Blackwater USA

Today, Congress began an important hearing into Blackwater USA, a private mercenary firm who has extensive contracts in Iraq and their use of force. This isn't a new problem, but it took an egregious act of aggression to bring it to a hearing.

Why mention this on a blog about Maine? Mostly because it's so very important. Blackwater's activities in Iraq undermine any small good we've managed to accomplish and our dependence upon them and other private contractors is economically excessive and not viable as a long term solution. Right now we're in a viscious cycle. We can't win with them, and we shouldn't abide their actions, but we cannot go to war without them.

There's a whole lot about Blackwater that's smelly: The founder, Erik Prince, is a fundamentalist Christian, from a very, very wealthy Michigan Republican family. He served as an intern in the Bush White House. His sister The firm has shown an 80,000% increase in government contracts since 2001; most of the contracts awarded have been in no bid situations; your tax dollars are spent at a rate of $1,222 per day per Blackwater contractor, and Blackwater operatives earn as much as $600.00 per day. Does your loved one who's serving in the military get even close to that salary? In previous cases where Blackwater has killed innocent Iraqis, the State Department has arranged cash payoffs to make the matter go away.

But the stinkiest thing of all: Order number 17 , signed into effect by Paul Bremmer, which effectively gives contractors working in Iraq a free pass to do as they please, without fear of prosecution. Our troops can be tried for murder and excessive use of force, but not a Blackwater mercenary soldier. Our "Christian Nation" is effectively turning a blind eye to injustice and "sin" and no rule of law for these men, and it's got to stop.

The New York Times blog live blogged Erik Prince's testimony today, complete with embedded video and the WaPo has an extensive article. Salon has background here and here.

If you're really interested, Jeremy Scahill has written an excellent book on Blackwater, entitled Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army. Don't read it at night. It's scary enough to give you nightmares.

I'm 99% Sure I'll Be Receiving One of These

Given my family's beliefs and my step son's fervor, should the rapture occur in my lifetime, it's certain that I'm going to get one of these....

The really cool thing about this is the way that it works --it's just like that switch on Lost. It's a dead man switch. If someone doesn't reset the bugger, it sends the emails. I'd contend that a sending the left-behind letter will have a way bigger impact than the electromagnetic burst in the South Pacific.

Some Light Reading For A Saturday

We're in a dither getting ready for Eldest and her boyfriend to visit. Cleaning and changing sheets (we're so excited), cooking, shoveling the driveway yet again (because Eldest and the boyfriend), shopping for their favorite foods (are so much fun to have visit) and deciding what to cook for Monday night dinner when both kids and their significant others will join us for dinner.

So while we're dithering, here're are few easy reading (heh) articles for your consideration:

The Kingmakers-- Howard Fineman reports on the GOP candidates' battle to win the evangelical endorsement. There's more at stake than just an endorsement here. If Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell have their way, we'll be living in a theocracy where non-Christians are second class citizens.

Glenn Greenwald looks at John McCain's blogger and Frederick Clarkson takes it a step further, calling Patrick Hynes "McCain's Personal Christian Nationalist."

Andrew Sullivan and Sam Harris debate fundamentalism. Oh, and they argue about some other stuff as well.

Political Cortex has the weekly roundup of blog posts about the religious right.

With this reading list, I'd imagine that someone with think I'm anti-Christian, but that's not the case at all. I'm pro-Christ and his teachings, but anti-Christianist.

I'd like this to be a non-political zone, but until our churches are once again the non-political safe sanctuaries they were meant to be, you'll have to forgive me for an occasional foray into these topics. It is a safe zone, and while I welcome dissenting--even strongly dissenting-- thoughts, no swearing, no personal attacks, no offensive or abusive comments will be tolerated and as always, I reserve the right to delete any comments that aren't keeping with the spirit of civil debate.