Enough with fighting those pesky Iraqi’s and Taliban who keep shooting back. Time to take the private army (aka, mercenary) fight back home where the combatants aren’t armed.
The families of four American security contractors who were burned, beaten, dragged through the streets of Fallujah and their decapitated bodies hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River on March 31, 2004, are reaching out to the American public to help protect themselves against the very company their loved ones were serving when killed, Blackwater Security Consulting. After Blackwater lost a series of appeals all the away to the U.S. Supreme Court, Blackwater has now changed its tactics and is suing the dead men’s estates for $10 million to silence the families and keep them out of court.
Following these gruesome deaths which were broadcast on worldwide television, the surviving family members looked to Blackwater for answers as to how and why their loved ones died. Blackwater not only refused to give the grieving families any information, but also callously stated that they would need to sue Blackwater to get it. Left with no alternative, in January 2005, the families filed suit against Blackwater, which is owned by the wealthy and politically-connected Erik Prince.
Blackwater quickly adapted its battlefield tactics to the courtroom.
Thinking of working for these guys? Check out some of the courses they offer and then fill out their employment questionnaire? No need to leave your weapons at the door.
LINK to HIM
was listening to this on…. Open Source, I think it was on NPR – pretty interesting stuff – especially considering that Blackwater USA didnt even exist about 10 yrs ago
You know that the term mercenary refers to hiring foreign nationals to fight for you right? The regular military, just like US contract employees, are hired to do a job the government needs performed. The only practical difference is the uniform and some of the rules.
Erik Prince is a billionaire right-wing fundamentalist Christian from a powerful Michigan Republican family.. Sounds like a real winner. And by winner, I mean wiener.
3,
The primary definition (look it up) is one that fights for money. True, traditionally mercenaries have been foreign because governments didn’t have to entice their citizens to participate the way we do now. If we had a draft, we wouldn’t need hired guns of any kind.
This back-door stealing of defense funds from the American taxpayer is a sick joke that mocks patriotism and funnels money to war profiteers while destroying troop morale.
“Born-Again Christian.”
Gee, you pick up some nice ethics when you’re “Born-Again.”
When you poke around in black water, don’t you come across born-again crustaceans? [ducks flying objects]
6. Ditto atheist: Stalin, Lenin, Mao, possibly Hitler.
RBG
Hope he sleeps good every night. Were I he, I’d watch my back, even the Secret Service can’t protect POTUS all the time. The problem gets worse when your own mercs can be bought for more money. Perhaps Karma will prevail.
#8 possibly Hitler.
Not if you took a 9th grade history class.
Does this guy think he can get away with suing the families? If the families insist on a jury trial, Blackwater will be paying the families $10 million each.
Blackwater, KBR, Haliburton, Regent University, and all other politically conected war profiteers are pure evil
10.
Likely not, but he made statements both ways.
Was Hitler An Atheist?
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/mischedj/ca_hitler.html
RBG
Historically, the use of mercenaries rather than (best case)-volunteers, worst case-draft army, is a marker for a society in decline.
Happens over and over. GOUSA would be gone by now if it weren’t for our protective oceans, and we cant defend the small land bridge that is left.
Gee, so many bad trends. Lets count the reasons to be optimistic. I’ll start—one.
Agreed, mercs are not A Good Thing…
But if any of my relatives willingly went to work for such an outfit, I would be under no delusions as to what kind of risks they were taking. They don’t get paid that kind of money for conducting wine tastings, or demonstrating Veg-A-Matics at the local mall – so if I were to see that same relative’s corpse being dragged through the streets, I would be unhappy (depending on the relative involved, to be sure) but I wouldn’t be surprised or shocked.
‘Course, could be I’m just a callous bastid…
Hitler was more of a neo-pagan than an atheist…. had a department of the occult, loved used runes and other symbols (the S in the famous SS logo comes from the runes apparently….).
Just goes to show, man is perfectly capable of being a bastard no matter what religion he follows….. (or even if follows no religion at all)….
#15 – Ben Waymark
“Just goes to show, man is perfectly capable of being a bastard no matter what religion he follows….. (or even if follows no religion at all)”
Yep. But claiming to have the Creator Of The Universe on your side lets you rationalize the most brutal inhumanities.
“God commands us to do this.” “We do this with God’s blessings.” “We are God’s chosen people, so we can do no wrong.”
Ya. Suuuure.
Lauren makes a lot of sense with this one. They hired on with Blackwater as mercenaries and received good pay for their efforts. Having said that however, Blackwater is acting like fools. If the four families can’t get their depositions then they should ask the court for contempt charges against Blackwater.
16. And for others, when their truly-believed all-powerful Creator of the Universe tells them not to kill or burn in Hell forever, they listen with more attention than usual.
RBG