On September 19th, Code Pink organized a large protest outside of the offices of the International Peace Operations Association. A more accurate name would be "WorldKopps R Us" - it's a trade organization for private military contractors, or as the new buzzword goes, "NGO"s - non-government organizations. Here's my take on what went on that day.
I'll not be shy about it - I completely idolize Ann Wright. I've told her to her face that she's five times the woman I am, and I mean it from the heart. She's certainly served her country five times longer than I, racking up three decades in the Army and the Diplomatic Corps. The sacrifice that this woman made when she resigned her position inspires awe simply because she did not choose merely to walk away from a job - she walked away, as a decision of morality and conscience, from a LIFETIME of government service.
A career diplomat, Ann is a very sweet, gentle, modest and generally happy lady. So you really have to wonder who on earth could bring out the woman's "war face" in this manner.
Well, that's Doug Brooks, president of the IPOA who is on the well-deserved business end of that worthy American valkyrie's righteous rage. He's trying his smarmy best to sell the Colonel and the rest of Code Pink a bill of goods about one of their worst problem children - Blackwater. With 30 years of direct experience related to what this man and the organizations under his umbrella purport to do, you can see that Ann's in no mood for nonsense.
The laughably slick print copy of the Journal of the IPO has contemptible Orwellian lies thickly laid on every page. It's like a carnival shooting gallery for anyone interested in tearing apart falsehood. Simple concepts like, "Hey guys, don't shoot at the Red Cross dudes even if you don't like them, ok?" and, "The DoD is going to share information more freely and we all need to link pinkies with them and sing Kumbaya!" are crafted into multiple page infomercials of labyrinthine GovSpeak, liberally illustrated with venn diagrams and photos of assorted bigwigs in theater.
Meanwhile, the advertisements really tell the tale. On the inner flyleaf, an ad by Blackwater - trying to present that company as some sort of ambassador of compassion and good will - proclaims in supremely twisted doublespeak: "And now that we are aware of the many atrocities on this earth, we who enjoy security, peace and freedom are called on to share that opportunity with the world". Thank you, Blackwater, but I think I will take a big old pass on the opportunity to share your, ahem, "awareness of atrocities".
While another article explores the creation of "Africom" and how it will let us triumphantly continue to shoulder the white man's burden in Africa, an ad on page 11 for Dynsecgroup announces against a backdrop of shadowy barbed wire that it's "Scandinavian security force is ready to deploy, anytime, anywhere". Just in case anyone misses the symbolism, their company logo - a horned-helmed, sword-bearing viking, sits in the lower left corner.
Appealing to naked greed appears to be the objective of Dubai-based Western Auto's full page ad on page 21, showing an array of vehicles and tools - to include a shiny red motorcycle and a Dell widescreen laptop - with the promise that they can supply "all your mobile needs in the field". The only thing missing is the half-naked girl, but then again, this is Dubai we are talking about. As with most countries espousing radical Islam, women are treated like some sort of illegal drug. Ads featuring them will not appear here.
The announcement that members of the IPOA adhere to a "code of conduct" is one of the reasons Code Pink decided to demonstrate at their Washington DC office on Wednesday. Gael Murphy, Medea Benjamin, Ann Wright and others got in Doug Brooks' face and asked repeatedly why Blackwater had not been kicked out of their organization. Unsatisfied with his response, they continued with an organized protest and then marched off to the State Department building to take on Condi Rice.
Condi didn't come out to greet Code Pink even though we marched completely around the building with bullhorns letting her know exactly what we thought of Blackwater. We had to settle for the presence of one of our street theater "bobble heads".
As someone who has seen the nether end of a lot of government contractor behavior myself firsthand, I have to say that this experience was very cathartic for me. It was really an honor to march alongside these women and participate in this political action, but the real benefit came later as I realized that the IPOA's slick, lie-encrusted journal would be it's downfall. I have only just begun to dissect that twisted monster.