Blackwater guards shoot NYT’s dog.
Reuters reports that the “U.S. embassy in Iraq is investigating another deadly shooting incident involving its Blackwater bodyguards — this time of the New York Times’s dog.” The Times’ Baghdad bureau staff said that their office dog, Hentish, was shot by Blackwater bodyguards just prior to a visit by a U.S. diplomat:
Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said the dog had attacked one of Blackwater’s bomb-sniffer dogs while a security team was sweeping the compound for explosives.
“The K-9 handler made several unsuccessful attempts to get the dog to retreat, including placing himself between the dogs. When those efforts failed, the K-9 handler unfortunately was forced to use a pistol to protect the company’s K-9 and himself,” she said in an e-mail to Reuters.
State Department investigators have made two follow-up visits to the Times compound to investigate the shooting of Hentish.
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71 Responses to “Blackwater guards shoot NYT’s dog.”
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Sometimes, gang-raping and civilian killing just isn’t enough to get the message across, I guess.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:48 pmOdds Michael Vick gets a job with Blackwater when he getsout of prison?
December 18th, 2007 at 2:48 pmhttp://www.tshirtinsurgency.com
Doesn’t that logo make it look like blackwater is giving the middle claw to the people? And that’s the newer, friendlier logo.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:49 pmNote, everyone, how the Blackwater bear-paw logo is flipping the world off?? I suppose it stands to reason there are Righty graphic designers out there…
December 18th, 2007 at 2:49 pmM - you read my mind!
December 18th, 2007 at 2:49 pmThanks Menehune and Tom,
First laugh of the day!
December 18th, 2007 at 2:50 pmState Department investigators have made two follow-up visits to the Times compound to investigate the shooting of Hentish.
Okay…. shooting a dog - investigations and follow-ups
rape of a young woman - swept under rug
The era of accountibility continues
December 18th, 2007 at 2:50 pmWe’re shooting NYT’s dogs over there so we don’t have to walk them over here.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:51 pmraynman, exactly my thoughts.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:52 pmSounds like the guard was just doing his job, but how is this more investigatable than a rape/false imprisonment????
THe dog belonged to Al K-9-da and deserved to be killed because it was an IsAlpofascist.
-GSD
December 18th, 2007 at 2:52 pmMike Huckabee’s son is another good Blackwater candidate.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:53 pmJust the latest front in the Republican War on Dogs.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:56 pmWhy do fscists and Righties hate dogs?
December 18th, 2007 at 2:59 pmhttp://thepineappleprincess.blogspot.com/ 2007/ 08/ do-all-republicans-hate-dogs.html
I guess they won’t be calling the NY Times liberal now that they had a dog that was kicking a Blackwater dog’s ass. Still, using a gun to break up a dog fight, snort. I think Blackwater NEEDS Michael Vick on their K9 unit.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:00 pmSo, the NYT office dog “attacked” the Big Bad Blackwater Bomb sniffing dog?
uh-huh!
i don’t buy it.
what’s next? a blackwater bodyguard stealing candy from a baby?
December 18th, 2007 at 3:01 pmThose big tough blackwater boys hiding behind their assault weapons for fear the newspaper dog will pounce on them. All their goverment paid training has them fall back to using force on a dog.
Their facade of toughness just melted away. Lightweights with their bazookas.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:06 pmMike Huckabee’s son is another good Blackwater candidate.
Comment by Menehune — December 18, 2007 @ 2:53 pm
for shooting?
December 18th, 2007 at 3:06 pmDispicable, evil bunch of thugs. Oh, and Blackwater, are too.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:06 pmYikes. Sociopaths for hire. I’m sure they’re all card-carrying Republicans.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:12 pmI’m sure Mutt Romney completely supports this.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:16 pmI’m more than a little surprised that a K-9 handler had to resort to shooting another dog; one would think he’d know better how to deal with perfectly normal dog behavior. The bomb dog was trespassing on the other dog’s turf, and the response was a normal territorial one. The simple response would be to withdraw from the conflict with the K-9 until someone could restrain the other dog. It’s not exactly rocket science, but I guess the Blackwater response was simple arrogance: you mess with me or mine and I’ll shoot you dead. Period.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:18 pmDogs are great at sensing evil.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:19 pmGuess it would have been too much trouble to ask someone to bring the dog inside so their dog could sniff around the NYT’s compound for bombs.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:19 pmLooks like our State Depts diplomacy methods are rubbing off on their security force.
those Blackwater guys sure are trigger-happy, aren’t they? good thing they don’t operate within any rule of law
December 18th, 2007 at 3:19 pmOk now a dog? Now I’m pissed.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:20 pmWhen they don’t value human life, in a typical reich-wing fashion, of course they do not value the life of a dog.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:22 pmThe dog was a rabid member of the liberal media - must’ve had it coming to him.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:22 pmSpeaks volumes for the climate …. Gang rapes, murder, thievery,… now the slaughter of dogs? Do we want this crowd helping Americans in time of disaster? And I agree with the above posts… that middle finger in the emblem says it all.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:23 pm26…they are also great at sensing delicious food.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:24 pmSo how do you explain Pitt Bulls attacking little children?
Comment by cold_hard_left — December 18, 2007 @ 3:21 pm
That’s a different topic, jas/huck. That’s due to terrible and abusive owners. But, it doesn’t change the fact that dogs are great at sensing evil. Are you really that obtuse, or are you just trying to pick me up again.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:24 pmDogs are great at sensing evil.
Comment by Dr. Matt — December 18, 2007 @ 3:19 pm
_____________________________
So how do you explain Pitt Bulls attacking little children?
Well, maybe they are bad seeds?
-GSD
December 18th, 2007 at 3:24 pmSo how do you explain Pitt Bulls attacking little children?
Comment by cold_hard_left — December 18, 2007 @ 3:21 pm
Another example of you lack of ability to think things through to a logical conclusion.
Your posts are great comedy, but don’t you ever get embarrassed showing off your stupidity?
December 18th, 2007 at 3:30 pmRepubs just love dogs.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:30 pmMitt-Flop Romney chains them to the roof of his car for ten hour rides.
Rudy’s mistress/wife sells them for cruel lab experiments.
Huckabee’s kids use them as Pinatas.
The Repub party is the party of Jeffrey Dahmers.
Figure in what kind of people want pit-bulls or whatever kind of dog capable of inflicting great damage. That is a bad mix. You get the same mix with Blackwater.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:31 pmI’ve got a conflict here. As both a NY Times reader and also someone who at times trains German Shepherds, I’m torn.
However, I have to side with Blackwater here.
Where was the handler for the NY Times dog? How do you allow a dog with enough size and temper to do damage to a bomb-sniffing dog (GSD I assume) to not be under control?
If my GSD gets into a tussle (rare but it happens — even when he’s under control dogs go after him and he responds), I know I can stop and control my GSD. The problem I have is that other idiots at times don’t control their dogs.
Of course, more info is needed (notably whether the presence of guard dogs was posted — did the Blackwater person go in knowing that the area was being patrolled?) but still, as much as I despise Blackwater, I think the hander made the right move.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:33 pmBTW, isn’t Blackwater a militia?
December 18th, 2007 at 3:37 pmAnd aren’t militias illegal?
By having the Blackwater militia competing with out armed forces, we are weakening our country and sliding down a slippery slope where a fascist right wing dictator can arise and use Blackwater to gain power.
What does Blackwater do exactly which hasn’t been done by our military for the past 225 years? Why are they even necessary?
Outsourcing our military to overpaid mercenary militias is extemely dangerous, extravagantly expensive and should be immediately outlawed.
36…I wondered that myself skeeter–they never said what breed the NYT’s dog was.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:40 pmARREST ERICK PRINCE!
December 18th, 2007 at 3:43 pmSo how do you explain Pitt Bulls attacking little children?
Comment by cold_hard_left — December 18, 2007 @ 3:21 pm
That’s easy. Republican Pitt Bulls.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:45 pmI believe the dog was a Canardly.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:51 pm(Can hardly tell what breed it is.)
These are the types of questions that would have answers if the media were writing about any dog other than their own.
Comment by cold_hard_left — December 18, 2007 @ 3:49 pm
According to who? Did you write a journalism book on dog murdering during war-time?
December 18th, 2007 at 3:57 pmThey shoot dogs, don’t they? Sickos!
December 18th, 2007 at 3:57 pmThese are the types of questions that would have answers if the media were writing about any dog other than their own.
Comment by cold_hard_left — December 18, 2007 @ 3:49 pm
wow, you are just raving now. guess we took you apart pretty good.
Times, not ABC. Try reading before 8you post. Not that it will make any dofference in your world. Thanks for 9/11.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:59 pmCHL: It’s as though one would give a flying $hit about those questions - except save for a troglodyte like yourself. The fact that an innocent animal was shot by some guards amped up on steroids is what’s significant here - not anything you seem to care about.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:59 pmCHL can’t read….nyuk! nyuk! Evidence of that fact once again. Good nail job, Lefty!
December 18th, 2007 at 3:59 pmDr. Matt: You should know where CHL’s dx lies: On the consciousness scale, he’s a clear “unconscious incompetent” who believes the lies he hears in his head.
December 18th, 2007 at 4:01 pmwhat kind of wussy guard dogs does Blackwater have?
December 18th, 2007 at 4:02 pmwait, a Blackwater rep. SAID it, therefore it is almost statistically certain to be UNTRUE!
Amazing how transparently consistent CHL’s hijacking methods are on every thread. He tries to subvert the conversation to the “how, when, where and why of an issue” in an overt attempt to divert the conversation. Ain’t working any longer for the poor slob though since everyone’s not only onto his tactics but knows who he is……that’s right, we did our own “how, where, why” on him and know which other screen names he uses.
December 18th, 2007 at 4:03 pmWe’re shooting NYT’s dogs over there so we don’t have to walk them over here.
Comment by Badmoodman
December 18th, 2007 at 4:14 pmHahahahahaha! Very funny!!!!!!
I don’t like to use the term “evil”… but damn. What kind of dog posed such a threat to a bomb-sniffing K-9, that it had to be murdered? Seriously, what kind of dog was it? I couldn’t find it in the reports.
~Sean
December 18th, 2007 at 4:17 pmSean:
December 18th, 2007 at 4:20 pmIt might have been Cujo.
Sean,
Assuming no handler around, there are a lot of types of dog where that could be necessary — any dog of type over 80 pounds, Chow, GSD, Rot, Pit, Akita — I’ve seen seen some Labs that, if they are out off control and no handler is present can be a problem.
Personally, I had a situation a few months ago where my GSD was minding his own business (taking a nap on the ground while my wife and I spoke to some friends on a Chicago street), where two dogs (one about 40 pounds and one about 60) attack my dog and me. Luckily I was able to shake free of the dog that went after me and my friends pulled the second dog off my GSD, but if my friends were not there, I’m not sure what I would have done.
The real issue is whether it was posted that guard dogs would be roaming or whether there was any handler around.
It is easy to rip Blackwater because, for the most part, Blackwater is scum. However, if the left is going to be different from the right, we need to give credit where credit is due and place blame where blame is due, and not simply assign blame to those we don’t like.
December 18th, 2007 at 4:26 pmComment by cold_hard_left — December 18, 2007 @ 4:25 pm
Fishing with the same poor bait eh?
December 18th, 2007 at 4:28 pmThis is going to do more harm to Blackwater than anything else. Americans seem not to give a rat’s ass about our soldiers or Iraqi civilians, but if you kill a dog… oooooboy it is gonna hit the fan now.
December 18th, 2007 at 4:45 pmWhat was the NYT doing with a dog in Baghdad?
They were trying to report the “good news”, but then Backwater wouldn’t let them.
December 18th, 2007 at 4:52 pmWhat does Blackwater being murderous mercenaries have to do with “the man” moron.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:00 pm54. What was the NYT doing with a dog in Baghdad?
Comment by cold_hard_left
My suspicion is that Hentish was a seeing eye dog, considering all the stories that the NYTimes hasn’t “seen” or “sniffed out” this year.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:08 pmAs a former military policeman who has handled both narcotics and explosives detecting working dogs in the US Army, I’ve just got to say, “…what the hell?” If I could not handle and protect my dog from another aggressive animal under the circumstances reported—however incomplete the details may have been—I should not be a dog handler! At all.
Taking that report at face value, the need to use deadly force against the other dog is completely inappropriate. What a pathetic response on the part of the Blackwater employee.
Of course, what would a Blackwater employee know about the reasonable use of deadly force?
December 18th, 2007 at 5:29 pmOh, and then there is this: “Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said the dog had attacked one of Blackwater’s bomb-sniffer dogs while a security team was sweeping the compound for explosives.”
I’ll bet. Sort of like those seventeen now dead Iraqis attacked that Blackwater led convoy at Nisour Square. Or, not so much.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:36 pmBlackwater is a great blemish on this nation and it is ENTIRELY because of the actions and policies of the Cheney-Bush administration!
December 18th, 2007 at 5:42 pmYears from now, when lunatics shoot a place up and kill innocent people for no apparent reason, and everyone is wondering what happened, someone will say, “He used to work for Blackwater.” and others will say, “Ahhh yes, now it makes sense.”
December 18th, 2007 at 5:44 pmSkeeter1 - while as a philosophical argument I may agree with what you said, what neither of us have is a videotape of the incident (surveillance camera perchance ?). Hopefully, you would agree with me that the devil is in the details - specifically, who attacked who.
December 18th, 2007 at 6:29 pmamera perchance ?). Hopefully, you would agree with me that the devil is in the details - specifically, who attacked who.
Comment by MapleStreet — December 18, 2007 @ 6:29 pm
Every time you give the right a free pass, it emboldens them. They are of the same psychological makeup as the terrorists; in fact, they are our terrorists. This incident is not even surprising, given the pathology of mercenaries who have been freed of all legal and moral restraints by the least moral man in the world, our own chimpster. Stop being so damn fair, they don’t deserve it, and haven’t earned it.
December 18th, 2007 at 7:34 pmThe big hyper-macho Blackwater pooch can’t defend it’s self against the “liberal” NYT dog. What is the Blackwater dog a cute French Poodle with a little pink bow ?
http://www.doggiebowties.com/ ShowBows/ PuppySLFancy/ PaigePoodle.jpg
December 18th, 2007 at 8:19 pmLefty Patriot, I’m not giving a free pass. I’m saying that it is almost inevitable that a camera is somewhere near and I want to see that video.
December 18th, 2007 at 9:08 pmFortunately the NYT’s goldfish survived the attack.
December 19th, 2007 at 12:09 amI am a bit confused about one matter.
Why would Blackwater need a bomb-sniffing dog in Iraq of all places?
I keep hearing on FoxNews about how great things are going in Iraq. I thought things were safe and secure over there.
Was this dog there as a personnel pet or something? I know Blackwater guys are strange, but having a dog sniff for non-existence bombs is a bit odd.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:29 amNYT’s dog, huh?
I have the feeling this animal would still be alive if it was a member of the “Fox family.”
December 20th, 2007 at 1:08 pmBut Kilo, there are drugs in Columbia and snow in Russia.
The B-Team and FoxNews keep telling us how safe and secure Iraq has become.
Why in the world would they need bomb-sniffing dogs?
December 21st, 2007 at 9:55 amIt amazes me how uniformed the US citizen are! There is no rape associated with Blackwater but another military contractor! At least these Blackwater guys are doing something about this war! What are you doing? You really should not criticizes another man till you have walked a miles in his shoes!
December 26th, 2007 at 3:18 pmMany may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of servicemen on whose shoulders they stand. I forgive them for the untutored ways of youth and your naivete. It may be that they are simply a sheep. There’s no dishonor in being a sheep as long as you know & accept what you are.Then there are sheepdogs & I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock & confront the wolf. If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen a sheep. Sheep do not want to believe that there is evil in the world but the sheep’s only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard & so they chose the path of denial.The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs & the capacity for violence. Still the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn’t tell them were to stand at the ready in our airports in fatigues holding a M-16.The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs spray paint himself white & go “Baa.” Until the wolf shows up.Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter checking the breeze barking at things that go bump in the night & yearning for a righteous battle.The old sheepdogs are a little older & wiser but they move to the sound of the guns when needed. Here is how the sheep & the sheepdog think differently.The sheep pretend the wolf will never come but the sheepdog lives for that day.There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog the warrior but he does have one real advantage. It is a conscious moral decision. If you want to be a sheep then you can be a sheep & that is okay but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes you & your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf you can be one but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest safety trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog & walk the warrior’s path then you must make a conscious & moral decision every day to dedicate equip & prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.We do not call for gifts or freedoms beyond our lot. We just need a small pat on the head a smile & a thank you to fill the emotional tank which is drained protecting the sheep. Be grateful for the thousands millions of American sheepdogs who permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.
December 26th, 2007 at 3:20 pm