Thursday, May 08, 2008

Showdown at the Otay Corral

Mesa...
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders wants to know whether Blackwater Worldwide misrepresented itself when it sought city permits to set up an indoor military training facility in Otay Mesa.

Blackwater has leased an industrial building near Brown Field where it will operate a shooting range, a simulated Navy ship and classrooms.

Yesterday, Sanders sent a memo to the city's chief operating officer, Jay Goldstone, asking for an investigation into the company's permits with a report by May 23.

“Questions have been raised as to the appropriateness of this location for the uses planned by Blackwater and the means used by the company to acquire the necessary permits from the City,” the memo said.

“Specifically, allegations have been made that the company potentially used misleading names . . . to inappropriately disguise the true identity of the occupant.”
I just don't understand why San Diego or any other city doesn't deeply appreciate the chance to have a massively wealthy fundamentalist's unaccountable, bloodthirsty, and secretive mercenary army's headquarters right in their backyard....

Strange, that.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know, it's a good thing I'm not paranoid and suspecting the worst of mercenaries...security companies, or I might note that the Otay Mesa location is right on the border and these guys are going to be using all sorts of guns and such in what they are doing. If someone didn't trust Blackwater to have the best interests of the country at heart they could wonder if some of those weapons and such might get lost and take a side trip.

It's a good thing people can trust this company.

Distributorcap said...

everytime i hear blackwater i think the doobie brothers song -- and how i wish erik prince would choke on a doobie

Anonymous said...

An interesting chain of thoughts: Blackwater -> Doobie Brothers -> Romancing the Stone -> corrupt Latin American officials -> drugs -> cash.

It's strange where your mind chooses to go.

ellroon said...

Bryan, Blackwater is searching for other ways to branch out in the mercenary business... shooting illegal aliens, roaring about disaster areas like New Orleans in their black Suburbans, providing armed bodyguards when King Georgie or King Dick deign to mingle with us common folk...

It's not all fun and games like in Iraq you know..

ellroon said...

Dcap, I don't think Prince would be the type to be choking on doobies, he's too busy trying to set up the rapture and destroy Islam or something...

ellroon said...

Just shorten your chain, Bryan: Blackwater > cash...

Steve Bates said...

The guy in charge of Blackwater is an über-Christian. That makes it all Ooo...tay...

ellroon said...

Well, having mercenaries run about shooting people without trials and accountability isn't otay with me at all.