In Washington today, all eyes are on the Blackwater hearings. But the relentless focus on potential atrocities committed by unaccountable, grotesquely overpaid private security firms in Iraq and Afghanistan obscures the larger issue for the United States. That is, mercenary forces simply should have no place in the national defense of an American democracy.

For the details, see:
“The Meaning of Blackwater.”

Issa is the asshole who represents the adjoining district to mine. Bibray is the Asshole who represents me. Duncan Hunter is the asshole who represents the people to the east of me…

Around here- everyone has their own asshole.

And right in the middle, Blackwater West is trying to establish a training center in Potrero.

ifthethunderdontgetya @ 84

From TPM: Last summer, he (Erik Prince) and his wife shelled out $10,000 in contributions for a Green.

It was part of an effort by connected Republicans (lobbyists and millionaire CEOs among them) to recruit Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli to enter the 2006 Senate race. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) was trailing Dem moderate Bob Casey in the polls — and Romanelli, the scheme went, could take some of those liberal votes away from Casey.

Casey is far from the best Dem around, but at least Ricky Man-Dog Santorum is out of the Senate.

So…to a devious end, basically. So Christian.

A key point was the monumental effort by the state Dem. committee and their lawyers to keep the Green off the ballot: the vast majority of his nominating signatures were found to be fradulent (Note to Indiana: want to see voter fraud up front and personal? Look no further than the Santorum effort in Pennsylvania.) So bad that the Commonwealth Court awarded legal fees and costs to the Dems for the Repubs obdurate and vexatious conduct in pushing the nomination.

As to why Santorum can run in PA from VA??? He kept a two bedroom cottage outside Pittsburgh as his “legal” residence, all while renting it out to his wife’s cousin. Think about it. Senator, wife, cousin and six children in two bedrooms. Thats Legal???? Hmmmmm. Actually, I hope he runs for Gov. He has a lot of baggage that will not stand the light of day.

Ernest Scribbler @ 87

Didn’t the entire battle of Fallujah start with misdirected Blackwater employees?

yes, and that was implied in the questioning.

actually, i think we have to go back further than that… to april, 2003 and why people in fallujah might have reacted the way they did to the american blackwater employees. a bit of background is here and here. google has lots more.

i remember it very well, because after the second report of us army shooting unarmed iraqi protesters, i announced to my co-workers that we had lost and that iraqis would never accept a usa occupation. not that anyone believed me.

For the details, see:
“The Meaning of Blackwater.”

Didn’t the entire battle of Fallujah start with misdirected Blackwater employees?

yes, and that was implied in the questioning.

raven @ 74

Good luck on this conversation :)

Yeah, I know. It’s a common but well-meaning feminist misjudgement to condemn all porn as anti-woman. There is a long, involved argument with much investment on the part of anti-sex feminists that boils down to this: all pen*s/va*ina s*x is rape.

There is more benign porn (I tend to think of it more as “erotica” in that situation), but something should be done about the more violent porn (which is coming more and more into the mainstream) and saying so isn’t the same as saying that “all sex is rape” (a saying that has often been misattrubited to feminists in an effort to discredit them).

Hey Jane!

FYI for you: I just received an email from Wes Clark asking me to contact my congress Critter and push to have Rust LimpBalls removed from Armed Force Radio.

Now I wonder where he got that idea?

Jane just put up a new thread about this.