Blacklist Blackwater

Yesterday's Congressional report, issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, contended that employees of Blackwater USA have fired their deadly weapons in 195 incidents in Iraq since 2005.

The report found that in 163 of those 195 cases, the Blackwater contractors fired first, and more often than not they fired from moving vehicles without ever stopping to check for the dead or wounded. The report also contends that the U.S. State Department has tried to buy off the relatives of those Iraqi civilians killed by Blackwater personnel.

In other words, your tax dollars are being used to provide hush money to protect a for-profit mercenary corporation from embarrassment and also, presumably, from criminal charges and liability exposure.

Today Congress has been taking testimony from Erik Prince, chief Blackwater executive, who cautions against a "rush to judgment" (to use that infamous Johnny Cochran phrase). Meanwhile, the FBI -- which requested the congressional hearing -- is sending its own delegation to Iraq to investigate the latest Blackwater shootout. The Iraqi Interior Ministry still wants these particular Wild West "cowboys" banished from Iraq altogether, and it wants to draft a law stripping foreign security firms from the total immunity from criminal prosecution that they currently enjoy.

Notice the gentle euphemisms that MSM outlets have deployed to describe the Blackwater rampages: The New York Times refers to Blackwater security forces as "trigger happy." The Associated Press calls them "out of control." CBS News headlines the story as indicating possible Blackwater "abuses." The Washington Post worries that they've committed "excesses."

Compare those mitigating phrases with the harsh language used by others. An Iraqi police officer who witnessed the September 16 carnage claims that the Blackwater guards had "become the terrorists." Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki branded the melee as "a crime." A spokesperson for another private U.S. contractor in Iraq described a 2006 Blackwater killing of the Iraqi vice president's security aide as "murder."

Blackwater, according to the Congressional report, has received more than 1 billion in U.S. dollars for its services in Iraq and elsewhere since 2001, including $832 million from the State Department to provide armed protection for U.S. diplomats and State Department officials throughout Iraq. In fact, when the Iraq Interior Ministry suspended Blackwater operations a few weeks ago, the U.S. State Department diplomatic missions reportedly were virtually shut down, so reliant are they on Blackwater escorts.

Erik Prince boasts that Blackwater is better equipped to fly certain kinds of airborne missions in Iraq than is the U.S. Air Force. They have better equipment. They are better paid than our U.S. military grunts ("roughly six times more than the cost of an equivalent U.S. soldier," according to yesterday's report). And here's the real key: Their rules of engagement are more permissive. Why? Because L. Paul Bremer's Order 17, issued on June 27, 2004, declared that U.S. private contractors in Iraq are completely immune from Iraqi legal processes and regulations. Small wonder that U.S. diplomats and State Department officials have chosen Blackwater gun-toting mercenaries for their exclusive VIP security protection over our comparatively low-paid, under-armored, and law-abiding U.S. troops.

We now have 182,000 military and non-military private contractors working for the U.S. in Iraq, whereas our total surged troops number around 160,000. Henry Waxman reports that 40 cents out of every U.S. federal dollar spent in Iraq have gone into the pockets of private contractors. These contractors are explicitly immune from Iraqi laws and, as Ken Starr and other lawyers for Blackwater have argued, these for-profit soldiers are also "constitutionally immune" from U.S. domestic laws and jurisdiction.

They can shoot at will. Indeed, they can be "trigger happy" if they want to. They can shoot first and ask questions later (if ever). They can "spray and pray."

In short: they have been given explicit license -- a jail-free card -- to murder. They can take innocent lives, with complete legal immunity.

My fellow citizens: What's wrong with this picture?

My own view is that the Blackwater "incident" or "situation" should be seen as yet another calamitous scandal growing out of this hellish war -- a black eye on our national body politic -- on the order of Abu Ghraib, extraordinary renditions, and waterboarding torture techniques. It's not just that we've outsourced many of the usual military operations in order to avoid public scrutiny. That's bad enough, but it's not all. And the real reason we are turning to private soldiers for security detail isn't simply -- as Erik Prince contends -- that they "free up" our uniformed military to wage war against the enemy.

As I see it, here's the real issue: Why exactly did Blackwater, and other private security firms operating in Iraq, receive, from the get-go of this occupation, blanket immunity from prosecution within Iraq? Why did L. Paul Bremer issue that sweeping order just before leaving his post? Who above him ordered it or approved it? Surely, someone in the U.S. State Department, or the Department of Defense, or the White House, made a calculated decision to immunize private security forces against future criminal charges in the event of circumstances that could be construed as murderous. (The Washington Post reports that Lawrence Peter wrote the first draft of Order 17, and he is now director of a company overseeing about 50 private security firms in Iraq.)

What's horrific is that Bush administration officials apparently thought about this contingency very carefully in advance, and took preemptive legal measures just in case. In other words, they gave a premeditated license to murder. They didn't just rationalize such actions after the fact but, rather, foresaw the possibility of the need for criminal immunity. They anticipated that private security contractors might "act in callous disregard for innocent life" in Iraq. And -- horror of horrors -- they pre-approved in unambiguous language such potential criminality.

Many things about this war have turned my stomach. But this Blackwater situation -- even if the investigation into the September 16 incident in particular eventually reveals that the measures taken were purely defensive -- goes beyond "the hell of war." Sure, under conditions of war, you do virtually whatever it takes; you try to win at any and almost all costs. The theory of "just war," however, says that you try to limit collateral damage that might spill over into civilian populations, as much as possible, and you certainly don't target civilians. I know all of that. And I know that in the heat of battle, bad stuff happens. But someone or some group high up in the U.S. government ostensibly decided that in Iraq it will be morally and legally permissible to go beyond brutal warfare, beyond illegal confinement, beyond torture, beyond collateral damage.

They decided that murder would be given a free pass.

Yes, Blackwater over these past three years has fired 122 individuals who "misused" their weapons or engaged in lewd and illicit conduct on the job in Iraq. But firing someone from a job isn't an adequate moral, legal, or civic remedy for the crime of murder.

The ongoing no-bid, no-look contracts with Blackwater and other hired gun contracting firms in Iraq -- and the circumstances leading up to that original Order 17 -- need immediate investigation and full scrutiny. The Senate voted 92 to 3 yesterday to establish an independent commission to investigate contractor operations in Iraq, and yet the Bush administration has already found advance reason to threaten a veto of the bill.

Warfare is one thing. Murder is quite another. Getting away scot-free with murder is still another. A government planning for and providing total immunity for such murder, however, is about as evil as one can imagine, the lowest of the low. Such a despicable policy cheapens all human life, yours and mine alike.

Comments

[tiredandworried]

Not enough evidence for impeachment yet? Are not the Bush Family closely tied to Blackwater? Hmmm.

So much fuss was made over John Edwards hair. Did you see Erik Prince's amazing "brush cut"? I wonder how much that cost. His defense to my mind showed him to be one scary guy. And he is only the "pretty face" of this organization. If this were a novel, no one would believe it could happen in America.

[TheRose]

I begin each day with the Prayer of Hope that somewhere in this country there are "Hero's" that will overthrow this Bush Criminal Regime.

John you are correct with your statement below in 6/29/07 post you made here.
We Americans have to Stop being fascinated with the false appearance of power from our finger tips which amounts to
just being a talking heads in the powerless cyberspace and become Full Humans Again "Actualized" in Reality.
Stop complaining . Physically Demand the Truth. Physically Demand Justice. We are dealing with a "Cult" running our country.
Take Human physical action to purge our Nation of this Christian Right taking us back to the Dark Ages...

"I reflect back on the hard truth, maybe a mere coincidence but a troubling one nonetheless, that the worst Presidency in history has coincided precisely with the period of the greatest flourishing of blogging commentary heretofore, along with the fewest street demonstrations that we've seen in the last half century. Methinks that we bloggers might be overestimating our real-world influence. We become distracted and dazzled by the whiz-bang wizardry of it all, and so we continue diverting our energies into on-line activities, but we don't tend to take to the streets. Meanwhile, the administration gets away with murder, as it were, despite our scathing exposés. But maybe we've also been, in a way, asleep at the switch".

[TheRose]

When seeing Erik Prince CEO of Blackwater testify at hearing yesterday on TV I was surprised at how young and innocent he looked.
Turns out he is 38 yrs old with 6 kids. A adult but it still appears he is being used by this Bush administration. Sort of a set-up.
Upon researching who Erik Prince is: see Bush and Blackwater connection
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/10/02/blackwater_bush/index.html

It is amazing how this Christian Right has come to dominate our land. The Christian Right is the leader of Iraq War and mass murdering. CR appears to be a cult that uses mind control.
The Christian Right actually started their infiltration of taking over the United States government when Kenneth Starr, a Christian Right henchman, made President Clinton
Tryst with Monica in the Oval Office a Crime. It is at this time the Christian Right "Swarm" started to destroy our USA powerful government. CR now has enough power in Governmentthat a Christian Right mercenary group (Blackwater) has revolving door employees from CIA and State Dept and no bid contracts of absorbent amounts of Millions funding it.
It seems Erik Prince started Blackwater but his company is being used by the Bush Administration to saturate our land/our planet with a evil intent of having power. Power that extends not from intelligent diplomacy our forefather's founded our country on but from ignorant selfish motives of the Bush Administration being a Christian Right Mafia to enforce power over others.

[castlerider]

Watching Eric Prince turning beet red in the face mad with his consortium behind him giving testimony in his most arrogant manner, I could see that he was still allowed to skip even more serious questions concerning his profiteering and slaughter sanctioned and paid for by rethuglicans and the US government.
It's bad enough that our MSM has to be so braindead and complicint to the likes of this brazenly successful and beligerently delibrate screwball.

[ajax2]

Don't expect anything from Congress. They are just as enthralled as the WH with having a private hit squad. Being surrounded by thugs who will murder for you is an aphrodisiac that our Congress cannot resist. Listen to Rep. Chris Shays gush poetically about his stormtroopers, close your eyes, and drift off to Berlin.

[WTFbush]

There is absolutely nothing illegal, immoral or unethical left that this administration could do that would surprise me.

Oh, except another, "Night of the Long Knives." That would surprise me, but not that much.

[Crowhaul]

Where's Ike when we need him????

Gratz, Mr. Bush, you've successfully rolled out your war-for-profit business model, as exemplified so perfectly in Blackwater...

[Oldchef]

Let's hope that Mr. Waxman is able to bring this situation into the light, but I'm very much afraid that this will be yet another case where this administration will refuse to provide any documentation to the committee at all, or certainly nothing substantial. Everything will be classified or executive privileged.

[castlerider]

Waxman, who should be commended for his efforts and bringing this snake out in the open, still failed to ask a lot of key questions.
Listening to Jeremy Skahill this morning on democracy now! (check it at democracynow.org), one couold see that Democrats or just plain concerned officials have been kept in the dark and have very much to learn and be made aware of concerning so many questionable doings among the contracors working under this individual's profit from slaugher and mayhem.

[Republicnotademocracy]

Well, if you take away imunity privileges from the private security firms, you will emasculate them. Who in hell would go to work for Blackwater if they had to worry about legal action against themselves as well as the possibility of wounds or death? Remember, many of these guys are ex-AMERICAN soldiers!

[Tubby]

Well said!

[cuthbertallgood]

We've faced this sort of rot in the past. As FDR said"


"We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace, business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering. They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Oct 31, 1936

[bronceye]

The Hessians and their equipment should be commandeered into the regular Army. This would give the real soldiers (even the phony soldiers) a break and make for another good "surge". The last one worked so well for the people who weren't killed. Otherwise, they are vile scum who fit the description of enemy combatants. Explains why the people of Falluja desecrated those 4 mercenaries when they had the chance. Enemy combatants.Tit for tat.

[PADDYWHACK]

Slaughtering ethnically inferior Iraqis using a private army of ninja wannabees is unAmerican.The outrage at a halfwit Jesus freak president running his own private war and using mercenaries reminds me of 1960's Africa in post colonial meltdown.I think that Americans are fed up but his god drives halfwit on.European Surrealism couldn't make this one up,most of our well intentioned allies are fraid to say anything to a hair trigger paranoid administration.The fact that Bush and Rush Asspimple have face time to discuss our foreign policy should cause mutiny in the armed forces.

[disgustedcitizen]

Blackwater, Halliburton, KBR, the bush/cheney administration. There are just not enough jail space to imprison all the people that need to be imprisoned over Iraq.

[JoeBlough]

Is Blackwater paid per dead body?

[Dap]

Dear Mr. Seery,

*Bingo*

An outstanding essay/post. Agape.

Oh, and BTW private Armies are a direct threat to our beloved Republic. Please, don't anyone make a mistake about that part!

[klondiker]

This really makes my stomach churn.

I wonder how much sub-conscious racism plays into this. They're just lowly iraqis, so their lives could not possibly matter? And, the US govt has totally supported the notion that iraqi lives are expendable.

How often does the media report the number of Iraqis that have been killed since the beginning of the war?