Ridgeway, the Blackwater operative, admitted that he and the other Blackwater operatives "opened fire with automatic weapons and grenade launchers on unarmed civilians." None of the victims that day "was an insurgent," he said, adding that "many were shot while inside of civilian vehicles that were attempting to flee." Full Story »
Posted by Randy Morrow - via The Nation
A story every American should read to become fully aware of just how destructive Blackwater has been to our efforts in Iraq. The article completely fails, however, to answer the question it poses: "Why, indeed, is Blackwater still being used." A larger question is just as important: " Why have we gone in the direction of using mercenaries at all?" Without even the veneer of professionalism associated with formal military training, we can expect nothing better from Blackwater--or any other mercenary organization. The use of mercenaries to pursue military objectives was a feature of the Roman empire before its demise, and I believe it signals an important moral failing
Frankly, I thought Blackwater was long gone. The only positive note here is that some Blackwater guards drew their weapons on their murderous associates--I wish they had followed through and simply killed the bastards.
Scahill has done more than any journalist to expose Blackwater and its various criminal acts. For all its detail, this is simply a rehash of his earlier work. And it completely fails to answer the question of the headline--which is a good one. If you haven't read his earlier pieces, by all means do read this. If you have, then this will be little more than a repeat.
Killing people should not be a business for profit. "Protecting" civilian support personnel for the invasion and occupation has seen severe mission creep and lack of oversight and supervision. The military must be under direct government control, and that needs to be subject to strong oversight. Our military is out of control.
This is quality journalism because it is news to us now. Obama is a huge part of the news and any informative news about him is quality journalism.
It is a long and informative article, but waits until the final paragraph to discuss at all the main point of the title. The title suggests an analysis of the President's choices regarding blackwater, but instead, discusses in detail one of Blackwater's more heinous moments (of which there are many).
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