VIDEO: Teabaggers Gone Wild

By GottaLaff

From 2009:

My pal Larry Halstead attended a Tea Tantrumers' rally last November, but only got around to editing it last night. I'm awfully glad he did. Watch all 10 minutes of it. Wow.

On November 22, 2009, The Tea Party Express landed in the High Desert Community of Barstow, CA after a nation wide tour that started in South Carolina. This poorly organized, poorly attended event was held in a public park but that didn't deter one teabagger from threatening to kick my ass for using my camera to take this video including his threats. Guns, global warming denying, Christian claims, eco terrorism, and mostly a whole lot of lunacy all wrapped in the American flag.

Compare and contrast to these photos of yesterday's Mississippi rally. How's that not-hopey, not-changey thing goin' for ya?

Larry Halstead just contacted me and added this (slightly paraphrased):

I took my two older sons, 12 and 13 with me, which could have gotten me charged with child endangerment. [Laffy Note: For those who may not realize, he's kidding; that was a joke].

The crazy lady, Nancy Dittman, had previously tried to infiltrate our Democratic club posing as Independent.

Robert Vassuer, who threatened to assault me before he crowned me "President of the Democrat Party" is a previous president of the local GOP club, a shrill tool who tries to impress by always attacking me in newspapers, city council meetings, etc. He's a huge coward that would never had done that, but was pumped up from rally. He got so close his nose touched my lens as he tried to get the mob mentality going against me. His wife saw that and dragged him away before he was arrested.

The speaker, Kevin, is @TheBlackSphere who started in on me on Twitter, started calling me a pedophile and got his followers to do the same for hours (his public strategy for anyone who says tea bagger, but it could cause the loss of my 5 adopted kids plus my reputation). I plan to sue.

What a compassionate, patriotic crowd.

Thank you, Larry, for sharing this with us, and helping to expose the Tea Baggers for who and what they are.

UPDATE: Blog Radio Show where Kevin exposes his own sick, perverted, damaging strategy to attack anyone who uses the word "Tea Bagger" by calling them a Pedophile, here.

The RNC hearts Blackwater

By GottaLaff

Ben Smith reveals that the RNC has Xe hots for Blackwater. They're about to cohabitate at a fundraiser:

Spokesmen for the Republican National Committee and for Xe Services, the embattled military contractor formerly known as Blackwater, denied to me last month that the party had any plans to host a donor retreat at Xe's U.S. Training Center in North Carolina.

Today, however, spokesmen for both said the event -- which appeared in a calendar in the leaked RNC fundraising presentation -- is on.

Here is a snippet of Ben's original post:

The Republican National Committee is planning to raise $60,000 at a fundraiser next month at the North Carolina compound owned by the company formerly known as Blackwater.

The event is going to be held by the under-40somethings called the "Young Eagles".

If you still aren't familiar with who and what Blackwater really is, please take a look at the primer I compiled called "Blackwater for Dummeez".

Here are a few screen grabs of the leaked presentation. And remember, they put the FUN back in FUNdraising!

(click on image to enlarge)

Nothing more reassuring than teaming up with a bunch of thugs. That should lend as much credibility to the party as their RNC chair spending nearly two grand at a kinky bondage-themed club.

H/t: Gr8RDH

Feds: Blackwater Saves Taxpayers Money

By GottaLaff

I wouldn't care if they saved us billions, there is no justification for their existence. Period:

But a new government report says they may actually have saved U.S. taxpayers money. The State Department saves roughly $900 million a year using private firms to protect American diplomats in Iraq rather than relying on U.S. government employees, according to a recently published review by the non partisan Government Accounting Office.

Here are the reasons they give for the differences. Ready?

The state department did not have to pay overtime or provide benefits or vacation time to the contractors. They were not saddled with extensive travel and housing costs. And they did not have to outfit them with weapons and gear.

Seriously. Those are the reasons. Well, then, by all means, go with Blackwater, er, Xe, er, Blackwater, er, Murder Inc.

But wait, it gets even better:

The report noted that the State Department would have been "reluctant to hire third country nationals to provide security in Iraq because the department does not want to be perceived as hiring mercenaries."

I'm sorry, but did I just wake up in Crazy World?

Moral of the story: Money first... Except for Jan Schakowsky. She's smart that way:

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), who has sponsored a bill to outlaw government contracts to private security companies, defended her bill against the report, told ABC News that money was not the biggest factor in assessing the value of contractors in war zones.

And with that, it's time to re-introduce my old primer, Blackwater for Dummeez. Consider it a refresher course on who these thugs are:

BLACKWATER FOR DUMMEEZ

What is Blackwater USA, boys and girls? Blackwater USA is an international security contractor founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and is based in the U.S, . state of North Carolina where it operates a tactical training facility that it claims is the world's largest. Wow!

Let's take a peek into their world, in their very own words, where they claim to be: "The most comprehensive professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations company in the world".

Our leadership and dedicated family of exceptional employees adheres to an essential of core corporate values- chief among these are integrity, innovation, excellence, respect, accountability, and teamwork.

In doing this, we have become the most responsive, cost-effective means of affecting the strategic balance in support of security and peace, and freedom and democracy everywhere.

Blackwater's Federal Contracts

Year Amount Paid

2001 $736,906

2002 $3,415,884

2003 $25,395,556

2004 $48,496,903

2005 $352,871,817

2006 $593,601,952

Well, howdy-do, that's impressive!

Now! What do they do? Stuff that includes integrity, innovation, excellence, respect, accountability, and teamwork? Nah, they were just kidding. They do this:

The lead Suburban in our convoy loomed up behind an old, puttering sedan driven by an older man with a young woman and three children. As we approached at typical breakneck speed, the Blackwater driver honked furiously and motioned to the side, as if they should pull over. The kids in the back seat looked back in horror, mouths agape at the sight of the heavily armored Suburbans driven by large, armed men in dark sunglasses. The poor Iraqi driver frantically searched fora means of escape, but there was none. So the lead Blackwater vehicle smashed heedlessly into the car, pushing it into the barrier. We zoomed by too quickly to notice if anyone was hurt.

That's what they do.

Who's in charge? Just a dickens of a guy! Erik Prince! And what a resume has he!

Born: 6-Jun-1969 Religion: Born-Again Christian Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Business, Military Party Affiliation: Republican Executive summary: Founder, Blackwater USA Military service: Navy SEAL Team Officer (1993-96, Bosnia, Haiti)

Erik Prince is a multi-millionaire right-wing fundamentalist Christian from a powerful Michigan Republican family. His wealth came from his father, Edgar Prince (d. 1995, billionaire, started Family Research Council with Gary Bauer). A major Republican campaign contributor, he interned in the White House of President George H.W. Bush and campaigned for Pat Buchanan in 1992, finding time to intern for conservative congressman Dana Rohrabacher as well. Prince founded the security and mercenary firm Blackwater USA in 1997 with Gary Jackson, another former Navy SEAL.

Prince's sister Betsy DeVos is a powerful conservative in her own right. Married to the son of Richard DeVos (Republican bankroller and co-founder of Amway), she served as chair of Michigan Republican Party in the 1990s. His mom is Elsa Prince Broekhuizen (Republican Party funder, remarried)

Can you say mercenary? I knew that you could. Now why would I go and ask a thing like that? Here's why!

In the capital, American officials said a joint U.S.-Iraqi commission formed to look into last month's shooting incident in which Blackwater USA security guards killed at least 11 Iraqis had yet to meet. In addition, most members of an FBI team that also will investigate the Sept. 16 shootings have not arrived and probably will not get to Iraq until next week, said U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo.

Why, there were more killings than we can count! There was the one where a drunk killed a guard on Christmas, and there was one where…oh never mind. Now remember, boys and girls, killing is bad. Killing for money is worse. And killing for money with no repercussions is worst of all!

No need to worry, because there's o-ver-sight. Can you say oversight? Yes, the U.S. Congress is on the job! Or are they...?

Darrell Issa: On the "Democrat side", this isn't about Blackwater. It's a repeat of the MoveOn dot Org attack on Petraeus' patriotism. They'll simply switch targets. I'm here to defend General Petraeus and our men and women in uniform.

Oooopsies! Well, kids, sometimes love can be misplaced. Erik Prince has a lot of love to share, too, but in the form of big fat checks:

Prince's latest donation was in July, when he gave $20,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee. California recipients of Prince's $1,000 checks include Reps. Jerry Lewis and Duncan Hunter, a current GOP presidential candidate, and former Rep. Richard Pombo.

The former serviceman has given almost all of his donations to Republicans. There was, however, an exception in 2006, when he donated $5,000 to the Green Party of Lucerne County, Pa. That was a Republican ploy to ensure the Green Party's U.S. senate candidate got on the ballot in an effort to peel votes away from Democrat Bob Casey and help Republican Rick Santorum. The effort failed and Casey won.

What's a mercenary to do? He has to invest his hard earned wages somewhere, doesn't he?

Well, kiddies, that's enough for today. No go eat your supper before it gets cold. You can sit in front of the TV and catch up on the latest news. What could be more fun than all the dinner you can eat, and all the Blackwater you can stomach?

Iraq regrets Blackwater case dismissal, may sue

By GottaLaff

Giving Blackwater thugs immunity, great idea. That worked out well, didn't it?

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq expressed its disappointment on Friday with a U.S. federal court ruling that threw out all charges against five Blackwater Worldwide security guards accused of gunning down Iraqi civilians in 2007.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the five men had committed a "serious crime" in the September 2007 shooting in Baghdad, which strained U.S.-Iraqi relations and became a symbol for many Iraqis of foreign disregard for local life.

Dabbagh said Iraq may sue the private security company, now known as Xe Services.

New Years resolution: Cut Blackwater off. Xe ya later.

VIDEO- Scahill: Afghanistan Escalation Ramps Up Contractor Presence

By GottaLaff

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Sigh. Why? These guys are thugs, killers, mercenaries. Plus they don't come cheap. So, why keep them on the payroll? I mean other than the usual stock answers:

Appearing on MSNBC, Jeremy Scahill argues that as the Afghanistan escalation ramps up, President Obama is "surpassing Bush-era level of reliance on...for for-profit war corporations." [...]

"Without the draft, these wars wouldn't be possible but for hiring these private contractors," says Scahill.

Cheney and Rumsfeld pressured CIA to mislead Congress in the 1970s, too

By GottaLaff

From the Dep't. of Not in the Least Bit Surprising:

The first time Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld pressured the CIA to mislead Congress was in 1975 and 1976, when Cheney was chief of staff to President Gerald Ford and Rumsfeld was Ford’s secretary of defense.

Plenty of details if you follow the link.

Former Merrill Lynch executive pays 37 million for NYC apartment (with taxpayer money)

Dear lord, we're so screwed. Go read here.

Pressure Mounts to Investigate Bush Officials

By GottaLaff

Investigating BushCo is one of the most important things that Obama can do, as far as I'm concerned. It's about setting precedent, upholding the law, and repairing our shredded Constitution:

The pressure is ratcheting up on President-elect Barack Obama to do something as soon as he takes office about the Bush administration’s years of law-breaking.

The lawyer and writer Scott Horton, in an excellent feature in the December issue of Harper’s, lays out the Obama administration’s options. Horton points out that there is a long litany of potential crimes the new administration could go after -– from using the Justice Dept. for political purposes to issuing no-bid military contracts to corrupt companies.

But the most obvious crime that’s prime for prosecution is officially sanctioned torture.

Advocates like Glenn Greenwald, writing in Salon, have harsh words for former Clinton Justice Dept. officials like Robert Litt, now advising Obama not to prosecute Bush officials and risk appearing vindictive and divisive. [...]

As I wrote earlier, lots of others have been offering the same sort of advice. Meanwhile, some law professors, like George Washington’s Jonathan Turley, who even supported the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, have made a persuasive argument that we can’t tolerate law-breaking by public officials.

But I think Horton, who’s a master of the law and history on this subject, may have the best answer: a commission created by the president that would investigate what happened and recommend prosecution if the facts warrant it. The commission should be nonpartisan –- made up of career prosecutors, lawyers and assistants, rather than political officials and operatives like the 9-11 commission, which lost credibility when its conclusions were watered down and subsequently attacked from all sides. [...]

If the new president authorized and supported it, the commission’s recommendations would be far harder to ignore than were, say, those of the 9-11 commission. If prosecution is ultimately warranted, the president would be under considerable pressure to follow through.

What’s more, it would look like an impartial administration of justice. Not like a new administration launching a retributive, divisive and partisan attack.

Will Obama go for it?