Blackwater and the Fires
by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]
(full disclosure: I work for Courage Campaign) Note: this post was adapted from one posted earlier on dailykos
This past Sunday I was all set to have a call with the local activists on the ground in the tiny town of Potrero where Blackwater is planning on setting up a training facility on 824 acres in a fire-prone box canyon with one way in and out. We were going to talk about ways that the Courage Campaign could support them during the upcoming recall election to boot the Planning Board members who voted to support Blackwater's proposal. But the locals had to evacuate due to a fire bearing down on the town and we canceled the call.
Until this morning, only word we have had from them was via the San Diego Union Tribune where Jan Hedlun, one of the organizers http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071023-9999-bn23firedead.html ">was quoted talking about her former colleague who was killed in the fire. His son is in the hospital with four firefighters after a heroic rescue. We did hear from Jan today. She is ok. Her house survived, though countless others in the town were destroyed.
This weekend, we were planning to travel to Potrero for a face-to-face meeting. But we have decided not to make the trip, given what has happened. Since we don't even know for sure if they still have their homes at that point, now is not the best time to be entering into this potentially destroyed community.
What we can do is be here waiting in the wings when the fight resumes. What we can do is let them know we have their back. That was the message we delivered to Courage Campaign members last night. Below the fold is that email. Please join me in passing on a message of support to the brave people of Potrero. They have a lot on their plate now, but perhaps we can be some moral support. Blackwater has their army. We have ours.
Meanwhile, what is Blackwater doing? The are asking people for PR support, for them. Much more below the fold.
Yesterday (via a press release), the Courage Campaign called on Blackwater USA to abandon plans to build a para-military training facility in Potrero, located in East San Diego County and site of at least one fatality and some of the worst damage caused by the California wildfires.
With over 1 million people displaced, 1,418 structures destroyed, and at least 5 people confirmed dead in Southern California, Blackwater USA sent an email to its supporters today with the following subject line: "A Request for Your Support".
But, instead of asking its members to provide financial and volunteer support to Southern Californians victimized by the wildfires, Blackwater asked its supporters for public relations help:
"While we can't ask that each supporter do everything, Blackwater asks that everyone does something. Contact your lawmakers and tell them to stand by the truth... Tell the Blackwater story and encourage your representatives to seek the truth instead of reading negative propaganda and drawing the wrong conclusions.
And here is the quote we included from Rick Jacobs:
Erik Prince and his Blackwater cronies have hewn the fine art of Orwellian double-speak. While San Diego County burns, Blackwater is more concerned about defending its corporate image. Maybe they should take this opportunity to recognize that the para-military base they want to build in East San Diego County would actually significantly increase fire danger to the people of Potrero and abandon their plans to build that base.
We are still waiting for their response.
Here is the email we sent the other night. Lot's of good background information on what is going on in Potrero with respect to Blackwater.
Dear Julia,As I write this, massive fires are raging across Southern California. While it is quiet and normal at my house in Los Angeles, I can see smoke in the distance and smell it in the air.
And I keep thinking about the good people of Potrero -- a serene small community in East San Diego County -- that I met just a few weeks ago as we rallied together to block Blackwater from building a base in their tiny, beautiful town.
These concerned community members have been working for months to stop Blackwater from building a mercenary training facility on 824 acres, consisting of 11 firing ranges, a helipad, and an emergency vehicle operator's course covering the equivalent of 10 football fields. As we watch the fire burn across the area today, one can only imagine what might have happened if an armory full of ammunition and explosives were located inside this box canyon.
I was inspired and proud to march with the good folks of Potrero, people who are not usually political, but who know that if they do not stand up against Blackwater in their own community, then no one will.
http://www.couragecampaign.org/Potrero
Beyond the damage and destruction to life and property, the timing of this wildfire could not b e much worse. This fire exploded just as the people of Potrero were preparing for a recall election on December 11 to kick out the planning group members who approved Blackwater's base. With ballots scheduled to be mailed in early November to less than 600 registered voters in this historic vote-by-mail recall, Potrero residents were preparing for an intense campaign over the next six weeks.
But the actual landscape -- and the political landscape -- of Potrero have been transformed over the last 48 hours.
There's no time to waste. On Sunday, if the situation permits, I will travel down to Potrero with my Courage Campaign colleagues Eden James and Julia Rosen. If we are able, we will hand-deliver your notes of support to the people of Potrero, survey the damage and determine how we can help them move forward.
http://www.couragecampaign.org/Potrero
Jan Hedlun and Carl Meyer are two Potrero residents featured in the documentary film produced by Alternate Focus that you can watch at the link above. Although she is not identified, Jan is the first woman appearing on-screen, describing how the Potrero residents "first heard of Blackwater."
Just last Sunday, as we were about to talk with both Jan and Carl by conference call about how to help them block Blackwater's base, news broke of a huge fire moving towards Potrero. We spoke with Jan again that evening but, despite many repeated attempts, we have not heard back from either Jan or Carl since Sunday night. While we ass ume they are OK, reports from East San Diego County have been unclear and we remain deeply concerned.
Obviously, the last thing Jan, Carl and their fellow concerned citizens can think about right now is Blackwater and the recall election. But I can guarantee you that Blackwater is thinking about nothing BUT that recall election. From what we understand, Blackwater is already crafting arguments to defend their proposed base and play on people's emotions during this crisis. Blackwater will likely argue that their base will not increase fire danger in San Diego County even as they plan to build it in a brushy, dry box canyon with only one way in and one way out.
http://www.couragecampaign.org/Potrero
While the good people of Potrero are focused on recovering from this disaster, we will continue to keep you updated on the other disaster threatening their community -- Blackwater's plans to build a mercenary base on their pristine land, just a few miles from the California border.
Thank you again for everything you are doing to support the people of Potrero.
Rick Jacobs
ChairP.S. Three weeks ago, we asked you to sign your name to a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer about Blackwater's base, including a warning about Potrero's "fire-prone landscape":
"Not only will Blackwater's proposed California paramilitary base disrupt the lives of its residents, but it will also threaten the pristine natural habitat of the Round Potrero Valley, which includes part of Cleveland National Forest and is adjacent to the proposed Hauser Wilderness preserve. The regular detonation of firearms would be a risk both to the fire-prone landscape as well as to the wildlife that currently calls that area home, including the golden eagle and the California condor."Despite this ominous warning, Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer have failed to respond. The residents of Potrero and San Diego County can't wait for politicians to act to reduce the fire danger posed by Blackwater. That's why the Courage Campaign is getting involved now.
Hundreds of people from around the country have already sent messages. Here are a few highlights of mine. I have to admit they made tears run down my face.
I know it's asking a lot to ask you to continue to stand strong against Blackwater in the face of these devastating fires. But please, don't give up the fight. You're fighting for all Californians. I'm standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you in spirit. -Jennifer, Manteca, CA
Our hearts are with you during this most difficult time. We admire your courage and your work in blocking Blackwater. We hope that you will be able continue your fight and hope that you will be soon recover from this devastating fire -Inge, Blue Bell, PA
viva potrero!! i know sometimes each of us feels alone, and, more particularly, feels hopeless .... this is just to let you know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE, and we'll all make it with a little help from our friends. peace. -Artie, Montrose, CA
Please know how proud your fellow citizens are of you for taking a stand for what you believe in and how much our hearts are with you during this difficult time. I hope we might be as inspirational to you as you have been to us. -Lise, San Francisco, CA
We have Blackwater in North Carolina, which we don't want...we stand with you in this. Find a way to keep them out. No one needs this Bush controlled army in America. -Kenneth, Browns Summit, NC
We gave what we could today to the After the Fires Fund, because we are especially grateful to those of you who took a stand against Blackwater. The idea of having a private army in the U.S. is outrageous, and we must not tolerate having them in California--ever! We hope you will get all the support you need to return to your peaceful lives in Portrero. We will be watching. - James & Suzanne, Manhattan Beach, CA
I watched the skies turn black and the ash cover my town of South Lake Tahoe this past June. I have friends who have lost all their personal belongings. We suffered no human casualties and I hope you all remain safe as well. Know that the fight you are waging, against nature, and then once that's passed, against a mercenary army and training ground, is supported by fellow Californians and Americans just like me. Thank you for all the work you are doing to bring the shameful efforts of the Blackwater training camp into the light in an effort to destroy it. You are my heroes. -Liz, South Lake Tahoe, CA
Join them in sending a message to the brave people of Potrero. I promise to report back on the delivery.
I want to note that the donation link on the page is to the San Diego Foundation thanks to noweaseles at daily kos who answered my request for an organization other than Red Cross to send donations. Everyone down in SD County that we talked to had bad experiences with Red Cross in the past and suggested we direct people to another charity. The goal of the donations is to support relief efforts after the initial crisis is over.
Posted October 25th, 2007 by Syndicated
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