By Dinah Saur

April 1, 2010 (Potrero) – Two years after Blackwater USA withdrew its proposal to build a private military base in Round Potrero Valley, the property owner welcomes a new version of black water on the site.

November 18, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) – Citizens Oversight, an East County-based watchdog group, led a successful effort to convince Southwestern College to terminate its agreement with Xe (formerly known as Blackwater) for training of local law enforcement students. Now Citizens Oversight invites the public to join a “Stop Blackwater!” victory celebration on November 20th .

College Board responds to Public Outcry

October 18, 2009 (Chula Vista) – On October 14, Southwestern College District Governing Board approved cancellation of its agreement with Xe . The agreement allowed the college's law enforcement students to use a training facility in Otay Mesa operated by Xe Systems LLC, the company formerly known as Blackwater. Blackwater, which gained notoriety for its activities in Iraq, was also the center of controversy in East County, where the company sought to open a private military training base at Potrero but withdrew following massive public opposition.

“To save a few bucks, you basically sold out your souls and made a pact with the devil,” Congressman Bob Filner told college board members at an April 15th board meeting. “These are bad guys. They have killed innocent civilians in Iraq, and they lost their contract with the State Department for so doing."

By Raymond Lutz

February 23, 2009 (El Cajon)--Is a bad name the same as a bad reputation? Let's face it, the name Blackwater was a massive PR mistake from the get go. Not only a nickname for the Great Dismal Swamp in North Carolina, it also means water laced with human feces. The name translated to Spanish "agua negro" literally means sewage. But the name worked in one respect: It attracted disenchanted gun-slingers and neo-con opportunists like flies. CIA black-ops Cofer Black, Blackwater VP, felt right at home, as did Ken Starr, continuing his anti-Whitewater obsession by adopting the opposite -- Blackwater -- as a client.