Blackwater and United States Mercenaries in Iraq

The Jan. 23th news from Iraq that five “civilians” were killed in a helicopter crash in Baghdad, Iraq warranted closer investigation. Here is a far more accurate description of the event, as detailed by a Blackwater employee and the brother of one of those killed.

Within Iraqslogger.com there is another item that states that according to the Department of Defense there are now over 100,000 private contractors employed in Iraq. Over 20,000 of these contractors are reportedly employed by Blackwater. Blackwater is owned by Eric Prince, a former US Navy Seal, who is now a billionaire and is one of the Iraq war’s greatest profiteers.

Blackwater now owns more than 7,000 acres around Moyock, N.C. USA and conducts training operations for law enforcement officers, military, and for it’s own mercenary forces. As you might guess Mr. Prince is a huge fan of George W. Bush.

Blackwater even manufactures an armored personnel carrier, the Grizzly and sells military gear and clothing from it’s website. The scope of Blackwater’s training and private military operations are amazing as well as disturbing. Take a look at Blackwater’s website and see for yourself.

The use of private contractors to provide services that used to be only provided by the US military within a US theater of war is unprecedented. It is one way the Bush administration has tried to hide the full extent of the cost and extent of our involvement in Iraq as well as personnel levels within the combat zone.

Blackwater is a true mercenary army. Most of its employees are former special forces military personnel who are attracted by the prospect of earning from $500 up to $1,000 a day, tax free, for their “service to their country” in Iraq. Not only does Blackwater employ former highly trained US military personnel they also employ a host of foreign nationals, like former special forces personnel from Chili and The Philippines.

The increased use of Mercenary forces by the United States to fight it’s seemingly endless battles around the world raises some important questions. Does the US taxpayer really want to foot the bill for the training that it takes to bring special forces military personnel to a high state of efficiency and readiness only to see them lured to private contractors who pay far more than US military pay for the same skill sets? No doubt the prospect of earning $15,000 to $30,000 tax free dollars a month must be tempting to military personnel who are paid far less by the military who trained them.

Another question that should be addressed is the issue of accountability. Private contractors, like Blackwater, operate outside of the US Military Code of Conduct. They are powerful elite forces who seem to set their own rules of engagement. If you get in their way, watch out. You may not survive the encounter.

The primary question that the American Public should ask is if it is in the long term interests of our democracy to have private armies running around who also have close ties with the White House. With the recent history of a secretive, imperial Presidency in power this would seem to leave the door open for all sorts of malfeasance. Of course all acts of killing, capture, imprisionment, and torture would be in the name of the promotion of freedom and democracy.

Americans. You had best be alert. Paid mercenaries are loyal only to those who pay them, not to the public interests.

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