Reports (a)President

XE Employees Charged With Murder

TREVOR

STAFFWRI

Two Americans working as contractors for the U.S. Department of Defense have been charged with the murder of two Afghani civilians in Kabul in May 2009. Justin Cannon, 27, and Chris Drotleff, 29, face charges of second-degree murder, attempted murder and firearms violations, and could face the death penalty if convicted.

The arrest of the two individuiib sterns from a car crash that occurred at an intersection in Kabul on May 5, 2009. The indictment released by the Federal District Court reveals that Cannon and Drotleff were in a vehicle shortly ahead of the car involved in the crash, when the vehicle sped towards them. Two people were killed when Cannon and Orotleff opened fire on the vehicle, with one other individual being seriously injured.

Cannon and Drotleff were employees of Paraviint LLC at the time of the shooting, a subsidiary of Xe (formerly Blackwater Worldwide), a private security firm contracted out by the American government to assist with the training of soldiers in Afghanistan. Xe is the largest of three private secu• rity companies contracted by the U.S. Department of State, according to the Congressional Research Service. The other two companies are DynCorp International LLC and Triple Canopy, Inc.

BLACKWATER

Orotleff denies the charges. Me was quoted in The Kansas City Star as saying, "I feel comfortable firing my weapon anytime I feel my life is in danger. That night, my life was 100 per cent in danger."

Federal Prosecutor Randy Stoker has not indicated whether or not the Justice Department will be seeking the death penalty. However, it was confirmed that Drotleff had been drinking on the day of the shooting. Stoker added that Drotleff had also left the base without authorization on the evening in question.

Both men were fired from Xe shortly after the shooting for failure to comply with the terms of their contract. Judge Tommy Miller, who is presiding over the case, has placed Drotleff in custody prior to the trial. Miller cited an incident in Sept 2009 which saw Drotleff attempt to lure FBI agents to his home, refusing to allow them in to talk, and calling the police on the agents. Miller adds that Drotleff's intent was to set up an "ambush situation," putting the agents' and officers' lives at risk. Xe has been at the centre of controversy concerning overseas operations recently, including "the September 16, 2007, Nisoor Square shooting in which Blackwater em• ployees .. .fired upon and killed 17 Iraqis," according to the CRS. The shooting took place during the escort of an American diplomatic convoy in the Nisoor Square section of Baghdad. Blackwater guards maintained that the attack, which left 18 others wounded, was made in self-defence. The case against five Blackwater employees was thrown out of court in Dec 2009, according to the BBC. As a result, the office of lraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has confirmed that it "has begun collecting signatures for a class action lawsuit on behalf of people killed or wounded in incidents involving U.S. security firm Blackw~ter." Xe has reached out-of-court settlements in seven lawsuits relating to the shooting in Nisoor Square, as well as providing compensation to other Iraqi civilians harmed in incidents perpetrated around the country. Since Nisoor Square, the Iraq government banned Xe and its subsidiaries from operating with• in the country. In statements to The New York Times, many of the victims of the shooting claim that they were coerced into receiving compensation for the attack. "Our rights were not redressed," Abdel Jihan :;aid. "We were given the choice to either settle or not. I did." Jihan was shot three timei, in the leg during the attack. fie received US$30,000 in compen:;ation from Xe. The New York Times has also reported that Xe has assisted the CIA with "planning, training, and surveillance" in operations in both Iraq and Jordan. The Nisoor Square shooting, as well as the most rec;:ent incident in Kabul, has promp 1ted calls from lobbyist groups for a government oversight of the use of private se• curity agencies and contractors in wartime situations. A Unit~d States Senate Subcommittee estimates that there are currently 100,000 private contractors working in Afghanistan, a number which is expected to rise to 160,000 with the United States' increased involvement in the country.

AGENDA

1.Welcome and Call to Order 2.Adoptlon of Agenda :3.Approval of Minutes 4.Reports (a)President (b) Treasurer ( C ) Editor-in-Chief 5. Decision Items (a) Special Resolution to adopt revised bylaws of the Cascade Journalism Society (b) Resignation of Directors ( c ) Election of Society Directors I. Four at-large student representatives II. One UFV Faculty/staff representative Ill. One Cascade Journalism Society Alumni representative IV. One community representative

6.Questlon Period

7 .Adjournment

SUMMARY OF CHANGES TO THE BYLAWS

A. Enshrining the composition, duties and powers of the Cascade Journalism Society Board of Directors. The creation of an independent board structure to make decisions regarding the legal, financial and operational affairs of the Cascade Journalism Society. The new board will be voted In by UFV students at an annual general meeting and consist of the following positions:

I. Four At-Large Student Representatives, who are members of the CJS In good standing (i.e. have paid student fees) and are not paid-staff at the Cascade or members of the Student Union Executive. Three out of the four reps must not hold a board position on the UFV Student Union Society. IV. One Cascade Journalism Society Alumni Representative, who is a former Cascade editorial staff member or a former director of the Cascade Journalism Society.

B. Enshrining the composition and duties of the executive of the CJS. The executive positions of President, Treasurer & secretary will be filled by the CJS board of directors at their first board meeting following an AGM.

C. Enshrining the composition and duties of the Editorial Board of the Cascade Journalism Society. The editorial board, consisting of the current editors of the Cascade shall make decisions regarding the editorial content of the paper or polices that affect editorial content.

D. Enshrining the powers, duties and hiring of the Editor-In-Chief. With the creation of an independent and accountable board to oversee the financial, legal and operational affairs of the cascade, the Editor-in-Chief shall no longer be hired by society members at a general meeting. Hiring of the Editor-InChief shall be done on a yearly basis by a committee comprised of Cascade directors and staff, a UFV faculty representative and members of the UFV student community. The Editor-in-Chief shall have final authority on the editorial affairs of the Cascade paper and will be the face of the Cascade staff to the community.

UFV students are encouraged to attend. Those interested in running for board positions can contact the Cascade at cascade. society@gmail.com .

II. One University of the Fraser Valley Faculty/Staff Representative Ill. One Community Representative who resides in the Abbotsford, Mission, Chilllwack, or Hope area.