Letters to the Editor
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...coming soon to a theater near you...
Although we see the deplorable images on the web and television about this carnage in Iraq, there is a case to be made that Blackwater's security contractors will also be deployed on significant domestic missions within the United States in 2008.
Blackwater's contractors, many of whom are not US citizens but recruited from South Africa, Mexico, and other nations, get advanced training in many disciplines within a state of the art North Carolina training facility that includes extensive simulation capabilities. It should be noted that this is the largest such training center among all private and military organizations worldwide, and plans are now underway for a second facility in California. This privately held firm is clearly expecting the need to extend beyond the 40,000 contractors now trained annually.
The scope and scale of involvement by Blackwater as an extension of executive branch activities is significant. Blackwater was recently awarded part of a $15B contract by the Pentagon to assist in global anti-narcotics enforcement which some have speculated will include a role in DEA and DOD activities within the United States. The new San Diego area Blackwater West facility is expected to support a large border enforcement contract, although this has been denied by US Customs and Border Protection as noted here on Salon in late October. Blackwater's growth in urban simulation training and related capability could conceivably be prerequisites for an active role in supplemental or outsourced management of domestic protests, rallies, or federal elections security. They would almost certainly be called upon by this administration to extend the reach and presence of executive authority and control in any future domestic terrorism incident.
As most readers here are well aware, Blackwater made their first major appearance during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina while the National Guard was otherwise occupied in Iraq. A prominent domestic law enforcement role for this private security firm is not unprecedented. In 2006, Blackwater hired representation from Kenneth Starr to argue for Blackwater's immunity from prosecution in a 2004 wrongful death case within Iraq. Starr argued that the firm was part of the "Total Force", effectively an extension of the military. I expect this organization to take a broad view of their legal ability to participate in a wide range of domestic activities should they ever be challenged on the legitimacy of such an arrangement.
There are real jurisdictional, control and accountability concerns with the creation of a private paramilitary organization used extensively by the government in either foreign or domestic activities. The likelihood that US civilians will have to interact with this organization used as a surrogate for government law enforcement magnifies the importance and urgency of the question. Although many will no doubt see border or drug enforcement as a worthy effort, I see a chilling and fundamental danger in these precedents.