Seriously, if you were going to start a securities firm would you name it Blackwater? Why don't they just call it poison? The news on this military for hire is down right stomach churning. As a fan of the television show "Jericho" I recall from last season, organizations such as Blackwater were shown in an unflattering light. They depicted them as having a total disregard of rules of engagement, lawfulness, and to put it bluntly "life". The recent controversy which has erupted almost validates that there is some truth to fiction.
From Wikipedia: "Blackwater USA is a self-described private military company and security firm founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark. It has been alternatively been referred to as a mercenary company by numerous sources in the international media"
Most important to current events are Blackwater's involvement in Iraq.
Recently: Blackwater boss grilled over Iraq (Bullets below are from this BBC article)
- Earned more than $1bn from US government contracts since 2001.
- Staff involved in 195 shootings in Iraq between 2005 and 12 September 2007, with Blackwater firing first on 163 of these occasions.
- Allegedly drunk employee killed Iraqi vice-president's guard in 2006, but was flown out of Iraq and faced no criminal charges.
- 28 staff in Iraq sacked for weapons-related incidents, 25 for alcohol and drug violations.
Victims of an Outsourced War: This article goes into detail about Blackwater, the death of several Blackwater employees this past March and controversy surrounding not only what Blackwater does, but how they are treated by the U.S. government. Apparently there are angry family members of deceased Blackwater agents. Personally I think the idea of additional compensation for these deaths is B.S.
From article: "Blackwater's defense revolves around the issue of who has legal responsibility when something goes wrong. Blackwater's lawyers say the four men were operating as part of the U.S. "total force" in Iraq. As such, they claim, the company could no more be sued than the U.S. Army could for something that happened in a war zone. And they argue that any compensation for the families (28 Blackwater men have died in Iraq) would have to come from the U.S. government, not from Blackwater."
Perhaps their families didn't know the risks on their lives, but Blackwater members certainly did. That is why the were paid so much for the tasks at hand, far more than the average military personnel.
Ongoing complaints outside of compensation are in regards to more clarity on why these soldiers for hire died. I understand the desire of the families for answers, and yet at the same time I understand the need for confidentiality. Releasing this information could and likely would give away strategy of the organization. It is typical for the military to be discrete, but as Blackwater is a private enterprise, it becomes more difficult to stomach.
Families of the deceased wrote the following testimony delivered to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Allegations are that Blackwater was ill suited to perform the duties that were asked of the contract employees.
More recently: Mom: Blackwater should never forget my boy
So after several years of primarily being the fodder for conspiracy theorists, bloggers, the families of those effected, and least of all a reoccurring plot detail in the Jericho T.V. series the mercenaries for hire, (namely Blackwater) have been thrust into the front page news. The unraveling fiasco will likely involve legal ramifications, allegations of political corruption, and ultimately, I feel a legitimate call to dissolve these organizations. I thought I'd put up a few more of the recent links detailing the irresponsible, disorganized, corrupt disaster that Blackwater appears to be:
Pilot said 'this is fun' before fatal Blackwater crash from article: "You're an X-wing fighter Star Wars man," an NTSB report quoted the plane's co-pilot, Loren Hammer, saying during the flight -- a reference to the dizzying battle in the 1977 film.
"You're [expletive] right. This is fun," the pilot, Noel English, responded.
About eight minutes later, the plane slammed into the wall of the canyon, which was flanked by ridgelines that rose nearly a mile above surrounding terrain.
Iraqi official says video shows Blackwater guards firing on civilians from article: "They are always frightened, and that's why they shoot at civilians," al-Amri said. "If Blackwater gets to stay in Iraq, it will have to give guarantees about its conduct."
Iraqi official: Blackwater involved in second shooting September 16 from article: When the Blackwater convoy tried to drive against the traffic flow, he said, an Iraqi police vehicle -- its officers unaware of the Nisoor shooting -- tried to open the road by stopping civilian vehicles from driving toward the convoy. But the official said Iraqi police report found that the contractors opened fire at the police and civilian vehicles, wounding at least three civilians.
Blackwater denies involvement in illicit arms trade
Condoleezza Rice Orders Team to Iraq to Review Blackwater Security
Blackwater incident witness: 'It was hell' from article: "I saw parts of the woman's head flying in front of me, blow up and then her entire body was charred," he said. "What do you expect my reaction to be? Are they protecting the country? No. If I had a weapon I would have shot at them."
I'd like to conclude that I feel that these activities have to be left to the Military not private firms. If the U.S. military lacks the size it needs to work properly they should figure out ways to rectify this other then hiring a group of morally bankrupt hit men. Yes I said it. It is one thing to join your military and protect your country. It is an entirely different thing where you are hired into a position that may involve large monetary compensation for well... murder. The honor just isn't there. The people who are shooting randomly at Iraqi police and citizens, regardless of whether it is out of fear, are war criminals. After an investigation is performed the guilty should be rounded up and prosecuted for these potential war crimes. These Blackwater employees are private citizens and aren't bound by service to the military. In theory if they get more than they bargained for in Iraq they should take a flight home. Blackwater should If the Blackwater organization is found to sponsor this behavior or encourage, or coerce it, then the criminal trials should effect people right up the ladder in the organization. I should hope that the U.S. government will prevent usage of securities firms in this manner from happening again.
What is scary is how accurately a TV show captured the behavior of some of these soldiers for hire.
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