Blackwater

Dear Friends,

Blackwater is Back!!!

City of San Diego issued a secret permit to Blackwater to operate a private "vocational school" in 61,000 square foot building near the border.

We know that Blackwater trains mercenary killers for hire, that is not a vocation. They scour the world for recruits from former death squads. We stopped them in Potrero, we must stop them in Otay Mesa! 

Please send message to the mayor. We must not let  Blackwater get a foothold in SD

   http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/s/sandersletter

to call the mayor's office: 619-236-6330

Tanja 
mayor & city council

ScottPeters@sandiego.gov,JerrySanders@sandiego.gov,

bmaienschein@sandiego.gov,

jmadaffer@sandiego.gov,benhueso@sandiego.gov,anthonyyoung@sandiego.gov,

kevinfaulconer@sandiego.gov,

donnafrye@sandiego.gov,cityattorney@sandiego.gov,toniatkins@sandiego.gov

To learn more about Blackwater go to Jeremy Scahill's book: Blackwater  http://www.blackwaterbook.com/

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From: Jess Durfee, for Courage Campaign [mailto:info@couragecampaign.org]
Subject: Mayor Sanders:  Expose Blackwater's bait-and-switch  - Say NO to Blackwater on our border!!! 

 

My name is Jess Durfee. I am the Chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party.

The Courage Campaign asked me to write this message to the people of San Diego about Blackwater's shocking new plan to build a base of operations in Otay Mesa, just three blocks from the Mexican border.

False pretenses. Bait-and-switch. Trojan horse. Take your pick of descriptions to explain Blackwater securing a city permit for its "vocational training school" -- a "school" that won't be open to the general public.

That's simply Blackwater's way of doing business. By using trojan-horse corporate shells like "Southwestern Law Enforcement" and "Raven Development Group" to obtain their permit, Blackwater is using false pretenses to evade public scrutiny.

The worst part? The "Blackwater bait-and-switch": Using Iraq profits to subsidize a base of operations in San Diego with millions of your tax dollars.

Enough is enough. It's time for San Diego's elected officials to take a stand and kick Blackwater out of San Diego County for good. If the people of Potrero can do it, so can we.

The one man standing in the way of Blackwater is Mayor Jerry Sanders. He has the power -- under San Diego's "strong mayor" system -- to launch a full investigation into the false pretenses Blackwater used to obtain a "vocational trade school" permit for their 61,600-square-foot facility.

I have written a letter to Mayor Sanders that asks him to take action immediately. To get the Mayor's attention, I am urging the citizens of San Diego to join me in signing it no later than TUESDAY AT 9 AM.

The sooner you sign on and spread the word to your friends, family and neighbors, the more signatures we'll have when we present this petition to the Mayor on Tuesday:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/SandersLetter

We all know that Blackwater is the "Enron" of private security contractors, more than willing to exploit Californians in the pursuit of profit. Do we really want these notorious mercenaries as our neighbors, bait-and-switching San Diego with an eye to eventually landing border security contracts?

As I wrote to Mayor Sanders in the letter linked above:

"This isn't the first time that Blackwater has tried to hold itself above the law, and it probably won't be the last. As ABC News recently reported, 'Blackwater has been accused of tax fraud, improper use of force, arms trafficking and overbilling connected to its work for the U.S. government in Iraq. A grand jury, federal prosecutors and congressional investigators are all currently probing allegations against the company.'"

The letter goes on to ask Mayor Sanders to stand up for San Diego so we can stand up to Blackwater before they set up shop a stone's throw from the Tijuana International Airport. Please sign our letter today and ask your friends, family and neighbors to sign it as well before TUESDAY AT 9 AM:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/SandersLetter

As many Democrats, Republicans and Independents agree, Blackwater is undermining our troops in Iraq and our security at home. And now it appears to be using false pretenses to establish a dangerous foothold inside our community to privatize our border security operations. The only way we'll know is if our Mayor launches a full investigation immediately.

It's time for Mayor Sanders to stand up for San Diegans by standing up against Blackwater.

Please sign this letter to the Mayor today and tell your friends. Before it's too late.

Thank you for everything you are doing to make sure San Diego continues to be "America's Finest City".

Jess Durfee
Chair
San Diego County Democratic Party

P.S. Thank you to all the folks in San Diego who came out last Friday to Congressman Bob Filner's rally and press conference at the site of Blackwater's planned facility in Otay Mesa. We had a great turnout in what could be the beginning of a movement to finally kick Blackwater out of town for good and change San Diego politics forever.

To make this new era for progressive politics in San Diego possible, we need your support for our letter to Mayor Sanders. Please sign on and spread the word as soon as possible before we present your signatures to the Mayor on Tuesday:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/SandersLetter