Disqus - Latest Comments for jeremyscahill

Re: Secret Erik Prince/Blackwater Tape Exposed

jeremyscahill — Tue, 04 May 2010 14:33:44 -0000

I will not tolerate anyone making threats against anyone on this site. You will be blocked and your comments removed.
//jeremy

Re: Secret Erik Prince/Blackwater Tape Exposed

jeremyscahill — Tue, 04 May 2010 12:09:52 -0000

thanks for the catch.

Re: Secret Erik Prince/Blackwater Tape Exposed

jeremyscahill — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:59:27 -0000

Check yours. Use that top secret search engine called google

--
jeremy scahill
independent journalist

Re: Secret Erik Prince/Blackwater Tape Exposed

jeremyscahill — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:30:34 -0000

Really? 100% success rate? You do realize that Blackwater was doing
security for the CIA when FOB Chapman in Khost, Afghanistan was
suicide bombed in December 2009, killing 8 CIA, right?

--
jeremy scahill
independent journalist

Re: RebelReports - An ACORN Amendment for Pfizer

jeremyscahill — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:12:10 -0000

Who are you talking about? Glenn Greenwald is one of the best. He and
I were recently on a show talking about this exact program where I
said what I thought about Arianna's comments. I'm not sure who it is
that I have labeled "progressive" that you are speaking of...

--
jeremy scahill
independent journalist

Re: Pressure Builds On Pentagon to Investigate Electrocution Death in Iraq

jeremyscahill — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:15:04 -0000

MaryAntonia
Thanks for writing. I'd encourage you to read the full text of their
letter as it addresses the systematic nature of the problem to which
you speak. In fact Rep Shea Porter has questioned officials on this
issue in hearings and Schakowsky has been very vigilant on the issue
of contractors and abuse. Thanks for your thoughtful comments,
Jeremy

--
jeremy scahill
independent journalist

Re: Blackwater Offers Training to 'Faith Based Organizations'

jeremyscahill — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:10:43 -0000

I take it, then, that the Francis Asbury Society supports using avowed Christian supremacist mercenaries with a lengthy record of killing Iraqi civilians (they refer to them by the racist term 'Hajis') "for sport... as payback for 9/11?" Oh, but that must be nonobjective propaganda. After all that's an allegation from that biased, tainted media outlet called the US Justice Department.

Re: RebelReports - On Friday, Democracy Now! did a program on the...

jeremyscahill — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:59:04 -0000

Roy
Thanks for your insight. I agree that it is ridiculous--the claims not
to know who did the work. They know.

--
jeremy scahill
independent journalist

Re: RebelReports - On Friday, Democracy Now! did a program on the...

jeremyscahill — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:11:04 -0000

Thanks for writing. There have been further congressional actions
taken. Here is an article I did on the hearings held in May, which
contains more information you may find helpful: http://www.thenation.com/do...
Thanks again for writing and reading
Jeremy

--
jeremy scahill
independent journalist

Re: Sarah Palin, the Neocons & Howard Dean Love the War in Afghanistan

jeremyscahill — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:04:02 -0000

Michael
I suggest you do some more research before you do any more whining on
this site. It is embarrassing how ill informed you apparently are. As
part of this research I suggest you call Ralph, Cynthia and Rosa
Clemente all of whom have known me for years and whose campaigns I
covered extensively. Ask them what they think of your nonsense. While
you are at it, look at my years of exposing Clinton's war crimes and
my exposes on Obama and Blackwater before the elections as well as my
writings and speeches before the election addressing the pro-war
nature of the Democratic candidates. The fact is that you are wrong
about everything you have said about my work and I'm sure Ralph and
Cynthia and Rosa would be happy to correct you. If you have a problem
with The Nation, write to them. I am a freelancer and I will only
speak for myself. By the way, I will call out anyone that takes Erik
Prince's blood money--it's called journalism.

Jeremy

--
jeremy scahill
independent journalist

Re: RebelReports - A Mysterious Electrocution Death in Iraq's Green Zone

jeremyscahill — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:11:03 -0000

John:
Thanks for writing. The military medical examiner told the family the cause
of death was "low voltage electrocution," according to Hermanson's wife.
Also, Hermanson was being prepared for cremation, not burial, when the
photos you are referring to were taken. There is no doubt they were taken
after Adam Hermanson died. Also, many of those marks on his arms appear to
be burns, not penetration wounds. I also checked these pictures with medical
professionals familiar with electricity-induced wounds. As for the issue of
"low level current" in the body, I am not sure when the body was examined
and what exactly the examiner was referring to when he made that statement
to the family. What I know about it is what I printed, which is what the
family told me coupled with diligence I performed in speaking to other
experts. Are you a medical professional or a medical examiner?

Jeremy

Re: Sarah Palin, the Neocons & Howard Dean Love the War in Afghanistan

jeremyscahill — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:08:41 -0000

Michael:
Try reading my articles and doing some research before making any more of your ignorant comments on this site. You are embarrassing yourself. Feel free to call Ralph and ask him what he thinks of my reporting. He quotes it often and I just interviewed him for a story I did. I've worked with Ralph for years. You are so obsessed with your own false narrative that it blinds you from seeing reality. Also, go back and read my articles or watch my speeches from before the election and show me one instance where I supported a pro-war candidate or took a pro-war position. Or, go ahead and check out my reporting from war zones where the Democrats were waging the wars in the 1990s. Review my remarks on the Democrats over the years on Democracy Now! and other media outlets. I would challenge you to find someone who has written more articles about the pro-war nature of the Democratic Party establishment before, during and after elections. Until you do some real research, please refrain from whining on this site about how no one listens to you.

Jeremy

Re: U.S. Increasing Use of Private Contractors in War Zone

jeremyscahill — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:12:44 -0000

William
No typo. There are more contractors than soldiers in Afghanistan. The
confusing issue here may be that there are armed and unarmed
contractors and there are less armed contractors than soldiers, but
more total contractors than soldiers. All of them do jobs once
performed by the military. As for the "total force," there are
approximately 500,000 deployed by the US, half of which are military
and half of which are contractors but both of which we pay for with
our tax dollars. I hope that helps. Thanks for reading.
Jeremy

--
jeremy scahill
independent journalist

Re: The Democrats' Selective Amnesia on Assassination: Clinton Did It and Obama Does It Too

jeremyscahill — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 13:55:18 -0000

I have. I have no idea what you are talking about.

Re: The Democrats' Selective Amnesia on Assassination: Clinton Did It and Obama Does It Too

jeremyscahill — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:14:33 -0000

Ormsfang:
I suggest you do a bit of research on the Clinton years and then come back
here. Clinton carried out the longest sustained U.S. bombing campaign since
Vietnam in Iraq-- he made it official U.S. policy to overthrow the Iraqi
government when he signed the Iraq Liberation Act in 1998, which was a joint
product of the neocons and neoliberals. Clinton killed about the same number
of Iraqis as Bush through his economic and military war against Iraq, which
extended through his entire presidency. Clinton engaged in warrantless
wiretapping and Obama's lawyers just went into court on Wednesday in San
Francisco to fight to continue the practice. Remember how the Democrats,
including Obama, voted to uphold retroactive immunity for the telecom
companies that cooperated in the warrantless wiretapping? As for the PATRIOT
Act, Clinton's *Antiterrorism* and *Effective* Death Penalty Act of 1996 was
the precursor to it and EVER SINGLE Senator voted for the PATRIOT Act except
Russ Feingold. Obama voted to extend it when he was a Senator. The most
repressive policies of the Bush era were supported by the Democratic Party
leadership. Yes, Bush should be held accountable, but so too should Clinton
and all of the rest of the Democrats who supported these crimes.

So what was that you were saying?

Jeremy

Re: A Few Thoughts on the Coup in Honduras

jeremyscahill — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:46:21 -0000

your characterization of this situation is false and your analogy is
inaccurate.

Re: Latest News from RebelReports...

jeremyscahill — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:53:15 -0000

It was sarcasm, a joke. Wow.

Re: "The Responsible Left:" Funding Obama's Expanding Wars $100 Billion a Vote

jeremyscahill — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:46:24 -0000

Normally, I wouldn't reply to this kind of rant. But, I have a flight delay and am bored so here goes: You obviously have never bothered to read my articles or listen to my reporting. Check out the work I did exposing the war criminals in Clinton's White House all throughout the 1990s, including confronting Gen. Wesley Clark for 15 sustained minutes about his war crimes during the bombing of Yugoslavia (it is online). I have always called war criminals war criminals. I don't care what party they belong to. And when I say "war criminal" or "war crime," it is not for rhetorical purposes. It is because they have, in fact, commited documentable war crimes. I was clear on this through both Clinton and Bush. In fact, I testified at "War Crimes Tribunals" during both of these presidencies. I was clear in calling all of the senior Clinton cabinet officials war criminals while they were in office. You know why? Because I spent a lot of time reporting under their bombs.

Funny that you'd post these comments when your whole premise is based on an outright lie. Please feel free to comment all you wish on this site, but do your homework before launching ad hominem attacks based on your lack of actual evidence. Do a little research online and you'll see how absolutely false your comments are. Really, do it. Until then, maybe you should troll elsewhere.

Jeremy

Re: My Two Cents on the "Twitter Revolution" in Iran

jeremyscahill — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:12:21 -0000

rj-
i'm all about using technology for organizing (as long as it is not viewed
as a substitute) ...i've long written about this, including writing about
the use of txtmob and SMS technology as a mobilizing/activist tool during
the RNC in 04. my point is that a lot of people praising the "twitter
revolution" in iran scorn activists here in the US.
thanks for reading,
//jeremy

Re: My Two Cents on the "Twitter Revolution" in Iran

jeremyscahill — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:08:18 -0000

Chelsea:
I said your comment was part of the problem because you immediately
reference the 1960s when the discussion is about US activism and use terms
like "stupid"...The 1960s is history. We live in 2009 with 2 major wars
going and almost no substantive resistance to them in the US (see
yesterday's vote on the war supplemental). As for Twitter and Iran, English
is not the official language--elites can twitter in English. I do not think
the tweets from Iran are as representative as they are being portrayed in
the blogosphere and US corporate media. My main point, however, was about
the liberals who celebrate activism abroad while scorning it at home. Thanks
for reading.

peace,
//jeremy

Re: My Two Cents on the "Twitter Revolution" in Iran

jeremyscahill — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:03:22 -0000

no, the point at both conventions (i was at both) was to demand an end to
the wars and to call for a wide variety of policies that would benefit poor
and working class people in the US. in denver, it was also to protest the
pro-war platform of Obama and the Democrats and in St. Paul to protest the
pro-war platform of McCain and the GOP.

Re: My Two Cents on the "Twitter Revolution" in Iran

jeremyscahill — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:57:16 -0000

I'm talking about the present and the current state of activism...not
something that happened decades ago. I am concerned with what these "Iran
twitter revolution" lovers are doing now to stop the current wars being
fueled by their president and Congressional reps. Comments like yours are
part of the problem.

Re: Top Stories on RebelReports

jeremyscahill — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:58:05 -0000

First, I don't claim this 23% increase, the DoD report does. And the article
states the official reason: "In Iraq, the Pentagon attributes the increase
to better accounting." See:

According to new statistics
<http: www.acq.osd.mil="" log="" ps="" hot_topics.html="">released by the
Pentagon, with Barack Obama as commander in chief, there has
been *a 23% increase in the number of “Private Security Contractors” working
for the Department of Defense in Iraq in the second quarter of 2009 and a
29% increase in Afghanistan*, which “correlates to the build up of forces”
in the country. In Iraq, the Pentagon attributes the increase to better
accounting. But, these numbers relate explicitly to DoD security
contractors. Companies like Blackwater and its successor Triple
Canopy<http: www.alternet.org="" waroniraq="" 134594="" obama%27s_blackwater_chicago_mercenary_firm_gets_millions_for_private_%22security%22_in_israel_and_iraq_=""/>work
on State Department contracts and it is unclear if these contractors
are included in the over-all statistics. This means, the number of
individual “security” contractors could be quite higher, as could the scope
of their expansion.

Re: About Jeremy Scahill

jeremyscahill — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:53:10 -0000

Grant--
Regarding the US indiscriminately killing civilians, Philip Alston is the UN
special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and he
officially presented his final investigative report to the UN Human Rights
Council in Geneva on June 3. His report was authorized and commissioned by
the UNHRC.

Regarding US military actions, Alston cited his "strong concern at the
continuing problem of *preventable civilian casualties*, especially in the
context of aerial bombing," in Afghanistan and called for "real
accountability based on credible independent investigations." He also said:
"Targeted killings carried out by *drone attacks on the territory of other
states are increasingly common* and remain deeply troubling... The U.S.
government should disclose the legal basis for such killings and identify
any safeguards designed to reduce *collateral civilian casualties* and
ensure that the government has targeted the correct person."

Regarding the million Iraqi deaths, please see the January/February 2008
issue <http: www.fair.org="" index.php?page="3321"> of Extra!, the magazine of
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, which discusses two "major statistical
studies:"

[T]he first conducted by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and
published in the prestigious British medical journal the Lancet (10/11/06),
and the other released by the British polling firm Opinion Research Business
(9/07). Both indicate that over a million Iraqis have now been killed. Yet
an Associated Press poll in February (2/24/07) that asked Americans how many
Iraqis have died received a median response of less than 10,000.

The Johns Hopkins study estimated that, as of July 2006, 655,000 Iraqis had
been killed, about 600,000 of them violently and at least 30 percent
directly by coalition forces. It updated an earlier study (Lancet, 10/29/04)
that estimated that 100,000 Iraqis had died during the first year of the
war. An extrapolation of the Johns Hopkins estimate of violent deaths done
by Just Foreign Policy (9/18/07) currently stands at over 1.1 million.

Thanks for reading,
Jeremy

Re: Obama Has 250,000 "Contractors" in Iraq and Afghan Wars, Increases Number of Mercenaries

jeremyscahill — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:42:06 -0000

the US has increased the number of "security contractors" in afghanistan and
overall in the wars. in iraq, the DoD attributes the 23% increase to better
reporting, but this number only reflects DoD contractors, not DoS. in
afghanistan, they acknowledge the 29% increase as a result of the buildup.
Moreover, finding double reports in previous data does not mean there has
been a decrease, simply that the reporting was in error. As for your broader
point, that precise stat is stated in the article. See the last sentence:

there was an 11% decrease in overall contractors in Iraq from the first
quarter of 2009 due to the “ongoing efforts to reduce the contractor
footprint in Iraq.”