Except for Halliburton, Blackwater Worldwide is the poster child for mercenaries in Iraq and for taking advantage of American soldiers and everyone else who pays taxes for that war (not to mention foreign creditors of course). Blackwater is responsible for numerous crimes, both against our own troops and Iraqi civilians. Despite enormous proof of their responsibility in illegal actions, they are getting off scot-free.
From The NY Times:
Guards for the security company were involved in a shooting in September that left at least 17 Iraqis dead at a Baghdad intersection. Outrage over the killings prompted the Iraqi government to demand Blackwater’s ouster from the country, and led to a criminal investigation by the F.B.I., a series of internal investigations by the State Department and the Pentagon, and high-profile Congressional hearings.
But after an intense public and private lobbying campaign, Blackwater appears to be back to business as usual.
The State Department has just renewed its contract to provide security for American diplomats in Iraq for at least another year. Threats by the Iraqi government to strip Western contractors of their immunity from Iraqi law have gone nowhere. No charges have been brought in the United States against any Blackwater guard in the September shooting, either, and the F.B.I. agents in Baghdad charged with investigating whether Blackwater guards have committed any crimes under United States law are sometimes protected as they travel through Baghdad by Blackwater guards.
Why would our government let this happen? Well because they claim that no one else can do their job. As one State Dept puke said, "We cannot operate without private security firms in Iraq. If the contractors were removed, we would have to leave Iraq.” Well oh my, wouldn't that be just terrible. In the meantime, why don't we shift the responsibility to our own troops instead of letting us be ripped off by a bunch of bloodthirsty mercenaries?
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