Because they are very WEALTHY tax evading murdering criminals with excellent connections.

Oh, you mean their RepubliKans?

because they are working for your goverment, paid to kill people?? You think Blackwater was the first company the govermnet ever hired to kill people, and they won't be the last either. Change the name to protect the innocent!!!

"Try this on:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3928169851397891989#

The pay for a contracted combat individual is about 2-3X what a soldier is paid. That premium pay plus the premium the contractor is paid (another 2-3X) easily equals what it costs to field a well-equipped military man or woman. There is less command and control as in the active duty military, therefore less accountability.

I believe praetorian guards and private armies have led to the downfall of more nations than have "overburdened militaries". The Roman Empire, Saddam Hussein's Iraq, and the Third Reich come immediately to mind.

Why wouldn't decorated Marines and soldiers want to remain in their respective services? We need to outlaw private armies and private prisons immediately. They are both a threat to the Republic.

MMMM, Java did you factor the cost of after combat care, and pensions into your equation? I cant think of any private company in the country that pays combatants $2800 a month, plus full medical,dental, and vision for life if they are injured. This is what the VA currently pays injured US soldiers at the 100% rate. Not to mention the Army doesnt have a 401k with matching contributions, its FULLY FUNDED by the taxpayer. This is only one other factor to consider. Your initial FALSE statements about the rate at which contractors are compensated is also erroneous.

Yes, Eric Prince is VERY rich, but he was VERY rich before he opened Blackwater. Hes also a Navy seal, a white house intern, and a sheriffs deputy. Unlike the rest of these "priviliged elite" he wasnt financially obligated to join the Navy, or perform in any capacity of public service, he did so because he is a patriot. Definitely enough of a track record to be above most of the slanderous comments made about him here just because hes managed to squeeze something resembling a profit out of a situation he didnt cause, and had no part in making.

Private contractors greatly reduce the total red tape burden and costs associated with fielding government soldiers. Thats why theyre so popular with government agencies.

I know some of you may find this very hard to believe, but its NECESSARY to kill some people in this world to maintain our security.

As for your comparison as to why some soldiers leave the Gov and go to work for private merc companies, well its a pay increase for THEM , especially if they are lower enlisted. I know in my particular case,(0-6 over 20), it would have been a pay DECREASE. Especially when you figure in the total benefits package.

Private armies, and private prisons are only as corrupt as the politicians that over see them. Frankly, I think blackwater is less corrupt than most private entities who supply government services.

Quit posting and whining on the internet and call your local politician and DEMAND accountability. If part of your accountability includes getting rid of private contractors, then dont whine about the tax increase thats going to come behind it.

I know some of you may find this very hard to believe, but its NECESSARY to kill some people in this world to maintain our security.

Its hard to believe how torturing, bombing raping and killing women and children is helping my safety ... but keep on believing that if you wish .... During a CBC pool conducted with the Taliban (the actual enemy in Afghanistan) only 1 in 100 could pick the USA out on a map! By the sounds of the behavior of some of our "people" in this war, its hard to believe the terrorists are worse!

I hagree with you, there is no reason to balme the founder fo blackwater for profinting on death and war, Banks, car & steel companies, oil companies, and most of the rich people in the world have done that for centuries .... why blame this guy cause he actually got his hands dirty.

However, I reject the assertion that the war in Iraq has made anyone safer, nor that the war on terror is of any value. There is little or no objective evidence that I am any safer today than I was in 2001 - conversely, I do have far less freedom, alot more debt, and get to be lectured on who is and isn't a patriot .... Oh, and our government has officially sanctioned torture and other acts contraveneing the Geneva Convention which have provided (once again) zero actual benefit to my safety.

In conclusion, great for Blackwater that they made alot of monety, and paid their mercs well ... I don't blame them, but I do blame the con artists who sold us this line of crap about why we needed them in the first place!

PS compared to the services provided by Halliburton, they were a bargain!!

because they are very good at setting up their company to avoid liability

See economics? There is always that one person trying to turn it into an issue for or against the war. I said "some" people. Think maybe I could have NOT been referring to someone in Iraq, or Afghanistan? I mean I think we could all agree that maybe the pirates in Somalia, or maybe even Hamas leaders being gone would make the world a better place.

As for all the raping and torturing, or the intentional targeting of women and children, Id love to know where this is happening. Unlike yourself, I actually spent time with boots on the ground, and I never saw ANY of that.

Your post was an insult to every allied soldier,(both public and private), who has stepped foot over there. If you have that much of a lack of faith in the soldiers who serve this country, perhaps you should expatriate.

Ah the ignorance of the left, how can you formulate an opinion on the contractors when you were never on the receiving end of their work. Here is a good one, have you ever slept in barracks that were built by the horrendous KBR instead of sleeping in tents with mud that was 6 inches deep in Bosnia that is just one example (Hired by the Clinton Administration). As for the pay structure, the great thing about individual contractors is the ones that are usually deployed are always busting their butts to get their job done, and the work regular hours and usually on an hourly schedule. Not Salary, so with that said the pay has to be inflated to cover overtime costs. When I was a contractor issuing out equipment in Kuwait to Brigades transitioning to Iraq, I would work 100 hours a week outfitting a brigade in a designated time line, but would would only 40 hours on regular weeks. Oh and another factor...they can be fired unlike the military...that is unless your Obama and you get your panties in a wad by your aides running their mouths.

As for what I was getting paid, without any benefits the military received I was making 27 an hour and unable to defend myself so put that in your pipe and smoke it...we were easier targets because we couldn't defend ourselfs. Firms like Blackwater get criminialized due to a few situations...lets talk about how many missions they have run protecting people versus the two the libs want to focus on. How many bombs has Obama put out there since he took office that have caused civilian casualties. Who knows I don't see the MSM and their lib cronies jumping up to the plate to take aim at that.

Friggen double standard s...gotta love it...you hate Fox news so much because they report on everything that Obama is doing as well as not doing.

AS FOR ECONOMICS.....this isn't Michael J. Fox and Vietnam in Casualties of War. Your idea of contractors raping women...still trying to figure out where that is coming form.

As for the "con artist"...get a life...really, with our current administration I guess it is real easy to pick the successes set by the former administration and then blame them for everything bad that is going on.

It appears that over the past 20 years or so only low level dumb schlubs are prosectuted for fleecing the government and the public at large.

What happended to the days when rich Republikans like Michael Milken and Ivan Boesky were held accountable for their crimes. Hasn't happened since Clinton left office (at least that administration at the start held the S&L bandits to task). Today, even under a Dem administration not one Wall Street criminal has been held accountable for the mortgage fraud that was widely perpetrated by every brokerage and bank CEO.

KBR violated its contract with the government to hire Blackwater because they were very aggressive bodyguards. That was the huge fine KBR had to pay. Why did we give KBR contracts when it was very lazy about paying back taxes?

Blackwater and private security companies need to be put out of business as military contractors. There were no contractors during WWII, and the military needs to handle all security. They have no rules of engagement and caused scandals due to over aggressive reaction to possible threats. They were a huge issue with Iraqis. Remember when there was a mob that seized upon a Blackwater vehicle that took a wrong turn and lynched them under a bridge?

Yes, they are Republicans with close connections to Bush.

"Erik Prince and his cohorts at Blackwater/Xe are tax-evading, murdering, criminals.

Why are they not in prison yet??"

And Bush/Cheney lied their butts off to invade Iraq. Why weren't they impeached out of office? Sometimes justice just doesn't happen.

The Democrats wrote and sponsored the Wall Street reform legislation while the Republicans obstructed it, fillibustered and watered it down. It is delusional to critcize the Democrats as the worse of two evils when it was the Republicans that repealed the Glass Steagall Act, passed legislation that served as loopholes for derivatives white collar crimes and Enron, deregulated and sat by while the housing bubble burst. That is an absolutely horrific track record.

Many people don't know enough about contracting, as if it is a good thing? Nope. KBR and Halliburton got no bid contracts and preferential treatment by having friendly bureaucrats in charge of the contracts being handed out. Blackwater also had preferential treatment. We had NO contractors in WWII and the plain ol' military did just fine.

How could any average citizen know enough about government contracting for clandestine operations to know whether this company and related cluster organizations were providing a needed service at the then-going rate or not? Or if there was criminal activity? Obviously the average citizen does not.

If anything seems questionable about this story it is its timing and the notion that certain members of Congress (whose peers are up for election in a matter of mere days) feel some need to now surface a suggestion that they were duped by slicksters hiding their affiliations. Let's see here, the supposedly offender companies included Black--water and Grey--stone. Wow, there's no pattern to that: color--element. color--element. Who'd have even guessed there was a web of companies to that?

Stay tuned for tomorrow's election-season-crips-vs.-bloods story with more alleged bad actors including White--rock, Red--fire, Purple--rain and Blue--wind. (Sarcasm intentional.)

And how many days will it take for the other shoe to drop, and for the real story to come out, if one really exists? Or is this just the latest variation of the tired, shallow, impotent, desperate and thinly-veiled rant "Bush did it"? That backward-looking whine sounded merely desperate eighteen months ago. Why isn't Congressional energy focused in a forward-looking way to the real problems that face America today instead?

I mock the notion that Levin et al did not know all along that this vast web of organizations was in play and what they were up to.

This is just more distraction and political divide and conquer in the late days of the midterm election cycle.

mountainbike--.........".Remember when there was a mob that seized upon a Blackwater vehicle that took a wrong turn and lynched them under a bridge?"..............No No No..I don't remember that, at least not in the screwed up, ass backward way you do. My gosh, looking at your posts I have wonder where you get your info. Anyway, that vehicle took no wrong turn, it was leading and guarding a truck convoy of FOOD and medicine intended for Iraqi civilians. They were in fact ambushed by a well organised group armed with rpg's, who got in a well placed first shot before they could react. The contractors, 4 men, were all former special forces, with one a former navy seal. The death of one of the four, in particular, sent a shock through the entire special forces community, as he was a bit of a legend, was known personally by many and known of by all. They were all patriots and had the highest of moral standards. They were not the trigger-happy yahoos some would love to portray them as. The degenerates that dragged them in the street naked and on fire with their heads cut off and finally hanging them from the bridge are the ones that I tend to look at in an unfavorable light, but heck, I'm not an enlightened liberal. .......oh, on a positive note, for the special ops unit that later captured the planner of of the attack, the charges against the unit members have all been dismissed, their rank and pay reinstated. For those unaware, it was alleged that the bloody nose the man had when he was turned over to Iraqi authorities was cased by a punch from one of the sp. frcs. soldiers when being captured. .......and gee mountainbike ---haliburton, kbr, they had no bid contracts from clinton in kosovo, but now its wrong under bush? .............. i gotta go to work or ill go on and on

How many billion were lost from the cargo planes carrying pallets of newly minted $100 bills?

Was Blackwater hired to protect that money?

Everyone please read "Licensed To Kill". It's about military contracting from a third party perspective through investigative and first hand experience. It will answer a lot of questions.

Front page: Blackwater blah blah blah.

I guess I'll just have to vote communists in come November. Shame on you blackwater!

Paul,

I could be wrong here but I think that what Wizard means is that they not only have ties to Republicans but powerful Democrats as well. In short Washington style politics at it's finest. No doubt we will never know the full extent of the connection between Washington and Blackwater because it will be "classified." We must face the fact that no matter how little we like it there are things that go on in Washington that we (in our life time) will never know the full extent of. Some things we are better off not knowing about and others the powers to be simply don't want us to know about. I have relatives and close friends who work or worked at the Nevada Test Range for 30 plus years. Some are still working there and some are retired. The one thing they have in common is the fact that they all say the same thing when asked about what really goes on there. "We can't talk about what we have seen, but you wouldn't believe half of it, even if we could."

When all of you realize that both sides are equally corrupt you will all be in a better place.

BTW.. Last time I checked Barney Frank isnt Republican. Im pretty sure he got a boat load of money from his buddies at Fannie and Freddie while he pushed through the legislation that allowed the banks to give away houses. They all worked together to enrich themselves.

Every time I hear someone say that Palin is like themselves I laugh my tail off. If you are a shark with lipstick that would eat her own young for money... Then you are like Palin.

Both sides are corrupt.

Right on Ernie... Ex Navy Nuc here. Most of these people would thrown themselves out a window if they knew a thimble full of the truth.

You cant handle the truth!!!

How about some context here, folks. For all the high-minded talk about the military - no matter the country - and their noble mission to secure the peace, at bottom, their mission is to kill and destroy the threat to "peace". Which you may have noticed NEVER seems to come.

In any case, the war fought by these soldiers is conducted under rules, as if this is some sort of game. Civilians - yes, the chicken hawks and their wealthy masters who start these carnages - construct "Rules of Engagement". Rules? Are you kidding? This is about sanctioned murder and mayhem, and these jerks act is if this is nothing more than a game with rules. When you have made the decision to kill - from my perspective - all bets are off, there are no rules.

So, the murderous chicken hawks pretend they are following the rules, even as they hire civilian contractors - MERCENARIES folks, CONTRACT KILLERS - who don't have to follow the rules.

If we do not feel shame enough for invading foreign countries based on outright lies, this should leave us guilt-wracked. These mercenaries are pure filth, and Prince, who leads this pack of rabid dogs and wraps himself in Christianity, is as evil as they come.

I have supported the President through all of his decisions - many of which turn my stomach, but bank bailouts, keeping Gitmo open, and many other disappointments pale next to his decision to ignore Blackwater and the indelible stain they have put on America's collective conscience.

Attorney General Holder, just exactly what do you do? And Mr. President, how do you allow this to go on? I expect this from Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, Rumsfeld, and that scum, but I expected better from you!

What did Blackwater provide that was so beneficial, that our servicemen could not provide? For a guy who constantly require privacy and security. He now moves his family to the Middle East? So does he think he can blend in better in Dubai? Or well he be better protected from American Justice?

ACORN provided information to many misfortunate people. ACORN has also under contract able to register voters. Blackwater provided services based upon their fee, just like ACORN. The difference is that ACORN is a non-profit and transparent. Can one say that about Blackwater and their shell companies?

This stinks like that of ENRON!

our servicemen can not shot first and get away with it, that is just how it is war. Blackwater may seem like scum to you because of the media hype, but is it not a little odd that these companies always seem to exist. Sadly, we need their intervention to counteract the enemy. Nobody ever said war was pretty, only winnable if you shot first!!!

Roc...

Are you awake while Reading....BENEFICIAL to this country...LOL!! What did it benifit to the USA...They were busted for Killing 17 Iraq's in cold blood which made America Look Bad...

31 Off shore accounts... I guess you hate generational theft too...LOL!! They recieved 600 million which is over a half a billion dollars.. TAX FREE...

Obama's fraudulent organizations - When did Obama work for ACORN?? NEVER is the answer.

ACORN was found NOT Guilty by a Grand Jury... Fox News doctored the video...I guess honesty is NOT your Cup of Tea...

You have any Charges to bring against the following...Rezko, Soros, Ayers, Daschle, Geithner, Farrakhan...File charges...use the Court to prove your cases...

Just remember...Evidence can not be pulled out of your mind, it has to be factual...Not Idiocy..

or Hackery......Ha Ha Ha Ha

Last I checked ron, grand juries didn't determine guilt or innocence, they merely sign off on articles of indictment. Oh and by the way, the charges against the operators in the case I just KNOW you're talking about, were DROPPED.

As for the majority of your list of communists, most were actually found guilty, that's why they required presidential pardons.

As for the tax evasion, well there is no excuse for that. Maybe they set up off shore to get away from the bipartisan bickering, but I doubt it. It was probably just good old TAX EVASION.

As for your question as to how Blackwater has benefited the USA, well, I don't know about that, but I do know they have benefited American soldiers on the ground immensely. If its a comparison of civilian casualties you want to make as a basis for your argument, well its a losing battle. US soldiers have proportionally slaughtered WAY MORE civilians and other soldiers through accidents than Private operators have even thought about.

Advice: get off the liberal vs conservative kick. We're all Americans, and you owe it to your fellow countrymen to walk a figurative mile in their shoes before you voice an opinion. This whole lib vs con argument is just tearing our country apart, and it has no good end.

Despite the ramblings of the old, there really DOESN'T have to be two sides to every story.

Hey Ron,

In case you didn't know...any contractor that works in a foreign country on a government contract in a hazardous locations gets it tax free after a certain amount of time.

As for Acorn not being guilty...are you friggen kidding me, isn't it amazing how their ties to the Democrat Party fundraising aren't being brought to light. OH!!!! And lest we not forget how they are now a different company under a different name...doing the same thing.

Tools.

I know they helped cut back on the carbon footprint, just like that guy Lee tried to do at the discovery channel.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/835058/aegis_video/

The fact remains that Blackwater, (held marines facedown at gunpoint, and helped disarm civilians at Katrina,) DyneCorp, (Manages Child Protective services, and caught more than once being involved with White slavery), and Haliburton, (dont feel like writing a book,) are all still being employed by the Government of Change.

“Blackwater is a company that began in 1996 as a private military training facility in — it was built near the Great Dismal Swamp of North Carolina. And visionary executives, all of them former Navy Seals or other Elite Special Forces people, envisioned it as a project that would take advantage of the anticipated government outsourcing.

Well, here we are a decade later, and it’s the most powerful mercenary firm in the world. It has 20,000 soldiers on the ready, the world’s largest private military base, a fleet of twenty aircraft, including helicopter gunships. It’s become nothing short of the Praetorian Guard for the Bush administration’s so-called global war on terror. And it’s headed by a very rightwing Christian activist, ex-Navy Seal named Erik Prince, whose family was one of the major bankrollers of the Republican Revolution of the 1990s. He, himself, is a significant funder of President Bush and his allies.”

— Jeremy Scahill, from an interview on Democracy Now.
From the website, http://www.blackwaterwatch.com/

Well I didn't know that blackwater had gunships. I mean when I was in Iraq just a little over a year ago, we had blackwater aircraft in on of our old hangars working out of there for a bit. Not one of em even had a door gun on it let alone be in "gunship" configuration. They do have aircraft but not gunships at least back from 07-09 they didnt.

Also just one thing to add enough of the oh dems doing this and repubs doing that. The last time I checked we are all pretty much american. With a government for the people by the people not for democratic party not for republican party but one for the good of the whole country. As for the contracts maybe we should look at the senate and house that approve those going out but heck it all looked good on paper right?

I agree way to much bickering between us Americans...

We are at WAR gentleman don't forget the thousands who have lost their lives fighting fanaticism and the evil that is (Sharia Law). These combatants would not show any mercy to us if they could get their hands on us..They would rape, kill and stone our Wifes and Daughters because they are pathetic evil scum.

The more we kill of them the better & don't you forget that.

Funny the idiots that believe the press about the Nisoor Square shooting thinking that 5 highly decorated military veterans who have seen combat in Afghanistan and Iraq prior to their employment would simply shoot civilians for the hell of it. Funnier still is the fact that Shiite Militias TTP is to shoot and disappear along with the bodies of their fallen. Also funny is that the first US military personnel on scene testified to the fact that there were thousands of 762 mm shell casings but all the Blackwater personnel were only carrying carbines that used 223 ammunition (Counter Assault Vehicles used M249 machine guns which also only carried 223 rounds). Go on believing everything the liberal media prints and keep drinking their kool aid.

sorry guys, there has been documented attacks on civilians (like weddings, funerals, the entire city of Faluja where chemical weapons were apparently used) by US, British and "allied" forces. OUr govt has not only violated the geneva convention and most international laws in Gitmo and in "3rd party" countries where they presided over, directed and undertook torture, at the very least threatened rape, and likely undetook rape and summary executions. This is what they have admitted to.

Now, Im sorry, they didn't do any of this to protect me. Im not blaming soldiers, or even Blackwater for this - these guys follow orders. The problme is following orders is what causes 99.9% of the evil in the last 200 years .....

Your claim that Im insulting the troops is nonsense - how is torturing, murdering, bombing helping win this "war" ... Well if you were on the ground, you should know that the guy that you kill or torture last week has a brother, son, cousin who now wants to kill you. The CBC documentary on Afghanistan found that the 2 leading reasons why people joined the Taliban to fight against us was not ISlam, not hatred of America, our way of life .... It was that they either had someone close to them killed by the allies and sought revenge, or had no source of income due to the allied attacks. So I guess we are really winning that war eh??

Im not a soldier, nor am I a supporter of any recent US war since Korea .... I feel for all the kids who have died or been hurt in action, for their families, and most of all for the fact that those who sent them into harms way couldn't care less about any of them. So keep on believing if that helps you, but this is one in a long series of wars that is about money, corporations and debt - the peopel (ours and theirs) are just collateral damage.

Contact their HQ. They're stationed in North Carolina. Contact them and make negative propaganda on them. Talk to some employees of them. If this negative propaganda (articles with genocidal allegations) is true, it should be a breeze. Contact a politician on this, they'll help you (right?).

There's no way Blackwater's "base" should have been allowed to be built in the first place. I cannot believe any American patriot could be for a private military base on American soil.

Contractors “do the tasks we ask them to do in strict accord with the law; they are supervised by C.I.A. staff officers; and they are held to the highest standards of conduct” he said.

=======================================

For anyone who believes this I have some prime, ocean front property in North Dakota I'll sell you. Cheap.

And here I thought it was just our politicians that lied.

Well according to the global warming freaks...that may just soon be a reality imwhitewolf. You have no concept of what rules and regulations contractors have to follow over there do you? Since it's apparent that you are not a fan of the "cowboy" as you guys like to call President Bush, contractors over there aren't allowed to be cowboy's regardless of what you truly want to believe.

Educate yourself instead of hovering over moveon.org, huffington post, olberdinky and Maddow. You might actually learn something that isn't tainted with crap.

Wow, most of you will believe anything the media puts into type. Private Military Companies are just that, private corporations that provide a service, plain and simple. The service is in demand and is regulated by the client that hired them.

Keep in mind, the State Department that kicked Blackwater out of Iraq also was the same agency that commended them for keeping their diplomats and VIPs safe and out of harms way for nearly 6 years. The week that the contract was handed over to another company, a State Dept. employee was killed in an ambush.

The media is so FULL OF SHART please get your head out of your arse 8) I support any soldier be it private or not these men and woman risk their lives so we can sleep comfortably at home at night.... They come here you and me are F'd we actually would have to fight them on our own soil.

Let's face it . This is hard , lonely, and dangerous, yes DANGEROUS work that you would never want to do or ever be qualified to do. It takes years of experience and disciplined training to carry on the missions they do to back up and help our military. There is not enough taxpayer money, even if we ALL PAYED 100% , to pay our soldiers to do what they do. That is why there will always be a market and demand for these ancillary services and it sounds like on this blog that our military people are glad they are there backing them up. As for no bid contracts, I would venture to guess that their are'nt too many security businesses out there with this level of experience so the bid goes to the best equipped to do the job. They found a niche in the market and filled it. Isn't that how all free market businesses start? If a new company starts up and gets the next contract you will all complain about them too. If you think YOU can do better and are BRAVE enough to do this work, go ahead and try. But until you do , you really should be quiet and ponder all the good and necessary service these brave people provide that aid and protect all the people over there, military and diplomatic, that are working every day to protect the freedom we so enjoy!!!

That is FUNNY, you probably do not even know what that word FLEECE means, just heard on some news show and thought it was cool to say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Wikipedia:
Fleece is a general term for a soft fabric (often with a deep pile)

Fleece: To defraud of money or property; swindle.

Thank you, Vulcan One. Roy, "fleece" is both a VERB and a noun. You chose to post the wrong one.

From Merriam-Webster online:

²fleece

vt fleeced, fleec·ing

Definition of FLEECE

1a : to strip of money or property by fraud or extortion
b : to charge excessively for goods or services

proper grammer: an idiot

proper spelling: grammar

proper grammar: an idiot

AH...but they do not do the same thing amikino...look at the rules of engagement. These contractors are hired to protect whoever it is that they are guarding vs doing missions around a country. Thank you for showing us all that you have no clue whatsoever about what you are talking about.

If you want a little more control over a checkbook then do this put the GOP in the Congress and leave Obama in the White House. There is a check and balance for you. Yea the GOP screwed up for 8 years and forgot why they were there but remember it is the Congress that controls the purse strings not the President. Did you ever wonder how Clinton ended up with a surplus? Look at the Congress that worked with him.

Anything has to be better than a Congress that gives this President a checkbook and lets him do whatever he wants. Look at our deficit now versus 2 years ago...insanity.

Acorn and Blackwater are both companies that want to fleece the Republic. They use different coin but in the end it is the same. If I we are to choose our evil it is better to choose the one that you know what they do and not the one that is dubious and fronts an ulterior motive.

Former SGT - you are absolutely correct about budgets and the balance of power. I prefer a balance. I am not a fan of Bush and I did not vote for Obama. While the GOP had control of the executive and legislative branch of government, look what happened. Rubber stamp. Same thing now that dems have same control. Unfortunately, in schools today, the focus is on math and science. Government, history and the likes are no longer a concern so too many people just believe the garbage handed out by talking heads. Seems no one thinks for themselves. While I do not like what Blackwater did, I do believe that we DON'T have all the facts and I refuse to pass judgement. Maybe Blackwater wouldn't be in business if we paid our military men and woman a better wage. We are suppose to care for the wounded but all too often, the wounded have to fight like hell to get their basic care and if they are disabled on the job, they endure a hell trying to get much needed benefits. What a way for a country to say Thank you! It disgusts me!

Milked? Some might object to your word usage.

Former Sgt, I suppose we must believe you are former military and thus the arbiter of all things relating to that topic. My question is: what entities require special guarding in a warzone that warrents the hiring of private soldiers? And if they require private guards, why do they not pay for them out of their own pockets? Why do the taxpayers of the US pay for them? During WWII, who were the specially paid guards in the European and Pacific Theatres? Who where the guards in Viet Nam? Please help this stupid person understand what we need to guard with these extra private highly-paid armed, for all intents and purposes, soldiers when we already have a military. And, if the military is insufficient to perform its duties, perhaps we should reintroduce the draft.

What have we done?

Good God man did you smoke ajax in your meth pipe this morning? When your head clears use what tiny fragments of your shrunken brain that are remaining to provide some form of verification of this horseSh##. Cartoon network and You Boob don't apply. I'm sorry, but any time someone says "I'm not making this up" they probably are. Put down the pipe and get some rest.

Skeeter that was hilarious..... hahhaha

I doubt "God" is taking the side of the USA, over any other country.

Easter Bunny bless America?

Contractors “do the tasks we ask them to do in strict accord with the law; they are supervised by C.I.A. staff officers; and they are held to the highest standards of conduct.

The fox is watching the chicken coop. Who polices the police, the CIA? I usderstand the color gray but, it is not for Blackwater.

The State Department is continuing to use Xe as its private army - just gave that company a contract of $103 MILLION.

One must use the tools that are at hand. If they break simply discard them and get a new tool

Who is Simon and what is American Idol?

Wow that's embarrassing, you only got two votes including your own.

The problem is that the person who is more interested in who wins the weekly WWF smackdown championship of the world instead of the news has a vote that counts just as much as yours......

Fair enough.

No, military cutbacks demanded by taxpayers breed mercenaries.

THAT and political "correctness".

You knew this reply was coming. These guys have less physical protection than soldiers. They are mercenaries, but still soldiers. They are still fighting for the U.S.. If you haven't lived as a mercenary, how can you make judgment on one. They still weigh LDRSHIP.

Escobar, nice snap judgment from a guy who probably knows absolutely nothing about what he's talking about. Cowards? Hardly. Most of the Iraq bunch were decorated military vets with exemplary records. Were you in the military? Do you know what its like to be shot at or to have indirect fire exploding around you? Doubt it.

Whats worse is you probably cant prove one thing you stated which makes YOU a coward, hiding behind the anonymity that is the internet.

Cowards are what they are. I can say this because my tax dollars helped to train soldiers that later became viscous mercenaries.

If they were American soldiers they would not be in Blackwater, period.

They have gone over to the dark side, now, they have become mercenaries and my taxes helped put them through their original military training and schooling which cost more than the average state university tuition in America.

You say they were decorated?

Well they used to be.

You say, exemplary records?

Well they used to have.

Please do not tell me that my taxes are paying for Blackwater/Xe/tax-free Dubai mercenary acquired injuries in Veteran Hospitals.

They are mercenaries and far from the honor of soldiers.

I believe you are making the snap judgement here, not me.

Corsair977

There have been no military cutbacks, you clown. The DOD budget is runaway. We spend as much for our military as the next 15 countries COMBINED.

Jack,

They are mercenaries.

They are not soldiers.

They could rejoin their old friends in the military making much less money then Blackwater/Xe?tax-free Dubai employees.

But they won't and that is what separates them from American soldiers.

Escobar.. I think you are trying to prove that your opinion means something. If you are a vet, I'll acknowledge it... Otherwise, you're another BFPOS.

Yeah pretty much. They made pennies for fighting for our country and now you hand them out to dry because they are making as much as a registered CPA? Youre the clown, pal. Private Military Companies save tax payer monies, otherwise make sure you vote for re-instituting the draft so that these companies dont have to exist.

I'm a vet and I agree wholeheartedly with him!

Oh yes, by all means...lets do away with the contractors......we will just bring back the draft to fill all the positions.....and then........ ahhhhhhhh

Cowards? Rethink your term...Being in the military I seen Blackwater go where the military wasn't allowed???? Teeeeennnn-Huuuut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're misinformed on XE members. Most of them are prior military or swat. What is wrong with getting paid for your skills after you have already served your country? You do realize that there is not many jobs in the civilian sector that these types of men are qualified for correct? Fawk it I will just flip burgers now.

They are still fighting for the U.S.. If you haven't lived as a mercenary, how can you make judgment on one. They still weigh LDRSHIP.

That is, until there is some oversight into their activities. Then, they move to another country and seek contracts from the highest bidder when too many questions begin to be raised. If anyone thinks it is patriotism that motivates these people, anwer why so many of their employees are foreign nationals. It is green they are after - not some ideological dream wrapped in red, white and blue. Also answer what patriotism has to do with purposely setting up their business to avoid paying taxes to the country they are allegedly loyal to and patriotic towards.

Mercs!

They sign private enterprise contracts...to perform...?

Enough said.

President Bush was the one of the few and the last President to cut the pay scale for

American Soldiers and the Veteran's Administration. It was not the public!

Do not include me in the aftermath of bad decisions making.

I beg to differ with you.

I am a 33 year vet.

I flew Bush's limos and armoured cars around during his re-election bid.

I was also a civil servant. (Air Reserve Technician)

All I ever got was raises.

And that my friend, goes across the board for ALL in the military.

The pay scale for the military only goes UP.

Sometimes not as high as we would have liked, but always UP.

The problem is not the pay.

It is the quantity of the troops.

Right now you can go to the gate of ANY military base (no matter the branch) and who is guarding

the gates?

Rent-a-cops.

Who is cooking food for our troops in chow halls?

Foreigners on work visas.

The same ones who could allow an intruder onto the base, or poison our troop's food while on our own soil.

I agree. Just because you decree that we no longer need a military of certain size that the rest of the world will adjust to our reduction in forces. Where do you think all the career military personnel went after they were told that they were no longer needed. We are now paying a hundred times the amount for the same personnel. The President now knows a reality of what is going on in that part of the world. He would pack up and leave tomorrow if he thought it safe to do so.

@corsair, never were truer words spoken!!!

No one else in the field at the time was qualified to do what Blackwater does.

You mean to say that the nation that spends nearly half of all money spent on military world-wide does not have the capacity to place missles on their own aircraft?

http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending

Corsair.

You are very wrong. President Bush did, in fact, decrease pay for active soldiers in the field.

This did indeed happen and anyone and everyone in Washington was acutely aware of his maneuver.

Perhaps, this is why he had to do to put better Kevlar vests and weapons in the hand of mercenaries...

Did you even try to find the truth.

Mercenaries mean war for profit as shown in Fahrenheit 911. At a lavish meeing, the war industries were told by the foreign companies that the government would pay for it, it being war.

Think that BlackWater Mercs are being used to answer these threads.

Because Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Phil Gramm and on and on are not............and many other reasons.

Why, what prison are you in?

What are the Charges... Remember, You have to pay if you LOSE...LOL!!!Ha ha ha

DW

[dim wit?]

Insufficient evidence on your list.

Sufficient evidence on my list.

While I don't work IN a prison, I do send some there.

Stop blowing your own horn and post the "evidence"(Beck or Limbaugh saying it, doesn't count as evidence).

Before you cut and paste me onto the liberal side of things, just know I'm an independent and have no political biases. I'm not really a fan of most of the democrats on your list of would-be convicts. But it is clear even to me that rightwing radio is doing serious damage to the conservative mindset. The ironic thing is that you believe everyone else is lying to you; the liberals, the media, etc.., yet you believe the radical rhetoric of talkshow hosts who really sell you nothing but fear.

It's a shame the GOP has gone so far right because it has alienated all the people in the middle like me. What you don't realize is that the middle is the majority. You just may not have noticed because we don't rant online all day or shout people down at health care rallies. We're just watching and taking notes, and trust me, we see how far off the deep end the right is going.

not me.....I listen to John Stewart..........gotta laugh right?

Horatio Hornblatt you have lost your mind i see with your comment. The only 2 should be in prison is BUSH AND CHENEY. Blackwater is owned by Cheney and idiot Bush couldn't think on his own. Once again Cheney pulled another over on dip @!$%# Bush. Which nothing well ever happen unless another country press charges again dip @!$%# Bush and fag dog Cheney.

DW Brown,

The CIA is going in the same direction that the KGB went when Russia's economy and country went south.

They begin to manufacture immanent but unnecessary perils. This ensures a paycheck and a hefty one at that.

If the CIA is willing to deal with Blackwater/Xe/tax-free Dubai as cohorts then they are already on the path to mirroring the present KGB. What a mess...

It is enough to make you want the old days back when the CIA used to be able to accomplish the job for themselves

Great for a conspiracy theorist....I don't buy it.

The Allies in WW II fought with every weapon they had.

Don't set up false comparisons either.

It's just a matter of time before Blackwater and their kind offer their services to the highest bidder...another country, international terrorists, anybody. Ex-military in Mexico (Zetas) were hired to help combat narco-terrorists and drug cartels. They later formed their OWN cartel and are now responsible for a great percentage of the indiscriminate killing going on in Mexico today.

When mercenaries swear allegiance to the company or offer themselves to the highest bidder they soon lose allegiance to their country. That is why all mercenary groups such as Blackwater should be disbanded now while we can still get rid of them. They are no better, morally, than the militias training in the north woods. They are also just as crazy, potentially...and they are better financed!

Theyre not crazy knucklehead, most are decorated veterans with exemplary military records who have seen combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, mercenaries (which is not what they are; they perform bodyguard and executive protection mostly) have been around since the dawn of time and will be around in the future because unless you want the draft to come back there ARE NOT enough soldiers to perform all these duties. Give the conspiracy theories a rest please and get back to reality. Companies who contract with the State Department like XE sign legal documents to maintain a strict code of ethics in keeping contract US based. If they violate these they lose their number one provider, the US of A.

canduman - so true!! Then they "use" stories like Blackwater to their advantage. Yes, the people need to WAKE UP and they need to educate themselves. Do not rely on just the government to educate for they will only teach what "they" want you to know. The people need to get their hands on old history books in order to get a better idea of U.S. history. They need to find books on governement and read in order to understand how government really works. They need to read and listen to ALL sides of the story and use their own judgment to decide what is truth and what is not. In today's world, people would rather "buy" into one side of an argument and believe it rather than investigate the situation entirely and this goes for most of our journalists/reporters as well. Then a story such as this one comes out and everybody starts demonizing the business and asking where the goverment has been. Hello, the government has been out to lunch on your millions. (I wanted to say dime but they go for the big bucks) When will the American people realize that politicians only say what they think people want to hear and not what really should be said and heard? People, wake up! Use the entire salt mine when GOP, DEMS or Tea Party people start their ramblings. Discard the salt shaker and reach for the shovel in the mine because they are only going to tell you what you want to hear and they have no plans on doing what is right for the people. We have become a country where politicians are no longer "civil servants" but self serving.

TERM LIMITS...Please vote for term limits. Then maybe we would ATTRACT A DIFFERENT TYPE OF PERSON to political life. Someone who thinks outside the box and is willing to put in a few good years at average pay to do some good for the tax-paying public. Their decision making wouldn't be constantly over-shadowed by trying to extend their political careers!! And maybe the underqualified narcissists of America could find a different way to make a living.

Tried term limits in the 90's got them placed in some states, but in some states, like New Mexico, those acts voted in by referendum were considered unconstitutional by State Supreme Courts.

I figure that the Court members being appointed by the parties of the members of the legislature had something to do with that, since a referendum is usually good enough to allow for a constitutional convention.

You are 100% right it needs to stop soon very soon!

and yet bush still managed to spend less then the obama administration unleashed. B garcia the tea party wants to stop them cold. they want to hold our government responsible for their outrageous spending. People are feed up with the rediculous spending. Most of what you hear about the tea party is the criminals in washington fearing them. You actually sound like you should be in the tea party. Don't let the people who fear the tea party (with good reason) They are the same old criminals who have been robbing this country for to many years. Don't let these criminals taint your image of the tea party because from what you say you sound like a tea party member.It is about time this country stands up against all of the criminal activity in our government!

We are the greatest country and we deserve the greatest government not the worst.

E NOUGH!

sandyshores,

Where was the tea party when GW blew the surplus and increase the national debt by nearly $5 TRILLION? (BTW, more than Obama has spent.) I agree that government spending is out of control, but neither party is guiltless. IF the tea party was really about getting government spending under control, they would go after every incumbent, Republican and Democrat, for letting this happen. However I see them as a partisan group, embracing current Republican senators and representatives as the ones that can fix the problem when they helped to create it.

Until the general public understands that we need to use the power of the vote to get rid of ALL of the current members of congress nothing will ever change.

@ B Garcia

Why aren't the perpetrators in jail? ...It's because of the Golden Rule: He who has the gold makes the rules ;) "Democracy" is just a filler for the textbooks.

wE CAN ALL BUY "GOLD" IN A FREE MARKET ECONOMY! Let's work to save that freedom!

Jim-W, the original, that hadn't yet been hijacked by the faux Republican corporate media approved leadership approved , Tea Party was working to get either the Libertarian Party candidates, or Ron Paul elected.

Obama is just the Ethnic Bush.

no as long as this country waists money at war and all other endless spending instead of paying off our hugh debt we will be spinning in the same circle over and over again.

We need people with real brains running this country not the same old criminals over and over again.

Under the guise of patrotism and on a mission from the right-hand of God, Erik Prince and his Inner Circle figures there's obscene profits to be made by selling their various brands of Big Brother deviousness to anyone, to any corporation and to any government who'll buy. For the price of your soul, they'll build you a shadow government as the underground fondation for your future police state.

Prince was already filthy rich bonehead, he didnt have to lift a finger to stay that way. He didnt have to join the Navy SEALS or be a county Sherrif, he was already highly educated and wealthy. You have NO idea what you are talking about or who the man is or his true intentions. He wanted to serve the US, it was his main goal but you are too narrow minded to believe anything except conspiracy theories.

sandyshores- No we don't need someone with real brains. We need people with COMMON SENSE and therefore, the Tea Party would be excluded. We need people willing to tell us exactly how it is and not try to color the picture a rosy color so it looks good. We are a strong people and can handle bad news. Give us the truth and let us ALL begin to make it right. The politicians do what they can to keep the people out of the equation except at voting time and then they lie by painting a rosy picture. Yes, even Obama lied! The minute a politician running for office says "I will do.... or I will get this done", they are lying and too many people suck it all in. A preisident can only accomplish what the congree is willing to allow him/her to accomplish. A congressman/woman or senator can only accomplish what other senators, congressmen/women and a president will allow them to accomplish. Their promises are lies and someday, hopefully real soon, the people will wake up and demand the truth be told!