tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558414868841065735.post6452468916914832170..comments2023-11-03T04:37:47.903-05:00Comments on Dead Spot on the Web: Old Blackwater, Keep on Rollindeadspothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04269304319838438877noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558414868841065735.post-69114156224124400412007-09-21T17:46:00.000-05:002007-09-21T17:46:00.000-05:00Well... so much for that.Well... <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7006697.stm" REL="nofollow">so much for that</A>.deadspothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04269304319838438877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558414868841065735.post-37893897371012172022007-09-21T10:11:00.000-05:002007-09-21T10:11:00.000-05:00I didn't read the post but I love the song.I didn't read the post but I love the song.Dalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10769930056412752986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558414868841065735.post-24183290542254689532007-09-19T14:56:00.000-05:002007-09-19T14:56:00.000-05:00On NPR the other day, they mentioned that these co...On NPR the other day, they mentioned that these companies don't like being called mercenaries, but they couldn't really provide a clear distinction that didn't have a faint whiff of BS about it.<BR/><BR/>That's what I thought, WP.<BR/><BR/>No kidding, Johnny. It's amazing that they have gotten away with so much for so long.<BR/><BR/>Thanks, Vikki. I should have been more clear. I don't know that they'll succeed, but I think that's what they're shooting for. I'll be surprised if it actually gets that far too, but the Bushies are in a pretty tight corner here, and it'll be interesting to see how they weasel out of it. (Assuming they don't just talk a good game and wait for the whole thing to blow over...)<BR/><BR/>Apparently, Blackwater has been involved in 7 or 8 incidents like this, and there are a bunch of other companies too. I heard a bit on NPR over the summer (was it This American Life, maybe?) where they were talking to some of these contractors. The contractors were talking about an incident where they fired several hundred rounds before they realized that there had never been any insurgents: they had been shooting at each other the whole time. <BR/><BR/>In another interview, an Iraqi traffic cop was talking about the fact that these convoys just tear through the streets without any concern for traffic lights or stop signs or people who get in their way. He said all he can do when they come through is hope he can get out of their way without getting shot or run over.<BR/><BR/>With stuff like that going on all the time, it's no wonder that they're looking for a way to get a handle on this.deadspothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04269304319838438877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558414868841065735.post-64028995836733716652007-09-19T11:37:00.000-05:002007-09-19T11:37:00.000-05:00Nice analysis. I will be surprised if the US lets...Nice analysis. I will be surprised if the US lets our contractors be charged under Iraqi law. That would be a huge surrender of control.vikkitikkitavihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01501311175482530001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558414868841065735.post-31617926433369447462007-09-18T19:43:00.000-05:002007-09-18T19:43:00.000-05:00Just part of their whole scheme to always have it ...Just part of their whole scheme to always have it both ways. With the Blackwater mercenaries, oh, I mean "private contractors," they didn't have to count them as casualties, nor as money spent on the war. This whole thing has been rife with this, from holding "enemy combatants" without charge on a contested piece of land (Guantanamo), with kidnappings, secret transits of prisoners, torture-- it's as if the Bushies were hell-bent on proving that this country was exactly as evil as the "evil-doers" claimed.Johnny Yenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06561248220244037567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558414868841065735.post-74452137952205899832007-09-18T19:37:00.000-05:002007-09-18T19:37:00.000-05:00See, now this makes sense.See, now this makes sense.Writeprocrastinatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00930301518671850256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558414868841065735.post-81679278076875830442007-09-18T16:41:00.000-05:002007-09-18T16:41:00.000-05:00I don't pretend to know anything about politics, b...I don't pretend to know anything about politics, but I think you might be on to something right there in paragraph 1 when you say "mercenaries." Somehow, "shoot first, ask questions later" seems to me like it's in the dictionary definition of "mercenaries." I hate to say it, but I wasn't surprised when I read this. Saddened, sure, but not surprised.Hazelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11692074041069145175noreply@blogger.com