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- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -2/+62I remember watching the contractors driving around, listening to Elvis and shooting anything that moved, plus throwing grenades out of the back of the SUV, laughing as they did it...
Disgraceful, I suggest that anyone who has not yet seen, Iraq for Sale (The War Profiteers), watch it
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6621486727392146155
Also, Robert Greenwald (director of Iraq for Sale) and Jeremy Scahill (author of BLACKWATER) testified before the Defense subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee on May 10th, 2007.
Watch at : http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8706830704103212226
Check the source PNAC (Project for New American Century) for the blueprint.
Best wishes - Junkyarddawg, on 10/10/2007, -2/+49There's a lot of pretty gruesome reports on how the mercs have conducted themselves in Iraq. The supervisor mentioned in the article, for instance, allegedly shot those civilians because he wanted to test his new pistol, and he'd "never shot anyone with a pistol before".
Another incident which hasn't received as much attention as it should, is a case in which mercs set up a business kidnapping and trading in underage iraqi girls. Another employee in the same company reported them, which resulted in them all being flown home (and the whistleblower immediately fired).
That's perhaps the most disturbing thing about the constant stream of reports about atrocities committed by US mercs: that in *all* the cases the only ones who've been punished are the whistleblowers.
If the US is going to continue violating the Geneva convention by employing mercenary armies, it should at least keep them on a leash. - fancypantscz, on 10/10/2007, -1/+31The scariest thing is that these corporations are not just going to disappear after Iraq. Halliburton is now based in Dubai. The Fed is already outsourcing security to Blackwater domestically. I think we have yet to even imagine the full consequences of this so called war on terror. We used to have to protect the interests of multinational corporations with federal forces subject to some public scrutiny. Now the multinationals will have a new strong arm that can act completely free of any sort of conventions or treaties. Have you read Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins? We have just spent massive tax dollars to create the infrastructure that arms the empire of international corporations. Now if you don't have buddies in the CIA you can simply hire private 'security' to threaten the destabilization of some small nation state to leverage control of national resources into hands of privately owned multinational corporations. If the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo thought they had it bad before living under domestic war lords wait until the newly armed multinationals come shooting their way in to control the mines.
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -2/+31They also get paid about 10 times the amount a normal soldier gets paid.
- brainScan, on 10/10/2007, -2/+31We're not fighting terrorists, we're creating them!!!
- kaelyiesta, on 10/10/2007, -1/+30The obvious response then would be: then you don't belong over there, just as anyone else unable to act like a human being in those conditions doesn't.
Such behavior is not excusable, nor should we tolerate or allow it. - mirzmaster, on 10/28/2007, -0/+27So, they're not uniformed officers of any military force, and they're killing indiscriminately. Shouldn't the Iraqis treat them as "enemy combatants"?
- oracleofmist, on 10/10/2007, -5/+24where do i sign? I want to shoot at ANYTHING that moves too.
Civilian = bang
Iraqi Insurgent = bang
Terrorist = bang
US Troop = hesitate....bang
Hey Tom...this is a ***** sweet pistol
*BOOM* US Rocket - hipnotic, on 10/10/2007, -2/+19oh, that's right. The mercs can do what it REALLY takes to win the war....kill civilians. To think that even after the killing of civilians by mercs this war is not being won. Mind Boggling, isn't it.
- thinman1189, on 10/10/2007, -1/+17In a month they get what US soldiers get in a year.
- payndz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+16The scary part of the article is this: "Under a special provision secured by American-occupying forces, they are exempt from prosecution by Iraqis for crimes committed there."
Think about that. Unless these goons are caught red-handed committing a crime on camera by US forces, they can get away with literally *anything* in Iraq, up to and including murder. Even if they're caught, the worst that's likely to happen is that they'll be fired (not for what they've done, but for getting caught doing it and thus embarrassing their employer) and sent back to the US. And people wonder why the Iraqis are so angry.
The book Blackwater goes into detail on the sheer crookedness of how that deal was arranged, as well as a truly chilling side-story on how one merc... er, 'private contractor' got hold of a supply of new experimental dum-dum bullets not authorised for use by US forces, tested them by shooting a civilian and killing him, then shared them out amongst his eager buddies. Nice guys. Oh, and how the boss of Blackwater is a hard-right-wing fundamentalist, though that revelation didn't surprise me one but. - tomboy501, on 10/10/2007, -1/+16Wrong. This was a money/oil war created FOR the contractors. The 'successful operations' of the U.S. military in Iraq are really to support that goal. I don't think there is any question about that simple fact at this stage in the quagmire.
- piratearggghhh, on 10/10/2007, -0/+15There was an interesting news report the other day on Blackwater mercenaries and their growing presence internationally and now domestically. It's pretty scary what these guys will do and even more scary is their political influences. http://revcom.us/a/1236/blackwater.htm. This is their official site: http://www.blackwaterusa.com/
- jtinz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12That video is called mystery_train.mov. It actually gets mentioned in the article:
_ Disgruntled employees of London-based Aegis Defence Services, holder of one of the biggest U.S. security contracts in Iraq _ valued at more than $430 million _ posted videos on the Internet in 2005 showing company guards firing automatic weapons at civilians from the back of a moving security vehicle.
In one sequence, a civilian car is fired on, causing the driver to lose control and slam into a taxi. Another clip shows a white car being hit by automatic weapons fire and then coming slowly to a stop.
In the videos, the security vehicle doesn't stop. It speeds on, leaving the civilians and their shot-up vehicles behind.
After initially denying involvement, Aegis, run by former Scots Guard Lt. Col. Tim Spicer, issued a statement saying the shootings were legal and within rules-of-force protocols established by the now-defunct CPA. Those guidelines allow security guards to fire on vehicles that approach too close or too quickly. U.S. Army auditors, in their own investigation, agreed with Aegis. - youser, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12And that's only half the story, read this:
http://www.iccnow.org/?mod=usaicc - Junkyarddawg, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12That's what really scares me: what happens after the Iraq war?
There'll be a mercenary force of approximately 200 000 troops distributed over a number of companies, and those companies will be dependent on continued war. Either the US starts another war to keep the mercs paid, or someone else will hire them, and then the mercs may well be fighting against the US or US allies.
The dangers of merc armies are well known, have been since the 14th century: they avoid risks and are so less efficient than loyal own troops, they are more expensive than your own troops, and if you stop paying them they'll likely start working for your enemy.
I think the administration really wanted to privatize the US army: constantly increasing the number of "contractors" and then lowering the proportion of US troops. This course of action is, IMO, supremely ill advised in sooo many ways. - pintomp3, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14we are them
- Tabou, on 10/10/2007, -1/+12You would've blended in quite nicely in Nazi Germany. They too believed that killing millions of innocent people of other religion/race was just fine as long as they win and achieve their goal.
- Plinkotic, on 10/10/2007, -1/+10You implied that they're doing more than technically allowed, and your reader, having read the article, comes to the conclusion that Yes, he or she knows that, and it's ***** abhorrent. See... the thing is, it'd be a real war if you were fighting for your lives. You're not. You're going into another country and ruining other lives. Have they done some good and killed some scum? Sure. But they should never have been sent there. Saddam might have been a monster, but anyone saying this mess is better is a ***** moron, and requires mittens and a helmet just to poop safely.
Goddamn, it really does come down to "They're different, ***** em, let's come up with ANY BS to justify our actions!". In a perfect world, a LOAD of US ALLIES would wait for the military to be at it's thinnest, and then send 'intervention' battalions to Washington and Virginia. No one wants to take over the US, but it'd be nice to sit you down, slap you in the ear, and tell you to sober up and fly right. - Ghazi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8Thank you for linking to the clutter-free (printer-friendly) version of the article!
- guythomas, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9And they drive like ***** too! Seriously, must you drive 60 mph on Camp Victory? Like walking to the PX isn't dangerous enough already?
- SilverBack101, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Welcome to the new World where the PMCs are the new forces to contend with.
- ChileanGoD, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7What a nice feeling. To know that your kids and their kids will be fighting because of what you guys are doing right now. Just of what happened in 2001 because of what your grandparents did before that. It's starting to feel like a family tradition.
- Junkyarddawg, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6You say private contractor, I say mercenary. Potahto, potayto.
According to the Geneva convention, mercs are not protected by the laws of war, but are considered unlawful combatants. If they kill someone they can, *should*, be tried as a common criminal. - Junkyarddawg, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7In CDougs defence: Yes, you can stop insurgency by killing civilians. The russians have proven exactly this in Chechnya: they used a tactic which was named "no limits" and which literally meant that the troops should do everything in their power to terrorize and pacify the civilian population. If a russian soldier was killed, the entire civilian neighborhood was shelled by artillery; troops were encouraged to rape and loot indiscriminately; troops were encouraged to torture and kill any one they even suspected of being an insurgent... And it took 7 years and required installing an islamist war criminal as president, but Chechnya today is largely pacified and its resources once again under russian control. The cost: the entire infrastructure of the country destroyed, not a single undamaged building in the capitol, and a whopping 10% of the civilian population dead.
- hiphoc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Fmr Marine Corp Intelligence officer and talk show host Montel Williams was on the radio here in NYC speaking about the dangers of this merc army. He said if the war ended today the US would have a problem absorbing all those people back into the population. I am surprised someone in his position is speaking out about this issue. Its good because the neocons cant say ***** about him like "he is just a pampered celeb". He is also trying to legalize the HERB. He said that the US gov't sends weed to about 24 people in the country who need it for pain. But he is not allowed to use it for pain. He said the US gov is hipocritical putting people in jail for dealing drugs when they are doing the same thing. Nice to see someone using their power to speak out.
- fuckingusername, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5dammit and just last night Fox news did a report and interviewed generals, and they all said how this whole thing is working.
- benjpw, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5The cronyism in Washington is wire these contacters are there. Its sickining that a soldiers YEARLY salary is what these guys get paid in a month - in reality I am sure the Bush pays 3 soldiers yearly salries per month per contractor since people like Cheney have to take a 90% cut off for themselves.
- burkay, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6Now there are hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq whose lives have been mutilated by "the Americans". And they will seek revenge.
- gwolf, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5I wouldn't endanger soldier for a merc. Just tell them that's why you make the big bucks.
- rderveloy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4"Mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous; and if one holds his state based on these arms, he will stand neither firm nor safe; for they are disunited, ambitious and without discipline, unfaithful, valiant before friends, cowardly before enemies; they have neither the fear of God nor fidelity to men, and destruction is deferred only so long as the attack is; for in peace one is robbed by them, and in war by the enemy. The fact is, they have no other attraction or reason for keeping the field than a trifle of stipend, which is not sufficient to make them willing to die for you. They are ready enough to be your soldiers whilst you do not make war, but if war comes they take themselves off or run from the foe..." -Nicolo Machiavelli's "The Prince", chapter 12:
http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince12.htm - Junkyarddawg, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4I don't really think ability to compose a coherent paragraph is part of the job description.
- Plant11, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Contractors dont show up in the death polls. Keeps the war support up. Thats worth a lot to the government.
- gwolf, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Just how do yo define winning, from where I sit it's just a matter of degrees of losing.
Wouldn't a merc force, conditioned for obedience and brutality against civilians be useful in a coup right here in the homeland. - superfusion, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5When the U.S. is responsible for killing moms and dads for sport, people remember that ***** for 100 years. Even if Bush/Cheney were hung by a new U.S. administration in downtown Baghdad, any right-thinking non-American would still be sickened by what the United States became for generations. Maybe some Americans will too.
The U.S. was once the greatest country on earth. It is now the most evil democracy in history ... and getting worse.
So ... how can you blame them? - saigumi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4And to think, Aussies went ape less than a month ago because US troops didn't go out of there wait to help a merc.
http://digg.com/world_news/US_troops_leave_Australian_for_dead_in_Iraq - kageki, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4http://judicial-inc.biz/Blackwater_helicopter.htm
http://judicial-inc.biz/Fanjjuah.htm
http://judicial-inc.biz/Blackwater_Mers.htm
http://judicial-inc.biz/Mercs_ambush_marines.htm - scabbers, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6Unlawful combatants.
- Zoshchenko, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5This is just the American Wild West all over again. Iraqis are the new Indians.
- nickdngr, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3seriously, i was almost run over again on my way to work this morning. like wtf, the other three vehicles stopped and waved me on, but the suburbans practically ran me over.
- timely2base, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Don't forget President Bush's response to this more than a year and a half ago. Of course, nobody in the media bothered to ask him about it or follow up on this citizen's question. This has been a recognized concern since the war began...timely reporting from the Post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD7BDP3XMG0 - joe7845, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3The sad thing is that it might be working just enough to keep the war going indefinitely. A few months from now they'll be calling for another surge, so they can have even more success.
- cuoops, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Most people probably don't understand what you're talking about, but I do.
- Albionshores, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3And there is still the threat of a buried powder keg.
- ChileanGoD, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5My name is Water.... BlackWater... and I have a license to kill.
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3 You can bet your hat in 20 years from now we'll hear the tales of how some of the insurgency was actually these mercs committing the bombings, ambushes and executions.
British special forces have already been caught red handed dressed as arabs committing terror, it would be foolish to think that was the onmly incident of it's kind in the whole war. - inactive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2They also run human slaves to Saudi
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2 Bechtel was making money back in WW1. The Bechtel family is so rich powerful and connected they are able to keep thier name out of the press for the most part.
KBR is no new kid on the block but I don't know how long theyve ben around. - Junkyarddawg, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2The money is extremely good and the risks usually not that great.
There's no denying quite a few are unstable, though. - 1310nm, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3It's amazing to me that you guys still have access to Digg on the military Innernets. I knew a few people that went over there, they were the ones who weren't stable enough to maintain their original job. They bragged about how heavily armed they were going to be, regardless of whether it was permitted or provided by the company, sometimes with anecdotes like "I'll cap a raghead in a minute!" No one in their right mind that has anything decent to live for goes to Iraq on their own volition.
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