Is this really how we want America portrayed in Iraq?

Question

“WASHINGTON - Employees of Blackwater USA, the security contractor under scrutiny for its role in a deadly Baghdad shootout in September, have engaged in nearly 200 shootings in Iraq since 2005, in the vast majority of cases firing their weapons from moving vehicles without stopping to count the dead or assist the wounded, according to a new report from Congress.

In at least two cases, Blackwater paid victims' family members who complained, and sought to cover up other episodes, the congressional report said. It said State Department officials approved the payments in the hope of keeping the shootings quiet.

In one case last year, the department helped Blackwater spirit an employee out of Iraq less than 36 hours after the employee, while drunk, killed a bodyguard for one of Iraq's two vice presidents on Christmas Eve.”

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_7059832

To awesome bill: Google it yourself, there are thousands of news articles to choose from. It is so screamingly LAME when you people complain about the SOURCE of the news, when the news is all over the news.
Get it?

To Glen B.: You think the wholesale murder of innocent Iraqis - in a land where we went in illegally, with no justification for being there - is "nit picking?"

Thank the Big God in the Sky that I do not understand you people.

Ask the families of those gunned down as the Blackwater hired killers drove by and HUNG OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE VEHICLE if they think it's "nit picking."

You think bush "killed a Hitler?"
No, bush CREATED a Hitler. In the mirror he looks into every morning.

By the way - for all of you mushbrains who think we went over there to "take out Saddam?" Er....so when are we going to get started on the 20-30 mad dictators STILL SCATTERED ALL OVER THE WORLD?

Stop repeating the lies, nobody is buying.

Answer 1

Only in a rabid free wielding Robber Baron capitalistic environment called AMERICA would any sane/moral/accountable/responsible government consider for a nano second out-sourcing such a highly problematic and potentially explosive GUARD/PROTECTION function to a bunch of FOR PROFIT John Wayne gunslingers.

Once again however the ignorant "we do not want to know" IMMORAL American public masses simply do not "get" what is really behind this out-sourcing.

THIS IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT !!!

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/nov2004/cia-n03.shtml

In it's ever so morally bankrupt and monumentally hypocritical manner,the US always tries to get others to do it's filthy stinking immoral acts.In this case ,the US simple ships prisoners off to "friendly countries" that are notorious for having no qualms about torturing/killing prisoners.The process is called "rendering".

We need to have the World Court issue an indictment of crimes against humanity against Bush and then RENDER HIM to one of these torture loving countries and see how Laura et al likes it.

(The historical record is replete with thousands of examples where the truly gutless US got other SUCKERS to do their filthy atrocities.

For example , in Chile in 1973 ,the US instead of simply standing up and being counted and responsible for the killing and overthrow of the DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED ALLEDE ,the US got A.Pinochet to do their filthy / vile atrocity .Stupid Pinochet agreed and he ended up being charged with CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY and not the US (without which the coup could never happen) although at one point Kissinger was to be arrested for his role but the US threatened Belgium and Belgium backed off)

STINKING COWARDS THE LOT !!!!

This way the repugnant moral cripples called Americans and their war mongering governmewnt can never be accused of any "wrong doing".

Exactly the same thing is being done by the US military in out-sourcing these dirt bag "for hire killers". When something goes wrong ,like it has ,the scrum bag military can wash it's hands and say ,WE ARTE NOT RESPONSIBLE,THEY ARE !!!! DON'T BLAME US ,BLAME THEM ".

MORAL LEPERS THE LOT !!! That is EXACTLY what is now happening in that corruption ridden cesspool called Washington.

Tell me again what is the difference between all the crimes against humanity,atrocities and other abominations that the US is accountable for and what Hiltler did.

Giving a profit driven killing company like Blackwater (and make NO mistake ,it is now emerging that killings are exactly what they have done in the name of protection ) , is as insanely IMMORAL and reprehensible as throwing a five year old girl into a den of pedophiles because everyone knows exactly what is going to happen but at least the morally banrupt US can say they are not responsible for what happened just like the dirt bag that threw the little girl into the pedophile den.

And the good little CHRISTIAN AMERICANS JUST SIT THERE DOING BUGGER ALL.And YOU wonder why you are so hated !!!!!!

Answer 2

I do not like the word portrayed. It is too hollywoodesque.
Facts are facts, At a rate of a billion dollars a day this fiasco led by a lie is not helping any of humanity.
One man has to answer for all the dead, wounded and displaced, that man is the current President of these United States.
Funny uses of words like detainee, suspected enemy combatant,imminent threat and weapons of mass destruction, and others are the weapons of mass distraction that fill and maintain the offshore bank accounts of a few warmongers.
What is under scrutiny anyways? Means that someone sorta knows that someone else did a bad thing , but no actions will be taken against the offender.
It is Vietnam all over again, time to pull out and let the people of that country figure out what they wanna do for themselves. In 20 years a President can visit them and have dinner, just like the sitting President did.

Answer 3

No this is horrible and it also ruins the image of real American soldiers who might believe the hype about liberation and helping the Iraqi's.Young idealistic but unfortunately misguided men and women can get hurt thanks to the behavior of these mercenaries.
This needs to stop now.It's morally repulsive.
Contractors aren't officially soldiers so they don't have to follow the US military code that also guarantees International laws of war like the Geneva conventions.Their contract in Iraq also gives them immunity form Iraqi law.
If a US soldier commits a war crime America has an obligation to punish him or her like happened when the Abu graib scandal surfaced.Unfortunately they only punished low rank soldiers as a scapegoat but technically America followed International law there.
When a private contractor commits a war crime it's much less the responsibility of America because the war crime isn't committed by someone of the US army hence less responsibility.They can easier claim they didn't know or aren't aware.
The death,wounded and maimed troops of the private companies aren't counted as soldiers and don't go into the official statistics.That's good for propaganda purposes.
Using private armies makes it more easy to make lots of war without reinstating the draft.A draft is very unpopular and usually a great requiting tool for the anti war movement.Most people are against the war now but the protests would be much bigger if everyone knew 18 olds in their personal life who would be sent to Iraq and risk their lives

Answer 4

When I was a Naval Officer, a speaker from the Naval War College and a think tank/ lobbyist were speaking on the then downsizing of the Navy ( and the armed services in general) I asked the ( smug and arrogent) 'forward thinkers', why would we cut from 800,000 to 400,000???? They risked alienating large numbers of military personnel 'rifted'( Reduction In Force) and telling their nephews/kids ," never join the military , they kick you out".

They told me , "since the soviet union fell, we are the worlds only super power and only need to be able to fight two 'squirmishes' around the world simultaneously'.

We have the worst combition in play in 3 ways:
1. far too small a military force, especially if we are in the business of pre-emptively striking foreign countries...
2. an administration that would far prefer to privatize the entire federal government, if they could get away with making more and more profits off the public , with less accountablitiy.
3. NO conscience when it comes to oil and money, ends justifies the means , for the profit motive.

Your feedback to responders was right on, this administation is so vile..............

Answer 5

A country that hires mercenaries in any conflict / invasion is in dire trouble. If nothing else it pushes the occupied nation into fighting that much harder leading into a never ending cycle of growing violence. And you can guarantee that the invading force isn't going to be on the "winning" (if there is such a possible situation in Iraq) side.

My own country discovered this during the War of Independence. Using mercenaries debased us and considering what they got up to pissed you chaps off completely. And we all know what that resulted in for us.

Besides, how long will it be before this "private army" is let loose on US soil? How long before you're told "they're just here for crowd control" or some other nonsense during a protest of some kind just for example.
Be careful America.

Answer 6

The parts of the report that concerned me the most were the part s that said that Blackwater fired first in over eighty percent of cases (despite its State Dept charter which authorizes them to take defensive action only), and the part that said they fired almost exclusively from moving vehicles, with no idea whether they hit bad guys, good guys, or four year olds....

Link that up with the fact that these guys basically enjoy diplomatic immunity thanks to one of Bremer's old CPA regulations (why that's still in force after the dissolution of the CPA I still don't understand), and we see the state of US "diplomacy" in Iraq.

You're right, it's not pretty.

Answer 7

Money Obviously Buys some Trigger-Happy Ex-Military
Cut-outs with Little or No Scruples or Morals-Hence the Numerous Killings!

Answer 8

it should be a no brainer - mercenaries, operating without judicial and/or congressional oversight. sounds like a bad idea to me.

i would recommend Jeremy Schahill's book on Blackwater...i have heard him interviewed many times and anyone with an interest in the new American imperialism would no doubt enjoy it.

Answer 9

I don't really care how we are portrayed in Iraq.

I just want us out of this Stupid, Stupid, Stupid blunder.

I'd also like to see some politicians in Leavenworth.

There has to be a level of tolerance beyond which our people will not go before we begin to punish profound ignorance and avarice.

Answer 10

No, it's not, but just imagine this... If they cover up this overseas just imagine what they are covering up here on American soil... Government is corrupt and we turn a blind eye... It IS NOT just GWB and no I don't like him, agree with him, or support him, its government in general and until we make government responsible for the actions they take with the same consequences as the common citizen they are going to continue in this manor...