Blackwater is part of Bremer's Legacy: "The TROPHY Video"
By John Amato Sunday Sep 16, 2007 4:20pm
Remember this video and story I helped break called "The Trophy video," which was posted back in '05? Paul Bremer and the US Gov't have created a juggernaut of---civilian--mercenary squads with ties to the Christian Right. (Blackwater was founded by an extreme right-wing fundamentalist Christian mega-millionaire ex- Navy Seal named Erik Prince) Remind you of any other groups in Iraq?
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A “trophy” video appearing to show security guards in Baghdad randomly shooting Iraqi civilians has sparked two investigations after it was posted on the Internet, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal. The video, which first appeared on a website that has been linked unofficially to Aegis Defence Services, contained four separate clips, in which security guards open fire with automatic rifles at civilian cars. All of the shooting incidents apparently took place on “route Irish”, a road that links the airport to Baghdad
Here's another sordid story I broke called: Another Civilian Contractor was under investigation for Homicide in ‘04. Read the pdf here...
And if you don't think the lawlessness these contractor's have been granted are unknown to the Iraqi people, guess again. Paul Bremer is responsible for many of the problems in Iraq after Bush gave him the power to run things there and Order 17 stands out today after the Iraqis gave the boot to Blackwater today.
The Bush administration has decided to take the unusual step of bestowing on its own troops and personnel immunity from prosecution by Iraqi courts for killing Iraqis or destroying local property after the occupation ends and political power is transferred to an interim Iraqi government, U.S. officials said.
Order 17 gives all foreign personnel in the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority immunity from "local criminal, civil and administrative jurisdiction and from any form of arrest or detention other than by persons acting on behalf of their parent states."
U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer is expected to extend Order 17 as one of his last acts before shutting down the occupation next week, U.S. officials said. The order is expected to last an additional six or seven months, until the first national elections are held.
I'm just so proud to be an American I could burst!
This is what I was talking about in the other post about this today. Did Bremmer get his medal yet? I can't remember but I think he did. Seems all the crooks and professional liars in this administration get one sooner or later.
Hearts and minds.
These colors don't run . . . they just shoot indiscriminately at civilians.
James Kjaer @ 1:
Me too. My favorite part of being an American is our moral superiority. That, and the barn-sized SUVs.
Just curious, are these reports limited to contractors like Blackwater or do American military soldiers fall into that category also?
Paul - combat boots & Brooks Bro. pinstripe - Bremer.
The guy that batted 0%! Every decision this Bush-appointed idiot made during those crucial first months after the Chimp’s invasion were wrong – dead wrong - every single one. He probably caused more death and destruction in Iraq than any other moron sent over there. And what was his punishment? A medal of honor and a post as some U.S. diplomat (or some other cushy job)! Heck of a job!
Carried this link over from the last Blackwater thread... Worth watching the video.
Blackwater - Deeper Into Shadow.
This now takes precedence over the scene in the Charlie Sheen movie (I THINK it's a Charlie Sheen movie) where the helicopter gunner is randomly firing on oxen and the occasional Vietnamese peasant.
Talk about blow back, what happens when all these sickos, contractor or otherwise come home with all thier homicidal fantasies in full bloom?
they show this video in the new documentary 'no end in sight'
it is very good, interesting and it shows just how blatantly jerry-paul bremer lies. of note: the documentary came out before bremer's "i'm not a liar" oped piece, and it should be noted that he is, in fact, a liar.
col. paul hughes, gen. jay garner and others give proof positive that bremer, and the bush admin, are to blame for the (mis)state of iraq as it is now.
and, not suprisingly, the MSM didn't even mention this when they reported on bremer's oped. again, more stenography from the media.
So what will the Dem contenders say about Blackwater and the rest?
Will they go on record at least to denounce this mercenary shit? Will they go further, and promise to make this crap illegal once in office?
Someone should ask them.
steve davis @ 9:
It's from Full Metal Jacket. the narrrator asks the helicopter gunner, "How can you shoot women and Children?"
The gunner replies, "Easy. Just don't lead 'em as much."
Bit NOLA @ 12:
That's why they won't have to A.N.S.W.E.R.
No one will ask them.
Those Iraqis should be grateful for receiving those freedom projectiles into their vehicles.
pissed off patricia @ 2:
Oh yes, Bremmer and Geroge Tenent received their Presidental Medals of Freedom at
the same ceromony...with bush doing so personally; grinning and smirking all the while.
steve davis @ 9:
DOOR GUNNER (Full Metal Jacket) - Anyone who runs is a V.C. Anyone who stands still is a well-disciplined V.C. (laughs)
JOKER - How can you shoot women and children?
DOORGUNNER - Easy. You just don't lead 'em so much. (laughs) Ain't war hell?
Question is where do these guys go next? Probably a bunch will become body guards for wealthy sheiks. Maybe Africa or South America were there's still gold, diamonds, and oil to be taken. But I also expect many sons of iniquity will end up providing "security" for FEMA.
Imagine the mentality of those blackwater guys.... ~~~~scary~~~~~
sickening. i couldn't watch it all again.
i don't know where i saw this first maybe live leak or the now defunct orgrish dot com.
i've also seen several vids of u.s. military vehicles ramming all sorts of civilian cars and vans and laughing like hell about it.
these are the guys who before they joined got their jollies from beating up homeless guys and blowing up mailboxes.
not every american boy is an apple pie eating boy scout. some of them are bevi and buttheads with guns.
Those medals are handed out like handing money to a hooker after she's completed her work. These guys did what bush wanted and after everyone showered, they got their reward.
Bremmer should be in jail for either being too stupid or being too evil.
Gort @ 7:
You are "right on" Gort. Bush/Cheney/Wolfoshits were not happy with Jay Garner's handling
of the Iraq situation(within weeks after Shock and Aw, so asked him for his voluntary
resignation as head of the CPA, and appointed a totally incompetent person(Paul Bremmer)
as his replacement....Not by accident in my opinion, but by design to screw things up
even more so..and who would be better than Bremmer to accomplish that goal..
Those MF'in murderers are doing God's work aren't they? (According to Bush and co. who have God on their side.)
Isn't a warm feeling they are now coming home home to live among us?
Impeach and convict!
steve davis @ 9:
Full Metal Jacket, it is a Kubrick movie.
Blackwater IS "Al-Queda" in Iraq
pissed off patricia @ 20:
like payment to a hooker, it is a payment not as much for their services but a payment to keep them quiet and so that they leave without causing a disturbance
How hard would it be for a person at a town hall meeting or the like to ask Hillary, Obama, and Edwards what place para-military groups like this would have if elected.
Would be easy. Of course the MSM won't touch it.
Maybe if bloggers started to ask the questions, too, we'd get an answer. Funny how things begin to trickle upwards from the blogoshphere these days.
These mercs were also know to use flechette rounds. You know what a flechette round (band by Geneva Convention) does? It's like having a meat grinder into you. One shot and you're haggis.
And these 'people' are proud of what they do. Just like the guy in Full Metal Jacket.
Dr. Matt @ 15:
Sure they are, they celebrated with a BBQ....
http://www.poynterextra.org/cp/AP.jpg
This video disgusts me. It makes me cringe to know that these low lifers belong to the same nation I do. What has happened to the dream I had of this nation. I always thought we were the beacon of peace and prosperity, only to find that we house many disrespectful low life killers who wipe their asses on uor constitution, upon our reputation, and dragged this nation down to the level of some cheap tawdry dictatorship.
I keep forgetting... which religion is based on war? Islam or Christianity?
"Order 17 gives all foreign personnel in the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority immunity from 'local criminal, civil and administrative jurisdiction and from any form of arrest or detention other than by persons acting on behalf of their parent states.' "
That pretty much covers it, except for stating that "Satan is forbidden from frying these people in hell for eternity."
Anarchy. I thought the NeoCons were agin it. Oh--IOKIYAR.
makes you proud, dont it.....WELL DEMOCRATIC LEADRESHIP......still waiting....
This story is starting to gain traction in the MSM today. Should get interesting,..
Ruthless People @ 3:
Yep... winning them with bullets.
Resembles the "Nazi death squad"! Erik Prince needs to be thoroughly investigated. Methinks this guy belongs in jail.
NO, I can't find the link ATM; however I seem to recall reading that many, surprise, republicans want to use anti-American firms, such as Blackwater, to oversee security at US polling stations in next years elections. Think about that for awhile.
Nate @ 8:
Scary shit...especially the fact that these thugs were in NO after Katrina...makes you
wonder when and where else they are going to just 'show up'?
I just learned from Wolf's show these blackwater guys can make up to 600 dollars a day working in Iraq. Most or many of them are ex military and law enforcement guys. They guard many of the officials who go over there and much of the equipment in the rebuilding efforts.
Imagine another country putting security guys like this in our country and giving them basically free rein to shoot whomever they pleased with no one to answer to for what they did.
Bit NOLA @ 26:
Very good point....unless the MSM is pushed they will never cover this in depth nor
ask any candidates(Dem or Rep.) what they would do about mercanaries should he/she
be elected.
Isn't Cnn asking for questions that we want to be asked at the next repub debate? Why not ask the repubs too?
pissed off patricia Says:
Imagine another country putting security guys like this in our country and giving them basically free rein to shoot whomever they pleased with no one to answer to for what they did.
We should be worrying about this pretend administration turning traitors like this loose on US soil, not a foreign country doing it. It will happen.
The dems had better get off their collective asses and begin to look interested in some of this - as in formulating an investigation or convening a grand jury regarding who is behind this surrogate death squad. It's pretty clear that this goes to the top - as does every horrendous thing we've done over the past 6 years.
Get with it Dems in Congress because you're losing voters with each passing day that you play "pattycake" with these criminals and thugs and do not bring them to justice. Where are the impeachment proceedings? $hit or get off the pot.
If you fail to hear the mandate of the people, they will run their own candidate in 08 as an Independent named Michael Bloomberg. The number of Registered Independents today is at 35% and rapidly increasing as you act spinelessly and drag your feet. By Jan, 08, it's expected to eclipse the number of REgistered Democrats at this rate.....with the Republicans coming in at 28% - essentially and truthfully now "the third party". The MSM dialogue had better turn to what the I's are thinking because the power in the 08 election will be with the I's!
The I's have it in 08 - get ready for the "People's Candidate" to emerge!
NOW would be a very opportune time for Kos, Atrios, Amato, and the rest to wonder aloud what the Dem point-of-view is on mercs.
We know where the thugs are on it.
The "I's" will have it in 08! Stay tuned!
If the Dems act like Bush's poodles any longer, they will definitely lose the respect of the people.
Dana @ 37:
and if memory serves, they weren't even "invited" to NOLA.... they just kinda showed up in head-to-toe black fatigues brandishing machine guns in an american city... *shivvvver*
Bremer (just mentioning his name makes me steam) - disbanded the entire former Iraqi Army and fired anyone in government belonging to the Ba’ath party, including teachers and doctors – just about everyone. Nothing like firing thousands of soldiers: armed, trained, pissed-off and now without a paycheck to feed their family. All the while hiding within the Green Zone, never venturing out for fear he would soil his tighty-whities, but trying to be ‘one of the regular guys’ by wearing those combat boots while in a suit and tie. Another Yale graduate who is a complete fucking moron.
RW @ 29:
Combine this with the now approved torture, secret prisons, wiretapping, stealing elections, dirty tricks, the secrecy and the endless lies, the disregard for all the checks and balances built into the presidency... what kind of a kind country is this?
This is not the America we all knew and believed in. We now are the bad guys.
And RW is right, they have been wiped their asses with the constitution for years.
I am getting so pessimistic about it ever getting better...
... and yet the rich are getting richer.
Bit NOLA @ 43:
) (BUT AS POP SAID ABOVE, THE
REPIGS CANDIDATES NEED TO BE ASKED THE SAME/IDENTICAL QUESTION AS ANY
POSED TO THE DEM CANDIDATES...NEED 'ON THE RECORD'
these assholes will still be around even if the democrats take the whithouse ,maby not with kucinich in as president but hillery obama you can bet they wont disband this merry bunch of thugs, as far as the iraqys go if i was them blackwaterd be number one on my hit parade, fug a bunch of souless pricks!
Samson- @ 45:
I would be very interested to know if they were "invited" to New Orleans after Katrina or if they just showed up... Do you have anywhere you can cite about that? I'm not finding anything on a Google search of it.
Men + guns = bad combination. This is disgusting. How can anyone do such a thing!!! (Never owned a gun, never will. Never actually seen a handgun either. I'd like to keep it that way too.)
I guess those two guys who had thier burnt bodies hanging on from the bridge had it comming to them.
Samson- @ 45:
I thought they were hired by the city's wealthy residents to guard their property against them rampagin' lootin' copter-shootin' black folk.
Nate @ 50:
Have this from Truthout: Officially, Blackwater says its forces are in New Orleans to "join the Hurricane Relief Effort." A statement on the company's website, dated September 1, advertises airlift services, security services and crowd control. The company, according to news reports, has since begun taking private contracts to guard hotels, businesses and other properties. But what has not been publicly acknowledged is the claim, made to us by 2 Blackwater mercenaries, that they are actually engaged in general law enforcement activities including "securing neighborhoods" and "confronting criminals." -- http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005A.shtml
Also have some photos I'll need to dig up taken by a guy who ran a ISP in NOLA during Katrina. A bunch show 'security' forces showing up to guard federal buildings. Not to help the people but to guard buildings.
All these guys will be back in the states soon, unable to hold a job for long, cause they’re total mental whack-jobs. They’ll be in their transient residence, cleaning and polishing their rifles equipped with sniper scopes. Should make for good headlines for decades.
What a mess the Chimp hath made.
Why aren't the soldiers guarding whatever needs to be guarded in Iraq? Is it because we don't have enough of them to do that? In other wars did we have hired guards on par with these guys?
Can't the "sovereign" Iraqi government merely repeal the act giving mercenaries immunity?
Dr. Who @ 23:
its the movie PLATOON!
This video has been posted to C&L like 3 or 4 times, and I still think it lacks context. All of those clips feature cars that are speeding toward convoys. Contractor convoys stick out like a soar thumb and everyone knows what they look like... they're the shinny white SUVs (or at least they were 2 years ago when this video was first posted). These guys could very well be firing upon vehicles they've hastily classified as threats.
Frontline did a piece on Iraq's contractors, it tends to indicate what I'm talking about.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/warriors/view/
The soundtrack over the gun fire it fairly disgusting; nevertheless, convoys stick out, and when a vehicles start rushing a convoys, convoys freak. These guys could be sadistic a-holes, but they could also be afraid of getting blown to bits.
Thing Fish @ 54:
Thanks for the link... Reading it now.
This fucking company should be forced to give every red cent they've earned while in Iraq to the families of the victims. Of course, it would be hard to find proper accounting of how much they've made since most of their profit has been laundered throught Dick Cheney's various private bank accounts.
SORRY it was kubecks movie full metal jacket but sheen was not in that film!
tyree @ 58:
Oh, Tyree. If only I had a nickel for every time you're wrong (and a penny for your every misspelling), I'd be as rich as Dick Cheney. Platoon had the Sheen scene where they're flying over the village in slow motion to Barber's Adagio. It is indeed Full Metal Jacket that has the helicopter gunner scene.
Gort @ 55:
Gort @ 55:
That's not so bad, really. There are too many people anyway ... traffic would improve.
PurplePatriot @ 63:
well id certainly love to make you rich,but not in this life, youll note i retracted my statement before your greedy ass rebutted me , as i restated after i remembered charlie sheen wasnt in the movie full metal jacket , as for the nickels for me being wrong fuck you ill send you a few rolls if your really in such need! oh and when you think about it hard nuts its been a lot longer for me being out of school then im sure you are! so another big fuck you on my spelling , say did i spell fuck you ok there purple peple eater?
Poor choice of Elvis for background music . These needle dicks should have used this : http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=61476&fr=
May we some day see a video of Iraqi return fire . Hearts and minds my ass .
Doggiebobo @ 64:
Agreed, not ALL are mental whack jobs. A few may be. The rest are just amoral. A merc using the excuse of needing to 'support their family' while killing others is no different than a junkie robbing people to support his disease.
PurplePatriot @ 65:
And we may be doubly fortunate when bird flu becomes epidemic throughout the world. After BushCo, that's about the last shred of hope I have. /snark/
These pro-life Christians sure love them some killin.
Nate @ 60:
Yeah, thanks for the TruthOut article, but the question posed by someone above is still
unanswered...Were they invited or sent by Gov. to assist, or did they just "show up"?
I'm sure a deal can be struck.
GW will bend over backwards to make his good ol' buddies, the war profiteers, get to keep bellied up to the taxpayer's trough. The day this war is no longer profitable is the day this war will be ended whether Bush wants it ended or not.
Doggiebobo Says:
To a large degree, I agree, however, “some” of the mercenaries working for Blackwater
and other “security firms” within Iraq are actually ex and/or retired military personnel
who have previously served honorable..and like many, needed more money to support
their families, and w/pay sooooo good and a guaranteed tour of duty only 14 months,decided this was the best deal, so I would notlump ALL of them as mental whack jobs ----
I know the majority aren’t nuts, but just a few is too many. Look at the damage two guys with a gun did to the Beltway a few years ago. The shame is that this whole war, and the mental stress of war on those involved, could have all been avoided if someone would have stopped the Chimp six years ago. War is hell, and should be the action of last resort, not the first, as this administration made it.
And of course our tax dollars were spent to level the city of Falluja because it's citizens had the gumption to stand up to these criminal trash.
With Elvis playing in the background of that video I'm having second thoughts about those being Brits from Aegis Corp. I'm betting those were good 'ol boys from an American mercenary group like Blackwater.
Meet Blackwater >>> BLACKWATER : THE SHADOW WAR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yfu44knmLOE
in new orleans it was reported blackwater thugs were shooting peoples dogs and cats that had been abandoned by the refugees!
tyree @ 66:
Well if you're not going to make me rich, it's at least good you make me laugh.
Well.... I always wondered whatever happened to those moron types we all know, who used to like to go out crusin late at night radomly smashing peoples mailboxes.... They all evidently became mercenary fucks! Except for the one numbnut who managed to scheme his way into the oval office....
The object lesson.... Never let your nations leaders somehow sluff off its national responsibilities onto the private sector under some lame economic/financial excuse/theory.... If its worth going to war over (and this wasn't), then its worth going to war as a nation, not as some punkass business opportunity for immoral richass pricks!!!...
As far as Paul Bremer goes? Just another slug who needs rendered to the Hague. As regards passing laws to protect these assholes from prosecution??? Yea, good luck with that... But if I was one of those mercs, I wouldn't brag about it too much and expect to travel safely out of the U.S. later. I don't think too many other nations are actually going to pay much attention to that 'protection'. Bin Laden ain't the only whose going to end up living in a cave hiding from justice in the end on all this horseshit..........JD
PurplePatriot @ 78:
glad to hear it, bet you get your nuts off licking pics of hillery!
tyree @ 80:
as a purple patriot , god i hate assholes who proclaim thier patriots and have never done anything to prove it, what yah done patriot to use that word , just shoot your mouth off on here ?
Small addendum.. Just in case anyone wants to think I feel otherwise...
"Bin Laden ain't the only asshole who's going to end up hiding from justice in a cave over all this" ......JD
Bremer opened the flood gates to fascism
Somehow I'm neither shocked nor awed.
Doggiebobo @ 71:
Doubt there's a paper trail. Accountable mercenary is an oxymoron.
911-INVESTIGATE! @ 76:
Quite an interesting Video....but Wow, the narrator can talk equally if not faster
than Tweety(C. Matthews). Not sure, but I assume the video was made by or
at least sponsored by the guy who wrote "Shadow War" as some publicity/advertisement
for his book.
Cuado yo estaba en Paraguay yo vi esta video la primera vez. Yo no podria creer que mi ojos estaban viendo y en este momento casi empezé a vomitar. Era un momento realmente feo.
Sorry about the language ... but those dirty motherfuckers, killing civilians just because they are too close. Rotten S.O.B.s' killing under our flag.
This video should be on every fucking American TV set so the mericuns can see what their tax dollars are doing.
Meanwhile, Exxon Mobil and Halliburton are raking in the big profits.
Fuck Bush, Fuck this Administration, and fuck the religious right ... they are as bad as the Taliban or the Al Qaeda.
who is funding these scumbags? note to congress:
declare blackwater/aegis and all their vile criminal
and murderous ilk illegal, and cancel all funding NOW!
send these fuckers to the hague!