One of the more interesting aspects of the continuing investigation of Blackwater International, for me, is contained in this story about the prep work done by the company as it is being investigated.
It outlines part of the industry that exists in Washington DC to serve the needs of people who have business before a governing institution--in this case Congress. At least those who can afford it.
The story points out three types:" lawyers, lobbyists and press advisers."
Here are names pulled from the article:
Lawyers: Kenneth Starr, Fred Fielding, Beth Nolan, Stephen Ryan.
Lobbyists: Paul Behrends.
Public Relations: Anne Tyrrell, Mark Corallo, Burson-Marsteller PR firm.
It'll warm everyone's hearts to learn that both Republicans and Democrats are working for the firm.
Considering the back and forth we went through on the subject of the Electoral College and whether it made you feel remote from the democratic process--or violated basic principles of democracy--how about this? If you happened to be in the position Blackwater is in, would you have the resources to learn how to properly defend yourself? What does this mean for political equality?
In a way this is reminiscent of a story your American government textbook covers in the section on interest groups. Microsoft was of the opinion for years that it needed to do nothing to
work with government. After being on the losing end of significant legislation they changed their tune and hired a lobbyist.
