October 22, 2007 (LPAC)--In addition to other transgressions against the general welfare, Blackwater USA has, according to an IRS ruling in March 2007, violated federal tax laws by treating its armed guards in Afghanistan and Iraq as "independent contractors," rather than as employees, as DynCorp and Triple Canopy do.

In a letter from Rep. Henry A. Waxman of the Government Oversight Committee to Eric Prince, owner of Blackwater; Blackwater is charged with avoiding paying millions of dollars in Social Security, Medicare, unemployment, and related taxes for which it is legally responsible. Waxman also charges Prince with concealing the IRS ruling and the tax evasion from Congress and law enforcement officials. Blackwater is now required to submit relevant papers describing its contracts and taxes.

In a vain attempt to disguise its mercenary character, as a reflection of the Revolution in Military Affairs, Blackwater has lamely attempted to move away from its "macho" warrior image by adopting a slightly altered corporate logo. The current logo is a bold black bear's paw encircled in red and sighted in red crosshairs. Blackwater is dropping the crosshairs and changing the paw to look more like a real, natural bear's. Does Blackwell really think that a cosmetic change in its logo will disguise the fact that it actually has the U.S. as a sovereign nation-state within its crosshairs?