Administration Issues Blackwater New $92 Million Contract

Wall Street Journal:

Even as security contractor Blackwater USA faces scrutiny over its actions in Iraq, the U.S. government is deepening ties to its parent company by awarding an aviation affiliate a contract valued at as much as $92 million to operate a fleet of airplanes on missions throughout Central Asia.

The four-year contract with Presidential Airways Inc. calls for the company to supply specialized airplanes, crews and equipment for flight operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Presidential Airways is owned by Blackwater's corporate parent, Prince Group LLC.

Read the whole story: Wall Street Journal

Comments

[TJTelecaster]

10:29 PM on 10/01/2007

Presidential Air Blackwater Bush has his own private Army and Air Force too..!

WTF..?

It's as if we don't even have a Congress..or system of government..

[Birdman]

07:20 PM on 10/01/2007

The renewed contract must be the reward for their great job at spreading the love for America, oh, and killing Iraqis indiscrimently,

[TheWesternBreed]

06:53 PM on 10/01/2007

I suppose Blackwater chose the name "Presidential Airways" after someone told them that "Bush Air" wouldn't be a cool choice, no matter how much they loved the guy.

[Grannysue]

06:32 PM on 10/01/2007

I noticed all those other countries on the piece, so after Iran are we to assume were invading those countries next?? I guess we can start drafting kids out of Jr. high school next!

[amerdiaspora]

06:04 PM on 10/01/2007

WHO IS THE WORLDS BIGGEST PROVIDER OF STATE SPONSERED TERRORISM?

[realitytrumpsbull]

06:03 PM on 10/01/2007

Anyone surprised?

[Mike169]

04:49 PM on 10/01/2007

Blackwater is Bush's Halliburton. If this type of crap ain't illegal then it ought to be.

Remember the rightwing nuts who were joining the army to get the on the ground training necessary to carry out their domestic terror program? Well they're now with Blackwater and the governement is paying them even more money. It might be worth our while to keep Iraq going so these guys never come home. Maybe that's what our idiot president has in mind.

[NCGigi]

03:15 PM on 10/01/2007

Blackwater is the modern day Praetorian Guard.

[wm1066]

04:20 PM on 10/01/2007

Ya, with alot of SS added on!

[realitytrumpsbull]

02:44 PM on 10/01/2007

Quick, act surprised...

[Sundialsvc4]

01:26 PM on 10/01/2007

Since this just happens to be the public's money ... my money, our money ... that these guys are stuffing into one another's pockets, I think that "We the People" have good reason to believe that a crime is being committed.

A "high crime."

You know, as these crooks masquerading as politicians pony-around on their stage, stuff one-out-of-four dollar bills into their own voluminous pockets, and contrive to steal a nation's oil while killing or maiming hundreds of thousands of THEIR OWN countrymen ...

... their hubris is, not to suppose that "nobody sees," but rather to suppose that "nobody can do anything about it." They are operating in a carefully-calculated mantle of "we've got the whole thing 'fixed'" and assuming that the entire world is ready, willing, and able to wage World War Three while they catch the gold-coins as they fall.

As the world becomes ever more connected, by means of "this marvelous wire," it's also clear to this same world that all of us, worldwide, share (or endure) this common problem.

And we're sick of it.

And we have the means, within our own respective national systems of culture and of laws, to rid ourselves of it.

Lone Ranger: "Tonto! We're surrounded by injuns!"
Tonto: "Whaddaya mean 'we' ... paleface?"

[fourex]

01:09 PM on 10/01/2007

Blackwater is the SS of the WH and the Democratic Congress. They're there, they're here, and will be everywhere. Get used to them.

[hugs4u]

05:52 PM on 10/01/2007

Your half right. Blackwater is the SS of the WH.
Democratic is too gut less to have anything or do anything. Democrats need to replace Pelosi and Reid with people with back bone and some balls.

[Norge]

12:38 PM on 10/01/2007

The training to be a seal is extremely and extensively trying in deep and black water. There was a time when the brain of the recruit was taught equally in balance with the riggers of the physical development.

Classes were also given for the learned to understand other cultures and other languages equally as well as their mother tongues and no guteral street talk was allowed during those many months of education.

Though as much of the modern societies of today the quality is so often replaced by quanity. The princaple of 6 inexpensive screw drivers being better than one high quality expensive one.

Such standards seems to pervade throughout all as a new value system.

[FlowerGirl]

12:28 PM on 10/01/2007

I have a suggestion. Next time, let's elect a president who will only simulate making war, pay all his cronies what they would get if we did and leave off the actual killing and destruction. I think that in the long run it would be cheaper.

We could even pretend that some great power like maybe Iraq attacked us and destroyed a lot of obsolescent infrastructure. Then we could hire someone sufficiently honest that they would actually do what they contracted to do, and competent enough to do the job right. (Halliburton' actual statement concerning its contracts in Iraq: "No one actually expects performance on contracts like these.")

[Plowboy]

12:17 PM on 10/01/2007

Why act surprised or outraged? Didn't Halliburton get more "no bid" contracts after their disgusting cheating was exposed?
Who do you think runs this country? And for what purposes?

[stargazer13]

11:25 AM on 10/01/2007

Now where is my Paul Revere one if by land two if by sea three if by air