Blackwater’s Pattern of Violence

Staff / Truthdig Nov 8, 2007 More than seven months before Blackwater's September killing spree, one of the company's snipers shot and killed three Iraqi guards, who, witnesses said, never opened fire. A brief "investigation" by the State Department, which included no Iraqi witnesses or visits to the scene of the crime, found that the incident "fell within approved rules governing the use of force." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

State Dept. Gave Blackwater Shooters Immunity

Staff / Truthdig Oct 30, 2007 Three senior law enforcement officials have revealed to the Associated Press that the State Department gave all of the Blackwater guards involved in the Sept. 16 killing of 17 Iraqi civilians immunity from prosecution. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Shooting at Cleveland High School

Staff / Truthdig Oct 11, 2007 A gunman went on a shooting rampage in a high school in downtown Cleveland on Wednesday. The gunman, who aimed shots at several people before killing himself, had apparently made threats at SuccessTech Academy last week. According to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, three teenagers and two adults were injured. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Security Guards Kill 2 Women in Baghdad

Staff / Truthdig Oct 9, 2007 Two women were shot and killed on Tuesday when private security contractors guarding a convoy of four cars in Baghdad's Karrada neighborhood opened fire on the women's Oldsmobile as it moved toward the convoy. Unfortunately, it was not the day's only violent episode in Iraq. According to The Washington Post, a series of bombings claimed at least 34 lives in and around Baghdad. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Iraq Demands Blackwater Exit Strategy

Staff / Truthdig Oct 9, 2007 Iraqi authorities have given the U.S. six months to cut ties with Blackwater, and are demanding custody of the private security guards who, according to a government investigation, recklessly opened fire on Iraqi civilians while escorting a State Department convoy. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Report Points to Blackwater’s Excessive Violence

Staff / Truthdig Oct 2, 2007 According to a devastating new report from the House Oversight Committee, Blackwater USA employees engaged in at least 195 "escalation of force" incidents since 2005, with the private security firm firing 80 percent of the first shots (despite its purely defensive mandate). What's worse, the State Department has provided little if any oversight, instead assisting the company as it carried out damage control. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

More Bad News for Blackwater

Staff / Truthdig Sep 24, 2007 Any lingering question as to whether Blackwater USA security contractors were to blame in the Sept. 16 shootout in Baghdad that left 11 Iraqis dead and 12 wounded may be cleared up by a videotape of the incident, which was reportedly filmed from a nearby police station. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Blackwater Opens Fire in Baghdad

Staff / Truthdig May 29, 2007 Security contractor Blackwater USA was involved in two shootings in Baghdad last week. After firing on and killing an Iraqi driver, Blackwater guards found themselves in a standoff with heavily armed Iraqi Interior Ministry forces. A senior U.S. adviser said Iraq-American relations at the ministry have suffered greatly since the incident. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Loaded Issue

Marie Cocco / Truthdig May 22, 2007 If you want to understand why the gun debate is so intense, look no further than Virginia, where Second Amendment advocates flaunt their rights in the faces of parents whose children have just been shot. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Virginia Closes Insane Gun Loophole

Staff / Truthdig May 1, 2007 Mentally ill people who've been deemed a danger to themselves and involuntarily committed will no longer be able to legally buy guns in Virginia. Gov. Timothy Kaine issued the executive order in response to the massacre at Virginia Tech. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Limbaugh: Virginia Tech Shooter Was a Liberal

Staff / Truthdig Apr 24, 2007 Keith Olbermann handed "comedian" Rush Limbaugh the "worst person in the world" award Friday for claiming that the Virginia Tech shooter must have been a liberal. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Police ‘Regret’ Airing of Shooter’s Video

Staff / Truthdig Apr 20, 2007 The superintendent of the Virginia state police has politely criticized NBC for airing the Virginia Tech shooter's video diatribe. The head of NBC News defended the decision to broadcast the footage, saying: "I'm not sure we'll ever fully understand why this happened, but I do think this is as close as we'll come to having a glimpse inside the mind of a killer." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )