It’s hard to imagine how the United States could heap more abuse on Pakistan. We are approaching the one year anniversary since Jeremy Scahill disclosed the extensive JSOC-Blackwater secret war effort within Pakistan and yet there is no indication that either Barack Obama or David Petraeus sees a need to shut down the rogue operators there. Despite the occasional attempt to portray the US military as providing crucial relief efforts in the massive floods in Pakistan (such as in the accompanying photo), the reality is that US military relief to Pakistan has been derided as but a tiny fraction of the military relief provided in other recent world catastrophes. Last week’s sentencing of Aafia Siddiqui to eighty-six years in jail provoked massive protests across Pakistan. And now we are learning that NATO (which really means US) helicopters have killed over 50 people in air raids on the Pakistan side of the border with Afghanistan over the weekend.

As our combat troops leave Iraq, the number of private security contracts is expected to increase over two fold. What does this mean for our ability to hold them accountable for their conduct in war zones?

From TomDispatch this morning: 11 pop-quiz questions on the wacky world of American war — depending on how many answers you get correct you can be a four-star general, a gun totin’ mercenary, or a mere private — Tom Engelhardt and Nick Turse, “The American Way of War Quiz, This Was the War Month That Was (Believe It or Not)

Harry Shearer’s New Film Decries Pres. Pinocchio’s Lies About Army Corps’s Culpability re Katrina — by NormanB

Blackwater lied to the government over three hundred times about breaking export control laws, and still managed to sweet talk its way into new contracts.

Sounds like epic parent fail to me.

It’s official: Private war criminal Erik Prince is untouchable.

State Dept. & CIA Help Blackwater Get Away With Smuggling & Treason — by NormanB (“Deviations from the Norm”)

One day after firing one cowboy, the CIA hires a whole company full of them.

Blackwater has been THE mercenary outfit of choice by the Bush – Cheney Whitehouse to conduct operations in the Global War on Terror.
Recently the Justice department and FBI discovered Blackwater had committed unjustified homicides or perhaps outright assassinations in conjunction with the CIA under Dick Cheney’s orders.

Furthermore, Blackwater paid millions in bribes to local officials to remain silent after a bloody massacre of civilians in Iraq.
Now, Erik Prince is moving to United Arab Emirates, a country with no extradition policy with the U.S. coming on the heels of further investigations.
You’d think this company would never get another dime from the State Department.
You’d be wrong.

“Blackwater’s Youngest Victim” premieres this week in New York.