Blackwater performs flawlessly

[ayabe]

Here's Darrell Issa, douchebag of the day, saying that even having a hearing on Blackwater is tantamount to the MoveOn Petraeus/Betray us.

Douchebaggery Within

Yes indeed, no misconduct here, just a game. We shouldn't care that we had to beg the Iraqi's not the kick them out or the numerous reports of misconduct, including straight up murder of a Iraqi bodyguard after a drunken exchange.

In 80%+ of Blackwater engagements, they fired first.

But I don't want to know about that, only those who hate America do.

 

[Sinsear]

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: Sinsear

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: tangent1138

Originally posted by: Pabster


I have the balls to say America is the greatest country on earth because it is. And I'm not afraid to say it.

I've found that people who have this opinion are usually those that haven't traveled much and visited other countries. Those that have usually admit there are good and bad aspects about America, as there with any nation. How many have you visited? Do you see + or - things about America?

I'm genuinely curious.

haha this should be good :laugh:...

/waits

Sure no problem. Off the top of my head I've been to Austria, Poland, Hungary, Czech, Switzerland, Italy, Kuwait, Kosovo, Macedonia, Iraq, France, and lived in Germany for 6 and a half years. Never been to any of the pacific / asia countries or africa (yet). Now granted the mideast countries I wasn't there to sightsee, but I've been around and I'll state for the record that:

America is the greatest country on the face of the earth.


And of course there are some things about us that we could do better, but not enough that I'd be willing to ever, ever, ever go somewhere else to live my life.

good job for maintaining ignorance and also not answering the question.

What question did I not answer?

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Pabster

Originally posted by: eits
shut the hell up... all you ever do is take what people say out of context. i said that we're our own enemy.

Your exact words, from a previous post in this very thread:

no, we're the enemy. we're our own enemy.

Were those not your words?

i guess you're just too stupid to understand... i'm not going to waste anymore time trying to explain the fact that we're producing more enemies which kill us simply by fighting. if you smoke and get lung cancer, it's not the cancer you should be mad at... it should be yourself for smoking in the first place. now that you've discovered the cancer, you stop smoking and figure out the best course of treatment to stop the cancer from spreading. you don't keep smoking and say "i'm going to smoke the cancer out of my body, dammit!" and curse the cancer for the metastases around your body because you "stayed the course".

if that analogy doesn't explain it, you're easily the dumbest person on the internet.

Your analogies suck, and your rash of personal attacks and insults display to this entire board your lack of maturity and inability to conduct a debate.

you're right... those were my words. if you read the words, and try implementing a little comprehension to the words you read, you'll understand that i'm implying that we are only hurting ourselves by staying in iraq. therefore, the assessment that we are our own enemy is valid. simply saying "we are the enemy" and leaving it at that implies something entirely different.

i actually think your comprehension for analogies suck. the only reason you don't like them is how they repeatedly show you how i'm right and you're a context-raping idiot.

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: eits
you're right... those were my words.

Case closed.

i actually think your comprehension for analogies suck. the only reason you don't like them is how they repeatedly show you how i'm right and you're a context-raping idiot.

No, I don't like them because they're non sequitir.

 

[alchemize]

Originally posted by: ayabe
Here's Darrell Issa, douchebag of the day, saying that even having a hearing on Blackwater is tantamount to the MoveOn Petraeus/Betray us.

Douchebaggery Within

Yes indeed, no misconduct here, just a game. We shouldn't care that we had to beg the Iraqi's not the kick them out or the numerous reports of misconduct, including straight up murder of a Iraqi bodyguard after a drunken exchange.

In 80%+ of Blackwater engagements, they fired first.

But I don't want to know about that, only those who hate America do.

I heard the 80% number also - but that could be one of those numbers that really doesn't mean anything. I mean, what if they stocked every convoy heavily with snipers, and every time they saw a guy raising an RPG, they nailed him? I can't fault them for that.

As for hearings by the dems, I see it as more political grandstanding for an ineffective democrat party. Start an independent investigation, review the results, then act. Dems are just covering for their inaction that's pissing of the left wing.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Pabster

Originally posted by: eits
you're right... those were my words.

Case closed.

HAHAHA YOU DID IT AGAIN!!!!

haha you're like a nonstop out-of-context machine, aren't you? a perpetual fuck-up when it comes to reading comprehension.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: Pabster

Originally posted by: eits
you're right... those were my words.

Case closed.

HAHAHA YOU DID IT AGAIN!!!!

haha you're like a nonstop out-of-context machine, aren't you? a perpetual fuck-up when it comes to reading comprehension.

Stupid forums ate this reply the first time.

No offense eits but when are you going to learn? I've never seen Pabster even make the slightest attempt to formulate a rational argument. He just comes here to argue.

You can spend all day putting together a well thought out, informed, well articulated post. He will come back with a post that took him 5 seconds to write that says something stupid and pointless, then the ball is back in your court again. It's just not possible to have a real discussion with him... and so your time is better spent doing something else.

Anything else.

 

[umbrella39]

<ignore> works wonders. There are a few conservatives here willing to debate, he is not one of them. Yes men never are.

 

[The Yeti]

Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only. Half the people bashing them have no clue of the important role they play. They listen only to information that aligns with their political beliefs regardless of fact. Blackwater exists because they fill an important need; the security, training, and safety of our deployed diplomats and military personnel. Individuals that believe they are just a bunch of yahoos running around shooting innocent people really should consider getting their facts straight before commenting. Some mistakes were made in the past, but immediate action was taken to address the issues. This particular firm is one of the most professional organizations operating within Iraq.

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only.

And those are??

 

[The Yeti]

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only.

And those are??

The continual and growing opposition to the occupation of Iraq is one of the reasons. Politicians are doing all they can to make highly visual, yet empty, stances against an unpopular war and President in order to ensure their positions for the next term. Blackwater is an unfortunate scapegoat for such a campaign. The only reason they go after firms such as Blackwater is because they fear doing the same to the military. That would make them unpatriotic and could end up costing popularity, votes, and positions. It?s just a giant game to the representatives in Washington, they could care less.

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: The Yeti

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only.

And those are??

The continual and growing opposition to the occupation of Iraq is one of the reasons. Politicians are doing all they can to make highly visual, yet empty, stances against an unpopular war and President in order to ensure their positions for the next term. Blackwater is an unfortunate scapegoat for such a campaign. The only reason they go after firms such as Blackwater is because they fear doing the same to the military. That would make them unpatriotic and could end up costing popularity, votes, and positions. It?s just a giant game to the representatives in Washington, they could care less.

What utter nonsense. While you are right that the politicians are overly fearful about criticizing the military, that doesn't mean they scapegoat Blackwater.

You do a disservice to the legitimate concerns with blackwater with your whitewashing theory.

The concerns with Blackwater are not misplaced attacks on the troops, they're concerns about blackwater, from the lack of oversight and accountability to the bad precedent to the cost.

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only. Half the people bashing them have no clue of the important role they play. They listen only to information that aligns with their political beliefs regardless of fact. Blackwater exists because they fill an important need; the security, training, and safety of our deployed diplomats and military personnel. Individuals that believe they are just a bunch of yahoos running around shooting innocent people really should consider getting their facts straight before commenting. Some mistakes were made in the past, but immediate action was taken to address the issues. This particular firm is one of the most professional organizations operating within Iraq.

QFT. Blackwater operates in an extremely dangerous and hostile environment.

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: The Yeti

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only.

And those are??

The continual and growing opposition to the occupation of Iraq is one of the reasons. Politicians are doing all they can to make highly visual, yet empty, stances against an unpopular war and President in order to ensure their positions for the next term. Blackwater is an unfortunate scapegoat for such a campaign. The only reason they go after firms such as Blackwater is because they fear doing the same to the military. That would make them unpatriotic and could end up costing popularity, votes, and positions. It?s just a giant game to the representatives in Washington, they could care less.

Well, since Blackwater is the security force for for these Washington folks when they visit Iraq, I wouldn't think they would want to unneccesarily piss them off....... unless things were getting out of hand??

The story about the guy being drunk and killing the Iraqi VP's body guard is bit of an eye opener, don't you think? These guys are costing the taxpayers $1,222/day, that's six times what the soldiers are making. They are paid well enough and we should expect accountability from them for their actions. In the end it's the US citizens the Iraqis are going to hate if they are running roughshod over the Iraqis.

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: Pabster

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only. Half the people bashing them have no clue of the important role they play. They listen only to information that aligns with their political beliefs regardless of fact. Blackwater exists because they fill an important need; the security, training, and safety of our deployed diplomats and military personnel. Individuals that believe they are just a bunch of yahoos running around shooting innocent people really should consider getting their facts straight before commenting. Some mistakes were made in the past, but immediate action was taken to address the issues. This particular firm is one of the most professional organizations operating within Iraq.

QFT. Blackwater operates in an extremely dangerous and hostile environment.

If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

 

[The Yeti]

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only.

And those are??

The continual and growing opposition to the occupation of Iraq is one of the reasons. Politicians are doing all they can to make highly visual, yet empty, stances against an unpopular war and President in order to ensure their positions for the next term. Blackwater is an unfortunate scapegoat for such a campaign. The only reason they go after firms such as Blackwater is because they fear doing the same to the military. That would make them unpatriotic and could end up costing popularity, votes, and positions. It?s just a giant game to the representatives in Washington, they could care less.

Well, since Blackwater is the security force for for these Washington folks when they visit Iraq, I wouldn't think they would want to unneccesarily piss them off....... unless things were getting out of hand??

The story about the guy being drunk and killing the Iraqi VP's body guard is bit of an eye opener, don't you think? These guys are costing the taxpayers $1,222/day, that's six times what the soldiers are making. They are paid well enough and we should expect accountability from them for their actions. In the end it's the US citizens the Iraqis are going to hate if they are running roughshod over the Iraqis.

Believe me, I know where you are coming from, but you are only getting one side of the story. Blackwater holds their employees very accountable for their actions and does all that it can, within its capacity, to address the issues. As far as costing the American taxpayer more than the average soldier to fill those particular duties goes, that statement is completely false. It would actually cost a lot more to have military personnel to fill the role of Blackwater. They fail to take into account the continual training and costs involved in maintaining and retaining a highly skilled security force. Just look how much it costs to maintain and operate government groups such as DSS and State Department in house security. That?s one aspect they choose to leave out.

 

[The Yeti]

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: Pabster

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only. Half the people bashing them have no clue of the important role they play. They listen only to information that aligns with their political beliefs regardless of fact. Blackwater exists because they fill an important need; the security, training, and safety of our deployed diplomats and military personnel. Individuals that believe they are just a bunch of yahoos running around shooting innocent people really should consider getting their facts straight before commenting. Some mistakes were made in the past, but immediate action was taken to address the issues. This particular firm is one of the most professional organizations operating within Iraq.

QFT. Blackwater operates in an extremely dangerous and hostile environment.

If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

They can more than take the heat, but they end up getting crucified for it.

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: The Yeti

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only.

And those are??

The continual and growing opposition to the occupation of Iraq is one of the reasons. Politicians are doing all they can to make highly visual, yet empty, stances against an unpopular war and President in order to ensure their positions for the next term. Blackwater is an unfortunate scapegoat for such a campaign. The only reason they go after firms such as Blackwater is because they fear doing the same to the military. That would make them unpatriotic and could end up costing popularity, votes, and positions. It?s just a giant game to the representatives in Washington, they could care less.

Well, since Blackwater is the security force for for these Washington folks when they visit Iraq, I wouldn't think they would want to unneccesarily piss them off....... unless things were getting out of hand??

The story about the guy being drunk and killing the Iraqi VP's body guard is bit of an eye opener, don't you think? These guys are costing the taxpayers $1,222/day, that's six times what the soldiers are making. They are paid well enough and we should expect accountability from them for their actions. In the end it's the US citizens the Iraqis are going to hate if they are running roughshod over the Iraqis.

Believe me, I know where you are coming from, but you are only getting one side of the story. Blackwater holds their employees very accountable for their actions and does all that it can, within its capacity, to address the issues. As far as costing the American taxpayer more than the average soldier to fill those particular duties goes, that statement is completely false. It would actually cost a lot more to have military personnel to fill the role of Blackwater. They fail to take into account the continual training and costs involved in maintaining and retaining a highly skilled security force. Just look how much it costs to maintain and operate government groups such as DSS and State Department in house security. That?s one aspect they choose to leave out.

According to the House Oversight Committe report on May 8, 2006 the State Department awarded Blackwater a $1.2 Billion contract authorizing them to have 1,020 staff in Iraq. Blackwater says they have 861 personnel working in Iraq and that 243 of them are third-country nationals.

That's well over $1 million per individual they have on their payroll. They need to be unaccountable to someone. I have no doubts that the management of Blackwater wants to keep it's lucrative contract, but the people paying the bills don't need some drunken cowboy shooting up the Iraqi's Prime Minister's compound. That person should be held accountable for his actions, if he had been I doubt we'd even be having this conversation.

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: The Yeti

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: Pabster

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only. Half the people bashing them have no clue of the important role they play. They listen only to information that aligns with their political beliefs regardless of fact. Blackwater exists because they fill an important need; the security, training, and safety of our deployed diplomats and military personnel. Individuals that believe they are just a bunch of yahoos running around shooting innocent people really should consider getting their facts straight before commenting. Some mistakes were made in the past, but immediate action was taken to address the issues. This particular firm is one of the most professional organizations operating within Iraq.

QFT. Blackwater operates in an extremely dangerous and hostile environment.

If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

They can more than take the heat, but they end up getting crucified for it.

Some kitchens are hotter then others.

 

[The Yeti]

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only.

And those are??

The continual and growing opposition to the occupation of Iraq is one of the reasons. Politicians are doing all they can to make highly visual, yet empty, stances against an unpopular war and President in order to ensure their positions for the next term. Blackwater is an unfortunate scapegoat for such a campaign. The only reason they go after firms such as Blackwater is because they fear doing the same to the military. That would make them unpatriotic and could end up costing popularity, votes, and positions. It?s just a giant game to the representatives in Washington, they could care less.

Well, since Blackwater is the security force for for these Washington folks when they visit Iraq, I wouldn't think they would want to unneccesarily piss them off....... unless things were getting out of hand??

The story about the guy being drunk and killing the Iraqi VP's body guard is bit of an eye opener, don't you think? These guys are costing the taxpayers $1,222/day, that's six times what the soldiers are making. They are paid well enough and we should expect accountability from them for their actions. In the end it's the US citizens the Iraqis are going to hate if they are running roughshod over the Iraqis.

Believe me, I know where you are coming from, but you are only getting one side of the story. Blackwater holds their employees very accountable for their actions and does all that it can, within its capacity, to address the issues. As far as costing the American taxpayer more than the average soldier to fill those particular duties goes, that statement is completely false. It would actually cost a lot more to have military personnel to fill the role of Blackwater. They fail to take into account the continual training and costs involved in maintaining and retaining a highly skilled security force. Just look how much it costs to maintain and operate government groups such as DSS and State Department in house security. That?s one aspect they choose to leave out.

According to the House Oversight Committe report on May 8, 2006 the State Department awarded Blackwater a $1.2 Billion contract authorizing them to have 1,020 staff in Iraq. Blackwater says they have 861 personnel working in Iraq and that 243 of them are third-country nationals.

That's well over $1 million per individual they have on their payroll. They need to be unaccountable to someone. I have no doubts that the management of Blackwater wants to keep it's lucrative contract, but the people paying the bills don't need some drunken cowboy shooting up the Iraqi's Prime Minister's compound. That person should be held accountable for his actions, if he had been I doubt we'd even be having this conversation.

I thought that figure was closer to 800 million. That money goes toward more than just security details in Iraq. Who do you think trains our military, federal law enforcement, and agency personnel? Not to mention the training of Iraqi police and military forces, Afghan military and police forces, and others of the kind worldwide. It?s not all used in Iraq, it?s used globally. Materials, vehicles, safe operational locations to conduct training, and many other examples, the list may go on and on. War and quality security is not cheap; you definitely get what you pay for and Blackwater is by far the best in the business. The individual you were referring to was immediately fired and reported to authorities. The justice department ruled that Blackwater acted properly when addressing the issues of that particular individual. Like I said earlier, they can only do what they can within their capacity when dealing with situations such as the one you had mentioned. That is the job of the FBI and Justice department, not Blackwater.

 

[Pepsei]

Originally posted by: Sinsear

Originally posted by: Stoneburner
American soldiers need to be paid as much as blackwater's mercs

If you're a true patriot you'll agree with the above statement.

If only that were true. I would be living the life of a fat cat about now. However, with pay that high it would definitely attract alot of the wrong types of people to the job.

which means, a lot of mercs are there because of the money and not because they're patriots.

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: The Yeti

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only.

And those are??

The continual and growing opposition to the occupation of Iraq is one of the reasons. Politicians are doing all they can to make highly visual, yet empty, stances against an unpopular war and President in order to ensure their positions for the next term. Blackwater is an unfortunate scapegoat for such a campaign. The only reason they go after firms such as Blackwater is because they fear doing the same to the military. That would make them unpatriotic and could end up costing popularity, votes, and positions. It?s just a giant game to the representatives in Washington, they could care less.

Well, since Blackwater is the security force for for these Washington folks when they visit Iraq, I wouldn't think they would want to unneccesarily piss them off....... unless things were getting out of hand??

The story about the guy being drunk and killing the Iraqi VP's body guard is bit of an eye opener, don't you think? These guys are costing the taxpayers $1,222/day, that's six times what the soldiers are making. They are paid well enough and we should expect accountability from them for their actions. In the end it's the US citizens the Iraqis are going to hate if they are running roughshod over the Iraqis.

Believe me, I know where you are coming from, but you are only getting one side of the story. Blackwater holds their employees very accountable for their actions and does all that it can, within its capacity, to address the issues. As far as costing the American taxpayer more than the average soldier to fill those particular duties goes, that statement is completely false. It would actually cost a lot more to have military personnel to fill the role of Blackwater. They fail to take into account the continual training and costs involved in maintaining and retaining a highly skilled security force. Just look how much it costs to maintain and operate government groups such as DSS and State Department in house security. That?s one aspect they choose to leave out.

According to the House Oversight Committe report on May 8, 2006 the State Department awarded Blackwater a $1.2 Billion contract authorizing them to have 1,020 staff in Iraq. Blackwater says they have 861 personnel working in Iraq and that 243 of them are third-country nationals.

That's well over $1 million per individual they have on their payroll. They need to be unaccountable to someone. I have no doubts that the management of Blackwater wants to keep it's lucrative contract, but the people paying the bills don't need some drunken cowboy shooting up the Iraqi's Prime Minister's compound. That person should be held accountable for his actions, if he had been I doubt we'd even be having this conversation.

I thought that figure was closer to 800 million. That money goes toward more than just security details in Iraq. Who do you think trains our military, federal law enforcement, and agency personnel? Not to mention the training of Iraqi police and military forces, Afghan military and police forces, and others of the kind worldwide. It?s not all used in Iraq, it?s used globally. Materials, vehicles, safe operational locations to conduct training, and many other examples, the list may go on and on. War and quality security is not cheap; you definitely get what you pay for and Blackwater is by far the best in the business. The individual you were referring to was immediately fired and reported to authorities. The justice department ruled that Blackwater acted properly when addressing the issues of that particular individual. Like I said earlier, they can only do what they can within their capacity when dealing with situations such as the one you had mentioned. That is the job of the FBI and Justice department, not Blackwater.

No, the contract is for Iraq. They've recieved $832 million under 2 contracts with the State Dept. for security services in Iraq. The newest contract is called the WPPS II and it includes Blackwater, Triple Canopy, and DynaCorp to provide diplomatic security in Iraq. The maximum value of the contract is $1.2 Billion per contractor.


The State Dept has claimed that the drunken shootin incident is still "under investigation", but it's been 9 months with no charges so.... don't hold your breath.

As far as private contractors being "cheaper" Secretary of Defense Gates recently testified about his "personal cocnern..... that they are able to lure some of our soldiers out of the service to work for them" and has asked Pentagon officials to work towards including "non-compete clauses" in miliotary contracts to prevent contractors such as Blackwater from luring our highly trained soldiers out of our forces.

http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20071001121609.pdf

 

[The Yeti]

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only.

And those are??

The continual and growing opposition to the occupation of Iraq is one of the reasons. Politicians are doing all they can to make highly visual, yet empty, stances against an unpopular war and President in order to ensure their positions for the next term. Blackwater is an unfortunate scapegoat for such a campaign. The only reason they go after firms such as Blackwater is because they fear doing the same to the military. That would make them unpatriotic and could end up costing popularity, votes, and positions. It?s just a giant game to the representatives in Washington, they could care less.

Well, since Blackwater is the security force for for these Washington folks when they visit Iraq, I wouldn't think they would want to unneccesarily piss them off....... unless things were getting out of hand??

The story about the guy being drunk and killing the Iraqi VP's body guard is bit of an eye opener, don't you think? These guys are costing the taxpayers $1,222/day, that's six times what the soldiers are making. They are paid well enough and we should expect accountability from them for their actions. In the end it's the US citizens the Iraqis are going to hate if they are running roughshod over the Iraqis.

Believe me, I know where you are coming from, but you are only getting one side of the story. Blackwater holds their employees very accountable for their actions and does all that it can, within its capacity, to address the issues. As far as costing the American taxpayer more than the average soldier to fill those particular duties goes, that statement is completely false. It would actually cost a lot more to have military personnel to fill the role of Blackwater. They fail to take into account the continual training and costs involved in maintaining and retaining a highly skilled security force. Just look how much it costs to maintain and operate government groups such as DSS and State Department in house security. That?s one aspect they choose to leave out.

According to the House Oversight Committe report on May 8, 2006 the State Department awarded Blackwater a $1.2 Billion contract authorizing them to have 1,020 staff in Iraq. Blackwater says they have 861 personnel working in Iraq and that 243 of them are third-country nationals.

That's well over $1 million per individual they have on their payroll. They need to be unaccountable to someone. I have no doubts that the management of Blackwater wants to keep it's lucrative contract, but the people paying the bills don't need some drunken cowboy shooting up the Iraqi's Prime Minister's compound. That person should be held accountable for his actions, if he had been I doubt we'd even be having this conversation.

I thought that figure was closer to 800 million. That money goes toward more than just security details in Iraq. Who do you think trains our military, federal law enforcement, and agency personnel? Not to mention the training of Iraqi police and military forces, Afghan military and police forces, and others of the kind worldwide. It?s not all used in Iraq, it?s used globally. Materials, vehicles, safe operational locations to conduct training, and many other examples, the list may go on and on. War and quality security is not cheap; you definitely get what you pay for and Blackwater is by far the best in the business. The individual you were referring to was immediately fired and reported to authorities. The justice department ruled that Blackwater acted properly when addressing the issues of that particular individual. Like I said earlier, they can only do what they can within their capacity when dealing with situations such as the one you had mentioned. That is the job of the FBI and Justice department, not Blackwater.

No, the contract is for Iraq. They've recieved $832 million under 2 contracts with the State Dept. for security services in Iraq. The newest contract is called the WPPS II and it includes Blackwater, Triple Canopy, and DynaCorp to provide diplomatic security in Iraq. The maximum value of the contract is $1.2 Billion per contractor.


The State Dept has claimed that the drunken shootin incident is still "under investigation", but it's been 9 months with no charges so.... don't hold your breath.

As far as private contractors being "cheaper" Secretary of Defense Gates recently testified about his "personal cocnern..... that they are able to lure some of our soldiers out of the service to work for them" and has asked Pentagon officials to work towards including "non-compete clauses" in miliotary contracts to prevent contractors such as Blackwater from luring our highly trained soldiers out of our forces.

http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20071001121609.pdf

Thanks for the link. I?m too tired to read it right now, so I?ll read it tomorrow and post back as soon as I?m able.

 

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only. Half the people bashing them have no clue of the important role they play. They listen only to information that aligns with their political beliefs regardless of fact. Blackwater exists because they fill an important need; the security, training, and safety of our deployed diplomats and military personnel. Individuals that believe they are just a bunch of yahoos running around shooting innocent people really should consider getting their facts straight before commenting. Some mistakes were made in the past, but immediate action was taken to address the issues. This particular firm is one of the most professional organizations operating within Iraq.

Doing an important job is no excuse for doing it badly. In fact, the fact that Blackwater is doing an important and vital job is all the more reason to replace them with someone who can DO IT.

 

[The Yeti]

Originally posted by: Rainsford

Originally posted by: The Yeti
Blackwater is being targeted for political reasons only. Half the people bashing them have no clue of the important role they play. They listen only to information that aligns with their political beliefs regardless of fact. Blackwater exists because they fill an important need; the security, training, and safety of our deployed diplomats and military personnel. Individuals that believe they are just a bunch of yahoos running around shooting innocent people really should consider getting their facts straight before commenting. Some mistakes were made in the past, but immediate action was taken to address the issues. This particular firm is one of the most professional organizations operating within Iraq.

Doing an important job is no excuse for doing it badly. In fact, the fact that Blackwater is doing an important and vital job is all the more reason to replace them with someone who can DO IT.

Someone who can DO IT? They are filling that role better than any firm on the planet. I would hardly call that doing a job badly. Keeping their customers alive in a war zone is their job and they have not failed once. Nice try though.