Know your enemy

“The earth is not dying, it is being killed, and those who are killing it have names and addresses” – Utah Phillips

 

Who are the corporations and individuals fueling endless war and ecological collapse? The ones who sat and planned to invade Iraq, roadless forests and New Orleans? Many groups are already organizing blockades, street protests, and stockholder meetings targeting these institutions of violence — conducting research to expose their deeds. Why not try an even more dangerous maneuver: talk to and try to understand the people working and living at the point of production and the people who surround them? Below is just a tiny fraction of the corporations and institutions that make up the machine. Are some based in your town? What can you do to expose their activities to public scrutiny? Better yet, can you make your own list of companies in your area?

 

PRIVATE MILITARY CONTRACTORS

 

Private military contractors, more frankly called mercenaries, provide personnel, security, logistics, and supplies for twenty-first century Western militaries lacking in public support. There are over 100,000 contractors in Iraq who play a substantial role in strategy, tactics, and policy.

BLACKWATER USA-P.O. Box 1029/MOYOCK, NC 27958/252.435.2488, 7,000 acres of land. Erik Prince, Owner. Gary Jackson, President. World’s largest private army, founded in 1997.

DYNCORP 1401 McKinney, Suite 2400/Houston, TX 77010/888.669.3920. President and CEO: Herbert Lanese. Dyncorp Mercenaries have been employed in Bolivia, Bosnia, Somalia, Angola, Haiti, Colombia, Kosovo and Kuwait.

MILITARY PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES INCORPORATED 1201 E Abingdon Dr Ste 425/Alexandria, VA 22314 – Alexandria, VA. Owner: Carl E. Vuono, president. Operating in Iraq and militarizing civilian police.

 

DEFENSE CONTRACTORS AND INVESTORS

 

The defense contractors provide the industrial backbone and financial capital that gives military industrial complex its power.

BECHTEL 50 Beale St/San Francisco, CA 94105/415-768-1234. San Francisco, CA. Riley P. Bechtel, CEO. Construction company involved in Iraq, oil and power plant operation, privatization of water resources, Los Alamos Laboratories and Lawrence Livermore Lab.

CARLYLE GROUP 1001 Pennsylvania Ave Nw/Washington, DC 20004/202-347-2626. Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., Chairman. Huge investment group with major defense and power investments, political clout, and Dunkin Donuts.

HALLIBURTON/KBR 1401 McKinney, Suite 2400/Houston, TX 77010/888-669-3920. DAVID LESAR, Chairman, President and C.E.O. With the Single-source Iraq war contract Halliburton was awarded, this petroleum and construction company is making billions.

ITT CORP. 4 West Red Oak Lane/White Plains, NY 10604/914-641-2000. Steven R. Loranger, Chairman, President and CEO. Involved in arms manufacture and export, and sponsored 1973 coup in Chile.

 

OIL COMPANIES

 

The anti-war movement has marched behind the banner No Blood for Oil since the Gulf War. As oil resources diminish the strategic value of petroleum will only increase, and the major oil companies will continue to drive foreign policy.

BP – St James’s Square/London, SW1Y 4PD/United Kingdom/Phone: 44 20 7496 4000. Tony Hayward, CEO. Former colonial British Plunderer, the sun never sets on B.P.’s oil extraction operations.

CHEVRON 6001 Bollinger Canyon Road/San Ramon, CA 94583/United States. Phone: 925-842-1000. CEO & Chairman David O’Reilley. “Iraq possesses huge reserves of oil and gas — reserves I’d love Chevron to have access to.” – 1998 quote from CEO Kenneth Derr.

EXXONMOBIL- 5959 Las Colinas Boulevard/Irving, TX 75039-2298/United States Phone: 972-444-1000. Rex Tillerson, CEO. Heavily funds global warming denial, supported Indonesian military in East Timor.

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL Carel van Bylandtlaan 30/The Hague, 2596 HR/Netherlands Phone: 31 70 377 1365. Jeroen van der Veer, CEO. Another former colonial monopoly, Royal Dutch Shell was directly involved in the 1995 execution of Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and extracts the world’s oil reserves for profit at an alarming rate.

 

EDUCATION & RESEARCH

 

HERITAGE FOUNDATION 214 Massachusetts Ave NE/Washington DC 20002/202.546.4400. Edwin Fuelner, Jr., President. Think tank supported the Reagan Doctrine by funding Contras and anti-communist rebels in Angola and arguing for U.S. dominance in foreign policy.

PROJECT FOR NEW AMERICAN CENTURY William Kristol, Chairman. Non-profit educational organization committed to the proposition that American leadership is good for the world.

 

RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS

 

CHRISTIAN COALITION 499 S Capitol St Sw/Washington, DC 20003/ USA /Phone: (202) 479-6900. Pat Robertson, president. In 2003, Robertson called the Iraq War “a righteous cause out of the Bible.” Opposes abortion, gay rights, provides mass support pew by pew for the neoconservative elements of Republican Party.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EVANGELICALS 499 S Capitol St Sw/Washington, DC 20003/ USA /Phone: (202) 479-6900. Leith Anderson, President. Evangelical group that is backbone of Christian Right movement that leads to militarism and death, hard at work building a loyal Christian faction in U.S. military.

 

ECO-DESTROYERS

 

MONSANTO /800 North Lindbergh Boulevard/St. Lois, MO 63167/314-694-1000 Monsanto, formerly Dow Chemical, makers of Agent Orange, continue to pump out chemicals and endanger the food supply.

INTERNATIONAL PAPER/ 6400 Poplar Avenue/Memphis, TN 38197. John Faraci, CEO> Mindlessly pulping forests in the Southeast.

 

MEDIA COMPANIES

 

TIME-WARNER – Time Warner Inc./One Time Warner Center/New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-484-8000. Richard D. Parsons, Chairman And C.E.O. CNN must bear responsibility for media that uncritically incorporates U.S. propaganda.

NEWS CORPORATION – 1211 Avenue of the Americas/ New York/New York 10036 New York, NY. Rupert Murdoch, CEO and Chairman. Infamous for taking a strong stance in support of jingoism at the expense of journalism.

uwxhmovement has marched behind the banner No Blood for Oil since the Gulf War. As oil resources diminish the strategic value of petroleum will only increase, and the major oil companies will continue to drive foreign policy.

BP – St James’s Square/London, SW1Y 4PD/United Kingdom/Phone: 44 20 7496 4000. Tony Hayward, CEO. Former colonial British Plunderer, the sun never sets on B.P.’s oil extraction operations.