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Comments

• [1] mark Brown from markbnj.blogspot.com or my-poem-a-day.blogspot.com September 19, 2007 - 08:30AM

  See my various PREVIOUS discussions about

  * UN-Privatizing the Military

  * National Talk like a Pirate day (9/19/07)

  here

  http://markbnj.blogspot.com/2006/05/politics-rebuild-us-military-around.html

  and

  Here (shudders to think he actually points to a LYNDON LAROUCHE article)

  Here,

  http://markbnj.blogspot.com/2006/05/humor-lyndon-larouche-cult-visionary.html

  AND HERE for talk like a pirate day....

  http://markbnj.blogspot.com/2007/09/humor-its-talk-like-pirate-day-today-9.html

  How 'bout a closing hour segment on TLAPD today!

  Mark Brown (unfortunately Away from a radio for oday!

  
  
• [2] Paul from Manhattan September 19, 2007 - 10:50AM

  Do we know how much Blackwater is being paid?

  If a Blackwater employee is paid $650 or more

  per day, then what is our daily payment to

  Blackwater?

  Was Blackwater represented on Secretary Rumsfeld's advisory board, as was Booz-Allen, and Richard Perle's company, and others supplying staff to

  Justice, Homeland Security, and the Defense Department?

  
  
• [3] Trevor from LIC September 19, 2007 - 11:01AM

  Naomi Klein discusses like issues in her book, "Disaster Capitalism".

  
  
• [4] eCAHNomics from nyc September 19, 2007 - 11:08AM

  What's the point of having a puppet government in Iraq if the U.S. can't do what it wants to do?

  
  
• [5] barry from Manhattan September 19, 2007 - 11:13AM

  Military Outsourcing is not going away but killing Blackwaters contracts would make it clear to all these competing groups that they will be held accountable for screw-ups.

  
  
• [6] Robert from NYC September 19, 2007 - 11:16AM

  Hasn't history taught that the use of mercenary armies is a sign of the decline of nations?! You have to pay outside groups to fight wars and "maintain order" (huh!) and they aren't under any real control of the nation who pays them rather the folks who run these armies control them. This is a sign of decay as much as the current administration is a sign of decay.

  
  
• [7] ab from nyc September 19, 2007 - 11:17AM

  Blackwater sounds like a Crusader army....mercenaries, former soldiers culled together by a religious zealot

  great....

  If the fact that there is ANY question that the Iraqi government has the authority to throw Blackwater out doesn't prove the complete and utter hypocrisy of the Bush administration's rhetoric for our continued involvement in the war, then nothing will

  We are supposedly building up his government to be a sovereign government..."when the Iraqi's stand up, we'll stand down.." Well they are trying to stand up now and act like a government and throw out a bunch of mercenaries who are killing and abusing their citizens....and we're going to block that??????

  Unbelievable....

  
  
• [8] Trevor from LIC September 19, 2007 - 11:20AM

  All of this reminds me of the film "The Wages of Fear", and its slightly-lesser remake, "Sorcerer".

  
  
• [9] ab from nyc September 19, 2007 - 11:20AM

  Robert,

  Yes.....historically that is true. This trend toward using mercenaries is really a bad sign of things to come on so many levels

  
  
• [10] Bill from NYC September 19, 2007 - 11:21AM

  Exhibit A that blackwater is reckless is the trophy video made a while back, where they can be seen shooting for fun at random cars:

  http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/09/17/blackwater-is-part-of-bremers-legacy-the-trophy-video/

  
  
• [11] Trevor from LIC September 19, 2007 - 11:22AM

  Good call Robert.

  Any Roman history buffs listening?

  I'd always thought I would end up like Boethius...

  
  
• [12] Michael from New York, NY September 19, 2007 - 11:23AM

  Mr. Scahill's comments are very interesting.

  (1) In light of these events, what is to be done?

  (2) Is there no one from Blackwater or another private contractor that was willing to speak on your show to give us a little more context?

  
  
• [13] mary anne from new york September 19, 2007 - 11:25AM

  Before 9/11 we did not imagine we wold be attacked at home.

  Are we also nieve about a military coup in the US?

  We are financing the mercinary army wing of the far right.

  Does Mr Scahill see this as a threat?

  
  
• [14] ab from nyc September 19, 2007 - 11:27AM

  Roman history buff here :)

  
  
• [15] Brian Tourville from New Paltz, New York September 19, 2007 - 11:27AM

  Sounds like the Iraqi Gov. is talking 'Iranese' -

  Gov'mt is known to be infiltrated and Iran leaning.

  Author is a Sophomore - never been in Iraq with a Unit ? Don't talk 'girlie' talk.

  
  
• [16] barry from Manhattan September 19, 2007 - 11:28AM

  They should kick out Blackwater as a signal to all groups like BW that consequences exist. It is time to make of example of them.

  Iraq would be smart pursue this till the end.

  
  
• [17] clare gregorian from new york city September 19, 2007 - 11:28AM

  It troubles me that since the mercenary forces transport and supply food, gasoline, fuels, and many other support services, the armed forces can no longer do these tasks themselves, making them utterly dependent on these private contractors. Clearly, we will be responsible for evacuating all 180,000 of them as well as our soldiers, and the complications inherent in this relationship that enfeebles our armed forces are stupefying to contemplate.

  
  
• [18] Paulo from New Jersey September 19, 2007 - 11:31AM

  A friend in the Swedish special forces was in Sierra Leone a couple of years ago, and he said that Blackwater was helping to protect the human traffickers that they were there to stop. Any word on the accuracy of that?

  
  
• [19] Sunphat Yau from X-nyc-LA 4a bit September 19, 2007 - 11:37AM

  I wonder if part of the rise of companies like blackwater is partly borne out of the neutering of our armed services? Along the same lines I guess this war more resembles viet Nam and Algieria which is a huge contrast to Korea and WWII.

  
  
• [20] Ernesto from Tenafly, NJ September 19, 2007 - 11:37AM

  Brian:

  Please ask Mr. Scahill what seems to me to be the obvious question:

  Does Blackwater, as a sub of the US State Dept. in Iraq, have diplomatic immunity as would any other security detail for foreign embassies in any country?

  Thank you.

  
  
• [21] Trevor from LIC September 19, 2007 - 11:39AM

  Support our privatized, outsourced and mercenary troops!

  
  
• [22] Paul from Manhattan September 19, 2007 - 11:41AM

  Please, can we get an answer somewhere?

  If the employee gets $650 per day, how much do we pay Blackwater?

  Thanks.

  
  
• [23] figa from Brooklyn September 20, 2007 - 10:12AM

  Those beeps on Scahill's line were clearly THE MAN trying to keep the truth from getting out.

  
  
• [24] juli October 09, 2007 - 12:56AM

  Has anyone thought of the men themselves? And that they, everyday, may come under fire and will give their lives for their principals? Would you rather have a highly trained operative protecting you, who had to FIGHT for the privelege to get there?

  Blackwater and others like them leave our men and women in the armed forces to do the jobs they need to do. The soldiers have enough to do without having to babysit diplomats.

  It may not be perfect, but it isn't on Blackwater, it is a systematic failure.