Subscribe to Common Dreams News Updates
Most Popular This Week
Popular content
Today's Top News
12.09.09 - 11:42 AM
Your Tax Dollars At Work
It seems those thugs from ArmorGroup North America who were supposed to be guarding the U.S. embassy in Kabul but were instead indulging in various hard-drinking, butt-licking festivities - and taking pictures of them - will not be rehired. Must have been a tough call.
"The department... reviewed the contract and concurred that the next option year should not be exercised and that work should begin immediately to compete a new contract." - State Department spokesman Fred Lash.
Comments are closed
35 Comments so far
Show AllI guess they didn't murder enough innocent civilians to be retained by the State Department like Blackwater/Xe did.
don't ask don't tell eh boys?
This is pretty tame compared to citigroup's doings. How about pulling the plug on them?
So you're saying what these jerks did in Afghanistan's okay, right? It's nothing, just a bunch of clowns, right? Well, you'd be right about them being a bunch of clowns, but muderous clowns is never acceptable! And CG is your problem and you should keep it to yourselves, while AG is everyones' problem; although it isn't alone in representing everyone's problems. The U.S. is a problem for everyone, worldwide, including its allies. CG is part of that "picture", but only a part of it.
Dear Mikey:
Some people do not understand the word “clown”. They should watch the movie called “IT”.
"...but were instead indulging in various hard-drinking, butt-licking festivities..."
Absolutely...butt-licking is strictly by congressional appointment only...cant have any civiliansd taking over those coveted butt licking positions.
too funny
and agreed
appointments should be made by experts
Well then, apply for an invitation to Bohemian Grove. The "elites" might be glad to send you the invite.
I guess this is what the "best and brightest" do after they muster out of the U.S. military. They join up with the mercenaries.
With the more highly paid mercenaries, I think you mean.
Correct. And we are paying for this? It just becomes bizarre-er (sic) and bizarre-er (sic).
This fraternal type of hazing fueled by alcohol abuse and aggession is beyond anyone's comprehension. If you look at the photos (pdf available), you'll find the same group of individuals repeatedly, and in some frames, you'll see clothed males in the backdrop as these same individuals perform acts.
It's equally amazing that after receiving several complaints for related security conflicts over the last two years (rather than moral leadership conflicts as reflected in photos), you'd think ArmorGroup executives would be more proactive in their choice of supervisors!
Instead, it appears apparent from additional claims from POGO, that these events were not all "consensual"....in other words, some of these individuals in the photos could be some of the actual victims who have given testimony.
I realize this can be hard for some to imagine private contractors, guards and subordinate employees of ArmorGroup as victims, but it can, and according to testimonies that came out the same time these photos appeared, this was the case.
According to the POGO this resulted in high turnover -imagine that? Presumably one of the guards subjected to theses events was willing to drop the hammer hard on the executives of ArmorGroup and publish photos.
This is "beyond anyone's comprehension", you say. Where are you from, because you're evidently not from the USA, or else you know little about it?
Maybe I should have framed my words differently. In the respect I meant, to behave like this is morally incomprehensible. Not that such acts have never been seen, or are nonexistent. I was speaking that even to this day, I find such acts beyond reason, beyond comprehension, beyond dignity.
I thought it was self apparent what I meant. Oddly, you draw into question "where I'm from" and how little I must know about "it"....
One word. Rome.
two words. Sodom. Gomorrah.
One word; Gehana.
Fresno
Peoria.
Babylon.
Dis (the deepest circle of Dante's Hell).
Did you mean: Gehenna ?
For booze and sexual conduct "unbecoming," these jack asses get the boot, but they can rape, torture, pillage, and kill all they want. Gee, what the hell does that say about US power elites' morality or better yet lack thereof?
AD
I agree. If partying was all the US military did there, Iraq would be much better off. It should be encouraged.
You're quite the genius, eh; supporting "rape, torture, pillage, and kill all they want", as long as they get their perverted sexual pleasures. Way to go braithwa842! Quite a Constitutionally and ethically abiding character you are!
Does anyone remember reports coming out years ago about what our soldiers were being given to “enhance their …let’s say their stay in the war zones?
I read and heard that they were being given Viagra as part of the cocktail of drugs given to them before they were employed overseas. Viagra makes one aggressive etc.
These are NOT U.S. military people. What is there about the word “mercenary” that you do not understand?
But they were before they joined the mercs. The best and brightest.
Very good point, AD.
Send a bunch of young boys to hell and then be shocked when the behave like the devil. At least they put their asses on the line instead of playing Fly Boy Top Gun like the "Supreme Decider" that sent them there!
Now that's quite an idiot's statement. Much worse than idiot, but let's leave it at this being stated.
Let' try to remember, these are paid assassins and not regular US Armed Services personnel.
What is a soldier's primary purpose? To kill. The soldier is paid to kill. When they intentionally kill innocents, and they do so under the cover of collateral damage, they are simply paid assassins, murderers.
I can't even begin, this is all so bizarre...
when this mentality is coupled with modern technology, well, I simply shudder...
Evil is as evil does--if they can murder what is not to like about other kinds of evil?