America Inc. at war: Hiring mercenaries reeks of corruption Tribune Editorial Article Last Updated: 12/03/2007 11:12:45 PM MST
Americans should be concerned about who is fighting in Iraq in their name. They probably would be surprised to learn that mercenaries from developing nations are standing guard over the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, for example. This state of affairs reeks of corruption from several directions at once. It enables a president to go to war when he knows that he could not do so if only Americans from the regular U.S. armed forces and our allies were doing the fighting. It invites private security contractors to pick the pocket of the American taxpayer. It permits those contractors to commit atrocities in Iraq with no accountability to either U.S. or Iraqi courts of military justice. And, as a report in Sunday’s Tribune made clear, it allows unscrupulous contractors or subcontractors to exploit soldiers of fortune from poor nations without consequences. Outsourcing a war, it turns out, creates many of same opportunities for fleecing workers as the outsourcing of toy making or garment manufacturing. Who knew? But then, the United States has never outsourced a war to the extent that it has in Iraq. Nor has it ever done so in today’s atmosphere of cutthroat globalization of labor. Sunday’s story introduced The Tribune’s readers to Mario Urquia, a Honduran special forces soldier who was recruited to fight in Iraq by a representative of Your Solutions Inc., a now defunct subcontractor to the private security firm Triple Canopy. Urquia claims that he signed a contract that was supposed to pay him $15,600 to serve for a year in Iraq, which he did, but he has not been paid. When, after returning from Iraq, he blew the whistle on Honduran military officers involved in the scheme, he received death threats and had to flee his country. Despite the fact that he fought for the United States, this nation has denied him entry on a previously valid visa, and also has refused him political asylum. He now is living illegally in Ogden, destitute and without his family. You can add Urquia’s name to the list of tens of thousands of other foreign nationals, most prominently Iraqis, who signed a contract with America Inc. and got stiffed. No money. No political asylum. No hope for U.S. citizenship. This is one hell of a way to run a war.

I hope many will step forward in response to this notice…this plea for Mario!! Every donation on his behalf makes a difference! Thank you all….
Happy Holidays, Carla
Honduran who served in Iraq gets some help The Salt Lake Tribune Article Last Updated: 12/04/2007 02:36:17 AM MST
Click photo to enlarge Mario Urquia (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune ) Mario Urquia’s journey to the United States, where he is living illegally, was chronicled in Sunday’s edition of The Salt Lake Tribune. Urquia was recruited by an American firm for duty guarding the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, but says he wasn’t paid after returning home to Honduras following a year of service in one of the most dangerous places in the world. He came to the United States after his life was threatened, allegedly by the Honduran military commanders who helped arrange the recruitment, training and deployment of Latin American mercenaries, in violation of that nation’s laws. Carla Hitz, whose son is a U.S. Army helicopter pilot who was among the first wave of U.S. forces in Iraq in 2003, is director of the Murray-based Operation We Love Our Soldiers. Hitz is working to arrange legal and financial aid for Urquia, who is seeking political asylum in the United States. Donations on Urquia’s behalf may be made via check or money order to The Mario Urquia Fund, c/o OWLOS, 141 E. 5600 South, Suite 302, Murray, UT 84107, or through OWLOS at any Zion’s Bank Branch. For more information on other donation options, visit www.sendyour support.org. Contributors should specify that they are donating to The Mario Urquia Fund. - Matthew D. LaPlante

As many of you have heard by now, Barack Obama’s campaign is opening a field office right here in Salt Lake City! This is a pretty exciting thing for Utah, as up until this point our Presidential campaign exposure has been limited to a candidate (usually Republican) making a quick stop-over to pull out some money from the local conservative donor machine. This field office shows that at least one candidate believes Utah has the potential to break free of that deep red blanket that covers the state.

Judging from my conversations with conservative (and politically apathetic) colleagues, Obama easily stands the best chance of swaying votes to the Democratic side. This isn’t to say that Utah will vote Democratic in the next election, but if the Obama campaign can make a sizeable dent in the vote it will certainly encourage candidates in future elections to pay more attention to Utah.

Now you’re asking yourself: How can I be a part of this exciting shift from red to blue? Well you can start by attending the Obama Utah HQ open house this Saturday (Dec. 8th). The doors will open at 11am, with presenations at noon. The office is located at 1747 South 900 West, in the UBDA building. The office is looking for some donations of office supplies and such. More info on all of this on Misty’s (she’s the chair of Utah for Obama) blog: Saintless. I’m sure it will be fun, especially now that Obama’s pulling ahead of Clinton in Iowa - something more for Obam-ites to celebrate.

Johann Hari | Republicans New Plot to Rig the 2008 Election http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120307K.shtml

Republicans Form a New Plot to Rig the 2008 Election By Johann Hari Seattle Post-Intelegencer Friday 30 November 2007
In the long, hot autumn of 2000, the world was shocked by the contempt for democracy shown by the Republican Party. They knew their man had lost the popular vote to Al Gore by half a million votes. They knew the majority of voters in Florida itself had pulled a lever for Gore. But they fought - amid the confetti of hanging chads - to stop the state’s votes being counted, and to ensure that the Supreme Court imposed George W. Bush on the nation.

Today, that contempt for democracy is on display again. In California right now, there is a naked, out-in-the-open ploy to rig the 2008 presidential election - and it may succeed.

To understand how this works, we have to roam back to the 18th century and learn about the odd anachronistic leftover they are trying to use now to thwart democracy. Back then, America’s Founding Fathers decided not to introduce a system where U.S. presidents would be directly elected, with the votes totted up in Washington, D.C., and the winner being the man with the most. Instead, they chose a complex system called the Electoral College.

This stipulates that American citizens do not vote directly for a president. Instead, they technically vote for 539 statewide “electors,” who gather six weeks after the election to pick the president.
The founders designed it this way for a number of reasons. They wanted the smaller states to have a say, so they gave them a disproportionate number of Electoral College votes. They also believed that, in a country that was largely isolated and illiterate, voters wouldn’t know much about out-of-state figures and would be better off picking intermediaries who could exercise discretion on their behalf.

Greetings all,
Thankfully we have wonderful citizens amongst us who have generously begun to step forward in an effort to be of help to Mario….We have had an offer of a place for him to stay, legal assistance, and a trickle of financial support is coming in.
We need everyone to know that America is better than is currently perceived in the world. We are better people than this, and the nation we call home is better than this. The ripple effect of the disastrous war in Iraq is being felt in far flung places and by people in every corner of the globe. Once again, due to a protracted war and a military stretched beyond capacity, and no inclination by our Commander in Chief to engage the region diplomatically, we have outsourced the war to hired guns, and are exploiting peoples from the most impoverished nations to fill the gaps. And we are breaking promises to these people who are putting their lives on the line based on lies being told to them. We are better than this may I say again. The no bid civilian contracts, and the fraud that persists, even as President Bush insists on multi billion dollar blank checks from Congress must end…..meanwhile, we do have amongst us a man who needs our help, and we can make a difference. I urge you to email blast everyone you know, and ask for whatever contribution that can be made “FOR MARIO”
In an effort to be expedient on Mario’s behalf, a decision has been made to use the donation account already established for my non-profit; “We Love Our Soldiers”. You may go to any Zion’s bank branch and make a deposit to the “We Love Our Soldiers” donation account, being sure to specify on the deposit slip that the donation is “For Mario”, and those funds will be made available to him. Also, for your convenience and for those out of state, you may also go to my website @ www.sendyoursupport.org and click on the “make a donation” paypal link to make your contribution. Once again, be sure to notate that the donation is “For Mario”. Checks may also be sent payable to “We Love Our Soldiers” to: 141 East 5600 South #302 Salt Lake City, Utah 84107
Thank you for your hearts and generosity,
Carla J. Hitz

Greetings all,
I am writing to you on behalf of Mario Urquia. His story is a sad and tragic one, and one that each one of us can turn around if we only take a moment to care. Reading Matt LaPlante’s article (copied in this email below) in the SL Tribune today brought me not only to tears, but provoked a very visceral response in me to the issues this type of thing brings to light…..the overstretching of our military, the wanton waste of billions of our dollars being appropriated, and wasted with no oversight whatsoever by this spend now, borrow now, worry about it later administration, and the abuse of people such as Mario who step forward due to promises made to them, only to find their lives torn to shreds as a result.
I have spoken to Mario Urquia today. He is in the Seattle area right now, but sorely needs our help. Tomorrow I will be setting up a donation account at Zions Bank on his behalf. Any and all support would be so appreciated. In speaking with him this afternoon he was overwhelmed with emotion, and was completely humbled by the compassion being shown.
Please pass this plea on to all you know….and during this time of charity, may each of you find in your hearts to step forward in any small way you are able and help another during his time of need. All it takes is a gesture from a few to affect the lives of many. We have the power to make a difference here, and I hope each of you will be as moved as I have been by his story.
By noon tomorrow the Mario Urquia donation account will be set up at Zions bank. You will then be able to go to any branch and make a donation on his behalf.
I thank you in advance for your generosity and heart.
Most gratefully,
Carla Hitz

http://www.sltrib.com//ci_7613154

I’ll have to admit I don’t know much about Gravel, but I REALLY like this clip (hat tip to Rolling Stone National Affairs daily):