Comments on: Blackwater Blues for Dead Contractors’ Families http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/07/blackwater-blues-for-dead-contractors-families/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:07:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Bob Coleman http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/07/blackwater-blues-for-dead-contractors-families/#comment-4018 Bob Coleman Mon, 13 Aug 2007 18:36:54 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/07/blackwater-blues-for-dead-contractors-families/#comment-4018 I served with Jerry Zovko as a civilian contractor at Camp Caldwell, Iraq, as we trained the NEW Iraqi Army in 2003. Wes Batalona was there also, but I only spoke with him a few times. Jerry and I, on the other hand, became close friends, despite the fact that I was quite older than he was. When Jerry was murdered, I wrote a letter to his mother about my time with Jerry and was honored when Jerry's brother Tom read it at the funeral as a eulogy. When I returned to the States I ended up working in Pittsburgh, not far from the Zovko's home in Cleveland. They opened their home to me. I spent Thanksgiving with their huge extended family who were all things we all want to be. Another time they took me to their Croatian Cultural Center to meet more wonderful friends. We dined out together quite often and I stayed in their home on many occasions. They are Croatian immigrants who came to America almost 40 years ago without a dime in their pocket or a word of English. Today, they are quite successful and live well in a gated waterfront high rise condo. Devout Catholics, their love of God and their extended family are beautiful to see. Donna, Jerry's mother, is a wonderful woman whose inconsolable grief has remained unabated, even after a private audience with the Pope. Enter Katie Helvenston. I met Katie in the Zovko home as she held court for some journalists. A foul-mouthed trailer-trash type of a woman with a cigarette constantly dangling from her mouth, she yelled, screamed and cursed like a drunken sailor. I quietly retreated to another room. At dinner that night in the condo complex dining room, she had too much to drink and went on endlessly about how life had treated her badly and how unfair it was that her husband died early, leaving her alone to raise her son. Her rants went on and on about how she would finally get the money she was always entitled to, but was denied because of her husband's death. Joe, Jerry's dad, and I, retreated to the bar for some silence. Katie's endless rants became a serious disruption to the wonderful Zovko family and ultimately poisoned Donna, who was looking for closure, any closure at all, about Jerry's death. In May 05 I left Pittsburgh, after having told each member of the family that I simply could not stomach their friend Katie anymore. A sad ending to an already sad story. I served with Jerry Zovko as a civilian contractor at Camp Caldwell, Iraq, as we trained the NEW Iraqi Army in 2003. Wes Batalona was there also, but I only spoke with him a few times. Jerry and I, on the other hand, became close friends, despite the fact that I was quite older than he was. When Jerry was murdered, I wrote a letter to his mother about my time with Jerry and was honored when Jerry’s brother Tom read it at the funeral as a eulogy. When I returned to the States I ended up working in Pittsburgh, not far from the Zovko’s home in Cleveland. They opened their home to me. I spent Thanksgiving with their huge extended family who were all things we all want to be. Another time they took me to their Croatian Cultural Center to meet more wonderful friends. We dined out together quite often and I stayed in their home on many occasions. They are Croatian immigrants who came to America almost 40 years ago without a dime in their pocket or a word of English. Today, they are quite successful and live well in a gated waterfront high rise condo. Devout Catholics, their love of God and their extended family are beautiful to see. Donna, Jerry’s mother, is a wonderful woman whose inconsolable grief has remained unabated, even after a private audience with the Pope.
Enter Katie Helvenston. I met Katie in the Zovko home as she held court for some journalists. A foul-mouthed trailer-trash type of a woman with a cigarette constantly dangling from her mouth, she yelled, screamed and cursed like a drunken sailor. I quietly retreated to another room. At dinner that night in the condo complex dining room, she had too much to drink and went on endlessly about how life had treated her badly and how unfair it was that her husband died early, leaving her alone to raise her son. Her rants went on and on about how she would finally get the money she was always entitled to, but was denied because of her husband’s death. Joe, Jerry’s dad, and I, retreated to the bar for some silence. Katie’s endless rants became a serious disruption to the wonderful Zovko family and ultimately poisoned Donna, who was looking for closure, any closure at all, about Jerry’s death. In May 05 I left Pittsburgh, after having told each member of the family that I simply could not stomach their friend Katie anymore. A sad ending to an already sad story.

]]> By: larkin the Irish http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/07/blackwater-blues-for-dead-contractors-families/#comment-2621 larkin the Irish Mon, 09 Jul 2007 19:20:44 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/07/blackwater-blues-for-dead-contractors-families/#comment-2621 Before we continue to throw bags of money to "GUNS for GOD" types like Blackwater lets try doing this. We deploy thousands of cable and satelite installers armed to the teeth with coaxial lines and bullet proof recievers to Iraq and Afghanistan. Then we make sure that every house, hut, stable, bunker, and goat filled manger has a premium package (including high definition). We train the village elders on how to operate the remote control and change the batteries). The elders would be responsible for showing every other person how its done. We make sure NOT to show them how to block certain channels and TiVo is definantly a no-no. After two weeks of intensive channel surfing techniques, taught by hungry community college students from Minnesota, we hand over the full control to the locals. For security reasons we would leave behind a small group of highly skilled satelite and cable guys to troubleshoot any problems that may arise. This is to assist the locals with the finer points of Picture in Picture, Zoom, widescreen or standard features. The we just sit back and watch the apathy consume them like in a warm soft haze (the equivelent of two oxycontin and a six-pack of Coors) . Within a few months children will be lethargic, women will obsess about their weight ("Do I look fat in this burqua?"), and men will know what kind of bait works best when Bass fishng. Although with any luck the only fishing they will be doning is on the couch with their Wiis. The most vital piece to this plan is to make sure the power never goes out! Because then it could lead to war. Before we continue to throw bags of money to “GUNS for GOD” types like
Blackwater lets try doing this.
We deploy thousands of cable and satelite installers armed to the teeth with coaxial lines and bullet proof recievers to Iraq and Afghanistan. Then we make sure that every house, hut, stable, bunker, and goat filled manger has a premium package (including high definition). We train the village elders on how to operate the remote control and change the batteries). The elders would be responsible for showing every other person how its done. We make sure NOT to show them how to block certain channels and TiVo is definantly a no-no.
After two weeks of intensive channel surfing techniques, taught by hungry community college students from Minnesota, we hand over the full control to the locals. For security reasons we would leave behind a small group of highly skilled satelite and cable guys to troubleshoot any problems that may arise.
This is to assist the locals with the finer points of Picture in Picture, Zoom,
widescreen or standard features. The we just sit back and watch the apathy
consume them like in a warm soft haze (the equivelent of two oxycontin and a
six-pack of Coors) .
Within a few months children will be lethargic, women will obsess about their weight (“Do I look fat in this burqua?”), and men will know what kind of bait works best when Bass fishng. Although with any luck the only fishing they will be doning is on the couch with their Wiis.
The most vital piece to this plan is to make sure the power never goes out!
Because then it could lead to war.

]]> By: rosemarie jackowski http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/07/blackwater-blues-for-dead-contractors-families/#comment-2332 rosemarie jackowski Tue, 03 Jul 2007 23:02:23 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/07/blackwater-blues-for-dead-contractors-families/#comment-2332 Timber...yes, there is an element of personal responsibility here. To some degree we, all of us, are responsible for the actions and policies of our government. Sadly, the average USA citizen has never heard of Blackwater. Even sadder is the secrecy being imposed by the Court. Until the Black Budget is eliminated we will have these secret killing armies that know no rules, answer to no one, and operate in the dark. One of the biggest failures of the anti-war movement is the failure to expose Blackwater. Even if ALL of the troops came home today, it would not end the killing. The secret armies are far more deadly! Timber…yes, there is an element of personal responsibility here. To some degree we, all of us, are responsible for the actions and policies of our government. Sadly, the average USA citizen has never heard of Blackwater. Even sadder is the secrecy being imposed by the Court. Until the Black Budget is eliminated we will have these secret killing armies that know no rules, answer to no one, and operate in the dark. One of the biggest failures of the anti-war movement is the failure to expose Blackwater. Even if ALL of the troops came home today, it would not end the killing. The secret armies are far more deadly!

]]> By: Timber http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/07/blackwater-blues-for-dead-contractors-families/#comment-2256 Timber Mon, 02 Jul 2007 17:50:51 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/07/blackwater-blues-for-dead-contractors-families/#comment-2256 Call it "blaming the victim" if it makes you feel better, but I have to ask whether the widows of the four mercenaries killed in Fallujah ever questioned their husbands' choice of profession. My guess is that as long as their husbands came back alive, and as long as their husbands were bringing home $100K a year for doing the government's dirty work, these four women--and the thousands of others with husbands still working for Blackwater and any of the dozens of other mercenary firms--neither asked nor cared what their husbands did. We talk a lot about the power of common people to effect change; but when so many won't even confront this kind of thinking in their own homes, what power do the rest of us have in changing the minds of the people who implement the policies we criticize? Call it “blaming the victim” if it makes you feel better, but I have to ask whether the widows of the four mercenaries killed in Fallujah ever questioned their husbands’ choice of profession.

My guess is that as long as their husbands came back alive, and as long as their husbands were bringing home $100K a year for doing the government’s dirty work, these four women–and the thousands of others with husbands still working for Blackwater and any of the dozens of other mercenary firms–neither asked nor cared what their husbands did.

We talk a lot about the power of common people to effect change; but when so many won’t even confront this kind of thinking in their own homes, what power do the rest of us have in changing the minds of the people who implement the policies we criticize?

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