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Blackwater

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by hyo silver, Apr 1, 2007.

  1. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Small wonder actors and athletes - the court jesters of our day - are so highly paid, and mood-altering drugs are so popular: It's worth alot to us not to have to face reality. Never mind the euphemism of 'supporting' the troops by keeping them in harm's way, there's a whole US army of mercenaries beyond Congressional oversight. This may be old news to some of you, but a new book by Jeremy Scahill, called "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" was reviewed in the local paper this weekend.

    A quote from the article:

    "He uses government records and interviews to peel back layers of a story that no one involved - from the White House to Blackwater's owner, Erik Prince - wants told. And he does it thoroughly."

    A quote from the book :

    "Blackwater is at the vanguard of the Iraq occupation, guarding the senior US officials, yet the company's operations are totally shrouded in secrecy, kept away from the American people and American congress. To have this kind of unaccountable force at the front lines of the premier foreign policy issue of the president is a very disturbing development in the history of not just warfare, but American democracy."

    The reviewer concludes:

    "I wish I had a reason not to recommend this book, to dismiss Scahill's discoveries as far-fetched fantasies. I don't and I can't."

    April Fool's? I wish.
     
  2. desynch

    desynch Die-Hard Conservative

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    Dude.. Blackwater is a security contract company.

    Quit buying into BS media hype..
     
  3. Sufferin' Prius Envy

    Sufferin' Prius Envy Platinum Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(desynch @ Apr 1 2007, 12:37 PM) [snapback]416052[/snapback]</div>
    Of course, to some, “open government†even refers to posting the names, address, and phone numbers of security personnel so civil rights attorneys can sue if their client suffers so much as a push out of the way, or a humiliating “you are not allowed, stay back, this is a secured area.â€

    If they stop buying into BS media hype, then what do you expect them to believe in? :p After all, there ARE black helicopters. ;)
     
  4. Mirza

    Mirza New Member

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  5. Mirza

    Mirza New Member

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    :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

    http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Blackwater_USA

    Anyone who defends this, knowing what it is, is hiding behind a patriotic mask.
     
  6. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    Just one more step in the privitazation of everything.
     
  7. desynch

    desynch Die-Hard Conservative

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    Maybe if you weren't all indoctrinating our children with such a weak liberal mindset more of them would enlist so we wouldn't end up relying on a corporation to fight our wars.
     
  8. rudiger

    rudiger Active Member

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    Blackwater was, in large measure, responsible for the rapid deterioration of the US occupation of Iraq. It was four Blackwater employees who were easily captured, then killed, and their bodies burned and dragged through the streets of Falluja in April, 2004. All of this was televised on national television.

    Because of the publicity and outrage, the US military (specifically, the Marines) significantly altered their plan and quickly went into Falluja for some 'payback'. Thereafter, the situation in Iraq rapidly declined as the number of attacks on US troops increased.

    Maybe if it weren't for all this privatization of security personnel and use of mercenaries, the Iraq situation might not be quite as bad as it is today. But then, if the Bush administration had used proper military troops for the duties that Blackwater performs, it wouldn't be quite as easy to hide the true cost of the occupation.
     
  9. maggieddd

    maggieddd Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(desynch @ Apr 1 2007, 05:48 PM) [snapback]416169[/snapback]</div>
    Maybe if there would be less people as indoctrinated as yourself the war would have ended a long time ago, maybe it would have never started. Indocrination is not a liberal phenomenon.

    Whose war it is and for whose benefits that's another subject.

    You are right, indoctrination is a very poweful tool to lead masses astray and divert them from the crux of the real problems but just to remind you in the democratic system people are free to choose to which form of indocrination to succumb to. So don't drag me into YOUR war, unless you want to abolish democracy and establish dictatorship, in such case I wouldn't quarrel with you as I would be forced to serve the masters.
     
  10. Sufferin' Prius Envy

    Sufferin' Prius Envy Platinum Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mirza @ Apr 1 2007, 02:11 PM) [snapback]416074[/snapback]</div>
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mirza @ Apr 1 2007, 02:41 PM) [snapback]416086[/snapback]</div>
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Apr 1 2007, 04:00 PM) [snapback]416139[/snapback]</div>
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rudiger @ Apr 1 2007, 05:50 PM) [snapback]416198[/snapback]</div>
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(maggieddd @ Apr 1 2007, 06:08 PM) [snapback]416206[/snapback]</div>
    Wow, you people have a very selective memory when it's convenient . . .

    "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."</span>

    Sound familiar? :huh:

    Oh yeah, it's just the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The one many of you think of as a mistake.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendm...es_Constitution

    Now try to tell me that Blackwater isn't a “well regulated Militia.†:lol:

    <span style="color:#009900">“SHALL-NOT-BE-INFRINGEDâ€
    !!!!!! . . . except, maybe, by bleeding heart liberals. :p
     
  11. fuelsipper

    fuelsipper New Member

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    There is nothing regulated about Blackwater. They are not a militia in the origingal sense of the amendment, they are mercenaries who live off of "blood money" and lots of it.

    I support our troops, not a gangster mercenary group with unlimited budgets hidden from the american people.
     
  12. livelychick

    livelychick Missin' My Prius

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    I've long had issues with people interpreting the Bible to suit their own needs. It seems to be a common past time today.

    Now it seems that we've got people doing the same thing with the Constitution. To do so, there needs to be a little more study--ELSE people become fundies on it.

    Sure the second amendment does say that a well-regulated militia is our right...but it uses the words "well-regulated." The issue that the OP and the book apparently discusses is how these mercenary groups are not well-regulated.

    Mercenary groups have been used back for centuries. I don't think there's a problem with them being used--just the manner in which they are. No oversight from our military? Not acceptable.
     
  13. desynch

    desynch Die-Hard Conservative

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sufferin' Prius Envy @ Apr 1 2007, 09:25 PM) [snapback]416237[/snapback]</div>
    Dude, liberals don't care what the Constitution says.. if it doesn't "feel right" then they don't care. People like livelychick don't give a damn about the Constitution.. they just want to "feel safe" and have the big bad Police Officers do all the protecting. They don't understand that whole "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" part.

    People like livelychick think that they should get to determine what constitutes "well regulated".. laughable, since she's probably never carried a firearm in her life.