Blackwater pulls plans to build CA training facility.
Military contractor Blackwater Worldwide has pulled plans to build a training facility near San Diego, CA, facing intense opposition by local activists. In December, “voters recalled five members of a local planning board who supported the project.” The proposal for “Blackwater West” included “11 firing ranges, a driving track and a helipad in a valley tucked into rocky desert mountains.”
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so, where are they moving it to?
’cause you know it’s not going away…
but this is great news for that community…
March 8th, 2008 at 9:42 pmWho wants to put their business in CA anyway?
March 8th, 2008 at 9:43 pmThat’s the way Democracy is supposed to work. That’s why transparency in goverment is essential to the survival of a Democracy.
March 8th, 2008 at 9:45 pmOT: Democratic candidate Foster has won ex-speaker Hastert’s(r) seat.
☺☺☺
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/index.html
March 8th, 2008 at 9:56 pmWho wants to put their business in CA anyway?
Comment by mandolin — March 8, 2008 @ 9:43 pm
Blackwater did, you moron. Freedom wins this one.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:00 pmWhy doesn’t Miss Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, institute a House investigation into the contracts of Blackwater and Halliburton in Iraq? It would seem like billions of our taxpaper dollars have just vanished down this Bush/Iraq rabbit-hole, and yet the Dems in the House and Senate just seem to sit there in a stupor… Are they scared, being blackmailed, or just bloody out to lunch?
March 8th, 2008 at 10:15 pmI kind of believe it’s some of all three.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:20 pmI think the scared and blackmailed are alot the same.
But bloody out to lunch is because they won’t do what they
know they should, even if it hurts.
OT: Democratic candidate Foster has won ex-speaker Hastert’s(r) seat.
What a kick in the teeth!!! The rethugs poured a cool million into this race and McBush campaigned for olberweis. Obama campaigned for Foster! Yea Obama!!!
This seat went for Bush by 56%! Things are looking bleak for the rethugs in November. The desire for change is strongly in the air!
March 8th, 2008 at 10:20 pmI still want to know what these goddamned thieves did with the military jet they stole from the Iraqis.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:26 pmEven after 911 and ideal circumstances the PNAC agenda is an astounding FAILURE.
Go Illinois! Goodbye Hastert!
March 8th, 2008 at 10:29 pmwe already have the crips, the bloods and the hells angels, we sure as hell don’t need blackwater.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:31 pmSo according to Georgia10 over on the DailyKos Obama helped Foster win Hastert’s old seat. What did Hillary do???
March 8th, 2008 at 10:32 pmlooking forward to watching the recently filed lawsuit against these steroid addled scumbags for the nidoor (???) square masacre
March 8th, 2008 at 10:34 pmwell, I know some people in SD who are going to be pretty elated over this .
March 8th, 2008 at 10:38 pmRiiiiigghhtttttttt.let’s put a nazi traing camp in your backyard and see how you feel about it?(this last comment directed only @ those who would think it was a good idea)
notice there aren’t to many who would want this in their backyard.
They’ve got lots of brown test subjects to work with there. Makes sense.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:46 pmWho wants to put their business in CA anyway?
Comment by mandolin — March 8, 2008 @ 9:43 pm
March 8th, 2008 at 10:55 pmYeah, how many millions of dollars from our blue state gets handed over to whatever crappy little red state you live in? More than you can fit in that gap in your teeth, I’ll tell you whut….
If we were real Americans we’d demand that Blackwater be banned from the USA and be banished to whatever shithole country wanted to host them!
March 8th, 2008 at 11:14 pmThe activists that recalled their local officials who were pushing this should be an inspiration to us all. SOMETIMES the good guys win.
GOOD ON THEM!!
March 8th, 2008 at 11:41 pmI am really surprised they were looking at California to begin with, just due to overhead costs. I would think that the eastern side of New Mexico, or Utah’s west desert would be more suited to their needs. Personally, I have nothing against the Blackwater guys in general. I worked with a number of the in Iraq. Their upper management leaves a LOT to be desired (to put it nicely) but their guys on the ground are professionals. My only real complaint is that they are killing retention. Many of our good NCO’s and officers with critical skills are choosing to join Blackwater/TIS (a division of Blackwater) rather than re-enlist. The pay is much better, and so is the equipment. But the cost is a rather crippled military that is being forced to promote soldiers that otherwise would RCP out.
March 9th, 2008 at 12:41 amWhy aren’t Hillary or Obama mentioning Blackwater? They both still claim to want to bring the troops home as fast as possible. I keep waiting for one of them to bring up the fact that there are 180,000 Blackwater employees who can stay and do what ever the hell they do! Wouldn’t it be nice to know what they do?
March 9th, 2008 at 1:06 amAnyone want to speculate that they thought California would be good place to leave lots of depelted uranium lying around to seep into the water? oh, i guess i just did…
March 9th, 2008 at 3:14 ambelieve it or not,but So Cal has some very staunch Repug areas.Repug Govenor,it’s not a stretch for the GOP to try and instill this kind of thing close to Pendelton.Not to mention the border.
March 9th, 2008 at 3:21 amWhy aren’t Hillary or Obama mentioning Blackwater? They both still claim to want to bring the troops home as fast as possible. I keep waiting for one of them to bring up the fact that there are 180,000 Blackwater employees who can stay and do what ever the hell they do! Wouldn’t it be nice to know what they do? Comment by Aanya
According to this article, Clinton will “ban the use of Blackwater and other private mercenary firms in Iraq” and Obama will not “‘rule out private security contractors in Iraq”. Truth be told, the only thing I trust a politician to do is talk out of both sides of their mouth.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:47 am#6 Oval, #7 Keith H….
I agree the entire company should be investigated ( there’s just been one hearing I think, about one issue).
March 9th, 2008 at 9:07 amBut it would be naive to expect much public activity in that regard at this time. Blackwater’s ties are deep in the GOP, the DoD, State and the Executive Branch. It doesn’t do to broadcast ones investigations whilst they are ongoing. There is much evidence to be gathered to make an actionable case.
Most significantly until the Dems get a majority in the Senate and increase their majority in the House ( +20) they are unlikely to deliver anything more than a fine on some relatively minor charge.
The policy of contractor use also has to be addressed, and that;s going to take a significant majority too. The DOJ needs to be re-organized so that a case can be prosecuted and a Dem president will be important for extuve Branch support too, SO don’t expect anything public to happen before January 2009.
Annya….
March 9th, 2008 at 9:10 amthat’s 180,000 “contractors”, NOT Blackwater employees.
Blackwater apparently has the most, though. ( there’s a dozen other companies there providing “security”).
They’d best just hang on to that $ for two reasons:
1) the spigot gets turned off in a few months, when the war criminals are swept from power.
2) after the sweeping, we’re taking that $ back.
Time to find real jobs, G.I. McMerc’s.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:02 pmThey are geting ready for a military coup in the USA…
March 9th, 2008 at 2:44 pmErick Prince should be behind barrs! Waiting for execution for war crimes!
March 9th, 2008 at 2:45 pm