Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Blackwater - Legalized Killers












Blackwater. If you are not familiar with the word, you are about to be enlightened. Blackwater USA is the world’s largest private mercenary army with over 20,000 soldiers and its own air force. You may not have been aware that the Unites States employs mercenaries, well, now you know. It’s not enough that we spend billions of dollars on the military; we must also spend money on employing hired killers to handle our business on American soil as well as abroad. The government does not have enough money to provide adequate healthcare to the elderly or small children, but there is no shortage of funds when it comes to putting fire-power in middle-eastern countries or in the streets or New Orleans.

Blackwater got its start in 1996 as a private military training facility in the wilderness of North Carolina. Visionary executives, all of them former Navy Seals or other Elite Special Forces people, envisioned it as a project that would take advantage of the anticipated government outsourcing (why the United States government would need to outsource is beyond me). It is now a decade later, Blackwater has become the most powerful mercenary firm in the world. It has 20,000 soldiers on the ready, the world’s largest private military base, and a fleet of twenty aircraft, including helicopter gunships. It’s become nothing short of the Praetorian Guard for the Bush administration’s so-called global war on terror. And it’s headed by a very rightwing Christian activist, ex-Navy Seal named Erik Prince, whose family was one of the major bankrollers of the Republican Revolution of the 1990s. Prince, himself, is a significant financial contributor of President Bush and his allies.
Currently Blackwater protects the top US officials in Iraq and yet we know almost nothing about the firm’s quasi-military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and inside the US.
I’m not even comfortable typing the word “protects” in the same sentence with Blackwater; It’s hard to see them as protectors when in 2006 they forced our very own U.S. soldiers out of a Humvee on a street in Baghdad's Green Zone, took their weapons and forced them down on the ground. If that seems distant to you, let me bring it closer to home. During the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, Blackwater agents were sent to New Orleans to “assist” the homeland security effort. They were given the authority to make arrests and use force as the deemed necessary. Blackwater agents were seen taking over a local citizen’s apartment in the area of St. James and Bourbon Street; they tossed the individuals personal belongings to the street as they help up gold Louisiana law enforcement badges.

In a horrific incident last month, Blackwater agents killed 17 civilians in Baghdad. I can not fathom why we (United States) allow them to continue to operate after the blood of innocent people was shed in such a terrible manner. News sources have reported that the heads of some of the civilians were completely blown off, and some of the bodies were burned beyond recognition. We still continue to throw money at this group of killers. Back in 2001, Blackwater had less than $1 million worth of government business. Since then, the company has received more than $1 billion in U.S. taxpayer funds, including a huge no-bid contract with the State Department. Just recently they received a contract worth up to 92 million dollars from the Department of Defense amid hard questions about their involvement in two separate violent incidents in Iraq. The Iraqi government announced that it had revoked Blackwater's license to operate in their country, yet the U.S. continues to support them, looks to me like we have resorted to hiring killers to take care of those people we want removed.

If we turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to what Blackwater has done and is doing in Iraq, we are opening ourselves up to having those same acts committed against us at home, remember the aftermath of Katrina??

You owe it to yourself to get knowledgeable and keep a watchful eye on this group of killers.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's only a matter of time before our military and police are replaced with organizations such as this. We need to take action now to prevent it.

Anonymous said...

i hope the issue of Blackwater becomes a topic of discussion throughout the 08 campaigs. I woukd like to know how each candidate plans to handle and/or work with the issue.

Anonymous said...

We should redirect the money we spend on blackwater and give it to our military.

Anonymous said...

I've been following these dudes for a min. Erik Prince is a scary man. some of his beliefs are extreme. It's even more frightening that he has such strong ties to our government, makes you wonder in what direction we are headed with law enforcement.

Anonymous said...

Just how long before these guys are policing our neighborhoods? I'm sure you know what I mean when I say "our".

Anonymous said...

This is one of the reasons African-Americans need to stay on top of what's going on in the world. If we sleep on issues like this they will soon be happening to us, if they aren't already. Keep blogging!

Anonymous said...

I saw a news report that had the father and husband of two people that were killed at the hands of blackwater. they were innocent civilians. America has placed killers in a country where we are supposed to be helping.

Anonymous said...

WHAT OF NEWSWEEK THEN?

To read in Newsweek Eric Prince
Comes off as like a prince
Of peace--in praise the magazine
Its words does hardly mince.

Painted as a good Christian man
And blah blah blah blah blah,
But he would kill another man
To profit without awe.

So what of Newsweek then? What of
The so-called journalists
Employed there? Propaganda´s arm
The moniker resists

Of journalism--so it seems:
If info comes distorted
So blatantly, why bother read,
Why bother to report it?

Anonymous said...

Good post.

Anonymous said...

you guys are dumb, blackwater is doing alot of good things to, if you wanna judge a whole organization because of one event and all soldiers are evil because that marine threw a puppy off a cliff.

Anonymous said...

I think the small handfull of events of the bad things Blackwater has done, is enough to show that the company is run by a tyrant. Yes they may have done "good" things, but ONE terrible deed is plenty to show that they obviously don't care to think about the actions taken and will probably shoot up innocent civilians again. The money dumped into them is bad enough! PETITION BLACKWATER

Anonymous said...

There are more and more people that are in the need of Buy Viagra, many for serious and real erectile dysfunctions, others just for the placer of using Viagra, Generic Viagra. Now with the internet almost in every home it is more easy to get Viagra Online or Cheap Viagra or if you want you can purchase Viagra Online Without Prescription or Viagra Without Prescription, you just have to take the easiest way to obtain the product.

Anonymous said...

Hello everyone, it's my first visit at this web page, and paragraph is really fruitful in support of me, keep up posting these types of articles or reviews.
My page :: buy Youtube views cheap

Anonymous said...

Ιt's a pity you don't haνе a donate button!
I'd certainly donate to this brilliant blog! I guess for now i'll settlе for boοkmarking anԁ addіng
your RSS feеԁ to my Googlе account. I looκ forward to fresh updateѕ and wіll tаlk abοut this blog ωith my Fаcebook gгοup.

Тalk sоοn!

Ѕtορ by my web blog - san diego mobile web design

Anonymous said...

It is a systematic examine of strategies and other practices of teaching as well as learning as well. 547 thousand, and by Don't forget national of that calendar year they had plunged to 837,Thousand, a downfall of Fortyfive? The particular Financial Tactics Division specializes in the area of private loans along with types of financial issues. instant payday loans These are undoubtedly useful lending products for your important requirements your services starting from your home.

Anonymous said...

So as an alternative to walking at a continuous tempo for
say an hour, you'd probably transform items up by alternating short bursts of extreme walking for say a minute followed by a recovery time period with slower strolling following each and every intense period. Just hold alternating for 20 minutes to start out and add time while you turn out to be more match. You'll be able to use interval teaching with all phases in thegreen coffee bean extract to boost your effects.


Also after you do any form of exercise it
can be strongly encouraged that you drink lots of water before in the course of and after to keep the body effectively hydrated.

Anonymous said...

You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something
that I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and
extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post,
I'll try to get the hang of it!

Here is my website :: cunnilingus free picture porn [aksport.ru]