Blackwater wants the base in San Diego

And doesn't seem to care the neighbors don't want it there:

Moyock, NC (AHN) - Controversial private security firm Blackwater USA, the company under investigation by the United States Congress for deadly shootings in Iraq, runs its own battle ground in America in a huge complex.

Now the company wants to expand its training center and build a complex in San Diego County, California. According to reports, Erick Prince, 38, chief of Blackwater USA, owns a real army along with modern weapons, bomb-sniffing dogs, airstrip, aircraft, armored cars and more.

The company is under scrutiny by the U.S. House committee and was widely criticized by the Iraqi government as its security personnel were reportedly involved in a fatal shooting on Sept. 16 in Baghdad, which killed around 17 Iraqi civilians.

According to The Seattle Times, the company has gotten most expensive contracts that exceed $600 million last year. Two months ago, Blackwater was awarded a $15 billion five-year contract shared with four other security companies to train personnel in counter narcotics.

[snip]

But after the deadly shooting episodes, the Bush administration has decided to reduce the use of private companies managing security in Iraq. However, the measure by the government doesn't seem to slow down on the expansion plan of Blackwater.

Blackwater Vice President Brian Bonfiglio confirmed to the Union-Tribune newspaper that the North Carolina-based company will go ahead with its plan to open a law enforcement and military training center in Potrero. The center, if opened, will be located around 45 miles east of San Diego.

"[Our] charter is to make this thing work even more now," Bonfiglio told the newspaper.

Um... right. Blackwater owner Erik Prince concedes the mercenaries in Iraq might have .. just might have made a mistake... maybe:

Charlie Rose: Why are you so convinced that this was not one of those cases where because of the fog of war, your guys made a mistake?

Erik Prince: I'm not saying it's impossible they made a mistake. I'm saying on the front end, we do a very thorough job of finding the best of the best. These are true proven professionals that come out of the US military that have significant positions of responsibility already. We put them through extensive vetting, psychological evaluations, we put them through more vetting and procedures dictated by the State Department than most soldiers in the US military do. So, yes, it is a very tough job. It required the tightest of judgment. Is it possible they made a mistake? Yes.

Charlie Rose: But they have assured you in what they have said to you, they didn't make a mistake, that there was provocation before they acted.

Erik Prince: In the statements I've seen, that is the case.

Charlie Rose: I want to give you a chance, because you feel like the media and others have made baseless allegations.

Erik Prince: Yes, but I'm also not prejudging to say that they're completely
innocent. I'm saying from their track record, as proven individuals working in high-threat situations for the past many years, almost all those guys were military veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan, serving there as an active duty member of the armed forces. They had good service then. There is no reason to believe that suddenly they went rogue. I don't believe they did. Is it possible one of them had bad judgment? Yes, it is possible. But the fact is, I'm very confident that there are bullet impacts in their vehicles to the point that one of them was disabled.

Great. I just love the idea we have a fully equipped mercenary army in the United States, just ready to go at a moment's notice... within the U.S. To the highest bidder.

King maker and deposer, anyone? I give you the 21st century version of the Praetorian Guard.