Blackwater to Set Up Training Camp in California
EmailA controversial private security contractor is planning to expand to California, sparking outrage among local residents and lawmakers. North Carolina-based Blackwater USA, which provides security personnel and training services to the U.S. military in Iraq and elsewhere, plans to set up an 800-acre training camp dubbed "Blackwater West" in a rural community east of San Diego, pending the San Diego County Board of Supervisors’ approval. Local residents of Potrero where the facility is to be built are outraged. "This is totally wrong for the community and the county. It goes against the community character of Potrero," said Carl Meyer, a farmer and Potrero resident of more than 30 years. Meyer, who founded the Residents Against Mercenaries (RAM) community group, said the vast majority of Potrero residents and several environmental protection groups are against the project. Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage. Community opposition has found a friend in Congressman Bob Filner, D-Calif., who said he is exploring legislation that would block Blackwater’s proposal. In an interview with ABC News, Filner vowed to "get creative" if necessary to craft legislation that will block their proposed expansion. Blackwater West vice president Brian Bonfiglio said the facility will be fulfilling the nation’s need for more military training bases and will have no negative impact on the land or the community. "We’ll be replacing chicken coops with state of the art artillery ranges," Bonfiglio said. Bonfiglio said the facility will be used to train military and law enforcement, not mercenaries headed to Iraq. The company is responsible for providing the largest security force on contract to the U.S. government in Iraq, according to experts. In February, Blackwater executives were grilled by Rep. Henry Waxman’s Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about its security work in Iraq, including testimony from the families of the four Blackwater contractors dragged from their vehicles and mutilated in a convoy ambush in Fallujah three years ago. The company has a 7,000-acre training facility at its North Carolina headquarters. Earlier this month it opened an 80-acre training facility in Illinois. Potrero would be Blackwater’s first operation in the western United States.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Again, ABC, please write a complete story (for those of us who like complete stories). The question is why are these people opposed to the facility? Maybe they have legit gripes, but explaining exactly what those gripe are would help to understand the big picture here.
Posted by: Jazz | April 20, 2007, 3:04 pm 3:04 pm
why are these people opposed to the facility????…. c’mon thats a no brainer
- the real question is why do we need to train so many soldiers in the US?…. or even why is there not enough opposition here to stop the momentum of this destructive consciousness and behavior?… the death side of life
its not as if blackwater is creating an organic farm or building a solar powered generator or something that just may contribute to the life side of death
clearly there is an agenda here that is born in violence and can only end in violence – would you want that in your community?
Posted by: homeboy | April 20, 2007, 3:29 pm 3:29 pm
No, it’s not really that clear. Blackwater is a private security firm; so what – who cares if they’re not growing organic soy?
“destructive consciousness and behavior/the death side of life” lol – they’re a business. They provide a service for which there’s a demand (security).
It’s not a “oooh, all they want to do is kill” issue – that’s childish – there has got to be another reason for the opposition.
Posted by: Jazz | April 20, 2007, 3:58 pm 3:58 pm
You are both right. Not all of the gripes are clear but some are obvious just on the nature of the community. Potrero is a rural community with rural qualities- agriculture, national forest, minimal traffic etc. If Blackwater adds such a facility it would clearly change the landscape of the area. Although it would probably provide some jobs for the locals. However, I believe the locals should DEFINITELY be heard no matter if they agree or disagree with the development. That type of neighbor moving in will definitely be impacting. Moreover, I agree with homeboy, do they really want to add a service with connotations to violence into their neighborhood?
Posted by: Kelly | April 20, 2007, 5:28 pm 5:28 pm
Only 800 acres? Somebody doesn’t know what they’re talking about. 800 acres isn’t enough room for small arms, much less artillery.
State of the art? Heh… I’d love to see them fire off a 8-inch howitzer at an indoor range.
Posted by: Carnac | April 20, 2007, 8:10 pm 8:10 pm
And the difference between these facilities in the US and terrorist training camps in the middle east, besides a bigger budget, is what?
Whose side they’re on?
Posted by: Zach | April 20, 2007, 10:38 pm 10:38 pm
Carnac: The difference is Blackwater trains troops and law enforcement in specialized tactics which are used to protect our troops and our citizens from the murderous thugs training in terrorist camps. If you can’t see the difference then you need a serious dose of reality. Your failure to see the difference is truly disturbing.
Posted by: JetSurf | April 21, 2007, 7:05 am 7:05 am
JetSurf: I find your lack of reading comprehension to be “truly disturbing”.
Here’s two quotes from the article:
” plans to set up an 800-acre training camp ”
“state of the art artillery ranges,”
Those are the only two things I commented about. I didn’t challenge anyone else’s opinion, and I damn sure didn’t demonstrate a lack of maturity by attacking anyone personally.
Maybe *YOU* are the one that needs a dose of reality.
Posted by: Carnac | April 21, 2007, 2:34 pm 2:34 pm
Move it inland to property out in the middle of nowhere, in Nevada, or Utah. When, and if Iraq settles down, the training facility will be a ghost town anyhow.
Posted by: Dave | April 21, 2007, 6:09 pm 6:09 pm
Military posts are closing down all over the place.
Instead, paid to hire mercenaries are expanding operations openly in order to provide “security personnel and training services to the U.S. military in Iraq and elsewhere”.
It has always been my understanding that the US military was our nation’s security personnel and also happened to be the best trained military in history.
When did our security require security?
These “contractors” are in the field autonomously, accountable to no one, able to disregard all and any internationally recognized conventions or accepted rules of engagement and basically carry out their missions with the same zeal and wrong-headedness as any other terrorist group from anywhere at all.
Why are people opposed to this training facility?
Maybe it’s just wrong and unsafe in the long run.
And then there’s the possibility that our next Bin Laden could very well come from one of these special ops contractors, stateside.
Posted by: Zach | April 21, 2007, 6:31 pm 6:31 pm
Posted by: Carnac | Apr 20, 2007 8:10:36 PM
And the difference between these facilities in the US and terrorist training camps in the middle east, besides a bigger budget, is what?
Whose side they’re on?
—There is none. Both are fighting for what they see is right. But in the end they are only in business for one reason…to kill.
Posted by: fried ricer | April 22, 2007, 5:30 pm 5:30 pm
One reason they might not want this “Training Facility” built so close to their town is because many are fearing the possibility of martial law. This facility would be an excellent place from which to stage a military takeove of the entire region. These facilities, along with the many secret prisons that are beign consructed across the US, might lead one to believe the many voices that are warning of such a police state being imminent.
Carnac brought up a sincere question: “Whose side are they on?”
The answer is: they are paid $200,000 dollars a year to do what their “secret” owners tell them to do.
Please realize: They are NOT military – they are run by private organizations, and the “personnel” that are trained in these facilities do whatever their bosses tell (order) them to do. They are nothing more and nothing less than corporate mercenaries, representing the interests of the corporate structure.
Posted by: Phil T | April 23, 2007, 8:07 am 8:07 am
That’s huge bout of paranoia, Phil. They’re paid security, that’s the deal. I guess the residents might be nervous about stray fire from the ranges; that could be an issue. Also, increased traffic…but an imminent police state? The possibility of martial law?
Posted by: Jazz | April 23, 2007, 4:18 pm 4:18 pm
Paranoia was what everyone who was sent to the showers could have used a healthy dose of prior to being snookered into thinking it was an invite for something else all together.
These guys aren’t military. Not ours at any rate. There’s no loyalty and no oaths taken that couldn’t be changed for the bidding.
And I ask again, since when did it become necessary for the world’s largest and most advanced military to need someone else from corporate America to provide their security?
Posted by: Zach | April 23, 2007, 7:00 pm 7:00 pm
paranoia…. r u kidding me?…. zach ur on the money…. realize that halliburton just moved its offices to dubai?… all they need do now is bankrupt the economy…. instant martial law…. then there is no “recovery” or protection for those who can’t afford “security” – thats why they’re currently training “security forces” in iraq…. think about it…
weren’t theses “private contractors” hired to work on katrina as well?…. what did they actually do?…. many suffered and died…. is there record of any private contractoe helping to save a life?
there is no way the US can create peace anywhere while growing violence at home
Posted by: homeboy | April 23, 2007, 8:15 pm 8:15 pm
Martial law can only be declared by the feds and if anyone thinks a small outfit like Blackwater can hold down that job with the America public armed as it is is kidding themselves only. The feds would have trouble holding for an extended time. Who came up with this martial law garbage anyway?
Posted by: Watching | April 25, 2007, 10:46 am 10:46 am
“There is no way the US can create peace anywhere while growing violence at home.”
Really? And just why not?
Seems to me the more we help people around the world, the more freedoms we are stripped of here at home.
One more Blackwater is going to stop all the problems overseas?
Our military forces shouldn’t (don’t) need these guys anyway. They do other jobs more than anything else. If you’re not a congressman etc., who’s going to get you to from the green Zone to the airport?
Contractors are buzzards used by the Bush administration to pull clandestine “out of uniform” jobs.
Posted by: Watching | April 25, 2007, 10:57 am 10:57 am
Blackwater has a contract with Naval Special Warfare (SEALs) to train non-operators in small arms tactics and combat driving. Their course is excellent and help keep us alive when overseas. Opening up in San Diego makes sense and saves the Navy a lot of travel time and expense (we currently have to fly everyone to the East Coast).
Regardless of how you feel about private troops in Iraq (I’m against it myself), Blackwater provides an excellent training product and the San Diego facility makes sense.
Posted by: Bill | April 25, 2007, 11:15 am 11:15 am
Wow, they’re training SEALS, now?! I heard of them training minesweeping dolphins before, but SEALS? Isn’t Sea World in San Diego? Why can’t they train the SEALS there,instead of dragging them 80 miles inland?
Anyway, maybe they’re training the SEALS to be underwater suicide bombers; they swim up to the enemy ships and detonate below the water line. The SEALS could do it… I saw them at Sea World once, and they were trained to balance a beach ball on their nose. Man, it was incredible! And you only have to pay them in fish!
Posted by: Jazz | April 25, 2007, 10:33 pm 10:33 pm
There is no shortage of tin foil here.
A good chunk of these security personnel have already been trained by our military while they were active duty. Some of the retention problem the military is dealing with right now is due to the better wages paid by the private outfits. These people are some of the best troops the military has ever trained. They are men of honor with tested courage and self-discipline. They didn’t nut up and go crazy while in the military during combat so what make anyone think they are going to go off the deep end now?
The security folks guard things and people. That is a defensive mission they do not go out and find people to kill. That’s like calling the Secret Service nothing but killers.
Civilian security personnel have no authority under state or federal law to implement any kind of local laws or federal martial law.
There have been private security personnel from the USA working all over the world for the last few decades. We are still here and they haven’t taken over our country so far.
Somebody has been reaching pretty deep into their bag of conspiracy theories.
Posted by: Paul | April 28, 2007, 2:37 am 2:37 am
Mercenary armies are darlings of the GOP. They are free to ignore international laws, they don’t have to be put on casualty lists in wartime, and they cost the taxpayer 10 times as much as a regular soldier, so the civilian contractors who get the money for their “services” are quite happy.
Funny how the USA despises nations that use mercenaries, but our mercenaries are bang-up great upstanding people.
Posted by: Steve Savage | April 28, 2007, 3:29 am 3:29 am
Steve, that is the DUMBEST thing I’ve read all morning…
Posted by: Jazz | April 28, 2007, 8:42 am 8:42 am
While theories are only good until a better one comes along, possibilities can and do exist independently and remain,…well, possibilities.
They remain as valid as they day they were supposed.
So anyone can dismiss anything at all as a theory. But only a fool would dismiss the possible.
Thus Blackwater and other enterprises like them are surely to that extent capable of outstepping their intended boundaries.
Bin Laden comes to mind as another well trained, well intended US supported security interest against the Russians in Checneya.
We all know how that situation turned out because no one would recognize the possibilities before hand.
The people who raised concern over our involvement with Bin Laden early on were equally dismissed as people harboring conspiracy theories.
Posted by: Zach | April 29, 2007, 6:04 pm 6:04 pm
BUILD IT. Good for Blackwater. We need more companies like that.
Posted by: joey lonness | April 30, 2007, 11:40 am 11:40 am
Blackwater is secretly funded through the Pentagon, with NO OVERSIGHT by Congress. As an American, I do not pay taxes for uncontrolled, mercenary armies. Nobody is representing the interest of the American citizen by allowing career militarists with unbridled power and unlimited funding to “support the troops.”
While our legitimate military lacks the equipment and the healthcare they need, Blackwater “contractors” are paid $30,000 a month. Wake up. This is part of a continuing shift of power away from democracy, and towards military domination without end.
Posted by: clili | April 30, 2007, 1:31 pm 1:31 pm
As a San Diegan I do not wish the likes of Blackwater anywhere near where I live. It was founded and conceived by right wing neo-con fanatics, and they do not take orders from anyone but their bosses. They are a shadow army who make in one month what our military men and women make in a year.
I do not care if they are ex-SEALS or ex-Special Forces. What this means is that one hand does not know what the other hand is doing in Iraq. They are also not being held accountable for crimes they may commit when they are deployed.I guess there was some tepid law written in but there has not been any real accountability since.
Is this what America has come to? We basically have no Constitutuoinal Rights left, and now we have this Shadow army of killing machines who does not have to obey the laws or rules of war!
Posted by: gigi | April 30, 2007, 9:13 pm 9:13 pm
Blackwater also provides security for large corporations,businesses,celebs. My son-in-law is a Marine. He has known several that have gone on to work for Blackwater. We have friends in law enforcement who have worked for Blackwater. They are not “killing machines”. They are regular guys who pursued employment in the same field they were in. Some felt it was their way of helping our soldiers over there in Iraq. They were used at the company I work for at an unfortunate time of layoffs to prevent incidences such as we have seen lately in the news. These men were absolute professionals. I know I felt better with them here.
Posted by: mk | May 1, 2007, 8:35 am 8:35 am
Yeah, yeah.
These sort of paid for hire, armed security contractors are saints!
Remember the Pinkertons?
Swell bunch of guys.
Not military. Just paid and armed well and doing their job like clearing mobs, breaking up strikes, bounty hunting for the Feds…anything that would have been seen as a breach of the constitution if our military had been set against the citizenry.
What makes anyone think that we’ve somehow evolved enough to get past all that?
Posted by: Zach | May 1, 2007, 5:26 pm 5:26 pm
Blackwater near here?
I would feel proud of that, Blackwater workers, people who have seved to the country while overseas, people who have died while bringing security for americans in Iraq and everywhere else, people like you or me with feelings, made it to protect people!!!
Posted by: Julian | May 21, 2007, 5:10 pm 5:10 pm
Something to remember about Blackwater-
not only do they use former Navy SEALS, etc. they also employ former SADF (South African Defense Forces- trained as Apartheid troops), Chilean paramilitary (trained under Pimochet) and ex-Guatemalen right-wing paramilitary. The SAFD were used in security jobs in New Orleans post=-Katrina and the Chileans are working for Blackwater in Iraq. Blackwater is a major employer of former paramilitary who committed major human rights abuses, etc. THIS is what your tax dolars paid for in no-bid contracts facilitated by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R. Calif.
Posted by: zazou | June 12, 2007, 2:59 am 2:59 am