The Bush administration, following suite with dictators such as Milosevic, Ahmadinejad, Mussolini and Efrain Rios Montt, has been using a paramilitary group named Blackwater to conduct "security" operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and New Orleans, etc. Blackwater and it's founder, Eric Prince, a former G.H.W. Bush Whitehouse intern, are linked with and contributors to conservative right wing groups such as Christian Freedom International, The Family Research Council ($670,000), Focus on the Family ($531,000), the Bush Campaign, The Republican National Committee ($168,000), Council for National Policy (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Bremer), Prison Fellowship Ministries, and Kenneth Starr.
Clearly this is a non-biased, well trained, Muslim loving group with no political connections which might lead them to think that they could secure no-bid contracts and bill the US Government what ever they wanted. Furthermore, Blackwater can be fully trusted with matters of their intentions and security in Iraq and abroad, especially in Muslim countries since they are without religious prejudice.
But what I want to know is why the US Government would pay a U.S. soldier 60k dollars per year but would pay a Blackwater $445,000 per year in tax payer’s dollars for each of its soldiers. I agree that our troops are spread thin and there is a push to give the soldiers as much relief as possible (trust) but don't you think that if the Army were to pay 400k per year that maybe they could easily find some willing recruits? Actually, I'll bet they could find more troops for 200k per year and save the tax payers 200k per soldier and then they would actually have a force of soldiers who are accountable to superior officers who are accountable to politicians who are accountable to voters. We could probably even screen for potential mental or physical issues, crime records etc. Not only would they be saving money, but they could probably recruit better, brighter, stronger and even older more experienced soldiers who weren't tied to an ultra right wing Christian paramilitary militia. I'm not saying that all of the Blackwater personnel are bad, I even heard a recent story of how a group of Blackwater soldiers were gunning down a bunch of civilians who got in their way and another Blackwater soldier pointed his gun at them telling them to stop or he would shoot them. But what I worry about are the other guys that were shooting at the family in the first place and how and why this agency is employed by our government. I also think that it's no coincidence that the seige of Fallujah started only a month after 4 Blackwater mercenaries in Fallujah were killed, dragged through the street and hung from a bridge. Why did the administration wait until then to go into Fallujah which had been relatively peaceful and orderly after the fall of Saddam?
The other scenario which disturbs me is that let's say by some miracle the war ends by the next election; laughable, I know but bear with me. Ok so let’s say there is another disputed election between an old Bush cronie and John Edwards and a mass of people take to the streets to demonstrate. With a trained killing force for hire, with no war to fight, which doesn't answer to the people, who do the right-wingers send in to "keep the peace"? After all, 90% of Blackwaters revenue comes from the current, Republican US Government. Whose side do you think they would be on? I know they were in New Orleans after Katrina but what authority do they really have? If I see a guy telling me what to do and he isn't a US soldier or a cop I'm going to tell him to fuck himself. Clearly that guy would have a gun but so do I. How does that scenario play out?
Clearly the funneling of excessive amounts of money to members of you abortion clinic bombing club and letting them run free with guns is concerning. Just as concerning is the morale of the soldiers who do the same job but make 1/6 of what a Blackwater employee does, as is the fact that in the last 2 years, 163 or their 195 shooting incidents were situations in which Blackwater fired first, as well as the reports of their soldiers smuggling weapons to the Kurds but exactly who gets to use this shadow army and why do we need them and what real power do they have? Can I hire them to keep the Minneapolis Airport safe from Republicans?
Clearly I am no gun nut but all I know is that these paramilitary groups are the exact reason why our founding fathers added the 2nd amendment to the constitution. Although I do own a gun, I do not have one in my condo; I'm starting to rethink that position. Remember, these people are merely Marine wannabes, flunkies and has beens; they do not have authority over you.
UPDATE 10/30: It now looks like the Blackwater employees involved will receive immunity from any of their actions. With a killing machine which is above the law, what will Bush have them do next?http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,306057,00.html
