Journalist, author and publisher Charles Glass has a feature in this month’s edition of Harper’s magazine called “The Warrior Class,” a feature covering the rise of private security contractors after 9/11. The article describes a number videos shown to Glass by a source who had worked for Blackwater. Harpers published clips from the videos yesterday, which show Blackwater guards and other private security contractors operating as if living in the Wild West. One video shows a contractor randomly and “enthusiastically” firing an AK-47 from the turret of an armored vehicle and another shows a private guard yelling obscenities at passers-by and other armored cars smashing into civilian vehicles:

Another video shows what appears to be an American-made SUV running over a civilian without stopping. The car videoing the incident also does not stop:

Harpers reports that “the tape ended with the inscription ‘In support of security, peace, freedom and democracy everywhere.”

In 2009, the world’s largest mercenary army Blackwater changed its name to Xe in a bid to rehabilitate its public image. Now, the latest entry to rehabilitate Blackwater’s image comes in an unlikely form: a first-person shooter video game. Blackwater founder Erik Prince has teamed up with Zombie Studios — the developers of Blacklight: Tango Down, which scored at an abysmal 60.24 percent on video game review aggregator Gamerankings.com — to develop an Xbox 360 Kinect game called Blackwater where players can be a Blackwater mercenary in the midst of a civil war in a North African town.

With the Kinect accessory to the Xbox 360, players use their full bodies in front of a motion-detecting camera to control the game. Because the game is Kinect-exclusive, that means that the only way players will be able to take part in the experience is to physically behave as if they are Xe mercenaries — they can’t just hold controllers. CNN interviewed Prince about the game and asked him about how he thinks the game will appeal to gamers. Prince said the “excitement and realism” would be the main draws as well as the “fun“:

CNN: How do you think the Blackwater brand will appeal to the gaming demographic?

Prince: I believe “Blackwater” will have a unique appeal to gamers, particularly on the Kinect platform. The physical, visual and virtual feel of participating in a mission brings a level of excitement and realism to the game that is hard to match. And frankly, it’s fun. I think gamers will really enjoy playing the game.

One of the lead designers of the game uploaded a YouTube video to demonstrate how it is played using the player’s whole body. Watch it:

CNN asked Prince if he plays any video games himself. “I’m afraid I don’t have time to play any games these days,” he replied. “I certainly played a lot when I was a kid and I know it helped develop my hand to eye coordination.”

Our guest blogger is CAP Visiting Fellow Pratap Chatterjee.

Budgets are being slashed to ribbons across Washington this year. So what federal agency would dare ask for ten times as much money as it did last time around? The State Department — they want $3 billion to pay for security for the five U.S. diplomatic missions in Iraq, up from the $300 million they spent in 2008.

And as the Wall Street Journal reported today, State is looking to spend that money on private security contractors. Patrick Kennedy, undersecretary of State for management, told the Commission on Wartime Contracting yesterday that the agency

plans to hire a 5,100-strong force to protect diplomatic personnel, guard embassy buildings and operate a fleet of aircraft and armored vehicles.

How good of an idea is that? For Kennedy it’s just a matter of protecting diplomatic lives. The reality is that the 46,000 U.S. troops currently helping to protect State personnel in Iraq are unlikely to get an invitation to stay past the December 31 deadline and the Pentagon is busy shoveling out $100,000 a month to local sheiks to make sure that they don’t get shot at when they leave.

But there are bigger questions that need to be asked. The State Deparment doesn’t exactly have a clean record when it comes to managing private security contractors. Keep in mind this is the same agency that paid Blackwater to guard its diplomats in 2007 when the company’s security shot and killed 17 Iraqis. And State employees allegedly helped “the Blackwater guards avoid punishment.”

State was also widely criticized for its failure to manage police training contractors in both Afghanistan and Iraq. And the security it hired to guard the Kabul embassy was under fire for “drunken brawls, prostitutes, hazing and humiliation, taking vodka shots out of buttcracks.”

But most importantly, State could use the $3 billion to beef up it’s own Bureau of Diplomatic Security (BDS). The Governemnt Accountability Office (GAO) recommended last year that State do a full review of how it handled diplomatic security:

“Diplomatic Security’s ability to fully carry out its mission of providing security worldwide is hindered by staffing shortages in domestic offices — even in light of its workforce growth — and other operational challenges such as inadequate facilities, pervasive language proficiency shortfalls, and host-country constraints, among others.”

It noted that some offices were down to 60 percent of capacity and that “many posts go for years without updating their security training.” In fact, the State Department’s BDS boasts just one professional responsibility investigator for every 2,000 employees, compared to the Drug Enforcement Agency which maintains a 1:288 ratio, and the Department of Justice which maintains a 1:170 ratio.

However, State politely declined the GAO recommendations, saying simply that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security’s needs are being “adequately considered.” Instead of paying Blackwater-like firms top-dollar to run security, perhaps the Obama administration would be better off spending the $3 billion figuring out how to fix the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and to staff it properly.

Thousands of gun enthusiasts are in Charlotte, NC, this weekend for the 139th annual National Rifle Association (NRA) convention. The convention has attracted speakers like former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R), as well as a significant number of exhibitors selling all sorts of gun and gun-related paraphernalia.

ThinkProgress is at the convention and noticed a booth for Blackwater, the contractor that became infamous after one of its convoys in Baghdad opened fire in a crowded square in 2007 and killed 17 Iraqi civilians. Despite this dangerous legacy, ThinkProgress’s Ben Armbruster noticed that the company was proudly displaying assault rifles today:

What’s interesting about this booth is the fact that Blackwater officially changed its name to Xe in 2009, recognizing that it needed to try to rebrand itself and escape from the taint of the Iraq massacre. However, the company still retains the Blackwater name for its “Pro Shop,” which sells gift shop-type products with the Blackwater logo to the public. So when the company is talking to the media or Capitol Hill, it’s presenting its brand new Xe face. But when it’s marketing itself to a certain segment of conservatives, Blackwater still sells. A few of the items on Blackwater’s Pro Shop site, including a Baghdad poster depicting Blackwater’s logo as the bat signal and a beach towel:

There is currently no federal ban on assault rifles. Last year, Attorney General Eric Holder said that the Obama administration would be seeking to reinstate that ban, although no action has been taken so far. Ironically, “the carrying of firearms, both open and concealed” are banned at the NRA Convention.