Knocking On The Gates of Blackwater North

by: treesfieldssky

Thu Aug 16, 2007 at 22:50:11 PM CDT



A gathering at the gates peace rally August 11th.
treesfieldssky :: Knocking On The Gates of Blackwater North

Knocking On The Gates of Blackwater North

It was a hot dry day in the rolling pastoral hills of Jo Daviess County. Beneath the bright sun over 80 citizens stood together at the gates of Blackwater North, Blackwater USA's new training facility 7 miles north of Mt. Carroll. It was the first time in the history of the United States that a group of unarmed citizens joined together at the gate of a private training facility. In addition to citizens of Jo Daviess county there were individuals from across northern Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Indiana and Michigan.

The peace rally was organized by members of Clearwater, a citizen's group made up of local citizens, and members of several northern Illinois Peace and Justice groups. The Clearwater group hopes to draw attention to the national issue of military privatization and how that is affecting American troops and the nation. The citizens are also asking how it is Blackwater, and International company that has already collected nearly $1 billion dollars of taxpayer money, can expand a training site in an area zoned AG-1 without a public hearing. Many residents were surprised that Blackwater now leased the 80 acres owned by 4 law enforcement trainers. Local residents are also concerned about the increased road and helicopter traffic, and noise from additional shooting.

Another issue concerns conflicting information about who exactly Blackwater is training at this new facility. Blackwater spokesperson Anne Tyrrell in a recent letter to the Freeport Journal-Standard stated that Blackwater "provide(s) cutting edge training to area law enforcement."  However when the Chicago Tribune visited the training site in July and interviewed trainees two of the four interviewed were neither  law enforcement nor military. In fact one who identified himself as "a private businessman" was there for the five day marksman's course "wanting to work on his sharp-shooting skills." Also when I visited the facility in April I was told that I could sign-up for any of the courses marked "open enrollment" which were all but four of the 26 courses being offered, in spite of the fact that I was neither law enforcement nor military personal. The Chicago Tribune also reported that trainees were coming to the site from as far west as California.

The local and national issues will continue to be addressed by the Clearwater group.

To learn more about Blackwater USA, Blackwater North, war profiteers, the Clearwater citizens' group, visit http://www.noprivate.... To read more about Blackwater USA visit http://www.blackwate.... Also more articles on Blackwater USA and Blackwater North at http://www.citybarbs...

Poll
Should Illinois have legislation which regulates private military firms like Blackwater USA
Yes
No
What good would it do?
It would never make it to the governor's desk.

Results

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Knocking On The Gates of Blackwater North | 22 comments
Edits (0.00 / 0)
Nice diary, I'm glad to hear about the ongoing work against this. The whole concept of private armies seems absurd these days (or since, say, the Industrial Revolution).

I added http:// to your links. That will automatically make them hotlinks that people can follow. I hope you don't mind.

ltsply2

What about the over to Tony Rezko's Campanion to use the Savanna Army Depot for training? (0.00 / 0)
From the Sun Times,
Two years ago, Iraq's Ministry of Electricity gave a $50 million contract to a start-up security company owned by now-indicted businessman Tony Rezko and a onetime Chicago cop with a checkered financial past.

Within a month, an Iraqi leadership change left the deal in limbo.

Now the company, Companion Security, is working to revive its contract to train Iraqi power-plant guards in the United States.

Companion found support last summer from Gov. Blagojevich, whose staff offered to let the company lease a military facility in western Illinois. Since then, Companion has been lobbying officials from Washington to Baghdad about its Iraqi deal, according to documents obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Illinois Democrats were about exporting Illinois pay-for-play politics to Iraq it seems and offering NW Illinois for training if the price was right.
And it was wrong then too (0.00 / 0)
Very good Bill, you "caught" us... The Republicans on the other hand always are virtuous and never have any members of their party doing things that their core constituency finds abhorrent.

ltsply2
[ Parent ]
i guess i always assumed (0.00 / 0)
Bill was being critical of Democrats just like the rest of us here are, in an effort to clean up our own side.  but i guess id look at all his comments differently if he really doesnt think there is even more work to do on the conservative side.  never saw that as the case he was making.  hmmm....

William J Maggos
[ Parent ]
The problem with Blagojevich, Reszko, and Alsammarae (0.00 / 0)
The problem with Blagojevich, Reszko, and Alsammarae is their on their side

Rezko and Alsammarae to the extent shaking down the Iraqis in war time.

The problem with Democrats in Illinois is they over look that.

The left howled when they tought Alsammarae escaped Iraq because of some connection to Bush. 

Start connected the dots with Alsammarae back to Chicago and Illinois though and everyone goes quiet and these guys start looking awfully close to a lot of very liberal folks.

Only Fitz can shed the light.


[ Parent ]
Right Bill (0.00 / 0)
Only you are critical of Blagojevich. All of us Democrats here just love him. The Republicans are the only ones that can save us from ourselves.

ltsply2
[ Parent ]
Campanion went to Obama for salvation; not the GOP (0.00 / 0)
Look at the story Eric: more from the ST,
Alsammarae, who lives in the Chicago area and was a college classmate of Rezko, is a dual U.S.-Iraqi citizen. He left his post as Iraq's electricity minister in May 2005, about a month after Companion got the contract. Alsammarae was accused of financial corruption by Iraqi authorities and jailed in Iraq last year before escaping and returning here.

Companion's contract called for it to fly 150 Iraqis to the United States for police-type training. Among the subjects: how to shoot AK-47 rifles.

As Frawley sought to revive the contract in spring 2006, Blagojevich's chief of staff, John Harris, directed the state's homeland security adviser, Jill Morgenthaler, to find "a military site for the training of Iraqi police forces,'' Morgenthaler wrote in an April 26, 2006, e-mail. She wrote the letter in June 2006 offering the Savanna site.

Two months later, Frawley sought help from Obama, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who is now running for president. Frawley met with Seamus Ahern, who runs Obama's Moline office. Frawley and Ahern discussed the proposal over a period of about six months.

Obama and Blagojevich viewed Frawley's efforts as a chance to create jobs in the Quad Cities area.

I can't speak for Republicans saving anyone from themselves.  It's just before a Democrat gets on a high-horse over Blackwater, they ought to take a good look at what this Gov is doing with private security firms.

Campanion went to Obama's Seamus Ahern for salvation.  If Campanion went to the GOP it would be a different story.

[ Parent ]
What do you want Bill? (0.00 / 0)
Us to agree that not all Dems are perfect? Done. But because some Dems have made what we consider to be poor decisions should we ignore the issues entirely?

The fact of the matter is that on this issue the Dems are better than the Republicans. Not perfect, but better. Further, we believe that any chance of fixing the situation will come through the Dems.

ltsply2

[ Parent ]
What does Bill want? (0.00 / 0)
For starters, acknowledge that Congress and the Administration too made a huge step monitoring security contractors last year putting them under the UCMJ.  That's a huge reform.

More importantly though, be a little more inquisitive about what's happening with Blagojevich, Obama, Resko, Alsammarae, and Michael Runman.

From an older ST story on Alsammarae,

A criminal justice expert questioned why U.S. and Iraqi officials weren't more outraged about Alsammarae.

"You would think this would be a major international incident," said University of Illinois at Chicago Professor Matthew Lippman. "It's all very shadowy. I believe the U.S. government . . . helped get him over here. And everyone's agreed to let this thing slide."

Whether Alsammarae will face questions on another front remains to be seen. The feds have expressed interest in Alsammarae's friendship with recently indicted businessman Tony Rezko, the Sun-Times reported last month. Rezko won an Iraqi power plant deal while Alsammarae was electricity minister.

This should be a major international incident and it sure seems many, perhapes Dems and Repubs, would prefer we follow other lines...  like Blackwater maybe.  It is shadowy.
[ Parent ]
So do something (0.00 / 0)
Write a story and post it. Organize a group and go complain. Do something.

Instead you come here where people are trying to do something and sabotage it. That is why I feel that you are totally disingenuous with everything you say here. Some of it may be worthwhile, but you're presenting it to undercut other things, not to do accomplish anything by itself. That is the definition of concern trolling.

ltsply2

[ Parent ]
I've posted quite a bit on it (0.00 / 0)
Check my posts over at Illinoize.
[ Parent ]
OK (0.00 / 0)
But why didn't you post about Blackwater? Is it because since it was a Republican/Bush thing and if not good, certainly not worth looking at? That would just be SOP Republican politics except it involves a war where American are getting killed.

ltsply2
[ Parent ]
I did... (0.00 / 0)
read the link on all the contractors getting moved under the Uniform Code.  Including potentially within the US.

I think it's a needed reform.

I'd like very much to know if Blagojevich also invited Blackwater in and what's the circumstances around their move here.

Given the letter to the Iraqi Minister of Defense offering Savanna Army Depot, I'd very much like to know what happened with Blackwater and Illinois.

I was amazed Illinois Gov communicated directly with the Iraqi Gov on Security training.

[ Parent ]
so what should we do??? (0.00 / 0)
Pretend Blagojevich's staff isn't initiating memos like this? http://www.suntimes....

Blackwater equals Bush and is bad.

Campanion equals Blajevich and Rezko and if not good, well just not worthy of looking at?

That's not right, left, conservative, or progressive; that's just overlooking the works of Illinois's local wheetler dealers.

It would just be SOP Illinois politics except it involves a war where Amreicans are getting killed.

[ Parent ]
Disingenuous (4.00 / 1)
Look at Blackwater. Look at Companion. Look at Bush. Look at Blagojevich. Look at them all. If I had 40 hours in a day, no job, and no need for sleep then I'd do it. As it stands I have to do what I can. I imagine that we are all in the same situation. Thankfully as a community we can cover more than we could alone. But just because we aren't covering something doesn't mean we approve of it and you know it.

ltsply2
[ Parent ]
I agree (0.00 / 0)
I doubt few here would agree Illinois's connection to Iraq via Resko and Alsammarae did America or Iraqi's much good.

It looks as though we we're bent on plundering the country.

And you have to wonder what the connection is about an Alsammarae fleeing the country with the alleged help of security guards and laughing afterwords about doing it the Chiocago way; and then we find NW Illinois becoming a training ground for these firms and Blagovejvich's staff writing Letters to Iraq's Minister of Defense offering the Savanna Army Depot.

We may now have to knock at all really.  They threw it in our faces.

Just take the guy at his word when he says he did it the Chicago way.  He really means it.

[ Parent ]
it's not all Democrats (0.00 / 0)
...Alsammarae, Campanion, they turn to Obama, not Durbin, for help.

I think there is a reason they do that.  I've writting Obama and asked why.

No response.

So (0.00 / 0)
Why do you think this is? Because as a freshman Senator they assumed Obama would be more naive? Because Durbin was in the Democratic leadership he was less accessible?

ltsply2
[ Parent ]
I don't know (0.00 / 0)
Alsammarae's daughter went to Obama for help and not Durbin when her Dad was imprisoned in Iraq. 

I thought that odd.  I've written and asked Obama's office on it but have had no response.

I wanted to know what Obama's position was as a member of Foreign Affairs Committee on sending Alsammarae back to Iraq for trial.

No answer...  but I keep plugging along.

[ Parent ]
OK (0.00 / 0)
That's nice, but what are you implying?

Just say it Bill. Lay your cards on the table. Don't play games.

ltsply2

[ Parent ]
Alsammarae's family reached out to Obama (0.00 / 0)
Alsammarae's daughter reached out to Obama for help when her Dad was imprisoned in Iraq.

Alsammarae busted out of jail in Iraq telling us he did it the Chicago way.

The speculation was Alsammarae had help from security firms working in Iraq.

Now we have security firms getting training in Illinois, and the Gov is offering the Savanna Army Depot to them.

Sounds like a made for TV movie.

I wrote Obama's office and asked what all the connections were and asked how Obama felt about returning Alsammarae to Iraq given 1) Alsammarae said he would get killed it returned, and 2) Fitz wanted to talk to Alsammarae about Runman / Resko's electric power plant deal.

If there isn't a story worthy of a made for TV mini series in all of this I'll be damned.

It's just that there is a war on that makes it a shame..  that makes the farce a tragedy.

[ Parent ]
Glad Trees posted this. (0.00 / 0)
The issues with Blackwater North are the zoning and whether they came in under false pretenses about what they intended to do, and the locals complained first.

But there they are, out in the middlest of nowhere that I've ever been--a couple people got lost--and on that day the available parking and toilets were almost 10 miles away from the site via twisting gravel roads.

I drove a van so shuttled people back and forth, running a gauntlet past sheriff's police who were doing nothing but preventing more than two vehicles from parking anywhere near the gate at any given time.

We're going back in October, I think.

Knocking On The Gates of Blackwater North | 22 comments
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