, we noticed an enormous security presence on both sides of the street. I talked to two guys in US Marshall outfits, and they told us that everyone in the area was private security, themselves included. I asked what possible reason could a hotel have for needing 8 armed guards wielding AR-15s a sniper rifle, shotguns, etc. now that most of the civilians were gone. He said there was a shooting there just 3 days ago, and one man was beaten to death right on the neutral ground (median) of Poydras. He said there are still snipers in the area, and they’ve had unconfirmed reports of them on the roofs of several buildings. Sounded a little far fetched to me (why wouldn’t the 82nd be clearing all suspected buildings…), but he insisted that they were still taking intermittent fire. Some of them (security personnel) actually suspect that there is a terrorist element in the city trying to cause trouble. Anyway, when I tell you that these guys are armed, I mean they’re carrying stuff that I didn’t even know the US had in its arsenal as far as small arms go. And full body armor too. The two Marshalls reported that the high end physical security guys were making $500+ per day while he and his buddies were making about $300 per day. Almost everyone on the street except for us were armed. I asked them about civilians carrying weapons and he said there’s no point in carrying here (which is what we had already decided several days ago), but that if we went to anywhere outside the CBD, we’d be silly not to be packing. Direct opposition to the confiscation of weapons we’ve seen on the news. He also said that we could expect private security to be in place for 4 MONTHS! 4 months they will be rotating guys in. That’s how long they expect it to take before the first businesses are operational at all. Also, we saw a bunch of Georgia State Troopers deployed down here escorting convoys of fuel. Several of the firetruck we’ve been seeing come from as far away as Chicago. Oh, and as always, the fireman have their hands full. Busy busy busy. Those guys deserve more money than they’re gonna earn and a vacation we know they’ll never get."
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Pentagon Investigator Resigning Joseph E. Schmitz, the Defense Department’s inspector general, is suspected of blocking investigations of senior Bush officials. And going to work for Blackwater. By T. Christian Miller, Times Staff Writer WASHINGTON – The Pentagon’s top investigator has resigned amid accusations that he stonewalled inquiries into senior Bush administration officials suspected of wrongdoing. Defense Department Inspector General Joseph E. Schmitz told staffers this week that he intended to resign as of Sept. 9 to take a job with the parent company of Blackwater USA, a defense contractor. ADVERTISEMENT The resignation comes after Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) sent Schmitz several letters this summer informing him that he was the focus of a congressional inquiry into whether he had blocked two criminal investigations last year. FOR THE RECORD: Pentagon investigator -An article in Section A on Sept. 3 about the resignation of Joseph E. Schmitz, the Defense Department’s inspector general, and accusations that he blocked investigations of senior Bush administration officials said the date of a letter from Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) was Aug. 8. The letter, inquiring about a false news release, was dated Aug. 12. The article also said an agreement concerning investigative authority was signed by John A. "Jack" Shaw, a deputy undersecretary of Defense. The agreement was signed by Shaw’s superior, Michael W. Wynne, then acting undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. Grassley, chairman of the Finance Committee, accused Schmitz of fabricating an official Pentagon news release, planning an expensive junket to Germany and hiding information from Congress. Schmitz is the senior Pentagon official charged with investigating waste, fraud and abuse. "I am writing to inform you that I intend to conduct an oversight investigation into allegations that you either quashed or redirected two ongoing criminal investigations last year," Grassley said in a July 7 letter obtained by The Times. Grassley’s office said Friday that the inquiry was continuing. "Many questions need to be answered," spokeswoman Beth Levine said. Grassley has long acted as a watchdog over the inspector general. The inspector general’s office denied any connection between Schmitz’s resignation and the inquiries, saying Schmitz had previously said he intended to leave after President Bush’s first term. A Schmitz spokesman, Gary Comerford, declined to comment on the allegations in Grassley’s letters, saying: "This is a matter between the senator and the inspector general." The first of the criminal investigations in which Schmitz allegedly intervened involved John A. "Jack" Shaw, the former deputy undersecretary of Defense for international technology security. Shaw, who was the subject of a series of articles in The Times last year, tried to manipulate a lucrative contract in Iraq in 2004 to favor a telecommunications company whose board included a close friend, according to whistle-blowers who worked for the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. Shaw had signed an unusual agreement with Schmitz that gave him some investigative authority. Shaw told U.S. officials in Iraq that he was conducting investigations under that agreement during a trip to Iraq in December 2003. The results of those investigations were later used in his effort to push for contracts of firms tied to his friends and their clients, according to the whistle-blowers. Shaw, who was forced out of office last year after refusing to resign, has denied any wrongdoing. Schmitz referred the whistle-blowers’ accusations to the FBI, despite the protests of senior criminal investigators in his office who had already found "specific and credible evidence" of wrongdoing by Shaw, according to Grassley’s letter. The FBI has not placed a high priority on the investigation, which has since stalled, according to one person with knowledge of the case. Schmitz then helped craft a news release in which his office denied ever investigating Shaw, according to Grassley’s letter. Grassley has repeatedly asked for an explanation of the news release, most recently in a letter Aug. 8. "A formal investigation was conducted. The investigation was, in fact, completed and closed and referred to the FBI. How do you square that information with the press release?" Grassley wrote to Rumsfeld on July 27. "There is a paper trail that appears to show that Mr. Schmitz was personally and directly involved in crafting the language in this press release. And second, I understand that Mr. Schmitz was repeatedly warned by his own staff ‘to take it down’ because it was ‘patently false.’ " The second investigation in which Schmitz allegedly interfered involves Mary L. Walker, the general counsel for the Air Force.
Response:
> Wrong John boy… these guys have several different employers
Bull Shit. Your ignorance of the law is showing, but what’s new about that? They were Deputized by Governor Blanco, thus they work for Blanco, they answer to Blanco. The Feds are NOT in the chain. Bye, John
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> > Wrong John boy… these guys have several different employers > Bull Shit. Your ignorance of the law is showing, but what’s new about that? > They were Deputized by Governor Blanco, thus they work for Blanco, they > answer to Blanco. The Feds are NOT in the chain. > Bye, > John
wrong John. They work for Homeland Security and also have been hired by private individuals.
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> They work for Homeland Security and also have been hired by > private individuals.
State Homeland Security, the same folks that ordered FEMA workers to send Red Cross Disaster Teams AWAY. Remember, they were Deputized by the Governor, as in the head of the State of Louisiana. Bye, John
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you’re a pain in the ass.. you know that? georgio – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> in?,’" said one of the Blackwater men. He was wearing his company ID > around his neck in a carrying case with the phrase "Operation Iraqi > Freedom" printed on it. After bragging about how he drives around Iraq > in a "State Department issued level 5, explosion proof BMW," he said he > was "just trying to get back to Kirkuk (in the north of Iraq) where the > real action is." Later we overheard him on his cell phone complaining > that Blackwater was only paying $350 a day plus per diem. That is much > less than the men make serving in more dangerous conditions in Iraq. > Two men we spoke with said they plan on returning to Iraq in October. > But, as one mercenary said, they’ve been told they could be in New > Orleans for up to 6 months. "This is a trend," he told us. "You’re > going to see a lot more guys like us in these situations." > If Blackwater’s reputation and record in Iraq are any indication of > the kind of "services" the company offers, the people of New Orleans > have much to fear. > —–
– ‘72 traynor point-to-point bassmaster head… yamaha SA 800 with Dimarzio and gibson pickups
Response:
Wheaten Why did you remove the OT from the subject line ?
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>> That raises a key question: under what authority are Blackwater’s >men operating? > This editted story that you posted without a link is below even you. > If you would have run the entire story, everyone would know that Governor > Blanco has Deputized these mercenaries. One more bonehead move on the part > of the Ms. Blanco.
Hey John…look, this lonely bitch ain’t worth your time. Your posts are far more valuable keeping other losers spiralling into the barrel. This person is a complete waste of time…she’s even gone to socks to get around filters…nuff said….she’s just another NG polluter.
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->> That raises a key question: under what authority are Blackwater’s >>men operating? > This editted story that you posted without a link is below even you. > If you would have run the entire story, everyone would know that Governor > Blanco has Deputized these mercenaries. One more bonehead move on the part > of the Ms. Blanco. >Hey John…look, this lonely bitch ain’t worth your time. >Your posts are far more valuable keeping other losers spiralling >into the barrel. >This person is a complete waste of time…she’s even gone >to socks to get around filters…nuff said….she’s just >another NG polluter.
Pot, kettle, black Jesus loves you anyway. Ken Wilson Proud Owner of Lord Valve, PMG, John Wheaton, Claude Lucas, Freep the Xenophobe, Chuck, pseudobacker, and the rest of the Union of Rightwing Idiots Needing Explanations (URINE) and, at his own request, Karl Rovershank (aka Lars from Mars) Supporting the Troops at http://www.resisters.ca http://www.criticalhistory.com/
Response:
> Wheaten > Why did you remove the OT from the subject line ?
It has to be some tweak in my OE. I didn’t type anywhere but the message area of the post. It isn’t the first time that it has happened, but it is not intentional, I wouldn’t want to subject those not interested in the OT prattle. See ya, John
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http://www.opuscds.com/track/166098