Black Water in Iraq and in the US

Video on Blackwater in Iraq, Alot of information didnt know about black water.

wimp.com...

As is customary here at ATS please tell us your thoughts on the subject you posted rather than a link.

Whats your take on Blackwater?

I don't see what the problem is with hiring civilian contractors do drive trucks, move supplies, and provide security. Most of them are ex military anyway.

But is that all they are doing? or are they fighting a war with no rules that govern the normal Military?

Or how about this, Where the US armed services can not operate with in the U.S. how about blackwater rolling up to take our guns? or Police citizens?

reply to post by stevegmu



These are the guys you will probably se on the street in the near future.

Keep in mind... Blackwater is only one private military contacter out of hundreds.

These private military contracters are well funded to carry out Black-Ops.

Money talks.

These guys get paid a hell of a lot more then the average U.S. army grunt too, So where a soldier might not shoot at US citizens a Mercenary (who has left the army and decided to sign up with a company that allows him to operate outside military law) might not bat an eyelash at doing so.

As a not so proud military member I can tell you at the begining of the occupation Blackwater was givin almost a free rein of the country but now that we've moved out of that phase blackwater is no longer needed. Do they do other things then drive trucks... yes to be honest I didn't know they drove trucks because all I seen out there was KBR they did everthing. Blackwater weather they will admit it or not is a company that hires out mercenaries or soldiers of fortune.

Originally posted by benrl
Or how about this, Where the US armed services can not operate with in the U.S. how about blackwater rolling up to take our guns? or Police citizens?

I dare them to try me and my firearms will have something to say about that

Originally posted by killacaboose
As a not so proud military member I can tell you at the begining of the occupation Blackwater was givin almost a free rein of the country but now that we've moved out of that phase blackwater is no longer needed. Do they do other things then drive trucks... yes to be honest I didn't know they drove trucks because all I seen out there was KBR they did everthing. Blackwater weather they will admit it or not is a company that hires out mercenaries or soldiers of fortune.

I've never actually heard a member of the military call our actions in Iraq an occupation. Perhaps you chose the wrong career.
What is wrong with hiring mercenaries?

Originally posted by Doomsday 2029
reply to post by stevegmu

 

These are the guys you will probably se on the street in the near future.

Keep in mind... Blackwater is only one private military contacter out of hundreds.

These private military contracters are well funded to carry out Black-Ops.

Money talks.

I'd love it if they patrolled the streets of DC. No more crime or street thugs sounds like something I could get behind.

If you didnt watch the video these guys where deployed during Katrina, because our national guard was occupied elsewhere , at around 900 a day per person.

reply to post by stevegmu


At anytime you see them on the street thatd probably mean habeas corpus would be suspended also, Im sure we would all have a grand ole time then.

reply to post by stevegmu


Yes occupation [The control of a country by military forces of a foreign power] I lived in that country for 13 months. As for wrong career choice I would say Yes. The problem in hireing mercenaries is they have less rules to abide by therefore they can do far more "wrong" things and get away with it

Blackwater no longer exists, it's called Xe now.

And it's founder, Erik Prince, has resigned (or been forced out) as of today.

His far-right political connections, which helped ensure Blackwater got lots of tasty servings of taxpayer cash, are now a liability rather than an asset.

You can stick a fork in Blackwater, it's done.

Expect to see Haliburton/KBR suffer the same kinds of reversals.

That's another company that got fat on the taxpayer's dime thanks to political connections: but now those connections are gone.

Good riddance.



[edit on 3/2/09 by xmotex]

Originally posted by benrl
reply to post by stevegmu

 

At anytime you see them on the street thatd probably mean habeas corpus would be suspended also, Im sure we would all have a grand ole time then.

How so?

Originally posted by killacaboose
reply to post by stevegmu

 

Yes occupation [The control of a country by military forces of a foreign power] I lived in that country for 13 months. As for wrong career choice I would say Yes. The problem in hireing mercenaries is they have less rules to abide by therefore they can do far more "wrong" things and get away with it

It was never an occupation if they begged us not to leave.
Have you ever met any BlackWater personnel? I'm sure many have the impression that they are just mindless, heartless killers who go around shooting people for sport. In reality, they are regular people with families, who were just trying to earn a better living than they did in the Armed Forces. A few cases of bad apples doesn't mean they are all like that.

Here's my take on blackwater, what little I know about it.
They employ some excellent ex-military, to do contract jobs for the American government, that the government doesn't want to risk its military on! Blackwater contractors are on the whole better trained than the actual military! That is why they were used. They could be counted on to get the job done, whatever it was, and they were reliable. Of course, they were risking their necks, and getting paid well for it.
They operated under their own rules, and alas, this became a liability due to a number of unsavory incidents.
I'm fine with this in a foreign country, but having that same set of (no)rules being employed in America is unnerving for me. On the one hand, it is good that ex-special forces can be called up quick to qwell disturbances, or maintain law and order in somewhere like post-hurricane Louisiana. But on the other, who is watching them, and making sure they're behaving? Who do they answer to if they start abusing people or recklessly endangering citizens or property? The same argument is probably found on Iraqi's lips. Sure Blackwater goes shooting up people, but who verifies they really are 'bad guys' that are getting killed?

I have been following this Blackwater phenomina and I can't help it, to me they are like the western version of the taliban. Keep watch!

Originally posted by cruzion

I'm fine with this in a foreign country, but having that same set of (no)rules being employed in America is unnerving for me.

I don't think it's fair for them to operate like that in another country and not in the US. Fair is fair. They should not do it anywhere, period.