Full Disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign

By now, nobody should be surprised by the resiliency of Blackwater.  They’ve come back from the brink so many times, it’s easy to allow yourself to think they’ll never really be gone.  So this weekend’s New York Times article on Blackwater’s comeback might be both demoralizing and par for the course if it wasn’t for the strong rhetorical pushback from members of Congress that line up encouragingly with local progress.

As the New York Times chronicles all the near death experiences that Blackwater has come through:

The State Department has just renewed its contract to provide security for American diplomats in Iraq for at least another year. Threats by the Iraqi government to strip Western contractors of their immunity from Iraqi law have gone nowhere. No charges have been brought in the United States against any Blackwater guard in the September shooting, either, and the F.B.I. agents in Baghdad charged with investigating whether Blackwater guards have committed any crimes under United States law are sometimes protected as they travel through Baghdad by Blackwater guards.

Nevertheless, signs indicate that, ever so slowly, the worm is turning. The article notes that the State Department renewed its contract largely for lack of other options, to which Rep. Henry Waxman retorted “I can’t understand why Blackwater’s contract was renewed. It seems to me the administration should have looked for others who could do the job, including the U.S. military.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Jan Schakowsky continues to push her “Stop Outsourcing Security Act” which has elicited 12,470 signatures of support from the Courage Campaign petition to Speaker Pelosi.

And as Blackwater continues to face the grim possibility of existing in a world after Iraq and no-bid, no-accountability government contracts, they’re trying with no small measure of desperation to diversify.  That means new facilities, new sorts of contracts, new public image.  But this is where the top-to-bottom pushback- from Schakowsky’s bill to tomorrow’s San Diego City Council hearing discussing Blackwater (10am if you’re in town)- can be effective.  Blackwater is at a public relations crossroads.  Nobody- from fellow contractors to investment groups– want the headache. PR is such a problem that the New York Times notes “Mr. [Eric] Prince until recently seemed eager to tell his side of the story, and there were reports that he planned to write a book. But on Friday, Anne Tyrrell, a Blackwater spokeswoman, said Mr. Prince’s book project had been put on hold.”

Sunlight and tenacity can win this. It’s already starting to expose the cracks in Blackwater’s facade.  It’s just a matter of hanging in through all 12 rounds, because they won’t go down without a fight.

Full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign

Blackwater made its way into the big time here in San Diego today, with mayoral hopeful Steve Francis picking up on the issue and savagely beating Jerry Sanders over the head with it.  There’s no love lost between these two (as you may remember or enjoy viewing), and they know that whether it’s on June 3 or in the November runoff, they’re in direct competition with each other for roughly the same political real estate in this mayoral race.  So when Francis is kind enough to adopt the Courage Campaign frame in his press release entitled Blackwater Permit Issue Raises Serious Questions. Which makes Blackwater a defining issue as both Republicans try to stake a claim to the center-left.

Full text and further analysis on the flip.

“Once again, it appears that the too-cozy relationship between Mayor Sanders’ administration and his lobbyist supporters may have led to an outcome that is not in the best interests of the people of San Diego. And once again, we see the corrosive effects of too much secrecy and not enough transparency in the dealings of our government.  Right now, the Blackwater permit issue raises more questions than it answers. In light of the Blackwater West controversy last year, the fact that permits were sought using the names of Blackwater affiliates and not the Blackwater name itself raises serious questions. Was this a deliberate deception? How was a permit for a “vocational training school” given to a paramilitary training facility? Why was this matter not handled in an open and transparent way with public hearings and public comment period? Did Sanders’ supporter and lobbyist firm Carpi and Clay receive preferential treatment for their client, Blackwater? How many times did Mayor Sanders and/or his top lieutenants meet with Carpi and Clay in 2007 and 2008 and what were the topics discussed at those meetings? What did Mayor Sanders know about the current permit issue and when did he know it? Due to the long track record of this Mayor in regards to special access for his lobbyist supporters, it is simply not credible for his Administration to investigate itself. I call on Mayor Sanders to invite an external investigation into this matter so that the citizens can be assured of the integrity of the process.”

Francis reinforces some issues and broaches a few more in this release.  First of all, the Carpi and Clay connection.  The local lobbyists are playing about 18 different sides in this mess. Among their many local clients are the County and Port of San Diego. Nikki Clay was a registered Blackwater lobbyist during 2006 and 2007 while they were pursuing their Potrero facility. Her husband Ben Clay was recently nominated by Mayor Sanders to the local Stadium Board. Both are campaign contributors to Sanders’ campaign and PAC in the past.  One of the major criticisms of Sanders is that he’s far too beholden to contributors and far too cozy with lobbyists. So that’s the new.

The reinforced is that this is not a partisan issue, but rather an issue of fundamental government functionality and decency.  We have a GOP mayor and his GOP challenger now battling over who can be tougher on Blackwater. Because Blackwater is simply bad no matter how you cut it. The only way for them to open a new facility is to obscure their identity and true motives, which breaks local governments.  And that’s without even getting into the community impact on local schools and security having lying mercenaries running around.  The underlying issue that Steve Francis lays bare here and which goes beyond local issues is this: What they say they’re doing is not what they’re permitted to do.  If this is allowed to slide, they aren’t bound by what they say they’re doing. The floodgates are open and they can do anything.

The door needs to be slammed now, and hard.  Francis and Sanders are racing towards the center-left in this election; Francis on transparent government, Sanders on marriage equality and no-nonsense finance. And now, they’re both racing on Blackwater. Cause nobody wants to be the one opposed to functional government.

Full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign

Local leaders gathered today outside the office of Mayor Jerry Sanders to present him with more than 2,500 signatures to the letter from San Diego Democratic Party Chair Jess Durfee calling for an investigation into Blackwater’s permit process.  There was a somewhat unexpected air of celebration to the event as it was announced yesterday that Mayor Sanders is calling for the city’s Chief Executive Officer to conduct a full review of the Blackwater permit process (of course now we’ll see what comes of it).

The stage was shared by Jess Durfee (who noted he knows a few things about vocational schools courtesy of a Master’s degree in vocational education), Courage Campaign’s Rick Jacobs, Humberto Peraza- district Chief of Staff for Rep. Filner, Francine Busby and Ray Lutz from Citizens’ Oversight Projects.

All the parties involved have been instrumental in the rapid and effective response to this new Blackwater situation.  Remember it’s been barely two weeks since the news originally broke of this new facility, yet here everyone was gathered to mark and celebrate a significant people-powered success story.

Today was a great opportunity to cement in no uncertain terms the coalition to Block Blackwater which has formed rapidly and forced action from the Mayor.  And we’re just getting warmed up.  There have been recent revelations that Blackwater is looking to expand operations at current facilities and open a new training facility in Idaho.  Why? Because they see the writing on the wall.  They know that Iraq isn’t going to last much longer, partly because they’ve behaved so criminally and partly because the war is such a debacle.  They know that their survival depends on diversifying and establishing new roles in a post-Bush/Iraq system.  It’s why they’re looking for a few good hundred million in new investment capital.  It’s because there’s no natural place for them to exist once they can’t get anymore handouts from the Bush Administration and their cronies.

Today was a victory. Tomorrow we’ll likely need another. But we’re developing the methods that win.

I’ll let folks draw their own conclusions and pick their own fights for the most part, but I thought this poll (link changed to pdf of Field Poll) was pretty interesting (favorable/unfavorable/net):

California Nurses Association/Nurses: 53/15/+35

California Hospital Assn./Hospitals: 33/30/+3

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: 40/40/0

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez: 20/29/-8

Chamber of Commerce/Business Groups: 25/36/-11

News Media: 28/46/-18%

Republican State Legislative Leaders: 22/48/-26

Health Insurance Companies: 16/55/-39

I will throw a few rather obvious ones out along with one that may be less so. One- people don’t care much for politicians. Two- they care even less for the media, which is interesting as the media keeps cutting back on news coverage. Three- they HATE insurance companies, which makes me wonder why anyone keeps trying to keep them in the equation.

Also, CNA’s numbers are pretty darn impressive. Some of that is that people just like nurses I would imagine. But average Californian on the street, if they have an actual opinion of CNA proper, it’s likely to be an opinion on single-payer. Which makes me think that, given the opportunity, people might be pretty supportive of single-payer.

Full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign

Mayor Jerry Sanders got what he asked for when he was elected in 2005. Not just the office, but unprecedented “strong mayor” control over the city’s operation. He’s had two and a half years, and as he runs for reelection, we have to ask whether he’s lived up to the responsibility.

At a recent debate, Mayor Sanders let his frustration get the best of him over the substance, or perceived lack thereof, in the current campaign.  Well if he wants to talk about issues, Blackwater is a good one.  Steve Francis, a leading contender for mayor, has accused Jerry Sanders of “presiding over the largest pay-to-play system the city has ever seen.”  If Mayor Sanders wants to get substantive and prove that the good of the community is is his top priority, it’s time he get involved in the absurd permit process that has- thus far- allowed Blackwater to waltz into the city and start unpacking within spitting distance of the border.

Earlier today, Courage Campaign partnered with Jess Durfee, the Chair of the San Diego Democratic Party, to introduce a petition calling on Mayor Sanders to launch a full investigation into the questionable process that’s brought Blackwater to the City of San Diego.  He asked for this responsibility- he still wants this responsibilty. It’s time to deliver.

On the flip is the email that Jess Durfee sent to Courage Campaign’s San Diego members today.

My name is Jess Durfee. I am the Chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party.

The Courage Campaign asked me to write this message to the people of San Diego about Blackwater’s shocking new plan to build a base of operations in Otay Mesa, just three blocks from the Mexican border.

False pretenses. Bait-and-switch. Trojan horse. Take your pick of descriptions to explain Blackwater securing a city permit for its “vocational training school” — a “school” that won’t be open to the general public.

That’s simply Blackwater’s way of doing business. By using trojan-horse corporate shells like “Southwestern Law Enforcement” and “Raven Development Group” to obtain their permit, Blackwater is using false pretenses to evade public scrutiny.

The worst part? The “Blackwater bait-and-switch”: Using Iraq profits to subsidize a base of operations in San Diego with millions of your tax dollars.

Enough is enough. It’s time for San Diego’s elected officials to take a stand and kick Blackwater out of San Diego County for good. If the people of Potrero can do it, so can we.

The one man standing in the way of Blackwater is Mayor Jerry Sanders. He has the power — under San Diego’s “strong mayor” system — to launch a full investigation into the false pretenses Blackwater used to obtain a “vocational trade school” permit for their 61,600-square-foot facility.

I have written a letter to Mayor Sanders that asks him to take action immediately. To get the Mayor’s attention, I am urging the citizens of San Diego to join me in signing it no later than TUESDAY AT 9 AM.

The sooner you sign on and spread the word to your friends, family and neighbors, the more signatures we’ll have when we present this petition to Mayor Sanders on Tuesday:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/SandersLetter

We all know that Blackwater is the “Enron” of private security contractors, more than willing to exploit Californians in the pursuit of profit. Do we really want these notorious mercenaries as our neighbors, bait-and-switching San Diego with an eye to eventually landing border security contracts?

As I wrote to Mayor Sanders in the letter linked above:

“This isn’t the first time that Blackwater has tried to hold itself above the law, and it probably won’t be the last. As ABC News recently reported, ‘Blackwater has been accused of tax fraud, improper use of force, arms trafficking and overbilling connected to its work for the U.S. government in Iraq. A grand jury, federal prosecutors and congressional investigators are all currently probing allegations against the company.’

The letter goes on to ask Mayor Sanders to stand up for San Diego so we can stand up to Blackwater before they set up shop a stone’s throw from the Tijuana International Airport. Please sign our letter today and ask your friends, family and neighbors to sign it as well before TUESDAY AT 9 AM:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/SandersLetter

As many Democrats, Republicans and Independents agree, Blackwater is undermining our troops in Iraq and our security at home. And now it appears to be using false pretenses to establish a dangerous foothold inside our community to privatize our border security operations. The only way we’ll know is if our Mayor launches a full investigation immediately.

It’s time for Mayor Sanders to stand up for San Diegans by standing up against Blackwater.

Please sign this letter to the Mayor today and tell your friends. Before it’s too late.

Thank you for everything you are doing to make sure San Diego continues to be “America’s Finest City”.

Jess Durfee

Chair

San Diego County Democratic Party

P.S. Thank you to all the folks in San Diego who came out last Friday to Congressman Bob Filner’s rally and press conference at the site of Blackwater’s planned facility in Otay Mesa. We had a great turnout in what could be the beginning of a movement to finally kick Blackwater out of town for good and change San Diego politics forever.

To make this new era for progressive politics in San Diego possible, we need your support for our letter to Mayor Sanders. Please sign on and spread the word as soon as possible before we present your signatures to the Mayor on Tuesday:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/SandersLetter  

Full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign

When nobody was paying attention, Blackwater found another way into San Diego.  After watching every friendly politician in Potrero get recalled handily in February, Blackwater West quietly started pursuing permits to open a facility in the City of San Diego just three blocks from the U.S/Mexico border.  61,600 square feet, zoned for a vocational school but which Blackwater plans to use for training Navy personnel in terrorism response.  To echo recent comments by Councilmember Ben Hueso to local news, Blackwater has no business in the City of San Diego unless and until someone can say definitively what laws they are bound by.  And certainly, setting up shop on the border raises all sorts of extra red flags.

The local response has been fast and furious this week.  And thanks to leadership from Congressman Bob Filner, there will be a rally at the proposed site of the new Blackwater facility tomorrow (Friday) morning.  Rep. Filner will be joined by Councilmember Ben Hueso, San Diego City Council President Scott Peters, Carol Jahnkow of the Peace Resource Center, Raymond Lutz of Citizens’ Oversight Projects, and Sierra Club’s Jeanette Hartman at 10:45am at 7685 Siempre Viva Road in Otay Mesa in opposition to Blackwater’s latest shady dealings.  Blackwater discovered once that San Diego isn’t friendly territory. They’re sticking around for a reason, and best guess is, it’s not just for a Navy subcontract.

Among other organizations, the Courage Campaign is encouraging all local San Diegans to attend if they’re able.  If you want to read the email from Rick Jacobs, you can check it out here.

Senator Jeff Denham knows he can’t win on his record.  He knows that the state’s budget is screwed, he was and remains part of the problem and people are smart enough to put it together.  And since he can’t resist a recall on his actual performance as a legislator, he’s left bitching and moaning over ticky-tack stuff that only matters if you’re scared of being judged on your merits.

So today, Denham filed two criminal complaints against Senator Don Perata.  They object to some pretty innocuous and obscure actions- like a Senate staffer translating a transcript- which, while worth being looked at, have nothing to do with the actual substance of the recall election. It’s misdirection, it’s obfuscation, and it’s a refusal to take responsibility for the crisis that the state is facing.  Par for the course these days from the Yacht Party and it’s preference for party loyalty over productive governance.

Senator Denham continues to base his entire campaign on the notion that his behavior is no business of anyone outside the district.  He complains that Perata shouldn’t be involved, outside activists shouldn’t be involved, that the eyes of the state have been unjustly turned to his record and district.  But when Senator Denham obstructs a workable budget, it isn’t just his district that suffers.  Kids are losing teachers in every corner of the state because of the budget shortfall that Denham helped create.  Vital services are being slashed across California because Denham refuses to deal in fiscal reality instead of partisan obstinacy.

We’re all in Jeff Denham’s district, and if he’s going to whine about it, maybe he should find a different line of work.

Update: Just received a press release (full text below the flip) accusing Denham’s campaign of using state email accounts to solicit state employees for campaign purposes. State resources should, it seems, be used to protect his own hide but not to provide basic services to Californians. Presumably the resources in question do not exclusively come from his Senate district. We’re all in Jeff Denham’s district.

DENHAM CAMPAIGN IGNORES LAW

Campaign Manager’s E-mail Targets State Workers

In what appears to be a pre-planned attempt to subvert state law, Jeff Denham’s campaign has used state email accounts to solicit state employees to participate in precinct walks.

An email sent to staffers working for Republican legislators – and obtained by the campaign to recall Denham – urges staffers to participate in the effort to save Denham from recall.

The email – apparently written by Denham’s campaign manager – begins with the sentence, appearing in bold and capital letters “DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE FROM A GOVERNMENT ACCOUNT” – clearly indicating that the intended email recipients were state employees using state computers.

“Jeff Denham has stooped to a new low – using taxpayer’s resources to try to help save his political hide,” said Gary Robbins, leader of the Denham recall effort. “Denham went behind our back to raise his own pay, now it looks like he’s willing to break the law to keep his job.”

A copy of the email appears below.

In addition, Denham’s campaign website – until it was abruptly changed this week – contained more than a dozen press releases that were identical to those appearing on his state website – in apparent violation of laws restricting the use of state resources for political purposes.

Full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign

Cross posted at the Courage Campaign blog

The Union-Tribune’s Anne Krueger is back with a command performance from the stenography pool today, delivering the latest “news” on Blackwater’s Otay Mesa facility.  Yet even she couldn’t avoid the awkward break in logic that the various pieces of today’s puzzle delivered:

“As long as it was an educational facility, if they’re training future police or security guards, that would be considered a vocational trade,” Broughton said.

Bonfiglio said Blackwater has had a contract to train Navy personnel since 2002 through a subcontractor, American Shooting Center in Kearny Mesa. The training will be transferred to the Otay Mesa site once Navy inspectors give their approval to the new facility, he said.

Bonfiglio said Blackwater hasn’t determined whether American Shooting Center would assist with training in Otay Mesa.

“We want to improve on the curriculum. We want to improve on the teaching,” Bonfiglio said. “We want to improve on the facilities.”

Bonfiglio said other agencies may use the facilities occasionally if it doesn’t interfere with the Navy’s training. He emphasized that no independent contractors working for Blackwater would be trained there.

addition: Brian Bonfiglio explicitly states that this facility will provide military, not civilian training in the article: “Already in place was a ship simulator – a miniature version of a Navy ship – that Bonfiglio said will be used to train sailors for crisis situations at sea…Although the facility has a shooting range, it will emphasize training Navy personnel to be better prepared for terrorist attacks, Bonfiglio said.”

So as long as they’re training future police or security guards it’s vocational. But they’re training Navy personnel to perform Navy duties.  American Shooting Center (if you want to visit their website by the way, it’s www.gotammo.com ahem), for its own part, is not new to shady training facilities. Last year, ASC tried to open a training facility near Cleveland National Forest without permits and was shut down by the Board of Supervisors.  At the time, owner Marc Halcon complained about getting lumped in with Blackwater and

Halcon said he has had a subcontract with Blackwater since 2002 to train military personnel at his Kearny Mesa shooting center, though he said none of that training took place at Covert Canyon. He would not say how much he is being paid for the contract, which is due to end in September.

So Halcon’s subcontract with Blackwater was due to end September of last year. And the contract was, even then, “to train military personnel at his Kearny Mesa shooting center.” And now Blackwater is saying its new facility is for training those people. Did the contract get renewed/extended? If so, I guess it was changed to reflect a change of venue for the training, even though Blackwater had no facility lined up last fall.  Going further, neither last year’s article nor the new coverage suggests that the training of Navy personnel is to ease their transition into private-sector security jobs- quite the opposite.  Given that Halcon was careful to note the differences between military, police and private training, it seems odd that it would consistently be referred to as training of military personnel unless it’s exclusively is training of military personnel for military purposes.  Which would not be a vocational or trade school. At all.

In this scenario, the only way around that rather major problem would be if Kelly Broughton’s statement- “if they’re training future police or security guards”- is given incredible latitude.  I mean, Navy personnel may very well become police officers or security guards eventually. And those who do would likely utilize weapon and other combat training as part of their job.  But that’s a far leap from the notion that training military personnel to perform military tasks is the same as training them to be police or security professionals.

And while we’re on the subject of what constitutes vocational training, Ray Lutz went ahead and checked the Yellow Pages, where Blackwater Worldwide is indeed listed under Industrial, Technical & Trade Schools (received via email).  He also too the time to note the other businesses listed under the same heading:

A Academy of Bartending

California College For Health Sciences

Center for The Communications Arts

College of English Language

Contractor Schools Golden State

Contractors License Of California

Devry Univ. San Diego  http://www.devry.edu/ (career-oriented majors)

Foundation for Educational Achievement

ITT Tech

Language Studies International

Law School of National Univ.

Occupational Training Services

Pattie Wells Dancetime Center

Reliable Communications Incorporated

Schrader & Associates

Southwestern College

California College For Health Sciences

Seeds of Success Intl. Inc.

Comprehensive Training Systems

International Center for American English

Valley Career College

Advanced Training Associates

Wow Performance Coaching

Barrera Rick & Associates

Tomorrow’s Communications Inc.

Vitality Inc

Palomar College

Healing Hands School of Holistic Health

Welsh Sales Group

Miracosta College

Spartan College Of Aeronautics & Technology

At Your Home Familycare Learning Academy

Beauty Boutique Colleges of Beauty

Dental Assisting Institute

Not so much shooting ranges or mercenary training. More…training for jobs that actually contribute positively to society.  One wonders how long it’ll be before the U.S. government will finally break down and start classifying the nation’s military as just an exceptionally well-funded jobs program.  I’m kinda surprised the Bush administration hasn’t seized on this as their version of the New Deal. Maybe it’s cause nobody will sign up…