Waxman: "State Department Is Acting As Blackwater's Enabler"

Associated Press:

Waxman said he was particularly concerned to learn the State Department advised the company on how much to pay the family of the Iraqi security guard shot by a drunken Blackwater employee in 2006. Internal e-mails later revealed a debate within the State Department on the size of the payment, Waxman said.

"It's hard to read these e-mails and not come to the conclusion that the State Department is acting as Blackwater's enabler," Waxman said.

Read the whole story: Associated Press

Comments

[dora rice]

Hello, it's 2007. Heavy tanks are out. Hit squads are in. Whiners go back to 1894 and quit fighting wars if you are not up to date in modern war fare. Keep hollering about the constitution while the russiand and chinese get ready for you and haul you off to do hard labor in China's rice paddies. You think that's fantasy? I got news for you. Keep working against the government and your grand children will feel the pain , wuzzes. This coming from a life long democrat. But I believe I still have some balls and want to defend this country the way we need to in 2007

[dora rice]

we can have a militia, it's written in the constitution, getting read of Blackwater will make the Iranians and their sympathizers , for example Malaki , win. By the way, institute the draft, you can't have it both way.

[roxnev]

who created black water there is no place in the constitution that says they can create a security force. Article I Section 8 To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
To provide and maintain a Navy;
To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces

Black water is illegal it is just away to steal tax payer dollars

[esquire07]

Iraq is a training ground for Blackwater. After Dick Cheney drops a nuclear bomb on an American city, it will be Blackwater killing US Civilians in the streets.

The privatization of the US Military is going just as planned.

Good luck with that 08 election. The US is one so called "terrorist attack" from total facism.

[Moshe]

Tragically, I think you are absolutely right Esquire.

If you have not already seen it, everyone needs to see Cusack's interview with Klein on her book "The Shock Doctrine." Cheney and Company are operating from the Friedman school of corporate fascism, but take the immoral exploitation of tragedy to a whole new level by manufacturing tragedy and chaos to create an environment they can criminally exploit without any real risk of accountability.

This is 17 minutes, but an absolute must see interview:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-cusack/huffpost-exclusive-my-in_b_65990.html

There is still hope, but the danger of an unstoppable wave of fascism increases every day these traitors are allowed to strengthen their oligarchical rule and chip away at any democratic accountability and the rule of law.

The key to defeating these traitors is throughly exposing them (the best remedy to covert plans is to make them overt), and then for an informed People to stand together in firm unity against the fascist plans of our would-be rulers.

Fascism is evil, plain and simple, and the dark cloud of fascism simply cannot be allowed to engulf this great nation. The result would be a tragedy of historical proportions around the World as what happens in the U.S. affects ever person on this planet. Far too much is at stake to simply give in to the dark fantasies and boundless greed of Cheney and his twisted allies.

In hopes of a better future, Shalom to all.

[PollM]

Guards working in Iraq for Blackwater USA have shot innocent Iraqi civilians and have sought to cover up the incidents, sometimes with the help of the State Department, a report to a Congressional committee said today.
Do you believe the U.S. government in any way helped in the cover up of Blackwater reckless behavior? -----> http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=622

.

[Moshe]

Blackwater should scare the f-ing crap out of anyone that doesn't want to live in a brutal authoritarian police state.

As Naomi Wolf recognizes in her recent article "Fascist America in 10 Easy Steps" there is a clear historical pattern for transforming an open society into a fascist state.

Step number 3 is the creation of a thug caste, and Cheney/Hal­liburton's "Blackwater" thugs fit the bill perfectly.

The 10 steps are:

1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy;
2. Create a gulag;
3. Develop a thug caste;
4. Set up an internal surveillance system;
5. Harass citizens' groups;
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release;
7. Target key individuals;
8. Control the press;
9. Dissent equals treason;
10. Suspend the rule of law.

Wolf demonstrates in her article that we are already well down the road toward fascism in America, and the closer we get to the event distorting gravity of the black hole of fascism, the more difficult it becomes to turn back. She states:

"Right now, only a handful of patriots are trying to hold back the tide of tyranny for the rest of us - staff at the Center for Constitutional Rights, who faced death threats for representing the detainees yet persisted all the way to the Supreme Court; activists at the American Civil Liberties Union; and prominent conservatives trying to roll back the corrosive new laws, under the banner of a new group called the American Freedom Agenda. This small, disparate collection of people needs everybody's help, including that of Europeans and others internationally who are willing to put pressure on the administration because they can see what a US unrestrained by real democracy at home can mean for the rest of the world."

You can read the full text of her article here:

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=5487

Shalom to all.

[hopeless277]

Yeah? And the DOJ on prosecutes Democrats. Your point is...?

[ajax2]

Blackwater is State's private army, SS. They will not be prosecuted or defunded.
Listen to Connecticut Republican Shays gush fondly about this private army. One could easily imagine a Hitler staffer speaking in the same glowing terms of his beloved Black Shirts.

[wheelskeepturning]

Why has it taken so long for people to start noticing? I still say these guys will be out before our guys and thats why it is now becoming such an issue. It will look like they were forced out so they can exit while our guys end up having to cover thier asses on thier way out.

[sofla954]

A private armed force operating in a U.S. War theatre funded by taxpayers via no-bid contracts, accountable to no one? What a great idea!

Don't you get it?
We avoid a draft (which would make the rich uncomfortable) by paying huge money to our friends to provide support services and "security" to our troops. Everybody wins! Our friends get rich and give our party lots of money, our troops don't have to wash dishes or peel potatoes or guard ambassadors, and the taxpayer..­.. errrmm... well, screw the taxpayer.

Blackwater is run by fundamentalist Christian Republican insiders who have latched onto the biggest gravy train in U.S. history... Republicans complain about kids getting "free health care", yet don't even flinch when Billions of dollars get siphoned to Bush's cronies without so much as a competitive bid.

The fleecing of America continues unabated.

[PollM]

Guards working in Iraq for Blackwater USA have shot innocent Iraqi civilians and have sought to cover up the incidents, sometimes with the help of the State Department, a report to a Congressional committee said today.
Do you believe the U.S. government in any way helped in the cover up of Blackwater reckless behavior? -----> http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=622
.

[jacklambert]

Don't do polls. They 'spin'

[PaleMail]

And what does Miss Mushroom Cloud Rice have to say about her Blackwater boys? Cat got your tongue Condi?

[scooperss]

And what are you going to do to fix this problem?
Oh no-not another non-binding resolution!

[Purple Girl]

WOW YOU GUYS ARE QUICK- NO WONDER WE PAY YOU THE BIG BUCKS.
What are they putting in the water at the Senate & House- GHB?
Your mere thoughts and words do nothing Mr. Waxman- start proving it and bring charges!!!
Stop blowing smoke up our asses -we're getting colon cancer.

[TLV]

I heard on NPR yesterday that the security workers who are employed by Blackwater make $1,000 per day! Imagine what those who run the company are making. Our soldiers are making - what? - $3,000 per month? This is how you choose to spend your YOUR tax money, bucko?! I am appalled. And the Bush administration can't even muster a decent G.I. Bill to save their souls.

Me? I choose to support the troops - not private firms that cost far too much and abuse our trust and that of the Iraqis.

Watch this to see what 9/11 and everything that has followed is about:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1981225573970187433

[Striker5]

I should also point out that Blackwater provides security, which is different from conducting military operations. The weapons and training are to defend themselves and their clients. They do not attack objectives or hold pieces of key terrain, etc. The high profile shootouts have always been in response to an attack.

[MajorKong]

There is no accountability. Soldiers can be held accountable under the UCMJ and Law of Armed Conflict. These "contractors" don't answer to military law, US criminal law (because they're not operating in the US) or international law. They are in a sense "unlawful combatents" which is what we would call an armed Iraqi civilian in a war zone.

[Ping]

I don't think they are exempt from international law. I think Erik "I kill for a" Price can be arrested outside the US and be charged with war crimes. If someone in a foreign country is willing to charge the bastard.

[scooperss]

Yep they're completely innocent. That's the reason the Iraqis want them out and the reasons for all the investigations.

Sheesh do you live in THIS world or a parallel universe with internet access through a portal?

[andyboy]

And ze pay is magnifique!!!

Zis is because zey are skilled with the spraying of ze bullets I sink.

[andyboy]

Thanks so much Striker5 for that informative blurb.

God Bless the Real Troops.

And fuck the mercenary murderers from Blackwater. Who authorized them? Why do they need blanket immunity from liability?

[Striker5]

If you removed uninformed, spluttering invective from the American Left there would be almost total silence.

The US government hires Blackwater because it is cheaper and more efficient. While there is a very large expenditure up front, we as taxpayers will never have to pay for medical care, life insurance, etc, like we do for our servicemembers. Long term, contract-fulfilling care is where a large amount of our defense dollars go. With Blackwater and other PMC's, you pay them and that's it. That's why it's cheaper.

Blackwater is made up almost completely of veteran law enforcement and military, with an emphasis on former special operations people. These people bring a lot of expertise and experience without the enormous logistical "footprint" and big bureaucracy of the military.

Whether we agree or disagree, many of these individuals view this as a way of serving their country and getting paid much, much, much more. That's why they don't "REJOIN". If you could get paid 2-4 times as much for doing the job you're already doing wouldn't you want to get paid more?

I'm not saying that Blackwater doesn't make mistakes (although I've got a $20 that says they don't even appraoch the US military in the numbers of civilians killed) or that they shouldn't be held to some sort of standard.
What I AM trying to do is to dispel this notion that BW personnel are a bunch of sociopathic Rambos driving around randomly shooting people for laughs. They have some problem people, just like any police force or infantry unit or pizza franchise or advertising firm or...while the stakes are higher the dynamic is the same.

98% of anything I see on HuffPo about Blackwater (or pretty much anything involving the military for that matter) is simply ignorant, conspiracy laden gibberish. If you are going to direct so much hate their way, learn some facts.

[TLV]

$1,000 per day per employee is cheaper than paying soldiers to do the same work? How about those who already WERE soldiers and have been hired by Blackwater because they are pre-trained to do this stuff? There are many from Special Forces working for them.

[Ping]

"The US government hires Blackwater because it is cheaper and more efficient.­"

Complete nonsense and total B.S.

"What I AM trying to do is to dispel this notion that BW personnel are a bunch of sociopathic Rambos driving around randomly shooting people for laughs."

Who cares what you are trying to dispel. The facts are they are sociopaths and baby killers. Please do not dishonor the brave soldiers serving in Iraq by saying that a hired mercenary killer is the same as a US Soldier. A soldier fights for country, a mercenary kills for money. The minute a soldier quits the military and joins Blackwater he loses all moral standing and becomes a murderer, a baby killer and a scumbag.

===========

Congress should pass a law that prohibits, military members from working for security firms overseas for 10 years after they leave the military. Also no one is the reserves is allowed to work for the either.

Blackwater is recruiting special ops soldiers after they have been trained by the US military at taxpayer expense. They are depleting the special ops soldiers by offering higher paying jobs. Any soldier in Iraq looks at Blackwater contractors and says "If it's the same shithole, I want to get paid more." That's just the way it is.

[jacklambert]

If you choose to go to war cos it's 'fun' Make sure you have conscription FIRST.
Then see if you really have the political clout to have that kind of 'fun' In a real democracy most Republicans would be going to the Hague right now.

Worst criminal Administration in the history of the Union and the current Dems in congress and senate are too busy appearing on 'the View' to deal with it.

If you are not outraged..­.your not paying attention!

[andyboy]

You are, how you say, a big bullshitter?

[andyboy]

Here's a notion for you: Striker5

WASHINGTON - Most of the more than 100 private security companies in Iraq open fire far more frequently than has been publicly acknowledged and rarely report such incidents to U.S. or Iraqi authorities, according to U.S. officials and current and former private security company employees.

Rationalizations for war-profiteering and the criminal raping of our treasury. We pay for this. And we don't really care what you think. Since your just an apologist.

Your puff piece introducing us all to the wonderful world of mercenaries was boring and replete with useless information or background. They don't just "have some problem people". They operate outside of any law and suffer no regulation. They murder innocent civilians and babies. Horrible and immoral. Wrong.

I'm a veteran and I follow the military pretty closely and I know lot's of others on this site are too. What makes you think your needed to inform us or to dispel notions? You didn't give any facts at all yet you demand we learn some.

Another pro-war blood soaked flag waver trying desperately to justify what cannot be justfied. Even your screename sounds like some kid fantasizing about the glory of war. Sriker5. Ooh. How cool.

Your a traitor to everything America stands for.

God Bless the real Troops.

Better get back to that new issue of Guns & Ammo now.

[andyboy]

If you could get paid 2-4 times as much for doing the job you're already doing wouldn't you want to get paid more?

No. Because it would be wrong. There's a question of who's money is being spent to enable you to get your 2x to 4x more pay. It's not okay to just figure out a way to bamboozle the taxpayer out of billions of dollars just so you can make a bunch of loot.

Are you insane? Where did you ever learn such criminality? Do you really think you can just rationalize away any and all types of heinous and criminal acts?

Your fooling no one. This a boondoggle. A war crime. A disgusting perversion thought up by the neo-cons who lied us into Iraq in the first place. We know now what they are doing. This is the whole reason we're over there. To line "veteran law enforcement" cronies pockets.

Your defense of these devils is revolting and should horrify any American.

[1TruthTeller]

Send them ALL to R E H A B. Isn't THAT what we do to enablers?