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thallus
Stranger thanyou
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Blackwater USA and other private contractors
#7419836 - 09/17/07 02:07 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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A look at some of the incidents involving private contractors firing on Iraqi civilians:
_ September 2007: Contractors believed to be working for North Carolina-based security firm Blackwater USA kill eight Iraqi civilians and wound 13 in a firefight after a bombing near a State Department motorcade in Baghdad. The Iraqi government says it is revoking the firm's license.
_ May 2007: A Blackwater employee fatally shoots an Iraqi civilian deemed to be driving too close to a company security detail. A company spokeswoman says that based on incident reports and witness accounts, the employee acted lawfully and appropriately.
_ December 2006: A drunken Blackwater employee fatally shoots a bodyguard for Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi, Iraqi and U.S. officials say. The incident is under investigation.
_ 2006-2007: Two employees of Virginia-based Triple Canopy accuse their supervisor of shooting at Iraqi civilians for amusement after saying he was "going to kill somebody today." The company fires all three employees for failing to immediately report incidents involving gunfire.
_ 2005-2006: Former employees of Custer Battles, a Rhode Island-based firm, accuse co-workers of firing indiscriminately at civilians and crushing a car filled with Iraqi children and adults while trying to make their way through a traffic jam. The company denies the accusations.
_ December 2005: Employees of London-based Aegis Defense Services post videos on the Internet showing company guards firing at Iraqi civilians from a moving vehicle. Aegis says the shootings were within protocols allowing guards to fire on vehicles that approach too close or too quickly. U.S. Army auditors agree with Aegis.
_ May 2005: Sixteen American security guards employed by North Carolina-based Zapata Engineering are jailed by Marines in Fallujah after they allegedly fired on U.S. forces and Iraqi civilians. The guards are released after three days and sent back to the U.S. None are charged.
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thallus
Stranger thanyou
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Re: Blackwater USA and other private contractors [Re: thallus]
#7419840 - 09/17/07 02:08 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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Taco Chef
I found dead John Cheever
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Re: Blackwater USA and other private contractors [Re: thallus]
#7419864 - 09/17/07 02:15 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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yeah this firm worries me a great deal. blackwater is basically a private army...very unamerican i f you ask me
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Taco Chef
I found dead John Cheever
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Re: Blackwater USA and other private contractors [Re: Taco Chef]
#7419922 - 09/17/07 02:28 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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thallus
Stranger thanyou
Registered: 08/15/06
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Re: Blackwater USA and other private contractors [Re: Taco Chef]
#7419935 - 09/17/07 02:31 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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zorbman
blarrr
Registered: 06/04/04
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Re: Blackwater USA and other private contractors [Re: thallus]
#7419976 - 09/17/07 02:42 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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That's what happens when you have no accountability. Civilians don't operate under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Weren't there a lot of mercenaries working for Rome just before it fell? They also had a lot of trouble with barbarians aka "terrorists".
Hmmm.
-------------------- “The crisis takes a much longer time coming than you think, and then it happens much faster than you would have thought.” -- Rudiger Dornbusch
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robbyberto
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Re: Blackwater USA and other private contractors [Re: thallus]
#7420030 - 09/17/07 02:57 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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But Rome lasted a lot longer than America is going to last. The guys who work for Blackwater rake in tons of money but a lot of them get killed.
-------------------- “People say having kids is life changing, well that doesn’t necessarily mean a good thing, does it? I could take one of my legs off. That would change my life.” -Karl Pilkington
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RandalFlagg
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Re: Blackwater USA and other private contractors [Re: thallus]
#7420487 - 09/17/07 05:07 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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I don't see any problem with private security firms being used in Iraq. Just because a few Blackwater employees do stupid shit here and there does not mean that the entire company is evil or something.
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LeftyBurnz
Mr. I Eat Butthole
Registered: 06/21/05
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Re: Blackwater USA and other private contractors [Re: RandalFlagg]
#7420515 - 09/17/07 05:14 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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so, citizen militias are looked down upon and even persecuted by the goverment. however mercenary "corporations" are not?
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RandalFlagg
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Re: Blackwater USA and other private contractors [Re: LeftyBurnz]
#7420525 - 09/17/07 05:16 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
leftysurprise said: so, citizen militias are looked down upon and even persecuted by the goverment. however mercenary "corporations" are not?
I'm all for citizen militias.
Unfortunately, the Iraq conflict is such that the U.S. military is not big enough to do all of the required shit that needs done. So, the U.S. military subcontracts out to mercenaries.
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Taco Chef
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Re: Blackwater USA and other private contractors [Re: RandalFlagg]
#7420877 - 09/17/07 06:32 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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the problem I have is that this is a standing army not controlled by elected officials, but rather by private interests.
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Prisoner#1
Even Dumber ThanAdvertized!
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Re: Blackwater USA and other private contractors [Re: Taco Chef]
#7420896 - 09/17/07 06:38 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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so it's no different than the 'government controlled' standing army
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robbyberto
Water Boy
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Re: Blackwater USA and other private contractors [Re: Taco Chef]
#7420908 - 09/17/07 06:42 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
novumorganum said: the problem I have is that this is a standing army not controlled by elected officials, but rather by private interests.
Private armies have always and will always exist.
-------------------- “People say having kids is life changing, well that doesn’t necessarily mean a good thing, does it? I could take one of my legs off. That would change my life.” -Karl Pilkington
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moon_glue
Orwell's Post9/11 Era
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Re: Blackwater USA and other private contractors [Re: robbyberto]
#7421134 - 09/17/07 07:51 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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can i start my own private army?
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robbyberto
Water Boy
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Re: Blackwater USA and other private contractors [Re: moon_glue]
#7421150 - 09/17/07 07:56 PM (16 years, 6 months ago) |
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Yes, but you're not allowed to train with real weapons. Just make sure your men have the same weapon so you can standardize ammo and parts.
-------------------- “People say having kids is life changing, well that doesn’t necessarily mean a good thing, does it? I could take one of my legs off. That would change my life.” -Karl Pilkington
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