To describe the ongoing Blackwater scandal as a fiasco would be a dramatic understatement. Not only do we have a situation in which private security contractors stand accused of killing Iraqi civilians without provocation, we also have deep divisions brewing between the Pentagon and the State Department, coupled by State stonewalling a congressional investigation.
A confrontation between the U.S. military and the State Department is unfolding over the involvement of Blackwater USA in the shooting deaths of Iraqi civilians in a Baghdad square Sept. 16, bringing to the surface long-simmering tensions between the military and private security companies in Iraq, according to U.S. military and government officials. […]
“This is a nightmare,” said a senior U.S. military official. “We had guys who saw the aftermath, and it was very bad. This is going to hurt us badly. It may be worse than Abu Ghraib, and it comes at a time when we’re trying to have an impact for the long term.”
At this point, the State Department seems to be treating Blackwater contractors as the agency’s own private army, accountable to no one outside the department. The Maliki government believes Blackwater is a criminal enterprise, the Iraqi people resent Blackwater’s presence, the Pentagon believes Blackwater is lying about the Sept. 16 incident in Nisoor Square, and congressional Democrats have questions about what has transpired — which the State Department refuses to answer.
This is a debacle so severe and humiliating, only the Bush administration could pull it off.
David Kurtz offers this helpful timeline of events that sets the stage for where we are now.
No Trackbacks To “Blackwater ‘may be worse than Abu Ghraib’“
FORGET ‘WHITEWATER’; ‘BLACKWATER’ SYMBOLIZES A REAL ‘FAILED LAND VENTURE’
I’m sure that Abu Ghraib’s depths of depravity were never quite fully plumbed. Now imagine the sadists and creeps at that fabled institution being let loose to wander in the public, and all of them obsessively watching “24″ re-runs. A recipe for further stains on the reputation of the United States.
Only the Bush Administration could pull it off, and only the Bush Administration could get away with it, which they will. Just like everything else.
Bushevik State Department Won’t Allow Blackwater to Testify Before Congress About Its Contract in Iraq! Talk About Aiding and Abetting Murderers. - http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=792
Stopblackwater.net - http://box165.bluehost.com/suspended.page/
Gee….look what happened to that website….hmmm….looks like the Pentagon’s outsourced asian hacker task force is doing some moonlighting….
Romney’s Campaign Tainted by the Blackwater Affair - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....uG1dus0NUE
Dood @ 3:
And only the Republicans will accept this as being business as usual.
You just cant support Blackwater and support the troops at the same time. It is factually incorrect to say you can. Whats it gonna be Dubya the troops or Blackwater.
years ago it seems anyone who cried the horrors of blackwater were “tinfoil hat” sporters. i always wondered why there was so little discussion over what we’ve known for quite sometime to be a very real very violent secret police type group. the whole purpose, like the CIA, is that they can’t cause trouble for the govt- it’s supposed to be a “civilian” type agency, therefore, it’s not w’s fault.
Imagine a security firm in the US being allowed to treat a crowded American street as a free-fire zone. Even if there had been a genuine threat to their client (which doesn’t appear to have been the case here) no security firm would be allowed to open up on a street crowded with US civilians. And to kill between 10 and 20 innocents with no penalties.
This is the private army that masks the level of US involvement in Iraq.
A couple of years ago, a brave young woman once asked bush II about what regulations were governing military contractors in Iraq. He tried to intimidate her by faking that he couldn’t hear her, could she repeat the question. She asked again and bush II said: “That’s a really good question. I’ll ask Rumsfeld about it.”
Apparently there is still no law governing these goons.
thwap
blackwater or similar groups are rumored to have been the disruptive forces/phony protestors who brought violence to a peaceful protest back during WTO/seattle. i won’t be surprised to ultimately see it here as america slips further into fascism…
I was just perusing buzzflash and I came across a link entitled :
Stopblackwater.net Check out where it leads to now.
I guess Blackwater isn’t to pleased with freedom of speech.
http://box165.bluehost.com/suspended.page/
These private armies that BushCo has incubated are a grave threat to our democracy…what little is left of it.
Is the US Army Chopped Liver?
Support Our Mercenaries
The Pentagon’s ongoing failure to implement a Congressional “instruction” to put the armed contractors under the Uniform Code of Military Justice is a major unreported story. Why aren’t the JAG officers involved facing contempt of Congress charges? In the 1950s when Dashiell Hammett took the 5th Amendment instead of naming trustees of the Civil Rights Congress Bail Fund, he went off to prison for contempt. Common sense says it’s a much more serious matter when active duty military officers defy the Congress. Risen and Broder don’t pursue the Pentagon-sabotage angle. Maybe they will now that they have a “hook” -the Maliki government trying to expel Blackwater- and we’ll be grateful instead of angry that the Times looked away from the obvious major scandal all these years.
http://www.counterpunch.org/jones09222007.html
Given everything we are learning about Blackwater, it’s not difficult to understand why Iraqis wanted to hang bits of them from a bridge.
So what does “worse” mean?
Are they going to send the slob who mops the floors to jail for life , and give the guys who shot civilians the Medal of Freedom?
“Private security companies” as hired mercenaries is UN-CONSTITUTIONAL! AND UN-AMERICAN!
Hand Blackwater and all the war criminals over to the Iraqis!
America’s Mercenary Police.
Why Aren’t We Banning Blackwater Here?
Let’s give the Iraqi puppet government some credit: At least they have the sense to delicense and order out of the country the Blackwater mercenary outfit.
The real question is why we allow them here in the US.
Recall that FEMA and Homeland Security used heavily armed Blackwater troops in the aftermath of the Katrina disaster in New Orleans. They were seen wandering around in flak jackets and helmets, with no identifying tags, carrying heavy weapons and M-16s. It is not clear how many people they may have killed or injured in those terrible days.
Worse yet, there’s word that Homeland Security has standing contracts with Blackwater and other private mercenary firms for other “national emergency” situations in the US.
This whole concept is an affront to democracy and a grave threat to the survival of our democratic freedoms.
http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff09222007.html
Simon White-Thatch Potentloins @ 13:
Katie Helvenston, mother of former US Navy SEAL Scott Helvenston, says her son had written to the CEO of Blackwater USA complaining about the ‘extreme unprofessionalism’ of the men.
It makes me wonder if Scott was made a target on purpose. He dies, his complaint gets buried, and the outrage against those horrible terrorists gets a free boost.
This is one subject even the chickenshit Dems shouldn’t be afraid to touch. These goons are not “the troops,” so they should be fair game for timid souls like Harry Reid.
Is there any reason why Iran couldn’t hire Blackwater Corp. to fight the US Military? I saw
a news report that the US has paid Blackwater 500 million. If Iran pays Blackwater 1 Billion
will they attack and kill US soldiers? Just asking.
Private contracting is not a good thing regardless of where it is done..the military, healthcare,
etc.
It is all for corporate America and big money. Downsizing and contracting have not done this country any favors.
Necadawg @ 6:
For Republics, the order is:
1. Dubya
2. Blackwater
3. Troops
“So many of the troops, you know, are underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them.” - Barbara Bush
The head of the Iraqi police was just murdered. Hmmm..
May be worse? What we have here is state sponsored terrorism..oh and Mr Dave….as of last June ..Blackwater had received 750 mill. So we can reach out and say to the Preznit Thank you very much…for turning us into them.
I see this as a continuation of war crimes.
Unfortunately the American people will become numb or indifferent to this like everything else.
privatization of government services, the neocon wet dream, has always been a fiasco.
take back our government
mudshark: Excellent comment. This IS state sponsored terrorism.
thwap @ 8:
BW is better equipped and supplied than the US Military. Wait until boy george uses them here to quell unrest.
Goddamnit, don’t you people know that Blackwater is run by Bu$h’s business buddies? They are a CHRISTIAN ARMY! They are fighting the evil arabs because GOD told Georgie to go and kill ‘em all, he’ll sort it out!
Badwater @ 20:
There! I fixed it! :)
How long before we hear this: “They’re not merecenaries — they’re Freedom Contractors”?
citizen_pain @ 28:
yeah, except they are doing all that for a measly $700,000,000.00/year.
Blackwater is Bush’s private military, we can’t go asking questions about them, everything concerning them has to be kept secret because Bush doesn’t want us know what his plans are for Blackwater, the true numbers it employs or what they have already done in the name of the USA that we haven’t heard about yet.
Any chance they will all spend time in prison with Bush and Cheney and the rest of the gang in one of those nice new facilities Bush built for those who are a danger to this country? That would be fitting!
this entire incident needs to be carefully scrutinized. it is a microcosm of the entire bush administration for the past six years. time and again, they have brushed aside the various scandals that have plagued them on a daily basis, they have brushed them away and have emerged virtually unscathed. Now this greatest of scandals surfaces. all the previous scandals, as grievous as they were, were all dispatched as if prepping for this blackwater day.
and now sit back and watch this despicable machine as it pushes aside this latest scandal and it evolves into another day at the office, no real investigation, no real congressional questions, and no punishment forthcoming.
thwap @ 8:
and no answer to bush on the question; and no questions like this from congress or the senate.
Blackwater=American death squads. What is the difference between the US and a banana republic? Instead of a thriving heroin and cocaine trade, we use oil. Dependence..addiction (potAYto..poTAHto…) Bush and Cheney are the latest drug lords.
BaScOmBe @ 31:
Well, that’s a small sum considering they are fighting the crusade! Anyway, it taxpayer money, who cares? This is America, pick yourself up by the bootstraps you sissy!
Wasn’t there an incident a couple of years ago where either Blackwater, Caci or one of the other private security contractors shot up a US Army National Guard checkpoint while they were out shooting anything that moved?
http://www.populistamerica.com....._black_eye
http://www.defensenews.com/sto.....;C=america
I’m glad BWater is getting more attention.
Above are two great links about this country. the second is about how Blackwater is receiving contracts to “help out” on the war on drugs. 20% of their efforts will be DOMESTIC!
So, those of you who referenced Blackwater in the streets shooting americans, give it a few months.
country=company
Then again, the typo kinda works.
hanshiro @ 35:
I have been making this point for some time… we ARE a Banana Republic:
Big Oil and the polluters now run the EPA…
Big Pharma writes the prescription drug plan…
Credit companies and banks write the bankruptcy laws…
School testing firms write the No child Left behind act…
Almost every agency or aspect of our Government, under Republican rule, has been systematically turned over to moneyed interests, that have no country, no creed, no scruples… stricly FOR PROFIT.
Hence, Banana Republic!
Before it is over, either our armed forces, or American citizens acting together in self-defense, are going to be in a fight to the death with Blackwater and other companies like them. They are private, mercanary armies wserving the neocons. They draw the overwhelming amount of their operating cash from us by siphoning our tax dollars. They do not, in any way, serve America or its interests or its People. They are deadly parasites.
The neocons are establishing themselves as warlords of sorts as they work their work of consolidating the grip of fascism on this Nation. The Blackwaters are step whatever of establishing totalitarian rule: establish your own army of thugs to at first sidestep the law and institutions of a free society, and to later become the law and the institution of enforcing totalitarian rule.
The people who work for these companies need to consider what their fate will be when the People and the Law has had enough of them.
There is an excellent deconstruction of a Blackwater contract in the current issue of Harpers. The situation is even more fucked up than you thought because of the brazen unconscionability of their contracts with their employees (aka mercenaries).
It would seem that the Office of Accountability and Transparency is now unaccountably opaque.
who can we contact in government to see that the clowns are put out of business?
Keep in mind that it is Blackwater who currently guards American “VIP’s” and diplomatic officials. This is their private army.
“At this point, the State Department seems to be treating Blackwater contractors as the agency’s own private army, accountable to no one outside the department.”
And that’s what scares the hell out of me
Remember one of Rumsfeld’s first reactions about abu ghraib was to ban all cameras from the prison. He wasn’t worried about what had happened to the prisoners, he was worried about more pictures being taken. He knew exactly what had been going on there.
This administration is more cruel and criminal, I fear, than any of us have imagined.