The Scandal of Blackwater
The only punishment doled out to US security men involved in deadly shootings is a jet home
Erik Prince, the secretive 38-year-old owner of the leading US mercenary firm Blackwater, has seldom appeared in public. But on Tuesday he found himself in front of a Congressional committee, TV cameras trained on his boyish face. The official focus of the hearing, convened by Henry Waxman’s committee on oversight and government reform, was two questions that should have been asked long ago: whether the government’s heavy reliance on private security is serving US interests in Iraq, and whether the specific conduct of Blackwater has advanced or impeded US efforts.
What put Prince in the hot seat were the infamous Nisour Square shootings in Baghdad on September 16, in which as many as 28 Iraqi civilians may have been killed. Waxman said the justice department had asked him not to take testimony on the incident because it was the subject of an FBI investigation. In Prince’s prepared testimony, he said that people should wait for the results of the investigation - originally handled by the state department - “for a complete understanding of that event”.
But the investigative process so far has hardly been impartial. Just hours before Prince’s testimony, CNN reported that the state department’s initial report on the shooting was drafted by a Blackwater contractor, Darren Hanner. The next day came the news that the FBI team assigned to look into the incident in Baghdad had a contract with Blackwater itself to provide security for their investigation.
At the hearing Prince boldly declared that in Iraq his men have acted “appropriately at all times” and appeared to deny that the company had ever killed innocent civilians, only acknowledging that some may have died as a result of “ricochets” and “traffic accidents”. This assertion is simply unbelievable. According to a report prepared by Waxman’s staff, since 2005 Blackwater operatives in Iraq have opened fire on at least 195 occasions. In more than 80% of these instances, the Blackwater agents fired first.
Not surprisingly, Prince said he supported the continuation of Order 17 in Iraq, the Bremer-era decree giving organisations such as Blackwater immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts. Prince said Blackwater operatives who “don’t hold to the standard, they have one decision to make: window or aisle” on their flight home. In all, Blackwater has sacked more than 120 of its operatives in Iraq. Given that being fired and sent home have been the only disciplinary consequences faced by Blackwater employees, it is worth asking: what did they do to earn this punishment?
Waxman’s committee scrutinised one incident: the killing of one of the Iraqi vice-president’s bodyguards by an allegedly drunk Blackwater contractor last Christmas Eve. Prince confirmed that Blackwater had whisked him out of Iraq and fired him, and said that he had been fined and billed for his return ticket.
According to the committee report, after the killing the state department chargé d’affaires recommended that Blackwater make a “sizable payment” to the bodyguard’s family. The official suggested $250,000, but the department’s diplomatic security service said this was too much and could cause Iraqis to “try to get killed”. In the end, the state department and Blackwater are said to have agreed on a $15,000 payment.
A pattern is emerging from the Congressional investigation into Blackwater: the state department urging the company to pay what amounts to hush money to victims’ families while facilitating the return of contractors involved in deadly incidents for which not a single one has faced prosecution.
Jeremy Scahill is the author of the New York Times bestseller Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army. He is currently a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellow at the Nation Institute.
© 2007 The Guardian
Does this really come as some sort of “revelation” to those of us who visit this site and others like it on a regular basis? Blackwater (quite aptly named) is a reflection of the maniacal, dictatorial mind-set of those who sent them there. They are not “above the law”…they ARE the law, both here and there. Unfortunately, they also (along with their “official military” brothers) are bringing that mindset back home with them. (am I the only one who hates the term “homeland”?)
We have cops and security guards here in this country who cannot be distinguished from the “official” military–they dress the same, are armed the same, and act the same.
Here in Asheville, NC, a just-returned Iraqi vet kicked in the door to a couple’s home who had just taken down their inverted flag immediately upon his request. They had taken refuge in their home because he became so aggressive and belligerent.
Will Afghan and Iraqi vets treat their fellow citizens the way they did the innocent citizens of those other “autonomous” (previous to invasion) countries?
Recently, a high school girl was roughed up and had her wrist broken by a guy 2 times her size who looked like part security guard, part pro-wrestler and part military. Her “crime”???? She hadn’t cleaned up a dropped birthday cake to his satisfaction, even after 3 attempts to do so!!!
When we start having to man the barricades, it would help if someone would inform us as to which way they should be facing–right now I don’t know.
dear jeremy scahill,i am feeling indebted to you,for your untiring work,on behalf of the american people,humanity in general and for the generation to come.i believe this issue of mercenaries,in particular,blackwater(as they are bushmen)is a critical axis in our struggle against tyranny.the people of iraq have been turning up the volume on this one and i find it ironic that iraq and americans have arrived on commonground,as potential allies in the fight against blackwater.i have heard many disturbing rumours,that mercenaries infiltrated our regular soldiers units,posing as one of them,but their mission was to report dissenters and subversive talk and behavior among u.s.military soldiers.this sheds an entirely different light on the deaths of tillman,mora and gray,etc..etc……it also casts suspicion on the high number of friendly-fire deaths,freak accidents,’suicides’and possible falseflag-ops.blackwater represents the blackest of the black underbelly of the bush administration and i firmly believe that if we latch on to blackwater(like pitbulls) and succeed in bringing them down,much of all that is bush,may topple.seeing as blackwater is a threat domestically and internationally.
A big lie surrounding this outlaw organization is that they provide a lower cost alternative in high budget environments. Repeat it often enough on the evening news and everyone will be convinced that fraud is just brave, honest work. Like Reagan said. the problem is government (getting in the way of the looting). Prince is a newer, malevolently principled stud, a bit more depth then Justin Timberlake, which brings up another big lie: Mercenaries are a highly respected honorable tradition. (Especially if you aren’t getting your head blown off and you’re getting paid well)
blackwater is so secretive,how do we sort it all out ?who did what ?was it titan,blackwater,triplecanopy or cica…that killed or tortured.blackwater is a damn good place to start …there are not too many’in the know’but it is said that blackwaters true orders and covert mission was to eliminate “ALL”SUBVERSIVES,in the combat theatre….and i do believe “ALL”MEANS=”ALL”
“What put Prince in the hot seat were the infamous Nisour Square shootings in Baghdad on September 16, in which as many as 28 Iraqi civilians may have been killed….”
See now this is what I’ve been talking about. This author takes his work seriously and does comprehensive research and doesn’t take BS from the MSM…The Baghdad Morgue counted 28 dead from this war crime….
A Big Three Cheers from CDs for Jeremy Scahill
well done…Excellent work on getting the critical statistics RIGHT!!!!!!!!!
In America, the President does not have to power to raise armies, whether “private” or not. Period.
The current President has, in fact, used billions of American tax dollars, illegally, to raise private armies, which remain answerable only to him.
In a real Democracy, the current President would be arrested and jailed before he had a chance to utilize his illegal private armies for nefarious purposes.
Instead, we stupid Americans are debating whether the President’s illegal private armies are guilty of this or that crime, when their very existence is a crime of the highest order.
Look - it’s Brittany! She’s doing something!
frank1569…absolutely you hit the nail on the head!
frank,in america,the president is not supposed to have the power to do ANY OF THE THINGS bush has done.in america,ideally bush should have been impeached,imprisoned or hung for treason a long time ago.in america,the bill of rights and the constitution is supposed to be nearly sacred.the reality is that insanity rules the day,ideals went out the window,but fight it-we must.the issue of blackwater is a platform on which most countries would concur and it is an important fight,to drag them and the dirty deeds,out into broad daylight.yes,and we must chew on the fact that are ‘leaders’use our money to bankroll genocide and mercenaries,but not national healthcare and education.in america,reality has become surreality…(look there goes,brittany,again)
Frank,
“n a real Democracy, the current President would be arrested and jailed before he had a chance to utilize his illegal private armies for nefarious purposes. Instead we stupid Americans are debating whether the President’s illegal private armies are guilty of this or that crime, when their very existence is a crime of the highest order”
We haven’t ever paid for the war crimes that our “legal” army (and air force) committed against the people of Vietnam. Imagine what the outcry would be if Vietnam ever placed a claim for reparations from the US before the international community.
“Accusing someone of murder in Viet Nam was like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500.”
item:a good place to throw your support(and dollars)visit: stopblackwater.net i dont want to change this very crucial subject(blackwater) but a post inspired me to elaborate- (p.s.dichter…the people that the u.s.military focused on genociding in viet nam,were the buddists,america wiped out entire villages of them..the buddist doctrines of love and non-violence, are the purest threat to any kind of evil new world order)
FYI
Oct6 and 7, 2007 rally in Potrero, California to protest proposed
Blackwater west Site in Potrero (near San Diego).
details at www.StopBlackwater.net
Not only are the “security contractors” apparently losing their honor in Iraq, unfortunately, the mess there is affecting our Army and Marine Corps in disturbing ways.
Killing of innocent civilians, including women and children, has damaged the reputation of our armed forces and our country.
I once agreed with the ideas in the article reference below — that our Army troops and Marines would emerge from the Iraq mess with their honor intact, despite the deception and apparent crimes of the current administration.
Now, I am not at all sure I can believe that…
“Army and Marine Corps will retain strength and honor after Iraq occupation ends” (December 14, 2006)
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=18005
Who, again, are “phony” soldiers? Seems to me that Blackwater mercenaries would fit that bill. They are, after all, not US military. They “protect” our State Dept folk (because the real soldiers are spread too thin to do this?), and as such “pretend” to be US military(ish). They are draped in the appearance of representing the US, but they are, by their boss’ own admission, not bound by the same rules as the real military. Phony, and overpaid.
bush’s henchmen,condi’s stormtroopers…their mission to root out,report on and stop ‘all’ subversives that get in the way of the bushagenda….their slogan”youre with us or youre with the enemy”guess who that could be ?answer:almost anybody ..they are fueled by greed and devoid of heart or concious(just like their ‘handler’)they are freaks,who get high on holding power over life and death.PLEASE SUPPORT THE WORK OF X-P.M. OF MAYLAYSIA,DR.MAHATHIR..he is all about reinstating the war crime tribunal and enforcing it.he ,(like moveon.org.)believes in calling a duck,a duck,if it quacks like one.you can visit globalresearch.ca,to read an excellent article about dr.mahathir and his latest very public speech…
On last night’s CBS Evening News I saw the most outrageous piece of editing I’ve ever seen on MSM, and that’s saying something.
The CBS pentagon reporter said something along the lines of Blackwater may have become essential to fighting the war on terrorism, then introduced a ( literally ) 7 second bite of Jeremy Scahill saying something like ” Blackwater has become an important player in this war…” which made it appear that Scahill was backing up the view of the reporter. ( Scahill’s edited-out next words were probably along the lines of, “And that’s an outrage…” or some such.) This blatant distortion ( in the “liberal” media, no less )was infuriating. I hope Jeremy
extracts some measure of satisfaction from the CBS doofi, if such a thing is even remotely possible
teachur writes: Does this really come as some sort of “revelation” to those of us who visit this site and others like it on a regular basis?“
No, this probably doesn`t come as a surprise to any of us, but it`s important to keep hammering home the message. So your question does raise the issue of mind-numbing repetition and how depressing it is that we are reading and saying the same things to each other that we`ve been saying for the last, oh, probably 4 years now. But we just hafta keep on saying them — along with anything new that comes to us — because, as the Republicans know, if you say something often enough, it becomes accepted as the truth.
and teachur also asks “am I the only one who hates the term “homeland”?“
No, I hate it too — and I`m not even American! It`s a fascist term, and it will pass into infamy, just as “ das Vaterland“ did. But first it has to accrete unto itself all the evil owing to it. It has to become equally hateful in the eyes of far more than just a small handful of Americans. So let the Bushes and the Cheneys articulate it on a regular basis, and it will disappear when they do.
As for Blackwater, would that they were only an escort service for big-wheels. That they are a whole vast army, capable of supporting a Cheneybush coup between now and election day should scare the shit outta those who`ve been keeping up on all the legislation that has been put into place guaranteeing the success of such a coup, should it occur.
Blackwater is the visible, the CIA, is the invisible.
The CIA as long been the private army of Presidents. Now we venture into the a new age, when secrecy is no longer as necessary. When presidents can blatantly wield their power.
Someday this may come home to all of us again, as it did on 9/11.
But remember when it does - they only hate us for our freedoms
waiguran,WOW !that IS truly amazing..i hope mr.scahill hears about that..yes,the u.s. is definetely wanting us to get used to having blackwater around and viewed as ‘essential’ …i hope the american sheeple will not cowtow us into that mind-set,it could come down to ‘hell no’over our dead bodies! but i hope not ..that is exactly why blackwater must be exposed of ALL their covert crimes a.s.a.p ! expediantly !!rick,yes,you are right the cia is the true original villian,(the lair of an ancient tyrannt)kennedy knew it and said so…and yes,they are so bold they dont even hide it,anymore and that is because they have possession of ALL of america’s resources(and then some)
bush has so destroyed us,his soldiers are fueled by greed and not for love of country,what’s to love ?our families.yes,but our country has become a malefic bully of the world,and mercenaries by nature will have no problem at all with seeing anyone as ‘enemy’blackwater has already enlisted many recruits from columbia(and they are notoriously known for cruelty)during our next national disaster(like katrina)do you want blackwater or their columbian recruits running around your neighborhood and eyeing your daughters ?? no?? then you better get on board with people like mr.scahill,and others that are working hard to prevent what is happening in iraq,from happening here and around the globe………
*zoya* and *teachur*, I join you in your dislike of the term “homeland”. Repeating it a few times will trigger the vomit reflex. I was completely outraged over the flip-flop of “conservative” NC Rep Charles Taylor, who said he wouldn’t vote for the new department of Homeland (gag) Security and then did. It was a moment of joy when Schuler kicked his butt. You can’t even depend on your political enemies anymore.
The truly insidious nature of this national secret police apparatus lies in the effort to coordinate, federal, state, and local “law enforcement” so that federal policy can be implemented efficiently from the top down to every local hamlet. This month, on the 15th, I believe, DHS is going to conduct an exercise called “Vigilant Shield ‘08″, which is essentially a preparatory exercise for the eventuality of martial law.
It so happens that your local sheriff is the only legitimate law enforcement office given that the sheriff is the only elected law enforcement official. The sheriff therefore has a degree of autonomy that no other law enforcement has. By virtue of his election by his people, he can manage his jurisdiction to suit his constituency. (The sheriff can be “she”, of course ) He is the authority in his jurisdiction.
The sheriff of Waco County, Texas, has the authority to prevent the holocaust of the Branch Davidians. This particular sheriff did not use his authority, which he later sorely regretted, by the way.
It is incumbant upon people in their localities to find out to what extent their elected sheriff is complicit with the fascist program of DHS in this bogus “war on terror” and to remind him or her of the profound authority of the office.
Here in NC, the sheriff whose jurisdiction includes the Blackwater encampment in the eastern part of this state, has the authority to oversee the Blackwater operation in his jurisdiction and enforce any and all Constitutional limitations upon its activities. Supposing this sheriff had the will and the guts, he or she could legally require Blackwater to sit up or roll over.
In the face of the threat posed by the DHS and the militarisation of our country, every locality should investigate to what extent their sheriff can provide the community with a firewall to resis the intrusion of fascist federal authority.
well,then(in my redneck of the woods) we’re screwed,cruxpuppy…cause every sheriff within a hundred miles of me is either a freemason or a bible totin born again hippocrit……….
Eric Prince is the kind of guy who would sell out anyone in his own family. HE and the private army SH%^WATER USA took up arms against the people of the United States of America. He is a traitor for bearing arms against citizens of New Orleans, violations of the Constitution of the United States, violation of Federal, State, and Local laws. This behaviour is unacceptable. This freakin clown mocks the elected Congress. Everyone in this company needs to disavow the corporation immediately, or otherwise become complicit. The people needs to understand that “YES”, theese same people will willingly bear arms against you for any reason. Erc Prince is now in line with a historical refence to NAZISM of the brown shirts. These maniacs would not hesitate to murder anyone in your own family. They got to go.
Coffeelover,,,,,,,,
*whitewatersally*, I’m inclined to suspect you haven’t talked to your sheriff and let him know how fond you are of the Constitution. So long as you’re not cooking meth in your trailer, you’ve got a basis to get along…real people are very different from the labels they sometimes attract…it is always a mistake to slap a label on some one, but that’s the usual modus operandi of a snooty liberal…
Does anyone else here wish that Common Dreams had a PM (private message) capability? (to write to each other).
Great work on this issue Jeremy. Once we fought Hessian mercenaries. Now we hire them. The media continues to ask no questions about the meaning of an Iraqi government that has no power to prosecute criminals or revoke their license to kill.
crux-do you mean kinda like you just labled me a “snooty liberal” ??i can see thru you,you are a normal humanbeing projecting yourself onto someone else-i get it(dont worry,that is normal,most people are guilty of that,apparently you are no different than most people).where i live,every sheriff will be nursing at least a 20 year hangover caused by getting too juiced up on/with jeb bush…in the future,crux,try not to project so much,that we lose sight of this very very important issue..blackwater..
Interesting comment, teachur.
What people keep forgetting is this:
Why don’t we like mercenaries? Because they kill for money. Not for the USA, not for their country, not for their colleagues, not for the Constitution, but for money . . .
And that means that their services are available to the *highest bidder*, not the American people, not the USA, not the Constitution . . . And they will take money from the highest bidder and do their jobs, whether or not that job involves killing Iraqis or killing Americans.
whitewatersally - the Blackwater issue is the issue of police power and the legitimacy thereof. We are witness in Iraq to what could one day be our experience here, and is to some degree already the experience of some US citizens right now. Check out *teachur’s* post at the opening of this thread.
So far as police power is concerned, it came as a surprise to me when I learned the office of sheriff is the only elected law enforcement office in our police riddled society. Local people choose who will enforce their laws. I like the idea. I respect my local sheriff and imagine that he will one day defend me against Blackwater.
While we consider a private, for-profit, poiice/paramilitary operation run amuck in the service of a quasi-fascist US administration, thanks to the courage and scholarship of Jeremy Scahill, it is interesting to consider the potential of a democratically chosen law enforcement alternative, isn’t it?
Don’t you feel bad for dissing the only democratic law enforcement office we have?
No, I didn’t accuse you of being a snooty liberal, but I have noticed that some liberals do look down their noses at others and call them rednecks. Your psychological analysis is well-received. 10-4.
Yep, It’s the dreaded “SS” of 1940’s Germany.
Better get out while you still can.
According to the Nazi playbook, what’s next is restricting travel of __________ (insurgents, terrorists, enemy combatants, dissendents, suspects, pick one) Translation = anyone who speaks up against this outlaw Administration and it’s illegal private merc armies.
Blackwater signed over one billion dollars now of total pork. They are going to do some serious shooting/interigating/white-house-mafia protection for that kind of money. If they get kicked out of the middle east, that means they are headed toward a U.S. town near you. Blackwater will not refund the money. No no-bid contracts have been refunded yet on this fake war on terror or the fake war on drugs to my knowledge.
Both are nothing but the creations of war merchant crime families.
Freedom and Liberty were nice for about 227 years
Here Lies the U.S. Constitution and it’s Bill of Rights
R.I.P. (1776-2003)
then you must understand that here in florida,it is sheriffs whom have made the decision to the widespread overuse of tasers.not on hardened criminals,but just your average rowdy people,many people have died in florida,after being tasered,it is a form of torture and it DOES kill.(we asre living,what teachur is posting,a parting-gift from jeb bushjust as they are appear to be phasing out the military,so that contractors such as blackwater will be deemed’essential’so are they trying to phase out the very offices you refer to,i am sure they are at the very least, on the endangered list.no,i dont feel bad for dissing a democratically ‘elected’official,local or otherwise…so are governors,senators and presidents..would you like me to feel badly for dissing your president ?and p.s. you are still projecting some air of snootiness when you presume to tell me what blackwater is about….you are only half/right,it is that(police power/legit)and much much more…and if you had checked out my message,right under teachur’s,then you would know that i have been following the issue of blackwater fairly closely for quite awhile,because of confidences that were told to me,concerning blackwater spying on our sons and daughters in the regular enlisted u.s.military and as to the true nature of blackwaters covert(not the obvious security mission)mission and the true orders they are acting on’eliminating’all’subversives in the combat theatre.from what i have learned it is not even a stretch to say that blackwater has been murdering our own children enlisted in iraq and afganistan…because they had the courage to speak out against that which is wrong…so they have been fingered and labled as dissidents or subversives or as bush would say’enemy’
confidences were told to me concerning blackwater spying on our enlisted soldiers,soldiers who have bravely spoken out against the wrongs,were labled dissidents or subversives or as bush would say’enemy’.blackwaters mission and orders are not simply security,but to eliminate all subversives in the theatre,it is not even a stretch to conclude they may murdered our own children stationed in iraq and afganistan.contrary to what you say,crux,blackwater CANNOT BE BOUGHT BY JUST ANY BIG BANKROLL WITH A GRUDGE…THEY ARE TOTALLY LOYAL TO BUSH,HALLIBURTON AND THE AGENDA OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER ! that is why they are so dangerous and that is why it is desirable and imperative to bring them down…there is also titan,triplecanopy,cica and others in this lucrative business,i have read that titan and cica were hired to assist and administer torture at abu garib.but blackwater is special because they are the posterboys of bush,halliburton and the new world order…….(sally)
I read Jeremy Scahill’s book about Blackwater and one of the things I learned was that Eric Prince is a “devout” Roman Catholic. Now I would really like to know how a supposedly devout Christian can be the head of such an organisation as Blackwater. What, does he think he is supplying soldiers for “God’s army”? I was raised Catholic; went to Catholic schools, both elementary and high school. Shortly after high school I quit attending the Catholic church. That was over 40 years aqo, and I couldn’t stand the hypocrasy I was seeing in it then. I just don’t understand how the “Christian Right” can be so gung-ho about this war and this evil Administration. I have gotten to the point where I don’t even want to be a Christian anymore.
i am not usually up this late,but i wanted to apologize for getting a little steamed-up.i am new at posting,i have never blogged or posted before and have been a participant over the last two weeks.i am sure there are many fine sheriffs,there are a couple around here,but there is always someone higher up that gives the orders to them.i doubt very seriously that your sheriff would be able to protect you from mercenaries,in the event of disaster and especially since i understand the local law enforcement arsenals are run low on bullets and other essential items.i dont know if i am going to partcipate anymore in this posting stuff.the pain and anguish (evidenced here at commondreams),of compassionate americans,horrified at the hellish crimes being perpetrated by our government run amok(in our names)…..is very sad,since our hands are tied and words cannot defend……..goodnight all,sally
AmeriKKKa the real global terrorists…
Dear Sally, I appreciate yr depth of feeling and righteous rage at what the corrupt, dark-hearted leaders are doing to fellow human beings.
You are important … each of us who are moved to protest and *speak out* are IMPORTANT, -without the likes of us, the deceivers in power would have no opposition at all. Don’t give up gal! But instead find ways to inspire others to join in the battle against darkness, -and never forget: the likes of us have LIGHT on our side, whilst the warmakers most definitely *do not*.
You are needed.
We are needed.
The world actually NEEDS the likes of us!
We are not saints, just sorely stretched little beings buzzing in the face of the murderous morons in power, -but hey, remember that spending the night in a mosquito net with even a solitary mosquito can be quite a trial!
Yes, we sometimes have our ‘internal differences’ –all groups do, but that comes with the territory, and we can learn how best to cooperate, (learn relationship skills, such as NVC) as we go along.
Unity in purpose is a great thing, and has power in it, whilst separation and depression deplete our powers to achieve change. I’ve been committed to ‘the cause’ since I was 16yrs or so. I haven’t yet given up, -nor shall I ever!
Over-focus on the ghastly things which are occurring in our world can sometimes overwhelm us, so to balance that out, it’s useful to take a bit of a break here and there, and gain succour / strength from nature, and from whatever spiritual thing we hold dear, (if any) and from the smiles + hearts of friends and comrades who are of the same ilk as us, –there ARE a lot of good things in this world, we just kinda overlook that sometimes.
WhitewaterSally, for every bit of ‘black water’ in the world, there’s an ocean of ‘white water’
-as it were!
Be well / be strong, fellow progressives.
xx
There maybe a place for privatisation in the system but in some cases it is counterproductive unless profit is the sole aim:
If Blackwater’s business is made out of instability and war, their actions are not about bringing harmony and peace. It is more likely they will do what they can to expand any conflict.
Likewise if a pharmaceutical, medical or insurance company’s profits come from taking money from the sick, it would be hard to expect them to try to eliminate the disease, or reducing the suffering.
Everywhere we are giving the gangsters the keys and selling our future to slavery out of fear.
Yeah Sally,
Don’t go away. If your new to posting, these conflicts and emotions are normal no matter what the topic.
I think your points are very valid… I dont’ think any law enforcement, no matter how well intentioned, can resist the bush crime family offer of unlimited power over the people with no consequences.
Tasers are torture. Tasering someone after they’ve been taken to the ground is a particularly dispicable and sadistic form of cruel and unusual punishment, and every officer who does this should go to jail for it and lose his badge.
Remember progressives: today we are few, tomorrow we will be a tsumami.
cheers,
pac
So now what? Some members of Congress have asked questions and made statements. Are we to wait until the FBI finishes its investigation being protected by the Party being investigated? Why hasn’t Congress acted on the conflict of interest regarding the investigation? What I’d like to see is the investigation done by the Iraqi law enforcement. Why wasn’t any official from Iraq at the recent hearing?
So We learned today that the FBI needs protection from Blackwater to investigate Blackwater…. while our military needs protection from Blackwater to occupy other countries in the world….I guess Blackwater is the only entity in the world that does not need the protection of anybody else except maybe the War enablers of our government and media…What a racket eh?
After the revolution, for national security, every government action should be approved by a revolving commitee of Common Dreams bloggers…we are the People’s Think Tank…Keep up the good work, Folks.
Love, Jim
Don’t worry everyone, Condi Rice fixed it. She gave them a light slap on the wrist and told them not to do it again. Everyone in Iraq can sleep soundly again without worry. What a crock of shit!
Jim, and other contributors at CD who have written about the BrackishWater cabal, thanks for your diligence and persistent work to tell what the MSM is to chickenshit to tell the ignorant masses.
Curious about Blackwater?
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/062fxarf.asp?pg=1
Or Google Warriors for Hire
Does Bush or any of his cronies have a crucifix in their offices or bedrooms ?
For more background on Blackwater go to:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/20/1337226&mode=thread&tid=25
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/21/1340210&mode=thread&tid=25
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/23/1429259&mode=thread&tid=25