fallujah massacre at Brave New Films

Fathers Day for Peace - Ishmail's Story

2008-10-13T14:50:05Z

fathersdayforpeace.org Ishmail tells the story of his son's injury during the siege of Fallujah, and his recovery with the help of No More Victims.

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Blackwater's negligence in Fallujah massacre

2008-09-27T02:03:37Z

Scene from the documentary Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers.

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Time revists the Fallujah massacre

2008-09-27T02:25:21Z

Brian Bennett at Time.com has written an article looking into the outsourcing of the Iraq war and revisiting the Fallujah massacre, in which several Blackwater employees were killed, burned and dragged through the streets. Katy Helvenston (featured in Iraq For Sale), mother of Scott Helvenston - one of those killed - is featured in the article. From Time.com:

Helvenston, along with the families of the three men killed with her son--Wes Batalona, Mike Teague and Zovko--are suing Blackwater for wrongful death in a case that, after more than two years and a stop before the Supreme Court, has landed in front of a North Carolina state judge, who will move it along April 9. The families want to know what happened that day in Fallujah. But they also want to press their claims that Blackwater, in its zeal to exploit this unexpected market for private security men, showed a callous disregard for the safety of its employees. In the process, the case of the Fallujah Four, as some now refer to them, has stirred a nest of questions about accountability, oversight and regulations governing for-profit gunslingers in war zones.

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Testimony reveals Blackwater abuse, negligence

2008-09-27T02:26:00Z

Katy Helvenston-Wettengel testified that a Blackwater program manager physically and verbally attacked her son Scott Helvenston when he indicated he was not well enough to leave the next morning on a mission. Despite two other Blackwater operators offering to go in Scott's place, the Blackwater manager burst into Scott's room late one night, confiscated his weapon, and told Scott that if he personally did not go on the mission the following day, he would be fired. Later that night, Scott wrote an e-mail addressed to the president and upper-management of Blackwater stating:

"It is with deep regret and remorse that I send you this e-mail. During my short tenure here with Blackwater I have witnessed and endured some extreme unprofessionalism."

The e-mail went on to detail problems with the entire program and treatment of it's officers. Four days later he was dead. Read the entire written statement here (pdf).

Donna Zovko, mother of Jerry Zovko, testified that Blackwater told her husband they would have to sue the company to find out where their sons belongings were and how he died. When asked if she thought Blackwater was more concerned with the safety of it's personnel, or how much profit it could make from the contract, she stated: "It is profit. It is definitely profit."

Another e-mail from Tom Powell, a Blackwater Iraq operations manager, outlined critical gear shortages on March 30, 2004:

"I need Comms (communications equipment). ... I need ammo. ... I need Glocks and M4s. ... Guys are in the field with borrowed stuff and in harm's way ... I have requested Hard cars from the beginning and from my understanding an order is still pending."

The next day, a mob in Fallujah ambushed a supply convoy guarded by Blackwater, killing the four employees. Read more about the warnings Blackwater ignored.

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Halliburton and Cheney: War Profiteers in Chief Fight to Keep Their Wallets Fat

2008-09-27T03:20:57Z

(Originally on Huffington Post)

Halliburton woke up Friday, determined to debunk a film by Robert Greenwald that it has not seen. You have to wonder just what Halliburton's CEO and department of agitation and propaganda are thinking. The reaction to Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers is similar to CEO David Lesar's ads in which he says that Halliburton is doing a great job in Iraq: Both are without first hand knowledge, based on fantasy and hearsay.

It's worth pausing to recall the insidious nature of Halliburton's role in the invasion and occupation of Iraq. As with so much related to the Bush/Cheney Administration, the truth is stranger than fiction. We did not need Oliver Stone for this one; Robert Greenwald's fact-based documentary tells it better than any novelist could imagine.

Damage Control: Blackwater on the PR Offensive

2008-09-27T02:58:32Z

In August 2003, the governing body set up by the U.S. -- the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) -- awarded Blackwater a $21 million contract to provide security for CPA head, Paul Bremer, and other CPA officials in Iraq. (According to the linked UPI report, Blackwater USA has received "$505 million in contracts since 2000, primarily with the State Department.")

On March 31, 2004 in Fallujah, four contractors were killed, and in the aftermath, the company hired the Alexander Strategy Group (ASG) to conduct damage control and improve its image. ASG is notorious for its involvement in the K-Street Project in Washington, D.C. Alexander Strategy spokesman Chris Bertinelli was quoted by the Capitol Hill newspaper, The Hill, saying, "They did not go out looking for the publicity and did not ask for everything that happened to them. We want to do everything we can to educate [the media and Congress] about what Blackwater does."