In the devastated town of Fallujah, in the western part of Iraq, one of the two bridges over the Euphrates river is referred to as “Blackwater bridge”, a grim reminder of what happened on March 31, 2004.
On that day, four Americans were killed in Fallujah in an attack avenging the assassination, nine days earlier, of Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin in Palestine. A news report of that bloody encounter said: “Bodies of four mercenaries from Blackwater USA were burned, chopped into pieces, dragged behind vehicles bearing posters of Sheik Yassin, and finally put on display by being hung from a bridge.”
An article in the online “Revolutionary Worker” ten days later revealed more about the four who were described in some news accounts as “civilian contractors.”
The article said: “It became obvious they weren’t ‘civilians’ at all. All four were trained commandos – at least three had years of experience in elite US military units. They were working for the private mercenary army called “Blackwater USA.” All were heavily armed. One carried a Department of Defense ID card.
The article asked: “What were they doing deep in Fallujah?”
“The official story is that these heavily armed mercenaries were in Fallujah to ‘protect food shipments.’ But that day, there were no ‘food shipments’ in sight. The Marines had just gone door-to-door arresting men for interrogation – and so there has been speculation in Fallujah that these commandos were on a mission to capture or assassinate people fingered as part of the resistance.
“When asked about their mission, Blackwater refused to comment and told reporters to talk to their lawyers. The Geneva Conventions make hired mercenaries illegal. So private armies today ‘officially’ claim that they are not in the battle zones to actually fight or assassinate, but only for ‘security’ or ‘training’ or (perhaps) ‘guarding food shipments.’”
We are revisiting the 2004 Fallujah encounter because Blackwater USA is now in the Philippines. Malaya has been running the story by Malaya publisher Jake Macasaet about a contract between Blackwater and Subic Metropolitan Authority allowing the American firm to use the former US naval base as its training facility.
Macasaet said it has the approval of Malacañang.
Initially,Feliciano Salonga, SBMA chairman, ignored the story refusing even to comment. Then he denied anything to do with Blackwater in an interview with ANC. Yesterday, also on ANC, he said Blackwater has submitted a proposal but they have not acted on it yet.
But last May 16, Associated Press reported that, “Military contractor Blackwater USA says it plans to expand westward into California and the Philippines.
“The eight-year-old private company plans to open a compound at an undisclosed site in southern California and start a 25-acre jungle survival skills training center on the site of the former Subic Bay naval base in the Philippines.
“Company officials say neither project will eclipse Blackwater’s 7,000-acre compound in Camden and Currituck counties.
“Blackwater provides security and training for military and law enforcement.”
Blackwater’s founder, former US Navy seal Gary Jackson describes his company as “the largest, most professional private army in the world.” They have acquired multi-million dollar contracts with Pentagon for services in Iraq which included guarding Paul Bremer, then the administrator of US-occupied Iraq
Due to the sensitivity of its services, it’s understandable that not everything with Blackwater is in black and white. Barry Yeoman, author of “Soldiers of Good Fortune, says: “Blackwater right now has contracts that [Gary Jackson] says are so secret that he is not able to tell one branch of the Feds that he’s working for a different branch of the Feds. Much of the interview I had with them was couched in this – this almost cowboy-like secrecy. They were very proud of being on these top-secret missions.”
Blackwater is one of the major players in the booming industry of private armies being used extensively by Pentagon in Iraq. The online Revolutionary Worker enumerates the advantages for the Pentagon and CIA for privatizing their more controversial operations:
First, the US government does not count mercenaries as their soldiers, and it does not count dead mercenaries as military casualties. In other words, using mercenaries means the Pentagon can downplay the size of its involvement.
In fact the four mercenaries killed in Fallujah were not mentioned among the casualties of the Coalition Provisional Authority.
Second, the US government is involved in growing numbers of “under the radar” interventions and mini-wars all over the world. Using mercenaries to carry out these operations enables the US government to keep “plausible deniability” in the violation of sovereignty and the commitment of atrocities.
Third, and understood fully well by Arroyo’s people, is “massive profit and corruption for the military officer corps.”
“Military experts leave the government payroll -but use their in-house contacts to win massive contracts for the same operations of logistics, training, and special operations they were already performing. They become millionaires while continuing their former military assignments “in the private sector” and conduct these operations far outside the usual budgetary and political scrutiny.
“In an empire that worships private capitalism and profit, large parts of the global machinery of killing is increasingly sliding into corporate hands. And business is very good.”
Since Blackwater’s presence in Subic has the blessings of Malacañang, we have no doubt that some well-connected people are enjoying “very good business” here.
The Haditha and the Ishaqi massacres
YOUR AMERICA, MR BUSH (The Sunday Times – Review June 04, 2006)by Andrew Sullivan who writes “And last week, we had to absorb another dark truth: that in a town called Haditha, US Marines appear to have murdered women and children in cold blood and covered it up.” … “I am sorry, Mr President. This is America. And you have helped make it.”
Andrew Sullivan’s essay published in in the UK’s The Sunday Times newspaper, June 4th edition, is a stinging rebuke of President George W Bush’s invasion of Iraq which has so far, culminated in the Iraqi horror known as the The Haditha Massacre where a score of Iraqi civilians including innocent children and women were killed in cold blood by supposedly “frightened” US troops.
Sullivan’s powerful piece explains to the US president why the horrors and atrocities committed and being committed in Iraq today really are Bush’s America, particulary in light of recent reports by the BBC NEWS that they’ve uncovered video pictures recently of a similar massacre in Ishaqi, a town 100 kms from Bhagdad were an entire family of 11 children and their parents including a pregnant woman, were suspected to have been killed by US troops in cold blood.
What the Americans in particular have been doing in Iraq is massacre, and killing innocent Iraqis who will not bow to them. The Mad Man at the White House talks of Iraq and the Iraqis as if they are ignoramuses and unlearned, but the truth is despite his despotism, Sadam made education a must for all Iraqis who could proceed to college free of charge.
Frankly, I belong to the International Criminal Tribunal for Iraq, and have met a lot many educated Iraqis, who are being made to look stupid by these Americans, who are doing now the same things they must have done to the Philippines that it is what it is now—a republic where a criminal suspect over-squatting in a palace by the murky river running the government not as a republic but as an absolute monarchy!
The Filipinos have no business going to Iraq and wanting to kill the people there who want to be left alone especially now that the despot, Sadam Hussein, is in jail. If they think that securing US position in Iraq will give them equal opportunity to hoard and steal Iraqi oil the way the Americans do now, they are wrong. The Americans are only concerned about US welfare and interests. Sharing their oil to third world countries like the Philippines for free is not in their agenda for Iraq or the world for that matter.
Now, they say Zarqawi is dead, but I have yet to hear the Mad Man at the White House say he is pulling out US troops from Iraq soon, and thus, there is no need for this training of Filipino mercenaries to die in Iraq, for that is what will likely be their fate as the Iraqis are determined to fight tooth and nail for their Motherland and drive the enemies out of their country.
There is something fishy about this killing of Zarqawi as a matter of fact. The Americans say that they have carried an air attack on the place where Zarqawi was having a meeting with his Al Qaeda group together with some religious adviser whom the Americans allege they have put on surveillance, but how come Zarqawi was the only one still intact while the rest of the people in the house bombed by the Americans were destroyed out of recognition? Sino bang niloloko ni Bush?
What they did to Fallujah and now Haditha, etc. is why America is blessed no more, and we see these series of disasters that have wrought havoc to US economy, etc.
And they call themselves Christians!!! I don’t see any difference from the Moslem Fundamentalists who behead their victims at all!
I see that these American trainers of these mercenaries are even being allowed to brandish their guns on Filipinos! How outrageous indeed!
It’s unthinkable over here where not even Japanese policemen or soldiers can carry guns in public unless in the most serious and dangerous circumstances that the court will allow them to use their weapons as prescribed by the law.
Dito gawin ng mga Americano iyan, kulong ang abot nila. Sa Pilipinas, ang mga kano libreng gawin ang gusto nila sa mga pilipino, kahit rape-in nila ang maraming pilipino at pilipina, okay lang basta may dolyar kay Bansot!!!
Yuko,
Neither can they do that in Europe even with NATO around – even if on the face of it NATO, which is a conglomeration of different nations, is “controlled” by the US.
And boy, oh boy, they can’t do that in France either not even here in Brussels where at the beginning they could lord over NATO. Unfortunately for them, France is one of the founding fathers of the EU and is a MEMBER of the NATO. That’s why the Americans don’t like the French because they French won’t kowtow to their whims.
There’s unbelievably constant battles between the French and the US delegations in NATO. You can’t imagine how grown men could be puerile too! The behind the scenes things are sometimes so funny between the two nations.
But the French don’t just kowtow to Americans just like that unlike the Brits…Remember Charles de Gaulle kicked out NATO from Paris! Thank goodness for Jackie Kennedy otherwise the Americans would have never forgiven de Gaulle!
At NATO, the stumbling blocks to any stupidty that the US wants to implement, are only the French – what with Tony Blair playing poodle and ass likcer to Bush systematically (But see where that got him in the UK today? Trounced in the local polls – being hounded by the media like there’s no tomorrow for LYING to the British peoople).
Well, the problem is NATO can’t do away with the French either because France is a founding member of NATO but an absolutely INDEPENDENT member and the only one that can resolutely VETO any stupidity being imposed by the US, the only one that has the gall to say Basta to the US over here. This is the reality here. That’s why I’m proud of France…
When my children were being attacked at school (they’re in an English school over here) because of the French stand over the Iraq invasion (coz I was vehemently anti-invasion and made no bones about it particularly in social functions where I would even chastise the members of the British delegation for being such asses), I told my daughter who once came home in tears to get back there and fight which she did. My sons used to get into fistfights too – I told them they gotta stand for what they believe is right and to defend what is moral and just. My husband is English but he is anti-invasion too so some Americans didn’t like him (although others felt the same way he did – they hated Bush for that stupidity)and at one point, we were personas non grata in some American-sponsored functions but we didn’t give a damn. Anyway, it was easy to return the compliment when I put up a St George flag alongside the French flag on my window and underneath – Down with the Invasion of Iraq!
A lot of Belgian homes had similar posters on their windows too…
One day my daughter came home really in tears because one of her teachers started sermoning the class saying that those who didn’t back the British stand were traitors to the Anglo-Saxon cause. I went straight to the Principal’s office and made a scene and I said that if that teacher did not apologize, I would sue the school AND THE TEACHER not only in Belgium but also in the UK and in the EU and would have the teacher hounded physically by the Belgian community which was at that time vehemently anti-invasion. The teacher apologized to my daughter.
That was one hell of a tough time in the EU then!
The school bus that drove the children home was literaly pelted with tomatoes a couple of times and what have you by Belgian kids (who didn’t know that some of the kids were not British at all!) – my daughter had to lean out of the window a couple of times to speak to the Belgian kids in French and to tell them that she too was against the invasion just so there wouldn’t be any more trouble (but it was and is still the stand at home).
I’m sorry Anna, but I don’t have any love lost for the French as well. They belong to the same league as the yanks – both evil. Remember Vietnam – parehong silang pinasibat na parang mga asong bahag ang buntot. Remember the Rainbow Warrior – pinasabog ng mga French agents because of Greenpeace’s opposition to nuclear testing in the French controlled atoll in the South Pacific. They’re just the same dogs of different collars (my apologies to the dogs na mababait.)
Probably, Batong Buhay but we are talking of Iraq here.
As to the Rainbow Warrior, that was a CIA asset thropugh and through and I have no sympathy for so-called green warriors who are on the payroll of the CIA. Did the Rainbow Warrior do anything when the US blasted their nuclear bomb in Nevada a few years ago contaminating lands and probably one of the major causes of the thinning of the ozone layer? Did you oppose that blast?
If at all any consolation to you, you must also remember that France was the first nation the world over that recognized the Edsa 1 government much ahead of the US after the downfall of Marcos.
Your sentiment against the French is yours but it’s not mine because I didn’t see the French pushing the Philippines around or raping Pinays in Subic. I don’t see them using Subic as their mercenery training facilities. I don’t see them lording over the Philippines at all. Nor did I see the French in cahoots with Gloria forces for the downfall of a legitimate and duly elected president of the Republic! I think if you look carefully, you will see that as early as June 2000, the Americans had already planned with Gloria’s forces for the downfall of Estrada. In other words, I don’t believe it’s the French that’s turning the Philippines into a banana republic.
There lies the difference!
Anna:
I love the Brits because part of me is British but I don’t like Blair and his adulation of the Mad Man at the White House. I just wonder if the British would have joined the Texan if the PM was Maggie Thatcher, the Iron Lady! I know she is for defending the interests of Britain but I doubt if she would go to the length of an invasion of a country that has in fact nothing to do with Bin Laden or the air raid of the Twin Tower of New York that could even have been planned by the Mad Man of the White House who has had a grudge on Iraq for the embarrassment his father suffered in the Gulf War also in Iraq.
I don’t have any special feeling for the French even when I’m part French, too, with my genealogy traced back to Normandy, but I surely love the French resistance on US invasion of Iraq.
No matter what the Americans say, their occupation of Iraq is a crime against humanity and they should quit now. They have no right to dictate on a people who have suffered more than enough under Sadam and now under the hypocrite and horny Americans, especially the kind of perverts they send there to malign, harrass and terrorize the people there.
I have heard of testimonies of Iraqi women who have been raped by US soldiers, who are to me the genuine terrorists!
Now, why send Filipinos there to terrorize the Iraqis? Itong si Bansot talaga bobo! Hindi ba niya alam na terrorista ang labas ng mga pilipinong mercenaries ipapadala niya sa Iraq for the sake of getting pogi points and booties from the No. 1 terrorista, Dubya Bush, na katulad niyang parang asong ulol?!
And Batong Buhay, you are wrong about the Rainbow Warrior incident in Australia – the testing on the Pcific atoll near happened much, much later. The Rainbow Warrior which was a CIA operation was spying on French military facilities – both camps were soldiers of their own countries. They had waged war on each other not quite openly but it was war just the same and in any war – espionage by the enemy is punishable …
Funny how Americans had clearly locked in the Philippines when it comes to propaganda. But here at NATO, we are not quite easy to dupe.
I like what Nick Berg’s father said about the killing of Zarqawi. Like me, he feels that there are a lot of things the US military, CIA, FBI and Bush are not telling truthfully to the people of America regarding this operation of getting rid of their favorite “terrorist” who could even have been in fact their ploy especially when Bush needs something to boost up his fast sagging popularity.
It’s sad to realize that America is another country that has not produced the kind of leaders we used to admire in recent years. What Americans vote for it seems are perverts like the horny Bill Clinton or the Looney Dubya Bush!
It’s the end of the world apparently.
What is coming out about what really happened in Haditha reminds me of Fallujah.
The bottom line here is no one, no country has the right to invade another just because he didn’t like the way things are there. He may work with some groups to help bring about what his concept of what is good is but there is no justification for invasion. It will only beget more problems. That’s what is happening in Iraq.
I pray Bush does not make the same mistake in Iran.
Ellen,
What you’re saying is definitely against the “preemptive response” theory as sold by the US and Australia. Both these countries believe that they need not respect another sovereign country if what they have to do is for the survival of their own. – It’s BS of course, but these countries when led by a “madman” can do an Afghanistan and Iraq (not to forget Grenada, Panama, Somalia, etc.), and even an Iran.
But as for the recruitment of mercenaries in the Philippines, I believe that desperate situation of some of our countrymen will push them to accept being deployed as militiamen in Iraq. 60-80K US$ a year with a signing bonus is too much to resist for many.
Yes, the lure of getting rich quick is tempting, but the problem is how many of them are sure they are really going to get that much and not a tenth of the bonus from the Blackwater with all those exploiters with government connections hanging around.
It will be the same issue as the ones with the Japayukis to Japan after Japan granted the Philippines a special quota of 40,000 entertainers to Japan when Cory Aquino became president of the Philippines. The visa was legitimate but the transactions, etc. were not!
Press statement of the Communist Party of the Philippines:
The Communist Party of the Philippines today (June 8, 2006) denounced the US for hiring Filipino mercenaries to fight its wars of aggression and terror in Iraq and other countries.
Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal decried the setting up at the Subic Freeport area of Blackwater USA, a recruitment center for mercenaries to fight the US’ wars abroad. Blackwater is now reportedly recruiting Filipinos, targeting active and retired military officers, soldiers and policemen as well as others who have had experience in armed combat.
Rosal said hiring Filipino civilians to provide support services in the US’ war of aggression and terror in Iraq and other countries is bad enough and should be discouraged, but “hiring Filipino soldiers of fortune to fight in US wars of aggression and terror against other countries is even worse and deserves nothing but condemnation.”
Rosal noted that the establishment of Blackwater’s recruitment center in the Philippines is in line with the US policy of “privatizing” its war of aggression and terror against Iraq and other countries due to mounting casualties of US military personnel that have triggered severe criticism, massive protests and plunging ratings for US president George W. Bush.
Rosal said that American recruitment centers for mercenaries have now increasingly turned to the US’ client states in the Third World to be able to cut costs. Blackwater is now hiring Filipino mercenaries at the rate of $60,000- $80,000 a year, half of what it pays American mercenaries with equivalent qualifications and assignments.
The CPP spokesperson also denounced Malacañang for secretly endorsing Blackwater’s entry at the Subic Freeport. “(National Security Adviser) Norberto Gonzales has again been caught lying through his teeth for denying any knowledge of Blackwater’s presence. Rosal said he finds it incredible for Gonzales not to have known that Malacañang had even facilitated Blackwater’s entry by sending one of its staff, Bong Cuevas, to secure Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority manager Fil Salonga’s approval of the project.
Rosal also warned that hiring Filipino mercenaries to fight alongside the US army in Iraq and elsewhere could serve as a magnet for attacks against the Philippines and Philippine nationals abroad. In the same vein, he cited the possibility that Filipino mercenaries could be used by the US as proxy armies in fighting Philippine revolutionary forces and supporters as well as in attacking the open mass movement.
Reference:
Marco Valbuena
Media Officer
E-mail:cpp_mediagroup@yahoo.com
As of now, this is the tune of the Arroyo administration (http://www.malaya.com.ph/jun09/news2.htm):
Let us watch it unravel day by day. Last night, at ANC, Salonga said he has not yet approved the application of Blackwater USA. Di mayroon pala silang transaction. But why is it that last May 16, Blackwater USA announced the expansion of their training operations to Subic.
The “palusot” of Salonga was, the application was made by it’s local partner here in the Philippines, something like “Sotelis” headed by this guy Redelicia.
Correction Anna, bombing of the RW happened in the Auckland Harbour in New Zealand not Australia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Warrior) After the incident the French continued their testing at the Muroroa Atoll much to the disgust of the Pacific island nations. Why can’t they not do their testing inside their country? Why polute the beautiful islands of the Pacific? The French pushed around the Polynesian people so its just the same. Remember that the RW is a ship so how can they protest on a nuclear testing inland? Accusing them as CIA asset is like accusing Ramon Magsaysay as a CIA agent as well.
batong_buhay,
meron din na partisipasyon ang French troops sa Lebanon noong 80’s at Kosovo nitong late 90’s.
Anna,
Ano ba ang magandang nagawa ng mga French Troops sa Kosovo under UNMIK? Mukhang nag enjoy sila ng mga Russians dun sa hatian sa Northern sector. Kung matatandaan, pinaghati-hatian ang Kosovo sa 5 sector(US,UK,Germany,Italy at France – aka contact group).Itong mga Bitoy at Italyano lang ang walang kahati na Russian.
Noong Crisis sa Suez Canal, kontra bida dito ang British at French na pinagbidahan naman ng mga Kano.
Ang isa sa mga kinabibiliban ko sa Euro politics ay itong tandem ni Kohl-Mitterand. Franco-German team!
Gustong gusto ko ang France nang manalo sila noong 1998(Fifa) at 2000(Euro)
ANG LAHAT NG PANANAW KO NA YAN AY HANGO LAMANG SA TIME at NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE
Correction Anna, bombing of the RW happened in the Auckland Harbour in New Zealand not Australia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Warrior) After the incident the French continued their testing at the Muroroa Atoll much to the chagrin of the Pacific island nations. Why can’t they not do their testing inside their country? Why polute the beautiful islands of the Pacific? The French pushed around the Polynesian people so its just the same. Remember that the RW is a ship so how can they protest on a nuclear testing inland? Accusing them as CIA asset that’s what I don’t have any knowledge of.
Ellen, additional report on Blackwater’s kind of ops…try this link
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005A.shtml
this shows the “connections” this organization enjoys.
Ellen, additional news on the kind of activities this Blackwater organization do.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005A.shtml
it really seems this “company” enjoys “great big connections” in the US government.
Ellen, additional news on Blackwater’s type of operations…
Blackwater Mercenaries Deploy in New Orleans
By Jeremy Scahill and Daniela Crespo
t r u t h o u t | Report
Saturday 10 September 2005
New Orleans – Heavily armed paramilitary mercenaries from the Blackwater private security firm, infamous for their work in Iraq, are openly patrolling the streets of New Orleans. Some of the mercenaries say they have been “deputized” by the Louisiana governor; indeed some are wearing gold Louisiana state law enforcement badges on their chests and Blackwater photo identification cards on their arms. They say they are on contract with the Department of Homeland Security and have been given the authority to use lethal force. Several mercenaries we spoke with said they had served in Iraq on the personal security details of the former head of the US occupation, L. Paul Bremer and the former US ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte.
“This is a totally new thing to have guys like us working CONUS (Continental United States),” a heavily armed Blackwater mercenary told us as we stood on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. “We’re much better equipped to deal with the situation in Iraq.”
Blackwater mercenaries are some of the most feared professional killers in the world and they are accustomed to operating without worry of legal consequences. Their presence on the streets of New Orleans should be a cause for serious concern for the remaining residents of the city and raises alarming questions about why the government would allow men trained to kill with impunity in places like Iraq and Afghanistan to operate here. Some of the men now patrolling the streets of New Orleans returned from Iraq as recently as 2 weeks ago.
What is most disturbing is the claim of several Blackwater mercenaries we spoke with that they are here under contract from the federal and Louisiana state governments.
Blackwater is one of the leading private “security” firms servicing the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. It has several US government contracts and has provided security for many senior US diplomats, foreign dignitaries and corporations. The company rose to international prominence after 4 of its men were killed in Fallujah and two of their charred bodies were hung from a bridge in March 2004. Those killings sparked the massive US retaliation against the civilian population of Fallujah that resulted in scores of deaths and tens of thousands of refugees.
As the threat of forced evictions now looms in New Orleans and the city confiscates even legally registered weapons from civilians, the private mercenaries of Blackwater patrol the streets openly wielding M-16s and other assault weapons. This despite Police Commissioner Eddie Compass’ claim that “Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons.”
Officially, Blackwater says its forces are in New Orleans to “join the Hurricane Relief Effort.” A statement on the company’s website, dated September 1, advertises airlift services, security services and crowd control. The company, according to news reports, has since begun taking private contracts to guard hotels, businesses and other properties. But what has not been publicly acknowledged is the claim, made to us by 2 Blackwater mercenaries, that they are actually engaged in general law enforcement activities including “securing neighborhoods” and “confronting criminals.”
That raises a key question: under what authority are Blackwater’s men operating? A spokesperson for the Homeland Security Department, Russ Knocke, told the Washington Post he knows of no federal plans to hire Blackwater or other private security. “We believe we’ve got the right mix of personnel in law enforcement for the federal government to meet the demands of public safety.” he said.
But in an hour-long conversation with several Blackwater mercenaries, we heard a different story. The men we spoke with said they are indeed on contract with the Department of Homeland Security and the Louisiana governor’s office and that some of them are sleeping in camps organized by Homeland Security in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. One of them wore a gold Louisiana state law enforcement badge and said he had been “deputized” by the governor. They told us they not only had authority to make arrests but also to use lethal force. We encountered the Blackwater forces as we walked through the streets of the largely deserted French Quarter. We were talking with 2 New York Police officers when an unmarked car without license plates sped up next to us and stopped. Inside were 3 men, dressed in khaki uniforms, flak jackets and wielding automatic weapons. “Y’all know where the Blackwater guys are?” they asked. One of the police officers responded, “There are a bunch of them around here,” and pointed down the road.
“Blackwater?” we asked. “The guys who are in Iraq?”
“Yeah,” said the officer. “They’re all over the place.”
A short while later, as we continued down Bourbon Street, we ran into the men from the car. They wore Blackwater ID badges on their arms.
“When they told me New Orleans, I said, ‘What country is that in?,'” said one of the Blackwater men. He was wearing his company ID around his neck in a carrying case with the phrase “Operation Iraqi Freedom” printed on it. After bragging about how he drives around Iraq in a “State Department issued level 5, explosion proof BMW,” he said he was “just trying to get back to Kirkuk (in the north of Iraq) where the real action is.” Later we overheard him on his cell phone complaining that Blackwater was only paying $350 a day plus per diem. That is much less than the men make serving in more dangerous conditions in Iraq. Two men we spoke with said they plan on returning to Iraq in October. But, as one mercenary said, they’ve been told they could be in New Orleans for up to 6 months. “This is a trend,” he told us. “You’re going to see a lot more guys like us in these situations.”
If Blackwater’s reputation and record in Iraq are any indication of the kind of “services” the company offers, the people of New Orleans have much to fear.
—–
Jeremy Scahill, a correspondent for the national radio and TV program Democracy Now!, and Daniela Crespo are in New Orleans. Visit http://www.democracynow.org for in-depth, independent, investigative reporting on Hurricane Katrina. Email: jeremy@democracynow.org.
VIP talaga kay GWBush ang mga ito, kaya si GMArroyo nakiki-groupie din.
Now, it would not be “impossible” for GMA’s regime to utilize such organization if not a “similar” one, in trying to “eliminate” what she always calls “deshtabilizhers” (she should really go to her dentist and have those bunny teeth removed)that are out to try and “kick her out of the Palace”. Imagine a “private army” that is LICENSED TO KILL. Expensive…but no problem for GMA, she got the E-VAT money in her bag already, and now trying her best to get the Marcos “juice” that is suppose to go to the “MARSHALL LAW VICTIMS”. My GOD, can anybody look into GMA’s “puyo”…who knows, the 666 might be imprinted there.
GMA buying some services from Blackwater? Wow! I think that’s stretching it too much Spartan. I would think that Blackwater is just looking for more bodies to deploy to Iraq, Afghanistan, maybe even Iran next. Blackwater has the money, but they may be running out of brave/stupid americans willing to fight. So they’re looking for other sources; and the Philippines is just one of them.
However, from what I know of GMA, she is going to do it(use Blackwater mercenaries) if pushed. She’s that kind of person who will not stop at anything to get her way.
I too hope that the US would leave Iran and Nokor alone.I am glad the UN will do something about it,this time.
Before the IRAQ invasion the vietnam vets already voiced out their sentiments that they would not want another Vietnam…….
So the invasion maybe water under the bridge at nagyari na..but what the hell are they still doing there? Their prolonged presence would create more rebels and endless hatred…
Whatever the agenda of the so called peacemakers,whether it is oil or getting rid of a dictator:they must not wait for history students to judge them!
makokompleto na ang enchanted kingdom ni nanong gloria! may bagong mga character ang “the blackwater mercenaries: the alliance”. tuloy-tuloy na ang engkanto ni nano! hak hak hak.
namamangha at napapa-nganga ang mga pinoy sa madyik ni guloria! bwa ha ha ha
I think Blackwater is here in the Philippines more for what Subic can offer as a military training facility. Kaya lang ang mura ng offer. Armand Arreza,SBMA administrator, said Blackwater’s offer is $96,000 a year for three years for a 10-hectare area they want to use.
As for recruitment of Filipino mercenaries, that has been going on. ABS-CBN was able to interview two who are in Iraq now. I’m sure there are lots from AFP and PNP they can tap to join them as long as the price is right.
But we go back to the basic question, is it right? Why are we participating in the global killing operations of America?
Salonga must take us for fools. Subic is a great site to setup such a training facility. You have a natural training haven for survival, escape and evasion tactics and stealth/covert operations. Re-supply is also not a problem as you have an airport and seaport located there.
Salonga also confirmed Blackwater’s application for a shooting range and lease of the nearby ordnace depot. I consider “mercenaries” as “paid terrorists” and therefore has no place in a “democracy”.
Recruitment ng Blackwater sa SBMA ay may basbas ng Malakanyang.
Sabi kasi ng isang ispiritu diyan sa loob ng puting palasyo noong huli kaming mag-usap, determinado daw kasi si Gloria na magpabango sa Amerika. Kaya nga tuloy pa rin ang Venable Contract kahit ito ay na-isyu na kamakailan. And to note: Ang Blackwater USA ay isa sa mga biggest donors ni George Bush at ng Republican Party noong mga nakaraang US Presidential elections. Dagdag pa ang pagiging atat ni Bush na giyerahin ang Iraq. At dahil siguro mahihirapan na na kumuha ng pondo sa gobyerno at suporta sa tao, nag-hire na lang ng mga mersenaryo. Which means, posible nga talagang me basbas galing sa Malakanyang ang patuloy na recruitment ng Blackwater sa SBMA.
http://philippinepage.blogspot.com/2006/06/wanted-mercenaries.html
For some reason my response to Anna’s post did not go through. I hope this one does. The RW bombing happened in Auckland, New Zealand not Australia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Warrior) Also please note that the RW is a ship so how can they oppose such a test done inland? But I’m sure other Greenpeace campaigners protested against this. Yes the French did not push the Pinoys but surely they did the Polynesian people and polluted their island paradise with their nuclear crap. They are also abused human beings regardless of nationality. Why can’t the French do their testing inside their own country? Ako na rin ang sasagot – because they know the after effect. And they don’t give a damn about other people just like what the yanks are doing in Iraq. Everyone is fair game except themselves. Thanks nelbar for exposing other kalokohans of the French. As for the CIA connection that’s where I don’t have any knowledge of. BTW Anna, I pick Justin Henin-Hardenne to win the French Open. Cheers
Nelbar, Batong Buhay,
If you want to talk about the past, fine with me.
Nelbar, I am not concerned with Kosovo anymore – we have the Philippine problem today which is related directly to the US invasion of Iraq and in which I am interested in. I am a focused individual and rarely post in other blogs about US-Iraq invasion unless it’s directly linked to the Philippine islands, so let’s leave it at that.
I am a French citizen as well as a Philippine citizen and if you attack the French, I will ripost – fair rules of engagement…just as I would defend the Philippines.
If you want a lecture on Kosovo, I suggest you meet with guys who are interested in Kosovo.
For your information, if you want to talk to Mitterand, go at Pere Lachaise and speak to him there.
Batong Buhay, as I said, we were talking of Iraq here unless of course you really want to talk about the French, then that’s fine with me too.
Rainbow Warrior was a CIA operation – if you don’t want to believe it that’s fine. You don’t have to believe what you read on Blackwater either.
French Polynesia is part of French territory. If you want to oppose the testing of nuclear bombs there, you may do so but don’t expect me to accept French bashing without batting and eye lash.
One more thing, Batong Buhay and Nelbar –
It’s easy to bash – just as when people say that Indonesians and Filipinos are of the same breed, they’re tanga, magnanakaw and tamad… Do you think that’s a fair statement?
Now, now, let’s not into the “bashing” business. We all have our views and let’s keep it at that. I do agree though that having colonies at this day and age is unacceptable. I won’t go into specific details, but let’s just take the global view instead. I just hope that progressive, democratic nations would leave the politics and leadership to this small developing states. 300 years of Spanish colonialism did not do us any good. Nor did the US and Japanese as it has turned our country into a culture mendicancy and subservience. People of today would like to decide their own fate and getting orders from distant lands is absurd.
I however see its advantages too. Nations who are economically weak could benefit from colonialism. Support from progressive nations is badly needed by the emerging states. Help and support in the right perspective is certainly welcome. I however condemn the exploitation of the weak and helpess, of the poor and ignorant.
Now I hope that we all understand that things happen in its own time. Let’s just hope that changes will take place sooner than later.
I am too is guilty of “bashing”, yes, Gloria-bashing. I’d like to bash her head and her cohorts too.
For your information, I am not a pushover either. In 1975, I slapped and kicked a US Consul for saying unwarranted things about Pinays – ask Max Soliven, he’s a living witness! I don’t think anyone has replicated that todate.
Schumey,
I agree with you totally…
I deplore the recent developments in Subic as our country will be turned into a staging point for sowing terror. We all agreed to kick the US bases out. And now, this administration is slowly bringing back these unwanted “tourists”. I understand that the Australians are coming too. I condemn terrorism but we must define ideology from simple criminality. I hate waking up one morning with a government who has sold our sovereignty and dignity to a foreign entity.
Schumey,
There are more Australian secret service agents in number(intelligence assets) in the Philippines today than the US have…
The Americans don’t want the pressure of fighting Philippine public opinion all the time so have given the Australians (being US allies no. 1 in the region anyway a free hand to negotiate a NATO-like SOFA treaty with the Philippines which, if the Philippine government accepts, will contravene provisions against RP Constitution concerning foreign troops and military bases installations on a “permanent” basis.
DND Chief Cruz had been extremely favorable to an Aussie-RP SOFA (I just don’t know if he has since retracted) even against top AFP brass views and if he denies having batted for SOFA with the Aussies right from the start, then he is just one goddamn, stinking LIAR…
Anna,
Thanks for the info. The Aussies are to serve as conduits for the Americans. I just don’t know how deep the involvement now is. Maybe Ellen can look into this deeper as this not only RP sovereignty but violations in the constitution as well.
I meant….this not only “concerns” not only….
BUSH on WMD — he lied. GLORIA on THE 2004 ELECTIONS — she not only lied to the public about Hello Garci, she cheated too! Just like the Arroyo administration, the Bush administration has lost whatever remaining credibilty it has on its desire to subjugate Iraq. The next will be Iran.
I agree with Schumey. I am for “bashing” too — especially bashing, kicking, slapping, spitting and skinning political leaders — literally and figuratively — who have nothing in their criminal minds but fomenting violence for the purpose of regime survival!
Hahahah! Bystander, that was funny!
Back to Blackwater USA’s entry into Philippine territory:
When the story first appeared last Wednesday, salonga ignored us. Maybe he thought, Malaya is a small newspaper, if he ignored it, it will die a natural death. The immaturity of other media (not picking up the sotry because they were scooped.) helped him in that aspect.
Salonga has forgotten or probably has not thought about truth, like water, will seek a way to come out.
Unfortunately for salonga, ABS-CBN picked it up. ANC called him up and his initial reaction was deny it completely. Then Malaya came out with more information. Now he is saying there was a proposal but they have not approved it yet.
After having been caught with a lie, can we believe him now?
Meanwhile, last Thursday, he sent his PR to Malaya to deliver his statement. Guess who was his PR: the notorious Bobby Capco, formerly press undersecretary and an Arroyo loyalist.
Our source told us that Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz was not consulted with this SBMA’s deal with Blackwater. He was furious upon learning about it, we were told.
Ellen,
As I’d said in an earlier post, Salonga is a crook – he’s a creep.
He would accept bribes to keep his lifestyle and sell anybody (even his mistresses). Before he got the Subic appointment, Salonga’s purse was completely dry – he was living in a small apartment with barely no means of existence but still was full of bragadoccio.
When you said earlier or in another report that Salonga denied any knowledge of Blackwater existence in his territory and then now retracts by saying there indeed was, it merely confirms that this tangna is a creep of the worst order.
Even his own daughter barely tolerates him that he had to beg his way to be able to watch her sing when she is in the Philippines. Can’t remember whether he was invited to her wedding at all…
In the regular military (particularly by the NAVY), Salonga is looked down with absolute distrust. They laughed at him when he made a big show of his commodore’s badge when he was promoted by the Coast Guard (with whom he’s got lots of deals too so I heard).
Ask him what he did to Baseco when he was its president? He made a milking cow of it.
Absolute shithead this Salonga… Now that he’s managed to lift his lifestyle once more (after the Baseco fiasco, he got deep into debts and still has debts) by clinging to Gloria Arroyo, there’s no doubt he would sell Subic to make sure he doesn’t reach poverty point again.
Be careful of the Australians. Remember, mga descendants iyan ng mga kriminal na itinapon sa Australia from England. Kung masama ang ugali ng mga kano, lalo na ang mga katulad noong PM nilang bastos!
Pinakamaganda niyan walang mga foreigner na nag-aalipin sa mga pilipino!!! Period! Shithead talaga itong si Bansot!
No to war in Iraq! No to mercenaries na pinoy to Iraq!
I ditto your stand Yuko!
Fil Salonga was not invited to Lea’s wedding. It was Gerard, her brother, who brought her to the alter. Lea does not even acknowledge him (Fil Salonga) in her public statements.
You are right, Anna. He tries to sound mayabang. Halatang namang hollow. At ANC, Pia Hontiveros asked him what would he do next, he said, “Forget the whole thing. People will forget about it.” Oh yeah?
Ellen:
Kaniya-kaniyang kuwartahan talaga! It was what happened to the recruitment of entertainers allowed to work in Japan not really as hostesses in bars and clubs here but as singers or dancers performing on stage without hostessing! But look what happened. They were even recruiting Filipino women to serve as prostitutes in prostitution dens in Japan complete with those bluebook or whatever book issued by DoLE with the labor secretary acting as the biggest PIMP!
Now, we’ll see how many Filipinos will be killed by the Iraqi resistance even without Zarqawi, who was not Iraqi but Jordanian, and if we believe the US military spokesperson, was actually squealed by the Iraqis who hated these foreigners acting as their bosses on either side of the fence of the resistance against foreign invasion.
I won’t cry for these Filipinos volunteering for active duty in Iraq even for an exorbitant fee. They have no business being there killing Iraqis in their own land.
On the other hand, I pray that I won’t have the opportunity to say, “Buti nga sa inyo! Belat! Ang titigas kasi ng ulo ninyo, mga swapang!”
batong_buhay,
kwentuhan na lang tayo tungkol sa mga BOTANG na French troops.
Dapat lang na ma-expose dito ang atrocities ng mga French troops
Nelbar,
You gotta be brave to do that – I suggest you kick the Americans out of the Philippines first then when you have done that you can lick the others – charity begins at home.
Ok guys, every country has its own interest to serve, be it america, great britain, france, germany, etc.. and some or most will do the craziest things to achieve and depend said interests..i’m glad mine still too young too young to have so many of these interests except to honour our committments we made to our friends and to the world body. Whereas in the Philippine Politics, every politicians with no exemption have their interests too. Some and most will sell their souls to keep them and only a few will frefuse to do so.. So what’s new?
Nelbar,
You must also realize that atrocities are being committed right in your own backyard in the Philippines – before you start taking on an international atrocity watch mission, make sure first the Filipinos are not suffering the same atrocity fate in their own country.
Let’s focus on the thing at hand – get going about things that matter today, the Philippines and how the Pinoys are being terrorized by their own to submit to a US-Gloria alliance of terror.
The worst thing for the country is when its own leaders are the “terrorists” themselves. To be abused and treated like slaves, to be tortured into submission and robbed blind by the government we entrusted our taxes to. This to me is what matters now. This is what we all should focus on, how to liberate our suffering nation from the claws of a monster.
You bet, I second the motion, Ana! We aren’t talking of the French here actually. Just mentioned it in passing regarding the war in Iraq created by the Mad Man at the White House.
In short, the French has nothing to do with the war there, and the Filipinos should be true to their commitment—at least, the one made when Angelo dela Cruz was spared by his captors and not beheaded like those poor fellows from Nepal—no mercenary to Iraq from the Philippines to help massacre and annihilate the Iraqis until they are all gone and the Americans will own their oils!!!
Let’s bash the French somewhere else please! The problem is how to kick out the Bansot from the palace by the murky river and stop this recruitment of Filipinos to be sacrificed for America in Iraq, for it is what this mercenary recruitment is all about.
Gago din naman ang papasok diyan kahit na easy money daw! Aba, mahirap yatang mapugutan ng ulo! They should show the videos of those beheaded in Iraq to frighten these Filipinos who think the Americans can protect them there. I have all the videos of the beheading especially of those Asian migrant workers who worked for the Americans there, and also one of the Japanese tourist who wanted to volunteer and do humanitarian work there like those human shields before Bush ordered the attack on Iraq. He was the most resigned of those who got their heads off. Just prayed that God would accept him into His Kingdom, I guess, because he was a Christian. Others, were shouting for mercy while their heads were being knifed off!
Iyan ang kalalabasan ng mga pilipino. Next time, wala nang awa-awa pa!
Schumey:
You said it, I agree. Someone should send video clips of mercenaries, et al in Iraq being beheaded by the Iraqis resisting invasion of their country to the Bansot, Salonga, et al. Baka makonsensiya kahit papaano, that is, kung may konsensiya pa ngang natitira sa mga animal na ito!
Regarding the UN, useless agency na rin iyan. Look what happened to Rwanda, etc. Dapat nang palitan si Anan. Hindi sinusunod ang taong iyan. Naging walang silbi tuloy ang UN dahil sa kaniya.
Let’s face it. Walang makikinig sa isang itim! Kailangan puti ang pinuno ng UN.
Iraq will never be free until the Iraqis succeed in kicking ou the US/UK soldiers there. Italy is pulling out of Iraq soon. So will Japan especially when Koizumi is no longer the Prime Minister.
There is actually a strong sentiment against the deployment of Japanese soldiers to Iraq even when they do not do combat activities there (or so we are told!), and reason why the Iraqis are not bothering them for the moment especially when they are within the friendlier Shiites’ territory. The Japanese embassy there likewise has one or two Japanese staff and the rest Iraqis after some Japanese diplomats were gunned down by unknown assailants.
Ordinary Japanese citizens are not allowed to go there at this time, not even members of the press. Those left there have been there since the start of this war on Iraq. After the beheading of the adventurious Japanese tourist there, no Japanese has attempted to go there even for humanitarian reason.
So, why are Filipinos being encouraged to stake their lives there? Bakit hindi si Salonga o si Bansot, Bunye, Defensor, Fat Guy, et al ang ipadala doon para matepok na sila? Ang saya sana!
I support your suggestion Yuko.
Now Blackwater says it is not sending Filipinos to Iraq but Afghanistan. My God, it’s the same thing. Afgahnistan is much more dangerous if it is true that Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda is strongly fighting tooth and nail there, and the Taliban is rebuilding after the dissatisfaction with the continuous presence of US troops, etc. there by the Afghans.
There is lesser instances of rape of Afghan women by US soldiers there compared to the number of Iraqi women violated by horny US soldiers, but the massacre of Afghan villagers is something that the World Court should someday look into and put those responsible for those atrocities on trial for crimes against humanity as prescribed by international laws and conventions.
Just who are these people kidding? They can do that probably before the IT, but with almost everyone now hooked on the Internet, puede ba pakisabi kay Bansot at doon sa tatay ni Lea, tumigil sila ng kalokohan nila!
Over here, we are fighting against Japan’s direct participation in any military activities of the US, and we are expressing our disgust with our votes against the US bases in Japan. On the other hand, strengthening our military forces is something that I and my fellow pacifist dread.
I was not born when Japan was a military regime, and I only know Japan as the only country with a Constitution that bans rearmament.
What the Americans must have told our Prime Minister, et al in pushing for the revision of the Japanese Constitution to make a reason for it is the China military threat after the US helped make it strong economically and otherwise.
One thing with these Americans is their tendency to lump up the Chinese, Koreans and the Japanese. Maybe, they can do that with the Chinese and Koreans but not the Japanese, the island people who have their own separate identity, customs and traditions even when they have copied the Chinese calligraphy.
Just because the Americans think the Japanese and Chinese are the same, they have tried to do the same policy they imposed on Japan after its defeat without realizing that over in Japan, gratitude is a virtue that the Chinese have not learned in years since Confucius. It is why Japan has diligently financed US wars these past 30 years.
Nevertheless, I still prefer a non-aggressive Japan
This reminds me of the Filipino UN staff kidnapped in Afghanistan. I don’t know him personally but he was a student here on scholarship. He should be the one to tell these mercenaries of his experience even just to frighten them.
Tama ka, Ellen, Bansot should visit Afghanistan and wish she would be kidnapped and beheaded there! Tangna talaga, ang hilig pang mag-deny ng ginagawa niyang palpak! Buking na buking naman!
Bystander…just to add to what you said about GWBush and GMArroyo’s “commonality”….Remember the 1st time when GWBush run for the Presidential post against Al Gore…there was “allegations” of cheating in Florida, the state “governed” by his brother Gebb Bush, apparently that vital “win of Florida” gave JUNIOR the WHITE “PALACE”….now, GMArroyo all of us with “open eyes and ears” surely knows that she CHEATED in the 2004 presidential election to “LEGITIMIZED”(in her mind) her “TENANCY” in the PALACE “BY-D-RIVER”…in short, GWBush and GMArroyo can really “go to bed together”…thay are both EXCELLENT LIARS (people who can lie without blinking an eye and ultimately starting to believe to their own lies) and MAGNIFECENT CHEATERS (because even themselves believes that they did not cheat)….and BATONG_BUHAY, NELBAR…and MADAM ANNA…please no more “bashing” on one another here… 🙂
Me naisip lang po…..
Ang Blackwater ay security firm e di ang ginagawa nito ay mag hire ng security guards at technicians…..
Kung ganun ang inadvertise nila sa mga recruits nila at sabihing di naman sila sasabak sa gyera at paminsan minsan lang naman me sumasabog na car bomb at over sensationalized lang ng news …at me ilang araw na pag convince sa kanila na ang trabaho lang nila ay security.
Hindi na ako magtataka kung madaming kumagat at kakagat dito.
Karl…the “Security” in Blackwater’s company name got a much much “deeper” meaning than just securing areas or things like the malls, McDos, and Jabes over there in the Philippines…they are not just trying to recruit our “common sikyus”…they are in need of “human torpedos”, men that are willing to kill and die not for a CAUSE but for a COST. Men that can gut, mutilate, and kill a living human being like you, Ellen, me…and even the Dalai Lama, while drinking hot coffee and eating bagle and talking about the Yanks and the Red Sox on the same time. It was mentioned here that ABS-CBN already “interviewed” one of our kababayan who calls himself “Sniper” (I guess the name is for obvious reason), I watched and heard it in TFC, he was so fuc*!#^ PROUD in saying that “he was there doing pride for the filipino nation because he’s helping the cause of most freedom loving Iraqis”…yeah right…what does he expect, we think of him as some kind of a hero? The security guards that we fondly calls “sikyus” that gets killed everytime a bank robbery happens there in Metro Manila, they deserve a hero’s admiration than this “Sniper” character.
If you are securing a group of person or a company that is a protagonist in a war, aren’t you also an active participant in the war?
But even if the Filipino recruit knows about this, I guess he will still go ahead because of his need to earn money because back here he will die of hunger. For the Arroyo administration to be part of this sly deployment of Filipinos in a war is criminal.
I saw the interview with “sniper”. His frame of mind is disturbing. Yes, you are right, Spartan. He thinks what he is doing is heroic. Jesus, what has come of us!
Point well taken Spartan and Ellen….
Kung lahat ay katulad ni sniper..Diyosko Po!
I have caught a few seconds of a Larry king show and he asked his guest when is the right time to leave?
The answer was one should not even ask of when to leave as long as there is insurgency they should stay…
Haven’t they noticed that in our country part of the reason for the insurgency is their prolonged stay here……
It is just plain and simple arrogance!
…”what has come of us”, exactly Ellen, a lot of our kababayans have lost their moral values…thanks to people like Gloria, her husband, De Venecia, Nograles, siRAULo Gonzales, Mighty “miyak” este Mike Defensor, et al…being on TV 24/7 for the past year (since their blatant murder of the most important democratic process called “the election”), we became witness to how disregard to the MORAL THING TO DO, became the RIGHT THING TO DO…because until now the saliva spitting (whenever she say words with S) Gloria is still very much in POWER…even saying that “she’s the RIGHT person to lead the Philippines”, despite allegations of cheating in the election, massive frauds and corruptions, stealing money supposed to be for public fundings like the fertilizer for farmers, the building of roads, and tons of criminal acts that would make Erap, compare to what he’s being indicted on, a SAINT…this is what we become of, a nation whose people are now willing to kill just to get what he or she thinks would make life for him or her better. Watch the news, like last night in TFC, there was this UNTV reporter who was held-up on knife-point, the criminal was caught, and on NATIONAL TV, with a GMA-like acting on his face said…”nagawa ko lang naman po ito dahil kailangan ko ng pera dahil sa hirap ng buhay…, etc. etc.”…geez, you can sense in his frame of mind that he was thinking that what he had just done was just “normal” because he got a “reason behind” it. Now, this petty criminal was juist after a used cellphone that could earn him a thousand pesos at best…while here is “Sniper” whom if the report was true will earn around $80K to $90K in a year…”just” for “occasionally” killing “a few human beings” that are called “Iraqi insurgents”. Talk about “the ends justify the means”..huh? 🙁
Karl, are you talking about Larry King’s interview with Sen. Mcain?…well, surely he’ll say that, because he’s one of those war-freak Republicans.
Spartan:
You said it, I agree regarding the lack of moral fiber of many Filipinos of today because of bad government policy as the recruitment of young boys and girls (12 and above) to work in bars and clubs in Japan where they were/are being corrupted in their youth. Since 1986, the Philippines has sent 40,000 annually of these recruits until last year when Japan stamped the special quota as null and void!!!
19 years x 40,000=760,000 corrupted Filipinos!!! Add the Papa-san and Mama-san in the government now, you have a corrupt generation of Filipinos led by the biggest pimp there is now, the Malacanang Squatter who refuses to step down! Yuck!
Off-topic, but I saw a picture of Luli Arroyo reviewing the Philippine military. Why? Is this girl now a substitute for her Mom instead of the VP, Noli de Castro?
I don’t remember any of the Marcos’ children doing such thing during the Marcos dictatorship. Why is Luli being given this courtesy especially with her Mother’s position being considered illegitimate and should have been subject to police scrutiny.
Kawawang bansa!
Remember that “Commission on Values” that Gloria Arroyo formed about three years ago? What kind of values has she propagated? Dishonesty, utter disregard for human life!
Ellen:
What values is this Bansot talking about? She herself needs to go back to school and learn good manners and right conduct, for her actuations during press conferences, etc. where she is said to be throwing notebooks, etc. to people she cannot tolerate is in fact bad manner and unbecoming of one she claims herself to be, actually as a public servant not a Reyna of some fantastic kingdom!
This crook must have been brought up the wrong way by people who needed to know good manners and right conduct themselves, I suppose.
ano ba naman yang pinagsasabi ninyo tungkol kay bush, madman, wow!!! ang tatanga naman ng mga amerikano at nakaupo pa siya … yun lang ngang tumatanggap ng suhol ay natatanggal, aba eh, grabe ang akusasyon ninyo … ako, naniniwala ako sa panukala ni “madman” … ang hindi ko matatanggap ay ang panukala ni tutoong madman, si saddam
Wowwowowwow! Bakit Pringemilyn, Iraqi ka ba? Pakialam mo sa mga Iraqi na siyang may karapatang husgahan si Sadam. Wala namang ginawa sa iyo si Sadam, meron ba?
Hitler, I understand, started off the same way as the mad man of the White House until he started making scapegoats of the Jews and annexing lands in Europe that naturally irked the British and the French and then the Americans even when the Bushes were supplying Hitler with weapons to kill those who oppose him.
Yes, you bet, the Mad Man at the White House has to keep the war going to keep the family business growing! You can get all these information from various websites now available online. Best one I find is the http://www.informationclearinghouse.info
It’s complete and contains everything that will make any peace-loving sane individual puke at what the Mad Man at the White House has been doing to terrorize his country, people and the world!
Now as for Blackwater, it is now getting Filipinos to join its team of security guards to guard Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan because they probably are having difficulty attracting jobless Americans to join its forces in the two most troubled and terrorized places in the world today: Iraq and Afghanistan.
Kawawang mga pilipino! Ginugutom para maging handang patayin o ipapatay sa hindi naman nila kalaban!!!
On the other hand, ano ba ang ipinagkaiba ni Bush kay Sadam. Si Bush Amerikano; si Sadam, Iraqi Suuni, but true, parehong Mad Man!!!
BTW, for the information of all, we have produced various documentaries on the wars on/in Iraq and Afghanistan committed by the US mainly with the cooperation of the Brits and Aussies despite the strong sentiments of their citizens against these wars. If you need these documentaries, send Ellen and email and she can relay the message to me where to send the materials you need.
Frankly, I have in my own collection videos (VHS and DVDs) produced in the USA and Europe, and also those interviews done by the International Criminal Tribunal on Afghanistan and Iraq with victims of the US air attacks, etc. on Afghan and Iraqi villages for no reason at all but the Mad Man’s hatred for Sadam and desire to control the oil deposits in Iraq and even perhaps in Iran.
At least, the Americans are learning their lessons. Someone must have cautioned the inutil at the White House to be careful about his utterances on the death of Zarqawi, and not call it a major victory because the truth is there is the Iraqis’ resolve to continue the resistance (not insurgency!) against the Americans and Brits as long as they occupy their country. The same is true with the Afghans, who are less fortunate, however, with nothing but hashish to produce in their nuke contaminated land!
I have actually yet to meet an Afghan or an Iraqi who welcomes wholeheartedly these invaders!!! Si Bush nga sinusuka nila!
BTW, Filipino mercenaries should also be warned of the possibility of getting contaminated in Iraq and Afghanistan because of the DUD. Hindi man sila mapugutan ng ulo, mawalan ng kamay o paa, cancer naman ang dadali sa kanila!
I have a Japanese friend, who used to do charity for the Iraqis and served there as a human shield but is now afflicted with cancer of the skin due to nuke contamination there during her stint there after the Gulf War.
Also, according to Scott Ritter, et al, nuke contamination in Iraq and Afghanistan can cause genetic defects. Golly, ano na ang mangyayari sa mga pilipino kung ang future generation ng mga pilipino na anak ng mga mercenaries ay puro defective?!!!
This, I am sure the Midget does not know. Otherwise, she will be more cautious in granting permit to these Americans to use Philippine facilities for training people to kill another human being and recruit Filipinos to be used as cannonballs for the Americans!!!
pringemilyn :
Please connect the dot of the following events:
Operation Eagle Claw
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Eagle_Claw
Iranian Embassy Siege
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Embassy_Siege
You bet, Nelbar, Sadam was another US propaganda tool until he became persona-non-grata to the Republicans, I guess. The Americans in fact were the ones who supplied him with those WMD, and that is why they knew how many he had used against the Iranians, and pretended that he must have still some more left when they attacked Iraq even when Sadam must have already traded them long before that for food for the Iragis, especially his fellow Sunnis.
Most Americans know these wars on Iraq and soon on Iran are being carried out for oil that the US wants to have complete control of. Come to think of it, wasn’t that also the reason why Japan quarreled with the USA in WWII? Remember the oil embargo against Japan using Japan’s Asia for the Asian policy as an excuse that precipitated the Pacific War?
Oh mankind, when are they going to learn their lessons?
P. S. I have actually distributed copies of the video done by an independent media in Europe and the US regarding the Gulf War in the Philippines. If you need to see it, you may try contacting Herman T. Laurel and ask him to show it to you guys in the Philippines. It’s “The Hidden War” which is an expose on the Gulf War of the Bush Father.
Another video I have is about the inhumane treatment of Afghans suspected of being sympathizers of Bin Laden even when they are not. It is being used as an evidence against crimes being committed by US soldiers in Afghanistan.
I also have obtained videos of atrocities committed in Fallujah including the shooting of helpless Iraqis who were hiding in some building that that Americans atrociously bombed.
Frankly, the atrocities committed in Iraq is far worse than the atrocities committed by Hitlers’ Army and the now defunct Japanese Imperial Army. I told my mother, a US citizen, about the sodomizing of young boys by US soldiers in Iraq, and the raping of Iraqi women that they can even have the nerve to video tape and sell to porno shops in the US via the Internet. She could not believe it. She thought that I hated Bush that much to make up those tales until I showed her the pictures sent to me by my Iraqi friends in Basrah.
If that is not being sick in the head, what is? No wonder they now have such calamities as Katrina in the US! And there is a big economic deficit, I am told! If that is not showing God is displeased with them, what is?
Frankly, my folks are hardlined Republicans, but I am definitely anti-Mad Man at the White House. I will never be crazy to believe this crook! He destroyed the image of America to me, and faith in the democratic process that is America!!!
“ystakei Says:
June 10th, 2006 at 3:41 pm
Wowwowowwow! Bakit Pringemilyn, Iraqi ka ba? Pakialam mo sa mga Iraqi na siyang may karapatang husgahan si Sadam. Wala namang ginawa sa iyo si Sadam, meron ba?”
??????????
“ystakei Says:
June 10th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
Hitler, I understand, started off the same way as the mad man of the White House until he started making scapegoats of the Jews and annexing lands in Europe that naturally irked the British and the French and then the Americans even when the Bushes were supplying Hitler with weapons to kill those who oppose him.”
hitler, forties … elder bush eighties, younger bush 2000 … what’s your point? … maybe i’m wrong in thinking that you hate american policies
Ang lakas ng anti-American sentiment dito, lalo na kay Bush. Kasi naman itong USA, wala na yatang ginawang matino, at least sa paningin ng iba.
No, Tom, not anti-American sentiment. It is more anti-US foreign policy that I know for a fact a lot many of my American friends are protesting against, especially after the US defeat in Vietnam, etc. The problem is that there are just a lot many problems back home for them to really be concerned about putting a stop to the idiosyncrasies of their leaders, and of course, it is pride and arrogance that make them stop short of claiming, “To hell with America!”
Michael Moore is an exception to the rule as a matter of fact! Filipinos should watch his F911! It’s an eye opener for a starter!
Worst are the Filipinos in the USA who are acting much worse than my American (white) friends. This I really abhor, and can’t help puking about!!! Daig pa ang mga tunay na kano sa pagtatanggol sa Amerika even against the Philippines! Pwe!
Anna:
Sagutin mo nga ang isang member ng Internet Brigade ni Reyna Engkantada dito.
Thanks.
Sorry wala akong panahon sa mga tanga. Ang linaw-linaw ng English ko, pati Tagalog, hindi maintindihan. E, katangahan na iyan! Pihado si Madam Tanga iyan na nagdunung-dunungan! Yuck!
kung hindi kita maintindihan sana ay maging kagalang galang ka naman, hindi yung mura ka ng mura … kung hindi ako naniniwala sa mga sinasabi mo, respetuhin mo na lang iyon, hindi yung nanggagalaiti ka diyan … pareho ka nuong mga miembro ng lulli brigade na para bang lagi na lang naghahanap ng away … amerkano ka siguro kaya hinuhusgahan mo si bush, may kasalanan siguro siya saiyo … siguro kung nasa pilipinas ka, babatukan mo si gloria andaya … huwag ka sanang pikon, magkomento ka lang … peace, man
I have many American friends.There are may things I admire about America and the American people- their value for work, their strong democratic ideals.
But I don’t like George Bush’s dishonesty and interventionist policies. It’s clear to me that Bush does not represent the American people in terms of values.
iginagalang ko ang pananaw mo ellen … pero ako mas gusto ko yung nanghimasok ang amerika sa iraq kesa naman walang habas na kasamaan ang ginagawa ni saddam sa mismo niyang kababayan … totoo, may mga pangit na pangyayari pero para sa akin mas pipiliin ko yung ngayon kesa duon sa nakaraan … halimbawa sa pilipinas, mas gugustuhin kong may isang malakas na puwersa na mag alis kay gloria sa puwesto niya dahil hawak niya ang may mga kapangyarihan … magra rally ka, ano gagawin sa iyo, haharangin ka, bubugbugin at pagkatapos kapag walang nakatingin, papatayin ka … mayroon pa bang puwersa sa pilipinas na puedeng maggupo kay gloria? … ilang taon na siyang nakaupo? … hindi naman lahat ng amerkano ay ayaw kay bush, meron din namang sang ayon sa palakad niya … kanya kanya tayo ng opinyon … maggalangan sana tayo … salamat
What’s wrong with Bush and GMA is that they both lump all those against them as terrorists. This the reason why the senate now is re-studying the Anti-terrorism Bill. There is no clear definition of what terrorism is. If we follow the administration’s assertions, then all democratic loving Filipinos can callrd one.
We must all understand that ideology plays a very important role and fundamentalism is a driving force in those we consider as terrorists. They consider their actions as waging war on another state. But what we consider as terrorism is actually moral to these fundamentalist. As in any war, there is collateral damage. They consider these soft targets as collateral damage their war.
While Bush is using the “terrorist” spin, GMA uses the “distabilizer” spin. They both use these reasons to justify their own terroristic actions. Let’s all be analytic and try to consume all the information first then slowly dissect them so we can get the real picture. These so-called leaders have used and exploited situations to further their goals. We’ve always known how ambitious these two are, Bush cannot terrorize the Americans as they have a matired and strong democracy, ergo he vents his air to other smaller nations who he knows cannot stand up against the US. These is the new kind of colonialism where you force weaker nations into submission through economic and armed intimidation.
GMA has succeeded in putting our economy in such a bad state that most people who oppose her cannot rise up as they are too busy with how to survive. These the reality and the reason why we live in apathy and impunity, where the strong weakens the weak and exploites the poor.
pringemilyn, your views are welcome.
That’s the reason why I’m an adherent of democracy, for different views to flourish. That’s healthy.
I’m no fan of saddam but I don’t condone the invasion of another country just because one does not like its leader. Let the Iraqis get rid of him.
In the same way here with GMA. I’d rather that we do it on our own because America’s interest may not necessarily jibe with ours. Mahirap ang may utang na loob. Shades of Quezon’s “I prefer a government run like hell by Filipinos than a government like heaven by Americans.” But I have faith in the Filipino, that we are capable of good government. When we are going to have that, I don’t know.
What America should do is help keep democracy alive. Let Filipinos do the job.
You are right about some americans liking Bush. My brother is in California and he is pro-Bush.
I respect his views.
I echo Ellen’s position: Saddam was Iraq’s problem.
Moreover, invading Iraq on a LIE has not discouraged terrorism – the invasion of Iraq based on a blatant lie ENCOURAGED terrorism. The young people in the country will remember how the US had behaved against them and let’s not be surprised if thousands of them vow to become terrorists tomorrow.
Iraqis and Middle Easterners are NOT Asians; they do not kowtow easily to American or Western lies. When a people or a race has a culture that dictates death as part of its religious duties, you will need a hundred years to defeat that kind of people.
Tony Blair is now on a free fall because he lied to the British people – he will forever be known as Bush’s poodle, a lapdog because he sold Bush’s line to his people that they had to INVADE Iraq on the basis of Saddam’s stockpiling of WMDs and links to Al Qaeda. Well, the Brits just trounced his party in the local polls last May 4th and will kick him out of office most unceremoniously for that lie. We know our politicians lie but we mustn’t catch them lying if they know what’s good for them.
Blair can’t even accept the US Congressional Gold Medal that the US bestows on recognized allies because Blair is facing severe criticisms at home for HAVING LIED to his people. He doesn’t want to be seen being pinned a medal by Bush for having been Bush’s loyal dog…
As for Bush, the dumb guy from Texas was able to sell his lies to the American people but that’s the American people’s problem. Bush, his die hard supporters and proponents of the Iraqi invasion can be hypocrites all they want and I couldn’t give a damn – they all could implode, explode or vanish from the universe is all the same to me…
Ellen,
For those who are interested in the Iraq issue, there is a ‘democratic’ space on the web called: www dot USIraq dot org.
Of particular interest in the U.S. – Iraq ProCon.org are the following:
To what extent did Saddam Hussein cultivate or maintain links to terrorist organizations?
Was Saddam Hussein involved with the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon?
Did Saddam Hussein have links with Al Qaeda?
Did Al Qaeda’s attack on September 11, 2001 justify the Bush Administration’s decision to attack Iraq?
Read also an Iraq watch-related article written in November 2004 by Marjorie Cohn “Setting the Conditions for War Crimes” and a recent investigation report by The Times of UK about the Aftermath of Haditha massacre.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-2201470,00.html
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/printer_113004A.shtml
The setting up of US mercenary business and training camps in RP destination Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, etc. will be like an invitation to the commission of another Haditha massacre.
Anna,
I know for a fact that a lot of my die-hard Republican friends in Utah did not vote for Bush for the lies he told them about Iraq. I am in fact in an egroup dominated by anti-war, anti-Bush Americans, and boy, do I love the Bush bashing there!
I don’t like the father of this guy, too, for encouraging Japan bashing during his administration even when he owed a lot to Japan for the logistics provided by Japan to the US during the Gulf War and even the war on Iraq presently.
Unfortunately, the Democrats cannot produce the kind of candidate that can defeat the Bushes, for there is a possibility of the younger Bush brother being pushed to the presidential race in 2008.
Gosh, it could be the end of the world when that happens with this family determined to continue the war in the Middle East and around the world for the family’s business is actually selling weapons, and ocassionally, oil (fresh from Iraq)! I understand that they need the killing fields to dispose of their stocks!
Mahatir of Malaysia is now talking of WWIV. Heaven forbid!
Ellen:
My family in the US is traditionally Republican, but the only one still backing up Dubya is my eldest sister. The rest have become skeptical and cautious of the Dubya’s smirks!
Frankly, I’m looking forward to the removal of this jerk, and to the day when we can travel again in style—no more plastic spoons, forks and knives!
Hahahah! Yuko, you are absolutely right plastic knives, forks, spoons – what a silly joke!
Plastic knives and forks could be just as lethal to a determined suicide terrorist but obviously, Bush wouldn’t know that now, would he! Even prison inmates got cockroaches to help them escape from their prison cells and with the aid of a hairpin could dig their prison bars out of their sockets and escape! Hahahah!
One year to go and dumb Dubya Bush will be out of the White House and back to the Texan outback where he comes from – there, he can replicate his dumb friend Dick Cheney’s hunting prowess; they can shoot each other’s butt to their hearts’ delight…
Ellen, Yuko,
I think if you look up Carlyle Group of Companies, you will find that the Bushes (I mean father and his junior) are quite implicated in a lot of very dubious defence contracts… If Bush senior swears to high heavens that he is with the group (one of the largest defence conglomerates which could easily eat Japan and the Philippines for breakfast anytime they feel like doing it)only in an advisory capacity – don’t believe him because it simply ain’t true…. Neo-conservative groups led by Bush Sr, Cheney and family, etc. are into the Carlyle Group to their last invested penny.
Won’t be surprised if they’d already offered Gloria and fatso Mike Pidal Arroyo shares in the group just so they have control over the Philippines, a nation which to them of a highly significant stategical value – the control of the sea lanes of communication from the Pacific to the Gulf. They need a subservient “ally” there so they could do what they want – they just don’t trust the other predominantly Muslim nations in the region which they see as suspect and basically, hostile…
Geo-politics they call their practice!
Mga teroristang arabo galit sa mga judio … mga judio suportado ng amerkano … kaya terorista galit sa amerkano … terorista gumamit ng eroplano … para guluhin ang buhay ni kanuto … suportahan lang ni gloria ang mga judio, siguradong titirahin siya ng mga teroristang arabo … garantisado … sa akin lang palagay ay hindi magkapareho ang sitwasyon ni george at ni glo … kung hindi kayo sang ayon, paalala, mag galangan tayo ng opinyon … huwag kayong manggagalaiti kasi kayo rin ang talo sa huli … stress is bad for anybody … may narinig ako noon, ewan ko kung tutoo, na si saddam, nagbibigay siya ng pinansyal na tulong sa mga pamilya ng mga taong may mga bomba sa katawan … Ito namang may bomba sa katawan, pinangakuan ng langit sa kanyang gagawing kasamaan, laking gulat niya pagdating sa kabilang buhay na ang langit na pangako sa kanya ay napaka init at wala man lang kahit anong sarap … ang bawat tao ay may konsensya na nakakakilala ng masama at mabuti … sa mga taong ang masama ay mabuti, kalyo lang ang paliwanag doon … paalalang muli, ipakita nating tayo ay mga edukado, walang bastusan
Hellllo,
Cool lang tayo! Isa ang ating kaaway: ang kaaway ng bayan kaya Pringemilyn, please don’t take it personally.
Si Yuko, marami na siyang nagawa (lalo na noong i-declare ni Gloria ang Emergency rule) dahil sa kanyang paninindigan laban kay Gloria na isang masamang tao. Ganyan lang siya magsalita pero ang kanyang concern ay para sa taong bayan.
Matagal ko nang kilala si Yuko sa cyberspace ilang taon na! at siya ay isa sa mga ilan lang na PILIPINO na talagang napakalaki ang pagmamahal sa taong bayan na hindi maski minsan ay tumalikod sa kanyang prinsipyo.
Si Yuko ay isang tao na hindi lang dakdak – siya ay kumikilos at matapang…
Thanks Anna. As the old adage says, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!” Mahirap talagang pumatol sa mga nagdudunung-dunungan, lalo lang lumalabas na bobo!
One thing with the members of the Magnanakaw’s Internet Brigade is they think that they alone have the right to hit where they want to hit, and then, pretend to be the victim instead. Walang bastusan? Sino ba ang bastos dito? Nice try!
Am I bothered? Not a bit! Just irritated. I’ve met a lot of these criminals in fact in my line of work as police interpreter cum investigator. I have actually yet to meet a Filipino who will not blame his misfortune, including his willingness to do evil, on someone or something else. Talk of some sense of responsibility, I doubt if majority has that! Sad but true!
You bet, Anna, I cannot be undaunted nor fear especially when I know I am right. I feel vindicated in fact that a lot many of those who helped put up the crook in Malacanang are now seeing where they did wrong, and feel so remorseful for what they did, but they surely are now suffering a lot for not being able to remove the criminal oversquatting at the palace by the murky river as easily as they did when they removed the duly elected president of the Philippines from that haunted palace.
On the other hand, it is compensation enough that they now see what I saw before them—a vain and ambitious crook who imagines herself as sole owner of the more than 7,100 islands she thinks she alone has the right to discard of.
You’re right about the Bushes. I have enough materials in my position, in fact, copies of the documents we have collected in the International Criminal Tribunal for Afghanistan and Iraq where I volunteered to act as interpreter/translator for submission to the International Court of Justice. It is shocking to know in fact that this family has been living off on killing people—selling WMD to even the worst tyrants like Hitler!
What is disgusting is when you know that Dubya planned this invasion long before he sat put at the White House as the family had to discard of the stocks of WMD leaking poisonous gases in their warehouses. It is more than the kind of petty quarrel between the Arabs and the Jews, which is a misnomer as a matter of fact since I see that the Saudis are now in fact misaligning themselves with the Hamas who are determined to wipe out the Israelis as the US/UK propaganda want us to believe.
For those who want to read more on this, the best place to go to is http://www.informationclearinghouse.info
On the other hand, who cares if the Palestinians kill the Jews and vice-versa? Let them kill each other if that is what they want to do.
As far as I am concerned, I’ll stick to what the Holy Scriptures say about some grafting of the Israeli tree until they learn to recognize the Saviour (Messiah) the Jews crucified!
Thanks Ana. You said it. I am not undaunted nor fear these members of the Magnanakaw’s Internet Brigade especially when I know I am right.
As far as I am concerned, I don’t depend on propaganda. I gather information from various sources, and I thank my lucky star that I am in groups like the International Criminal Tribunals for Afghanistan and Iraq where I have volunteered to be one of their interpreters/translators. One thing I don’t do is talk of things I do not know! Otherwise, I won’t be able to defend myself on the things I strongly believe in.
You’re right about the Bushes. As I have stated, my family in the US is traditionally Republican but when I guess I started to have my doubts when Japan’s economy was adversely affected by the Japan bashing encouraged by the government of the old Bush to force Japan to finance his war against Iraq. Those were bad times indeed even for Americans. Then, came Clinton who showed the world that US presidents are no supermen, but it was not enough reason for the Americans to vote for another freak, and worse, reelect him!
But these things apparently have to come to pass as prophesied with all these wars and rumours of wars, etc.
Matapang? You bet, I am trying to be as fearless and courageous as my forebears. My maternal grandfather, the British mestiso, was a sidekick of Gen. Antonio Luna, his cousin, and used to march with members of the KKK during Independence Day Parade at the Manila Grandstand after coming back from exile after WWII. He fought against US invasion of the Philippines until he was sent on exile overseas.
Two of my uncles fought hard for Philippine Independence against the Japanese Imperial Army. One of them in fact was a Japanese mestiso who opted for fight for the land of his birth, the Philippines. He marched and survived the Bataan Death March. He was killed by a Filipino, though, in San Francisco, CA!
Anna,
I like that Chenney dig. You bet, I hope he’ll shoot Dubya, too, when he gets the chance, and hopefully, it will be fatal! Laking kahihiyan iyan ‘pagnagkataon!
Now, if you see me overpraising Japan, it is for a reason. Chenney would have been in jail by now if he were Japanese. No one can get away with such negligence regardless of his position for no one here is above the law. He would have been axed by now and made to answer for his misdeed if he were Japanese!
Anna:
You bet! Bush does not realize that those plastic forks and knives can be fatal, too. Unfortunately, they cannot make people eat those catered airline meals with their hands. I use chopsticks, though, if they are available than use those plastics.
FYI
My friends in Basrah, Iraq have sent this site for the education of the ignoramuses, the confused and the bewildered:
http://www.albasrah.net/pages/mod.php?header=res2&mod=newse&lan=1
Now the Americans who committed a massacre in Haditha are saying they are innocent and followed the Rules of Engagement! What a crap when they were firing at civilians who were not in any form of engagement like a pregnant woman running for her life and her unborn baby fired at by those freaks in uniform calling themselves defenders of democracy!
My friends in Basrah, Iraq sent this site. Read the articles there. I find the UK mothers holding Blair responsible for this senseless war on Iraq:
http://www.albasrah.net/pages/mod.php?header=res2&mod=newse&lan=1
ystakei: quoted from your previous letter:
“I won’t cry for these Filipinos volunteering for active duty in Iraq even for an exorbitant fee. They have no business being there killing Iraqis in their own land.
On the other hand, I pray that I won’t have the opportunity to say, “Buti nga sa inyo! Belat! Ang titigas kasi ng ulo ninyo, mga swapang!”
_Kuya, I for one is interested to apply in Blackwater’s recruitment of Fils for possible deployment in Iraq or anywhere. My reasons for this is correctly cited above by all of you.Foremost is economic reasons.Another is the opportunity that will be given to fortunate or unforunate applicants that will be accepted.
I am not also sure if I will be accepted, but I want to give it a try. Ganun din naman dito sa Pilipinas eh. Namamatay rin naman ang tao dito lalo na sa katulad kong walang natapos.
My appeal is,whoever among you,ates and kuyas,to let me know where and how to contact this recruiters.
You can e-mail me here:
ramkors2001@yahoo.com
letsplay77042000@yahoo.com
Thank you, at sana po may makapagsabi sa akin a aking tinatanong…
Mar,
I don’t want to discourage you but really, mercenary is not making a living, it’s “making a dying”.
I’m sorry that you are forced to consider itong mercenary work para mabuhay. Bakit hindi mo try ang French Foreign Legion.
At least, tunay na army iyon. Pero, kailangan kang pumunta sa Malaysia (French Embassy) para mag volunteer ka personally. Mahirap nga lang dahil, gastos at hindi sigurado na papasa ka sa medical examination.
Hindi kailangan ang French language para mag-apply. Hindi kailangan ang ano man degree. Ang kailangan ay malakas ka – physically, dapat ay very healthy ka. (Ganoon din naman ang requirement sa mga mercenary applicants.)
Kapag nakapasa ka sa physical health exam ng French Foreign Legion, training kaagad at suwelduhan kaagad.
Good luck Mar! May God bless you…
Recommended reading:
Killer Elite
America’s Most Secret Soldiers
by Michael Smith
Formed as the ‘Intelligence Support Activity’, America’s secret Special Forces has had a succession of innocuous titles to hide its ferocious purpose. From its creation, in the wake of the abortive Iranian Hostage rescue mission, to the rescue of hostages and the killing of terrorist leaders, this is the story of America’s secret soldiers.
On author M Smith by The Times of the UK: “Investigative journalist Michael Smith is the British Press Awards specialist writer of the year. He writes on defence and intelligence for The Sunday Times and has broken many exclusives…”
Michale Smith is one of my favorite British journalists.
Mar:
I’m not a Kuya, I am an Ate, and like a good Ate, I will tell you, “Forget about dying in Iraq!” Baka mapugutan ka ng ulo doon!
Anyway, in case you get drafted there, I’ll watch for your name, and when you appear on Al Jazeera asking for help from the Philippine government to save your neck, I’ll just pray for the repose of your soul, for next time, I doubt if the insurgents will have mercy on you being under the employ of the enemies!
YUKO,
NAMIMILIPIT AKO DITO SA TAWA re “I’m not a Kuya, I am an Ate, and like a good Ate, I will tell you, “Forget about dying in Iraq!” Baka mapugutan ka ng ulo doon!”
HAHAHAHAHHHH
One thing with Filipino and other foreigners is that they do not know that names in Japanese ending in “ko,” and “e” are feminine names. Mine is Yuko, meaning “Brave Child” although I have opted to write my name with just hiragana and the Chinese character for “child” to avoid rectification of my name in combination with my family name. Mahirap na, baka matulad pa ako doon sa mga massacre victims sa Iraq!
On the other hand, I don’t know why some people would love to die for money! Can’t understand that mentality, especially when killing even an enemy can be against the Ten Commandments of God! Remember what Christ said about “turning the other cheek”? ito lang ngang si Dubya ang makulit at hypocrite na akala mo siya lang ang matino!
Now, I doubt if Filipinos would risk their lives getting into Iraq and killing Iraqis if they can find jobs in their own country. Para silang pumasok sa bahay ng may bahay at pagkatapos pinagpapapatay ang mga nakatira doon!
Frankly, I am against human trafficking. This mercenary thing for me is one type of human trafficking that the Big Pimps in the Philippines are engaging in. Iyong Bugaw sa Malacanang dapat talaga sipain na! Patalsikin na, now na! Daig pa ang pinagpuputa ang mga pilipina sa Japan kasi sa Iraq ipapakatay naman sila!
Dapat makita ni Mar iyong video ng Koreanong nagsisisigaw habang pinuputol ang ulo niya! Iyong hapon, ang bilis kasi hindi na siya tuminag, at itinalaga na niya ang buhay niya. Iyong Nepalese nga kumikisay pa kahit na putol na ang ulo dahil ang tagal ng nangyaring pagputol ng ulo gawa nang mapurol pa yata ang itak na ginamit! Iyong mga kasama niya, isa-isang binaril sa ulo!
Ang ipinagtataka ko kung papaano nakuha ng grupo ng mga pro-Bush ang video na iyon. Most of the pugot ulo videos I have I actually got from some patriotic sites in the USA. May porno site pa nga! Hindi kaya sila (mga kano) ang nagpupugot ng ulo to incite world hatred for the Iraqis and show the world that the Iraqis are savages?
Frankly, I have a fellow member of the ICTI who was held captive by the insurgents. He was on his way to gather information on the Abu Ghraib prison when he was kidnapped together with another Japanese journalist. They were released unharmed, however, after a few days of negotiation and confirmation of their credentials, and the insurgents confirmed that they were not US agents. They have returned to Japan and have since been guesting in forums on Iraq and the US/UK invasion there.
Even just reading your description, Yuko, I find it gruesome.
Mar, naintindihan ko ang iyong panganga-ilangan. Ngunit yaw kong magiging tulay sa iyong kapahamakan.
Ellen,
I just read the Malaya banner – this is unreal.
How can a government allow its own citizens to fight someone else’s war or pretend NOT to know that we have Filipinos fighting or even just deployed in Iraq. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT… With the vast number of of international intelligence sources and Gloria’s friendship with Washington, it is IMPOSSIBLE for this government NOT to know.
But alright, I’ll be charitable and will pretend that this government didn’t know and granted, yes, to be charitable again, let’s say Malacanang didn’t know that there was such a thing as Blackwater operating or any other PMC recruiting in Manila.
But now that you’ve bannered it, this government, no matter how immoral it is must make a show of investigating the matter. If this government cannot retrieve the 300 Pinoy ‘fighters’ from Iraq, the least it could do is to expel, yes expel all other foreign sponsored PMC recruting operations from the country to avoid or deter recruitment. It will be the most basic decent act that a government could do for its people in the face of such controversy.
What does one do, what does the nation do if Malacanang still refuses to recognize the facts?
It is extremely gruesome, borrowing your word, for a nation’s government not to be content with just selling its people as domestic laborers, but that it now also should ‘allow’ its citizens to be trained to become professional killers to fight another nation’s war is unthinkable in the extreme. Where is respect for your people’s dignity there?
It’s madness – how low can can this nation go before it reacts???? What has this nation become? The mere fact that this government could even turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to the fact that there is a foreign mercenary company operating on its soil is absolutely degrading to the nation.
Never mind Gloria – she has long ago sold her body and soul to Dubya but Filipinos must not stand there in apathy! If we allow US companies to set up mercenary recruitment and training camps like Blackwater, we will not have moral ground to stop Muslims from LEGALLY importing their own foreign, middle-eastern mercenary groups to fight in someone else’s war.
I really believe it’s time to put down this bansot and her government of liars, thieves, human trafickers, crooks, hypocrites, etc. by hook or by crook.
My husband, a former senior professional British military officer was absoluytely dumbfounded when I told him about our friend’s son’s request to be introduced to US para-military companies in either Iraq or Iran to work there as a kind a mercenary trooper. He categorically refused! And again, when I informed him the other day that the whole thing is now in the open, that there really exist US Iraq mercenary companies (like Blackwater) with recruiting and training operations in the Philippines, he said our government is UNBELIEVABLY DISGUSTING!
I have met a lot of soldiers in the past. They hate war and hope they never have to shoot to take another man’s life. GMA had put our country in total dispair that no matter how immoral or undignified a job is, the poor Filipinos would opt to take the chance. I lament at the moral decay that besets my beloved country.
This latest caper of Malacanang is by far the worst. To allow your people to wage war for another country’s interests. I’m very sure that Gen. MacArthur wasn’t referring to this when he said, “give me a million Filipinos and I will conquer the world”.
Ellen:
Domestic helpers in Japan are paid better. Over here, the Immigration Bureau requires that they are paid by their foreign employers (Japanese nationals are barred from hiring foreign domestic helpers) no less than 150,000 yen (110 yen/1 dollar), and no risk to their lives.
Ang liit naman ng 1,000 dollars a month. Gosh, ganoon na ba kababa ang pagtingin ng mga pilipino sa buhay nila to stake their lives for a pittance of a thousand dollars in Iraq or Afghanistan? Ang cheap naman!
Kawawang mga nilalang!
Ito talagang si GW Bush, bobo na, wala pang ginawang kahit anong matino, ayon sa ilan dito. At itong America ay isang napakasamang bansa, ayon din sa ilan dito, sa pananaw ko lang. Teka muna, wala pala akong karapatang humusga. Sorry.
Anna:
I don’t think the Midget does not know this mercenary recruitment exists especially when we know she is into this bugaw business and take pride for it.
May naniniwala pa ba sa kumag na iyan? Everytime she gets into hot water, she says she does not know. This is getting redundant. Filipinos should stop tolerating her games. Nakakasuka na. Ginagawa pang mukhang gago at mga ulol ang mga pilipino. This should be stopped.
Filipinos should kick out this crook who has no sense of responsibility. she should not be allowed to keep on blaming somebody for her own mistakes. Kawawa ang bansa!
Ellen:
You’re right, the beheadings of those kidnapped workers, et al are gruesome. Nevertheless, I have decided to keep copies of the videos I got from pro-Bush and US patriots websites, and keep them in a disk.
My heart bled for the Japanese tourist who thought he could work there either as a mercenary or a human shield. Nakakaawa rin iyong 10 Nepalese who were caught a day after they were shipped in to work in some US installation in Iraq via Jordan. I don’t care much about the US victims, though, not that I hate the Americans because I don’t (I actually belong to a religious group with headquarters in Utah, USA), but they knew what they were getting into when they went to Iraq unlike those Nepalese who were lured by recruiters to work in Iraq.
I don’t suppose I will have the same sympathy for future victims of such beheading in Iraq from the Philippines because they know what they are getting into. Loko-loko na lang siguro talaga ang gustong magpakamatay doon!
I won’t attempt to help save such victim in the future the way I did when Angelo dela Cruz was kidnapped through my contacts in Iraq.
Dubya Bush is not America. So, if we hate him, it does not mean we hate America. We hate what he represents. Period! Is that hard to understand? Why waste Filipino lives for him? Americans themselves are now against Bush and his war! At least, that is what their polls now say!
I agree with you Yuko. Bush IS NOT America.
Unfortunately, he represents powerful America and wields America’s might as if it is the tool of the Almighty but in fact, the way he does it is no better than how a street gangster would do it – like a small-time thug who takes a victim whom he cows into subservience lest he would thump or maim him. This is not a civilized way of doing things nor is it the morally judicious way of taking on the world. Only thugs and hooligans do that. Unfortunately, this is the American image that Bush is projecting to the world.
Meanwhile, because of his thug-like approach, America wasn’t as credible and since it wasn’t being credible, Americans became vulnerable intellectually and morally to the slightest reproach… they’ve become onion-skinned, and feel seriously, personally offended when people who are not Americans take an anti-Bush or anti-Iraq invasion stand.
They equate that to being anti-America pure and simple. But an anti-Bush stand is not anti-America. You oppose the idea and if it’s Bush who puts the idea into execution and you don’t agree with him, it doesn’t mean you are anti-American. (It’s like being anti-Gloria – a person deosn’t become a Filipino hater just because he wants to oust Gloria!)
Problem is because the US troops whom Bush sent to force the Iraqis into submission are not all professionals (the National Guards are virtually a Sunday or weekend Army, for instance) and are mostly ignorant of foreign cultures, the invasion inevitably took a terribly haphazard approach – tinged with unecessary, unprofessional troop bragadoccio (the professional European military does the job with less fanfare and arrogance) on the terrain, and couple that with the absence of a moral high ground from the start, you have a war that is difficult to win.
Sadly, there are Americans who really are convinced that right or wrong but because they are the world’s most powerful nation today, America is and must be right. Unbelievable mentality! Totally primitive. Uncouth in the extreme.
This attitude could only attract hostile reactions not only from proud Iraqis but from all thinking people of the civilized world and it did.
There is a need to re-calibrate the issues. My family and I, for instance, are anti-Iraq invasion for obvious reasons but we don’t hate Americans; we abhor the Bush clique that divided the world, we despise the neo-Nazi like approach to the Iraqi problem which Buch, Cheney, Rumsfeld and their lieutenants (who were not professional military people) adopted to take this mission on but we certainly do not despise the American people for what their warped-minded leaders have done and are still doing not only to Iraq but also to the Philippines.
Bush is not an intelligent animal and an unintelligent animal is dangerous.
You said it, Anna. Bush is a dangerous animal.
Who was that who said, “My country, right or wrong”?
The other day, however, I was watching a presentation by Anderson Cooper of CNN on the Katrina disaster, and it reminded me of a warning given to prophets of our church regarding the destruction of America if the Americans would remain arrogant the way they think now about themselves as being the most powerful country in the world today with their subtle subjugation of countries within their sphere of influence cajoled with their slogan about democracy despite the racial and social discriminations.
With the WMD kept by the Bushes in their arsenal, don’t be surprised when we hear the kind of disasters likely to happen in the USA like the ones they show in movies starring Arnold Schwarzenegger of CA. Heaven forbid!
Naniniwala akong may mga propeta kayo kanya lang “pols” sila … ang estados unidos kaya nakakaranas ng mga salot ay dahil sa hindi na nila iginagalang ang “Salita ng Dios” … ang Dios nga kung naniniwala ka sa Biblia ay gumagamit ng mga puwersa na nasa labas ng bansa ng Israel para lamang parusahan ang pagkakamali nila …
Yuko, we can disagree but in a pleasant way. We are all civilized people. We should not resort to name calling.
Dominique:
Who’s namecalling who? OK, I call the fake president all kinds of names, and the mad man at the White so. What’s uncivilized about that? I do not have to give these crooks the needed courtesy that people with scruples, high morality and principles deserve to have.
BTW, I don’t remember replying to you in this loop, so what’s that you are talking about disagreeing with you! I reply to comments on my messages for clarification. There is nothing disagreeable about that nor what you claim to be uncivilized.
Propriety is something earned as a matter of fact.
Erraturm: …and the mad man at the White House so.
I don’t see any reason why I should not call the cheat and liar oversquatting at the palace by the murky river all kinds of adjectives available in the dictionary. If she does not like to be called names, she should quit. In the first, she did not win the election. Her corrupt friends, relatives and beneficiaries in the Philippine Tongress declared her winner by cheating and rigging the election in the most shameless way possible in the Philippines.
Hopefully, people of other nations will not immitate this bad Philippine exampe—appointing a vote-rigger to the Comelec and telling him to steal by all means possible, by hook or by crook, votes from her opponents.
Don’t see why I should have respect for this crook as a matter of fact.
Yuko, I’m not referring to your description of GMA. You can call her the foulest name on earth and she deserves it.
I’m referring to your calling the Filipinos mercenaries as “tangangot”. It’s their misfortune to be poor. We should not add to their misfortune by insulting them.
I admire your conviction. I have no doubt that your activism is borne out by your desire to help make this world better. But that does not give you the right to look down on those who do not have the opportunities that have been given to you or those who do not agree with you.
Even if it’s only now that I have registered, I have been reading and observing the exchanges in this blog and I found it fascinating.
Tangangot? Hehheh! I thought it was a lambing way of saying things… instead of the coarse way, it is the sweeter way and is not as offensive…
Thanks Dominique, otherwise I might have used it on my maid when I lose my patience because she forgets to turn off the electric iron.
Ako po ay isa sa mga na recruit at nag trabaho sa Iraq. Marami po kami doon. SECURITY GUARD (Sekyo) ang trabaho namin. Binantayan po namin mga US and Coalition facilities. Hindi po kami mga mercenario katulad ng marami na nag sasaabi dyan na wala namang alam. Hindi rin kami mga body guards or personnel security. Mga Amerkano at British lang ang pwede. Dahil sa decision ng magaling nating gobyerno na ipagbawal mag trabaho sa Iraq, pina-uwi na kaming lahat at pinalitan ng ibang lahi(El Salvador) Huwag sanang mabuwag ang bagong pag kakataon na makapag trabaho kami sa Afghanistan. Ang magiging trabaho po namin ulit SECURITY GUARD(Sekyo)
Scoutranger,
I am familiar with Afghanistan – was there a few months ago with NATO delegation invited by SACEUR commander.
I am not opposed at all for Pinoys na magtrabaho sa Afghanistan dahil ang Afghanistan ay under NATO administration na.
So good luck sa iyo!
We have to understand the situation of our poor people, Should they have enough money for use, they should not be going there as a hired mercenaries or what you call it. Its good for the Filipinos and a pride of course to see that the Americans likes to hire them because they trusy Filipinos as a brave and excellent fighter. Mabuhay kayo Filipinos. Keep goin to where the dollars are to improve your life. Let they talker do the talkingbec, it is their right but frequently they dont deserve to have that talks.Thay just talk to say something but no meaning.I advise them to talk about the Filipina going to the others country not to become mercenaries but a prostitute. How about ti my Ystakie ba?
Good day Ellen,
Pasensya na kayo at ngayun na lang ako nagkaroon ng panahaon na makasulat sa iyong pitak nadistino kasi ako ng mindanao, alam mo naman ang buhay naming mga sundalo,
ang paglingkuran ang gobyernong arroyo