This video is called The Tale of Prince – A War Profiteer.
‘Examining the life of Erik Prince, the founder of the private army firm Blackwater. From the producers of ‘Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers‘.’
From Mother Jones in the USA:
Blackwater/Xe Sued For War Crimes
— By Bruce Falconer | Mon June 8, 2009 12:45 PM PST
Blackwater has lost its Iraq contract, but the firm continues to be dogged by scandal stemming from its five-year run protecting diplomats in the country. You might remember the story of how Blackwater operator Andrew Moonen allegedly shot and killed the Iraqi vice president’s bodyguard in the Green Zone in December 2006 after drunkenly stumbling away from a Christmas party with a loaded Glock at his side. The incident was just one in a string of questionable shootings that ultimately led the State Department to cancel Blackwater’s contracts earlier this year, though that may have done little more than compel Blackwater’s shooters to change teams.
But the Moonen shooting, despite Blackwater’s alleged attempts to cover it up, is back in the news. The wife and two orphaned children of Raheem Khalaf Sa’adoon, the slain Iraqi guard, have filed suit against Erik Prince and Blackwater/Xe in Alexandria’s District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The written complaint (PDF) charges Prince and his web of companies with war crimes; assault and battery; wrongful death; intentional infliction of emotional distress; negligent inflication of emotional distress; negligent hiring, training, and supervision; and tortious spoilation of evidence. They demand compensation for the Sa’adoon’s death, as well as an unspecified punitive award “in an amount sufficient to strip Defendants of all of the revenue and profits earned from their pattern of constant misconduct and callous disregard for human life.”
According to the complaint, Moonen now works as a prison guard at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Washington.
Eyewitness to the wreckage of Iraq: here.
US army still holding prisoners in Iraq: here.
Billions of dollars misappropriated in Iraq & Afghanistan
10 June, 2009, 12:54
The US Department of Defense has failed to adequately manage tens of billions of dollars in contracts paid mainly to private companies supporting military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
That’s according to a report by the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the organization formed by Congress to investigate wartime spending.
Titled “At What Cost? Contingency Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan”, the 111-page report presents the interim findings of the commission.
“The environment in Iraq and Afghanistan has been and continues to be susceptible to waste, fraud, and abuse,” the report said.
One example of wasted money mentioned in the document is the construction of a 30 million dollar dining facility at an American base in Iraq which was supposed to be completed by the end of December 2009. Due to bad planning and poor fiscal management the project is still a long way from completion.
As far as Afghanistan is concerned, where President Obama has ordered a troops surge, hardly anyone knows the actual number of contractors, which of course creates additional obstacles to proper management. The report quotes, for instance, one commander who said he had no idea how many contractors worked on his base on a daily basis.
The report will be heard on Wednesday in Congress by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s national security and foreign affairs subcommittee.
“A broken contracting system amounts to a broken contract with the American people. The whole point of establishing the Commission on Wartime Contracting was to approach waste, fraud, and abuse from an independent perspective that transcends politics. Our Subcommittee hearing is designed to assess the Commission’s progress to date, identify any unwarranted obstacles to its progress, and ensure that they are on the case,” The Washington Post quotes subcommittee Chairman John F. Tierney as saying.
The final report will be issued next year.
http://www.russiatoday.ru/Top_News/2009-06-10/Billions_of_dollars_misappropriated_in_Iraq__and__Afghanistan.html
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25 House Progressives Can End the Wars
On Monday, we said just 40 House Progressives could end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan/Pakistan (Af/Pak) by opposing the Pentagon’s demand for another $95 billion. That’s because all 178 Republicans will vote no over $5 billion for the IMF.
Nearly 10,000 of you emailed your Representatives, and 15 House Progressives responded to you by opposing the $95 billion. So now we need just 25 more.
Tell Congress: Healthcare Not Warfare
http://www.democrats.com/healthcare-not-warfare?cid=ZGVtczE0MDA2MmRlbXM=
For a glimpse of the impact of U.S. bombs on the children of Afghanistan, watch this 1 minute video from our friends at BraveNewFilms:
If you have time to call Congress, pick a few from this list:
http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/Supplemental
Report the response you get using the webform.
If you use Twitter, you can “retweet” four quick messages to key Members of Congress:
http://www.democrats.com/tweet-against-war-funds
You can follow my tweets here:
http://twitter.com/bobfertik
And you can follow our action-only tweets here:
http://twitter.com/democratscom
Thanks for all you do!
Bob Fertik
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