Isenberg Institute of Strategic Satire

Protecting the Victims of the Privatization of War

Over the years we have seen numerous cases of various abuses and outright crimes by private military and security contractors (PMSC). True, they don’t happen every day, and don’t reflect the actions of the vast majority of the contractors working overseas but it would be foolish to say it is just the actions of a few bad apples either. Why these crimes happen says as much about the overall framework of accountability that various governments have set up and, with varying degrees of effort and resources, have enforced. But that is not the point of this post.

What is the point is this. When, in the past, crimes have become public, governments have brought cases against the accused offenders with varying degrees of success. To name a few:

the killings of Iraqi civilians by Blackwater contractors at Nisoor Square in 2007, the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq by Titan reportedly aided by Titan and CACI contractors, DynCorp contractors, being accused of rape and running underage prostitution networks in association with their security duties under contract with the US military in Bosnia; PMSCs accused of killing Ecuadorian peasants by spraying their villages with toxic defoliants and accidentally shooting down a missionary plane incorrectly suspected of drug trafficking.

But it is still fairly rare for the perpetrators to get convicted and go to prison. Why is that?

The paper Protecting the Victims of the Privatization of War by Willem van Genugten, Marie-José van der Heijden, and Nicola Jägers, published earlier this year by the Tilburg Law School in the Netherlands offers some answers.

Continue reading “David Isenberg: Protecting Victims of the Privatization of War”

2013/10/15

David Sabow: Did CIA Order Murder of DEA Agent?

Corruption, Ethics, Government, Law Enforcement

Kiki Camerena Killed on CIA Orders?
Borderland Beat Reporter un vato

El Diario de Coahuila (10-13-13) Proceso (10-12-13)

By Luis Chaparro and J. Jesus Esquivel
Translated by un vato for Borderland Beat

A story that sounds like it was taken from a complex espionage novel has just exploded on U.S. television. Enrique Kiki Camarena, the DEA law enforcement officer murdered in Mexico in February, 1985, was apparently not the victim of the Mexican capo Rafael Caro Quintero, but rather,, of a dark member of the CIA. This individual was the one charged with silencing the antinarcotics agent for one serious reason: he had discovered that Washington was associated with the drug trafficker and was using the profits from the drug trafficking to finance the activities of the counterrevolution.

WASHINGTON (Proceso)(apro).– Three former U.S. federal agents decided to end a 28-year silence and simultaneously entrusted this journal and the U.S. Fox news services with an information “bomb”: Enrique Kiki Camarena was not murdered by Rafael Caro Quintero — the capo that served a sentence for that crime — but by an agent of the CIA. The reason: the DEA agent discovered that his own government was collaborating with the Mexican narco in his illegal business. In interviews with Proceso, Phil Jordan, former director of the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC); Hector Berrellez, former DEA agent, and Tosh Plumlee, a former CIA pilot, claim that they have evidence that the U.S. government itself ordered the murder of Kiki Camarena in 1985. In addition, they point to a sinister Cuban character, Felix Ismael Rodriguez, as the murderer.

Continue reading “David Sabow: Did CIA Order Murder of DEA Agent?”

2013/10/122013/10/12

Open Mind: Lost Nukes, Fired Generals, Who’s in Charge and Why?

08 Proliferation, 10 Security, 11 Society, DoD, Government, Law Enforcement, Military, Officers Call, Peace Intelligence

As I Have Said Before: Things Are NOT What They Seem

Posted: 11 Oct 2013 05:22 PM PDT

The comment on this article, the last sentence which is in red print, is the most telling. This whole article is a good example that proves two things:

1. There is “stuff” really is going on behind the scenes which is being kept secret.

2. It is difficult, if not impossible, to know who the white hats are and who the black hats are. In this case the general(s) who was “fired” might have been fired by the positive military because he was negative military, following cabal orders. Or he might have been fired by the cabal because he wouldn't follow cabal orders. We don't know without further information.

Tom

UPDATED: U.S. major general overseeing nuclear missiles
to be fired – official

Found this PDF… seems to imply the General was in charge of ‘non-kinetic” weaponry aka particle and beam weapons…. in addition to nukes. -Bill http://www.afspc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100825-027.pdf
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/11/usa-nuclear-idUSL1N0I110120131011

2013/10/09

Lee Camp: Supreme Court Murder of Democracy

07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 11 Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government, Law Enforcement

Supreme Court Preps The Final Nail For The Coffin Of Democracy

– My New Video

http://youtu.be/oqAMBw6qnqM

Go here to turn the video into an MP3: http://us.onlinevideoconverter.com/

Keep fighting,

Lee

2013/10/09

SchwartzReport: Is Justice Scalia Insane? Or Merely Possessed by the Devil?

07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 11 Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government, Law Enforcement

When I read this interview I was stunned. I have never thought much of Scalia. Like Clarence Thomas I have always thought of him as first and foremost an ideologue, and as with Thomas there are also growing ethical issues involving him. But I really had no idea how very inappropriate it is for this man to be an Associate Supreme Court Justice. This is like having your crazy un! cle oversee your rearing of your children. Read this interview and ask yourself: Would I even like to have this man as a neighbor?

This is why it matters who wins the Presidency, and why voting is important.

‘No. No. Not That I Know Of.”
DAHLIA LITHWICK – Slate

Continue reading “SchwartzReport: Is Justice Scalia Insane? Or Merely Possessed by the Devil?”

2013/10/08

Denmark: Justice for Sale — The Hunt for ACQUITTED Pirate Bay Co-Founder Henrik Alexandersson

Corruption, Law Enforcement

European Principles Of Due Process Shoved Aside To Hunt Down Pirate Bay Founder

Corruption – Henrik Alexandersson: In the upcoming extradition request against Gottfrid Svartholm-Warg, co-founder of The Pirate Bay, Danish judicial authorities are disregarding an important acquittal in Swedish courts. This is remarkable, as European courts are bound to respect each others’ verdicts. It’s not hard to get the gut feeling that the establishment unites against the troublemakers and pushes all its safeguards aside, letting rights only apply to the Goliaths and not the Davids.

Judge's gavel, marked "For Sale"

Read full post.

2013/10/072013/10/07

Stephen Lendman: Police in the USA – License to Kill [with Impunity]

06 Family, 07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 11 Society, Corruption, Idiocy, Ineptitude, Law Enforcement

Police in America: Licensed to Kill

by Stephen Lendman

Miriam Carey is the latest victim. She deserved to live, not die. More on her below.

Incidents occur daily across America. Blacks and Latinos are most vulnerable. Police shoot innocent suspects for any reason or none all.

Rarely are officers or their superiors held accountable. On average, US police kill one or two people daily. Most often, incidents go unnoticed.

Violence in America is systemic. Previous articles discussed it. America glorifies wars. It does so in the name of peace.

It has by far the highest homicide rate among all developed nations. It’s obsessed with owning guns.

Violent films are some of the most popular. So are similar video games. Peace, stability and security are convenient illusions. Imperial wars and domestic violence crowd them out.

Communities, neighborhoods, schools, work places, commercial areas and city streets are affected. Driving while black is dangerous.

A 1999 ACLU report discussed it. Titled “Driving While Black: Racial Profiling On Our Nation’s Highways,” it said:

It’s longstanding practice in America. In 1967, dozens of witnesses told Kerner Commission members that “stopping of Negroes on foot or in cars without obvious basis” was a key reason for riots the previous summer in cities across America.

The Fourth Amendment assures “(t)he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.”

The Eight Amendment prohibits “cruel and unusual punishments.”

What’s crueler than state-sponsored cold-blooded murder.

The Fifth Amendment prohibits “depriv(ing) (anyone) of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

The 14th Amendment forbids states from “depriv(ing) any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” It affirms “equal protection of the laws.”

Police across America spurn constitutional and US statute laws. They do so with impunity. According to ACLU:

Continue reading “Stephen Lendman: Police in the USA – License to Kill [with Impunity]”