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Blackwater Bounces BackPosted on May 10, 2008
Over the last year, Blackwater Worldwide has been under fire from critics at home and abroad, but that hasn’t stopped the private security firm. In fact, the State Department has just re-upped Blackwater’s Iraq contract, thanks in part to the magic of lobbying. Also, State Department officials don’t seem to think they have much choice.
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By PatrickHenry, September 20 at 6:59 pm #
By Tom, September 19 at 3:01 pm #
Don’t ever assume that Obama will have any say when certain operators within that company are tried in a court of law because of a some off the reservation behavior resulting in bad kills or mental impairment in a war zone.
If you cut out the subcontracting, the SF troopers will stay in just to be there with the toys.
Report thisBy Tom, September 19 at 11:01 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
these comments really amuse me. the reason Obama
Report thiswon’t terminate or pursue more legal action against
Blackwater or Xe (as it’s known now) is because he
got to know them intimately last summer when he was
protected by them on his publicity tour in the Iraq
and Afghanistan. He was protected by THEM and not
regular-army, because they are the BEST at what they
do; they protect the highest level diplomats and
officials. Over 1 million Iraqis have been killed
since the war began, but private security
contractors get persecuted 1000% times worse because
they are more visible and identifiable than the
regular U.S. military. People should read the radio
transcript of the Nissor Square skirmish also before
they condemn and judge their actions that day. I
know I have read that transcript…
By Expat, May 12, 2008 at 9:27 am #
^ you like me to say? Poot Lao! (spoke already, in Thai language). See below!
Report thisBy Aegrus, May 12, 2008 at 9:13 am #
Both Hillary and Barack need to be more clear about usage of Blackwater-type mercenary forces in foreign conflicts. Hillary spoke out a little, and Obama has said very, very little about Blackwater. I need unequivocal intent to use a lot less of these kinds of forces, if any at all, because they aren’t accountable to anyone, and are morally bankrupt. It’s wrong, and isn’t something to be pondered over in a political sense.
Baracks got the guts to pursue legal action against Bush, but not against Blackwater? That doesn’t make sense. Speak up, already!
Report thisBy Expat, May 12, 2008 at 6:38 am #
^ evidence that the Emperor’s Sardikar Killers (oops, thats from “Dune”, sorry), I mean security forces can in fact kill with impunity with no consequences. The name is apropos as well. Very telling ,but then; who cares?
Report thisBy PatrickHenry, May 12, 2008 at 6:34 am #
Either disband the DSS or expand them and get the mercenaries out of it.
Report thisBy marc, May 11, 2008 at 11:55 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Lets see, the reason we outsourced security in the first place was because competition was suppose to make it cheaper and better than letting our “stumble bum” military do the job. Patrick F Kennedy let the cat out of the bag. Since there is usually only one company that can do a particular job, especially when the job specs are designed to FAVOR a PARTICULAR company, THERE IS NO COMPITITION!! The U.S. pays through the nose, Blackwater slaughters Iraqi children, among others, wantonly destroys property, and creates diplomatic disasters. Oh, and KBR uses it’s single source no bid contract to electrocute U.S. troops in the shower.
Report thisBy mike112769, May 11, 2008 at 11:49 pm #
If the U.S.military can’t do the job, we need to leave. We shouldn’t be there in the first place! The last time I checked, our constitution does not make provisions for making a buck off of people’s suffering, which is exactly what Blackwater is doing.Check out the video “Iraq for Sale”, it’s a good indictment of Blackwater and all private contractors in general. Their ONLY concern is profit, even at the expense of American lives. After all; if we’re lazy enough to let them do it, why should they stop?
Report thisBy Anna-Marina, May 11, 2008 at 8:56 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
If there is a sign that the American Idea is giving up to cancerous growth, it is the shadow army that the American administration had created and now carefully and generously maintains.
Report thisThe USSR had a shadow economy to keep the state above the water. The American “haves” pump money into the army of mercenaries from all over the world to keep the US wealth safe.
We do not know whom this army responds and how much resources have been actually allocated to these professional murderers. It is only a question of time before this shadow army turns against the Constitution in a decisively open way.
By purplewolf, May 11, 2008 at 8:53 pm #
So Patrick Kennedy stated that if the paid killers were to be removed, we would have to leave Iraq. And this is a problem because? Those people have a right to decide if they want invaders occupying their country. How would people in America feel if some other countries elected leaders on some power trip of a wet dream decided it was time to come into America and do what the Bush/Cheney administration has done in Iraq only over here?
Hasn’t the world and it’s people everywhere suffered enough from this buffoon and his minions mistakes already? Time for a change about 180 degrees opposite from the current course of Bushco’s incompetence.
Report thisBy Fadel Abdallah, May 11, 2008 at 12:25 pm #
Mercenaries!
“...its contract to provide security for American diplomats in Iraq for at least another year.”
We cannot operate without private security firms in Iraq, said Patrick F. Kennedy, the under secretary of state for management. If the contractors were removed, we would have to leave Iraq.
===================================
On the above two quoted statements from this piece, I would like to make the following comments:
1. There is no such thing as American diplomats in Iraq. Americans in Iraq are either hated occupiers, mercenaries or war-mongers.
2. The so-called “contractors” is a nice way to cover up the fact that those mercenaries are the backbone of the American marauders and occupiers of Iraq. That’s why Patrick Kennedy correctly says (and this is one time when an American official is not making a lie), If the contractors were removed, we would have to leave Iraq.
3. One well kept secret about those mercenaries is that among them there are at least 20 thousand Israelis, who entered with the first occupying forces, and they will stay there as long as it takes to destroy Iraq beyond recovery. Those Israelis are mostly in charge of kidnapping and liquidating the Iraqi scientists, besides all other unholy missions.
Report thisBy Stephen Smoliar, May 11, 2008 at 12:13 pm #
I think we can turn Kennedy’s remarks around into one of the more pragmatic arguments for withdrawing from Iraq:
http://therehearsalstudio.blogspot.com/2008/05/thats-point-isnt-it.html
Report thisBy DennisD, May 11, 2008 at 9:31 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Said Patrick F. Kennedy, the under secretary of state for management. If the contractors were removed, we would have to leave Iraq.
He should say if the “contracts” were removed we’d be out of Iraq tomorrow.
Report this