Blackwater unlikely to face charges for Sept. ‘07 Iraq shootout.
Blackwater unlikely to face charges for Sept. ‘07 Iraq shootout.
In September 2007, Blackwater guards in Iraq engaged in an unprovoked attack, according to witnesses, that killed 11 civilians. The AP reports today that the contractor “is not expected to face criminal charges” over the shooting, “all but ensuring the company will keep its multimillion-dollar contract to protect U.S. diplomats”:
Instead, the seven-month-old Justice Department investigation is focused on as few as three or four Blackwater guards who could be indicted in the Sept. 16 shootings, according to interviews with a half-dozen people close to the investigation. The final decision on any charges will not be made until late summer at the earliest, a law enforcement official said.
Nevertheless, families of the shooting victims “are suing Blackwater under a wrongful death claim in civil court.” Furthermore, federal prosecutors in North Carolina are “investigating whether Blackwater played a role in a weapons smuggling case linked to the Kurdish militant group PKK, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.”
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Well that’s a surprise.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:32 pmWhere’s the justice department? Oh, yeah, forgot, we don’t have one anymore.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:35 pmJust one of the bennies of working for Blackwater — murder with impunity.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:37 pmConservative Tough on Crime ™ at work.
What’s a lawsuit against a fat corporation anymore?
May 9th, 2008 at 7:42 pmI hope that you understand that the administration has contracts in place to use Blackwater in the US for domestic disturbances. I can assure you that the same rules of engagement and criminal liability will be the rule.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:42 pmJMOHR,
Do you think their domestic contracts will survive after the November elections?
May 9th, 2008 at 7:46 pmJMOHR Says:
I hope that you understand that the administration has contracts in place to use Blackwater in the US for domestic disturbances. I can assure you that the same rules of engagement and criminal liability will be the rule.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Most certainly it will take the slaughter of a group of protesters to get very many people up in arms about the Blackwater criminals.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:47 pmSan Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders wants to know whether Blackwater Worldwide misrepresented itself recently.
Blackwater, obtained San Diego permits under the names Raven Development Group to develop a training site for the Navy. Blackwater has leased an industrial building of 61,600-square-feet where it will operate a shooting range, a simulated Navy ship and classrooms.
Blackwater recently dropped plans for an 824-acre training center in Potrero in East San Diego County after protests and the recall of members of the Potrero Planning Group who originally gave the go ahead.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:51 pmZooey —
Most certainly it will take the slaughter of a group of protesters to get very many people up in arms about the Blackwater criminals.
Why should one go to jail for playing a violent video game with a lot of brown people to shoot? (Only a glimpse into the neocon mindset.)
Is Britney going to see her children more often? When’s the next i-Phone coming out? Starbucks took a dump in my coffee and I couldn’t taste the difference!
May 9th, 2008 at 7:54 pmZooey Says:
Most certainly it will take the slaughter of a group of protesters to get very many people up in arms about the Blackwater criminals.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Does anyone know Obama’s stand on using a private army like Blackwater? It would be an interesting question to put to him if he has not taken a position yet.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:56 pmpickingcotton Says:
Why should an entire company face charges for an isolated incident?
It’s called Responsibility. Something which has been missing in the Government mindset for the last several years.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:56 pmpickingcotton Says:
Why should an entire company face charges for an isolated incident?
May 9th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
The real question is “Why shouldn’t they?”
May 9th, 2008 at 7:58 pmpickingcotton Says:
Why should an entire company face charges for an isolated incident?
We’d explain it to you, but you couldn’t tell shit from chocolate if one steamed and the other was in Hershey wrap.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:00 pmOur illiterate troll must have gotten in trouble. His mom seems to be limiting his computer time.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:01 pmAre the repubs setting Obama up for failure as President by forcing him to drain their massive swamp of corruption and run the government seven days a week?
May 9th, 2008 at 8:03 pm#10 It is called the Nuremberg Defense in reverse. One cannot claim innocence because he/she/it was directed to commit a crime. The agency is responsible for the acts of its agents as long as the agents are acting in accordance with their direction by the Company. jJst as parents are responsible for the acts of their minor children.
I have given you the benefit of the doubt and assumed the question was valid. Should you be a troll the answer is EASD.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:05 pmWhat if one of Wal-Mart’s employees went crazy and shot up a store, killing people? Would you hold the whole corporation responsible?
#####
If it could be shown that Wal-Mart new about this behavior and had actually promoted it in a number of cases - yes. I spent over a year in Iraq - most soldiers hate the Blackwater contractors. They are unprofessional, untrained most of the time - and undisciplined. Soldiers repeatedly have to pay the price for Blackwater fu(kups.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:05 pmMy bad! The correct acronym is ESAD, however, EASD offers some interesting possibilities.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:07 pmSo when a few isolated people die from e-coli in their food, companies should not be held liable?
Whatever your drinking pickinkotton. Please, dont stop.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:08 pmToday is a good day for the aggressive (white) male book of justice.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:08 pmIndicted by the U.S.? This is not a jurisdictional issue for the U.S. under criminal law. If the U.S. has truly given the Iraqis sovereignty, these people are liable for charges under Iraqi law. How does the U.S. presume to investigate a crime in a foreign country using the F.B.I.? Turn these people over to the Iraqis and let them investigate and charge or not charge these Blackwater people.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:39 pmNo statute of limitation on murder..
May 9th, 2008 at 8:54 pmJMOHR Says:
I hope that you understand that the administration has contracts in place to use Blackwater in the US for domestic disturbances. I can assure you that the same rules of engagement and criminal liability will be the rule.
I wonder what the rules of engagement are when an armed citizen is defending himself from the aggression of blackwater a$$holes that have no official standing here in the states.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:33 pmThe contract could still be canceled if criminal charges are brought, but the department said it was unlikely to penalize the corporation if only its employees were charged.
Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said, “If it is determined that there are any individuals who need to be held accountable, we support that.”
Given that NO Blackwater employees have yet been held accountable for anything , but that if any WERE, then the compnay wouldn’t suffer.
Blackwater has friends in high places. It is highly improbable that anyone will even get indicted, let alone brought to court.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:35 pmExitSL…
The ROE are a secret
May 9th, 2008 at 9:37 pmDoes that mean I can make up my own?
May 9th, 2008 at 9:39 pm“investigating whether Blackwater played a role in a weapons smuggling case ….”
So are you saying they are in their own Iran-Contra gun smuggling ?
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:57 pmExitSL: Does that mean I can make up my own?
If you are a complete and utter bastard then, yes…yes you can!
May 9th, 2008 at 9:59 pmFrom the Blackwater Website, first page:
“Our corporate leadership and dedicated family of exceptional employees adhere to essential core values- chief among these are integrity, innovation, excellence, respect, accountability, and teamwork.”
May 9th, 2008 at 10:03 pmTime for a sternly-worded letter.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:18 pmdepartment of Injustice. Can we change the initials now?
May 9th, 2008 at 11:00 pmBlackwater unlikely to face charges for Sept. ‘07 Iraq shootout.»
May 10th, 2008 at 4:24 amWhich makes them an even more legitimate terget as criminal occupiers!
Ever wonder why Blackwater was hired through the State Department? Could it be that as a State Dept. contractor the employees of Blackwater fall under the protection of “Diplomatic Immunity”? They can, as individuals, be forced to leave a country, but not prosecuted or detained once their diplomatic status is determined. Just a thought.
May 10th, 2008 at 5:12 amTo all those who defend tooth and nail Blackwater and the other contractors: just read some history, and learn what happened with the Empires with large mercenary armies. Yes, the mercenaries soon or later turned against the very own country that was paying them.
May 10th, 2008 at 7:12 amPrince Eric of Darkwasser hurled his flagon of sour wine across the room as he bellowed across the raucus table of mostly drunken courtiers, “They’ll never pin anything on me! HAHAHAHA!”
continued….
May 10th, 2008 at 9:29 am