| Mitt Romney: Tabernacle Choirboy |
| Editorial | |||||||||
| By Robert Weitzel | |||||||||
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Mitt Romney: Tabernacle Choirboy or Blackwater Mercenary "Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?" - Mike Huckabee - ![]() Mitt Romney, like his great-grandfather who had five wives, is a polygamist. His problem? The Mormon Church—as well as the United States government—outlawed polygamy for its "Saints" in 1890. "In a moment of 9/11bravado, Black promised President Bush that he would bring back bin Laden's head in a cardboard box. And it was his fixation with cutting off heads and sticking them on pikes that endeared him to Bush's inner circle. After making the promise, "When we're through with them they will have flies walking across their eyeballs," they nicknamed Black the flies-on-the-eyeballs guy." In a moment of 9/11bravado, Black promised President Bush that he would bring back bin Laden's head in a cardboard box. And it was his fixation with cutting off heads and sticking them on pikes that endeared him to Bush's inner circle. After making the promise, "When we're through with them they will have flies walking across their eyeballs," they nicknamed Black the flies-on-the-eyeballs guy. In 2005, Cofer Black became the vice-chairman of Blackwater Worldwide, the largest mercenary army in the United States. He also heads their intelligence division known as Total Intelligence Solutions. Blackwater received its first government contract worth $5 million in 2002 for operations in Afghanistan. Since then it has received an estimated $800 million in U.S. government contracts, many of these "black contracts" with no public oversight. As of 2006, Blackwater counted over 2300 private soldiers in its ranks. It has an air force, a fleet of attack helicopters and armored personnel vehicles and is building a navy. Most importantly, it has the green light from the Bush administration to carry out its contracts in the "war on terror" with impunity. Before sneaking out of Iraq in June 2004, America's viceroy Paul Bremer issued Order 17, which granted immunity to Blackwater and other contractors for crimes committed against the Iraqi people . . . either swindle or murder. It is still the law of the land. This September, Blackwater soldiers killed 17 Iraqi civilians and wounded 24 in an unprovoked firefight during a convoy mission. It was such an egregious crime against humanity that even the U.S. controlled government in Baghdad had the courage to call it murder. Under Order 17, Blackwater walks. But September's war crime is not Blackwater's only black mark. According to Scahill in a December 24 Nation article, Blackwater is currently facing multiple Congressional investigations, a federal grand jury and allegations of illegal arms smuggling and "significant tax evasion," to name a few. Despite this, Blackwater was recently awarded a $92 million Pentagon contract to operate flights in Central Asia and is in line to receive part of a $15 billion contract in the war on drugs. Times are good in the private army business. Keep in mind that Cofer Black, Romney's personal advisor, is second in command of a private army in need of a public commander-in-chief. As Jeremy Scahill warns, "Blackwater appears to have its own presidential candidate [Romney] . . . one whose presidency could make the company's profitable business under Bush look like a church bake sale." But there is more at stake than unconscionable profits when the president of the United States has a private—publicly funded—army and intelligence service at his disposal. Mike Huckabee almost got it right. There seems to be at least one Mormon who does believe that Jesus and the devil can be brothers.
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1. 02-01-2008 09:55 Hello, Enjoyed reading your informative article. Have read Scahill's work. Perhaps we haven't considered one 'blow back' from this mercenary scenario... In Rome's empire, even Roman soldiers fought for $ and plunder, can the neocon 'patriots' assure US of the loyalty of it's merc troops? Ed Guest Write Comment
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