Okay, these dudes aren’t coming here exactly, but they’ve opened a training facility in San Diego, and that just might be the first step toward the death of democracy in California. Say an earthquake or terrorist act plunges the city into chaos. Blackwater could land an invasion force in a matter of hours, herd us into camps, torture us — accountable to no one in particular. Bummer!

Or so says Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army. He appears Thursday at 7pm at Modern Times Bookstore to talk about his book and these new developments down south. I’ll be there, and I might ask him if he likes The Unit.

(via funcheapSF and Courage Campaign)

Photo of Blackwater personnel in Iraq by James Gordon.