Gratitude disposes us to hope, even when the facts may be stacked against us. 'Thank you' is the perfect prayer not only for things received but also for good things that may come."
-- Editorial, November 23rd National Catholic Reporter www.ncronline.org
New Britain Dems To Meet Dec. 13th:
Presidential Politics, School Board Vacancy On Tap
Bring a non-perishable item for St. Ann's Church food pantry
The Democratic Town Committee will meet Thursday, December 13th at 7 p.m. at New Britain City Hall, 27 Main Street for its final meeting of the year. The agenda will include the 2008 Election Calendar and presidential politics. The Connecticut Presidential Primary has been moved to February and representatives of the presidential candidates will be invited to attend. Delegate information will also be available. The NBDTC is supporting the candidacy of U.S. Senator Chris Dodd.
The DTC will also be asked to recommend a candidate or candidates to fill a vacancy on the Board of Education created by the resignation of the Rev. Charles Tillett of Spottswood AME Zion Church. Rev. Tillett's term runs through 2009. He has left New Britain to lead a congregation in North Carolina. New Britain Democrats extend best wishes to Rev. Tillett and his family and thank him for his service. Holiday refreshments will be served and members and friends are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church food pantry on North Street.
Team Trueworthy Plus One
New Britain Democrats congratulate Council Majority Leader Mike Trueworthy and Elena Trueworthy on the birth of their second daughter, Abigail. Abigail entered this world on Monday, November 19th, weighing eight pounds, six ounces, 20 inches tall. Abigail was unavailable for comment but her father says she is a Democrat.
Update on the Bush War Machine and its Hired Thugs:
Cong. Murphy Seeks Answers On Blackwater and No-Bid Contracts In Iraq
Thirty-three foreigners and 10 Iraqis – all employees of a private security firm – were arrested in Baghdad on Monday after an Iraqi woman was shot and wounded as their convoy passed by
-Associated Press, By Dan Murphy 21 November 2007 from the Christian Science Monitor
U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy (D-5), joined by two other House members, is seeking answers about federal contractor Blackwater, Inc. the private security firm that has billed the U.S. for a billion dollars for its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.
Last week, Murphy (CT-5) wrote to Erik Prince, CEO of Blackwater USA, to follow up on unanswered questions about the company from the October 2nd House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on private security contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Murphy is a member of the Committee.
At the October 2nd hearing, Murphy, Reps, Peter Welch (VT-At Large) and John J. Duncan, Jr. (TN-2) pressed Prince on his company's lucrative government contracts, its profit margin, and his salary. However, Prince refused to answer many of their questions. In 2001, Blackwater's contracts with the United States Government were less than $1 million. Since the Iraq war began, however, Blackwater's government contracts have spiked to over $1 billion.
The unanswered questions on Blackwater include:
• The exact percentage of Blackwater's business that comes from U.S. government contracts. Prince testified that approximately 90 percent of Blackwater contracts were with the U.S. government.
• Prince's exact compensation from 2001 through 2006, including salary, retirement and deferred compensation, and all other benefits of any monetary value from The Prince Group, LLC, Blackwater and all related entities. Prince testified that his personal compensation from Blackwater in 2006 was "over a million dollars."
• The exact profit margin for the years 2001 through 2006 for The Prince Group, LLC, Blackwater and all related entities. Prince testified, under questioning by Duncan, that Blackwater's corporate profit margin was ten percent but was unsure of that figure in follow up questions from Welch and Murphy.
"Taxpayers in my district and across the country are paying for 90 percent of Blackwater's business, so they deserve to have the facts on how their money is being spent in Iraq. And while Erik Prince is making millions of dollars off of government contracts, our soldiers' families are struggling to make ends meet here at home," said Murphy.
Welch said, "It is clear taxpayers are getting ripped off by no-bid contracts for the war in Iraq and Blackwater's obscene profits are just another example of how corrupt this war has become. What we have seen until now is a complete disrespect for the taxpayer and a president willing to provide fat paychecks to private companies and then turn around and cut health care benefits from our soldiers."
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held the hearing on October 2 to determine if Blackwater's presence is advancing or undermining U.S. efforts and the costs to U.S. taxpayers for the reliance on Blackwater and other private military contractors.
Cong. Murphy, in a trip to Iraq and Afghanistan earlier this year, estimated there may be as much as $10 billion to $12 billion being spent in the war zone, much of it unaccounted for and awarded via no-bid contracting. Besides Blackwater, contractors include Halliburton or its subsidiaries, the Texas-based firm headed by Vice President Cheney prior to his election.
